Part 38

29th. Tema-sanéggeti, a valley; arrive at the ʿaser, having crossed another valley called Tín-agh-ákeli.

30th. Én-émmegel, a valley rich in trees, where you encamp at sunset. To-day you have to pass two other valleys called Erésnughén and Tin- táheli, all these valleys being separated from each other by a hammáda of an even surface, without stones.

31st. Tehárraket, a valley commanded by a mountain called Turéret, where you arrive about the ʿaser; pebbles and stones.

N.B. Tehárraket is a very important point on this route, as, having now turned the high mountainous region of the desert of the Hogár or Hágara, which you leave on your right, you change your direction, and turn northwards.

32nd. Hágara, a valley with a well called Tehelehóhet, where you arrive after the ʿaser.

33rd. Súf méllel, another locality of the same name as that above mentioned, where you arrive about the ʿaser, after having passed two valleys, the first of which is called Akdhau, and the other Ém-ujáj.

34th. Sheikh Sálah with the surname Melá el ákhsen, “the best of men,”[212] near to whose chapel, situate in the mountainous tract Tésennu, there is water; you arrive a little before sunset, having passed over a pebbly level.

35th. Terazart, “the little valley” or “glen;” shortly before sunset; hammáda.

36th. Emmesír, a valley, where you arrive after the ʿaser. In the morning you keep along a valley called Méniyet, with a well, beyond which you cross another valley called Afísfes, while the last part of your road leads over the hammáda, consisting of gravel.

37th. Etgúlgulet, where you arrive at the time of the ʿaser. In the morning you keep for a while along the valley Emmesír, till you reach the valley called Arák; and following it up, you pass two watering- places, one of which is called (by the Arabs) Sekíyah, and the other “el Hájar.”

38th. Tajemút, a valley, where you encamp before the ʿaser.

39th. Koikewát, a cluster of small valleys, where you encamp at one o’clock, P.M.

40th. Gurdí, a valley, where you arrive a little before sunset, after having crossed another valley called Teráttimín, with water.

41st. The well in the long valley Ághmemár.

42nd. Encamp about the same hour, still in the same valley Ághmemár.

43rd. Én-semméd, where you arrive after the ʿaser. In the morning you still keep along the broad valley of Ághmemár until you ascend a mountain, from which you descend into another valley called by the Arabs “el Botta,” probably on account of its hollow shape; here is a well called “Tin-Slimán.” Proceeding along the valley, you reach the place of your encampment for the night.

44th. El Ghábah (the Forest), of great extent and full of brushwood; arrive at the ʿaser, after having crossed on your road a depression or hollow called e’ Shaʿab, from which you enter upon rising ground and come to the forest.

45th. Ín-sálah, the great market-place of the southernmost district of Tawát, where you arrive about the ʿaser, first keeping in the forest, then ascending a little.

N.B.—Along this route, as I learned on a later occasion, there are several places where _salt_ is found, which, as the fact is one of the greatest interest, I shall here name together, although I am unfortunately not able to connect the first places which I have to mention with the corresponding points of the itinerary. These are Ém- éddarór, said to be six days’ march from Asïu; further on, Ahóren, and, one day S. from the well Tin-slimán, Én-méllel.

I here also add what information I could collect about the tribes dwelling on or near this road. As far as Néswa, we know them from what I have said above; but the first part also of the road from this place is inhabited by sections of the Imghád, as the Kél-áhenet, while the Ijrán have their settlements even as far west as the valley Tájemút.

_a. The Sakomáren._

Next to the Imghád, on the north side of the road, are the Sakomáren, a tribe who in the middle age of the Arabs lived N.E. from the middle course of the so-called Niger, and of whom some remains are still to be found in the neighbourhood of that river, near Timbúktu; for there can be no doubt about the identity of these tribes.[213] By what revolution this tribe was driven from their ancient seats we are not yet able to say; however it may be, Ebn Batúta found the Berdáma where the Sakomáren had formerly resided.

