THE TOOARIKS. 
67 
passing the chief's camp were very dirty, and the men did 
not appear to be very careful about their dress. Like the 
negroes of Timbuctoo, they wore a white or blue coussabe, 
and trowsers reaching to the ancle, such as are worn at Jenn6 
and Timbuctoo. The slaves have breeches, like the Moors 
who inhabit the banks of the Senegal. The dress of the 
Tooariks, except as to the head, resembles that of the Moors. 
They wear, both night and day, a band of cotton cloth, which 
passing over the forehead hangs down over the eyes and even 
upon the nose, for they are obliged to throw back the 
head a little to enable them to see. After two or three turns 
round the head the band is passed under the nose, and made 
to descend a little below the chin, so that only the point of 
the nose is visible. They do not take it off either to eat, to 
drink, or to smoke. On these occasions they merely lift up 
this bandage, which the negroes call fatara. 
The Tooariks are great smokers. They have all fine 
horses, which they manage ably. They are as cruel as they 
are warlike. Their weapons consist of three or four pikes and a 
poniard which they wear on the left arm ; the blade pointing 
upward and the hilt touching the back of the hand. To the 
sheath of these poniards is attached a kind of muff, through 
which the hand is passed ; they are straight and very well 
made. This weapon is brought from the banks of the Medi- 
terranean. These men also carry bucklers, of tanned ox- 
hide, the workmanship of which is elegant. In their form 
they resemble the shields of the ancient knights, except 
that they are square at the extremities.* They are adorned 
with handsome designs, and are large enough to cover the 
whole body. Some negroes of Timbuctoo have likewise 
bucklers of the same form, but smaller. The only weapons of 
the Tooariks, who are always on horseback, are the lance and 
the poniard. They do not use the bow, as the management 
of their bucklers would prevent them from employing that 
* Like the shields of the ancient Egyptians. 
F 2 
