climate, and affords very bad
nourishment for beasts; insomuch, that out of an hundred camels which go
from the desert into that country, scarcely twenty-five return; several
even of the Arabs and Azanhaji, belonging to the caravans, sicken and die
likewise every year. There are no quadrupeds kept by the natives of the
country, as indeed none can live there for any time. It is reckoned to be
forty days journey on horseback from Tegazza to Tombuctu, and thirty from
thence to Melli[1]. Having inquired what use the merchants of Melli made
of this salt, the traders of the desert informed me, that a part of it
was consumed in that country, which lying near the line, where the days
and nights are of equal length, certain seasons of the year are so
excessively hot that the blood of the inhabitants would putrify, if it
were not for the salt, and they would all die. They have no art or
mystery in its use; but every one dissolves a small piece every day in a
porringer of water, and drinks it off, which in their opinion preserves
their health.

The remainder of the salt is carried a long way in pieces on mens heads,
every piece being as large as a man can well bear. As brought from
Teggazza, the salt is in large pieces as taken out of the mine, each
camel being loaded with two pieces, and the negroes break these down into
smaller pieces, for the convenience of carrying them on their heads, and
muster a large number of footmen for this yearly traffic. These porters
have each a long forked stick in their hands; and, when tired, they rest
their loads on these sticks. They proceed in this manner till they arrive
on the banks of a certain water, but whether fresh or salt my informer
could not say, yet I am of opinion that it must be a river, because, if
it were the sea, the inhabitants could not be in want of salt in so hot a
climate. The negroes are hired to carry it in this manner for want of
camels or other beasts of burden, as already mentioned; and, from what
has been said, it may easily be concluded that the number, both of the
carriers and consumers must be very great. When arrived at the water side,
the proprietors of the salt place their shares in heaps in a row, at
small distances, setting each a particular mark on his own heap; and when
this is done, the whole company retires half a days journey from the
place. Then the other negroes, who are the purchasers of the salt, who
seem to be the inhabitants of certain islands, but