342 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. Chap. XXXI. 
As soon as I fully understood the purport of this 
important message, I ordered my horse to be saddled, 
and mounted. The sun was extremely powerful just 
about noon, shortly before the setting-in of the rainy 
season, and as I had forgotten, in the hurry and ex- 
citement, to wind a turban round my cap, I very 
nearly suffered a sun-stroke. A traveller cannot be 
too careful of his head in these countries. 
I found Overweg in the shade of a nebek-tree 
near Kalilwa. He looked greatly fatigued and much 
worse than when I left him, four months ago, at 
Tasawa; indeed, as he told me, he had been very 
sickly in Zinder — so sickly, that he had been much 
afraid lest he should soon follow Mr. Richardson to 
the grave. Perhaps the news which he just then 
heard of our companion's death made him more 
uneasy about his own illness. However, we were 
glad to meet again alive, and expressed our hopes to 
be able to do a good deal for the exploration of these 
countries. He had had an opportunity of witnessing, 
during his stay in Gober and Maradi, the interesting 
struggle going on between this noblest part of the 
Hausa nation and the Fiilbe, who threaten their poli- 
tical as well as religious independence*; and he was 
deeply impressed with the charming scenes of unre- 
* Unfortunately Mr. Overweg made no report on this his 
excursion, most probably on account of his sickness in Zmder, and 
his afterwards being occupied with other things. His memoranda 
are in such a state that, even for me, it would be possible only, 
with the greatest exertion, to make anything out of them, with 
the exception of names. 
