The Sarkee went out this morning to his razzia and does not return for some days, so I shall not be able to take leave of his highness. The gossips persist in saying that he is dreadfully in want of money, and must go out to bring in some slaves to pay his debts. He was attended by about one thousand cavalry, and a good number of maharees. He is gone southwards. They report that he is indeed gone to Daura, but nothing is known positively as to whether he will capture the Sheikh's subjects or those of the Fellatahs. The Sarkee, on a former occasion, captured a great many people belonging to Germal, one of the Sheikh's provinces, and an order was forthwith sent to him to restore them to their homes and lands. He was compelled to comply. Besides slaves, the Sarkee will bring in bullocks and horses; but the sheep taken are eaten by the troops of the razzia. His highness is expected to gather an army of 2000 horse, and 10,000 on foot, besides camels for provisions and water, when completed. The plan and route of the expedition are kept a profound secret, so that the army will fall upon the unsuspecting population by surprise.
After about three or four hours' ride the Sarkee usually encamps, and a souk, or market, is opened at the camp for provisions. "There are no women with the _yaki_ (or army of razzia), the men cook and do all the work," says my informant. At night the Sultan calls round him his chosen troops, and distributes gour-nuts, and makes presents of provisions. He then sleeps a few hours, and probably starts at midnight, or as soon as the moon rises. A slave, a soldier of the Sarkee, who has been to a hundred razzias, tells me, that three years ago this Sarkee went to attack him of Daura in his capital. On arriving before the town the army of Zinder set fire to all the ghaseb stubble and the garden-trees around it. This done, they commenced a regular battle with the besieged. The fight continued till night, when the Sarkee of Daura fled. The Zinder people carried off a large booty: the share of the Sultan alone was nine hundred.
This freebooting prince does not fight himself, but sits down at a distance from his troops and overlooks their conduct and manoeuvres; his generals command and lead on the attack, whilst a body-guard surrounds the sacred person of the monarch. On the occasion referred to, this body-guard was covered with mattrass-stuffing to shield off the terrible arrows of the Daura people. The greater part of the troops of Zinder have only a spear; a few have shields and swords, but none have muskets. All the Daura people have bows and arrows. There are numbers of petty traders here waiting for the booty of this razzia, and some of the creditors of the Sarkee went this morning to wish him God speed. I am glad I did not go out to see him start on such a nefarious expedition. It appears, however, that we are not to leave for Kuka until the return of the army. They intimate that a portion of the spoil will be sent with us to the great Sheikh of Bornou: so that after all, however unwilling, we shall seem to countenance this bloody work.