288 
TIMIDITY OF THE NATIVES. 
tered forests, with open spaces, the wood being- 
broken in upon here and there by a scanty ghaseb 
cultivation. Amongst the trees, some rose with 
giant arms and all the characters of tropical vegeta- 
tion. The country was undulating, with ranges of 
low hills. Blocks of granite were scattered on the 
surface of the ground ; in the deeper valleys lay 
stagnant water of the last rains, fast drying up ; and 
here were water-fowls, waders, and some large, 
strange, black-and-white geese, with necks of 
enormous length. 
After three hours and a-quarter we came to the 
considerable village of Deddegi, where, on our ap- 
pearance, all the inhabitants fetching water or 
tending cattle ran away. This I may remark, as 
the first time that the people ran away at our ap- 
pearance amongst them. Hitherto we have always 
had the population pressing upon us for curiosity, 
or to attack and plunder us. Things change. But 
the flight of the people of Deddegi is easily ex- 
plained. We were soon recognised as a Bornou 
caravan, and the Bornouese in coming to Zinder, — 
the Sheikh's people especially, — have been in the 
habit of plundering these villages, or carrying off 
the people and their cattle, the former into slavery. 
Recently the Sarkee has complained of this, and the 
Sheikh, to do him justice, has ordered the Sarkee 
to seize any Bornouese committing these misde- 
meanours, and execute what justice he pleases upon 
them. The Sarkee, now, will not be slack to obey 
