Departure from Timbuctoo on the 4th of May, 1828 — Caravanof six
hundred camels — Entrance of the desert — Suffocating heat —
The caravan falls in with the Tooariks — Manner in which the arabs
direct their course in the desert — Aspect of Sahara, like the
bed of a sea without water — Details respecting the caravans —
The place where Major Laing was assassinated — El-Arawan, a city
in the desert; its springs, population, and trade — Information
respecting Tawât and Wâlet — Caravan of four hundred camels
— Disheartening effect of the view of endless sands.
On parting with my host, I thanked him for his generous hospitality:
though he had often declared that all the care he took of me was
for the love of God and the prophet, I offered him the woollen
wrapper which I bought at Kakondy, and which had been so useful to
me during my long illness at Timé; I also offered him the _satala_
or vase which I used for my ablutions. Contrary to my expectation,
this excellent man declined receiving my offered presents, observing
that I should want those articles in the course of my journey,
and that I ought not to be deprived of them. At last, overcome
by my solicitations, he consented to accept them; but, the day
before my departure, he, in his turn, presented me with a cotton
wrapper manufactured in the Soudan, and which was of equal value
with the one I had given him. He added to this handsome present
a new cotton coussabe also, that I might have a change of dress
on my journey. This was not all, he presented me with a stock of
provisions sufficient to last till I reached El-Arawan; and he paid
all the expenses of my journey to that place, warmly recommending
me to one of the inhabitants, who was his agent, during the stay I
should make there before I crossed the great desert. In short, he
spared no pains to diminish the hardships of that undertaking. He
also gave me two leathern bottles to hold my supply of water for
the journey; some dokhnou, wheaten bread, baked in the same way as
our biscuit, melted butter, and a large quantity of rice.
It was very warm during the whole of the fortnight that I stayed
at Timbuctoo; the wind never ceased to blow from the east.
The caravan destined for el-Arawan, with which I had resolved to
travel, was to set out on the 4th of May, at sun-rise. My host was
up so early that morning as to allow me time, before my departure,
to breakfast with him on tea, new bread, and butter. That nothing
might diminish the agreeable impression which my stay at Timbuctoo
had made upon me, I met, on departing, the host of Major Laing,
who made me accept some new clothing for my journey.
Sidi-Abdallahi accompanied me to some distance from his house, and,
at parting with me, he affectionately pressed my hand and wished me
a good journey. This farewell detained me almost too long. To rejoin
the caravan, which had already proceeded to a considerable distance,
I was obliged, as well as three slaves who had also remained behind,
to run a whole mile through the sand. This effort fatigued me
so much, that, on reaching the caravan, I fell down in a state of
insensibility; I was lifted up and placed on a loaded camel, where I
sat among the packages, and though dreadfully shaken I was too glad
at being relieved from the labour of walking to complain of my beast.
On the 4th of May, 1828, at eight in the morning, we directed our
route to the north over a sandy soil, almost moving, quite level,
and completely barren. However, at the distance of two miles from the
town, we met with a few shrubs resembling junipers, and some rather
tall clusters of _mimosa ferruginea_, which yield a gum of inferior
quality. The inhabitants of Timbuctoo send their slaves hither for
fire-wood. The heat was most oppressive, and the progress of the
camels was extremely slow; for, as they moved along, they browsed
on the thistles and withered herbs, which they found scattered
here and there on these plains. During this first day the slaves
were allowed to drink at discretion, as I was. This conduct was
doubtless very humane; nevertheless, I was soon shocked by an act of
barbarity, which I had the misfortune to see too often repeated. A
poor Bambara slave of twenty-five was cruelly treated by some Moors,
who compelled him to walk, without allowing him to halt for a moment,
or to quench his burning thirst. The complaints of this unfortunate
creature, who had never been accustomed to endure such extraordinary
privations, might have moved the hardest heart. Sometimes he would
beg to rest himself against the crupper of a camel, and at others he
threw himself down on the sand in despair. In vain did he implore,
with uplifted hands, a drop of water; his cruel masters answered
his prayers and his tears only with stripes.
At Timbuctoo the merchants give the slaves shirts, such as are
worn in the country, that they may be decently covered; but on the
route the Moors of the caravans, who are the most barbarous men I
ever knew, take the good shirts from them and give them others all
in rags.
