246 ZINDER WELLS — MAGNETIC IRON. 
fighi, who shall write a talisman ; and we will put 
this talisman upon the mouth of the spring, and 
with it a large stone, and the water of the spring 
shall immediately dry." The people consented to 
this; the charm was written and thrown into the 
spring, and the stone was rolled on to its mouth ; 
since which the spring has in reality ceased to flow. 
The population of Zinder is now supplied with 
water from three wells, about half an hour distant 
from the spring, now dry. Upon the stone over 
this dried spring are several marks, like the foot- 
prints of camels and horses. Other people add, 
" the marks of a man when he kneels down to 
pray." 
The Shereef Kebir says, that Lousou brought 
a piece of magnetic iron to him, which he sent to 
Haj Beshir in Kuka. Lousou reports that there 
is an abundance of magnetic iron in Aheer. Kohul 
is very cheap in the market of Zinder. In Kanou 
it can be had for ten reals (Fezzan) the cantar ; 
and in Yakoba, whence it is brought, for three 
reals. There is a whole rock of kohul in Ya- 
koba, the property of the Sultan. The Fellatahs 
rule Yakoba as well as Aclamowa. They are still 
very powerful in all this part of Africa. Individual 
Fellatahs have as many as five thousand slaves, who 
work partly for their masters and partly for them- 
selves. 
I visited this evening Sidi Bou Beker Weled 
Haj Mohammed Sudani, cousin of the Sheikh of 
