132 
JOURNEY FROM BOUSSA TO KANO. 
by the forked lightning, which constantly seemed to ascend and 
descend from what was now evidently the town of Bali on fire, only 
a short distance outside the walls of Koolfu. When this was ex- 
tinguished a new scene began, if possible worse than the first. The 
wind had increased to a hurricane ; houses were blown down ; roofs 
of houses going along with the wind like chaff, the shady trees in 
the town bending and breaking ; and, in the intervals between the 
roaring of the thunder, nothing heard but the war-cry of the men 
and the screams of women and children, as no one knew but that 
an enemy was at hand, and that we should every instant share in 
the fate of Bali. I had the fire-arms loaded when I learned this, 
and stationed Bichard and Pascoe at the door of each hut, and took 
the command of my landlady’s house, securing the outer door, and 
putting all the fires out. One old woman roasting ground nuts, 
quite unconcerned, made as much noise as if she had been going 
to be put to death when the water was thrown over her fire. At 
last the rain fell : the fire in Bali had ceased by its being wholly 
burnt down. In our house we escaped with the roof blown off one 
coozie, and a shed blown down. All was now quiet ; and I went 
to rest with that satisfaction every man feels when his neighbour’s 
house is burnt down and his own, thank God ! has escaped. 
Sunday, 14th. — Mohamed, the Fezzanie, whom I had hired at 
Tabra, and whom I had sent to the chief of Youri for the books 
and papers of the late Mungo Park, returned, bringing me a letter 
from that person, which contained the following account of the 
death of that unfortunate traveller : that not the least injury was 
done to him at Youri, or by the people of that country; that the 
people of Boussa had killed them, and taken all their riches ; that 
the books in his possession were given him by the Imam of Boussa ; 
that they were lying on the top of the goods in the boat when 
she was taken ; that not a soul was left alive belonging to the boat ; 
that the bodies of two black men were found in the boat chained 
