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me to cure. She had been in an ailing, wasting 
state, for the last four years ; the husband said that 
the devil had touched his wife, and reduced her to 
this state. Another woman was brought with an 
immense wen upon her abdomen. I have given 
away nearly all my Epsom salts, and now supply 
emetics. It is necessary to purge these people im- 
mediately, in a few hours, or they think you do 
nothing for them, or will not or cannot do them 
any good. Many Tuaricks come from the open 
country. We have also frequent cases of ophthal- 
mia, mostly from the villages around. 
This evening I was charmed by the vocal sounds 
of a strolling minstrel, attended by two drummers 
with small drums, called kuru, and a chorus of 
singing -girls collected from the neighbourhood. 
The chorus-singers sang like charity-school girls at 
church. Altogether the singing was more pleasing 
than the monotonous, plaintive sounds of the Arabs. 
It seems difficult to get off. Everybody is mak- 
ing preparations for our journey, from the Sultan to 
the lowest slave sent from Kuka to assist in the 
transport of the boat and our baggage, and yet 
nothing is done ! 
I parted with my new acquaintance, Medi, to- 
day, a soldier and slave of the Sarkee. He has 
been occasionally my cicerone in Zinder. He had 
been captured from a child, and is now past middle 
age, and knows little of the loss of home. He was 
a friendly chap, and gave me all the information he 