At five in the evening the caravan, the camels of which amounted to
nearly six hundred, halted in a ravine of yellow sand, which was,
however, pretty solid. Here these animals found some herbage, and
the spot appeared to me delightful. A slave, who was barely allowed
time to take a drink of water, was ordered to look after our camels,
and we thought of nothing but how to pass the night quietly; but
before we laid ourselves down to sleep, we made our supper on a
calabash of water, some dokhnou, and the bread which I had received
from Sidi-Abdallahi; the bread being hard we soaked it in the water,
into which we put a little butter and honey. This mixture was to us
a delicious beverage. The slaves had for their supper some sangleh
seasoned with butter and salt. These good-natured creatures were
so kind as to offer me some of their meal.
On the 5th of May, at sun-rise, we resumed our journey. We still
proceeded towards the north, upon ground similar to that over which
we passed on the preceding day. A few stunted bushes were descried
here and there, and also some salvadoras, which the camels devoured.
Towards noon we approached a less level region, where the ground
was raised into slightly elevated mounds, all inclining in the
direction from east to west. The heat was suffocating, on account
of the east wind, which raised great clouds of sand: our lips
were covered with it; our thirst became insupportable; and our
sufferings increased in proportion as we advanced further in the
desert. We fell in with two Tooariks, who were going to el-Arawan,
and whom we took to be the scouts of a troop of these marauders.
Fortunately they were alone. They were both mounted on one camel.
On the left arm they had a leather buckler; by the side, a poniard;
and in the right hand, a pike. Knowing that they should meet us in
their route, they had brought no provisions with them, and trusted
to the caravan for a supply. These robbers, who would have trembled
at the slightest menace, if seriously made, took advantage of
the terror which their name and the crimes of their tribe every
where spread, and obtained whatever they demanded: in a word,
the best of every thing was presented to them. On the one hand,
there was a sort of rivalship in offering them whatever they chose
to eat; on the other, to give them water, though it would be six
days before we should come to any. At last, after they had staid
with us three days, we had the satisfaction to see them depart,
and to be delivered from their troublesome company.
At four in the evening we encamped to pass the night, during
which we were oppressed by excessive heat, caused by a dead calm.
The sky was heavy and covered with clouds which seemed immoveable
in the immensity of space. Still the heat continued intense.
Before proceeding farther, I ought to inform the reader how I
continued to make an estimate of the route. We travelled, at an
average, about two miles an hour. At night we proceeded almost
constantly in a northerly direction. Being afraid that my pocket
compass would be noticed if I took it out to consult it, I judged of
our course during the day by the sun; in the night, by the pole-star.
It is by this star that the Arabs are guided in all their excursions
through the desert. The oldest caravan conductors go first, to lead
the way. A sand-hill, a rock, a difference of colour in the sand,
a few tufts of herbage, are infallible marks, which enable them
to recognize their situation. Though without a compass, or any
instrument for observation, they possess so completely the habit
of noticing the most minute things, that they never go astray,
though they have no path traced out for them, and though the wind
in an instant completely covers with sand and obliterates the track
of the camels.
The desert, however, does not always present the same aspect, or,
consequently the same difficulties. In some parts I found it covered
with rocks and gravel, which bore the traces of caravans that had
passed long before. Besides, though the desert is a plain of sand
and rock, the Arab commits few errors in crossing it, and is seldom
wrong to the extent of half an hour in fixing the time of arrival
at the wells. I ought not to omit to mention, that these wells are
almost constantly found covered over, and that the first thing done
on the arrival of a caravan is to clear away the sand.
On the 6th of May we resumed our march, at three in the morning,
and continued our route to the north. Still the same soil, the same
aridity, and the same uniformity, as on the preceding days.
The atmosphere was very heavy all day, and the heat excessive.
