196 
AFRICA AND ITS EXPLORATION. 
of Fellatahs, Nyfieans, and emigrants and slaves from 
various countries, and is governed by a ruler who 
exercises sovereign authority over Babba and its de¬ 
pendencies, and is styled sultan or king. . . . Babba 
is famous for milk, oil, and honey. The market, when 
our messengers were there, appeared to be well supplied 
with bullocks, horses, mules, asses, sheep, goats, and 
abundance of poultry. Bice, and various sorts of corn, 
cotton cloth, indigo, saddles and bridles made of red and 
yellow leather, besides*shoes, boots, and sandals, were 
offered for sale in great plenty. Although we observed 
about two hundred slaves for sale, none had been dis¬ 
posed of when we left the market in the evening. . . . 
Babba is not very famous for the number or variety of 
its artificers, and yet in the manufacture of mats and 
sandals it is unrivalled. However, in all other handi¬ 
crafts, Babba yields to Zagoslii.” 
On the 16th October, the Landers at last started in a 
wretched canoe, for which the king had made them pay 
a high price, with paddles they had stolen, because no 
one would sell them any. This was the first time they 
had been able to embark on the Niger without help 
from the natives. They went down the river, whose 
width varies greatly, avoiding large towns as much as 
possible, for they had no means of satisfying the extor¬ 
tions of the chiefs. All this time the Niger flowed in 
an E.S.E. direction, now eight, now only two miles in 
width. The current was so rapid that the boat went at 
the rate of four or five miles an hour. 
On the 19th October the Landers passed the mouth 
of the Coudonia, which Bichard had crossed near Cuttup 
on his first expedition, and a little later they came in 
sight of Egga. The landing-place was soon reached by 
way of a bay encumbered with an immense number of 
large and heavy canoes full of merchandise, with the 
prows daubed with blood, and covered with feathers, as 
charms against thieves. 
o 
The chief, to whom the travellers were at once con¬ 
ducted, was an old man with a long white beard, whose 
appearance would have been venerable and patriarchal 
