28 
a ‘ins much ‘greater than that of the pre- 
ce 
‘ding year. The kings and chiefs play off: 
a thousand cheats, and every species of craft, 
to spunge a greater quantity of presents, and 
imposts than had been given before ; and: 
to obtain this end, menaces and finesse, are 
successively employed ; the most ridiculous: 
and exaggerated pretensions are every year 
renewed by these subtle and .cunning sa- 
vages, who make it a practice in all-their 
dealings, to create a. multitude of obstacles 
and difficulties. 
«« Itis only the agents and the overseers 
of the gum trade-who with the merchants 
proceed to the desart and to Podhor for the 
purpose of purchasing this commodity ; and 
they well know that in these.savage fairs, 
much tedium, inconvenience, and bustle; 
must “be endured. 
«¢ The. Moors in their rognish dealings, pos- 
sess a coolness, which distracts the whites ; 
their patience and phlegmatic conduct, sin- 
gularly disconcerts the vivacity of the Euro- 
peans, who full of ardor and ‘inipatience 
wish to strike the bargain at once, while the 
Moors, in order to enlarge the presents, or 
the profits, incessantly defer a final termina- 
tion.. Meanwhile we also arm ourselves 
with patience, become cautious, obstinate, 
and heady, and thus finish by mutual oppo- 
sition. 
«« When every thing is completely settled 
on both sides, the Moorish chiefs return to 
their camps, and announce to their tribes 
that the market may now commence. ‘They 
then begin'their march, and a few days.after+ 
wards they settle on the banks of the river. 
« Te is at ‘this place which the French 
have named the desart, and which in: fact,’ 
is one of the most arid, and desolaté places. 
jin the world, that the-gum fair is principally 
hela; it ‘is ‘situated on the borders of ‘the 
river, at an equal distance: from the isle St. 
Louis, and the fort of Podhor:‘and the Trax 
shaz, convey thither all the gum: procured 
from: the forest of Sahel. 
«© Vere the eye surveys 
plain, formed of white and moving sand ; 
not a single herb, nota plant, nor even a 
bush destroy the melancholy uniformity, 
the painful monotony of this immense soli- 
tude. It is impossible to procure here, even 
a drop of good water, and shallops laden 
with hogsheads, are obliged to be sent a 
considerable distance up the river.to procure 
it, for at the desart the waters are brackish, 
they being mingled wich those of the sea, 
which flows-in the Senegal, as far.as the 
island of Gick; another reason is, that the 
sands. of the desart, are so fine and so 
moveable, that it is impossible to dig any 
wells, without the water being considerably 
intermingled with sand. a 
«© On the morning of the day of their, 
arrival, -may: be heard at a distance the 
an ‘Hiciteble 
«© hubbub wild” of these Moorish armies, © 
enveloped in a cloud of dust; and towards 
noon, the immens¢ solitary plain of the de-, 
VOYAGES AND TRAVELS» 
sart, where the eye wanders without disco-r 
vering. any object living or vegetating, is. 
covered with a numerous multitude of men, 
women, camels, horses, oxen, and goats. _ 
«* All the animals are canopied with the, 
leafy branches. of the gum-trees, which at 
once serve to secure them from the ardent’ 
heat of the sun, ‘and the gum with which 
they are laden. : out 
“© One. part of these animals carry the 
tents and baggage, while on others are heap~ 
ed the women, who are seen suckling their, 
children, and-young kids just littered. The. 
chiefs are nounted ou noble horses ; .some 
chosen cainels, elegantly caparisoned, ‘bear 
the women of the king and princes, in a 
kind of basket, covered with an awning; @ 
troop of Moors, armed with fusil’ and sa-’ 
gayes, which are lances from eight to ten 
feet high, form the escort of these ambula- 
tory hordes, and vainly endeavour to main- 
tain some degree of order among this barba- 
rous multitude, Baran 
«© The air rings with the acclamations of 
this innumerable quantity of men, women, 
children, and animals, and the living crea- 
tures whicli now fill this lately desart plain, - 
appear incalculable. It is impossible to con- 
vey ajust idea of the disorder and tumult 
of such a confused assemblage, or to give an 
accurate picture of the singular uproar which 
pervades these barbarous meetings.’ va 
«¢ When the Moors are all assembled toge- 
ther on the banks of the river, and their tents 
pitched, and every thing arranged and dis- 
posed for commencing ‘the trafic, a cannon 
is fired as a signal to begin. rea Sah 
“© TInnumerable are the train of disgust+ 
ing and unpleasant circumstances, whieh 
attend these negociations. ‘The agents, as 
well as the merchants, are incessantly sur- 
rounded and pressed by these untutored and 
perfidious savages ; they must be immove- 
able in the midst of their injuries, their in- 
sults, and their menaces ; they must endure 
poignards raised against thém, threatening 
looks, outrageous expressions, and revolting 
sestures ; they must submit to the perpetual 
importunities of kings and. princes, to, the 
insatiable cupidity of their women, and in. 
fact to thé oppressive persecutions of all the 
tribes. : 
«¢ The merchant is now no longer master 
of his vessel ; all the decks of thé Ships em- 
ployed in the gum-tradé, and which are 
mids less than a hundred tons burthen, 
are covered with Moors, crouding on each 
other towards the fore part of the vessel ; the 
_ Stern is defended by field pieces, and a part 
of the crew who remain under arms. 
‘© During the years 1785, 1786,, 1787, the 
quantity of gam, annually brought to the 
factories of the desart, and the Cok, amount- 
ed to eight hundred thousand pounds, be= 
sides which the Trarshaz Moors, conveyed 
yearly -to \Portendick, near four hundred 
thousand pounds, where it was purchased 
by the English, i 0 6 “gf 
* Sle 
] 
a 
mar Pett ee tt that 