It seemed as if we should have rain. The sun, concealed by clouds,
appeared only at long intervals. But our prayers did not obtain
from Heaven a drop of rain. In spite of all the prognostics no
shower fell. The further northward we proceeded the more barren the
country became. We no longer saw either thistles or salvadoras: sad
consolations, where all nature wears so frightful an aspect! The
plain had here the precise appearance of the ocean; perhaps such
as the bed of a sea would have, if left by the water. In fact, the
winds form in the sand undulating furrows, like the waves of the
sea when a breeze slightly ruffles its surface. At the sight of this
dismal spectacle, of this awful abandonment and nakedness, I forgot
for a moment my hardships, to reflect on the violent convulsions
which thus appeared to have dried up part of the ocean, and of the
sudden catastrophes which have changed the face of our globe.
At eleven in the morning we halted. The heat was insupportable,
and we seated ourselves beside some unhealthy looking mimosas, over
which we extended our wrappers, for these shrubs being destitute of
leaves afforded no shade of themselves. Under our tents thus formed,
we had distributed to us a calabash of water, which was rendered
tepid by the east wind. According to our custom, we threw into the
water some handfuls of dokhnou. Finally, to relieve ourselves from
every immediate care, we sent a slave to watch our camels, which
were endeavouring to refresh themselves by browsing on some withered
herbage. We then lay down to sleep on the sand, which at this place
was covered with small stones. This was not done from indolence,
but from consideration; for it was proper to wait for night to take
advantage of the coolness, when we might travel more at our ease than
during the day, in which the calms were sometimes more insupportable
than the burning sun. During these calms I could not close my eyes,
while the Moors slept soundly. The same kind of calm often prevails
during the night, but then there is some compensation in the absence
of the sun. In the inhabited countries, the night, or rather the
latter part of the night, is always the most agreeable portion of
the twenty-four hours. It is at day-break that the flowers exhale
all their perfumes: the air is then gently agitated, and the birds
commence their songs. Recollections, at once pleasing and painful,
turned my thoughts to the south. In the midst of this frightful
desert could I fail to regret the land which nature has embellished?
The caravans which traverse the desert are under no absolute
commander; every one manages his camels as he pleases, whether he
has many or few; some have fifteen, others six or ten; and there
are individuals who possess not more than three; I have even seen
some with only two, but these were very poor. Such persons join
richer travellers and take care of their camels; in return, they
are supplied with provisions and water during the journey.
The Moors always lay out the profits of their journeys in the
purchase of camels, and none of them travel to Timbuctoo without
possessing at least one. The camels do not advance in files, as
they would do in our roads lined by hedges and cultivated lands. On
the contrary they move in all directions, in groupes, or single,
but in this journey their route is always between N. N. E. and N.
N. W. Those which belong to one master keep together, and do not
mix with strange camels; and I have seen as many as fifty grouped
together in this way. A camel’s load is five hundred pounds,
and the carriage from Timbuctoo to Tafilet costs ten or twelve gold
mitkhals,[15] which are paid in advance.
The camels which convey merchandise of light weight, such as
ostrich feathers, clothes, and stuffs in the piece, have their
loads made up with slaves, water, and rice; for, the load being
paid for according to its weight, the proprietors of the camels, if
that weight were not completed, would gain nothing by the carriage
of merchandise more cumbersome than heavy. When the caravan stops,
the groupes of camels are kept at the distance of two hundred paces
from each other, to obviate the confusion which would arise if they
were suffered to mix together.
When the Moors return to their country, they do not carry back
merely ostrich feathers and ivory; but they take also gold, some
more, and some less. I saw some who had as much as the value of a
hundred mitkhals. This gold is generally sent to the merchants of
Tafilet by their correspondents at Timbuctoo, in return for the
merchandise sent by the former, and sold on their account by the
latter. During our halts in the deserts, I often saw the Moors
weighing their gold in little scales similar to ours, which are
made in Morocco. The gold which is conveyed by these travelling
clerks of the desert is carefully rolled up in pieces of cloth,
with a label, on which are written the weight of the metal and the
name of the individual to whom it belongs.
When night set in, we took our usual supper, consisting of water,
bread, butter, and honey. Several Moors, with whom we were not
acquainted, came and asked us for a supper; they then invited the
two Moors who were of our party to share their mess of baked rice and
butter. Though they knew that they had partaken of my provisions, yet
they did not think proper to invite me, a proof, that notwithstanding
all my efforts, there existed a feeling of distrust towards me. At
sun-set a north breeze arose, which, though not very cool, was
nevertheless very reviving, and enabled me to enjoy a little sleep.
