Travels and discoveries in North and Central Africa, Vol. 5 (of 5) : $b being a journal of an expedition undertaken under the auspices of H.B.M.'s Government, in the years 1849-1855Barth, Heinrich
History
Travels and discoveries in North and Central Africa, Vol. 5 (of 5) : $b being a journal of an expedition undertaken under the auspices of H.B.M.'s Government, in the years 1849-1855
Barth, Heinrich
Africa, Central -- Description and travel; Africa, North -- Description and travel
Kanó will always remain one of the most unfavourable localities for
Europeans in this region; and it was well that Mr. Vogel, for the first
year after his arrival in Negroland, purposely avoided this spot. Even
my animals did not escape the malignant effect of the climate. Three of
my horses were seized, one after the other, with a contagious disease,
commencing with a swelling of the thighs, and from thence spreading to
the breast and the head, and generally proving fatal in six or eight
days. In this way I lost two out of my three horses, including my old
companion, who had carried me through so many dangerous campaigns, and
who had shared all my fatigues and sufferings for nearly three years;
but the small and ugly, but strong horse which the Sultan of Sókoto had
made me a present of, escaped with its life. This disease which attacked
my horses, of course, interfered greatly with my excursions, and took
away almost all the pleasure which they would otherwise have afforded,
as I was reduced to the necessity of making use of very indifferent
animals. Nevertheless, I enjoyed greatly the open country which extended
outside the gates of this picturesque but extremely dirty town, dotted
with large villages at no great distance; and I followed up especially,
with great interest, the easterly of the three roads which diverge from
the Kófa-n-kúra, and which leads to the small rivulet known as the Kógi-
n-Kanó. Occasionally also I went to visit some cattle-pens, in order to
get a little fresh milk, which I was unable to procure in the town; for
inside the place I succeeded only after great exertion in obtaining a
little goat’s milk. The pools produced by the rainy season had now dried
up almost everywhere, and that peculiar kind of sorghum called “maiwa”
had been harvested; and a few days afterwards, while making another
excursion, to the south, I met the servants of the governor gathering
the corn for their master.
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