THE SOUDAN UNDER THE MOORS 307 forces were largely composed of pagans, ruled Jenne for a time, and committed many atrocities. They wished to elect an Askia for themselves, but were dissuaded from that design by the representations of the principal Songhay officials that nobody as yet knew what would be the issue of the fighting between Mahmoud and Askia Nouh. Finally, order was restored in Jenne by the same young general whom Mahmoud had despatched to Timbuctoo, and the heads of the principal rioters, sent as proofs of the success of his operations to the political governor of Timbuctoo, decorated the marketplace of that town. Throughout these operations, the native forces do not appear to have been uniformly opposed to the Moors. On the contrary, the officials, at least, appear to have in many instances endeavoured to support their authority. There was no well-organised movement of revolt, but the general condition of the country was fast resolving itself into chaos.

No sooner was Jenne reduced to order, than the Tuaregs, once the allies of the Moors, possessed themselves of a Moorish fortress established in the Ras-el-Ma, and threatened to attack Timbuctoo. The numbers of the Moorish garrison were much reduced, but hearing that an army corps sent from Morocco for the reinforcement of Mahmoud Zergoun was on the way, messengers were sent into the desert to hurry its arrival, and with its timely assistance the Tuaregs were overthrown. The reinforcements were then passed on to Mahmoud Zergoun in the east, and reported to him fully the state of affairs.

Mahmoud Zergoun returned to Timbuctoo in the autumn of 1593. He first occupied himself with an expedition against the Tuaregs, who were again ravaging the Ras - el - Ma, and then turned his attention to the internal affairs of Timbuctoo. He had probably good reason to doubt the sincerity of the official attitude of submission, and so long as riots continued in this and the neighbouring towns he suspected some understanding between the leading citizens and the rioters.