Country of el-Drah — Zawât — el-Hamid — Bounou — Town
of Mimcina — Camp of Berbers — Tabelbât — The Tawâts —
Wells of Yeneguedel, of Faratissa, of Bohayara — Customs of the
Berbers — Wells of Goud-Zenaga, of Zenatyia — Town of el-Yabo
— Wells of Chanerou, of Nyela.— Arrival at Tafilet — Town
of Ghourland — Market — Ressaut, the residence of a Governor
under the emperor of Morocco.
On the 12th of July, we set out at five in the morning, after having
taken a little camel’s milk, which I bought with a glass bead from
my chaplet. We proceeded slowly towards the east, over a hard soil,
composed of grey sand, covered with vegetation, and intersected
with deep ravines. Aly would not permit me to mount my camel all
the morning; it was not till towards noon when he mounted himself
that I could obtain this favour. About two P. M. we halted on a very
hard sand upon which grew some zizyphus lotus; throughout the day
a strong easterly wind incommoded us much: at four in the evening
it veered to the west. At nightfall we were visited by a Moorish
priest whose camp was in the vicinity of our halting place. As he
was proprietor of several flocks of sheep, we wished to purchase
some mutton of him but he refused; and we gave him some barley-meal
which he undertook that his wife should dress for our suppers. He
sent it to us at ten o’clock, and had the civility to add some
milk from his ewes. Out of reserve he declined supping with us,
but seated himself apart and waited till the dish containing our
mess was brought to him.
On the 13th of July, at two in the morning, we continued our
route E. N. E., and crossed several sand-hills covered with dry
shrubs. About eight o’clock we passed the ruins of some mud-huts,
surrounded by a battlemented wall; opposite to these ruins is
a small square mausoleum, the roof of which is a vaulted arch.
Immediately within the little entrance door, is stretched a cord
from which depend numerous shreds of cloth of various colours,
which travellers had hung there from a sentiment of devotion.
Several pyramids of flint heaped together without cement, and about
eighteen inches in height, are another kind of offering made by
passengers to the manes of the sherif whose ashes repose in this
monument, and whose memory is held in veneration.
Here the Moors and Berbers of our little caravan went through their
devotions; after a short ceremony they took a little sand from
the place in which they had prostrated themselves and sprinkled it
over their camels and slaves. I learned that these ruins belonged
to an ancient village called Zawât, long since abandoned by its
inhabitants, who had elsewhere founded another town of the same name.
The soil of the environs is barren, hard, and full of stones of
various colours; a few bushes indeed are to be seen, but their
foliage is parched up by the sun.
It was noon when we passed the new village of Zawât, which belongs
to the country of el-Drah. This village is peopled by the former
inhabitants of the deserted ruins we had seen in the morning:
the houses are of stone, with terraced roofs, and consist only
of a ground-floor; they are ill-built and resemble the huts of
the Bambaras. We crossed some fields which had been cultivated,
and about half past twelve halted in a wood of date-trees, near a
neat village, called el-Hamit. Nothing was to be seen on all sides
but forests of date-trees majestically rearing their summits to
the clouds. Under these trees the inhabitants of el-Drah cultivate
wheat, barley, and some garden vegetables. They divide their land,
the soil of which is a fine sand but fertile, into little squares,
round which they raise dikes to receive and retain the rain-water,
and when they have collected more than they want they convey the
surplus by channels to the foot of the date-trees. Each landholder
has in the middle of his field a well of clear and good water,
sunk to the depth of twenty or twenty-five feet, in a hard sand
mixed with small black and yellow pebbles; I remarked several having
strata from fourteen to eighteen inches thick of red sand a little
veined with grey and of the consistence of clay. Two posts fifteen
feet high are erected, one on each side of these wells supporting
a cross-beam, to which is fastened a long pole, bearing a weight at
its hinder extremity to counterbalance the bucket which is attached
by a piece of cord to the other; the water is thus drawn-up without
much effort and serves to water their plantations. At the depth
of about twenty-five feet are found rocks which appear to be of
granite. Wood is very scarce in this country; the fuel consists
only of dry palm-leaves and the trunks of dead trees: the timber
used in the construction of their houses is that of the date-tree.
The plough is used in this country, and it is drawn by mules
or camels.
Near sunset the Berbers collected some small pebbles, which they
arranged symmetrically upon the sand, then heated them with a
fire of palm-leaves, and, after kneading a little barley-meal,
baked a cake of it for our supper upon the stones; to improve it
they mixed with the meal some small bits of mutton fat; when baked
it was divided among us. Aly gave me a little bit of it which I
thought delicious, although badly baked and very heavy, for I had
tasted nothing the whole day; my guide, however, though he allowed
me so little nourishment, upbraided me with living at his expense,
since my own provisions had been long exhausted. Happily for me
two Trajacant marabouts had joined our caravan; Aly supplied them
with provisions, and allowed them sometimes to ride his camels,
not out of humanity, but because he would have utterly forfeited
his reputation as a pious Musulman had he acted otherwise. These
two men were excellent company to me: they consoled me under the
insults to which I was incessantly exposed, and greatly alleviated
the hardships of my lot during this long and toilsome journey; for
I should probably have encountered still worse usage but for their
presence, which imposed some restraint on my guide and his family.
The marabouts had even the kindness to give me drink, when, as it
frequently happened, water was refused me.
On the 14th at three in the morning, we took our departure, slowly
directing our course E. N. E., through numerous plantations of dates;
the soil was broken by hills of loose sand.
