Violence of the east winds — Pillars of sand — Scarcity of water
— Deplorable situation of the caravan — Hills of loose sand —
Rocks of granite — Wells of Telig — Toudeyni, rich salt mines
— Thistle of the desert — Vexations and persecutions of the
Moors, their intolerance — Wells of Cramès — Well of Trasas
or Trarzas — Trajacant Moors.
We continued our route to the north a little west, through a district
uniformly arid, interspersed with little sand-hills, in a direction
from east to west. The east wind had now subsided, and the heat was
excessive on account of the calm. We were tormented with thirst,
for we only drank once in the course of the day. I derived some
benefit from the care I took, after the example of the Moors, to
fasten a strip of cotton cloth over my eyes, and another over my
mouth to keep off the burning air which parched my lungs.
In the course of the day, we had passed over grey and red gravel
in many places. Towards half past five we halted on unvaried sand;
and a large calabash of water mixed with dokhnou was brought to us.
We had eaten nothing all day, and yet we felt no need of food;
for the dokhnou is very nourishing, and the burning thirst with
which we were tormented had taken away every thing like hunger. A
Moor was sent to take care of the camels, which were wandering here
and there in search of a few blades of grass.
About ten at night, we had some rice cooked, which we ate with
melted butter; but it made me very thirsty. I begged for a little
water; but old Aly, my guide, who had remained behind, no doubt
that he might drink as much as he liked himself without being seen,
came up at the moment they were preparing to give me the water,
and peremptorily countermanded it. This was only a prelude to the
annoyance he afterwards caused me.
On the 20th of May, at five in the morning, we continued our
course to the north, the country being of the same nature, as that
which we traversed the day before. About ten o’clock we halted
in a place which was absolutely bare. The heat was beginning to
be excessive, and we hastened to stretch the covering (a tanned
sheep-skin which served for a tent) under which we collected for
the rest of the day. We had each a calabash of water containing
about three bottles which we swallowed at a draught; but this
tepid water only filled the stomach without quenching our thirst:
I would fain have drunk oftener, and a smaller quantity at a time,
but the Moors who presided over the distribution of the water would
not hear of this new arrangement, and adhered to the old practice.
The poor negro slaves, accustomed to a fertile country, suffered
from this way of life, but they were no worse off than the rest of
us; we were all on an equality.
It was not yet noon, and we were to have nothing to eat or drink till
five in the evening. The heat was excessive and the east wind raised
a great quantity of sand, as it had done most days; we suffered
dreadfully. At the moment when I was thinking of nothing but the
present calamity, old Aly came to inform me that the water-skins
which Sidi-Abdallahi of Timbuctoo had given me were not large
enough, and that our provision of water would not last long if we
were not extremely economical. The rogue was right; for whilst I
had three skins for my share, he and his companions had only two
small ones a-piece, and there were nine persons to be supplied for
a week. I was certainly entitled to forbid their making use of my
stock; but what should I have been the better if I had? they would
have drunk the water, and told me the east wind had dried it up. I
answered therefore that I was obliged to Aly for his information,
and that I should take his advice. During this conversation,
which was followed up on my part by many painful reflections,
the east wind increased; it was no longer a time for talking of
one’s affairs, but every one lay down to sleep, as we intended
to travel during the night. My eyes never closed, and I lay wide
awake. The east wind continued till sunset and then changed to the
west; though its force was abated, it hardly incommoded us less,
for it still blew up a great quantity of sand.
At five o’clock we had a calabash of dokhnou, and then lay
down again till nine, when we started. We marched all night; and
the calm was stifling, for the west wind had ceased. The country
through which we travelled was quite level and absolutely barren.
The slow and unvaried step of the camel made me drowsy. I laid my
head upon my bag, and slept a little.
On the 21st, at ten o’clock in the morning, we halted. The burning
east wind which was beginning to blow rendered the heat insufferable,
and the scorching sand found its way into our eyes, in spite of the
precautions which we took to exclude it. We pitched our tents, and
tepid water was distributed, which we thought delicious though it
had little effect in quenching our thirst; after we had drunk it,
we stretched ourselves on the sand to repose. Notwithstanding all
the precautions I had taken, the heat was so intense and my thirst
so tormenting, that I found if impossible to get any sleep; my throat
was on fire and my tongue clave to the roof of my mouth. I lay as if
expiring on the sand, waiting with the greatest impatience for the
moment when we were to have our next supply of water; I thought of
nothing but water—rivers, streams, rivulets, were the only ideas
that presented themselves to my mind during this burning fever;
in my impatience I cursed my companions, the country, the camels,
and for anything I know the sun himself, who did not make sufficient
speed to reach the horizon.
