xii INTRODUCTION 



Teda or Tibesti breed, taller, stouter, clumsier in form 

 than the dromedaries of the north. 



On this point hinges a good deal of interesting argu- 

 ment. Was there a native camel, a wild species of the 

 genus Camelus in North-east Africa before the domesti- 

 cated camel was introduced from Arabia and Palestine 

 into Africa at an uncertain period coincident with the 

 downfall of the independence and glory of Ancient Egypt 

 — say three thousand years ago? A wild camel, very near 

 in form to the Arabian species, is found fossil and sub- 

 fossil in Algeria. It must have lingered there till the 

 arrival of Man who possibly aided in its extinction. Were 

 there wild camels similarly lingering in the Teda, the 

 Tibesti country and in Somaliland end Galaland down to 

 quite recent times? And have they contributed to the 

 formation of the domesticated camel stock of Africa? 



The Zwiya conquerors of Kufara opened up relations 

 with the Sudan, with Ennedi, Wadai, and Darfur; and 

 on the north with Cyrene and its Mediterranean ports. 

 Their oases obtained wealth and importance by becoming 

 a halfway-house between Eastern Europe and Central 

 Africa, and grew rich during the eighteenth and nineteenth 

 centuries over the trade in ivory and Negro slaves. The 

 importance of the Wadai-Kufara road for camel caravans 

 increased gi-eatly during the second half of the last cen- 

 tury because, meantime, Algeria and Tunis had become 

 more or less controlled by Europe. Egypt was likewise 

 supervised, constantly watched by European powers in 

 regard to the Slave trade. Even Tripoli and its sea-faring 

 trade in slaves was hampered by surveillance from JNIalta. 



Turkey, however, was left pretty much to herself after 

 the Berhn Conference of 1878, for motives of interna- 

 tional jealousy. She strengthened her hold over Cyrene 

 and likewise garrisoned Crete, not far away. So that 

 long after the Sudan slave trade had been closed in all 



