438 



CARAVAN. 



Caravan, nourishment consists of a few dates and a draft of 

 water, and when their journey is only for a few 

 weeks, a little barley meal and cold water is their 

 only food. Animated by the hopes of reaching 

 their native country, they often sing during their 

 journey, and when the camels are fatigued, or when 

 they approach a habitation, their songs are sung in 

 trio, all the camel drivers joining in the chorus. 

 The camels march in time to the music, and seem 

 for a while to forget their fatigue. The day's jour- 

 ney is generally terminated about four o'clock, and 

 after pitching their tents, and saying their prayers, 

 they prepare their supper ; as soon as it is ready, they 

 seat themselves round in a circle, and talk till they 

 are overcome by sleep. " At break of day they again 

 proceed upon their journey. 



In the course of these journies, the hot winds call- 

 ed shume* are often so violent as to evaporate all the 

 water carried in skins for the use of the passengers 

 and drivers ; and Mr Jackson was informed by the 

 Arabs and the people of Soudan, that on these occa 

 sions, 500 dollars have been given for a draft of water, 

 and that 10 or 20 dollars are very frequently given 

 when a partial evaporation has taken place. A cara- 

 van proceeding from Timbuctco to Tafilelt in the 

 year 1805, was disappointed at not finding water at 

 one of the Oasis, and the whole party, consisting of 

 2000 men and 1800 camels, perished of thirst. 



The dangers arising from the drifting of the sand, 

 are often very considerable. When the loose sand is 

 drifted along the plains by the shume, the akkabaahs 

 are obliged suddenly to strike their tents, other wise they 

 would be all buried in the overwhelming torrent. On 

 these occasions the desert has the appearance of a sea, 

 as the drifting sand has a striking resemblance to the 

 waves of the ocean. Hence the desert is emphatical- 

 ly called by the Arabs a sea. without: rvater, 



The merchandise which is carried by these cara- 

 vans are German linens, viz. plattilias, rouans, bretan- 

 nias, muslins of different qualities, particularly muls, 

 Irish linens, cambrics, fine cloths of different colours, 

 coral and amber beads, brass nails, pearls, raw silk 

 from Bengal, coffee, hyson teas, refined sugar, and va- 

 rious manufactures of Fas and Tafilelt, namely shawls 

 and sashes of silk and gold, hayks f of silk, of cotton 

 and silk mixed, and of cotton and wool, and Tafiieit 

 hayks. ;To these may be added woollen caps, which 

 is the general covering for the head, turbans, Italian 

 silks, cloves, nutmegs, ginger and pepper, cowries, 

 Venetian beads, and a great quantity of tobacco and 

 salt, which is the produce of Barbary and Bled-el- 

 .jerrede. 



The articles which the caravans receive in exchange 

 for these goods, are chiefly the produce of Soudan. 

 They consist principally of gold dust, twisted gold 

 rings of Wangara, open at the extremity for the in- 

 sertion into the cartilage of the nose ; gold rings made 



at Jinnie;^: bars of gold, elephants teeth, gum of Caravan. 

 Soudan, grains of Sahara (or grains of paradise) ; \-n~y~*** 

 odoriferous gums, called el b'/corr'h Soudan, employ, 

 ed for fumigation, and supposed to possess many vir* 

 tues ; and a great number of slaves from the slave- 

 merchants of Wangara and Houssa, who bring them 

 from the regions which border on the Mountains 

 of the Moon. The Wangareen slaves are a gross 

 stupid people, scarcely above the level of the brute 

 creation ; while those from Houssa are acute, indus- 

 trious, and intelligent, and have an open and noble 

 countenance. The latter are therefore sold at a much 

 higher price. The average price of a slave its about 

 one hundred ducats (3s. 8d. sterling each) ; but Mr 

 Jackson once saw a young girl of Houssa, of exqui- 

 site beauty, sold at Marocco for 400 ducats. Am- 

 bergris and ostrich feathers, collected on the confines 

 of the desert, are added to the merchandise already 

 mentioned. Mr Jackson, to whom we are indebted 

 for the preceding information, has given a map shew- 

 ing the track across the desert, as followed by the 

 caravans from Fas to Timbuctoo. 



Besides these caravans, there are three which are 

 employed in carrying slaves and other commodities 

 from the interior of Africa to Cairo. The first of 

 these sets out from Mourzouk, the capital of Fezzan, 

 the second from Sennaar, and the third from Fur. 

 The caravan from Mourzouk consists of between 100 

 and 300 travellers from the empirts of Bornou and 

 Cashna, from the kingdom of Caffaba, and from se- 

 veral of the negro states, it sets out almost every 

 year in the end of October, or in the beginning of 

 November, and generally finishes the journey in about 

 52 days. The following is a Table of its route to 

 Cairo : 



Days. 



7th, Reach Temissa. 



9th, Arrive at the lofty rock of Xanibba, where 

 they get a supply of water. 



13th, Pass over a desert of black and naked rock. 



17th, Cross a desert of sott and sandy stone, and 

 reach the mountain of Ziltan. 



21st, Four days spent in the passage of this moun- 

 tain. 



25th, Cross the sultry plain between Ziltan and the 

 green heights of Siobeel. 



26th, Arrive at Augela, subject to Tripoli. 



27th, Reach the village of Gui Xarrah. 



28th, Arrive at the ascent of Mount Gt % rdobah. 



33d, Five days spent in passing this mountain. 



36th, March through the plain of Gegabib, fertile 

 in dates, and reach the desolate mountain Buse- 

 lema. 



39th, Enter the republic of See-wah. 



40th, Proceed from See wah the capital, to the 

 village of Uraseguer, at the foot of the moun- 

 tainous desert of Le Magra. 



* At 20 leagues from land, in West Long. 11 30', and North Lat. 30, Mr Jackson collected from the deck of the ship a 

 wine glass full of the sand carried by these violent winds. 



f- A light and durable piece of cloth, about fourteen feet long and six feet wide. It is used as an outer garment by the north- 

 ern Africans of that place. The Tafilelt hayks are a light manufacture, well fitted for the climate of Soudan. 



J The natives of Jinnie seem to excel Europeans in working gold. Mr Jackson informs us, that he has-seen trinkets, par- 

 ticularly the figure of an eagle, of such workmanship that it would bare been difficult to imitate them either in England fa 

 France, 



