According to the information of a slave of the Sarkee, Gumel is a large Bornouese province, the capital of which is Tumbi: the Sultan's name is Dan-Tanoma. Gumel is one day and a-half from Zinder, but the capital is three days by horse and five days by camel travelling. Gumel has twelve great officers. Bundi is a large province of Bornou, the capital of which is Galadima: the Sultan's name is Kagami. Galadima is three days from Zinder. Aoud, a large place, is one day from Galadima. Alamaigo, also a large village or town, is half a day from Galadima. Meria, is three days from Galadima, and three from Zinder.
According to strict Muslims, it is a sin to write Jebel Mekka, "the mountain of Mekka." I have lately noticed several instances of superstition. A Moor of Fezzan, to whom I gave a small portion of camphor, showed me the paper and piece of cotton cloth in which he had wrapped it up, and swore that during the night the ginns, or evil spirits, had eaten it. Many other Moors asked me if it was possible to preserve camphor from the ginns? They said they knew a man who one evening locked up a piece of this substance in an iron box, and in the morning it was gone; the ginns had eaten it.
I went to see the manufacture of the matting which is used for making houses. There were thirty slaves at work, all belonging to one man; over these were three masters (also slaves), to keep them at their task. They certainly did not hurry themselves, and very few people hurry themselves in this country. These slaves were all Hazna, or pagans. The Sarkee of Zinder, besides Tuaricks, has many pagan subjects. Some of the blacks, I was surprised to see, had breasts as full and plump as many women. In other respects these pagans do not differ from their Muslim brethren. The matting is woven thirty or forty feet long, and eight feet broad, and is used to enclose a cluster of huts. It is all doubly-woven. I gave each of them a small looking-glass, having nothing else to dispose of.
According to a Moor here, the land revenues of Zinder are divided into three portions; one of which goes to the Sarkee, one to the Sheikh, and one to the Bashaw. This is the new arrangement. The Sarkee makes up his accounts, or fills up his exchequer by razzias.