410 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. Chap. XXXIII. 
that the line of our troop became entirely broken ; 
the fataki, or tugurchi, with their pack-oxen, and 
several of the danganinfu — namely the little trades- 
men who carry their small parcels of merchandise on 
the head — remaining a great distance behind; but 
although I wished several times to halt, I could not 
persuade my companions to do so ; and all that I 
was able to do for the safety of the poor people who had 
trusted themselves to my protection, was to send Bil- 
lam a to the rear with orders to bring up the strag- 
glers. I shall never forget the euphonious words of the 
old mallem with which he, though usually so humane, 
parried my entreaties to give the people time to come 
up ; mixing Hausa with Kaniiri, he kept exclaiming, 
" awennan karaga babu dadi" (" This is by no means 
a pleasant forest"), while he continued beating my 
poor camels with his large shield of antelope's hide. 
At length, having entered a very dense thicket, 
where there was a pond of water, we halted for a 
quarter of an hour, when Billama came up with the 
rear, bringing me, at the same time, a splendid 
little gonda fruit, which he knew I was particularly 
fond of. 
Continuing then our march with our wonted ex- 
pedition, we reached a little before one o'clock cul- 
tivated fields, where the slaves — " field-hands," as an 
American would say — of the people of U'ba were just 
resting from their labour in the shade of the trees. 
As the slaves of Mohammedans, they all wore the 
leathern apron. Here we began to ascend, having a 
