Chap. XXXII. PLAIN OF MAi'DUGURl'. 
363 
Mora and the places around, protected by the moun- 
tainous character of the country, still maintain their 
freedom against the Kamiri and Fiilbe, but, as it 
seems, will soon be swallowed up by the latter. 
While the greater part of the Gamerghu have been 
exterminated, the rest are heavily taxed, although 
the tribute which they have to deliver to the sheikh 
himself consists only in butter. Every large place 
in this district has a market of its own ; but a market 
of very considerable importance is held in Uje, and 
is from this circumstance called Uje Kasukula — 
" kasuku " means " the market." In Uje Maiduguri* 
a market is held every Wednesday on the west side of 
the town, where a small quadrangular area is marked 
out with several rows of stalls or sheds. The place 
was once surrounded by an earthen wall, the circum- 
ference of which seems to show its greater magnitude 
in former times. 
Escorted by a troop of Mestrema's idle servants, we 
entered, on the following morning, the fine open coun- 
try which stretches out on the south side of Maidu- 
guri. The whole plain appeared to be one continuous 
corn-field, interrupted only by numerous villages, 
and shaded here and there by single monkey-bread 
trees, or Adansonias, and various species of fig-trees, 
such as the ngabbore, with their succulent dark-green 
foliage, and baure with large fleshy leaves of a 
bright-green colour. Since I left Kano I had not 
* Maiduguri means the Place of the Maidugu or nobleman. 
