546 
S A H 
the frustum of a cone, the insides of which are hardened by 
burning wood in them, before the half winnowed corn be 
deposited. When filled, they are covered with planks, over 
which is placed a layer of earth, level with the soil, to pre¬ 
vent it from being discovered by their enemies. During the 
intervals between seed and harvest, they wander in ail 
directions with their cattle, taking with them only necessaries, 
and having recourse to the magazines for a supply. Their 
villages are built in the Moorish manner, and situated on 
the declivity of hills. The inhabitants sleep on mats upon 
the floors of their apartments, and make use of linen; but 
the inhabitants of the country sleep upon terraces in the 
open air. The pastoral families practice hospitality, and 
charge nothing for the entertainment of the traveller. 
The Woled D’leim, and Woled Abbusebah, inhabit a 
more dreary region, and are considerably ruder in their 
manners. They have no distinct boundaries, and change 
their habitations as the desert affords pasturage and water. 
They are tall, handsome, and vigorous. Their hair is 
bristled, and their nails, which they often use in battle, as 
long as claws. Large hanging ears, and a long beard, 
give them a stem ferocious air. The Woled D’leim are 
particularly fierce and arrogaut, though soon discouraged by 
obstinate resistance, especially when they have not a decided 
superiority of numbers. They lodge by families, in tents 
of thick cloth, spun and woven by the women, from camels’ 
hair. The furniture consists of two large leathern sacks, in 
which they keep old clothes and pieces of old iron, three or 
four goat skins for holding milk and water, two large stones 
for grinding their barley, a smaller one for driving the pins 
of their tents, an ozier matting serving for a bed, a thick 
carpet for a covering, a small kettle, and some wooden dishes, 
with packsaddles for their camels. The person who, besides 
these articles, possesses a few horses, camels, sheep, and goats, 
is reckoned wealthy. The only endemic diseases to which 
they are subject, are cholic and sore eyes. The first is caused 
by the verdigris with which their kettles, being neither 
tinned nor washed, are entirely crusted over, nor is its 
virulence abated by the quanity of milk which they 
use: the latter arises from the reflection of light from 
the burning sands of the desert. When they chance to 
reside long in one place, they sometimes plough the mois¬ 
tened spots, and carelessly sprinkle seed over them. Good 
crops are thus often produced ; but they cut them down raw,., 
and roast the grain over hot cinders. Treachery and per¬ 
fidy appear innate vices with the Arabs; assassinations are 
frequent; no man trusts to another's promise, yet there are 
no written agreements, and the poignard cancels all bonds 
and obligations. They delight in recounting their deeds to 
each other; but this is often accompanied by charges of 
falsehood, followed by the drawing of deadly weapons. 
The rites of hospitality, however are practised by these 
tribes, in their utmost extent. The Arab who, in the field, 
is a rapacious plunderer, becomes liberal and generous as 
soon as he enters his tent. War is only a species of pre¬ 
datory attack, in which victory is decided at the first shock. 
The Arab is devoid of sanguinary courage ; he attacks only 
to plunder, and never puts booty in competition with life.' 
At the end of the battle, each party makes graves for the 
slain, inclosing the tomb with mounds of stones. The wo¬ 
men never assume the name of the husband, nor eat with 
him at meals. They are faithful to the marriage vow, and 
divorce can take place only upon the decree of the old men. 
Arab opulence is displayed in female ornaments; the ears, 
arms, and legs, being generally adorned with rings of gold 
and silver. An Arab beauty must be very fat, must 
have long limbs, and large teeth projecting out of 
the mouth. At the birth of a son, every woman,! to 
testify her joy, blackens her face for forty days. A mother 
treats her son, almost as soon as he can walk, with the same 
respect as her husband, she prepares his food, serves him, 
and eats when he has finished his repast. These Arabs, more 
rude and ferocious than those bordering on Morocco, are 
also more confined and illiberal in their ideas. The Mon- 
gaarts and Trasarts, who border upon the Senegal, particu- 
S A H 
larly the latter, are more numerous and powerful than the' 
tribes occupying the interior of the desert. Park conceives 
the latter to be, in these respects, on a footing with the peo¬ 
ple of Ludamar and Gedumah. 
