Friday, 7th.—Morning cloudy. At 8 A.M. loaded the bullocks and camel, and sent them off. I went and took leave of the chief Abubuker, where I found an escort of four horsemen ready to conduct me to the frontier. This was more than I expected; for both he and his people knew I was going to Bello: at least I told the chief I had a letter and present for him: at all events they knew I had to go through his territory—there could be no mistake as to that. The road from Guari was hilly and woody, and winding and rocky, and filled with sharp gravel stones; the soil a deep red clay; the rocks a slaty sandstone: a number of what in England are called the Malacca cones were growing by the sides of the streams.
At 1 P.M. passed the town of Makundi, where a large caravan from the eastward had just halted, a number of the merchants of which had seen me in Yourriba and Borgoo, and came to wish me joy and a blessing at being so near their country. A number of tongas, or camps, were around this town, some empty and some filled. Arrived at the walled town of Cazigie, where I remained for the night.
Saturday, 8th.—The country, as we approached Fatika, became more uneven and cut up by deep ravines between the long ridges which the land formed. At 5.30 P.M. passed to the south of Fatika, which is walled, and of considerable size. I sent to the head man to inform him of my arrival, and to tell him who I was, and that I was going to halt near the tonga, as the gates of the town were too narrow to admit loaded bullocks. At 6 A.M. halted near a large camp, or tonga. The caravan had preceded us from Guari, and had travelled all night through the wood. They said they had seen the robbers, but from the numbers composing the caravan they were afraid to attack. A short while after halting, the head man of the town sent me pudding, stewed meat, and millet for my horses and camel. I certainly felt very light-hearted and comfortable, as I thought now I had entered the territories actually under the dominion of the Fellatas. All my cares were over; not even thinking of my sick servant, or the chance of my having perhaps to-morrow as much anxiety as ever I had before.
Sunday, 9th.—Morning dull and cloudy. At 8.30 A.M. left our encampment to the eastward of Fatika, the road winding and very gravelly; passed through several plantations of millet, sweet potatoes, indigo, and dourra, the path winding to the south and south-east, when we came to the ruins of a large town, where we turned up, E.S.E. at noon. At 1 P.M. saw the mount inside the walls of the old city of Zaria, appearing over the long ranges which the land forms, like islands in the midst of the sea.
Monday, 10th.—Morning cloudy, with rain. At 7 A.M. the rain ceased, and we loaded our animals, and started at eight. Shaped our path across gentle rising and declining ridges; the soil a deep red clay, with now and then rocks of sandstone and clay ironstone, and the country woody. Within about four or five miles of Zaria the country became altogether clear of wood: except a patch here and there, all was in pasture, or planted with rice, millet, and dourra. Herds of beautiful cattle were feeding in the valleys, or lying chewing the cud on the higher grounds. Zaria was seen to the eastward, and known by its tall trees, like a long avenue of gigantic poplars; running across the horizon from north to south, stretching from the south end of one detached mount to the north end of another. At two, entered one of the gates on the west side of Zaria; but, instead of finding houses, I could just see their tops over the growing grain. At about a quarter of a mile distance all was walled fields, full of growing millet and dourra, with here and there a horse or mare tethered in the open spaces.
At sunset Abdulkrum, the acting governor, arrived, and waited on me instantly. He was very kind, offered me his own house to live in if I did not like the one I was in; sent for a fine fat sheep, with plenty of provisions for man and beast.
Tuesday, 11th.—Morning dull and cloudy. After breakfast I had a visit from Abdulkrum. I told him who I was, and what I was, and where I was going; and desired he would give me a messenger to Kano, as I intended going to Sackatoo by that route. He said he would send to the sultan, or governor, and inform him of my arrival; that the messenger would return in three days, and in the meantime I should have every assistance that he could afford me. I told him I wanted the loan of a horse to Kano, and should leave my little mare until she recovered, when she was to be sent to me, and I would pay all expenses. Abdulkrum appears to be a very good fellow, but is in great distress he tells me; and there is nothing in his possession but he will give me if I will only relieve him, for he declares I can. A number of visitors coming in put an end to his story, as it appears to be with him a great secret.
