WESTERN AFRICA. 197 



crossed this ocean of shingle. But his tone of feeling was 

 soon lowered when he came to experience the siifferinga 

 arising from the intense heat, the blowing of the sand, and 

 the scanty snpply of water, which was allowed to the cara- 

 van only twice a-day leaving long intervals, during which 

 the most tormenting thirst was endured. Some small wells, 

 from which they had hoped for a little aid, were found dry ; 

 so that both men and animals were reduced to the last ex- 

 tremity, when they reached the copious springs of TeUg, 

 and relieved their thirst by repeated draughts. 



During many succeeding marches, water again became 

 scarce, and Cailli<5 had much to suffer from the insult and 

 neglect of his companions. El Drah, on the outer frontier of 

 Morocco, was the first inhabited district ; but it was poor, 

 and occupied by inhospitable tribes of Moors and Berebbers. 

 Turning somewhat eastward, they passed through the fine 

 country of Tafilet, covered with noble woods of date-trees, 

 and producing a valuable breed of sheep. They then crossed 

 with labour a rugged limb of the Atlas, and arrived at Fez, 

 "whence the adventurer found his way, though in a some- 

 what poor plight, to Tangier. He arrived on the 18th 

 August, 1828, and M. Delaporte, the vice-consul, received 

 ■and forwarded him to France. 



CHAPTER XIV. 



Western Africa. 



The whole coast of Western Africa within the tropics, 

 forming a wide sweep around the Gulf of Guinea, has long 

 been occupied by a chain of European forts, erected with a 

 view to the commerce in gold, iron, and palm-oil, but above 

 all in slaves ; and since this last object has been finally 

 abandoned by Great Britain, these stations have become to 

 her of very secondary importance. The territory is in the 

 possession of a number of petty states, many of which 

 compose aristocratic republics, turbulent, restless, licen- 

 tious, and generally rendered more depraved by their fre- 

 R3 



