Note 4 — Chapter XIII

The only European who is believed to have accomplished the journey is Caillé. There seems to be no reason to doubt that in some way he reached Fez from the south by land; but it is a question whether his account of the direct route from Timbuktou to Tafilelt is derived from native informants, or whether, in default of notes, a defective memory led him into errors and inconsistencies that throw a shade of doubt over his narrative.