JOURNEY FROM BOUSSA TO KANO. 
139 
dyers, tailors, blacksmiths, and weavers, yet all these are engaged 
in buying and selling ; few of these descriptions ever go on distant 
journeys to trade, and still fewer attend the wars, except it be to buy 
slaves from the conquerors. 1 have seen slaves exposed for sale 
here, the aged, infirm, and the idiot, also children at the breast, 
whose mothers had either fled, died, or been put to death. The 
domestic slaves are looked upon alihost as the children of the 
family, and if they behave well, humanely treated : the males are 
often freed, and the females given in marriage to freemen, at other 
times to the male domestic slaves of the family ; when such is the 
case a house is given to them, and if he be a mechanic, he lives in 
the town, and works at his trade ; if not, in the country, giving his 
owner part of the produce, if not made free ; in both cases they 
always look upon the head of such owner’s family as their lord, and 
call him or her father or mother. 
The food of the free and the slave is nearly the same ; perhaps 
the master or mistress may have a little fat flesh, fish, or fowl, 
more than their slaves, and his meat is served in a separate place 
and dish ; but the greatest man or woman in the country is not 
ashamed at times to let their slaves eat out of the same dish, but a 
woman is never allowed to eat with a man. Their food consists 
of ground maize, made into puddings or loaves, and about half a 
pound each, sold at five cowries each in the market ; of flummery, or, 
as they call it in Scotland, sowens, made from the ground millet, 
which is allowed to stand covered with water, until it gets a little 
sour ; it is then well stirred and strained through a strainer of basket- 
work into another vessel, when it is left to settle, and the water 
being strained off, it is dried in the sun ; when perfectly dry, it is 
broken into lumps and kept in a sack or basket ; when used it is put 
into boiling water, and well stirred, until of a sufficient thickness ; 
this makes a very pleasant and healthy breakfast with a little 
honey or salt, and is sold in the market at two cowries a pint every 
t 2 
