ng and seldom sensible of fatigue, which he attributes to
their having a rib more than white men. Some bake their own bread,
others buy it, as in England. They make leavened bread of
allila[89] and bishna; the cattle-market is within the city, in a
square, appropriated to this purpose. There are a great many rich
men, some by inheritance, others by trade. Every morning the doors
of the rich are crowded with poor, the master sends them food,
rice, milk, &c. They have names for every day. They make their own
pipes for smoking, the tubes are of wood. They have songs, some
with chorus, and some sung by two persons in alternate stanzas.
They have the same feasts once a quarter as at Timbuctoo. The king
has but one wife, but many concubines. The favourite slaves of the
queen of Housa are considered as superior to the queen of
Timbuctoo.

[Footnote 89: Millet and Indian corn.]

GOLD.

The ground where it is found is about sixteen miles from Housa.
They go in the night with camels whose legs and feet are covered to
protect them against snakes, they take a bag of sand, and mark with
52 it the places that glitter with gold; in the morning they collect
where marked, and carry it to refiners, who, for a small sum,
separate the gold. There are no mountains or rivers near the spot,
it is a plain without sand, of a dark brown earth. Any person may
go to seek gold; they sell it to the merchants, who pay a small
duty to the king. The produce is uncertain; he has heard that a
bushel of earth has produced the value of twelve ducats, three
pounds sterling, of pure gold. They set out from Housa about two
o'clock in the afternoon, arrive about sun-set, and return the next
day seeking for gold during the whole night.

LIMITS OF THE EMPIRE

Beyond Timboo, on the north side of the Nile, are very extensive.
Afnoo is subject to the king of Housa, no slaves can be made from
thence. Darfneel is near Afnoo; the latter is on the north side of
the river, nearer to its source, and a great way from Timbuctoo. No
Arabs are found on the banks of the Nile. He supposes the
circumference of the empire to be about twenty-five days' journey;
has heard that many other large towns are dependent upon it, but
does not remember their names.

The neighbouring countries ar