Narrative of a Mission to Central Africa Performed in the Years 1850-51, Volume 1 | Page 9

servants.
The individuals next in importance to Moknee are, perhaps, the
Chaouches, as they are called here--Arab cavaliers, who are to act as
janissaries. There is one big fellow for me, and one little fellow for the
Germans. How they will behave remains to be seen; but I suspect they
will give us some trouble. Then there are a number of free blacks from
Tunis, some married, others not, who are to return to their homes in

Soudan, Bornou, and Mandara, under our protection. Some of these
have agreed to travel partly on their own account, or nearly so, whilst
others will be paid and act as servants. One of them, named Ali, is a
fine, dashing young fellow. They are very unimportant people here, but
as we advance on our route will no doubt prove of some service,
especially when we fairly enter upon the Black Countries. A marabout
of Fezzan also accompanies us, and our camel-drivers are from the
same country. They arrived with a caravan from Mourzuk, and we were
some time detained by the necessity of allowing them and their beasts
to rest before recommencing their march over the very arduous country
that lies between this and the confines of Fezzan.
Our progress will necessarily be slow, as all travelling is in the desert.
Camels can rarely exceed three miles an hour, and often make but two.
We may calculate their average progress at two miles and a half, so that
the reader will be pleased to bear in mind, that when I speak of a
laborious day of twelve hours, he must not imagine us to have
advanced more than thirty miles.
Before commencing the narrative of my journey, it may be as well to
introduce a few observations on the commerce at present carried on
with the interior by way of Tripoli. In addition to the mere acquisition
of geographical, statistical, and other information, I look upon the great
object of our mission to be the promotion, by all prudent means, of
legitimate trade. This will be the most effectual way of putting a stop to
that frightful system by which all the Central Provinces of Africa are
depopulated, and all the littoral regions demoralized. When the negro
races begin to make great profits by exporting the natural products of
their country, they will then, and perhaps then only, cease to export
their brethren as slaves. On this account, therefore, I take great interest
in whatever has reference to caravan trade.
There are now four general routes followed by the trading caravans
from the Barbary coast, leading to four different points of that great belt
of populous country that stretches across Central Africa,--viz. to Wadaï,
Bornou, Soudan, and Timbuctoo.
Wadaï sends to the coast at Bengazi a biennial caravan, accompanied

by a large number of slaves. The chief articles of legitimate traffic are
elephants' teeth and ostrich feathers. This route is a modern
ramification of interior trade, and was opened only during the last
century. It is calculated that the exports of Bengazi form one-third of
the whole of those of Tripoli.
Bornou sends to the coast by way of Fezzan, I am sorry to say, chiefly
slaves; but a quantity of ivory is now likewise forwarded by this route.
Soudan exports slaves, senna, ivory, wax, indigo, skins, &c. &c. Nearly
half of the commerce with this important country consists of legitimate
articles of trade and barter. This is very encouraging, and the brief
history of some of these objects of legal commerce is exceedingly
interesting. Wax, for example, began to be sent seventeen years ago;
elephants' teeth, fifteen; and indigo, only four years ago.
Timbuctoo now scarcely forwards anything but gold to the coast of
Tripoli, together with wax and ivory, but no slaves. The gold is brought
by the merchants in diminutive roughly-made rings, which they often
carry in dirty little bags, concealed in the breasts of their gowns.
I am exceedingly glad to learn that the Ghadamsee merchants, who
formerly embarked two-thirds of their capital in the slave-trade, have
now only one-fourth engaged in that manner. This is progress. It has
been partly brought about by the closing of the Tunisian slave-mart,
partly by the increase of objects of legitimate commerce in the markets
of Soudan. The merchants of Fezzan have still to learn that money may
be invested to more advantage in things than in persons; but their
education has been undertaken, and however slow the light may be in
forcing its way to their eyes, it will reach them at last, there can be no
doubt.
The trade in senna is always considerable. Last year a thousand cantars
were brought, from the country of the Tibboos and from Aheer. The
latter place supplies the best. New objects of exportation may no