[Footnote 138: My conquest of Africa is drawn from two
French interpreters of Arabic literature, Cardonne (Hist. de
l'Afrique et de l'Espagne sous la Domination des Arabes,
tom. i. p. 8 - 55) and Otter, (Hist. de l'Academie des
Inscriptions, tom. xxi. p. 111 - 125, and 136.) They derive
their principal information from Novairi, who composed, A.D.
1331 an Encyclopaedia in more than twenty volumes. The five
general parts successively treat of, 1. Physics; 2. Man; 3.
Animals; 4. Plants; and, 5. History; and the African affairs
are discussed in the vith chapter of the vth section of this
last part, (Reiske, Prodidagmata ad Hagji Chalifae Tabulas,
p. 232 - 234.) Among the older historians who are quoted by
Navairi we may distinguish the original narrative of a
soldier who led the van of the Moslems.]