The Érgebát, a large and powerful tribe in several sections, living,
in “El Gáda,” as well as in Zíni, a district bordering on the E. side
of El Gáda.
Welád Músa, }
} these two the Soltana sections.
Éthalát, }
El Gwásem.
El ʿAíd-ʿEsha or Áhel ʿEsh.
Welád Mohammed ben ʿAbd-Allah, and several others.
In Shebéka there are to be mentioned principally the Zergíyín belonging
to the Tíkkena.
Yegút.
Wetúsa.
East from Shebéka, N.E. from Zíni, and N. from the Wádí Sákiet el Hamra,
inhabited by the Welád Bú-Seba, there extends the large district called
_El Háha_, principally inhabited by the powerful tribe of
El ʿAáríb, who are said to have as many as 1000 horse, and who are the
enemies of the Duwémena and the Idáu Belál. They are divided into
several sections, viz.—
Legerádeba, about two hundred.
El Bwadín, about the same number.
El Gwásem (the Shiúkh), about forty.
E’ Nwaiji, the Tolba.
Námena.
El Renáneba. }
}
Ziyút. }
}
Sídi ʿAlí. } (?)
}
Medíni. }
}
Mbáha. }
Besides the ʿAáríb, the district of El Háha is inhabited by the Limtúna,
especially the Idáu-Ídderen, and, according to some informants, the
Berber element seems to predominate entirely.
El Háha appears to be limited towards the east by _Gídi_ or _Igídi_, a
girdle of high sandhills, about one and a half to two days in breadth,
and rich in palm-trees, yielding a good sort of date, called “jéhe.”
Gídi, at the distance of twenty days east from the principal encampment
in Sákiet El Hamra, stretches W.S.W. in the direction of Tishít, from
which place its south western end is separated by a naked desert or
“meraye” of about ten days. Gídi has no regular inhabitants, the
Tájakánt, the Welád Molád, and especially the Kunta, visiting it
annually and staying some time in order to gather the dates.[80]
To the S.E. of Igídi is the district _Érgshésh_, separated from it by
the smaller districts called _Aftót_ and _El Kart_, the former one being
a narrow girdle only half a day broad, and consisting of white and black
soil, while El Kart, adjoining Aftót towards the west, is about one
day’s journey in breadth, and exhibits an even surface covered with
pebbles and much herbage. Érgshésh is a long and narrow girdle of
sandhills, which stretches out in the direction from Tawát to Warán, and
passing at no great distance to the west of Taödénni, joins Magh-tér, or
rather Warán, at the S.W. end. This district, which is similar in its
nature to Gídi, and not destitute of water between the high sandhills,
although not adorned by nature with the equally graceful and useful
palm-tree, is only from twenty to thirty miles broad, and is bordered
towards the north by the smaller district called _El Hank_, consisting
of black vegetable soil, rich in trees, and intersected by rocky hills
or kódia. There is in this district a famous spot called Lemezarráb,
with a large group of palm-trees, the fruit of which is gathered by the
Kunta, who, however, leave these trees without any cultivation whatever.
On the S.E. side of Érgshésh lies the district called _El Júf_, to which
belongs Taödénni, rich in salt, but almost destitute of herbage, with
the exception of the more favoured spot called El Harésha, situated at
half a day’s distance from Taödénni to the E.N.E., where trees are
found. The miserable place called Taödénni, consisting of only a few
houses (where, besides the Sheikh Zén, nobody will stay on account of
the bad quality of the water), owes its existence to the desertion of
Tegháza about the year 950 of the Hejra. I have spoken of the salt mines
of Taödénni in the diary of my stay in Timbúktu: here I will only add
that in Taödénni a black tobe purchases four camel-loads of salt or
sixteen rús, worth each 3500 or 4000 shells in Timbúktu. Taödénni is
distant ten days from Warán, going along Érgshésh; nine days from Bú-
Jebéha; about the same distance from Mʿamún, W.N.W.; and ten to eleven
days from Mabrúk, N.W., viz. (going from Mabrúk), two and a half days to
the well Aníshay, five days to the old well called El Gátara, and three
days more to Taödénni.[81] El Júf is bordered towards the north by the
district called Sáfie, a sort of hammáda, with strips of herbage. In
this district wander the Welád Delém, the ʿAáríb, the Áturshán,
belonging to the tribe of the ʿAídde, and several tribes of the Kunta,
principally the Ergágedá, and the Welád el Wáfi; the principal chief
also in Érgshésh, Sídi Mohammed, is a Kuntí.
VIII.—DISTRICTS OF THE SAHARA BETWEEN ÁZAWÁD AND TIMBÚKTU ON THE ONE
SIDE, AND EL HÓDH AND BÁGHENA ON THE OTHER.
Between Árawán and Waláta there stretches a waterless desert of ten
days; consisting of isolated sandhills, between which very good food for
the camel is found, and plenty of water-melons, sufficient to quench the
thirst of man as well as of the camel. This district, which is nearly of
the same character as Magh-tér, is called _Ákela_, and the Kóbetát
mentioned above are principally wandering hereabout.
South of the Ákela the country is rendered more verdant and fertile by
the Niger and its many backwaters, and there is one district especially
noted for its pasturage, viz. the famous _Rás el má_, mentioned by me
repeatedly, where Arabs, principally the Kunta and Berabísh, with the
small remnant of the almost extinguished tribe of the Lansár, and the
Welád Sʿaíd el Borádda, encamp occasionally, and where Zén el ʿAbidín, a
younger brother of Sheikh Áhmed el Bakáy had for a long time his
encampment. There is here also a small village of the Idélebó.
Between the Ákela to the N.E., the Dháhar Waláta towards the N.W., and
Fermágha towards the S.E., there is the district called _Eríggi_, with a
ksar, or small town, called Basikúnnu, mentioned in the preceding
volume. Eríggi is the chief district of the Welád ʿAlúsh, a not very
numerous but warlike tribe, which extends its forays over the whole of
Ázawád, and is divided into two sections:—
El Khatterát.
El Elléb.
The Welád ʿAlúsh are at present the principal tribe of a large group
called _Dáúd_, whose elements I shall enumerate here together, though
only a portion of the tribes are living hereabout, and most of them have
been mentioned by me before, in connection with their respective
districts.
_El Dáúd, with Sheikh Swédi._