STANGERS AT TIMBUCTOO. 
69 
Moors, to attempt to throw off their yoke, they would quickly 
succeed; but, in general, the negroes are indolent, and the 
Moors, being addicted to commerce, have no martial charac- 
ter. Sego-Ahmadoo, indignant at seeing these Tooariks, 
who are Mahometans, although certainly not very zealous 
disciples of that creed, imposing a tax on the vessels from 
his country, has determined to make war upon them ; 
but he is too distant to maintain a long war. I con- 
jecture that Mungo Park was murdered by these bar- 
barians. 
After residing four years at Jenne, or Timbuctoo, the 
Moors return to their own country with a little fortune; they 
carry with them a number of slaves ; the greater part, 
however, prefer trading with Sansanding and Yamina, on 
account of the vicinity of the gold mines of Boure, whence 
they obtain considerable supplies of this precious metal. 
The Arabs, who come from Tafikt, A drar, Tripoli, and other 
countries, bring wheat to Timbuctoo : of the flour of this 
wheat small leav^ened loaves are made ; they are round, and 
weigh about half a pound each ; the bread is good, and 
a loaf may be purchased for about forty cowries, (equal 
to four sous French money). The rich merchants, as I 
believe I have already observed, eat this bread at breakfast, 
with tea; they have tea services which are brought from 
Morocco; those which I saw were made of tin, and the cups 
were small, like Sidi-Ulad-Marmoo's, at Jenne. All the 
negroes of Timbuctoo are able to read the Koran, and even 
know it by heart ; they make their children begin to learn it 
very early, whether they take upon themselves the task of 
instructing them, or confide their education to the Moors, of 
whose abilities they have a high opinion. They employ 
writing in their correspondence with Jenne. 
Provisions are very dear in Timbuctoo, and I should have 
been greatly embarrassed if, as at Time, I had been obliged to 
maintain myself, for my means would have been soon ex- 