The only impulse by which civilized nations are led to 
traverse these vast and dreary wilds, is that of commerce. 
That active principle has overcome barriers which nature 
seemed to have destined to be for ever insurmountable. 
Valuable means have been afforded by the introduction of 
that most useful animal the camel, emphatically termed the 
ship of the desert, who, by his patience of hunger and fatigue, 
by the provision which nature has made for enabling him to 
carry water, and by the structure of his hoof, smoothly gli¬ 
ding over the level sand, seems to have been expressly de¬ 
signed as an instrument for effecting a communication 
across these immense wastes. The trade is carried on by 
merchants, inured from their infancy to that train of hard¬ 
ships and difficulty which attend these formidable journies. 
For the sake of mutual aid and defence, as well as to enliven 
the dreariness of the route, they proceed in caravans, or large 
bodies, sometimes amounting to the number of 2000. Their 
food consists of the milk of the camel, with barley-meal or 
Indian corn, and a few dates; though the more opulent car¬ 
ry dried flesh and coffee. Water is conveyed in goat skins 
covered with tar, to prevent evaporation, though this pre¬ 
caution does not fully produce the desired effect. At each 
of the oases, or spots affording water, which occur at distant 
intervals along the sandy waste, they stop for a few days to 
take in a supply. The greatest evil which they have to fear 
is when, in consequence of a peculiarly dry season, one of 
these springs happens to fail. Thus in 1798, a caravan 
from Morocco, consisting of 2000 men, with ] 800 camels,, 
entirely perished. These caravans take their departure from 
every part of Northern Africa; but the three grand points of 
rendezvous are Cairo, Mourzouk, and the southern frontier 
of Morocco. Cairo sends three great caravans into the in¬ 
terior: one to Sennaar, partly along the Nile, but chiefly 
across the deserts on either side; another proceeds to Darfur, 
through an extensive desert, by the great Oasis, Sheb, and 
Selyme. It sends one almost to Mourzouk, which com¬ 
municates with those dispatched thence into the countries on 
the Niger. Mourzouk sends two great caravans, one to 
Bornou, and one to Cassina. It holds intercourse also with 
Tombuctoo, though on a much smaller scale. The chief 
communication with that celebrated emporium is maintained 
by the caravans from Morocco, which are the most nume¬ 
rous of all, though they have to cross the broadest and most 
desolate part of the desert. By these different caravans are 
conveyed from Northern Africa, salt, cloths, and European 
goods of every description ; while gold, ivory, and slaves, to 
a very great amount, are received in return. 
The coast of Sahara, extending along the desert, is for the 
most part rocky, dangerous and destitute of harbours Hence 
a considerable number of European vessels suffer shipwreck, 
and are cast ashore, when the crews suffer the most dreadful 
fate. They are not only stripped of all their property, but 
reduced to a state of bondage, where they experience every 
outrage which can be prompted by the union of avarice and 
bigotry. Their only hope of relief is from being carried over 
the desert to be sold in Morocco, when the humanity of 
the European merchants there settled, often affords them the 
means of redemption. 
SAHARUNPORE, an extensive and valuable district of 
Hindostan, province of Delhi, situated principally between 
the rivers Jumna and Ganges, and about the 31st degree of 
northern latitude. The soil of this district is extremely fer¬ 
tile, being well watered by innumerable streams from the 
hills. It produces all kinds of grain, sugar, indigo, cotton 
and tobacco. For the greater part of the year the climate is 
very fine; during the months of April and May the hot 
winds blow with great violence. This district being situated 
in the vicinity of Delhi, was always, during the Mahometan 
governments, held as a jagier by some favourite of the 
court; but from the same cause it was frequently ravaged and 
laid waste by contending armies; about the middle of the. 