About eleven at night we set out, still proceeding northward,
and directing our course by the pole-star. The camels are so well
acquainted with the desert that, as soon as they are loaded, they
take, as if by instinct, the northern course. It would seem that they
are guided by the recollection of the springs of water which are
found in that direction. I really believe that a traveller, though
alone, might safely trust himself to the guidance of his camel.
The night was hot and calm, and the clear sky was studded with
stars. We had before us the great and the little wain which appeared
very near the horizon. As I could not sleep, I amused myself by
observing the courses of the stars; I saw in the east the remarkable
groupe called the constellation of Orion; I watched it during nearly
half its course, almost to our zenith. On the approach of day,
the stars disappeared and seemed to sink into an ocean of sand.
The camels never accelerate their pace, which is naturally somewhat
tardy. When they are in haste, they thrust forward their necks, the
motion of which corresponds with that of their legs. They are led
by men on foot, whose labour is so fatiguing, that it is necessary
to relieve them every two hours.
The ground over which we travelled during the night appeared to me to
be even more barren than that which we had passed on the preceding
days. For whole hours in succession we did not see a single blade
of grass.
At eleven in the morning the heat became excessive, and we halted
at a place where we found a few little banks of sand. A slave was
sent to seek out a few bushes that might afford us shade, but
no such thing was to be discovered. The reflection of the rays
of the sun on the sand augmented the heat. It was impossible to
stand barefoot on the sand without experiencing intolerable pain.
The desert is here and there interspersed with a few hills, and we
found at very distant intervals a little grass for the camels.
We had been the whole of the morning without drink, and as soon as
our tents were pitched we slaked our thirst. Our water began to
diminish in proportion as our thirst increased, therefore we did
not cook any thing for supper, but merely drank a little dokhnou.
About eleven at night we broke up our camp and proceeded northward:
at seven in the morning we turned N. N. W.
At eleven o’clock on the 8th of May, the insupportable heat
obliged us to halt on a spot as flat and barren as that at which
we had stopped on the preceding day. We pitched our tents, and
assembled beneath them. Some drink was distributed to us; and, as
we had tasted none since five o’clock on the preceding evening,
our thirst was very great. Though the water had received a bad taste
from the leathern bag, it was nevertheless exceedingly grateful. I
observed some ravens and vultures, the only inhabitants of these
deserts. They subsist on the carcases of the camels that die
and are left behind on the road. At half past six in the evening,
after having refreshed ourselves with a glass of water and dokhnou,
we proceeded on our journey. We travelled all night in a northerly
direction. The camels, finding no pasture, went on without stopping.
About 8 o’clock on the morning of the 9th of May, we halted in
a sandy plain, where we found a little grass for our poor camels.
There we perceived at a distance the camels of el-Arawan.
In the morning, little before sun-rise, the Moors who accompanied me
shewed me the spot where Major Laing was murdered. I there observed
the site of a camp. I averted my eyes from this scene of horror,
and secretly dropped a tear—the only tribute of regret I could
render to the ill-fated traveller, to whose memory no monument will
ever be reared on the spot where he perished.
Several Moors of our caravan, who had witnessed the fatal event,
told me that the major had but little property with him when he was
stopped by the chief of the Zawâts, and that he had offered five
hundred piastres to a Moor to conduct him to Souyerah (Mogador).
This the Moor refused to do, for what reason I was not informed,
and I dared not inquire. They also spoke of the sextant, which I
have mentioned above.
Having pitched our tents near some water, we could drink as much
as we pleased. Rice was boiled for our dinner and we were somewhat
indemnified for the privations we had undergone in the preceding
days. At six in the evening we proceeded northwards over a very
level sandy soil, on which were scattered a few solitary patches
of vegetation. Though the sand has a tolerable consistency, yet
not a tree was to be seen. Towards nine in the evening, we arrived
at El-Arawan, another commercial entrepot. We encamped outside the
city, and in the neighbourhood I observed several tents and camels,
which I was told belonged to the caravan, waiting for the signal
for departure. Our arrival was greeted by the howling of dogs,
a circumstance which reminded me that I had seen none of those
animals at Timbuctoo.
