306 TRAVELS IN AFRICA. Chap. LXXXI. 
chief of Hamda-Alldhi, A'hmedu ben A'hmedu, on 
account of his not being able to catch me, which 
caused a great deal of merriment, but of course could 
only be appreciated by those who had a very good 
knowledge of Arabic, of which the greater part of the 
audience probably did not understand a single word. 
It was rather a curious circumstance that these 
people should express their satisfaction at the failure 
of an undertaking of their own countrymen. 
Altogether A'bii el Hassan made a favourable im- 
pression upon me. He was by no means a man of 
stately appearance, or of commanding manners, and 
his features wanted the expressive cast which in 
general characterises the Fiilbe ; and being destitute 
of any beard, he looked much younger than he really 
was, as his age can certainly not be much under sixty. 
His skin was very fair, and his dress of great simpli- 
city, consisting of a shirt and turban of white colour, 
the red berniis which my companions had presented 
to him only hanging loosely from his shoulders. He 
is a native of the island of Ansongho where his fore- 
fathers were settled from ancient times ; and it is 
entirely owing to his personal courage and his learn- 
ing that he has reached the position he now occupies. 
A'bu el Hassan, seems fully to deserve to be under 
the orders of a more energetic liege lord than the 
monkish and lazy Khalilu, who allows his kingdom 
to be shattered to pieces; and in any attempt to 
ascend the Niger, the governor of Tdmkala is of con- 
siderable importance. The principal weakness of his 