The spot where we were encamped was frightfully arid, there was
not a single leaf to refresh the eye, and nature presented her most
terrific aspect.
The camels scattered over the plain, the profound solitude, the
silence of the desert, produced painful impressions, which it is
difficult to describe; the poor animals, exhausted with fatigue,
were lying near the tents, with their heads between their legs,
quietly waiting for the signal of departure; it was given at last.
At half past four Sidi-Aly who had undertaken to provide our rations,
threw a few handfuls of dokhnou into a large calabash, and poured
water upon it; he then mixed the whole with his hands, thrusting
his arms in up to the elbows—a sight which would have disgusted
any one less hungry than ourselves, for water was so precious that
old Aly’s hands had not been washed for many days. Though the
beverage was luke-warm, and very dirty, we drank heartily of it,
and with the greatest delight.
When the Moors had quenched their thirst, they went to look after
the baggage, and to see that none of the straps had given way. In
spite of this examination, which is repeated at every halting-place,
the camels are often galled by their loads, and these hurts are not
easily healed; the Moors apply fire to the wounds, and often scarify
the neighbouring parts and the tumours themselves, to let out the
blood and matter; they cut away the dead flesh, and cover the wound
with salt to prevent mortification. When a camel is ill, or ready to
die of exhaustion, the Moors give it a little water, and for this
purpose they use a wooden funnel which they apply to its nostrils;
this is the best method of watering a camel, because the animal,
though naturally docile, shakes its head about and spills the water
on all sides, when it is applied to its mouth. It is only in cases
of extremity however that they have recourse to this practice.
Sometimes it was immediately after doctoring the wounds of his
camels that Sidi-Aly came and mixed our beverage without washing
his hands; if by chance he did wash them, he gave the water he had
used for this purpose to his poor slave to drink! I cannot describe
the horror and disgust which I felt at this man’s contempt for
his fellow-creatures.
At five o’clock in the afternoon, we pursued our course towards
the north; at ten we stopped for prayer, and having discharged
this pious duty, we received a ration of water, very insufficient
however to quench our thirst; for the further we advanced into the
desert, the more intense became the heat. In the night I was almost
consumed with thirst; but I could get no water. I doubled myself
up upon my camel, whose motion lulled me and made me feel drowsy,
but I could get no sleep.
On the 22d of May, at nine in the morning, the caravan halted;
we were all exhausted by thirst; the east wind was hotter than
ever, and our water was rapidly diminishing, for the wind caused
a great evaporation by drying the skins; and a great deal of water
filtered through the pores. As I lay on the sand, I ruminated on the
possibility of alleviating the horrors of our condition; I desired
Sidi-Aly to buy two or three more skins if any could be found,
and I gave him for this purpose some goods which I had received
from the Moors of Timbuctoo. He replied that nobody would sell
them at any price; which I believed, but I suffered too much not
to insist upon making the experiment. He then proposed to send one
of the men belonging to the caravans to the nearest wells which he
said was the best way of getting water to make sangleh to recruit
our exhausted strength. I thought this a good plan, and agreed to
it with pleasure; but Sidi-Aly, who was not the most scrupulous of
Musulmans, never made the least inquiry for such a person; he took
into his own possession what I had given him to pay the messenger,
and sent his son to the well. This he would have done whether I had
paid or not, for as I afterwards found it was the custom to do so,
and I saw the Moors set off from all parts of the caravan for the
same purpose.
My thirst was so intense that I determined, in order to appease it,
to go into the neighbouring tents, and see if I could obtain a few
drops of water out of charity. With my rosary in my hand, I went
from tent to tent, to beg a little water “for the love of God;”
I did not find many charitable souls, but it was not a favourable
moment for the experiment, for we were all suffering alike. My
useless fatigue, and the impatience it occasioned, augmented my
torments, and when I got back to my tent, I fell on the ground
senseless. The Moors who are themselves the most importunate beggars
in the world, do not like to be asked for any thing. Sidi-Aly told
me that I ought not to ask other people for water, that it was
troublesome; I found out also that he boasted amongst his friends
of the kindness he showed me, and said that he was grieved at the
privation I endured. A lying hypocrite! he took no better care of me
for that. Many of the Moors thought that he had brought me with him
out of pure compassion, and, far from undeceiving them, he took care
to confirm them in this error; but when they questioned me on the
subject, I told them the state of the case, and they then assured
me that I had paid too much to my guide. I knew that full well;
but what could I do? only resign myself to my fate.
