S TIMBUCTOO.

back, as do many of his courtiers, sometimes with muskets, but oftener with bows. The king takes a great many tents with him. There are no hons, tigers, or wild boars near Timbuctoo. They play at chess and draughts, and are very expert at those games : they have no cards ; but they have tumblers; jugglers, and ventriloquists, whose voice appears to come from under the armpits. He was much pleased with their music, of which they have twenty-four different sorts. They have dances of different kinds, some of which are very indecent.

TIME. They measure time '' by days, weeks, lunar months, and lunar years ; yet few can ascertain their age.

RELIGION. They have no temples, churches, or mosques, no regular worship or sabbath ; but once in three months they have a great festival, which lasts two or three days, sometimes a week, and is spent in eating and drinking. He does not know the cause ; but thinks it, perhaps, a commemoration of the king's birth-day ; no work is done. They believe in a Supreme Being and " The hour is an indefinite term, and assimilates to our expression of a good while ; it is from half an hour by the dial to six hours, and the difference is expressed by the word tvahad saa kabeer a long hour ; and tvahad saa sereer, a little hour ; also by the elongation of the last syllable of the last word.