Their present settlements seem not to be so very dreary, and are said to be rich in pasture-grounds, so that they are enabled to breed plenty of cattle, and make a good deal of butter, with which they supply the less favoured districts of Ásben. They appear to possess, however, little strength, and are greatly influenced apparently by their intimate friendship with the Tawátíye; part of them live even in the territory of the latter oasis, principally belonging to the section called Welád- wúen-Tawát, a name manifesting a curious mixture of Arabic and Temáshight, though the main body of them is said to dwell in the district of Amgíd. Besides the name of this tribe, I learnt the names of the following: viz.,

The Kél-tegéttuft, who inhabit the district called Ahóhoghén;

The Kél-úhet, whose tents are generally pitched in Ahéllegen;

The Welád Témenít, living in Fazólet;

The tribe of the Háj ʿAli, living in a valley called Gháris: and,

The Ihiyáwen-háda, a tribe living in Imáhir, and probably related to the tribe called simply Ihiyáwen.

_b. The Hogár_ or _Hágara._

Formerly I thought that the Hogár were more numerous than their eastern kinsmen the Azkár, and that they were able to bring into the field as many as three thousand men; but I have discovered in the course of my proceedings, that the free men, the real “hharár” or Imóshagh among them scarcely exceed five hundred, while of course their Imghád and slaves muster a greater number. But notwithstanding their small number, the Hogár are much feared by the other tribes, on account of their great bodily size and strength, and because they are armed with a variety of weapons, and are thickly clothed. They live entirely upon meat and milk, and have few resources but their herds, as they do not levy tribute on the caravans, but receive only small sums from the Kúnta, the Berabísh, and even a light tax from Arawán. They are not capable of turning to account the salt-mines of Taodénni, which are rather distant from their seats, though they levy a small tribute from the chief of that place. But their relations to the western part of the desert will be more clearly understood from what I shall say in another place.

The Hogár are divided into six branches:—

The Kél-ghálla, inhabiting the valley of Erárar (a general appellation for a large valley plain);

The Bu-ghelán, living in the valley of Téfedist;

The Tai-túk, inhabiting the fine valley Arák;

The Tégehin-usídi, who have their abode in the valley of Téghazart;

The Inémba, who pitch their tents in the valley Tífi-n-ákeli;

The Íkdeyén, who inhabit Anímmegel.

I will now add a few remarks on the centre of the district occupied by this tribe, which seems to present traits of peculiar interest. It is generally called by the Arabs “jébel Hagár,” but this is not the original appellation, its true or indigenous name being “_Atakór_.” This mountain-mass (which evidently lies in the angle formed by the route from Asïu to Tawát) stretches from three to four days’ march in length, and one in breadth, from S. to N., at the distance of seven days’ march S.E. from Tawát. My intelligent friend the sheikh Sídi Ahmed el Bakáy, in Timbúktu, who had lived some time among the Hogár, as well as among the tribes of Aïr, especially the Kél-fadaye, assured me, in the most positive way, that this mountain-group, and one long range of it in particular, is far higher than the mountains of Aïr; the rocks being very steep and of red colour. He represented to me, as very remarkable and probably the highest of the group, the isolated, detached, and steep peak Ílimán or Élimán. Very fine valleys and glens are formed between these mountains, some of them watered by lively perennial streams, and producing figs and grapes.

In this place may be fitly mentioned those Tawárek tribes that live within the boundaries of Tawát. These are the Kél-eméllel or Welád Fákki, as they are called by the people of Tawát, and their kinsmen the Tígge-n-sákkel, and also the Tígge-n-gáli. These tribes are regarded as belonging to the Tawárek, while the Gurára are considered as Zenáta; and it is very erroneous to regard Tawát as almost a Tawárek country.

VI.—ROUTE FROM ÁGADES TO THE HILLET E’ SHEIKH SÍDI EL MUKHTÁR IN AZAWÁD, ACCORDING TO THE KÉL-FERWÁN BAINA.

N.B. This route is a path taken at present every year by the Kél-ferwán when they sally forth to plunder the caravans on the road from Tawát to Timbúktu; it is not altogether a direct road, as I learnt afterwards. But unfortunately none of the people of Azawád (who, as I mentioned above, when they do not go by way of Timbúktu, generally take the road to Mekka by way of Ágades) was able to give me the exact details of the direct road. This road passes through the seats of the Awelímmiden.

