Though the great distance of Sansanding does not permit the inhabitants of El-Arawan to go thither for millet, they procure from that place more valuable articles, such as ivory, gold, slaves, wax, honey, the cloths of Soudan, and cured provisions. Rice is also transported thence in small quantities. Cowries, which are the current money of Soudan, do not pass at El-Arawan. There nothing circulates but gold and silver—neat pieces of the value of a mitkhal, in imitation of the money of Morocco. The gold mitkhal increases in value as you approach the coasts.
El-Arawan is the point for the arrival of the caravans from Tafilet, Cape Mogador, Drah, Tawât, and the cities of Aghdâmus and Tripoli. They bring merchandise of European manufacture, such as fire-arms, gunpowder, stuffs, and a few productions of their own countries, as tobacco, dates, &c.
Kalif, who was one of the principal merchants of El-Arawan, was a native of Tawât, and he received from his country merchandise which he sent to the Dhioliba. The caravans which perform this journey are seven days without procuring water; after which they reach the banks of the river, which I was informed is very wide at that part.
I supposed it to be the banks of the lake Débo. At a short distance from this place which is not inhabited, negro villages are met with as far as Sansanding.
In the rainy season, which occurs at the same time as at Timbuctoo the inhabitants of El-Arawan are visited by the Touariks, who come and pitch their tents in the environs of the city, and collect the duties which they impose on traders. These duties are not so exorbitant as at Timbuctoo. The Touariks observe some moderation at El-Arawan, on account of its distance from their country.
The inhabitants of the town are all fanatical Moors; they have numerous slaves, which they purchase at Sansanding, and, notwithstanding the natural brutality of the people, they treat their slaves kindly; they allow them plenty of food, consisting of sangleh, which is eaten with a sauce made of dried baobab leaves, boiled and seasoned with salt or allspice. They also clothe them well. If to the misery incidental to this wretched country were added the bad treatment which slaves experience in some parts of the desert, the poor creatures could not long survive.
An old Moor named Sidi-Boubacar is the chief of El-Arawan; he acts as judge in all the differences which arise among the inhabitants. At his death his son succeeds him. The Mahometan chief levies no duties on the people. He is himself a merchant and possesses considerable herds of camels. In the rainy season, when forage becomes more abundant, the inhabitants use camels’ milk as an article of food.
On the 14th of May, a violent gale blew from the east, which unroofed several of the houses, and raised such a quantity of sand, that it was impossible to keep the doors open. The heat, though there was no sun, was stifling. The air was full of sand, which descended in the night. It would be impossible to express what I suffered during this storm. I was obliged to lie on the ground, with my head enveloped in a pagne, to protect myself from the burning sand, which entered through the chinks in the door. I experienced a continual thirst, and had nothing but warm and brackish water to quench it. This unwholesome drink caused a violent derangement of the stomach, and the heat, rising to a degree I had never before felt, produced a dreadful head-ache.
The slaves, obliged sometimes to walk barefoot on the sand, complained of violent pain, which they were not able to bear long, but which soon compelled them to return home. The Moors stay within doors, keeping a piece of cloth constantly before their lips, to prevent the sand from getting into their mouths. I was unable to comprehend how the mere love of gain could induce these people to live for twelve or fifteen years in such a dreadful country.
The town of Walet, mentioned by Mungo Park, is ten days’ journey W. N. W. of El-Arawan. Some Moors, whom I saw, told me, that no water is to be met with on the road, and that this town carries on a great traffic in salt with Sansanding, Yamina, and Ségo. This last place is five days’ journey to the south; salt, which is its principal article of trade is obtained from the mines of Waden,[17] situated in the great desert, fifteen or eighteen days’ journey north of Walet. This salt is made up in cakes of the same dimensions as those of Toudeyni. The inhabitants keep a great many camels, as well as a few goats and sheep. Walet is situated on a barren soil, not susceptible of cultivation, and the inhabitants buy corn in the Bambara country. I was told that this town is as large as Timbuctoo. I questioned some Moors respecting Tichit, but was unable to obtain any positive information on the subject.