Travels and discoveries in North and Central Africa : $b Including accounts of Tripoli, the Sahara, the remarkable kingdom of Bornu, and the countries around Lake ChadBarth, Heinrich
History
Travels and discoveries in North and Central Africa : $b Including accounts of Tripoli, the Sahara, the remarkable kingdom of Bornu, and the countries around Lake Chad
Barth, Heinrich
Africa, Central -- Description and travel; Africa, North -- Description and travel
About four o’clock in the afternoon we encamped in the Wady Mukméda,
near the sand-hills bordering its southern side, under the shade of a
wild palm-bush. Close to it was very good water only two feet below
the surface; but as the hole had only just been made, it contained much
sulphuretted hydrogen. The following day we crossed several smaller
valleys with a few palm-trees (but a larger grove adorned the Wady
Jemál), all belonging to one of our camel-drivers of the name of Bu Bakr.
He also possessed here a magazine, built of bricks, and probably several
centuries old, but entirely covered with sand, where he had deposited
forty camel-loads of dates. They were of the kind called tefsirt, of very
large size and exquisite taste, and were eagerly devoured by our people.
After having refreshed ourselves for a moment, we went on, having just
before us the very steepest ascent that occurs on the whole road. I was
obliged to dismount from my beautiful Bu-Séfi in order to get him over
it. This ridge being once behind us, we were told that all the “wár” was
over; there were, however, still a few “difficult passes” before us. In
the Wady Gellah, which we next crossed, we found the footsteps of a flock
of sheep and of a single camel, which latter animal finds plenty of food
in this sandy district, and, at the shallow well in Wady Uglah, is able
to quench its thirst without the assistance of man. Thence we descended
into Wady Tigidéfa, where we encamped near a couple of palm-trees, the
only ones in the wady; a copious well of very good water was near them,
overshadowed by a thick cluster of palm-bushes. It was altogether a very
satisfactory camping-ground, except that it swarmed with camel-bugs, as
such places in the desert generally do.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account