130 
THE FRENCH SOUDAN. 
able marigot. It is a very important commercial centre under the 
suzerainty of Macina, and, indeed, is to the populations of the Upper 
Niger what Timbuctoo is to the populations of Sahara. Ahmadou, 
who had prepared for an invasion of Segou, was at Mopti, 50 kilo¬ 
metres to the north-east, with his contingents. 
In spite of the king’s proximity, the Toucouleur garrison of Djenne 
were not anxious to resist and to match themselves with the chief who 
had knocked down so many Toucouleur citadels. But the traders of 
Djenne, deceived by the weak appearance of the column marching en 
masse , thought themselves strong enough to beat the French and a 
determined resistance was prepared, a resistance which was all the 
more intense that Djenne is like Timbuctoo, a town celebrated for its 
Mussulman schools, of which there are 16. On the 15th Colonel 
Archinard, informed of all this, had his guns placed in position and 
began to bombard the military portion of the town, which is situated 
to the west of the mercantile town. On the 12th, the breach being 
sufficiently practicable, the assault was delivered. The struggle was 
terrible. Two French officers were killed, Captain Lespieau and 
Lieutenant Dugast; the native contingents lost about 30 men and 
there were many wounded. But the enemy lost between 400 and 500 
dead, and before the end of the day the principal merchants, terror- 
struck, implored and obtained the cessation of the slaughter. In order 
to conciliate the inhabitants of Djenne, Colonel Archinard had avoided 
bombarding the mercantile town, so that the next day material order 
could be re-established, and the merchants got out of it with a heavy 
war indemnity which they made haste to pay on the spot. 
The Toucouleur garrison had fled with their chief Alpha Mou^a. 
The column started in pursuit the day after, and, after passing for the 
second time the right bank of the Mayel-Balevel, on the 17th April, 
entered Mopti, which the troops of Ahmadou had just evacuated. 
The chiefs of Macina, foreseeing that Colonel Archinard would march 
upon Bandiagara, the capital, had concentrated their forces on the road 
from Mopti to Bandiagara. It was actually at Kori-Kori that the 
encounter took place. It recalled, in fact, the affair of Youri, on the 3rd 
January, 1891, when the troops of Kaarta were crushed. The French 
had only four tirailleurs wounded after a short struggle, in the midst 
of which Ahmadou took flight. The king of Macina at once aban¬ 
doned his capital, taking all his family in the direction of the Haoussas 
States. But Colonel Archinard, having’ entered Bandiagara on the 
29th April, detached a flying column to pursue the fugitives, caught 
them up at the defile of Dalla, at a considerably long distance to the 
east of Bandiagara, and finally captured the smala of Ahmadou. The 
son of El Hadj Orq,ar continued his flight almost alone; his prestige 
was so irreparably damaged that Ali-Bouri, one of his most devoted 
adherents, submitted himself to French authority. 
Although the last of the Bambarra States conquered by El Hadj 
Omar, the kingdom of Macina has remained much attached to the 
family of the Toucouleur conquerors. The Peuhls are numerous at 
Macina, but by the side of them exists a very valiant and very inde¬ 
pendent population, which inhabits the steep hills of the country. The 
