KIDNAPPING. 
269 
hands. These fighis are all blacks of pure blood. 
They write sideways. 
A courier arrived to-day from Kuka, bringing 
a despatch for the Governor of Zinder, to the effect 
that, in the event of his finding any people of 
Bornou committing misdemeanours of any sort, 
he, the Sultan of Zinder, was at liberty to treat 
them as he chose. I am told that the Bornou 
slaves, as well as the free people of that country, 
when they come to Zinder, have the audacity to 
seize on whomsoever comes in the way, and take 
them and sell them as slaves in the souk. This 
kidnapping is mostly done in the villages around 
Zinder, but even in the city itself it has been ven- 
tured ; and the Sultan has hitherto been afraid to 
arrest these Bornouese miscreants. What a glimpse 
into the state of the empire of Bornou do such facts 
afford ! 
2d. — This morning the slave of Haj Beshir 
came to declare that the slaves which he brought 
here yesterday were not his booty, but belonged 
to another person, a volunteer. There is no getting 
at the truth in these countries. The theatre of the 
late razzia is westwards from Zinder about two 
days. Korgum is one day from Tesaoua. Konchai 
is a neighbouring country, about four hours from 
Korgum. The Sarkee attacked four villages of 
Korgum, but got few slaves. The people, though 
without their sultan, defended themselves well 
with their renowned arrows, and when they could 
