The life of the desert nomads, even when free from war and brigandage, is one of perpetual variety and excitement. They spend the winter and the spring in the wilderness, where, at these seasons, there are both water and pasture; but they remain in one spot only for a few days, striking their tents and migrating to another as soon as the pasture is consumed.
As summer approaches, they resort to the oases where their property is kept; here they load their camels with merchandise, and journey northward. They arrive in the Tell just at harvest- time, when the price of corn is low. Here they pass the summerin barter and commerce, exchanging their woollen goods and dates for raw wool, sheep, &c.
At the close of the summer they set off southward again, arriving at the oases in October, just as the dates are ripe. Their assistance is now valuable in gathering in the crops, which occupies them a month; and another month is spent in bartering their raw wool and other late purchases for a portion of the dates which they have helped to gather, and for manufactured garments made by the women. These they deposit in their magazines, and then withdraw again to the desert, with their flocks and herds.
CARAVANS
There are two classes of caravans,⑤ either of which a traveller may join. The first, and most expeditious, is the gafa"la , or merchants" caravans, which start with some degree of regularity from certain depots in the northern oases, and whose departures are always made known beforehand. The camel-drivers regulate the speed of the journey, generally travelling from twenty to twenty-five miles a day, save in regions infested by robbers, where they will occasionally double that rate of speed. In case of attack, every one defends himself and his property as he best can; and the timid are seen rushing towards the centre, to escape being cut off as stragglers.
The second kind of caravan is the ne"ja , which consists of aCARAVAN CROSSING THE DESERTwhole tribe in migration, and which travels much more slowly. They carry with them, not their merchandise merely, but all their cattle, tents, and household stuff, together with their women, children, domestic animals, and poultry.
They move along at an easy rate, and the journey is pleasant enough so long as no enemy appears; but should they meet the bands of a hostile tribe while thus encumbered, it may chance to go hard with them. The battle which ensues is one in which quarter is neither asked nor given, the Arabs being much more bitter in their warfare against each other than in their encounters with Europeans. Sunset is the signal for the cessation of the strife, and the defeated party is allowed to make off in the night. In these conflicts prisoners are never made, the conquerors preferring the heads of their victims to any ransom that could be offered.
From Morocco six caravans traverse the Sahara every year, when from two thousand to three thousand camels are loaded with European produce, and start for the distant countries of the interior. Some of these caravans penetrate as far into Soudan as Timbuctu. They bring thence gold dust, buffalo- skins, ivory, senna, alkali, rhinoceros-horns, indigo, diamonds, perfumes, gums, and other articles of commerce. On reaching the banks of the Niger, the Moors deposit their merchandise on a hill. They then retire, and the negroes advance and criticise the goods. After an examination of three days, they generally come to terms, and the business is done.
WORDS
amicable, friendly. assistance, help. bartering, exchanging. brigandage, plunder. civilized, cultivated. compressed, squeezed. consumed, exhausted.
cultivate, till.
custody, guardianship. destitute, devoid. encounters, conflicts. encumbered, embarrassed. enormous, vast. expeditious, rapid.
fertile, productive. invariably, uniformly. inviolate, uninjured. lavished, squandered. magazines, store-houses. maturity, ripeness. merchandise, goods. migration, travelling. neighbourhood, vicinity. obliterate, efface.
occasionally, sometimes. perpetual, constant. practicable, performable. preference, choice; liking. profitable, lucrative. relished, enjoyed.
reverse, opposite. sepulchres, tombs. supplied, filled up.
NOTES
① Oases, fertile spots, The singular is oasis.
② Gravitates, has a bias or tendency, under the influence of the law of gravitation, by which bodies are drawn towards the centre of the earth. Water, therefore, always seeks the lowest level.
③ Ferment, undergo fermentation; that change in organic substances by which their sugar,starch, &c, are decomposed. A foam, or froth, rises to the top. This is the yeast, or barm, used in making dough.-Cider is a liquor made from apples.
④ Nomadic, leading a wandering life; properly, pastoral. Tribes which lead an unsettled,wandering life, are called no"mads .
⑤ Caravan, a company of travellers going across the desert, who combine for greater security.
QUSTIONS
What mistake is frequently made regarding the nature of the Sahara?Whathas led to this mistake? How do the guides find their way across the desert?
What is the Tell ? Where do the oases usually lie? With what does the date palm supply the dwellers in the desert? To what two nations do these inhabitants belong?Who are the Berbers? Where do they live? What is the ksar ? What are the marabets ?
What part of the year do the Arabs spend in the wilderness? For what purpose do they leave it?
What are the two classes of caravans called? Which travels the more quickly?To what danger are they exposed? What is characteristic of Arab warfare? How many caravans cross the Sahara from Marocco every year? How far do they penetrate? What do they bear thence?