About eight in the morning, we passed a large village called
Bounou, surrounded by beautiful palm-trees. About ten we came
to a hard soil covered with small black and yellow pebbles;
here we met six Berber horsemen, all well mounted, and armed
with sabres and muskets; they advanced at full speed to meet us
with hostile intentions, pointing their loaded muskets: the six
Berbers who formed our escort, with four well armed Moors, placed
themselves at the head of the cavalcade, holding their weapons in
readiness to receive the enemy. The two parties halted within a
certain distance, when the Berbers parleyed together in their own
language, still holding their muskets ready for firing. As soon
as they recognised each other to be countrymen, they saluted;
and we pursued our route without molestation. What a country is
this, in which it is impossible to stir a step without danger of
being robbed and even murdered by one’s neighbours! We continued
our course in the same direction over a hard and stony soil, and
passed an ancient village in ruins, where the minaret of a mosque
is still to be seen; beside it is a well at which travellers quench
their thirst; one of the Trajacant Moors gave me a little of this
water, which I found tepid and bad. I also observed a mausoleum,
like that which we had seen the day before, and where the Musulmans
again performed their devotions. Proceeding in the same direction,
we met some wretched Moors, leading asses laden with forage; these
men were badly clothed and walked barefoot.
About noon we encamped in the fields under the shade of some date
trees and not far from Mimcina, a large town of el-Drah, inhabited
by Berber and Moorish husbandmen. This town, surrounded by walls
twelve-feet high, is situated between two chains of hills stretching
east and west, the soil of which every where presents a reddish hue,
without any trace of vegetation.
As it was hot, and our people were not yet returned from watering
the camels at the wells, my thirst became extreme, and I determined
to visit the tents of the Berbers, pitched at a short distance from
our own, to beg a little water.
No sooner did I approach the camp than three large dogs rushed upon
me, tore my garments and bit me in several places. I cried aloud to
the Berbers for assistance, but these unfeeling wretches carelessly
looked on or turned away with the utmost indifference: assailed
by so many enemies I found the combat very unequal; and, for fear
of being torn in pieces, sounded a retreat, still sustaining some
bites as I retired: the dogs carried off some pieces of my dress as
trophies, and did not leave me till I was at a considerable distance
from their tents. Heartily cursing the inhumanity of their masters,
I returned sorrowfully to our own camp under the date-trees. The
Berbers keep a great number of dogs to watch their flocks, and
they are so accustomed not to suffer the approach of any stranger
whatsoever to the habitations of which they are left in charge, that
the fear of being devoured by them serves as a wholesome restraint
upon the depredations of those robbers by whom the country is so
much infested. The Berbers themselves dare not approach without
caution the camps of their own tribe to which they are strangers;
but, if business obliges them to repair thither, they take the
following method to escape the fury of these pitiless guardians. The
visiter advances slowly, and makes a circuit round the tents at a
considerable distance; the dogs begin to bark, without advancing
on account of the distance; as soon as the owners of the tents
shew themselves, he acquaints them with the object of his coming,
when they are anxious to satisfy him; if he applies for hospitality,
supper is spread for him on a mat at a short distance from the tents,
which no one is ever allowed to enter.
At five in the evening, when the heat was abated, I took a walk to
the town of Mimcina, accompanied by a neighbouring Moor, who, being
a friend of Sidi-Aly’s, had come to visit him and brought him
a present of dates, which, by the invitation of the donor, we ate
together. The chief of our Berbers strongly recommended me to this
Moor, and charged him especially to guard me from insult and not to
suffer me to be robbed of the pagne which I wore; a recommendation
which gave me but an indifferent opinion of the people whom I
was about to visit. The town is walled and surrounded by pleasant
plantations of palm-trees. I observed under a shed near the gate
a party of loungers, who, as soon as they saw me, crowded round
me asking a thousand ridiculous questions, for they were already
apprised that I was an Arab who had escaped from the christians.
With some trouble I got quit of these impertinent fellows, and,
penetrating into the town, I passed through a very narrow, winding,
and dirty street; the walls of the houses are at least fifteen feet
high and very badly plaistered. I was followed by a crowd of men, for
the women were veiled and durst not look at me. I seated myself under
a gallery, where many old men were collected together in conversation
with one of our Trajacants, who had been in the town all day,
and had already related part of my history to the assembly. Among
the crowd was an aged Moor, who, having performed two journeys to
Mecca, had acquired great preponderance over their counsels: this
man talked to me a long time about the christians, and shewed me a
fac-simile of the manner in which Christ is represented in Europe;
he tried to chant in imitation of the priests whom he had heard
at Tripoli in Barbary, and often repeated, striking his breast,
_amen, amen_. He asked me if I was disposed to eat some dates,
for which I thanked him. The Trajacant marabout told him that I
was with a guide named Aly, who persecuted me in order to force me
to sell my dress and purchase provisions for the journey; the old
man appeared incensed at such perfidious conduct, and declared that
such a person could not be a good Musulman. He inquired whether I
would like a present of dates, which I accepted; and he immediately
ordered those about him to provide me with a sufficient quantity
to last till our arrival at Tafilet; and leading me to the mosque
reiterated his orders. After the prayers, a great quantity of dates
was brought to me, enough indeed to load an ass; but unfortunately
they turned out to be spoilt and bad: these good people carried
their complaisance so far as to carry them to our camp; bad as
they were, Aly, the covetous Aly, received them with pleasure,
and on that day behaved better to me than usual.
