352 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. Chap. XXXII. 
conspicuous person in our troop was Billama*, the 
officer whom the sheikh had appointed to accompany 
me, a tall handsome Bornu man, mounted on a most 
splendid grey horse of great size, and of a very quick 
pace. He had two servants with him, besides a man 
of Mala Ibram, likewise mounted on horseback, who 
was to accompany us as far as the Margin country. 
The messengers from Adamawa, as we proceeded 
onward, gradually collected together from the hamlets 
about, where they had been waiting for us, and the 
spearmen among them saluted me by raising their 
spears just in my face, and beating their small round 
hippopotamus shields; Mohammedu was armed with 
a sword and bow and arrows. They had not been 
treated so well as, with reference to my prospects, the 
sheikh ought to have treated them, and Ibrahima, 
instead of a handsome horse which was promised to 
him, had received a miserable poor mare, quite unfit 
for himself, and scarcely capable of carrying his little 
son and his small provision bag. 
As soon as I had left the town behind me, and saw 
that I was fairly embarked in my undertaking, I in- 
dulged in the most pleasant feelings. I had been 
cherishing the plan of penetrating into those unknown 
countries to the south for so long a time, that I felt 
the utmost gratification in being at length able to 
carry out my design. At that time I even cherished 
the hope that I might succeed in reaching Baya, and 
* " Billama " properly means mayor, from " billa," a town ; but 
in many cases it has become a proper name. 
