SLAVES PROMOTED SHONSHONA. 115 
encamped in the bed of an immense broad valley, and 
camels are feeding about in considerable numbers. 
The salt-caravan is very near. We are not yet in 
the regular caravan route, via Asoudee, but expect 
to reach it after to-morrow. En-Noor has with 
him as a guest the principal man of Aghadez, 
before mentioned. This man was once a slave, but 
by his address has risen thus high, as the slaves 
frequently do in Turkey : so widely do similar 
manners prevail. Many slaves in Soudan rise to 
the highest consequence. 
The shonshona (or practice of scarifying the face 
or neck) prevails everywhere in Bornou, Soudan, 
and all this part of Africa; the Tuaricks and Fella- 
tahs being the only people who abstain from this 
barbarous practice. Each device of scarifying de- 
notes the peculiar nation of the blacks. I have 
now got three sketches of faces thus disfigured, 
and shall get as many as I can. 
The Mahommedans of the coast usually teach 
that this way of marking the body is a sin, but 
nevertheless the black Muslims will not abandon 
the peculiarities of their nation. 
14th. — Started early, but made only two hours 
and a-quarter, through the expansive valleys of 
yesterday. Here we found the salt-caravan, there 
being in this place abundance of room, herbage, 
and a large well, all necessary for such an assembly 
of people and beasts. On the road we put up a 
covey of partridges, and a splendid solitary bird, 