Being unaccustomed to riding on camels, I found myself extremely
fatigued by the journey. The moment we stopped, I spread my wrapper
upon the sand, and fell into a profound sleep. I did not find the
heat so oppressive as it had been on the preceding days. I was
roused to partake of an excellent couscous brought from the city.
On the morning of the 10th of May my guide took me to his
correspondent Kalif, to whom I had been recommended in a private
letter from Sidi-Abdallahi-Chebir. I met with a favourable reception,
and he lodged me in one of his houses, where he had some slaves
and merchandise.
As soon as I was installed in my new dwelling, my guide, who had been
very attentive to me on the journey, wished through my influence to
get himself quartered upon Kalif; but I refused to make any such
proposal to my host, lest I should appear troublesome. Finding me
obstinate on this point, he asked me to lend him my cotton wrapper
to wear while he paraded about the town to visit his acquaintance. I
consented to this in order to get rid of him; but next day, I thought
it prudent to make him return my wrapper. Another time he told me
that he had been robbed of the wooden bowl, out of which he used to
drink on the journey, and earnestly begged me to ask my host for
one and give it him. Wearied by all these demands and not knowing
how to get rid of the troublesome fellow, I gave him a flat refusal;
but that did not deter him from coming very often to partake of my
repast of rice and couscous. This man was continually asking the
slaves, whether they had any provisions or other articles to sell,
a practise by which he and others like him often induced the poor
creatures to plunder their masters.
My host sent me, about eleven o’clock in the morning, a plate
of well flavoured rice and meat, and about eight in the evening a
plate of couscous for my supper. The water for my drink was brackish
and luke-warm.
On the 11th and following days, I inspected the town of El-Arawan. It
is situated in a hollow, and surrounded by sandy hills, which extend
to the west. The streets are wider than those of Timbuctoo, and
equally clean. The houses, built in the same manner as at Timbuctoo,
are much lower and less solid; for the sand here is not of so clayey
a nature. The roofs are flat; instead of the small pieces of wood,
which are used in the buildings at Timbuctoo, they here substitute
the stalks of a bullrush which grows in the neighbourhood of the
town. Thin rafters of ronnier wood support these reeds, which
are slightly covered with sand. The magazines are very small. The
houses are all of very frail construction, and their number may
be five hundred, each containing about six inhabitants, including
slaves. Before the doors is sprinkled a yellow kind of sand, which
is found by digging to a certain depth.
El-Arawan, like Timbuctoo, possesses no resources of its own. It
is the entrepot of the salt of Toudeyni, which is exported to
Sansanding, on the banks of the Dhioliba. Its soil is even more
barren than that of Timbuctoo. As far as the eye can reach, no
trace of vegetation is to be perceived. The camels of the numerous
caravans have to go a great distance for forage. Wood is so scarce,
that nothing is burned but camel-dung, which is carefully collected
by the slaves. This is the only fuel used even for cooking. The
Moors collect their camels every six days, in order to take them to
drink at the wells, which are in the environs of the town. These
wells are about sixty paces deep. They employ a camel to draw
up the bucket, which is made of hide. A pulley is also used. The
water of these wells is brackish, warm, and very unwholesome. The
springs are numerous. At the depth of four feet from the surface is
found a grey sand mixed with a little clay of the same colour. This
sand is tolerably firm. At the bottom of the pits there is a very
white kind of earth, resembling chalk, of which I carried away
a specimen. There are also some black and grey pebbles, and a
small quantity of calcareous stones, of which the Moors make a
brim round the wells. The place in which they are dug is flat,
and surrounded by large hillock of sand. I have often seen the
Moors employed in watering their camels. They have a trough of
tanned hide, which stands on three supports of twisted wood. For
drawing up the water they use a rope made of straw, first damped
and beaten and afterwards twisted. Though water when kept in the
houses is always exposed to a current of air, it is invariably warm,
and consequently very disagreeable for drinking.
Many Moors and negroes, impelled by curiosity, followed me in the
streets. Some asked for snuff; in vain did I assure them that I
had none, and never used any, they would not relinquish the attack,
and they called me christian as the greatest insult they could offer
me. Their vociferations were accompanied by threatening gestures. I
began to fear that I should lose my temper, and that the affair
might become serious. I hastened back to my lodging, into which my
assailants followed me. An old Moor took pity on me, and reproached
them for their behaviour, assuring them that I was a Musulman and a
stranger, and under the protection of Kalif, who would be indignant
at my being ill treated. He finally succeeded in dispersing them.