About five o’clock in the afternoon, after having quenched our
thirst, we continued our course to the north, and traversed a
district interspersed with grey quartz rocks streaked with white:
at midnight we ascended some sand-hills.
On the 23rd, at ten in the morning, we halted on sandy ground,
but rather more solid than what we had crossed the day before, and
interspersed with rocks of rose-coloured and black granite. Our
situation was still the same; the east wind blew with violence;
and far from affording us any refreshment, it only threatened to
bury us under the mountains of sand which it raised, and what was
still more alarming, our water diminished rapidly from the extreme
drought which it occasioned. Nobody suffered more intensely from
thirst than the poor little slaves, who were crying for water.
Exhausted by their sufferings and their lamentations, these unhappy
creatures fell on the ground, and seemed to have no power to rise;
but the Moors did not suffer them to continue there long when
travelling. Insensible to the sufferings which childhood is so
little fitted to support, these barbarians dragged them along with
violence, beating them incessantly, till they had overtaken the
camels, which were already at a distance.
Indeed, no person was privileged; even the Moors, whose turn it
was to walk by the camels, and who, partly to amuse themselves
and partly to encourage the animals, sang to them as they marched
by their side, were under the same law as those who were riding,
and never tasted water except when it was distributed to the whole
caravan. I thought I could perceive nevertheless that Sidy-Aly had
under his dress a small bottle, like our hunting bottles, and that
the old fox made use of it every now and then in secret to refresh
himself, without any regard for his brethren.
What distressed us most during this horrible day was the pillars
of sand, which threatened every moment to bury us in their course.
One of the largest of these pillars crossed our camp, overset
all the tents, and whirling us about like straws, threw us one
upon another in the utmost confusion; we knew not where we were,
and could distinguish nothing at the distance of a foot. The sand
wrapped us in darkness like a thick fog, and heaven and earth seemed
confounded and blended into one.
In this commotion of nature, the consternation was general; nothing
was heard on all sides but lamentation, and most of my companions
recommended themselves to heaven, crying out with all their might,
“There is no God but God, and Mahomet is his prophet!” Through
these shouts and prayers, and the roaring of the wind, I could
distinguish at intervals, the low plaintive moan of the camels,
who were as much alarmed as their masters, and more to be pitied,
as they had not tasted food for four days. Whilst this frightful
tempest lasted, we remained stretched on the ground, motionless,
dying of thirst, burned by the heat of the sand, and buffetted by
the wind. We suffered nothing however from the sun, whose disk,
almost concealed by the cloud of sand, appeared dim and shorn of
its beams. We durst not use our water, for fear the wells should be
dry, and I know not what would have become of us if, about three
o’clock, the wind had not abated. As soon as it became calm, we
prepared to set off, and the dokhnou was mixed and distributed. It
is difficult to describe with what impatience we longed for this
moment; to enhance the pleasure which I expected from my portion,
I thrust my head into the vessel, and sucked up the water in long
draughts. When I had drunk, I had an unpleasant sensation all over
me, which was quickly succeeded by fresh thirst.
About half past four in the afternoon, we left the place where
we had experienced this terrible hurricane, and proceeded on our
way towards the north. The camels walked slowly and with effort,
for they were almost exhausted; the poor beasts looked jaded and
dejected. The sight of this numerous caravan, destitute of water, and
condemned to die of thirst, scattered over the arid land, was truly
dismal. The camels gently shaking their heads, or ruminating, took
their course towards the north, without requiring any direction. We
advanced over a sandy soil covered with rocks, rising about five
feet above its surface. Wrapped in my own reflections, I thought
of the wisdom of divine Providence, which has anticipated all our
wants. What a masterpiece of nature’s workmanship, said I, is the
camel! If it were not for this wonderful animal, who could exist
for a week without food, how could these deserts be traversed? No
mortal would dare attempt it, or if any were rash enough to venture
upon such an undertaking, certain death would be the reward of his
temerity. These reflections are trite; but they were natural in the
situation in which I was placed, and I wish to give an account of
my thoughts as well as of my sensations and sufferings.
