Chap. LXXXII. LEAVE-TAKING. 
343 
pleted my preparations, and, on the 4th October, I 
had my final leave-taking, or, as the Hausa people 
say, the babankwana, when I took the opportunity of 
excusing myself to 'Aliyu for having been this year 
a little troublesome, after the fashion of those Arab 
sherifs who used to visit him, stating at the same 
time, that if my means had not been almost ex- 
hausted, I should have preferred buying a horse for 
myself. Having made this prelude, I endeavoured 
to impress upon him the dangerous state of the road, 
when he made use of the expression common in Hausa, 
"Alia shibiideta!" God may open it!"); but I pro- 
tested against such an excess of reliance upon the 
Divine interventiouj and exhorted him to employ his 
own strength and power for such a purpose, for with- 
out security of roads, I assured him there could be no 
intercourse nor traffic. He either was, or seemed to 
be, very desirous that the English should open trading 
relations with him ; and I even touched on the cir- 
cumstance, that in order to facilitate such an inter- 
course, it would be best to blow up certain rocks, 
which most obstructed the navigation between Yauri 
and Biisa, but of such an undertaking I convinced 
myself that it was better not to say too much at 
once, as that ought to be an affair of time. 
Altogether, 'Aliyu had entered into the most cheer- 
ful conversation with me on all occasions, and had 
questioned me upon every subject without reserve. 
He also furnished me with four letters of recom- 
z 4 
