160 
JOURNEY FROM BOUSSA TO KANO. 
fowls and partridges are also in great numbers. The elephant and 
buffalo inhabit the southern part of the province, which they say 
is twelve days south of Zaria, and reaches close to the salt water. 
It is bounded by the province of Kano to the east; Jacoba to the 
south-east ; by the mountains inhabited by pagans to the south, 
where they say the sea is ; by Nyffe to the south-west ; Guari and 
Ivaslina to the north and west. The environs of the city are beau- 
tiful, being formed of gentle ridges of land and plains ; here and 
there fine large shady trees, and small streams of water ; the rocky 
mounts to the north and south adding to the beauty of the scene. 
A small river, dry in summer, runs at a little distance from the 
eastward wall : its course is south. 
Friday, 14th. — Morning clear. No messenger having arrived 
from the governor, as was expected, 1 had the bullocks and camel 
loaded, and told Abdulkrum I would stay no longer, and if he at- 
tempted to stop me, it would be at his peril. He said there was 
not the least objection to my going ; that, on the contrary, he would 
send a messenger of his own with me to Kano, and should accom- 
pany me part of the way. It was 8 A. M. before I was able to leave 
the town, Abdulkrum proceeding with me : he has behaved very 
well to me while I remained in Zaria, and is as decent a Fellata as I 
ever met with ; and he is the only man in the place who bears a good 
name with strangers. Poor man, his secret came out at last. He 
was very earnest and rather bashful about it for a Mahometan. It 
was as usual with them who have too many wives : one, he said, 
was the governor’s daughter, and he was convinced I had medicine 
that would be of use to him. It was too serious a matter, and lay 
too near his heart, for me to laugh at him, or to say I had none ; so 
I gave him a box of Seidlitz powders, the effervescing of which sur- 
prised him very much, desiring him to take one once a week. He 
was made perfectly happy, and fully believed in their virtue. It 
is the first time I have given medicine for such a disorder, generally 