The houses of Mimcina consist of a ground-floor, only; like those
of Timbuctoo, they have terraced roofs, and admit the air only
from an inner court. I saw several dirty Jewesses, covered with
rags, walking barefoot, and displaying the utmost extremity of
wretchedness. The inhabitants of Mimcina have but few beasts of
any kind, and scarcely any oxen or horned cattle: they breed a
few sheep for the sake of their wool, some goats and poultry;
they are excellent husbandmen, and have many date-trees, in which
their wealth principally consists. Their breakfast is composed of
bread with a little gruel made of barley-meal; and they sup upon
couscous. About seven o’clock a plentiful couscous with mutton
was sent to Sidi-Aly, who, after having made his own supper with
two or three persons whom he looked upon as his equals, shared the
remainder between me and six camel-drivers, who were not admitted
to his table: the poor slaves also, to my great satisfaction,
were not forgotten. We afterwards lay down under the palm-trees,
the broad leaves of which formed a canopy over our heads, and I,
contrary to my usual habit, slept tolerably well.
On the 15th, at three in the morning, we took leave of the town
of Mimcina and its inhabitants; and, bending our course E. N. E.,
traversed a hard soil of white sand, with a surface of small pebbles
of the same colour, mixed with gravel; the country is diversified
with hills of an extremely arid appearance. The Moors of Mimcina
informed me that Beneali, the residence of the chief of the Berbers,
is situated N. N. W. of their town, at the distance of a day’s
journey, on the road to Morocco. This nation, according to their
account, pays no tribute to the emperor.
A day’s journey from Beneali in the same direction lies the village
of Amsero; a days’ journey beyond that Ranguerute, a large town,
and six days farther still Morocco, the capital of the empire.
Six days’ journey east of Mimcina is situated the town of
Tabelbât, on the road to Tawât, which is eight days’ journey
beyond. The Moors of Tawât are husbandmen; they have numerous
palm-trees, trade with Timbuctoo, and occasionally visit Tafilet
and el-Drah to purchase goats and sheep.
Pursuing our route, we arrived at the wells of Yeneguedel, where we
halted: a quarter of mile to the south we saw a delightful grove
of palms, offering a striking contrast with the barrenness of the
neighbouring mountains; but our guides neglected this spot, where we
might have enjoyed the shade, and left us exposed to the scorching
sun, which on that day was more than usually powerful. I visited
the wells, situated on a little hill, as bare as the neighbouring
country, and there found a single drooping _mimosa ferruginea_,
under which I stretched myself, and, resting my head on a stone,
slept soundly. On awaking, I approached the wells to drink, and saw
there some Berber women watering their sheep: the wells are three
feet deep, and their water is good and abundant; they are sunk in
grey sand, containing many calcareous stones of a flat shape. On our
departure from Mimcina, we had been joined by a Moor from Tafilet:
he and his train were mounted upon mules, the animals most commonly
used for travelling this stony road, which is apt to wound the feet
of camels; those of Sidi-Aly were however obliged to carry his goods.
The Berbers had a barley-cake baked upon the ashes for our supper;
each of us after this light repast, drank a glass of cold water,
and lay down for the night on the stony ground.
On the 16th, at three in the morning, we proceeded slowly N. N.
E., till near eight, when our course was changed to the north. Our
march lay over a very mountainous soil, covered with sharp stones,
which were very troublesome. The mountains are not high, and
composed of granite without any appearance of vegetation. The Moor
Sidi-Boby, who still perpetually insulted me, threw a stone at me,
which striking me on the right side, hurt me much, and I retained
the mark of it a considerable time: this brute had no other cause for
such savage treatment than my having mounted my camel without giving
him notice. Old Aly, seated upon his, had preceded us; immediately
on rejoining him, I complained of the outrageous treatment to which
I had been exposed; but he paid little attention to me and answered
laughing: “That is nothing, all will be well.” Exasperated by his
conduct, I told him that if all was well with him, all was very ill
with me: he was silent, and turned his head another way. I ought to
repeat here that it was to the two Trajacant marabouts alone that I
was indebted for not encountering still worse treatment from such
men, in the journey between el-Drah and Tafilet: I thanked them
for it; but for them I should have been obliged either to desert,
or to seek another guide to conduct me to Ghourland. The Moors of
my company were restrained from doing me greater mischief solely
by the fear of passing for infidels.
About ten in the morning, we halted near the wells of Faratissa,
agreeably shaded by beautiful palms: in the environs are some veins
of sand, studded with patches of grass on which the camels are
accustomed to browse; stunted mimosas are also scattered around.
The wells are but two feet and a half deep; the water is very good.
From el-Drah, our little party had been increased by several Moors;
they all assembled round the wells, and talked much about me; with
the exception of my guide all appeared to take an interest in my
fate: fears were expressed that on my arrival in Alexandria I might
not meet with any parents. “Poor young man,” said they, “what
will he do all alone?” I told them that I had full confidence in
God, who had supported me through a thousand dangers and would not
abandon me at the moment of reaching port. “In short,” said I,
“if God has called to himself my father and mother, he will have
left me a brother and a sister.”
On such occasions Aly spoke highly in my favour and even pitied
me: this day he carried his kindness so far as to shave my head,
a compliment which I would willingly have dispensed with; but, as
it was a religious duty, I could not complain. In the very act he
proved his hypocrisy by insulting me, and encouraging his slaves
to follow his example. To escape these persecutions, I took refuge
in the tents of the Moors, our fellow-travellers, where we passed
the night under the palms, the coolness of whose foliage invited us
to sleep. The camels and mules not having had water the whole day,
we rested till three in the afternoon of the 17th.
The intense heat having then moderated, we proceeded northward, over
a soil similar to that of the preceding day. About half past six
we stopped, and each of us supped upon a piece of barley-cake and
some dates. After this meagre repast, we again stretched ourselves
upon the stony ground, where I slept soundly till about three in
the morning of the 18th, when we started afresh.
