_Continuation of the Voyage by Cape Branco, the Coast of Barbary, and the
Fortia of Arguin; with some account of the Arabs, the Azanaghi, and the
Country of Tegazza._
Leaving the Canaries, we pursued our course towards Ethiopia, and arrived
in a few days at Cape Branco, which is about 870 miles from these islands.
In this passage, steering south, we kept at a great distance from the
African shore on our left, as the Canaries are, far-advanced into the sea
towards the west. We stood almost directly south for two-thirds of the
way between the islands and the Cape, after which we changed our course
somewhat more towards the east, or left-hand, that we might fall in with
the land, lest we should have overpassed the Cape without seeing it
because no land appears afterwards so far to the west for a considerable
space. The coast of Africa, to the southwards of Cape Bronco, falls in
considerably to the eastwards, forming a great bay or gulf, called the
_Forna of Arguin_, from a small island of that name. This gulf extends
about fifty miles into the land, and has three other islands, one of
which is named _Branco_ by the Portuguese, or the White Island, on
account of its white sands; the second is called _Garze_, or the Isle of
Herons, where they found so many eggs of certain seabirds as to load two
boats; the third is called _Curoi_, or Cori. These islands are all small,
sandy, and uninhabited. In that of Arguin there is plenty of fresh water,
but there is none in any of the others. It is proper to observe, that on
keeping to the southwards, from the Straits of Gibraltar, the coast of
exterior Barbary is inhabited no farther than Cape Cantin[1], from whence
to Cape Branco is the sandy country or desert, called _Saara_ or
_Saharra_ by the natives, which is divided from Barbary or Morocco on the
north by the mountains of Atlas, and borders on the south with the
country of the Negroes, and would require a journey of fifty days to
cross,--in some places more, in others less. This desert reaches to the
ocean, and is all a white dry sand, quite low and level, so that no part
of it seems higher than any other. Cape _Branco_, or the White Cape, so
named by the Portuguese from its white colour, without trees or verdure,
is a noble promontory of a triangular shape, having three separate points
about a mile from each other.
Innumerable quantities of large and excellent fish of various kinds are
caught on this coast, similar in taste to those we have at Venice, but
quite different in shape and appearance. The gulf of Arguin is shallow
all over, and is full of shoals both of rocks and sand; and, as the
currents are here very strong, there is no sailing except by day, and
even then with the lead constantly heaving. Two ships have been already
lost on these shoals. Cape _Branco_ lies S.W. of Cape Cantin, or rather S.
and by W. Behind Cape Branco there is a place called Hoden, six days
journey inland on camels, which is not walled, but is much frequented by
the Arabs and caravans, which trade between Tombucto,[2] and other places
belonging to the Negroes, and the western parts of Barbary. The
provisions at Hoden are dates and barley, which they have in plenty, and
the inhabitants drink the milk of camels and other animals, as they have
no wine. They have some cows and goats, the former being greatly smaller
than those of Italy; but the number of these is not great, as the country
is very dry. The inhabitants are all Mahometans, and great enemies to the
Christians, and have no settled habitations, but wander continually over
the deserts. They frequent the country of the Negroes, and visit that
side of Barbary which is next the Mediterranean. On these expeditions
they travel in numerous caravans, with great trains of camels, carrying
brass, silver, and other articles, to Tombucto and the country of the
Negroes, whence they bring back gold and _melhegette_, or cardamom
seeds[3]. These people are all of a tawny colour, and both sexes wear a
single white garment with a red border, without any linen next their skins.
The men wear turbans, in the Moorish fashion, and go always barefooted. In
the desert there are many lions, leopards, and ostriches, the eggs of
which I have often eaten, and found them very good.
Don Henry has farmed out the trade of the island of Arguin, under the
following regulations. No person must enter this gulf to trade with the
Arabs, except those who are licensed according to the ordinance, and have
habitations and factors on the island, and have been accustomed to
transact business with the Arabs on that coast. The articles of
merchandize chiefly provided for this trade are, woollen cloth and linen,
silver trinkets, _aldtizeli_ or frocks, and cloaks, and other things, and
above all, wheat; and the Arabs give in return negro slaves and gold. A
castle has been built on the isle of Arguin, by order of the prince, to
protect this trade, on account of which caravels or ships arrive there
every year from Portugal.
The Arabs of this coast have many Barbary horses, which they carry to the
country of the Negroes, which they barter with the great men for slaves,
receiving from ten to eighteen men for each horse, according to their
goodness. They also carry thither silken staffs of Granada and Tunis,
with silver, and many other things, in return for which they receive
great numbers of slaves and some gold. These slaves are brought first to
Hoden in the desert, and thence by the mountains of Barka into Barbary,
whence they are transported across the Mediterranean into Sicily. Part of
them are sold in Tunis, and in other places along the coast of Barbary;
and the rest are brought to Arguin, where they are sold to the licensed
Portuguese traders, who purchase between seven and eight hundred every
year, and send them for sale into Portugal. Before the establishment of
this trade at Arguin, the Portuguese used to send every year four or more
caravels to the bay of Arguin, the crews of which, landing well armed in
the night, were in use to surprise some of the fishing villages, and
carry off the inhabitants into slavery. They even penetrated sometimes a
considerable way into the interior, and carried off the Arabs of both
sexes, whom they sold as slaves in Portugal.
