mr. Richardson's notes. 
109 
be a bad place to hear the pure Bornouese language. 
I still hope to go off early to Sakkatou, and finish 
quickly with Soudan. In these matters the Ger- 
mans are better off than I am, and have not to wait 
for money. * 
* Nearly the whole of this long account of a residence in Aheer 
consists in the journals of Mr. Richardson of disjointed fragments, 
jotted down almost without any connexion. This was necessarily the 
case. Few incidents, save an occasional visit from thieves, or a dis- 
pute with that strange old gentleman, Sultan En-Noor, diversified 
this period. However, the simple commonplace book of a traveller in 
a totally new country can never be without its interest. No doubt 
Mr. Richardson would have attempted, had he survived, to throw all 
these observations into a picture ; but any attempt to do so on my 
part would have probably resulted in the omission of characteristic 
traits, and the introduction of extraneous ideas. The following chap- 
ters appear to me to increase in interest, page by page. — Ed. 
