188 
TRAVELS IN NORTHERN AFRICA. 
CHAP. IV, 
stroyed all the animals we preserved, and even penetrated into our 
boxes ; their bite was very painful, and they were fond of coming 
into our blankets. 
One singularity I must remark of Fezzan, which is that fleas are 
unknown there, and those of the inhabitants who have not been on 
the sea coast cannot imagine what they are like. Eugs are very 
numerous, and it is extraordinary that they are called by the same 
name as with us. There is a species of them which is found in the 
sands, where kaflles are in the habit of stopping ; they bite very 
sharply, and fix in numbers round the coronet of a horse : the ani- 
mals thus tormented often become so outrageous as to break their 
tethers. 
The revenues of the Sultan of Fezzan arise from slaves, merchan- 
dise, and dates. For every slave, great or small, he receives, on 
their entering his kingdom, two Spanish dollars. In some years 
the number of slaves amounts to 4000. For a camel's load of oil or 
butter, seven dollars ; a load of beads, copper, or hardware, four 
dollars ; and of clothing, three dollars. All Arabs who buy dates 
pay a dollar duty on each load (equal at times to the price of the 
article) before they are allowed to remove it. Above 3000 loads are 
sold to them annually. Date trees, except those of the Kadi and 
Mamlukes, are taxed at the rate of one dollar for every 200 : by this 
duty, in the neighbourhood of Morzouk, or more properly, in the few 
immediately neighbouring villages, the Sultan receives yearly 1 0,000 
dollars. Of all sheep or goats he is entitled to a fifth. On the sale 
of every slave, he has, in addition to the head money, a dollar and a 
half, which, at the rate of 4000, gives another 6000 dollars. The 
trees, which are his private property, produce about 6000 camels' 
loads of dates, each load 400 pounds weight, and which may be 
worth, at a low estimate, 18,000 dollars. Every garden pays a 
tenth of the corn produced ; presents of slaves are frequently made, 
