The scavengers of Zinder are a multitudinous host of a small species of filthy-looking vultures, brown and black in colour: they are exceedingly tame, for the people never touch them, and they walk about the streets tamer than the fowls. I believe the same species of vulture are also the scavengers of Kanou. At Zinder they take their evening exercise by flying in circles over the city, a hundred or two together. There are a few white ones amongst the flock. The Sultan sent for a piece of camphor this morning. I gave him some, with a silver French coin and a new English farthing.

The news is, that I must stay here ten days, to oblige the slaves who have been sent from Kuka to carry the baggage. We are also to stay at Minyo a few days, en route four days from this.

I spent the evening gleaning information of the interior. There is now no war in any part of Central Africa, i.e. no great wars. Probably the princes of Africa, like those of Europe, find that war will not pay. At any rate, all is peace for the present. This will facilitate our progress. I had a visit from the son of the Kadi of Kuka, an intelligent young man, who has promised to come to-morrow to write the routes from Zinder to his native place.

I have obtained a list of the names of the principal sultans in this part of Africa:

  1. Bornou—The Sheikh Omer, the son of the sheikh who reigned in the time of the first expedition. He has now reigned fourteen years. He has a good character.
  2. Sakkatou—Sultan of the Fellatahs, Ali. He is not so great as his father Bello, celebrated in the time of the first expedition.
  3. Asben, or Aheer—Abd-el-Kader.
  4. Maradee—Binono.
  5. Gouber—Aliou (Ali).
  6. Niffee—Khaleelou. The name of the capital is Gondu. The Sultan is a Fullan, but independent of Sakkatou, as are many other Fullan princes.
  7. Adamaua—Lauel. He is called by the Fullans Madubbu-Adamaua, i.e. Sultan or Kakam of Adamowa. He is a Fullan, but the people whom he governs are all Kohlans, or negroes.
  8. Yakobah—Ibrahim. His father was called Yakobah, and the country has probably derived its recent name of the late sultan; the capital is called Baushi. The rulers are Fellatahs.
  9. Kanou—Osman Bel-Ibrahim.
  10. Kashna—Mohammed-Bello.
  11. Zaria—Mahommed Sani.
  12. Kataguni—Abd-er-Rahman.
  13. Kadaija—Ahmadou.
  14. Timbuctoo—Mohammed Lebbu, a Fellatah.
  15. Jinnee—
  16. Begharmi—Burkmanda.
  17. Mandara—
  18. Lagun—
  19. Zinder—Ibrahim.

The alliances and enmities, the wars and the intrigues of all these princes, will one day, perhaps, form materials for some semi-mythological history, when civilisation has removed its camp to these intertropical regions. Regular annals, however, there never can be. No record seems to be kept, except in the unfaithful memories of the natives; and even if the contrary were the case, posterity would willingly consign to oblivion all but the salient points of this period of barbarism and slave-hunting.

Daura is a city of great antiquity, but I have never seen it on the maps. It is two days from Zinder on the route to Kanou, and has now about the same number of inhabitants as Zinder, or from 20,000 to 25,000.

Ancient Haussa, according to the Monshee, consisted of seven cities, viz.

  1. Kanou.
  2. Kashna. This city is now about three times the size of Zinder.
  3. Daura.
  4. Zaria.
  5. Gouber.
  6. Maradee.
  7. Zanbara. This city is now about the size of Kashna. It lies beyond Gouber, not far from Sakkatou.

I went to see the souk. There are two market-days in Zinder: the great souk on Thursday, and the little one on Friday, the days following one another. I rapidly passed through it; it was full of people and merchandise; all things in abundance; no one called after me, but I did not like to stay long to expose myself. The principal provisions and domestic animals offered for sale are cattle (oxen), sheep, camels, asses, goats, beef, mutton, samen, honey, ghaseb, ghafouley, a little wheat, dried fish (rather stinking, because no salt is used in drying), kibabs or roasted pieces of meat, beans, dankali or sweet potatoes; which last are brought from Kanou, as also is the fish, &c. I purchased three sweet potatoes for a fifth of a penny. There was, besides, also a good quantity of merchandise of every sort, and slaves in numbers. Honey also is brought from Kanou to this souk. In Kanou, twelve pounds and a-half are sold for four thousand wadâs, or four-fifths of a dollar. In Zinder, the same quantity sells for about double the price. They adulterate here and send it to Aheer.