ce in bondage, and had
returned free under our protection. But I fear my words will have little
effect; for in Zinder, at least, the great concern and occupation of the
black population is, to go and steal their neighbours, and sell them
into slavery. I repeat again, nothing but foreign conquest by a
non-slaveholding power will extirpate slavery from the soil of Africa.

I read Milton's "Comus" and other portions of his poetry, and find it a
great relief in drawing my mind a little off African subjects. I am
sorry I did not bring with me a copy of Shakespear. I have very few
books with me of any kind, and fewer maps. I received a visit of fighis
from the villages around, also from a sister and niece of the Sultan of
Zinder, and gave them all a bit of sugar and sent them off.

Around my house exists a swarm of fighis, who can copy charms and a few
passages from the Koran. I procured some of the _bona fide_ specimens of
their calligraphy. There are four different hands. These fighis are all
blacks of pure blood. They write sideways.

A courier arrived to-day from Kuka, bringing a despatch for the Governor
of Zinder, to the effect that, in the event of his finding any people of
Bornou committing misdemeanours of any sort, he, the Sultan of Zinder,
was at liberty to treat them as he chose. I am told that the Bornou
slaves, as well as the free people of that country, when they come to
Zinder, have the audacity to seize on whomsoever comes in the way, and
take them and sell them as slaves in the souk. This kidnapping is mostly
done in the villages around Zinder, but even in the city itself it has
been ventured; and the Sultan has hitherto been afraid to arrest these
Bornouese miscreants. What a glimpse into the state of the empire of
Bornou do such facts afford!

_2d._--This morning the slave of Haj Beshir came to declare that the
slaves which he brought here yesterday were not his booty, but belonged
to another person, a volunteer. There is no getting at the truth in
these countries. The theatre of the late razzia is westwards from Zinder
about two days. Korgum is one day from Tesaoua. Konchai is a
neighbouring country, about four hours from Korgum. The Sarkee attacked
four villages of Korgum, but got few slaves. The people, though without
their sultan, defended themselves well with their renowned arrows, and
when they could hold out no longer they ascended the rocks and escaped.
The wounds of arrows, though poisoned, are