, with
bare heads. The General told us he would visit us in the morning.

After a climb to the summit of one of the granite rocks of Zinder to
have a view of the town, I went to see and hear the drummers hammering
on their kangas. There were three of them, surrounded by a group of
Zinder maidens. One fellow had two long drums, very narrow, on which he
laboured with all his might. The maidens approached the musicians by
twos, dancing or stepping forward, and retreating with great apparent
modesty. Whilst I was looking at a couple, one of them ran up to me, and
struck me lightly with her hand. For this attention I was obliged to
give her a present of gour-nuts, which are equally current with the
cowries on such occasions. The drum is the national music of the people
of Zinder, and they hammer away at it from morning to night. They say
that in the palace it never ceases all day, beginning at dawn. Perhaps
it may be esteemed useful in supplying the place of silly conversation.

Very few Tuaricks are to be seen in the streets of this city. They
rarely show themselves, except on market-days, when they come from their
houses in the suburbs. Little cordiality exists between them and the
Binder people. They owe one another, like all neighbouring people, many
grudges. I jocularly told the commander-in-chief to kill all the
Tuaricks. He naively replied, "I would, but when I attack them they all
run away!" I am informed by the Moors here the Tuaricks have a wholesome
dread of the Sheikh, and are on bad terms with the Fullans. They are,
however, for the most part, friendly with the ancient Kohlans, the
people of Maradee and Gouber. This accounts for the fact that En-Noor
always spoke in the most amiable way of these remaining kingdoms of
Soudan paganism. The town of Zinder is inhabited chiefly by the blacks
of the Bornouese province of Damagram, who, though speaking the same
language, are not considered Bornouese. In fact, properly speaking, it
is situated in that province. The Zinder folks are easily distinguished
from the natives of Kuka, and those more eastern provinces, by a lighter
complexion and the smaller breadth of their nostrils.

Zinder has always enjoyed much liberty as a province, though it has
fallen successively under the influence of Bornou and Haussa princes.
Anciently it was ruled by the former; then it lapsed to the Haussa
princes and the Fullans, and finally it was again recovered by Bornou.
The present prince,