About fifteen (erhellat) journies east of Timbuctoo, is an immense lake, called (El Bahar Soudan) the Sea of Soudan; on which are decked vessels, and the borders of it are inhabited by the above people; they brought, in or about the year 1793, some of their decked vessels to Timbuctoo, and transported thence goods to Jinnie; but as they were ascertained to be neither Arabs, Moors, Negroes, Shelluhs, nor Berebbers, the boatmen of Timbuctoo complained to the Cadi, that if these people were permitted to go to and from Jinnie, they would lose their business, as their boats performed the passage at less expense, and in half the time. On this suggestion the Cadi ordered them out of the country: some report that they were all poisoned, and their boats broken to pieces, and that since then none of their vessels have been used westward of this lake: the boats are described to be about forty cubits[223] in length, and eight in breadth, having the planks fastened together by shreet, or bass rope, and carry one hundred and fifty or two hundred men, and forty tons of goods; they have no sails, but when the wind is favourable, two oars are set up perpendicularly on each side of the boat, to which is fastened a large hayk, or spreading garment, which serves as a substitute for a sail: these boats are rowed by sixteen oars: at night they come to anchor by throwing a large stone overboard tied to a rope or cable, as before mentioned, which serves as an anchor.
With regard to the water communication between Timbuctoo and Cairo, there is no doubt but such a communication exists; it does not, however, facilitate the purposes of transport, the expense of land carriage by means of camels being more moderate than that by water, besides the advantages to a traveller of a continued succession of rich and fertile country, make the journey rather an excursion of pleasure when compared to the toils of a desert, where heat and thirst are so much dreaded by the weary traveller. In the interior of Africa; and among the rich traders who engage in this traffic across the Continent, there is but one opinion with regard to the Nile of Egypt and the Nile of Timbuctoo, and that opinion is, that they are one and the same river, or rather that the latter is the western branch of the former. It may be further observed, that the source of the Nile of Timbuctoo is at the foot of the western branch of the chain of mountains called Jibbel Kumra, or Mountains of the Moon, where it forms (merja) a swamp; and on the western side of the same mountain is another lake or swamp, which is the source of the Senegal river; hence the established African opinion, that the Senegal and Nile have the same source, although these two merjas are separated by the mountain: the copious springs, which throw the water up with great force, are very numerous, and are found on both sides of the mountain, that is on the eastern as well as on the western side. The western stream takes a northerly direction, as does also the eastern stream, which is increased in its course by various others issuing from the Jibbel Kumri, more to the east of the source, before described; but where the two streams unite (i.e. the Nile of Egypt, and that of Soudan) is not accurately ascertained.[224] It is proper, also, to observe, that the Africans express their astonishment whenever the Europeans dispute the connection of these two rivers, justly observing, that it is a folly to dispute a thing which the experience of a succession of ages has proved to be true; indeed it is remarkable how many empty hypotheses and idle reasonings the course of this river, or the Egyptian Nile, has given rise to; but there are people so bigotted to the opinions which are founded on these empty hypotheses as to disregard the relation of travellers who have actually been upon the spot, and who have, by the evidence of their eyes, confuted all that has been written on the subject.
In confirmation of the opinion that there is a navigable communication between Timbuctoo in Soudan, and Cairo in Egypt, the following circumstance was related to me by a very intelligent man, who has, at this time, an establishment in the former city:
In the year 1780, a party of seventeen Jinnie Negroes proceeded in a canoe, to Timbuctoo, on a commercial speculation; they understood the Arabic language, and could read the Koran: they bartered their merchandize several times during the passage, and reached Cairo, after a voyage of fourteen months, during which they lived upon rice and other produce, which they procured at the different towns they visited; they reported that there are twelve hundred cities and towns, with mosques or towers in them, between Timbuctoo and Cairo, built on or near the banks of (the Nile el Abeede, and the Nile Massar) the Nile of Soudan, and the Nile of Egypt.
During this voyage they remained in many towns several days, when trade, curiosity, or inclination induced them to sojourn: in three places they found the Nile so shallow, by reason of the numerous channels which are cut from the mainstream, for the purpose of irrigating the lands of the adjacent country, that they could not proceed in the boat, which they transported over land, till they found the water flowing again in sufficient body to float it; they also met with three considerable cataracts, the principal of which was at the entrance from the west of Wangara; here also they transported the boat by land until passing the fall of water, they floated it again in an immense (merja) lake, whose opposite shore was not visible; at night they threw a large stone overboard as a substitute for an anchor, and watch was regularly kept to guard against the attacks of crocodiles, elephants, and river horses, which abound in various parts. When they arrived at Cairo they joined the great accumulated caravan of the west, called Akkabah el Garbie, and proceeded therewith through Barca, Tripoli, Tunis, Algiers, and Angad, to Fas and Marocco, where they joined the Akka caravan, and again reached Jinnie, after an absence of three years and two months.
Finally it appears from the corroborating testimony of all who have performed the journey from Timbuctoo to Egypt, that the country contiguous to the Nile El Abeede is rich and productive, that the banks of the river are adorned with an incredible number of cities and towns of incalculable population, that the Mohammedan religion prevails; that the Arabic is the general language spoken throughout these countries. The cities and towns are crowded with mosques, having square towers attached to them: fondaques or caravanseras for the accommodation of travellers are spacious and convenient, so that we may conclude that the banks of the Nile El Abeede from Timbuctoo to the confines of Egypt may be as populous as the banks of any river in China.
FOOTNOTES:
[195]See the author’s letter to Sir Joseph Banks in Proceedings of the Association for Promoting the Discovery of the Interior Parts of Africa, in 2 vols. 8vo. vol. ii. page 364.
[196]الواح Elwah; this is the Arabic name; modern Europeans have, by adding an s made it wahs, the Romans not having the letter w have made it oas, and by the propensity to use this letter, it has been again added to make it plural; hence the word oasis, or wahsis. The plural in Arabic is El Wahaht.
[197]اّلشُومْ Asshume, or Shume; this wind has been already mentioned; during its continuance, it is impossible to live in the upper rooms of the houses, the inhabitants, therefore, retire to subterraneous apartments, cellars, or warehouses on the ground floor, eating nothing but fruits, as the water melon, and the prickly pear, for animal food at this period is loathsome whilst hot, and has scarcely time to cool before it becomes tainted. The walls of the bed chambers being of stone, buckets of water are thrown against them to render the rooms habitable towards night; and so great is their heat, that in doing this, the effect is similar to what is produced by casting water on hot iron. I have felt the Shume 20 leagues out at sea; when in lat. north 30°, longitude west 11° 30′, I astonished the captain of the ship, by directing his attention to particles of sand which fell on the deck; and although the mariners actually collected about a wine glass full of this sand by sweeping the deck, yet he would scarcely credit the cause to which I ascribed it, until we reached Agadeer, when he met with many daily proofs of the extraordinary effects of this tremendous wind. I never found any extreme inconvenience from the Shume north of the province of Suse, although at Mogodor it is sometimes felt, but seldom or ever continues more than three days.