GOLBERRY’S TRAVELS IN AFRICA. 
pose of sclling their gum to the French, 
are three in number, the T'rarshaz, 
Brachknaz, and Ouled-El-Hagi or Dar- 
marcko ; who appear to have enjoyed, 
for Many centuries, the possession and. 
commerce of the southern countries of 
- Zaara, jn the desart of which they have. 
' fixed establishments. 
The tropical rains do not fall in the 
western countries of Africa till towards 
‘the beginning of July: the return is so 
regular, that it rarely happens in the 
countries watered by the Senegal, that 
Ps rainy season begins much before the 
irst of July, or that it is prolonged bes 
yond the first days of November, 
* When the lands have been abundantly 
saturates, by these heavy rains; when 
‘the waters begin to disappear, and when 
the sands hezin to dry, which is towards 
the 15th of November, then also we may 
perceive oozing from the trunk, aad princi- 
pal branches of the gum trees, a gummy 
juice, which at first has nv consistency, but 
trickles dawn the trees; at the end, how- 
éver, of fifteen days this juice becomes in- 
Spissated, adhering to the incision whence it 
issued, sometimes twisted in a vermicular’ 
form, but most commonly in round or ob- 
long drops : these are white when proceed- 
ng from the white gum tree, and of a yel- 
owish orange colour, bordering a little on 
the red, when proceeding from the red gum- 
tree. 5 
» ** The drops are always transparent, and 
— brilliant at the part where they are broken 
off; when they are he!d for a short time in 
the mouth, they possess ail the clearness, 
Eepspycncy, lustre, and Iimpidity of the 
inest rock crystal. si 
reer hese gummy exudations are entircly 
atural, and the Moors solicit them by no 
hind of artifice, or any sort of incision. 
_ These precautions would indeed be su- 
perfluous, because the variations of the at- 
_Foosphere in the season iunmediately = c- 
ceeding that of the licavy rains, alone in- 
‘ereases infinitely the clefis on the surface of 
e bark, and. by means of these, which 
answers every purpose, the gums find a 
f La and easy passage. 
_ * Towards the 10th of November, the 
easterly winds begin to prevail, or rather 
those of the north-east. These winds are dry 
and bilehting 5 they aré burning two thirds 
of the day, and cold during the night and 
morning.” 
The drops are usually about the size 
of the “a8 of a partridge :’ they are 
occasionally, however, both larger and 
_ smalier. ‘ 
** About the heginning of December, the 
‘three Moorish tribes quit those habitations 
which they have formed, in the vast solitudgs 
27 
of Zaara, and where they have collected 
their families, their flocks, their camels, 
and their wealth, and each tribe begins its 
march towards their respective forests of gum 
trees. ° ~ 
‘* At the different oases, they suffer to re- 
main only decrepid old men, imbecile wo- 
men, children, and young ‘girls; all those 
who are employed in tending the flocks, in 
educatin the horses and camels, and other 
indispensible occupations; the black slaves 
are aa left Rohs 
«« All the rest form an immense army, the 
disposition of which is equally confused and 
savage; itis a wild assemblage of men, we- 
men, young girls and boys, children at’the 
breast, and an innumerable number of ca- 
mels, oxen, and goats. 
«The kings, princes, and the rich peo- 
ple, mowat their horses, and their camels ; 
others ride og oxen, and some again proceed 
en foot. . 
*¢ Afier a march of twelve or fifteen days 
each tribe arrives at its respective forest, and 
at the borders of which they pitch their 
tents. ‘ 
« The harvest continues about six weeks, 
and when the gum, thus collected, is pro- 
perly formed, and every thing in readiness, 
they prepare to strike their tents.and proceed 
to the banks of the Senegal. They laadthe 
gum on camels and oxen; the ordinary bur- 
then of a camel is from fonr to five hundred 
pounds, while that of an ox, is generally 
about a hundred and fifty; the gum is put 
into immense leathern sacks made of tanned 
ox hides. 
<< All the gum which is thus collected, 
and packed up, is not placed all-at once on 
the beasts of burthen who are to convey it 
to the banks of the river and to the diferent 
markets where it is sold; the chiefs of the 
tribes alone procecd to these markets, accom- 
panied by a certain number of the principal 
Moors, who always are, or pretend to be, 
relations of the kings, or of their favourite 
women ; they ure followed by an escort of 
armed men. d 
«¢ The king and the princ:pal officers of 
the Trarshaz, treat for their tribe separately ; 
while the king and principal men of the 
Brachknaz and the Darmarko, treat for their 
two tribes conjunetly. 
«s While the chiefs of these tribes are con- 
ferring relative to the price at which the gum 
shall be sold, the Moors remaining behind 
at the camps, load their cargoes, and com- 
mencing their march, halt about two days 
joumey from the-river; here they wait the 
conclusion of the conferences between their 
chiefs and the overseers of the governinent 
of the Senegal, and with the French mey- 
chants. : a 
¢ Those preliminaries superindace nume- 
rous delays, debates, and emibarrassments ; 
there is:no kind of trick which these Moors 
do not employ, no lies and imposture which 
they do not invent, to obiain for their gum, 
-? 