As my guide was fearful of fatiguing his camel, he obliged me to walk
the whole morning: I therefore followed on foot the little caravan,
which slowly advanced towards the N. N. E. over a gravelly soil;
the face of the country was covered with hills composed of rocks
of granite. About nine in the morning, we halted at the wells of
Bohayara, around which the vegetation is luxuriant; they are twelve
feet deep, and sunk in grey sand, mingled with coarse gravel. They
are very near to a camp of Berbers, who water their sheep and goats
at them: these men inhabit the passes of the mountains, where they
feed numerous flocks of sheep and herds of camels, and cultivate a
little barley and wheat. They are rovers, but change their place of
abode less frequently than the Moors, and whenever occasion calls
them to a distance from their little fields, they always leave some
one behind to take care of them.
I found the Berber women much cleaner and less curious than the
Moorish. They dress like the latter in old rags, but take care to
wash them. These women, whose good looks proclaim that they live in
plenty, colour the tips of their noses and chins blue; they envelop
their heads in ragged cloths of red or white worsted, and wear their
hair in tufts behind their ears, and fastened in rolls at the back of
their heads. Their principal ornaments consist of necklaces of amber,
coral, and various kinds of glass-beads, and in silver bracelets
and anclets; their skin however appeared to be as dirty as that of
the Moorish females of el-Harib. They are industrious, and employ
themselves in spinning the wool of their sheep, and weaving the
yarn into blankets, which they sell at Tafilet. These Berbers have
a peculiar idiom, which the Arabs do not speak; they also conform to
the religion of Mahomet; they have several wives, who superintend all
the household concerns, prepare the food, take care of the sheep,
and have besides the laborious task of drawing water for them to
drink. They pasture their flocks in the passes of the mountains
wheresover they can find herbage, for the appearance of their own
country is absolutely bare. Hills of granite, of moderate height,
but totally destitute of vegetation, meet the eye on all sides. This
wandering and pastoral tribe subsist like the Moors, upon dates and
sangleh made of barley; they often make their supper upon couscous,
or barley-cake, baked upon the ashes. In the rainy season, the milk
of their flocks, being then more abundant, forms a portion of their
nourishment. Such of them as live in the villages have houses in the
Moorish style, built like those of the Arab inhabitants of the towns:
the rovers have only tents, the coverings of which are made of the
hair of their camels. They grow but little grain, the land which they
occupy being scarcely fit for cultivation; but here and there may be
traced veins of more fertile earth which they turn to good account.
Their cookery, like that of the Moors of el-Harib, is performed
in large copper vessels, manufactured by native smiths. It is
astonishing that they escape being poisoned by the verdigris, for
the Moorish women are so excessively dirty that they never wash their
utensils, merely rubbing off with the hand what adheres to the sides.
The Berbers encamped at Bohayara presented Sidi-Aly and our
escort with a sheep, which had a particularly fine fleece, and
was killed by the Berbers of our company for our supper. As we had
no vessel to boil it in, our guides had recourse to the ingenious
expedient of picking up a number of large smooth calcareous stones,
with which they formed a small oven, and heated it with roots of
_hedysarum alhagi_, the only combustible that grows in this part.
The entrails of the sheep were converted into chitterlings and the
carcase was cut into many small parts.
The oven, when strongly heated, was carefully swept, and the pieces
of mutton put in one upon another; it was then hermetically sealed
with loose sand. When the meat was properly dressed, the chief
of our Berbers, who was a lover of justice, secured its impartial
distribution by giving each of us a bit of wood, which, being duly
marked, was brought to one of the Moors appointed for the purpose. He
was ordered to shake them together, and taking them up at random,
to place each upon a piece of the meat: thus every one was entitled
to his own lot. I had also my share, for which I was solely indebted
to the chief of the Berbers, who had been often indignant at the
conduct of the Moors towards me. The meat was pretty good, served
with cleanliness, and perfectly well dressed.
On the 19th of July, at four in the morning, we quitted the
delicious wells of Bohayara, slowly directing our course N. N. E.
over a soil covered with small grey gravel; on either side of our
route was a chain of low, bare hills, containing abundance of black
granite, in huge detached blocks; and the country was still naked,
presenting its usual appearance of frightful sterility.
About ten, after proceeding at the rate of three miles an hour,
the wells of Goud-Zenaga afforded us a resting place; here we found
some Berbers from an adjacent camp who were watering their flocks.
The aspect of the country around led me into reflections upon the
habits and character of these people; it seems inconceivable how they
can contentedly take up their abode in such dreary regions, producing
nothing but scanty herbage, and neither tree nor shrub of any kind.
On the 20th, at four A. M. we again pursued our course to N. N. E.,
over a nearly similar soil, but somewhat stony; the chain of hills
still continued equally bare.
At eleven, we halted at the wells of Zénatyia, twenty or
twenty-four feet deep, yielding abundance of tolerably good water.
The surrounding soil presents a pleasing appearance of vegetation;
some mimosas and _zizyphus lotus_ flourish there, together with
a number of very tall tamarisks, which afforded us an agreeable
shade. The level is broken by hills of loose white sand, the abode of
numerous antelopes, one of which was killed by a Moor of our party,
and divided amongst the whole caravan, allowing only a small share
to each.
A day’s journey N. W. of the wells of Zénatyia, is a Berber
town, called el-Yabo, and one of its inhabitants who belonged to
our caravan parted from us here to return home. The husbandmen of
el-Yabo extend their labours, during the rainy season, as far as
Zénatyia, preparing the ground for wheat and barley, which they
cultivate in small quantities.
