the mother came bounding towards the spot, he shot her in the throat. On the 12th we reached Bilma*, the capital of the Tibboos, and the residence of their sultan, who, having always managed to get before and receive us, advanced a mile from the town attended by some fifty of his men at arms, and double the number of the sex we call fair. The men had most of them bows and arrows, and all * W e had a fine wadey the greater part of the way, and many patches o f saline incrustations; some exposed beds of red sandstone, containing numerous nodules o f iron ore. Hills o f much blacker colour; and a few have the appearance as o f ruins of towns and castles, on their summits. Passed three springs, like the oozings at Traghen. A large tract o f black surface, as if the situation o f an extensive salt bed, from which the salt had only been removed a few years; it extends more than four or five miles to the eastward, and was more'than a mile across, on our road. It is black and crispy, but has none o f the irregular heapings taken notice o f in other salt plains. There is another small town about two miles to the westward, o f the same name. Round it are a number o f mud elevations, which appear as if produced by mud volcanoes; but these are artificial, and made for the preparation o f salt. I had long wished to see the extensive salt plain that afforded such copious supplies : originally, no doubt, the large spaces I have several times noticed afforded abundance, but the re-production could not keep up with the quantity taken away. A r t was employed to obtain Nature; shallow pits were dug, which soon filled with water, and its evaporation left thick layers o f salt: high embankments were raised round these, evidently to prevent currents o f air. These places have much the look o f our tanyards, with small pits partitioned from each other. T he water is now strongly impregnated; in summer a thick crust is formed, which is the salt in use. One o f these works apparently yields a large quantity o f salt every year. When removed, the sordes are heaped up on the embankments. In the recesses there are many stalactites, o f a beautiful white colour, which consist o f muriate and carbonate of soda.T h e great mystery is, the origin o f the salt in all situations in which the water is near the surface, and the inclemency o f the water prevented by shelter. It is highly probable all this vast country was once a salt ocean; its height is nothing, considering its distance inland. What effect has the want, or almost want of rain,—for, as far as I can learn, no salt formations exist within the boundaries o f the rains ? There are many fine fresh springs issuing from the soil, and none o f the wells are brackish; when the water, however, remains some time stagnant, it gets impregnated with saline matter.—W . 0 . carried spears: they approached Boo Khaloom, shaking them in the air over their heads; and after this salutation we all moved on towards the town, the females dancing, and throwing themselves about with screams and songs in a mariner to us quite original. They were of a superior class to those of the minor towns; some having extremely pleasing features, while the pearly white of their regular teeth was beautifully contrasted with the glossy black of their skin, and the triangular flaps of plaited hair, which hung down on each side of their faces, streaming with oil, with the addition of the coral in the nose, and large amber necklaces, gave them a very seducing appearance. Some of them carried a sheish, a fan maflp 0f soft grass, or hair, for the purpose of keeping off the flies; others a branch of a tree, and some fans of ostrich feathers, or a bunch of keys: all had something in their hands, which they wave over their heads as they advance. One wrapper of Soudan tied on the top of the left shoulder, leaving the right breast bare, formed their covering, while a smaller one was thrown over the head, which hung down to their shoulders, or was thrown back at pleasure: notwithstanding the apparent scantiness of their habiliments, nothing could be farther from indelicate than was their appearance or deportment. On arriving at Bilma, we halted under the shade of a large tulloh tree while the tents were pitching; and the women danced with great taste, and, as I was assured by the sultan’s nephew, with skill also. As they approach each other, accompanied by the slow beat of an instrument formed out of a gourd, covered with goat’s skin, for a long tiihe their movements are confined to the head, hands, and body, which they throw from one side to the other, flourish in the air, and bend without moving the feet; suddenly, however, the music becomes quicker and louder, when they start into the most violent gestures, rolling their heads round, gnashing their teeth, and shaking their hands at each other, leaping up, and
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