26 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. 
Chap. LXX. 
in consequence of feuds between the various tribes, 
the price may for a time rise much higher, but such 
cases must be quite exceptional. 
The trade in salt on a large scale, as far as regards 
Timbuktu, is entirely carried on by means of the tiir- 
kedi, or the cloth for female apparel, manufactured in 
Kan6 ; the merchants of Ghaddmes bartering in the 
market of A rawdn six tiirkedi, or " melhafa," for nine 
slabs, or " hajra," of salt, on condition that the Arabs 
bring the salt ready to market ; or twelve, including 
the carriage to Taodenni. If they themselves then carry 
the salt to Timbuktu, they sell there eight slabs of 
salt for six mithkal of gold ; but if they carry it 
to Sansdndi, each slab of salt fetches two mithkdl. 
But the expense of this journey up the river is 
very great, on account of the boats being obliged to 
unship their merchandise at the islands of Jafarabe, 
whence it is taken to Sansdndi on the backs of asses, 
and on account of the ashiir, which is levied by the 
Fiilbe, the expense is equal to about thirty-three per 
cent ; so that, out of every six slabs of salt transj^orted 
to Sans^ndi, two are required for covering the expense 
of transport. Thus, each tiirkedi bought in Kano for 
about 1800 shells fetches two mithkdl of gold when 
sold in Sansdndi, while in Timbuktu it fetches from 
one to one and one sixth. This certainly, when we take 
into account the price of gold in Ghadames and Tripoli, 
is a considerable profit : but the road which this mer- 
chandise takes from Kano to Ghat, thence to Tawat, 
and from that place to Timbuktu, is very circuitous 
