94 
GOLD CA.RRIED BY MOORS. 
together in this way. A camel's load is five hundred pounds, 
and the carriage from Timbuctoo to Tafilet costs ten or 
twelve gold mitkhals,* which are paid in advance. 
The camels which convey merchandise of light weight, 
such as ostrich feathers, clothes, and stuffs in the piece, 
have their loads made up with slaves, water, and rice ; for, 
the load being paid for according to its weight, the proprie- 
tors of the camels, if that weight were not completed, would 
gain nothing by the carriage of merchandise more cumber- 
some than heavy. When the caravan stops, the groupes of 
camels are kept at the distance of two hundred paces from 
each other, to obviate the confusion which would arise if 
they were suffered to mix together. 
When the Moors return to their country, they do not 
carry back merely ostrich feathers and ivory ; but they take 
also gold, some more, and some less. I saw some who had 
as much as the value of a hundred mitkhals. This gold is 
generally sent to the merchants of Tafilet by their cor- 
respondents at Timbuctoo, in return for the merchandise sent 
by the former, and sold on their account by the latter. 
During our halts in the deserts, I often saw the Moors 
weighing their gold in little scales similar to ours, which are 
made in Morocco. 1 he gold which is conveyed by these 
travelling clerks of the desert is carefully rolled up in 
pieces of cloth, with a label, on which are written the weight 
of the metal and the name of the individual to whom it 
belongs. 
When night set in, we took our usual supper, consisting 
of water, bread, butter, and honey. Several Moors, with 
whom we were not acquainted, came and asked us for a 
supper; they then invited the two Moors who were of 
* The value of the gold mitkhal is about twelve francs, and the silver 
mitkhal about four. 