On the 24th of May, at nine in the morning, we halted in as barren
a spot as usual. The night had been calm, and the heat stifling;
the fatigue we endured was augmented by the quantity of sand which
fell upon us all the time we were travelling. We continued all day
in a state of impatient expectation mingled with fear; the Moors,
seeing our dejection and sufferings, tried to encourage us with
the hope of the speedy arrival of the messengers who had been sent
in search of water: vain hope! none of them returned. Despair was
general; to keep up our spirits, a small quantity of water was
distributed, and we were told that the delay of our messengers was
not occasioned by their finding no water, but by their finding it
in small quantities, so that it took longer to fill the skins;
that they would have returned immediately if they had met with
no water. Alas! this was a mistake, as will shortly appear. That
we might not lose time in uncertain expectation, we continued our
journey towards the north, at about four o’clock in the afternoon,
over a firmer soil than we had lately crossed, and equally covered
with quartz; we proceeded all night in silence; nobody slept however,
for we were all too thirsty. The Moors who drove the camels were
mute, and relieved one another oftener than usual.
On the 25th, at nine in the morning, we halted in a plain of hard
sand, producing a few herbs, which were speedily devoured by the
camels. This plain was interspersed with hills of coarse red sand
mixed with gravel. We had now only a skin and a half of water
remaining for eleven persons, we had indeed more than that number
with us, and the allowance was every time more and more scanty; we
suffered beyond all expression. After drinking a few drops, we lay
down to wait for those who were gone in search of a fresh supply.
About ten in the morning the poor wretches arrived half dead with
thirst, and as soon as they had been relieved, as far as our small
store permitted, they told us that they had had great difficulty
at first in finding the well; and that when they had reached it
they were dreadfully disappointed to find it quite dry; they were
by this time so tortured with thirst, that they resolved to kill
a camel, that they might divide amongst them the water contained
in its stomach! a poor resource, for the water was not pure, and
there was very little of it. The blood of the animal would have
been a great refreshment, but they durst not drink it for fear of
infringing the laws of the Koran.
About four in the afternoon, after having drunk the rest of our
water, we were again on our way, more thirsty than ever, and
proceeding slowly towards the north, in the hope of reaching the
wells of Telig by the morning of the 26th. At nine in the evening
we stopped for prayer as usual; a Moor who accompanied us gave us
each a little water, which we received most gratefully; it relieved
us very much. The night was very hot like the preceding. About ten
we turned for three miles to the east, along the foot of some high
hills of moving sand.
On the 26th, at five in the morning, we passed near some large
masses of white earth, which looked at a distance like houses in
ruins; in this part is found a very fine grey sand. The camels,
though laden, lay down to roll themselves, which raised a terrible
dust; and the Moors had infinite difficulty in preventing them from
doing so. I also observed in this place gravel of the same colour,
and further on I found veins of white earth, of the same nature as
the masses already mentioned. About three miles to the west we saw
some sand-hills, covered with granite, the colour of wine-lees; it is
very brittle, and appears to lie in strata three or four feet thick.
We travelled the whole morning in an extensive plain, enclosed by
these hills; the soil was very hard, covered with rocks and red
and black granite, in flaky strata like slate. About eight in the
morning, after climbing a high hill, we descended into a sort of
basin formed by hills of red granite; the chain extends from east to
west; the highest point that we passed over was three or four hundred
feet high. In this valley, the soil of which is composed of coarse
yellow sand, are the wells of Telig. We found these much wished-for
wells filled with sand; which the Moors immediately fell to work to
clear out; the poor camels which had already become unmanageable,
from knowing that they were near water, were then permitted to
drink: when they were driven away by the whip, they ran off to a
little distance, and came crowding again round the well, ruminating,
and laying their heads on the damp sand which had been thrown out
of it. The first water we drew up was very black and muddy; but,
in spite of the sand which it contained, the camels fought for
it with fury. These wells, which afford plenty of brackish water,
are not more than three or four feet deep.
When the water was fit to drink, I went and thrust my head in amongst
the camels to drink with them; a Moor permitted me to drink out of
his leather bucket, for we had not stopped to unpack calabashes,
which were our usual drinking vessels. To the east of these wells,
where the ground is lowest, we saw the ruins of some houses built
of bricks of white clay; they are almost buried in the sand which
the wind drives over them: further on in the same direction, there
is a great deal of white-veined earth like that with which these
houses were constructed; it bears some resemblance to lime.
The whole day was employed in watering the camels, who seemed as if
they would never be satisfied, and quarrelled for the last drop in
the trough. I was forced to remain in the sun, for the Moors were
so busy with their camels, that they never thought of pitching a
tent. The east wind, which blew violently, rendered the day very
unpleasant, particularly by the clouds of dust which it threw over
us. As water was now abundant, we had a little rice cooked, which
we ate with butter; it was the first meal we had taken since the
evening of the 19th.
