DRINKING THE KORAN — OUR WEALTH. 297 
Clapperton's " Journey to Sakkatou," besides begin- 
ning a vocabulary of the Kailouee language, with 
the assistance of Mokhlak Bou Yeldee, who is a 
very clever young man. He gets his living by 
writing charms, and sells a good number for the 
cure of disease. People pour water on the ink or 
writing of the charm, and then drink the magic 
liquid. The remedy is doubtless as effectual as 
many patent medicines in Europe. As is well 
known, this superstition of drinking the Koran is of 
old date. 
En-Noor sent a message this morning by the 
slave of Makersee, that we were not to say a single 
word to any one, not even to our servants, about the 
money, or its amount, which we have paid him for 
our escort to Zinder. He says, " If the people hear 
of this money, they will all come down upon me for 
a portion ; and if I do not comply with their wishes 
they will abandon us, and not go with us to Zinder, 
and I want as many of them to go with me as 
possible.^' 
Our wealth is still noised abroad! The people 
believe all our boxes to be full of gold and silver. 
Even En-Noor sought for secret information respect- 
ing the amount of dollars which he supposed to be 
concealed amongst our baggage. 
I was again restless when night came on, and 
was still awake when the moon was near setting, 
about three a.m., under tent, at which time suddenly 
I heard the wife of Said begin to squall, with the 