On the 21st, we again proceeded towards N. N. E., at four in the
morning, travelling three miles in about an hour, among the hills
of loose sand. We then came to a plain of smooth sand firmer than
that of the hills, covered with small gravel and pebbles. About ten,
we halted at the wells of Chanérou, where we found some Berbers
watering their sheep, the fleeces of which are remarkably white.
Near these wells I observed a small shed, constructed of the branches
of the _zizyphus lotus_, and covered with straw and brambles: here
I took shelter in company with some Moors, and three Berber women,
who left the task of questioning me to the men, paid apparently but
little attention to my adventures, when cursorily related to them;
but my person seemed to attract much of their notice, and to please
them greatly. Now and then I asked them for some water; which they
good-humouredly gave me from the bucket, carefully holding it in
a position that enabled me to drink with ease.
The plain, in which these wells are situated, is gravelly,
interspersed with rocks, and inclosed by sterile hills, which seem to
be about three hundred and fifty feet in height. A little grass grows
in the clefts of these rocks, and serves the sheep for pasturage. We
had been joined in the morning by a Moor from Tafilet, who came to
meet his father. The old man, whose name was Sidi-Abdoul-Rahman,
was about fifty-five or sixty years of age, and nearly bald: he was
returning to his native village, Ghourland, after a long residence at
Timbuctoo; where he had seen Major Laing, as he informed me by the
way. His son brought him some black grapes for his refreshment; he
gave me a bunch with a small bit of wheaten bread, which I accepted
with pleasure. Little, indeed, had I expected to eat fresh bread
and grapes in so sterile a country! In the evening, some troops
of Berbers came to water their flocks. Sidi-Aly proposed to buy a
sheep for our supper, the Berbers of another troop joined us, and
twenty of them contributed towards this purchase; each gave for his
share a _dragme_, the coin of the country, worth about eight French
sous. Sidi-Aly whom I had allowed to see that I possessed three or
four shillings, consented to lend me this dragme, which I promised to
repay on our arrival at Tafilet. I must here anticipate by observing,
as a fact which greatly surprised me, that at parting he would not
accept payment; desiring that I would keep this piece of money to
assist me on my journey to Fez, and saying that he gave it me for
the love of God. It was doubtless from remorse of conscience which
he wished to silence at a cheap rate. The mutton thus procured,
and which was dressed like the last, proved delicious, though it
had not been so carefully cleaned.
On the 22nd, at two o’clock in the morning, we set off in a N.
N. E. direction; the soil still the same, and the mountains extending
on both sides of our route. About ten in the forenoon we halted at
the wells of Nyéla, (or Ain-Yela) the water of which is abundant
and good; they are situated in a very stony ravine, and so shallow
that the water is taken up by hand. The heat was extreme, and our
only shelter some of the _zizyphus lotus_.
At a short distance south of the wells is seen a high mountain
of granite, in the crevices of which there are a few patches of
verdure: I observed on its declevity a flock of sheep, which appeared
no larger than young lambs. This mountain is nearly pointed, and
rises to the height of one hundred and fifty or two hundred fathoms
above the level of a very stony soil. When my fellow-travellers had
retired to rest for the night I went to the wells with a satala,
and washed myself in the cold water, which afforded me much comfort;
returning afterwards to my companions and lying down on the ground,
I slept soundly till three o’clock in the morning.
On the 23rd, I was still half asleep when we set out, proceeding
for the first half hour in a N. N. E. direction; we afterwards
turned to the N. E., till six in the morning, and, quitting the
barren mountains, descended into a plain of very hard grey sand,
susceptible of cultivation.
From this plain we beheld the beautiful and majestic palm-trees of
the country of Tafilet, an enchanting prospect and one which raised
my spirits by announcing the speedy alleviation of my sufferings. We
passed through fields, separated, some by earth walls, and others
by narrow ditches. The country was beautiful, but parched up by
the scorching heat of the sun, which left no other verdure than
the evergreen leaves of the palm. About nine in the morning we
reached Ghourland, and were presently surrounded by a crowd of
children, attracted by curiosity. We encamped under the shade of the
palm-trees, at the gates of the town. When the arrival of our caravan
from the Soudan was reported, numbers of dirty and ill-clad Moors
and Jews came to meet us, and soon surrounded the baggage: many of
my companions warned me to be careful of my leathern bag and of my
pagnes, or they would be stolen, even off my back; they advised me
not to go too far from the village, because there were thieves, who,
in the supposition that I had brought much gold from the Soudan,
might attack me. The Moorish merchants who came for their goods
made a single mule carry the burden of a camel. I took mine upon my
shoulder and followed my guide to the house of old Haggi-Le-Mekke,
the chief of Ghourland. I passed in my way through several long and
narrow streets, and arrived at the house of my new host. An inner
court formed the entrance both to the chambers and magazines. Part of
this court was covered by a shed, supported by trunks of palm-trees,
in the middle of which was a sort of sky-light. A staircase of
earth led to the terraced roof of the house. I deposited the bag
containing my notes in a locked-up warehouse, and, the bag itself
being padlocked, I was set at ease respecting the curiosity of
the Moors. Our host gave us for breakfast some excellent dates,
so ripe that they resembled preserves, and added a small piece of
new wheaten bread: this would have been a sumptuous regale, had not
the water which we drank with it been brackish. The young sons of
Haggi received me kindly; they congratulated me more particularly
upon the resolution I had taken to forsake the christians and unite
myself with the Musulmans; telling me that I was under the special
protection of God, and that all who should do me good would be
favorites with the prophet. I need not, they added, feel any further
uneasiness as to my return to my country; now that I was at Tafilet,
I should find no difficulty in reaching the place of my birth,
and they would themselves defray the expense of my journey to Fez,
which should cost me nothing. In conclusion, they invited me to
remain with them, assuring me that they would supply all my wants.