On the 27th, many of our companions went to Toudeyni, which, as far
as I could learn from our travellers, is a little less than half
a day’s journey to the west of the wells of Telig. From this
little town is procured the salt which is brought from Timbuctoo
to Jenné, and thence dispersed through all the Soudan. The salt
mines, as I was informed, are three feet and a half or four feet
below the surface of the ground; the salt is in thick strata, and
is brought out in blocks, after which it is split into cakes of the
size I have already described. These mines are the wealth of the
country; they are worked by negro slaves, superintended by Moors,
who live entirely upon rice and millet, brought from Timbuctoo,
and cooked with camels’ flesh dried in the sun. The water which
they drink filters through the salt, and is extremely brackish;
to render it more palatable they put dokhnou and honey into it;
and they also improve this detestable beverage by mixing with it
a sort of cheese reduced to powder, which I have mentioned above,
and which is nothing but curd dried in the sun.
On the 27th, about three in the evening, after having filled our
skins with water, we broke up our camp, and journeyed to the N. W.
hoping we might meet with some vegetation for the poor camels, which
wanted food the more, for having quenched their thirst. About five
in the afternoon, we halted on a tract of loose sand, of a grey
colour, where we found a few scattered patches of grass, which the
camels devoured with eagerness, harsh as it was, as they had not
eaten scarcely any thing for a week.
Just before we left the wells of Telig, we had been forced to kill
two of these animals, which could go no further, and were dying of
fatigue; the flesh was distributed among all who wished for it,
and we had some for our supper. Part of it was boiled, and the
rice which was cooked with it contracted the odious taste of the
camels’ flesh, which I disliked extremely. The Moors ate this
meat with the greatest avidity, and said that it was excellent,
but I was not at all of their opinion, for I thought it very tough,
and the little I ate disagreed with me; this might however be owing
in part to the brackish water I had drunk. This was nevertheless
one of the most comfortable nights I had passed since I had been in
the desert; I lay down by a patch of grass, and the heat seemed to
me less overwhelming than on the preceding days, which I ascribed
to the vicinity of the wells.
The soil was covered with grey quartz, striped with a dirty white,
mixed with which were several kinds of small gravel.
On the 28th at sun-rise, we were on our way in a northwesterly
direction amongst quartz rocks; here and there upon the ruins
of sand grew a few withered herbs which the camels browsed as
they passed. About ten we crossed a soil covered with small black
gravel, and varied by sandhills extending from east to west; this
sand was harder and yellower than what we had seen the day before;
in some places we found grey gravel and several rocks of black
and grey granite. At half past ten we halted to rest our camels,
which were all very weary, and they were fortunate enough to find
a few thorny plants[18] which they amused themselves with cropping.
These plants have short and flexible leaves; the thorn is short but
very hard; by the wise providence of Nature this plant, the only
resource of the animals of the desert, has the property of remaining
green all the year round, in spite of the burning east winds which so
frequently prevail; the camels though not very delicate would refuse
the dry leaves. This plant is very tenacious of life, throws out
long roots on the surface of the ground, and does not grow to the
height of more than eighteen inches; it is found in sandy places,
and I have generally observed that it is most abundant on the west
side of the hills. The roots are thick and serve for fuel; the Moors
use it to cook their provisions, and at sun-set the slaves went to
collect it, to boil our scanty portion of rice with water and salt,
to which they added melted butter for sauce; this was our frugal
supper. My portion was set apart for me in a little calabash: for
the Moors did not chuse to eat with me after they had discovered
that I had had the scurvy; they held me in utter abhorrence. In
spite of the pains which I took to study their habits and customs,
they observed that I could never eat rice as they did, making it
into a little ball in the hand and tossing it into the mouth; when
they meant to insult me, therefore, they always told me that I ate
like a christian.
Sidi-Aly, my guide, was a short man, about four feet high, with a
wrinkled face, black mischievous-looking eyes, a little grey beard,
a rather long chin, and a large mouth, which rendered him still
more hideous: this man ate by himself that he might appear to be a
person of importance. Thrusting his dirty hands, the chapped skin
of which resembled a crocodile’s scales, into a leather bottle,
to take out some butter to put into our rice, he stirred our victuals
about in this cleanly manner. Notwithstanding all the fine promises
of protection which he had made me at first, I soon found how little
he was to be trusted. He refused me the necessaries of life, and
especially water, although he had been handsomely paid beforehand;
the slaves were better off, for he did not prevent them from helping
themselves when they wished—thanks to the wells at Telig however,
there was no longer a scarcity. Fortunately the heat did not appear
to me so great, nor was my thirst so tormenting as heretofore;
whether because we were in the neighbourhood of water, or because
we were now advancing to the north, I know not; whatever was the
cause, I enjoyed some alleviation of my sufferings: a mortification,
however, but of a different nature was in store for me.
