JOURNEY FROM BOUSSA TO KANO. 
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beads made at Venice of various kinds, and come by the way of 
Tripoli and Gliadamis, and unwrought silk of various colours, prin- 
cipally red, of about one ounce in weight, and is sold here at three 
thousand cowries ; it and natron are as good as cowries. 
The caravans from Bornou and Houssa, which always halt here 
a considerable time, bring horses, natron, unwrought silk, beads, 
silk cords, swords that once belonged to Malta, exchanged for 
bullocks at Bengazie, in the regency of Tripoli, sent to Kano and 
remounted, and then sold all over the desert and the interior ; 
these swords will sell for ten or twenty dollars a piece or that value, 
and sometimes more ; cloths made up in the Moorish fashion ; 
looking-glasses of Italian manufacture from about a penny a piece 
to a shilling in Malta ; tobes or large shirts undyed, made in 
Bornou ; khol or lead used as blacking for the eye-lids ; a small 
quantity of ottar of roses, much adulterated ; sweet smelling gum 
from Mecca ; a scented w ood also from the East ; silks the manu- 
facture of Egypt ; turbans ; red Moorish caps with blue silk tassels ; 
and sometimes a few tunics of checked silk and linen made in 
Egypt : the last are generally brought by Arabs. A number of 
slaves are also brought from Houssa and Bornou, who are either 
sold here or go further on. The Bornou caravans never go 
further than this place, though generally some of their number 
accompany the Houssa merchants to Agolly in Yourriba, Gonja, 
and Borgoo, from which they bring Kolia or Gora nuts, cloth of 
woollen, printed cottons, brass and pewter dishes, earthenware, a 
few muskets, a little gold, and the wares mentioned before as 
brought from Yourriba, They carry their goods on bullocks, asses, 
and mules; and a great number of fine women hire themselves to 
carry loads on their heads ; their slaves, male and female, are also 
loaded. The Bornou merchants, during their stay, stop in the 
town in the houses of their friends or acquaintances, and give 
them a small present on their arrival and departure, for the use 
T 
