ful in all this
part of Africa. Individual Fellatahs have as many as five thousand
slaves, who work partly for their masters and partly for themselves.

I visited this evening Sidi Bou Beker Weled Haj Mohammed Sudani, cousin
of the Sheikh of Bornou. He was surrounded with all the objects of
Bornou luxury,--carpets, guns, pistols, swords, umbrellas, &c. &c. He
was busy looking over a book containing an explanation of dreams, with a
vastly-knowing malem. They both made pretensions to great learning. In
other respects, the cousin of the Sheikh was very affable. He said,
Bornou is the only good country hereabouts. All the rest are full of
fever or bandits. "There were two English," he observed, "came to us (in
Bornou), and were very well until they went to Soudan, where they died."
These persons were Oudney and Clapperton. I told him I must return by
way of Wadai, which he disapproved of. I added, that Abbas Pasha would
write to Darfour and Wadai, to give me protection. He then said, "Oh, if
the Sheikh writes to Wadai, you can go in safety."

This cousin of the Sheikh is a great merchant, and comes backwards and
forwards to Zinder from Kuka.

_28th._--The nights are still rather cool, but the days not so. The
weather continues heavy, with a south-east wind. I went to the cousin of
the Sheikh to administer to him a dose of Epsom salts. I have often been
surprised to see how greedily these people drink off this nauseous
medicine, and smack their lips as if it was something excessively
delicious.

Afterwards I had a visit from a great sister of the Sarkee, a woman who
is a Sheikha (female Sheikh), and receives the revenues of fifty
villages for her own private use. She was quite well, but begged hard
for medicine. At last I gave her some tea, which she drank off, after
laughing a good deal.

A small caravan has arrived from Ghadamez in three months, but brought
no news, except that Aaron Silva is living, and not dead, as reported.
These merchants make continual inquiries respecting the state of the
country (i.e. of Soudan), and are answered, "_Afia, afia._" However, it
is these same slave-dealing merchants who occasion the greater part of
the wars and troubles in these countries, by their perpetual demand for
slaves.

I am told that many cantars of indigo can be purchased in Soudan (in
Kanou), at a price which would bring a great profit in Tripoli; but the
merchants refuse to engage in this commerce. I think I shall mak