Chap. LXIX. LETTER OF FRANCHISE. 507 
obtained a sufficient quantity of this much-esteemed 
metal for adorning his beloved wife. 
These Tawarek chiefs who had thus become well 
disposed towards me, through the interference of 
the Sheikh, wrote an excellent letter of franchise 
for any Englishman visiting this country, thus 
holding out the first glimmer of hope of a peace- 
able intercourse. But my own experience leaves no 
room for doubt that these chiefs are not strong 
enough of themselves to defend a Christian against 
the attacks of the Fiilbe in the upper course of the 
river above Timbuktu, besides the fact that A'wab 
is too nearly connected with the latter to be entirely 
trusted. It was on this account that my host 
esteemed his cousin Fandaghumme much higher, 
and placed greater reliance on him, although the 
actual chieftainship rested with AVab. All this 
business, however, together with the writing of the 
letter to the chief of Hamda-Allahi, which was re- 
jected in several forms, and caused a great many 
representations from the chief men of the town, 
proved extremely tedious to me. My health, too, at 
that time was in a very indifferent condition, and 
I suffered repeatedly from attacks of fever. In a 
sanitary point of view, Timbuktu can in no wise be 
reckoned among the more favoured places of these 
regions. Both Sansandi and Sego are considered 
more healthy. But, notwithstanding my sickly state, 
I had sufficient strength left to finish several letters, 
which, together with a map of the western part of 
