always indulged hopes of advancing, some distance at least, very much tended to weaken those hopes. The contention between Wadav and the sheikh, for the possession and government of Kanem, had, for the, last year or two, been violent; and now open hostilities had commenced between him and the sultan. I t was true, that no kafila had passed between Bornou and Waday for five years, and the only person that had left the former place, since our arrival, for Waday, had been the young Fighi from Timbuctoo, on his way to Musser (Cairo), who had accompanied a Fafceer* on his return to Waday. A party of Shouaas had once, indeed, since our residence at Kouka, come from the borders of the Waday country, beyond Kanem, to sell a few camels ; but it was generally supposed here, they came merely as spies: they were the most lawless set themselves ; and the account they gave of the road was merely to induce some of the Arab merchants to take their advice, when they would have been the first to plunder them f. Since the death of the good sultan Sabon, as he was called, no intercourse had been attempted either from hence, or even from Fezzan. The only man who escaped from the last kafila, five years ago, was now here, and gave the following account of the treatment he received : he was named Abde Nibbe,the confidential yservant of the haghia% of the bashaw; and had gone from Tripoli to Waday, by the way ofMourzuk, having been intrusted with a very considerable sum of the kaghia’s, with which he was to trade : they arrived at Waday in safety, and at Wara the capital; and after residing there more than twenty days, during which time he had purchased ■ * A religious mendicant: the name is nearly the Arabic for poverty. + Soon after this, I made an oifer to two Arabs, both o f whom had formerly beet; at Waday, that I would give them each two hundred dollars, i f they would accompany me: this is a sum for which an Arab will almost do any thing ; but they refused, saying “ N o ! n o ! what is money without life ? the Waday people will kill us alh” j . | Governor o f the palace. , thirty-seven slaves, and was apparently upon friendly terms with the natives, one morning they entered his hut, seized all his property, stripped and bound him, and, when naked, he was carried before the chief who acted as regent, Sabon’s son the sultan being but an infant. Abde Nibbe there found forty persons, consisting of his fellow- travellers and their followers, bound in the same manner as himself; after being insulted in every possible way, they were taken outside the town, in order to have their throats cut. Abde .Nibbe, who was a powerful fellow from Towergha*, after seeing many of his companions suffer themselves patiently to be massacred, feeling the cord with which his hands were tied but loosely fastened, determined on making an attempt, at least, to save his life: he burst the cord asunder, and ran towards the hills; twice they caught him, and twice he escaped from their keeping, carrying with him three wounds from spears, and one from a knife, which very nearly severed his right hand from his body: night, however, came on, and creeping into a hole, which had been, and still might be, the habitation of a brood of hymnas; there he remained three nights and three days, until raging hunger forced him to quit his retreat—where, however, to go was the question__ who could he trust amongst so barbarous a people? One person alone came to his mind as likely to assist him in this extremity in whose hands alone he conceived his life would be safe. Was it his brother, or his sworn bosom friend ? No : it was man’s never fail- ing, last, and best consolation, woman: one to whom he had been kind in his prosperity, whom he had been intimate with; and he felt assured that she would not be ungrateful, and never betray his confidence. Was he mistaken ? No : she received him, fed him, washed his wounds, and for seven days concealed him; when, at last, he was discovered, and carried again before the chief. After asking how he escaped, the governor said, “ I will keep you in my * A town near Mesurata, F F
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