JOURNEY FROM BOUSSA TO KANO. 
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twenty or twenty-five thousand, the greater part of whom are 
refugees from Bornou and Wadey, and their descendants, who are 
all engaged in trade : from the little I saw of them, they appeared 
to be cleanly, civil, and industrious. In the afternoon I went 
through a great number of these houses, shooting pigeons, of which 
there are four kinds here : the domestic or house pigeon, the large 
wood dove, a larger kind with a fleshy substance round the outside 
of the eye like the carrier pigeon, and the small dove with purple 
breast and black ring round the neck. The inhabitants offered 
not the least objections to my shooting in their court-yards, but 
were as much amused as I was, and afforded me every assistance 
in procuring the wounded birds. At sunset I took leave of the 
governor, who lent me a horse and a messenger to go with me 
early to Kano to provide a house, for 1 had not yet heard from 
Hadje Salah. The governor’s son sent me a present of a turkey 
and some wheat, but I sent him nothing in return, as all my things 
were packed up ready for starting. 
Thursday, 20tli. — Daylight, fresh breezes and cloudy ; ther- 
mometer, at sunrise, 75° Fahrenheit. Landed the bullocks, and 
saw them out of the north gate of Baebaegie, when 1 started 
ahead, on the horse I had borrowed from the governor, his servant 
and the messenger of Zaria accompanying me. I left the baggage 
in charge of Kichard, desiring him to halt at the nearest town 
or village if it should come on to rain, and not to start in the 
morning if the weather was bad. My road was through a well- 
cultivated country, the soil clay and gravel ; the villages were 
numerous, the inhabitants of which were busy in their plantations, 
dressing up the earth to the roots of the dourra, and hoeing away 
the weeds. The road was broad and good, thronged with passen- 
gers, asses and bullocks loaded with goods and grain, going to and 
returning from Kano. At 7 A. M. crossed a small stream which 
runs south and falls into the Girkwa. At 8. 30 A. INI. passed the 
