410 ZERIBAS IN THE PROVINCE OF ROL.

nothing is left but the cultivation of corn, which, besides serving as food, has to furnish the material from which to distil brandy, which practice has unfortunately taken root and is in full swing among the natives.

It might have been supposed that, in order to secure for the Danagla a comfortable existence, at the expense of the inhabitants, the latter (the producers) would at least have been left in peace. Tar from it. During the first two days of my stay here, the Negro chiefs, living in the immediate neighbourhood, complained to me that some of their people—mostly women and girls—had been stolen to the number of two hundred and forty. These figures do not include the numerous Monbuttu, eighty-five of whom (mostly girls) claimed and received their freedom on-the day of my arrival; and about two hundred slaves belonging to other tribes, who at once returned to their relatives. In the course of a few days the number of Monbuttu who were set at liberty, and at once sent home to Makraka, amounted to two hundred and one. Notwithstanding all this, greater surprises awaited me. I received a report from the Monbuttu people in Makraka, that a faki, residing there, Mohammed Salih of Bornu, who had been imprisoned for slave-dealing in Gordon’s time, but soon set at liberty, had gone to Monbuttu, and with the help of an escort of six armed slaves, had taken away twenty-six persons, and brought them to Makraka. The faki and his prey were very soon brought before me; there were nineteen young boys, five girls, and two children of four to six years of age. My examination proved that the fakt had gone by unfrequented paths from village to village, and had obtained these twentysix individuals, partly by false representations, partly by open violence. Of course it did not occur to the governor of the district, Rakhit Bey, who happened to be at the time at Kabayéndi, to imprison this man-hunter, although he had him brought before him, and reprimanded him for coming into the station by night!! And I am expected to perform wonders with such officials! Naturally, I at once took precautions to render the recurrence of such an affair impossible.

The station of Bufi being very remote, my visit was wholly , unexpected, and therefore, occasioned quite a panic. Nobody