JOURNEY FROM BOUSSA TO KANO. 
149 
Fitakies selling a sick jackass, which was unable to carry its load 
to the natives, to kill for food, as they consider its flesh as medicine, 
and good for coughs and pains in the chest. At noon arrived at 
the town of Wazo, which is situated in a narrow part of the 
valley, partly built on the shelving side of a mountain, which forms 
the south side of the pass and valley, the other part of the town 
and wall, on the north side; here the Fitakies had to pay ninety 
cowries for each loaded ass or bullock ; I, of course, passed without 
payment. After passing Worm, or Wormzou, as it is sometimes 
called, the valley opened out to the south as far as the eye could 
reach ; the mountains on the left bending more to the north. At 
3 P. M. crossed a small stream running to the south, whose bed, 
when covered with water, is dangerous to man and beast, owing to 
the sharp rocks in its bed, which, from the muddiness of its waters, 
are not seen. We halted at a short distance from its eastern bank. 
Our place of encampment was soon filled by the inhabitants of the 
neighbouring little towns, having raw goat’s flesh, boiled beans, 
millet, and pudding for sale ; as usual all Cumbrie, and every two 
or three women attended by an armed companion to see fair 
play ; the men and women dressed in the same gay style as usual ; 
upon the whole they were a fine, active, clean-looking people : 
most of the men had a bastard kind of greyhound following them, 
whose necks were ornamented with colours and strings of cowries. 
Every man working in the plantations, as I came along, was armed, 
owing, they say, to the frequent inroads of the Fellatas. At sun- 
set all our visitors left us, and we had a severe storm of rain, 
thunder, and lightning. 
Wednesday, 28th. — F or the last five days we have been travel- 
ling through a rich and beautiful valley and over woody hills, and 
arrived at Womba. The capital of this province is called Koton- 
kora, and distant from Womba, north, thirty miles. Before the 
