376 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. Chap. LXIV. 
that I was not what I represented myself to be, he was 
much shocked when he afterwards learned that I was 
a Christian, to the great amusement of the Sheikh 
el Bakay, who wrote to him repeatedly to the effect 
that he ought to be well pleased that so wicked a 
person as a Christian had procured him, not only rain, 
but even a good reception from his superior. 
The town is tolerably flourishing, and the Fiilbe 
inhabitants, at least, possess a great number of horses. 
We counted, one evening, ninety returning from the 
pasture-grounds, while a good many more remained 
outside at a greater distance. The Fiilbe here be- 
long' to the following tribes : Uromange, Rilambe, 
Oromanabe, Koirabe, Feroibe, Balambe, Orohabe, and 
U'rube. The whole population of the place may 
amount to about 5000; but there did not appear to 
be many manufactures ; even the native cloth, so 
well woven by the Songhay, is not manufactured here. 
The situation of the town at this navigable branch, 
however, produces some activity, although no regular 
market appears to be held : and, the second day of my 
stay here, a large boat arrived from Timbuktu, with 
eighteen ras (a piece weighing about sixty pounds) 
of salt, a large parcel of tobacco, and a good number 
of passengers. Shells have currency here, and I 
bought rice for fourteen hundred shells and a turkedi, 
at the rate of forty shells for each saa, or measure. 
Rice constitutes the chief article of food, although 
on the west side of the town some negro-corn is cul- 
tivated. Milk is plentiful. 