I found a great difference between the inhabitants of this place
and those of Timbuctoo, where I had been well received by the
Moors. The people of El-Arawan, on the other hand, looked upon me
with suspicion. They could not believe, that after having passed
my youth among the christians, I should voluntarily forsake their
customs and resume those of my kindred. Fortunately for me, some
old men more zealous, or credulous, than the rest, declared that
God would support me in the way of salvation, since he had inspired
me with so astonishing a resolution. They added in Arabic, “Let
us thank God, that he has returned among us.”
These disagreeable occurrences induced me to appear more zealous than
hitherto. I went regularly to the mosque, but, when I prostrated
myself, like the disciples of the prophet, I offered up fervent
prayers to God, thus endeavouring to atone for the painful sacrifice
of my religion which I was outwardly compelled to make.
El-Arawan is not a place of such active trade as Timbuctoo, whence
all provisions for the former place are brought, Sansanding, which
is twenty-five days’ journey to the west, being too far distant
to afford supplies. I was told, indeed, by several Moors, that the
journey occupied a month.
El-Arawan sends, as I have before said, the salt of the mines of
Toudeyni to Sansanding and Jamina, by caravans of Moorish merchants,
who also carry tobacco, which is cultivated in Tafilet and Zawât.
This town, though inhabited by the Moors of Zawât[16] and the
different countries on the banks of the Mediterranean, has no
market. I never saw so dull a place. In the interior of the town
there are, as at Timbuctoo straw huts for the slaves.
Bousbéhey, of which I have already spoken, is two days’ journey
distant from El-Arawan, and the inhabitants of the latter place
purchase cattle there, as in all parts of the interior of Africa
there are no markets. Each family kills a bullock from time to time
and cures the meat, by drying it in the sun. It is eaten with rice
or couscous.
Though the great distance of Sansanding does not permit the
inhabitants of El-Arawan to go thither for millet, they procure
from that place more valuable articles, such as ivory, gold,
slaves, wax, honey, the cloths of Soudan, and cured provisions.
Rice is also transported thence in small quantities. Cowries, which
are the current money of Soudan, do not pass at El-Arawan. There
nothing circulates but gold and silver—neat pieces of the value
of a mitkhal, in imitation of the money of Morocco. The gold mitkhal
increases in value as you approach the coasts.
El-Arawan is the point for the arrival of the caravans from
Tafilet, Cape Mogador, Drah, Tawât, and the cities of Aghdâmus
and Tripoli. They bring merchandise of European manufacture, such
as fire-arms, gunpowder, stuffs, and a few productions of their
own countries, as tobacco, dates, &c.
Kalif, who was one of the principal merchants of El-Arawan, was a
native of Tawât, and he received from his country merchandise which
he sent to the Dhioliba. The caravans which perform this journey
are seven days without procuring water; after which they reach the
banks of the river, which I was informed is very wide at that part.
I supposed it to be the banks of the lake Débo. At a short distance
from this place which is not inhabited, negro villages are met with
as far as Sansanding.
In the rainy season, which occurs at the same time as at Timbuctoo
the inhabitants of El-Arawan are visited by the Touariks, who come
and pitch their tents in the environs of the city, and collect
the duties which they impose on traders. These duties are not so
exorbitant as at Timbuctoo. The Touariks observe some moderation
at El-Arawan, on account of its distance from their country.
The inhabitants of the town are all fanatical Moors; they
have numerous slaves, which they purchase at Sansanding, and,
notwithstanding the natural brutality of the people, they treat
their slaves kindly; they allow them plenty of food, consisting of
sangleh, which is eaten with a sauce made of dried baobab leaves,
boiled and seasoned with salt or allspice. They also clothe them
well. If to the misery incidental to this wretched country were
added the bad treatment which slaves experience in some parts of
the desert, the poor creatures could not long survive.
