Chap. LXXXIII. GREAT DISAPPOINTMENT. 383 
had no means of ascertaining the truth or falsehood 
of those reports. 
I also learned from him, that there were despatches 
for me in Kiikawa, informing me of the expedition 
sent up the river Tsadda, or Benuwe. With regard 
to his own proceedings, he informed me that his sole 
object in going to Mandara had been to join that ex- 
pedition, having been misled by the opinion of my 
friends in Europe, who thought that I had gone to 
A'damawa by way of Mandard, and that when once in 
Mord he had become SLware of the mistake he had com- 
mitted when too late, and had endeavoured in vain to 
retrieve his error by going from that place to Uje, from 
whence the overthrow of the usurper 'Abd e' Rahman, 
and the return of his brother 'Omar to power, had 
obliged him to return to Kiikawa. 
While we were thus conversing together, the other 
members of the caravan in whose company Mr. Vogel 
was travelling arrived, and expressed their astonish- 
ment and surprise at my sitting quietly here in the 
midst of the forest, talking with my friend, while the 
whole district was infested by hostile men. But 
these Arab traders are great cowards ; and I learned 
from my countryman that he had found a great num- 
ber of these merchants assembled in Borzdri, and 
afraid of a few robbers who infested the road beyond 
that place, and it was only after he had joined them 
with his companions that they had decided upon 
advancing. 
After about two hours' conversation, we had to 
