314 TIBBOOS OF BILMA RETROSPECT. 
The mediate time occupied is said to be between 
eight and fourteen days. The three stations men- 
tioned between Tintalous and Bilma have wells of 
water. There is also an abundance of herbage all 
along the route for camels. The direction of the 
route is always east, over a flat country (probably 
through wadys) ; although, my informant adds, there 
are no mountains. The salt is found in small lakes. 
The people amass it with the water, and make of it 
round cakes ; the water runs away, and the cakes 
become hard and dry. It is then packed up in 
camel-loads. A large camel-load pays to the Tib- 
boos half a metagal, or about ninepence English 
money. It is thus evident that the Tibboos do 
derive a revenue from their salt, contrary to what 
was stated by them to Major Denham. Since his 
time, however, this people have found themselves in 
a better condition to enforce this impost on the 
Kailouee salt-merchants than they w^ere formerly. 
The caravan of Ghat Tuaricks brought here the 
news, a few days ago, that no less than four hun- 
dred people, fractions of the tribes of the Azgher, 
consisting of men, women, and children, followed 
us as far as Tajetterat to see what they could get 
from the Christians. When they arrived at the 
wells, to their great disappointment we were gone. 
Some of them were nearly naked, having only a 
piece of leather round their loins. Our sending for 
an escort from Mourzuk seems to have aroused the 
whole country ; all these poor wretches expected, at 
