VILLAGES OF DAIRMU. 
289 
his master's commands. Still it is not surprising 
the people ran away from a Bornou caravan. 
We encamped at the group of villages called 
Dairmu. My "gift horse" had given me most 
excruciating pain in riding, and I was obliged to 
dismount for half an hour. The saddles are very 
bad, and cut you raw before you are accustomed to 
them. But I must submit to this fatigue, for now I 
must ride horses and put away the camel, which is 
too slow for travelling in Soudan, where water and 
herbage are found for the horses every two or three 
hours. 
After I was somewhat recovered, I went to see 
the village, and found all the people working upon 
cotton ; some cleaning it, some winding it into balls, 
and others weaving the gubaga, or narrow strips of 
cotton cloth, with which the greater number of the 
population are clothed. A small portion of the 
cotton-twist is dyed with indigo, and with this and 
the undyed a species of check-cotton cloth is 
woven ; but all very rude. The Sheikh of the 
place supplied the caravan with bazeen. For my- 
self I purchased a couple of fowls, which cost just 
twopence farthing in English money : they were, 
however, small ; and I may remark that all fowls 
^are small in this country, and most of the domestic 
animals, like horses, sheep, dogs, cats, &c. are 
diminutive when compared to those of Europe. 
The bullocks, however, are of a good size, with 
branching horns. The sheep have no wool, or 
VOL. II. u 