My new hosts seemed so well disposed towards me that I expected an
apartment at their house, but was disappointed, for, after breakfast,
they recommended me to go and engage a lodging at the mosque, an
edifice destined at once for the service of God and the reception
of travellers. In fact, I there met with several strangers, who
surrounded me and overwhelmed me with questions.
About two in the afternoon, I returned to the house of my host, to
relieve the weariness which this importunate curiosity occasioned
me, and was greatly astonished to find the same young men, who in
the morning had expressed so much affection for me, now refuse
me admittance. After having explained that they treated me thus
on account of their women, they asked me if I wanted food, and,
giving me about two ounces of bread with some dates, left me seated
upon the ground at the door. After having taken this slight repast
I returned to the mosque. About ten o’clock, the negro slaves
came to call Sidi-Aly and his people to supper: as he would not
allow me to eat with him, I received no notice; however, finding
the time elapse, and being by no means disposed to lose my supper,
I determined to seat myself at the door of my host’s house.
The slaves, as they passed, inquired what I wanted; I answered that
I had had no supper, and begged they would inform their master:
they executed my commission, and returned saying, that I ought to
have shared the supper of Sidi-Aly and his suite. I then described
their misconduct towards me, at which they were indignant, saying,
that he and his were infidels; and, desiring me to wait a moment,
they brought me an ample quantity of bad barley couscous, with a
small bit of beef. I afterwards went to sleep under the roof of the
mosque, among the Moors, who were necessitated like myself to take
refuge there. As the sons of Haggi-Le-Mekke had represented to me, no
stranger is here admitted into the interior of the houses, lest the
women, who are not allowed to see any other men but those of their
family, might be exposed to indiscreet observation: consequently
travellers obtain an asylum for the night in the mosques, and the
host at whose house they alight sends them their meals; they send
for them at supper time, but receive them in a very dark corridor.
At eight o’clock in the morning, I went to my host’s for
my breakfast, and seated myself, as on the preceding afternoon,
at the door, waiting for an invitation. The youngest son of the
family soon came, and inquired very kindly if I had breakfasted;
on my answering in the negative, he ordered a slave to bring me
some dates and gruel made of barley-meal: this gruel is very thin,
and serves for a beverage in eating the fruit; with bread or couscous
they drink nothing but water. With a stomach thus slightly supported
the stranger is obliged to await the hour of supper, when a little
couscous is given him; this is the nourishment they provide for those
who ask hospitality of them, and for their slaves. The masters drink
with their breakfast a very thin gruel made of wheat flour, and dine
upon new bread and the fruits of the season; they have abundance of
fine melons, of which they are very fond; and the richer inhabitants
of Tafilet breakfast upon tea with bread and figs. At ten at night,
the usual hour of supper, they eat couscous made of wheat flour,
dressed with mutton or poultry, for they rear some domestic fowls.
While sitting at the corner of a street I made acquaintance with
a Moor, named Sidi-Baubacar; who put some questions to me very
prudently, and appeared to interest himself in my situation; he is
a very mild and good man. He had travelled to Cape Mogador and to
Morocco, and in the former town had had much intercourse with the
christians, whom, in common with all other Moors, he detested. He
shewed some taste for the sciences and was desirous of instruction,
had learned arithmetic, and was well acquainted with its first
three rules, in which he could prove his calculations. He was in the
habit of writing upon a slate, which he brought to me, and we made
some calculations together. This man was somewhat of an enthusiast,
and conceived a friendship for me; he spoke much of the knowledge
of the Europeans, which he considered as vastly superior to that of
the Moors, and shewed me a watch to which he attached much value,
because he was the only person in the country who had one. It was at
his house that I saw the English pocket compass, which I formerly
mentioned. He talked of Bonaparte and his campaigns in Egypt,
asked if it was during his residence among the Musulmans that I
was made prisoner, and said that he was at Tripoli about that time;
finally he inquired my age; as I was covered with rags, was ill, and
my complexion scorched almost to blackness by the heat of the sun,
I appeared older than I really was; he had therefore no difficulty
in believing that I was thirty-four years of age.
On the 26th, I proposed to a poor Jew named Jacob, to purchase of
me a shilling by weight, because, as this coin was not current in
the country, and he was a smith and a worker in gold and silver,
he could turn it to account in his trade. He required me, for this
purpose, to come to his house, to satisfy his curiosity no doubt;
however the proposal also answered mine, for I knew not by what
method to obtain admission to the interior of even one house. I
entered then the humble dwelling of this Jew; who conducted me
through two small low rooms, very dark and exceedingly dirty,
into a third, somewhat larger, which received light and air only
by a small opening in the roof: this opening is common to all the
apartments in the interior of the house, the dwellings of the Jews
being as simply constructed as those of the Moors.
Jacob, who did not possess a mat, was obliged to seat me upon
the ground. He opened a closet, and fetched some nuts which he
presented to me, adding a fine slice of melon and a large piece
of wheaten bread, of the preceding day’s baking. His wife
and aged mother, seated beside me, examined me with insatiable
curiosity; they appeared mild and timid, but nevertheless, addressed
several questions to me relative to the countries inhabited by the
christians. I observed in this room two large sacks of corn for the
family provision, some fowls, and a dog, the guard of the house: in
one corner was collected the dirt of several days’ sweeping. After
partaking of the Jew’s hospitable collation I took leave of these
good people. A negro slave had accompanied me, fearing, he said,
lest these infidels should insult me. Jacob desired me to return
on the following day, when he would change my piece of money;
for, my visit having been made on Saturday, no business could be
transacted. The Moors, inquisitive and troublesome, were far less
generous; they offered me nothing but their bad dates, and even
of these they were liberal only because they could not themselves
consume their superfluity.
