456 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. Chap. XXXIY. 
as almost all his companions, spoke Arabic; for, as 
Sarawu Berebere is a colony of Bornu people, Be- 
lem is a pure Arabic colony, that is to say, a colony 
of the Salamat, a tribe widely-scattered over Bornu 
and Waday. Mallem O'ro, or, as he is popularly called, 
on account of his humility and devoutness, Mallem 
Dalili, was born in Waday, but settled in Bornu, 
from whence at the time of the conquest of the country 
by the Fiilbe or Fellata (in the year 1808) he fled to 
avoid famine and oppression, like so many other unfor- 
tunate inhabitants of that kingdom, and founded a 
village in this promising region. This is the country 
for colonies, and I do not see why a colony of the 
liberated slaves of Sierra Leone might not be advan- 
tageously established here. All these people wear 
indigo- coloured shirts, and in this manner, even by 
their dress, are distinguished from the Fiilbe. They 
are tolerated and protected, although a Piillo head 
man has his residence here, besides the mallem. 
We were to start in the afternoon ; but my stupid 
Fezzani servant, Mohammed ben Habib, had almost 
killed himself with eating immoderately of ground- 
nuts, and was so seriously ill that I was reduced to 
the alternative either of leaving him behind or waiting 
for him. Choosing the latter, I made a day of feasting 
for the whole of my little company, the mallem send- 
ing me a goat for my people, a couple of fowls for 
myself, and corn for my horses ; besides which, I was 
so fortunate as to buy a supply of rice. In considera- 
tion of his hospitable treatment, I sent the old mallem 
