54 Wedinoon. accordingly repaired to Tamaract,* but found, too late, that this was only a stratagem to seize his person, as he was immediately imprisoned; but procuring, b y the assistance o f a friend, a penknife, which was sent to him, baked in a lo af o f bread, he with this terminated his existence, and the town soon after surrendered. T h e merchants were allowed but a short time to collect together their effects, when the y were ordered to proceed to Mogodor, where the Emperor, as before mentioned, encouraged them to build houses. Beyond Santa C ru z there is no port frequented b y sh ip p in g : there is a tract o f coast, however, which holds out great encouragement to commercial enterprize, and secure establishments might be affected upon it, which would amply remunerate the enterprizing speculator; the people o f Suse are also well disposed towards Europeans, particularly the E n g lish ; and the communication, and short distance, between this place and the provinces, or districts, where most o f the valuable products o f Barbary are raised, render it pecu lia rly adapted to trade. When curiosity induced me to visit this coast, I .was invited b y the Amarani Arabs to establish a factory at a certain eligible p la c e ; the Sheik offered to get a house built for me, free o f expense, and declared that all exports and imports should be regulated b y a d u ty o f o n ly two per cent, on the value ; as he was, however, liable to be shot, being a celebrated warrior, and as S was not sufficiently known in England to procure the credit necessary to ca rry on advantageously such an establishment, I thought it prudent at that time to decline the overture. If, however, I had been able to procure the same support from * See the Map of West Barbary. Wedinoon. 55 Europe that I should have had from the natives and their Sheik, an eligible opportunity would have presented its e lf to open an extensive and lu crativ e trade with the interior, w hich in a short time would ha ve supplied the whole o f the inland countries o f North A fr ica with European manufactures and produce. From Santa Cruz southward the sovereignty o f the Emperor slackens, so that at Wedinoon it is scarcely acknowledged, and the difficulty o f passing an. army ove r that branch o f the A tla s which separates Suse from Haha, secures to the Wedinoonees their arrogated independence. There are but two roads y e t discovered fit for shipping between Santa C ru z and Cape Bojador, an extent o f coast, for the most part desert, o f seventy leagues, the whole o f which is inhabited b y various tribes o f A rabs, who h a v e emigrated at different periods from the interior o f Sahara, and pitched their tents wherever they could find a spot capable o f affording pasture to their flocks. A l l along this dangerous and deceitful coast, there are rocks even with, or v e ry near, the surface o f the water, o ve r which the waves break v io le n t ly ; and the rap id ity o f the currents, which in variably set in towards the land, too often d rive vessels ashore here.* In these sgpthern climates the people are more superstitious than in the northern p ro v in ce s ; the heat inflaming the imagination, multiplies the number o f fanatics, who under the name o f Fakeers, or saints, impose on the credulity o f the peop le: they have but few mosques, and therefofe pray in the open air, or in their tents. Here we see horses, camels, and other beasts, liv in g together w ith men, women, and children indiscriminately. When they are in want o f water for their religious * See Chapter X I I .
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