Nicholas Said
Nicholas Said (an haife  Mohammed Ali ben Sa'id, 1836–1882) matafiyi ne, mai fassara, soja, kuma marubuci.

Rayuwa 
An haife shi a Kukawa, daular Bornu, Said ya fada cikin cinikin bayi na Trans-Sahara. Mahaifinsa, Barça Gana,  ya kasance sanannen janar kuma ƙwarewarsa na koyon harsuna, duk da haka, ya kai ga ɗaukaka matsayinsa na zamantakewa.  Bayan ya koyi harshen Larabci a lokacin kuruciyarsa a Afirka ta Tsakiya, cikin sauri ya koyi harshen Turkawa na Ottoman na bayinsa. Da yake nuna ƙwarewa a cikin harshen Rashanci, ya zama bawan Rasha Yarima Alexander Sergeyevich Menshikov, wanda ya ba shi koyar dashi da Faransanci bayan ya gane ƙwarewarsa na musamman na harshe. A lokacin tarihin tarihinsa na 1872, ya ba da rahoton sanin yaren Kanuri, Mandara, Larabci, Baturke, Rashanci, Jamusanci, Italiyanci da Faransanci, da kuma ɗan gogewa da yaren Armeniya. Sa'id ya yi balaguro da yawa a Afirka, Gabas ta Tsakiya, Turai, da Daular Rasha, daga baya ya tashi zuwa Caribbean, Kudancin Amurka, Kanada, da Amurka. A cikin tarihin rayuwarsa da tafiye-tafiyensa, Sa'id ya yi tir da irin zaluncin da Usman dan Fodio ya yi wa kasarsa, ya bayyana hajjinsa zuwa Makka, ya tuna da wata dama da ya samu da Sarkin Musulmi, sannan ya yi tunani a kan musuluntarsa zuwa Kiristanci a Riga. 

Daga shekarun 1863 zuwa 1865, Sa'id yayi aiki a cikin Sojan Tarayyar Turai lokacin yakin basasar Amurka. Ba kamar yawancin Ba’amurke Ba-Amurke waɗanda suka yi aiki a Sojojin Amurka a lokacin yaƙin, Said ko kakanninsa ba su taɓa bautar da su a Amurka ba. Maimakon haka, Said da son rai ya yi hijira zuwa Amurka sannan ya ba da kansa don yin yaƙi.  Kusan ƙarshen yaƙin, ya nemi a haɗa shi da Sashen Asibiti domin ya sami damar yin karatun likitanci. Wani rahoto na dan jarida na 1867 ya nuna cewa, bayan yakin, Said ya ƙaunaci wata Ba'amurkiya kuma ya aure ta.  An ba da rahoton cewa sun zauna a St. Stephens, Alabama, inda Said ya rubuta abubuwan tunawa.  Rayuwar Said daga baya ba ta da tabbas, amma wani asusun ya mutu yana mutuwa a Brownsville, Tennessee. 

Domin yana zaune a Kudu-zaman sake ginawa, bai bayyana hidimarsa a cikin Sojojin Amurka ba a cikin tarihinsa.  Hoton ganima na Said yana fitowa sanye da kakin sojan Amurka, a lokacin da ake makala shi da Rundunar Sojojin Amurka ta 55, ya tsira.

Iyali a Borno 
Said ya bayyana kansa a matsayin ɗan Kanouri wanda aka haifa a "Kouka" (yanzu Kukawa), kusa da tafkin Chadi, ɗan Janar (Katzalla) Barca Gana da wata mata Mandara mai suna Dalia. Mahaifiyarsa ce ta girma Said. A cewar Said, mahaifinsa yana da mata hudu, kuma yana da "babba, dogo, kuma daidai gwargwado; yana kama da kato fiye da na talaka." "Mahaifina ya bambamta kansa sosai a karkashin Sarkinmu Mohammed El Amin Ben Mohammed El Kanemy, Washington na Bornou. . . Shi ne ta'addancin... makiya kasarmu, kuma duk inda ya bayyana makiya sun gudu. . ."

Wani matafiyi dan kasar Ingila ne ya bayyana bajintar sojan mahaifin Said wanda ya samu damar shaidawa Barca Gana a fada. Dixon Denham ya raka wani balaguron soji inda sojojin Bornu karkashin Barca Gana suka hadu da na Larabawa masu kai hari bayi da na Sarkin Musulmin Mandara. A wajen yakar sojojin Daular Sakkwato, Denham ya ruwaito cewa, “Wani Basarake Fellatah da hannunsa ya kakkabe mayakan Bornu guda hudu, a lokacin da Barca Gana, wanda karfinsa yake da girma, ya jefi mashi daga tazarar yadi talatin da biyar, ya shimfida arna low. . "  Rahoton Denham ya kara da jarumtar Barca Gana, "Janar na Bornu ya kashe dawakai uku a karkashinsa ta hanyar kibau masu guba." Yayin da Denham ya danganta rayuwar sa ga bajintar Barca Gana a fagen fama, ya kuma lura cewa dole ne a hana Barca Gana barin mutumin da ya ji rauni a baya, saboda Janar din ba ya son karkatar da albarkatun soji don adana dan kasada wanda ko da ba haka ba ne. musulmi. Shawarar daya daga cikin jam'iyyarsa cewa Allah yana so a kiyaye Denham, Barca Gana ya ba Denham kariya.

Ba a haifi Nicholas Said ba sai bayan shekaru bayan yakin da mahaifinsa ya yi da Daular Sokoto, wanda Denham ya tuna. (Jules Verne daga baya zai sake ba da labarin a cikin littafinsa na tsawon makonni biyar a cikin Balloon, amma ya jefa Denham a matsayin jarumi maimakon Barca Gana, duk da cewa Denham ya tsira ne kawai saboda mayakan Fulani sun so su kama tufafinsa don amfani da "shaida" cewa Kiristoci sun kasance. ana amfani da su wajen yaki a cikin sojojin Bornu-Mandara  ) Said ya ba da rahoton haduwarsa ta farko da wani bature, wanda ya bayyana a matsayin mai bincike na Jamus Heinrich Barth:

“Lokacin da nake dan shekara goma sha biyu, sai ga wani katon ayari ya zo daga Fezzan, sai aka ce wani Sarra ne (bare) na cikin jam’iyyar. Wannan ya ba da farin ciki sosai, musamman a tsakaninmu yara, domin mun ji labarai masu ban mamaki game da su. Misali, an gaya mana cewa turawan ’yan cin nama ne, kuma duk bayin da suka saya ba don wani abu ba ne sai kayan abinci. Tabbas, wani bature ya iso, sai Sarki ya ba shi masauki a Gabashin Kouka. . . Na fara ganinsa wata rana yana cikin kasuwa, wajen Kouka, sai na gudu daga gare shi.”

Manazarta