manner of preserving it was in skins. It was however
never used at Tombuctoo, except as an article of trade.
Although the King was despotic, and could compel his
subjects to take up arms when he required it, yet it did
not appear that they were slaves whom he might sell, or
employ as such generally; the only actual slaves being
such as were brought from other countries, or condemned
criminals. Of the latter class only twelve persons were
condemned to slavery during the six months of Adams's
residence at Tombuctoo. The offences of which they
had been guilty were poisoning, theft, and refusing to
join a party sent out to procure slaves from foreign
countries.
Adams never saw any individual put to death at Tombuctoo,
(38) the punishment for heavy offences being, as has
just been stated, slavery; for slighter misdemeanours the
offenders are punished with beating with a stick; but in no
case is this punishment very severe, seldom exceeding two
dozen blows, with a stick of the thickness of a small walking
cane.
Adams did not observe any shops at Tombuctoo. (33) The
goods brought for sale, which consisted chiefly of tobacco,
tar, gunpowder, blue nankeens, blankets, earthen jars, and
some silks, are obtained from the Moors, and remain in the
King’s house, until they are disposed of. The only other
objects of trade appeared to be slaves.
The principal articles given in exchange in trade by the
people of Tombuctoo, are gold-dust, ivory, gum, cowries,
ostrich feathers, and goat skins ; which latter they stain red
and yellow. Adams has seen a full-grown slave bought
for forty or fifty cowries.(S'!) He never saw the Negroes find
any gold, but he understood that it was procured out of the
mountains, and on the banks of the rivers, to the southward
of Tombuctoo.
The Negroes consume the tobacco both in snuff and for
smoking ; for the latter purpose they use pipes, the tubes
of which are made of the leg bones of ostriches.
The chief use to which they apply the tar brought by the
Moors, is to protect the camels and other animals from the
attacks of large green flies, which are very numerous, and
greatly distress them. Adams has sometimes seen tar-water
mixed with the food of the natives as medicine, which
made it so nauseous to his taste that he could not eat it.
The Negroes, however, did not appear to have the same dislike
to it; from which he infers, that the use of tar-water in
their food, was frequent, though he only saw it four or five
times. None of the persons whom he saw using it were in
bad health at the time.
G