[104] See Chapter 2 below.
[105] Couaraba, or River-River; thus the Africans call the Nile Ba-ba.
[106] See below § V.
[107] “This place,” says Leo, “is a very abundant mine of salt, whiter than marble, at the distance of about twenty days’ journey from any inhabited spot, and having wells of very salt water only.” The author does not give its exact situation. See Descrip. Africæ, 1. 6, p. 425, Figur. 1559.
[108] I apprehend this word to be corrupted by the Europeans because Kount, the same perhaps as Kant, is actually the name of a tribe of the Sahara, according to M. Caillié’s Itinerary.
[109] Perhaps a different place from Walet, as I have conjectured above.
[110] When properly written, I do not think that this word contains a ي ye. We may be satisfied, however, with the orthography تمبكتُ Temboctou, and the word is perhaps composed of the Berber particle te or ta, as Tamaroc, Takant, Tarekne, T-rarzas, T-razah, etc., and of m-boctou, formed like M-dayara. I know that Ben Batouta writes Tenboctou, تنبكتوا The only doubt remaining is relative to the use of the m or n. See The Travels of Ibn Batouta, English translation by Mr. Lee, London 1829, p. 237.
[111] See in § V further on, several remarks upon the nomenclature.
[112] On the left bank the Tankisso, and several others; on the right bank the Couaraba, the Bagoé, &c.
[113] Volume II of the Memoirs of the Geographical Society, page 54.