Chap. LXXII. 
THE GWANIN. 
65 
assure me of their friendly disposition. They were 
armed with double-barreled guns, a weapon which, 
owing to the trade with the French, is now common 
through the whole of this part of the desert, the long 
single-barreled gun, the only favourite weapon with 
the Arabs to the north, being here regarded with 
contempt as befitting only the slave. In general, the 
people were of middle stature, although some of them 
were fine tall men and of a warlike and energetic 
appearance, having their shirts, mostly of a light blue 
colour, tied up over their shoulder and girt round 
the waist with a belt, the powderhorn hanging 
over the shoulder, quite in the same style as is the 
custom of their brethren nearer the shores of the 
Atlantic. Their head was uncovered, with the ex- 
ception of their own rich black hair, or gulFa, which, 
I am sorry to add, was full of vermin. 
The same evening, although it was late, my 
host, who was certainly not wanting in hospitality, 
slaughtered five oxen, and in consequence we par- 
took of supper about an hour after midnight. But 
that was not at all unusual here : and nothino^ du- 
ring my stay in Timbuktu was more armoying to 
me, and more injurious to my health, than this un- 
natural mode of living, which surpasses in absurdity 
the late hours of London and Paris. 
Early the next morning two more head of cattle 
were slaughtered, and enormous quantities of rice and 
meat were cooked for the great numbers of guests, 
who had flocked here together from the town and 
VOL. V. r 