The Moors of Aly’s party, seeing that he had ceased to behave
respectfully to me, were no longer under any restraint; they gave
me ridiculous nicknames, calling me Gageba, from the name of the
camel I rode on, and I was constantly exposed to their insult and
raillery. Encouraged by my silence and patience, they set their
slaves to follow their example, and the slaves were delighted to
torment me; they talked on no other subject; they were continually
ridiculing the form of my face; and they carried their ill-nature
so far as to throw stones at me when I turned my back. All this
persecution was at the instigation of their masters, who often
supplied them with branches of thorns to thrust into my face;
at other times they took little pieces of wood, and proposed that
the slaves should drive them through my nose, as they do to the
camels. These slaves, encouraged by the visible satisfaction of
their masters, collected around me, laughing violently, capering,
dancing, and showing me first the branch of thorns and then the
piece of wood which they had been ordered to run through my nose.
In this way I was tormented all the way from Telig to Tafilet. The
Moors would often say with contempt, “Look at this slave; I would
rather have him than thee, so thou mayst think how little I value
thee.” This insolence was accompanied by immoderate laughter. When
I was eating, these boors would come about me opening their mouths
as wide as they could; then, with hideous grimaces they thrust
their fingers into them to mimic me, and called out at last: “He
is like a christian!”
I swallowed my vexation, trembling at the thought of what such men
would do to me, if they discovered my real sentiments; they would
have made a martyr of me; and I could not but think of the tortures
which poor Major Laing must have suffered from beings who were still
more ferocious. How I longed for the moment when I should reach
Tafilet, and get rid of my tormentors. I had absolutely nothing
left but the clothes I had on, and a new coussabe which I owed
to the generosity of my Timbuctoo host, besides a padlock which
secured the bag that contained my notes: not a day passed that
these did not excite the cupidity of my companions; when I asked
for water they said: “Give us thy new dress and thy padlock,
and thou shalt have something to drink.” They purposely left me
in want that I might give them what they wished; but I had courage
to resist and they obtained nothing.
The wells were now nearer together, and as we came to them more
frequently, we could travel part of the day. When the heat was
excessive, during the journey, those who wanted to drink were
allowed to have water; on these occasions they pointed at me and
said to one another: “Do not let us give _him_ any, till he has
promised us something.” I disdained to have recourse to entreaty,
and bore both hunger and thirst rather than ask for any thing at
their hands; so I turned my head away, and pretended not to hear
what they said. Thirst at last compelled me to apply to Sidi-Aly,
who muttered when he ordered them to give me water; while I was
drinking it he imitated the humming noise made to induce the camels
to drink. He durst not refuse me the water for his own sake; for the
other Moors in the caravan, who were not his associates, would have
been indignant; in their presence he always pretended great kindness
for me, and compassion for the sufferings which I had endured in the
desert. It was impossible that he could altogether deceive them, for,
notwithstanding the abundance of water which we had since we left
Telig, I was often obliged to apply to the other Moors in the caravan
when I wanted drink: I was also driven out of our tent many times by
the rudeness of my tormentors, and took shelter with my neighbours,
who were much amused with my conversation, and collected around me,
to question me about my escape from the christians, their manners
and customs; they asked me also whether I had been ill-treated by my
white master. I always took care, as much as I could, to counteract
the impression which they all have, that Musulmans are ill-treated
amongst us, an idea which proceeds from their intolerant system.
They all showed me their guns and inquired where they were made;
and when I told them that they came from France, I observed that
they thought them the more valuable: accordingly, if I wanted to
flatter a Moor I told him that his gun was of French manufacture,
and out of gratitude for the pleasure which I afforded him, he
commonly offered me a share of his dokhnou and water.
On the 29th, at six in the morning, we proceeded northward. The soil
over which we passed was covered with quartz. About nine o’clock
in the morning, we halted in a place where we found some traces
of vegetation amidst the rocks. One of the Moors took water in his
leather bag, and went to tend the camels; the others were engaged
in examining and weighing their gold; they commonly hide it as I
have already mentioned, in pieces of rag, on which they put a mark
denoting the quantity, and the person to whom it belongs; for this
gold is often the proceeds of goods entrusted to them by merchants,
when they leave Tafilet.
