43 SETTLEMENTS OF THE ARABS. 



days' ^^urney to the south was Kaugha, a city famous for 

 industry and useful arts, and the women of which were 

 skilled in the secrets of magic. Though the resemblance 

 of name is rather imperfect, this seems to be Denham's 

 Loggum, much celebrated by him for its ingenious labours 

 and fine manufactures, as well as for the intelligence of its 

 females ; and, among a rude people, wit and witchery are 

 always imagined to have a close connexion. 



To the south of Ghana lay Wangara, a district that is 

 said to have contained gold, the commodity for which 

 African commerce was so much prized. This region is 

 described as intersected and overflowed during the rainy 

 season by the branches of the Nile (of the Negroes, or 

 Niger), which impregnate the earth with the sand, it is 

 said, whence this precious metal was extracted. As soon 

 as the waters have retired, the inhabitants eagerly dig the 

 ground, and every one finds more or less, " according to 

 the gift of God." There seems to be some confusion of 

 ideas about this country and its golden products. A dis- 

 trict in the southern part of Squdan is called Oongoroo, or 

 Ungura ; but it no longer furnishes gold ; nor is Ghana, at 

 the present day, the market for that valuable staple of 

 Central Africa. In the mountainous countries to the south- 

 west tliis metal is still collected abundantly, in the very 

 manner described by the Arabian writers. 



The whole range of alpine territory to the southward of 

 the regions now described was called Lamlam, and pre- 

 sented a continued scene of barbarous violence. It was 

 branded as the land of the infidels, — of a people to whom 

 none of the charities of life were due, and against whom 

 the passions of cruelty and of avarice might be gratified 

 without remorse. Expeditions or slave-hunts were there- 

 fore made into these unfortunate countries ; when, after a 

 bloody conflict, numerous victims were seized, carried ofl^", 

 and sold to the merchants of Northern Africa, who con- 

 veyed them to all parts of the eastern world. The same 

 cruel and iniquitous traffic is carried on in a similar manner, 

 and with unabated activity, at the present da}^ 



Respecting Western Atrica, the Arabians do not seem to 

 have been very accurately informed. They describe tlxe 

 Atlantic as only about five hundred miles beyond Tocrur, 

 although two thousand would have been nearer the truth; 