An old Moor named Sidi-Boubacar is the chief of El-Arawan; he acts
as judge in all the differences which arise among the inhabitants. At
his death his son succeeds him. The Mahometan chief levies no duties
on the people. He is himself a merchant and possesses considerable
herds of camels. In the rainy season, when forage becomes more
abundant, the inhabitants use camels’ milk as an article of food.
On the 14th of May, a violent gale blew from the east, which unroofed
several of the houses, and raised such a quantity of sand, that it
was impossible to keep the doors open. The heat, though there was no
sun, was stifling. The air was full of sand, which descended in the
night. It would be impossible to express what I suffered during this
storm. I was obliged to lie on the ground, with my head enveloped
in a pagne, to protect myself from the burning sand, which entered
through the chinks in the door. I experienced a continual thirst,
and had nothing but warm and brackish water to quench it. This
unwholesome drink caused a violent derangement of the stomach,
and the heat, rising to a degree I had never before felt, produced
a dreadful head-ache.
The slaves, obliged sometimes to walk barefoot on the sand,
complained of violent pain, which they were not able to bear long,
but which soon compelled them to return home. The Moors stay within
doors, keeping a piece of cloth constantly before their lips, to
prevent the sand from getting into their mouths. I was unable to
comprehend how the mere love of gain could induce these people to
live for twelve or fifteen years in such a dreadful country.
The town of Walet, mentioned by Mungo Park, is ten days’ journey
W. N. W. of El-Arawan. Some Moors, whom I saw, told me, that no
water is to be met with on the road, and that this town carries on
a great traffic in salt with Sansanding, Yamina, and Ségo. This
last place is five days’ journey to the south; salt, which is its
principal article of trade is obtained from the mines of Waden,[17]
situated in the great desert, fifteen or eighteen days’ journey
north of Walet. This salt is made up in cakes of the same dimensions
as those of Toudeyni. The inhabitants keep a great many camels,
as well as a few goats and sheep. Walet is situated on a barren
soil, not susceptible of cultivation, and the inhabitants buy corn
in the Bambara country. I was told that this town is as large as
Timbuctoo. I questioned some Moors respecting Tichit, but was unable
to obtain any positive information on the subject.
During my stay at El-Arawan the same scorching east wind continually
prevailed and obliged me to keep myself within doors, which vexed
me not a little.
The caravans which were assembled at El-Arawan prepared to depart in
a few days. I looked forward with pleasure to the happy moment when I
was to leave this disagreeable country. My host, a zealous Musulman,
laid in a supply of provisions for my journey. It was neither to his
generosity nor his friendship for me that I owed this attention;—it
was purely a sacrifice, which his piety prompted him to make in
order to conciliate the favour of the prophet. The provisions
consisted of a bag of rice weighing about fifty pounds, a bag of
dokhnou of the same weight, and about ten pounds of butter. This
was more than sufficient to last me two months. Wishing to make
some acknowledgment for the attention of Kalif, I offered him some
pieces of silver, a pair of scissors, and a small piece of cloth,
the only one I had left. The good Musulman at first affected an
unwillingness to accept my presents, saying that I was poor, and
that probably the things would be useful to me, and that what he had
done for me was solely with the view of serving God. He however put
the silver in his pocket, and was apparently much pleased with that
sort of money which is very uncommon in this country. He sent my
provisions to the tent of Sidi-Aly, a Moor, with whom I was to go
to Tafilet. This man, whom Sidi-Abdallahi-Chébir had recommended
to me, had received on departing from Timbuctoo ten gold mitkhals
(equal to 120 francs) for my expenses in the desert.
A Moor, who was settled at El-Arawan, and with whom I used frequently
to converse, made me a present of a skin to enable me to increase my
supply of water. He informed me that I should suffer much from thirst
on the journey, and that for seven or eight days we should meet with
no wells. The description he gave of crossing the desert at this
season made me shudder. I thought I should certainly share the fate
of the many unfortunate travellers who had perished there. However
I rallied my courage, by dwelling on the hope of relating in my
native country the result of my observations. I then no longer
thought any difficulty insurmontable.
