390 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. Chap. XXXIII. 
and tall manly figures, girt round the loins with a 
short leathern apron, and wearing, besides their agri- 
cultural tools, the " danisko " (hand-bill), or a spear, 
were proudly walking about or comfortably squatting 
together in the shade of some fine tree, and seemed 
to intimate that this ground belonged to them, and 
that the foreigner, whoever he might be, ought to 
act discreetly. As for their dress, however, I almost 
suspected that, though very scanty, it was put on 
only for the occasion ; for, on arriving at the first 
cluster of huts, Ave came abruptly upon a hollow 
with a pond of water, from which darted forth a very 
tall and stout bronze-coloured woman, totally naked, 
with her pitcher upon her head, — not only to my 
own amazement, but even to that of my horse, which, 
coming from the civilized country of Bornu, which 
is likewise the seat of one of the blackest races in the 
interior, seemed to be startled by such a sight. 
However, I have observed that many of those simple 
tribes deem some sort of covering, however scanty it 
might be, more essential for the man than the woman. 
We first directed our steps towards the western 
side of the village, where in a denser cluster of huts 
was the dwelling of the nominal "billama," that is to 
say, of a man who, betraying his native country, had 
placed himself under the authority of the Bornu peo- 
ple, in the hope that, with their assistance, he might 
gratify his ambition by becoming the tyrant of his 
compatriots. Here we met Ibrahima, who with his 
countrymen had arrived before us. Having obtained 
