215 
CHAP. LXXVIII. 
THE ANCIENT CAPITAL OF SONGHAY AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD. 
As soon as I had made out that Gogo was the Tuesday, 
place which for several centuries had been J^'^e^oth. 
the capital of a strong and mighty empire in this 
region, I felt a more ardent desire to visit it than I 
had to reach Timbuktu. The latter, no doubt, had 
become celebrated throughout the whole of Europe, 
on account of the commerce which centred in it ; 
nevertheless I was fully aware that Timbuktu had 
never been more than a provincial town, although it 
exercised considerable influence upon the neighbouring 
regions from its being the seat of Mohammedan learn- 
ing. But Gawo, or G6g6, had been the centre of a 
great national movement, from w^hence powerful and 
successful princes, such as the great Mohammed el 
Hdj A'skia, spread their conquests from Kebbi, or 
rather Hausa, in the east, as far as Fiita in the west ; 
and from Tawat in the north, as far as Wangara and 
Mosi towards the south. 
Cheered at having reached this spot, I passed a 
tranquil night, and rising early in the morning, lay 
down outside my tent, quietly enjoying the prospect 
