322 
TRAVELS IN AFEICA. Chap. LXXXI. 
Having here fallen into our former road, I hastened 
on in advance along the well-known path towards 
Birni-n-Kebbi, which however now exhibited a dif- 
ferent character, on account of the whole country 
being covered with tall crops ; and turning round the 
walls of Kola, we reached the gate of Birni-n-Kebbi. 
The aspect of this town had likewise undergone an 
entire change, but not to its advantage ; the town, 
which of itself is narrow, being still more hemmed 
in by the crops. For the moment, the place had 
certainly a rather desolate appearance, the greater 
part of the inhabitants being engaged in an expedition 
led on by 'Abd el Kaderi, or as he is commonly called, 
'Abd el Kdderi-ay, a younger brother of Khalilu. As 
I rode up to the house of the magaji or governor, 
Mohammed Lowel, he was just sitting in his parlour 
with a few of his people, when he, or rather his at- 
tendants, having recognized me as his old acquaint- 
ance 'Abd el Kerim, came out to salute me in a very 
cheerful manner. However, the expedition being 
expected to return the same evening, there was no 
room for us inside the town, and we were obliged to 
seek shelter outside, descending the steep and rugged 
slope to the border of the faddama, where we ob- 
tained, with difficulty, quarters for myself, in an 
isolated farm. The hut was extremely small, and full 
of ants ; but the door was provided with a peculiar 
kind of curtain, made of the leaves of the deleb-palm, 
which, while admitting access, entirely excluded the 
mosquitoes, which infested this place in enormous 