Leaving Arguin we sailed along the coast to the river Senegal[4], which
is very large, and divides the people called Azanaghi, or Azanhaji, from
the first kingdom of the Negroes. The Azanhaji are of a tawny colour, or
rather of a deep brown complexion, and inhabit some parts of the coast
beyond Cape Branco, ranging through the deserts, and their district
reaches to the confines of the Arabs of Hoden. They live on dates, barley,
and the milk of camels; but as they border likewise on the country of the
Negroes, they carry on trade with these people, from whom they procure
millet and pulse, particularly beans. Owing to the scarcity of provisions
in the desert, the Azanhaji are but spare eaters, and are able to endure
hunger with wonderful patience, as a poringer of barley-meal made into
hasty-pudding will serve them a whole day. The Portuguese used to carry
away many of these people for slaves, as they were preferred to the
negroes; but for some time past this has been prohibited by Don Henry,
and peace and trade has been established with them, as he is in hopes
they may be easily brought over to the catholic faith by intercourse with
the Christians, more especially as they are not hitherto thoroughly
established in the superstitions of Mahomet, of which they know nothing
but by hearsay. These Azenhaji have an odd custom of wearing a
handkerchief round their heads, a part of which is brought down so as to
cover their eyes, and even their nose and mouth; for they reckon the
mouth an unclean part, because it is constantly belching and has a bad
smell, and ought therefore to be kept out of sight; even comparing it to
the posteriors, and thinking that both ought alike to be concealed. On
this account they never let their mouths be seen except when eating, as I
have often had occasion to observe. They have no lords among them, but
the rich men are respected somewhat more than the rest. They are of
ordinary stature, and very lean, wearing their black hair frizzled over
their shoulders like the Germans, and grease it daily with fish oil,
which gives them a nasty smell; yet they consider this as modish. They
are extremely poor, egregious liars, the greatest thieves in the world,
and very treacherous. They have never heard of any Christians except the
Portuguese, with whom they had war for thirteen or fourteen years, in
which many of them were carried off as slaves, as has been already
mentioned. Many of these people informed me, that, when they first saw
ships under sail, which had never been beheld by any of their ancestors,
they took them for large birds with white wings, that had come from
foreign parts; and when the sails were furled, they conjectured, from
their length, and swimming on the water, that they must be great fish.
Others again believed that they were spirits, who wandered about by night;
because they were seen at anchor in the evening at one place, and would
be seen next morning 100 miles off, either proceeding along the coast to
the southwards, or put back, according as the wind changed, or the
caravels might happen to steer. They could not conceive how human beings
could travel more in one night than they were able to perform themselves
in three days; by which they were confirmed in the notion of the ships
being spirits. All this was certified to me by many of the Azanhaji who
were slaves in Portugal, as well as by the Portuguese mariners who had
frequented the coast in their caravels.
About six days journey by land from Hoden, there is a place called
Teggazza[5], which in our language signifies a chest or bag of gold. In
this place large quantities of salt are dug up every year, and carried by
caravans on camels to _Tombucto_ and thence to the empire of _Melli_,
which belongs to the Negroes. Oh arriving there, they dispose of their
salt in the course of eight days, at the rate of between two and three
hundred _mitigals_, or ducats, for each load, according to the quantity,
and then return with their gold.
[1] This is erroneous, as there are several towns on the coast of Morocco
beyond this Cape, as Saffia, Mogadore, Santa Cruz, and others.
Cape Cantin is in lat. 32°30'N. and the river _Sus_ in 30°25', which
is 140 miles to the south. There are no towns on the coast beyond that
river; but the northern limit of the _Sahara_, or great desert, is in
lat. 27°40', 186 miles to the south of the river _Sus_, and is surely
inhabited by wandering Arabs. Even the great desert, which extends 750
miles from north to south, almost to the river Senegal, is thinly
interspersed by several wandering tribes of the _Azanhaji_.--E.
[2] Called Tombuto in the original, and Ataubat in Grynaeus.--Astl. Hoden
stands in an _ouasis_, or watered island, in the sea of sand, or great
desert, about lat. 19°20'N. and W. long. 11°40'.--E.
[3] Under the general name of _Azanhaji_, which probably signifies the
pilgrims or wanderers of the desert, the Nomadic Arabs or Moors are
distinguished into various tribes; as Beni-amir, Beni-sabi, Hilil
Arabs, Ludajas, and Hagi; sometimes called Monselmines, Mongearts,
Wadelims, Labdessebas, and Trasarts; all named in their order from
north to south, as occupying the desert towards the Atlantic.--E.
[4] In the text this river is named Senega, and its name probably
signifies the river of the Azanhaji. It Is called in Ramusio _Oro
Tiber_.--F.
[5] The name of this place is explained as signifying a chest or bag of
gold. There is a place marked in the Saharra, or great sandy desert;
under the name of _Tisheet_, where there are salt mines, in lat. 17°
40' N. and long. 6° 40' W. which may possibly be Teggazza. The
distance of Tisheet from Hoden in our maps is about 375 miles E. S. E.
But there are other salt mines in the desert still farther to the east.
--E.