The camel upon which I rode was laden with ostrich-feathers
only. That it might be the less fatigued with the journey, I was
never allowed to mount it while it was on its knees; one of the
Moors was commissioned by Sidi-Aly to help me to mount; and,
for the reasons above stated, this Moor was very ill-natured,
and took every opportunity of playing me a trick which might raise
a laugh amongst his companions at my expense. At nightfall, rice
was cooked for our supper. We had nothing before that but a little
dokhnou and water to refresh us; as the roots of this plant were
scarce, the slaves were sent to pick up camel’s dung for fuel;
though the wind quickly effaces their footsteps, it is always easy
to track them by the great quantity of their excrement.
At ten in the evening, we broke up, and proceeded towards the N.
W. The soil, which was as unvaried as ever, was covered on the
surface by quartz. The night was calm, and the heat stifling.
On the 30th of May, we halted at eleven in the morning, and found
some herbage, which supplied the camels with food during that day
and part of the succeeding night.
On the 31st, at two in the morning, we continued our journey in
the same direction. The soil was sandy, and covered with hills
of loose yellow sand. In crossing the desert, I perceived, at
a distance, immense tracts, which had the appearance of rivers
or lakes, with islands of sand rising in the midst of them; they
presented themselves to the eye, in the horizon of the desert, as
places where one might quench one’s thirst. This prospect broke
for a time the uniformity of these vast deserts; on approaching, I
was cruelly disappointed, for the water vanished, and I saw nothing
but loose sand where I had hoped to quench my thirst. This illusion
only rendered my situation more dreadful, when I was consumed with
thirst, and saw the sea receding before me as by enchantment. It
is impossible to form any correct idea of a _mirage_ without having
seen one.
Towards noon we halted; the burning heat was augmented by a scorching
wind from the east. My thirst was excessive, but I had no means of
quenching it; my companions told me, to comfort me, that we should
soon come to wells. In fact, the wells of Cramès are in this part
of the desert; and we hoped to find water there; but alas! they
were dry. These wells are situated near a chain of hills extending
from N. N. W. towards south. At intervals, we came to a few tufts
of herbage; the only trace of vegetation which is to be found here.
We pitched our tents, and sheltered ourselves under them from the
burning wind; we had a very short allowance of water dealt out to us,
on account of the impossibility of procuring more. The soil in this
part is composed of hard sand, mingled with gravel; the east wind
blew with such violence, that all our tents were overturned. About
sunset, we had an alarm; the camel-drivers at a distance from the
camp, saw some Moors, whom they took for banditti; they came to us,
calling out, “To arms! to arms!” The whole camp was immediately
on the alert; every one flew to arms, and hastened to meet the
supposed enemy. I saw some of our party tremble, which made me
presume that the danger was great. No person was left in the camp
besides three or four old marabouts, the slaves and myself; they
fell forthwith to prayers, and gave me a little water and a piece
of camel’s flesh, I suppose to propitiate Heaven. For my part,
I was not less uneasy than the Moors; I speculated sorrowfully upon
what would be our lot, if we lost our camels, our only resource
in the desert. We shall die in this horrid country, thought I,
for we are too distant to receive help from any quarter; and as
a climax to misfortunes, our provision of water is exhausted. In
fact, a few of the camels had returned, but the greater number
were grazing out of the camp. In the course of an hour, I beheld,
to my great satisfaction, our intrepid warriors returning; and
they informed us, with an air of triumph, that the robbers had
disappeared. All the evening the camp was in a tumult; and there
was a long deliberation what was to be done for want of water. It
was an object to set off at night to avoid the heat of the day; but
our prudent companions were afraid of being attacked on their way;
it was even suggested, that the robbers might have taken possession
of the wells, at which we were to arrive the next day. Sentinels
were appointed, and a watch was kept for a mile round the camp.
On the 1st of June, at five in the morning, we prepared to continue
our course to the north. Our water-bags were now dry, for we had
supplied our last night’s sentinels with water. All the forenoon
we were travelling over a barren soil, which was dreary to look at;
it was composed of very hard sand, covered with much grey gravel,
and small, flat, sharp-edged, black stones. I perceived, which
was rather unusual, a number of small tracks of former caravans,
and which the winds had not had the power to efface, because the
soil is hard and stony.
I shall here relate a conversation which passed in my presence
between Sidi-Molut, a Trajacant Moor, and Sidi-Body, associates
of Sidi-Aly, my guide, and some of my greatest tormentors; the
conversation turned upon the number of slaves they supposed the
Europeans to possess— just as they suppose that all the christians,
of whom they know nothing but the names, are of one nation and
subject to one chief. In this persuasion, Sidi-Molut related that
the sultan of Morocco had made an agreement with the sultan of the
christians for the exchange of prisoners of both sexes; and that,
by this treaty, a christian was to be exchanged for ten Musulmans,
or a thousand piastres. The moment Body heard that the price of a
christian slave was fixed at this sum, he interrupted Sidi-Molut,
and said: “Well, we must sell Sidi-Abdallahi,” pointing at me
with his finger. The other replied that I was not a christian but a
Musulman, and that a Musulman was worth all the gold in the world.
