3o5 TRAVELS IN AFRICA, 
body. It was with difficulty that they could be prevailed on 
even to carry it to the place of interment. 
The people of Dageou, a country on the Weft, reprefented 
as not far from Bergoo, it is faid, conquered the country now 
called Fur, and retained it till they were exhaufted by mutual 
contentions : upon which the prefent race of kings fucceeded, 
but from what origin I have not been able to difcover. Pro- 
bably, Moors driven from the North by the Arabs. The race 
of Dageou is faid to have come from the vicinity of Tunis. 
It is reported, that they had a cuftom of lighting a fire on the 
inauguration of their king, which was carefully kept burning 
till his death. At prefent there is a cuftom in Fur, of fpread- 
ing the carpets on which the feveral deceafed Sultans ufed to 
fit, before the new prince, and from the one he prefers, it is 
judged his character will be analogous to that of its former 
poiTefTor. 
The Sultan Omar, one of the predeceflbrs of Teraub, car- 
ried on a long and deftruftive war with the neighbouring 
country of Bergoo, in which he exhaufted his treafures and 
people, and at the fame time greatly weakened the adverfe 
country. 
The families between which the pretenfions to authority now 
lie, are thofe of Abd-el-Cafim, Teraub, and Chalife, his bro- 
ther. Each of them has a number of warm partizans among 
the foldiery, who would never be faithful to any of the other 
families. The competitors are fo numerous that much confu- 
fion 