Sidi-Aly, whom I had not seen at Timbuctoo, and to whom
Sidi-Abdallahi, my host, had strongly recommended me, gave me
extraordinary proofs of his regard. He assured me that he would
treat me as his son. He confirmed the report I had previously heard
respecting the scarcity of water on the road, and stated that we
should have to undergo great privations, but that I must not be
disheartened, as he would take care of me, seeing that I was not
like the rest, accustomed to the heat of the desert, and could
not so well bear the excessive thirst, to which we should often
be exposed. This person was looked upon by the Moors as a zealous
Musulman. I was assured that he feared God, and that he would act
towards me as he had promised. Sidi-Aly always carried in his hand a
rosary two feet and a half long, the beads of which were as large as
nuts. He never failed, when he met any one in the streets, to cast
his eyes piously on the ground, at the same time moving his lips,
as if he were muttering a prayer. By this hypocrisy he imposed on
me, as he did on others, and I believed that he was as good as he
pretended to be; but I was cruelly deceived. Notwithstanding his
feigned zeal for religion, the old hypocrite did not keep one of
the promises he made me, as will be seen in the sequel.
We left El-Arawan on the 19th of May 1828, at six o’clock in the
morning. Aly, my guide, had sent his son to carry my luggage to
the place appointed for the rendezvous of the caravan. My host
had invited me to share his repast; but as it was not cooked,
I was obliged to set off without tasting anything but a little
dokhnou and millet. He again recommended me to my guide, and took
his leave of me after wishing me a prosperous journey. It was about
half past seven, when the caravan began to move to the N. E. I was
concerned to see the poor slaves, whom I recognized as having been
my companions from Jenné to El-Arawan, running through the sand
to overtake the camels, which were in advance.
Our caravan was numerous: it consisted of fourteen hundred camels,
laden with the various productions of the Soudan; as gold, slaves,
ivory, gum, ostrich-feathers, and cloth in the piece and made into
dresses. In leaving El-Arawan the road leads over a sandy country,
with but few traces of vegetation. After proceeding six miles in this
direction, we arrived at Mourat, a small village, containing five
houses like those of El-Arawan, and built of sand bricks. At Mourat,
the sons of Sidi-Boubacar, chief of El-Arawan, keep a school, where
the children of the inhabitants of the town study the Koran. Mourat
appeared to me even more gloomy than El-Arawan; the uniformity of the
soil is broken only by a few plants, which are eaten by the camels,
and which are buried beneath the sand, drifted by the east wind. On
leaving Mourat, the traveller comes to some deep wells filled with
brackish water. Here our caravan stopped and took a hearty draught,
for we were now about to enter upon a part of the desert where we
should find no water for the space of eight days. In the midst of
these vast deserts, the wells of Mourat, surrounded by fourteen
hundred camels, and by the four hundred men of our caravan, who
were crowded round them, presented the moving picture of a populous
town; it was a perfect tumult of men and beasts. On one side were
camels laden with ivory, gum, and bales of goods of all sorts; on
the other, camels carrying on their backs negroes, men, women, and
children, who were on their way to be sold at the Morocco market;
and further on, men prostrate on the ground, invoking the prophet.
This spectacle touched and excited my feelings, and in imitation
of the devout Musulmans, I fell on my knees; but it was to pray
to the God of the Christians: with my eyes turned to the north,
towards my country, my relations, and friends, I besought the
Almighty to remove from my path the obstacles which had stopped so
many other travellers; in the ardour of my wishes, I imagined that
my prayer was granted, and that I should be the first European who
had set out from the south of Africa, to cross this ocean of sand,
and succeeded in the undertaking. The thought electrified me; and
while a gloom hung on all other faces, mine was radiant with hope
and joy. Full of these sentiments I hastened to mount my camel,
and to penetrate fearlessly into the deserts which separate the
fertile Soudan from the regions of northern Africa. I felt as if
I was mounting the breach of an impregnable fort, and that it was
incumbent upon me to sustain the honour of my nation, by divesting
myself of every kind of fear and braving this new peril.
A boundless horizon was already expanded before us, and we could
distinguish nothing but an immense plain of shining sand, and over
it a burning sky. At this sight the camels uttered long moans,
the slaves became sullen and silent, and, with their eyes turned
towards heaven, they appeared to be tortured with regret for the
loss of their country, and with the recollection of the verdant
plains from which avarice and cruelty had snatched them.