8 BOOKS OF THE CHRISTIANS TALISMANS. 
governor, Ibrahim, keeps fifty drummers at work 
every night, but whether with a purpose superstitious 
or political I do not know. 
En-Noor admired much the portraits of the per- 
sonages who figure in the accounts of the former 
expedition to this part of the world, particularly 
that of Clapperton. He had also a wonderful story 
to tell of this traveller's magic. He said that 
Abdallah (Clapperton's travelling name) had learned 
from his books the site of his (En-Noor's) father's 
house, that near it was a gold mine, and that he had 
intended to come and give intelligence of this trea- 
sure. " See! " exclaimed the Sultan, " what wonderful 
things are written in the books of the Christians ! " 
My young fighi (or writer of charms) tells me, 
as a secret, that he cannot write a talisman for him- 
self, but must ask another of the brotherhood to do 
this for him. Neither in this place can physicians 
heal themselves. This civil youth made me a pre- 
sent of a piece of his workmanship to-day, observing, 
" There is great profit in its power ; it will preserve 
you from the cut of the sword and the firing of the 
gun." I pray not to have occasion to test its 
efficacy, but hope it may also serve as a protection 
from the bite of scorpions, which are so plentiful 
about here, and are said, at this season, to jump like 
grasshoppers. According to the people of Tintalous 
there are three species of them, each distinguished 
by a different colour — black, red, and yellow. De- 
spite the talk of these disgusting reptiles I went in the 
