FROM KANO TO SOCCATOO. 
181 
proaching nearly to Soccatoo, The borders of these lakes are the 
resort of numbers of elephants and other wild beasts. The appear- 
ance at this season, and at the spot where I saw it, was very beau- 
tiful ; all the acacia trees were in blossom, some with white flowers, 
others with yellow, forming a contrast with the small dusky leaves, 
like gold and silver tassels on a cloak of dark green velvet. 1 ob- 
served some fine large fish leaping in the lake. Some of the troops 
were bathing ; others watering their horses, bullocks, camels, and 
asses : the lake as smooth as glass, and flowing around the roots ot 
the trees. The sun, on its approach to the horizon, throws the 
shadows of the flowery acacias along its surface, like sheets of bur- 
nished gold and silver. The smoking fires on its banks, the sound- 
ing of horns, the beating of their gongs or drums, the braying of 
their brass and tin trumpets, the rude huts of grass or branches of 
trees rising as if by magic, every where the calls on the names of 
Mahomed, Abdo, Mustafa, &c., with the neighing of horses and the 
braying of asses, gave animation to the beautiful scenery of the lake., 
and its sloping green and woody banks. 
The only regulation that appears in these rude feudal armies 
is, that they take up their ground according to the situation of the 
provinces, east, west, north, or south ; but all are otherwise huddled 
together, without the least regularity. The man next in rank to 
the governor of each province has his tent placed nearest to him, 
and so on. I always found out my quarters, which were close to 
the Gadado, by inquiring what province the people belonged to. 
In the evening, the governor sent me a present of a sheep, and 
directly afterwards ordered a musquet to be brought to me, that 1 
might put a screw to its lock ; and on my declaring that I had no 
screws, and could not make one, his people went off rather dissatisfied, 
and shortly afterwards I missed my powder horn, which was hang- 
ing* with my gun and sword, to the branch of a tree : the rascals 
had stolen it. 
