elephants' teeth, panthers' skins and silk. They have islands in the sea, from which they collect cowries to adorn their persons, and they use them in traffic one with another, at an established rate.[1] Adjoining to these lies the land of the Dum-a-dum." (Here we certainly have a description of the Galla.) "It is situated on Nile, bordering on the Zinji. The inhabitants are Infidels, and the Tartars among the blacks, consisting of savage tribes of freebooters, who continually take captive and plunder every thing that falls in their way. In their country the river divides; one branch going towards Egypt, and the other to the country of the Zinji.[2] Sofala 't il Dhab adjoins the eastern borders of the Zinji. It is an extensive district, and mines of iron are found in it, which the people of the country work and sell to the traders from lnd, who give a high price for it, on account of its being harder and of better temper than that which they obtain in their own country, and they purify it and make it into steel, which admits of a durable edge. The natives themselves also make swords of it, and other offensive weapons. The most remarkable produce of this country is its quantity of native gold that is found, in pieces of two or three Meskalla[3] weight; in spite of which, the natives generally adorn their persons with ornaments of brass."
From this extract, it appears that a direct trade from India to the coast was very early established, and that the former country was supplied with iron from Sofala, a circumstance somewhat strange, but by no means incredible, as plenty of iron is still to be met with in the interior; and several of the northern tribes of the Kaffers, are at the present day known to have considerable skill in working this metal.
- ↑ The greater part of the above is still applicable to the negro tribes residing on the coast.
- ↑ By this I conceive is meant the Nil l'Mugdesso (or river of Magadasho,) which takes its rise from the same chain of mountains as the Abaid or Nile of Egypt.
- ↑ This is probably the Metigal, by which they still weigh the gold at Mozambique; it contains 108 grains avoirdupois.