On the 27th, I accompanied Sidi-Boubacar to a market, which is held
three times a week near a village called Boheim about three miles
N. of Ghourland: Boubacar mounted a fine mule, and myself an ass,
destined to carry the provisions on our return.
This market is held in a beautiful spot surrounded by palm-trees;
it contains many clay huts for the accommodation of the dealers in
stuffs, mercery, and spices, and the butchers. The Berbers and Arabs
from the adjacent villages come hither to sell their merchandise:
they bring cattle, corn, fruit, and green vegetables, and in return
purchase the stuffs of the merchants. As I expressed a desire to
take a particular survey of the market, my companion ordered one of
his people to attend me, assuring me, that if, as a stranger, I was
found there alone, the very clothes I had on would be stolen. I was
astonished at the variety of articles exhibited in this market. I
saw there great abundance of fine herbs, cabbages, turnips, onions,
peas, and dried beans, indigenous fruits, such as raisins, white
and black currants, pears, nuts gourds, and melons of a fine sort;
green lucern for the horses, and many productions of Europe; also
fowls and boiled eggs; I bought half a dozen of the latter for
the value of six farthings of our money. I observed sheep of an
astonishing size, covered with very fine white wool.
Water sellers, with their full bottles, walked to and fro in
the market, with a little bell to give notice to all who wished
to drink, for the heat here is most oppressive. There is no
scarcity of wells in the market, but they are very deep, and
as strangers have not ropes to reach them, much water is sold,
though it is rather brackish. I beheld asses and mules laden with
the productions of nature and industry arriving from all quarters,
and might easily have fancied myself transported into a well stocked
European market. I bought some figs and raisins for my refreshment,
together with a small wheaten loaf worth a sous. The Jews are
the principal brokers: there are merchants established here who
purchase from individuals the woollen goods manufactured at home,
store them, and export them to other markets. No money is current
here, except that of Morocco and Spain; the coin of other European
countries is taken by weight. After traversing the great desert,
almost deprived of the necessaries of life, the pleasure which
I experienced in contemplating a market so richly furnished is
indescribable, but I was obliged to return to the village with the
slave to whose care Sidi-Boubacar had consigned me, and this man,
when his purchases were completed, was unwilling to stay any longer.
On the 28th, Sidi-Boubacar, who was become much attached to me,
sent me an invitation to his house, where he waited to receive me.
He seated me on a fine carpet, spread in the court, under a little
shed, and then requesting me to wait a moment, he went for a friend
of his, a Moor of distinction. Soon afterwards a slave brought,
upon a very clear copper waiter, a meat pasty fried in butter, and
a fine slice of melon, bought on the preceding day at the market of
Boheim: Sidi-Boubacar broke the pasty and his friend and I as well
as himself did justice to it. In the evening Jacob the Jew changed
my shilling, which enabled me on the succeeding days to buy a little
bread. The same day, being at the mosque, a Moor, whose father was
recently dead, accosted me, and, slipping an eightpenny piece into
the pocket of my coussabe, begged me to accept it for the love of
God and the Prophet.
On the 29th, Haggi-Le-Mekke gave me notice that I must hold myself in
readiness to set out for Fez. Unable, from the state of my health,
to undertake so long a journey on foot, I made inquiries concerning
the means of riding; I was in fact swelled and weak. I was asked if
I had dragmes sufficient to pay for a mule: I could have done so,
but thinking it not prudent to confess it, I preferred pleading
poverty, and hoped that the sale of my two blue pagnes of Soudan
would produce enough. Three days previously I had confided them to
a son of my host’s for the purpose of sale, but I was now advised
to carry them to the market of Boheim, whence the caravan was to
set out; I repaired thither with the intention of seeing the bacha
or governor, to ask assistance from him.
On quitting Ghourland, I was accompanied by a muleteer mounted upon
an ass; this man was charged by Haggi-Le-Mekke to conduct me to
Sidi-Habib-Benani, who resided at Boheim and was chief of the caravan
going to Fez, to whom he gave me particular recommendations. On
the road I was stopped by the Berbers going to the market, who,
perceiving that I was a stranger, surrounded me to the number of
twenty or thirty, saying all together, “Who are you? Whither are
you going?” They all pulled me by my dress and gave me no time to
answer: at length they carried off my pagne and would have stolen
my bag also, had I not on setting out intrusted it to my guide,
who, mounted upon an ass, with a Berber behind him, had gone on
before me, without troubling himself whether I was able to follow or
not. The thieves, not content with my pagne, were about to take my
coussabe also, when Haggi-Lemedan, (my guide,) to whom the Moors of
his acquaintance had given notice of my situation, returned at full
gallop with his Berber; and the latter made the plunderers restore
all they had stolen from me. Soon after this vexatious accident, we
reached the market, which I found as well supplied as the first time
I visited it. On the road I had met two mounted Berbers pursuing at
full speed, with loaded guns, two Arab horsemen, who were galloping
off with the utmost precipitation. When the market was over, I
went, accompanied by my guide, to Sidi-Habib-Benani’s, who sent
me to take a lodging in the loft of the mosque; about ten in the
evening he supplied me with a very good couscous.
