d Park and Martyn passed Boussa, their vessel would
almost to a certainty have been destroyed on these rocks, where they
would probably have perished unheard of and unseen.

The traveller next entered the kingdom of Nyffe, till lately one of the
best cultivated and most flourishing in Africa, but, in consequence of
having been the prey of a desolating civil war, now almost ruined. A
dispute had arisen between two rival princes, one of whom called in the
aid of the Felatahs, who, in their usual way, had ravaged the whole
country and placed the traitorous prince on the throne. Two large
walled towns had, however, resisted the inroads of the invaders: one of
these was Coolfu, where Clapperton and the caravan he had now joined
halted for some days. Although the inhabitants were professedly
Mussulmans they were exceedingly lax in their religious duties, and none
of the bigotry so prevalent in other places was discernible. The women,
indeed, took an active part in public matters, many of them being
engaged in mercantile pursuits. They have an odd idea about imbibing
the precepts of the Koran; and, to do so, they get some learned man to
write texts from it with black chalk on pieces of board. These are then
washed, when the water is drunk. They evidently consider it a fetish or
charm of some sort.

Clapperton now entered the Felatah country of Zeg-zeg. The region, in
the neighbourhood of its capital, Zaria, was the most beautiful he had
seen in Africa, being variegated with hill and dale, resembling in many
respects the finest parts of England. It was covered with rich pastures
and fields, now blessed with plentiful crops, while the rice grown there
was the finest in Africa. Zaria was said to contain fifty thousand
inhabitants, a population exceeding that of Kano.

Arrived at Kano, he took up his quarters in his former residence. The
city was, however, in a great state of agitation, in consequence of war
raging on every side. Hostilities had broken out between the King of
Bornou and the Felatahs, while other provinces were in open rebellion,
so that a caravan had great difficulty in proceeding in any direction.

As Kano is midway between Sackatoo and Bornou, Clapperton, who purposed
visiting the latter province, determined to leave his baggage at Kano,
under charge of Richard Lander, while he himself went forward, carrying
only the presents intended for Bello.

His journey towards Sackatoo was very fatiguing; h