Day.

1st. Énwágged, a valley, where you arrive at the ʿaser, having started from Ágades in the morning.

2nd. Imintédent (perhaps Ém-n-tédent), where you arrive about the same hour, having crossed many depressions or hollows in the rocky ground.

3rd. Sakéret, a valley; arrive at sunset.

4th. Etmet Tadérret, a valley; arrive two hours after sunset.

5th. Agrédem; about ʿaser. The whole day’s journey lies over a hammáda of red soil (recalling to mind the sameness of all these elevated levels in Central Africa), the red colour being produced by the iron oxide.

6th. Etsá-n-élimán; at ʿaser. Hammáda.

7th. Tímmia; at ʿaser. Hammáda.

8th. Ebelághlaghén; about the same hour. Hammáda.

9th. Isakeríyen; about the same hour. The hammáda is here covered with a little herbage. The road thus far seems to be about N.N.W.; hence it turns north-westward.

10th. Etsá-n-Hébbi; about the ʿaser.

11th. Igédian; about one o’clock P.M.

12th. Akár; about the ʿaser.

13th. Kélijít; a little after noon.

14th. Ákalú, a considerable valley with water, which you reach at one o’clock.

15th. Ákerír, an inhabited valley, where you arrive about the ʿaser, having travelled the morning till after mid-day along the valley Ákalú.

16th. Kídal; after the ʿaser.

This name, as I learnt afterwards, is not applied to a single locality, but comprises a district with fertile valleys, inhabited by the Debákal, who breed an excellent race of horses.

17th. Tim-áklali; about ʿaser.

18th. Asalágh; at sunset, after having crossed several hollows in the rocky ground. Here you find inhabitants, partly Arabs, of the tribe of the Kúnta, partly Tawárek, of the widely dispersed tribe of the Ífógas.

19th. Aghasher (Eghazar), a fine valley with date-trees, corn, and tobacco. At some distance from it is another fertile valley called Tesillíte, likewise abounding in dates.

20th. Tigháughawen; about the ʿaser.

21st. Hillet e’ Sheikh Sídi el Mukhtár, a celebrated place of worship, where you arrive about one o’clock P.M. This place ought to have considerable interest for all those who take an interest in the circumstances attending the frequent sacrifice of life made in the arduous endeavour to open the African continent to European science and intercourse; for this is the very spot where the unfortunate Major Laing, under the protection of Sídi Mohammed, the father of my noble friend the sheikh el Bakáy, recovered from those fearful wounds which he had received in the nocturnal attack by the Tawárek in Wadi Ahénnet. Hence, in the few letters which he sent home, so full of resignation and heroic courage, he called the place “belád Sídi Mohammed.” In the further course of our narrative this spot will be connected with Timbúktu.

[Footnote 208: I shall say more about Ádar in the fourth volume of my journal.]

[Footnote 209: About the name Efígagén, which is probably only a dialectic variety of Efínagen, I have spoken in a former passage.]

[Footnote 210: See my narrative, p. 289.]

[Footnote 211: The name Imkám is remarkable. It seems to denote a religious “station;” and it is interesting, as it exactly corresponds with the station Dekhár, mentioned by the famous traveller Ebn Batúta as ten days distant from the well where the road to Tawát separated from that to Egypt, which, there cannot be the least doubt, is identical with Asïu or with Néswa.]

[Footnote 212: Whether this Sheikh Sálah be the same as the famous sheikh of the same name, who has given his name to the celebrated Wadi el Sheikh, in the peninsula of Sinai, I cannot tell.]

[Footnote 213: The Arab authors always write صغماره; but with regard to African names there is the greatest uncertainty in the use of the غ, the ق, and the ك. Thus some write غرمه others قرمه; Gober is written كوبر, by others غوبر; Tagant تكانت and تغانت.]

VII.

FRAGMENTS OF METEOROLOGICAL REGISTER.

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[Deg. F.: Degrees in scale of Fahrenheit.]