On the morning of the 30th of July, I seated myself modestly on
the ground at my host’s door, being well aware that he would
not have the complaisance to send my breakfast to this public
lodging; as soon as he perceived me at prayers with my chaplet
in my hand, he sent me some wheaten gruel but without dates. At
ten o’clock, I requested a Moor to conduct me to the residence
of Sidi-Habib-Bacha, at the small town of Ressant, two gun-shots
north of Boheim. This man obligingly complied, and we set out;
but we learned on arrival that the Bacha, who was indisposed,
would not come thither that day, and that he seemed to intend
spending it at his private house at Sosso, a village situated about
a mile and a half S. E. of Boheim. As I expressed a strong desire
to repair thither, my honest Moor procured a man of the village,
in the service of the Bacha, to accompany me to the latter. On
my arrival I was conducted through a large court, tolerably clean,
into another and smaller one, at the gate of which two sentinels were
sitting upon the ground, with their muskets resting against a wall.
My arrival was announced to the Bacha, who gave orders for my being
shewn in I found this Arab grandee seated, without ostentation,
on a mat, upon the ground, under a shed, near the wells, which
diffused a pleasant coolness. There were two Moors in attendance,
playing as it were, the part of courtiers. The Bacha gave me a
favourable reception and inquired the cause which had brought
me into his presence. I shortly recapitulated to him the various
circumstances which had occasioned me to take so long and arduous
a journey across the Soudan and the desert; informing him that I
was from Alexandria, whither I was anxious to return, but that from
poverty I had no means of conveyance thither; and being in ill-health
in consequence of the fatigues, which I had undergone, I could not
travel so great a distance on foot. Amongst the numerous questions
which he put to me, he asked how I had defrayed the expenses of my
route since I had quitted the negro countries: to which I replied,
flattering Musulman generosity, that every one had contributed a
small donation to the relief of my wants. He afterwards turned the
conversation to the Europeans, ridiculing their faith. One of his
Moors, a very corpulent man, hereupon sneeringly observed, “Why,
as Jesus is the Son of God, did he suffer himself to be crucified
by the Jews?” As this question was pointed at me, I replied,
that I was in no way concerned to support a cause the merits of
which I did not understand, and that the Christians must discuss
his objection. The Bacha then sent for his steward and commanded him
to give me some dates, which were brought in a small straw basket,
but of which I declined eating though I was politely pressed. By
order of this chief, I was reconducted by one of his sentinels to
my host at Boheim, with an invitation to repeat my visit on the
following day at his government residence; he also sent instructions
to Sidi-Mohammed, the sherif who had accompanied me in the morning,
to repair thither with me.
On the morning of the 31st, I did not fail to wait with the sherif
for the Bacha, on his road to the town. We stood up immediately
upon perceiving him. He rode a fine grey horse, and was escorted
by two soldiers, each armed with a musket. He halted for a moment
before us: the sherif, in accosting him, respectfully kissed his
white tunic; the Bacha spoke a few words to him in a low tone,
after which, raising his voice a little, he informed me that I must
remain at Ghourland till further orders, I readily concluded that I
had nothing to hope from his highness; and, returning to my village,
Mohammed confirmed me in my opinion. Sidi-Habib-Benani had set out in
the morning for Fez; having refused to give me a mule or any other
conveyance for three mitkhals of silver, the produce of the sale
of my two pagnes: thus I found myself at Boheim, without knowing
how to leave it. I had a very good coussabe, which Abdallah-Chebir
had given me at Timbuctoo; and I determined, at the risk of going
away without clothing, to sell it in the market, and endeavour
to hire an ass, so that I might be able to set out the day after
the morrow with a caravan going to Fez: the eldest son of Benani,
a merchant by profession, sold my coussabe for two mitkhals, which,
with the three others, sufficed to hire an ass. At ten at night,
I went as usual to present myself at the gate of my host’s son,
from whom, during the day, I had received as a present some bread
and a bunch of grapes: he also sent me a supper and I went to bed
under the sacred roof of the mosque. The court of this structure
was locked and the inmates could not open it during the night; a
circumstance which had nearly drawn me into grievous trouble. This
court enclosed the tomb of a holy sherif, long since deceased: the
following morning, my fellow-lodgers were scandalized to perceive
that this revered sepulchre had been soiled during the night; a
universal cry of indignation arose, and all eyes were turned upon
me. Amazed and confounded, I had not courage to assert my innocence;
my only excuse was ignorance of the localities, and I protested,
with perfect truth, that the profanation was not wilful but purely
accidental. This sincere allegation was, however, far from calming
the tumult, and I know not how serious the consequences might have
been, had not some old men fortunately determined to intercede in
my favour. They represented that my situation as a stranger should
be taken into consideration; that I was undoubtedly ignorant of
the existence of a tomb in this place; but that, supposing me even
acquainted with the fact, it was impossible I could have learned
amongst christians to respect that which is the object of homage
to all good Musulmans; that some indulgence should, therefore,
be shewn to my want of knowledge. This plea made an impression
and the matter dropped.
On the 1st of August, I repaired in the morning to the gate of my
host to seek my breakfast; but I waited till two in the afternoon
without obtaining any thing. At this time several Moors were
collected and beginning to question me; but I told them that I was
suffering too much from hunger to be in a condition to answer them,
having eaten nothing the whole day. A zealous Musulman offered to
give me a loaf for the love of God, if I would accept it; and I
was too much famished to refuse it, hard as it was.
On the 2nd; the caravan prepared to depart for Fez; the man whose
ass I had hired had received my earnest, and I waited for him in
the village where he had engaged to take me up. Before taking leave
of this country I will give a succinct description of it.