144 
JOURNEY FROM BOUSSA TO KANO. 
they would never be so well off as they were before. I hose who 
are taken when grown-up men or women, and even boys and girls, 
run whenever an opportunity offers, and, whenever they can, take 
their owner's goods or cattle to assist them on their journey. In- 
stances of this kind happened every night. 
They have very few bullocks, sheep, or goats, in the country ; 
hut that is owing to the desolating war. Corn they have in abun- 
dance, as that cannot be driven away by plundering parties. The 
surrounding country is a level plain, well cultivated, and studded 
with little walled towns and villages, along the banks of the May- 
yarrow, and another little river running into it from the north. It is 
subject to the Majia, but never visited by him or his people, except 
to attend the market, or collect the duties from the traders. The 
town of Kufu, at a short distance (not a mile), has a quarrel with 
another little town about half a mile from it, called Lajo, the latter 
having taken the wife of a man, whom they thought they had 
killed and left for dead, and selling her ; hence arose a regular 
system of retaliation ; and they take and sell one another whenever 
they have an opportunity. Every other night almost the war-cry 
was raised about stealing asses, oxen, or murder ; and sometimes 
the inhabitants of Ivoolfu would join in the fray, always siding 
with Kufu. 
Monday, 19th. — Having been detained thus long at Ivoolfu, by 
my own and my servant Richard’s illness, we left it this morning, 
accompanied by the head man and the principal inhabitants of 
Ivoolfu, who went with me as far as the walled and warlike village of 
Ivufu, where I stopped for the night. Here the head man of Ivoolfu 
introduced me to the head man of Kufu, who provided me with a 
good house, and made me a present of a sheep and some cooked 
meat. I had also presents of meat sent me by the principal inha- 
bitants. The people of Kufu, not satisfied with having frequently 
