. There are wells of great depth. The distances between
the various villages being in all, when summed up, thirty-eight hours,
we must consider the whole length of the route three long and four short
days' journey, as the caravans generally arrive on the fourth day.

Slavery is the curse of all these countries. My Soudan servant, Amankee,
would not come with me to Zinder, on account of his longing desire to
see his mother and brother and sisters; and yet, although these feelings
are deep in the bosoms of all the blacks, they can see their neighbours
torn away from their houses and carried off in irons with the greatest
indifference. The slaves of the Sarkee of Zinder are double-ironed, like
convicts, and in this condition jump through the streets, for they
cannot walk. The backs of these poor slaves are all ulcerated with the
strokes of the whip.

I received a visit this morning from the Jew Ibrahim. After a good deal
of wrangling I exchanged three handkerchiefs for three beads of silver,
but one of the beads I made him a present of. I was much surprised to
hear from him that the aloe wood, _aoud el-Komari_, sold in Bornou for
its equal weight in silver. He also stated that twelve rubtas of raw
silk sold for one real in Mourzuk and Zinder, whilst fifteen could be
purchased in Kauou for the same money. What will become of the goods of
the Germans?

En-Noor's wife, Fatia, sent this morning for medicine to enable her to
bring forth a child. I maliciously recommended to her a younger husband.
A Tibboo has continued to pester me to death for a medicine to make him
profit in his mercantile transactions. To get rid of him, being in a
merry mood, I scribbled over a piece of paper, and he swallowed it. A
great number of people come for medicines who are not sick. I generally
content myself with a bare refusal, explaining that there is no
necessity; but there is nothing so difficult as to convince a man that
he is well when once he has persuaded himself of the contrary.

The Sarkee went out this morning to his razzia and does not return for
some days, so I shall not be able to take leave of his highness. The
gossips persist in saying that he is dreadfully in want of money, and
must go out to bring in some slaves to pay his debts. He was attended by
about one thousand cavalry, and a good number of maharees. He is gone
southwards. They report that he is indeed gone to Daura, but nothing is
known positively as to whether he will