THE FRENCH SOUDAN. 
129 
by depreciating their own numbers and that of their cattle. A given 
village will be said to have 198 inhabitants which in reality contains 
3000 or 4000. The importance of the trade and the commercial activity 
may be estimated from the amount of the revenue actually collected,, as 
given above. 
It is very clear that this activity in commerce is a good deal depend¬ 
able on the attitude of the Moorish tribes. Whenever these Moors 
pillage a caravan the commerce is arrested, or much interrupted. The 
Ouled Nacer tribes, for example, still remained untameable. Colonel 
Archinard took immediate action. He at once prohibited, under the 
most severe penalties, the exportation of millet from the Kaarta over 
the border anywhere in their direction, for the Ouled Nacer Moors are 
themselves unable to cultivate the grain which forms the base of their 
food supply. At the end of three weeks their chief came to Nioro 
with 300 men and 500 camels, and consented, in token of submission, 
to pay the French an annual tribute of 10 horses. 
The senior commandant left Nioro on the 17th February, taking with 
him two small guns which he had left there in 1891. He proceeded 
towards Gombou where he arrived on the 27th February. There El 
Hadj Bougouni, whom Commandant Bonnier had well beaten six 
months previously at Doseguela, came in to make his submission. 
Next, Colonel Archinard went on to Segou, which he reached on the 
14th March. There he learnt that the feebleness of Bodian, on one 
hand, and the intrigues of Ahmadou, on the other, had together 
resulted in new uprising of the Bendougou and the neighbouring pro¬ 
vinces of the Baninko and Minianka, whither had retired the bands of 
the Peuhls which had been broken up by Commandant Bonnier during 
the previous month of June. Colonel Archinard did not hesitate to de¬ 
pose Bodian (to whom, however, he still showed great marks of regard) 
and to put at the head of the Segou district a French officer, whilst a 
column was organised to operate in the disturbed districts. With two 
companies of regulars, Senegal tirailleurs and four companies of auxil¬ 
iaries the senior commandant marched to the south directly upon 
Baninko. At Garo he crossed the Mayel-Balevel, and on the 28th 
March, after some few preliminary skirmishes, he beat the rebels at 
Kentieri. The next day he pursued the fugitives and completely de¬ 
feated them at Mpesoba. After this fresh defeat the revolted Bambarras 
understood that it would be better to submit, and they delivered up 
the Peuhl chief who the previous year had led the revolt of Guenie 
Kalari. 
From Mpesoba the Colonel pushed on north-east, towards the town 
of San, whose chiefs, for a long time allies of the French had, it will 
be remembered, concluded with the Commandant Monteil a treaty 
acknowledging the French protectorate. The Almamy of San came 
to meet the French column and facilitated the provisioning of the 
troops. But this did not occur at Djenne when they arrived on the 
11th April after having re-crossed the Mayel-Balevel at the height of 
Touara. 
Djenne is a big town of 10,000 to 12,000 inhabitants on the borders 
of the Mayel-Balevel, which communicates with the Niger by a navig- 
