and

TUARICK INROADS-KANEMBOO SPEARMEN. 217

grass, into which the Tuarick, with his horse, plunges before he is aware, and is received at the bottom upon sharp-pointed stakes, which often kill both on the spot. Unluckily, harmless travellers are equally liable to fall into these living graves. Major Denham was petrified with horror to find how near he had approached to several of them; indeed one of his servants stepped upon the deceitful covering, and was saved only by an almost miraculous spring. It seems wonderful that the sheik should not have endeavoured to restore some kind of security to this portion of his subjects, and to repeople those fine but deserted regions.

The troops that had been seen hastening in parties to the scene of action, were mustered at Kabshary, a town which the Mungas had nearly destroyed. The sheik made a review of his favourite forces, the Kanemboo spearmen, 9000 strong. They were really a very savage and military-looking host, entirely naked, except a girdle of goat-skin with the hair hanging down, and a piece of cloth wrapped round the head. They carried large wooden shields, shaped like a Gothic window, with which they warded off the arrows of the enemy, while they pressed forward to attack with their spears. Unlike almost all other barbarous armies, they kept a regular night-watch, passing the cry every half-hour along the line, and at any alarm raising a united yell, which was truly frightful. At the review they passed in tribes before the sheik, to whom they showed the most enthusiastic attachment, kneeling on the ground and kissing his feet. The Mungas, again, were described as terrible antagonists, hardened by conflict with the Tuaricks, fighting on foot with poisoned arrows longer and more deadly

than those of the Fellatas.-The group in the accompanying plate shows the three noted military characters, the Bornou horseman, the Kanem boo spearman, and the Munga bowman.

The sultan, however, contemplated other means of securing success, placing his main reliance on his powers as a Mohammedan doctor and writer. Three successive nights were spent in inscribing upon little scraps of paper figures or words, destined to exercise a magical influence upon the rebel host; and their effect was heightened by the display of sky-rockets, supplied by Major Denham. Tidings of his being thus employed were conveyed to the camp, when the Mungas, stout and fierce warriors who never shrunk from an enemy, yielded to the power of superstition, and felt all their strength withered. It seemed to them that their arrows were blunted, their quivers

JOURNEY TO LOGGUN.

219

broken, their hearts struck with sickness and fear; in short, that to oppose a sheik of the Koran who could accomplish such wonders was alike vain and impious. They came in by hundreds, bowing themselves to the ground, and casting sand on their heads, in token of the most abject submission. At length Malem Fanamy, the leader of the rebellion, saw that resistance was hopeless. After vain overtures of conditional submission, he appeared in person, mounted on a white horse, with 1000 followers. He was clothed in rags, and having fallen prostrate, was about to pour sand on his head, when the sultan, instead of permitting this humiliation, caused eight robes of fine cotton cloth, one after another, to be thrown over him, and his head to be wrapped in Egyptian turbans till it was swelled to six times its natural size, and no longer resembled any thing human. By such signal honours the sheik gained the hearts of those whom his pen had subdued; and this wise policy enabled him not only to overcome the resistance of this formidable tribe, but to convert them into supporters and bulwarks of his power.

Major Denham, who always sought with laudable zeal to penetrate into every corner of Africa, now found his way in another direction: He had heard much of the Shary, a great river flowing into Lake Tchad, on whose banks the kingdom of Loggun was situated. After several delays, he set out on the 23d January 1824, in company with Mr Toole, a spirited young volunteer, who, journeying by way of Tripoli and Mourzouk, had thence crossed the Desert to join him. The travellers passed through Angornou and Angala, and arrived at Showy, where they saw the river, which really

proved to be a magnificent stream, fully half a mile broad, and flowing at the rate of two or three miles an hour. They descended it through a succession of noble reaches, bordered with fine woods and a profusion of variously-tinted and aromatic plants. At length it opened into the wide expanse of the Tchad; after viewing which they again ascended and reached the capital of Loggun, beneath whose high walls the river was seen flowing in majestic beauty. Major Denham entered, and found a handsome city, with a street as wide as Pall-Mall, and bordered by large dwellings having spacious areas in front. Having proceeded to the palace for the purpose of visiting the sovereign, he was led through several dark rooms into a wide and crowded court, at one end of which a lattice opened, and showed a pile of silk robes stretched on a carpet, amid which two eyes became gradually visible: this was the sultan. On his appearance there arose a tumult of horns and frumfrums; while all the attendants threw themselves prostrate, casting sand on their heads. In a voice which the court-fashion of Loggun required to be scarcely audible, the monarch inquired Major Denham's object in coming to this country, observing, that, if it was to purchase handsome female slaves, he need go no farther, since he himself had hundreds who could be afforded at a very easy rate. This overture was rejected on other grounds than the price; yet, notwithstanding so decided a proof of barbarism, the Loggunese were found a people more advanced in the arts of peace than any hitherto seen in Africa. By a studied neutrality, they avoided involving themselves in the dreadful wars which had desolated the neigh

PEOPLE OF LOGGUN.

221

bouring countries. Manufacturing industry was honoured, and the cloths woven here were superior to those of Bornou, being finely dyed with indigo, and beautifully glazed. There was even a current coin made of iron, somewhat in the form of a horseshoe; and rude as this was, none of their neighbours possessed any thing similar. The ladies were handsome, intelligent, and of a lively air and carriage; but, besides pushing their frankness to excess, their general demeanour was by no means scrupulous. They used, in particular, the utmost diligence in stealing from Major Denham's person every thing that could be reached, even searching the pockets of his trousers; and, when detected, only laughed, and called to each other how sharp he was. But the darkest feature of savage life was disclosed, when the sultan and his son each sent to solicit poison "that would not lie," to be used against the other. The latter even accompanied the request with a bribe of three lovely black damsels, and ridiculed the horror which was expressed at the proposal.

The Loggunese live in a country abounding in grain and cattle, and diversified with forests of lofty acacias and many beautiful shrubs. Its chief scourge consists in the millions of tormenting insects which fill the atmosphere, making it scarcely possible to go into the open air at mid-day without being thrown into a fever; indeed, children have been killed by their stings. The natives build one house within another to protect themselves against this scourge; while some kindle a large fire of wet straw and sit in the smoke: but this remedy seems worse than the evil it is meant to obviate.

Major Denham was much distressed on this jour