I could not refrain from darting a look of contempt at Body; and
I even told him I saw plainly, that if he could he would sell me,
the sooner the better, without any respect for his religion. He
did not seem to pay attention to what I said; but Molut looked at
me with a smile and said: “Body is a rogue, is not he Abdallahi?”
The soil over which we travelled in the afternoon was covered with
hills of loose yellow sand; we saw some vegetables, but at long
intervals; the heat was excessive, and again increased the pangs
of thirst. At last, about two in the afternoon, we halted near the
wells of Trasas or Trarzas, situated in a plain surrounded by hills
of yellow sand. These wells, which are numerous, are seven or eight
feet deep; the water is salt and most disagreeable.
Here we found some Trajacant Moors, the very people whom we had
descried the day before, and who had alarmed us so much; we had
occasioned them equal alarm, and it was for this reason that they
had not halted at the wells of Cramès. The wells of Trasas were
filled with sand, but the Trajacants had cleared out two of them.
In this plain, the surface of which is composed of hard grey sand,
we found some lumps of salt, and near the place where we watered
our beasts, several houses built with bricks of this substance. The
Moors informed me, that there was formerly a large village in this
place, belonging to their tribe, and that the inhabitants used to
work the Trasa salt mines, and carried on considerable commerce in
this article with the Soudan. They had many camels, as I learnt
from the same authority; but the village had been destroyed by
the Tafilet Moors. It is, nevertheless, very probable, that this
village was voluntarily abandoned by the inhabitants, who might be
discouraged by the great difficulty of finding fodder for their
beasts, and grain for themselves, and also by the annoyance of
being always forced to drink salt water.
As the Trajacants had taken the trouble to clear the wells, we had
nothing to do but to profit by their labour; and to reward them,
Sidi-Aly and Sidi-Molut joined to give them a good supper.
As our tent was not pitched, I took shelter under that of the
Trajacants. I found them drinking dokhnou, and talking over the
adventures of their journey; the moment they saw me, they perceived
that I was not an African; their first look announced their ill-will,
and one of them asked me who I was. A Moor of our caravan who
happened to be with me, spared me the trouble of answering; he took
the affair into his own hands, and related, without any omission,
the fiction which I had industriously circulated, and which was now
received as truth amongst all those who knew me. They afterwards
criticised my countenance, which did not seem to them to possess the
genuine Arab character, though I was by this time exceedingly dark;
but my complaint had entirely disfigured me. The Trajacants asked
me many questions about the christians, and made me repeat a verse
of the Koran which I had learnt by heart; they afterwards drank by
turns, and then poured salt water upon what was left in the vessel,
and asked me to drink.
On the 2d in the morning, Aly sent two of his Moors to look out
for fodder; they went a great distance, and returned in the evening
with two little bundles of straw, which were given to the animals,
and immediately devoured. Sidi-Aly asked me to go to seek food for
my camel; I replied that he might go himself, and I went to the tent
of two Wadnoun marabouts. These men were very kind, and censured
Sidi-Aly’s conduct towards me without reserve. All this day was
employed in watering the beasts, and in laying in a stock of water
for ourselves. The salt water penetrated our skins and ran out at
the seams, in spite of all we could do. Some of the Trajacants set
off before us.
On the 3rd, at five in the morning, we proceeded to the N. W.
first crossing a chain of hills, and then travelling over a soil
composed of black gravel, with flat, sharp-edged stones. We halted
about half past eleven in a plain, in which were a few thorny plants
for the camels to feed on. As we had plenty of water, we boiled a
little rice with some morsels of camel’s flesh, which had been
dried in the sun, and were as hard as leather. After this savoury
repast, we lay down on the ground by our baggage, to rest.
On the 4th, at two in the morning, we prepared for departure, and
directed our course N. N. W. till towards eleven; we travelled
at first over very hard sand, and then crossed a chain of hills
stretching from E. to W. About two in the afternoon, we halted,
very much fatigued, because we had had to ascend the hills of loose
sand amongst which we had encamped over night. I have observed that
fodder is more abundant in these hilly tracts than it is elsewhere.
I looked in vain for shells on these mountains; a search which was
suggested by the idea that the sea may formerly have covered the
site of these immense deserts.