Chap. XXXIV. VALLEY AND MOUNTAIN CHAIN. 417 
We had scarcely returned to our quarters, when 
a storm broke out, but it was not accompanied with 
a great quantity of rain. Our cheer was indifferent; 
and we passed our evening in rather a dull manner. 
Seeing that the weather was gloomy, and Wednesday 
being afraid of the fatigue connected with June llth - 
the ascent of the ridge even along a more easy path, 
as I was well aware how much my constitution had 
been weakened, I preferred going on, and gave orders 
for starting. On leaving the western gate of the town, 
which is formed of very large trunks of trees, we en- 
tered on a tract of corn-fields in a very promising 
condition, while at the same time a number of young 
jet black slave girls, well fed, and all neatly dressed 
in long aprons of white clean gabaga, and having 
their necks adorned with strings of glass beads, were 
marched out to their daily labour in the field. 
The town formerly extended much further in this 
direction, till it was ransacked and plundered by 11a- 
madhan, a slave and officer of the sheikh Mohammed 
el Kanemi. Before the Fiilbe occupied these regions, 
the slave-hunting expeditions of the people of Bornu 
often extended into the very heart of A'damawa. 
The Fiilbe certainly are always making steps towards 
subjugating the country, but they have still a great 
deal to do before they can regard themselves as the 
undisturbed possessors of the soil. Even here, at no 
great distance beyond the little range which we had 
on our right, an independent tribe called Gille still 
maintains itself, and on my return journey I shall have 
VOL. II. E E 