The old city of Zaria was taken by the Fellatas about a month after they had taken the provinces of Goober and Zamfra, in or about the year 1800, as they do not care much about a year or two. It only stood a siege of two days; the sultan and the greater part of the inhabitants flying to the southern and western part of the province, which is hilly, and inhabited by pagans. Here they still remain, and preserve their independence, though the Fellatas seldom let a month pass without making an attack on them; but of late they have suffered severely, and begin to be more cautious in their attacks. The old city is now only known by its ruined wall surrounding the before-mentioned mounts, which were in the centre of the city.
The new city built by the Fellatas, the walls of which extend from the south-east side of the old, about two miles to the south, enclosing a great space of ground, on which are built a number of little villages and detached houses, is surrounded by high clay walls. Abdulkrum’s house, where I lived, is in latitude 10° 59′ north, and longitude 8° 42′ east. Near the centre of the wall stands the principal mosque, built of clay, having a minaret about forty or fifty feet high. The principal market is at the south end, inside the walls, and here the caravans make their tongas, or camps. One twentieth is exacted from the merchants as a duty; and they dread halting at Zaria, from the rapacity of the inhabitants, who are all Fellatas, and often keep travelling by secret paths through the woody country, to evade the city, until they enter the province of Guari. The house of the governor is north of the great mosque, and is surrounded by a high clay wall; inside this wall are large coozies, or huts, surmounted by ostrich eggs, and some single rooms of a square form, with a flat roof. The houses of the principal inhabitants are much the same. Of the number of inhabitants I can form no estimate: they say there are more than in Kano, which I should suppose to contain 40 or 50,000 at least. They are mostly all Fellatas; a great many of them from Foota Bonda and Foota Torra, and know the French and English well they say; but I am sorry to add, that they have not improved by their acquaintance. They rattle over the names of the towns between Sierra Leone, or the Senegal, and Timbuctoo, like a, b, c, then sit down, and will not start until they get something. These fellows are generally armed with French fusees. They prefer the guns of the French and the powder of the English. The late governor was a native of Foota Bonda: so that the Foulahs and the Fellatas are the same people. Foota Bonda, Foota Torra, &c. they call Meli. They now possess Jinnee, near Timbuctoo, and I think will soon have the whole of the interior. Inside the walls there are a great number of shady trees, which are pruned every year for fire-wood; they look at a distance like immense poplars: swamps, corn fields, and green plats, make up the rest of the town. Date trees, palm oil trees, papas, melons, plantains, Indian corn, millet, dourra, rice, yams, sweet potatoes, &c. are in abundance, particularly rice. They say they raise more and better rice than all the rest of Houssa put together. Horses, sheep, and horned cattle abound in every part of the province inhabited by the Fellatas. Game is also in abundance; such as antelopes of all the different kinds. Guinea 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 Nyffé to the south-west; Guari and Kashna to the north and west. The environs of the city are beautiful, 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, I had the bullocks and camel loaded, and told Abdulkrum I would stay no longer, and if he attempted 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 accompany 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 surprised 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 laughing them out of asking me for such a thing. As he and I rode after the bullock, a great deal of our conversation was about England, which he, as well as a great many others here, declares to be a small island in the midst of the sea. I had hard work to convince him to the contrary. He then talked a great deal about the inferiority of the Christians to the true believers in battle. I told him he had never yet had Christians to deal with in battle, or he would tell another story. “Oh! do not say that,” says he; “did we not kill forty at Adamowa, and make all the rest run away?” I said they were all Mahometans and Arabs, not a Christian amongst them: but all I could say he would not be convinced, until I told him he lied like a thief, and whenever I saw Bello I should insist on his writing to the governors of the different provinces of Houssa, to inform their people of the truth of that affair: that it was Arabs and Mahometans, headed by Boobecker Bookaloom, who made the attack on Adamowa; and that they had, to save themselves, taken advantage of our being in Bornou at the time to throw it on our backs. Mr. Abdulkrum began to be a little alarmed at the earnestness of my language and threat, and begged I would think no more about it; he himself knew it was a lie told by the Arabs to save their credit. We parted not quite such good friends as we had been.