S ROUTE TO TTMBUCTOO.

The hire of every camel was from ten to twelve ducats, at five shillings sterling per du-

cat ; as this route is through a very mountainous

country, and the travelling is very bad, the

charges were proportionally high ; the weight which every camel carried was between four and

five quintals, the camels in this country being

strong and very large. ^

Tafilelt is the place of general meeting of all

the merchants who go to Timbuctoo.

*"

The territory of Tafilelt contains no towns,

but abounds in fortresses with mud-walls ^ which

the natives call El Kassar, and which contain from three to four hundred families ; in these

fortresses there is a public market fin Arabic,

soke^ every week, where the inhabitants purchase

provisions, he. The natives of Tafilelt are descendants of the

shereefs ^ or princes of Marocco, and are there-

fore of the Imperial family.

^ This charge of carriage by the camels from Fas to Ta-

filelt, is equal to 55s. sterling per camel, to 1 Jd. per mile for

each camel, and to one farthing and one third per quintal of

merchandise per mile.

' That is for all who go from the Emperor of Marocco's

dominions, north of the river Morbeya, which is called El

Garb, or the North Western Division.

^ These mud walls are made in cases, and the mode of

erecting them is called tabia. See Jackson's Account of

the Empire of Marocco, &c. &c. 2d or Sd edition,

page 298.

*^ Hence it is called Bled Shereefs i. e. the Country of

Frinees.