THE MOORISH CONQUEST 303 southwards from Djouder Pasha. They now recrossed in the opposite sense, and from this time the river in its eastern course formed the defensible frontier which was maintained between the Hngering remains of Songhay authority and the country which was soon to be known as the Moorish Soudan. Mohammed occupied the position evacuated by Ishak in Borgu, and we are able to form an estimate of the fighting strength of his columns by the fact that the camp included 174 tents, each tent containing, in accordance with the Turkish model followed by the Moors, twenty fusiliers. He had, therefore, at his command a force of 3480 men armed with muskets in a country in which the native army had fallen into a disorganised rabble, badly led, and armed only with bows and arrows. There was no unreasonable arrogance in the supposition that he would be able to do what he pleased.

I will not attempt to follow this or succeeding campaigns in detail. I will only indicate the essential points.

Askia Ishak, intending to fly for safety into the territory of Kebbi, was murdered by pagans in Gurma, and was succeeded in April of 1592 by a supine brother, Mohammed Kagho, who, shortly after his succession, offered to take the oath of fidelity to the Sultan of Morocco. The famine, which has already been mentioned in connection with the history of Kano, was making itself felt, and the Moorish army was reduced during its campaign in the eastern provinces to eat its pack animals. Mahmoud therefore called upon Mohammed Kagho to prove the sincerity of his proposals by coming to the assistance of the troops and providing them with food. Mohammed Kagho ordered all the crops which were ripe in Haussaland to be reaped for the benefit of the enemy, and this was appropriately enough the last exercise ever made of Songhay authority in Haussaland. Mohammed Kagho was required to come in person to the camp of the Moors to make his