JOURNEY FROM KATUNGA TO BOUSSA. 
73 
to the front of his house, where there was some by no means bad 
horse-racing, in an oblong square in front of his house, formed on 
one side by tall shady trees, the end closed by the rocky ridge. The 
horses ran in pairs up this square, sometimes a large Bornou horse 
paired with the small native breed, the latter of which appeared to 
dispute the victory often with the larger horses of Bornou. Towards 
the close, young boys rode on bare backed young horses, which was 
not the worst of the sport. After the racing I went and compli- 
mented Yarro on his riding, as he also was one of the racers, and of 
course won. 
Iviama, the principal city of a province of that name in the king- 
dom of Borgoo, is situated in latitude 9° 37' 33 " north, and longi- 
tude 5° 22' 56 " east of Greenwich. It is governed by a chief whose 
name, Yarro, signifies The Boy; and both city and province are, as 
frequently happens in Africa, sometimes called after him. The 
province is thinly inhabited, and the city straggling and ill built. 
The houses consist of circular huts, or coozies, built of clay and 
thatched : a number of these, enclosed in a square fence of matting, 
generally form but one house. The city is built on the south side 
of a rocky ridge, and is surrounded by an extensive low clay wall, 
which is broken down in a number of places : inside the walls are 
plantations of corn and yams. The surrounding country is thickly 
wooded, with but few plantations, and the country is said to abound 
in game of all descriptions. 
Kiama is one of the towns through which the caravan from 
Houssa and Bornou passes to and from Gonja, on the borders of 
Ashantee : it also has a direct trade with Dahomey, Youri, Nyffe, 
and Yourriba. There is no fixed duty for the merchants to pay, but 
the chief takes just as much as can be squeezed from them. The 
inhabitants are pagans of an easy faith ; never praying but when 
they are sick, or want something, and cursing their object of worship 
L, 
