CHAP. III. 
NOTICES OF THE INTERIOR. 
121 
carried little eliildren on their backs, some of whom were so small, 
that they must have been born on the road. 
The Tibboo, who bring the slaves from Bornou, are of the 
tribes on the road ; and some are from Fezzan. They never trade 
to Soudan, on account of the distance ; but prefer exchanging their 
slaves for horses, which they sell to great advantage in the interior : 
for thougli there are horses in Bornou, they are not much esteemed ; 
but those of Tripoli are greatly valued. The Tibboo ride on 
saddles, resembling in some respects our English ones ; but they are 
smaller, and have a high peak in front : their stirrups resemble 
ours, but they do not put the whole foot in them, only the four 
small toes, the great one remaining out ; their shoes are all con- 
trived for this purpose, by having a separate division for a great toe, 
and are made in the same manner as childrens' mittens. Their 
bridles are also in our style, being much hghter than those of the 
Arabs. They are more careful of their horses than of their fami- 
lies, sparing no expense to fatten them ; this is done by cramming 
them with large balls of meal or dough, which are considered 
highly nourishing. A fine horse will, in the Negro country, sell 
for 10 or 15 Negresses; each of which, at the Barbary ports, is 
worth from 80 to 150 dollars. 
All the traders speak of slaves as farmers do of cattle. Those 
recently brought from the interior were fattening, in order that 
they miglit be able to go on to Tripoli, Benghazi, or Egypt : thus 
a distance of 1600 or 1800 miles is to be traversed, from the time 
these poor creatures are taken from their homes, before they can 
be settled ; whilst in the Interior they may, perhaps, be doomed 
to pass through the hands of eight or ten masters, who treat them 
well or ill, according to their pleasure. These devoted victims 
fondly hoping that each new purchaser may be the last, find perhaps 
that they have again to commence a journey equally long and dreary 
R 
