Narrative of a Mission to Central Africa Performed in the Years 1850-51 Volume I Part 10

_30th._--We made five hours of very difficult road, winding nearly all the way through a ravine of the rocky plateau, and finally descended by a precipitous path, among some rocks, to a small lake or pool enclosed within immense cliffs of rock, called the Egheree Water. It is produced solely by rain. Within ten minutes of this, between the cliffs, is another three times the size, and of the same origin. All about, moreover, there are little pools of water sparkling amongst the rocks, left by the recent rain. We encamped in a narrow wady, called Ajunjer, further on; and propose to remain during the rest of the day and to-morrow. It has been cool to-day, with wind; the sky clear, of a deep blue. In the rocky valley we observed a species of hedge-thorn, called jadaree; also many of the fine large-leafed plants, called baranbakh; and the sweet-smelling sheeah, that reminded us of home-lavender.

We have been hitherto going on in a quiet, jog-trot way enough, almost forgetting that the desert has perils, and that we are not in a civilised land. Now comes something to awaken us out of this dream of comfort. A courier has arrived from Ghat, bringing the news that one Sidi Jafel Waled Sakertaf, the great man of the oasis of Janet--on which we have been speculating so pastorally--is preparing to come out and intercept our pa.s.sage to Soudan, near the well of Tajetterat. This pleasant intelligence came to us in a letter from Hateetah and Jabour, who, however, philosophically add that they are not quite sure it is correct. I rewarded the courier with five reals, and sent him off to Waled Shafou and the Sultan with the news; begging the former to meet us certainly at Falezlez, which is about four days from this, whilst Tajetterat is nearly eight. Janet is now only a day and a-half south-south-west from our encampment. It is a small oasis, inhabited by Moors and Tuaricks. The statistics of the place begin to interest us exceedingly. We are told that there is a good deal of corn grown there, on account of the abundance of water. Sidi Jafel Waled Sakertaf--whose voluminous name we found it quite easy to learn under these circ.u.mstances--is cousin of the Sultan Shafou, and a very old man; but we cannot hope that in these frugal regions the gout will interfere in our favour, and put a stop to this unprovoked foray.

The weather has been cool to-day. We are on high ground, although in a wady; and this renders the heat very supportable. The reported attack keeps our minds occupied, and has a little upset us; but no one talks of flinching. Besides, this has not been the first alarm, nor will it be the last. I sent an account of this circ.u.mstance so far to Lord Palmerston by the courier; and should have written much more, had not I been occupied with the news and with the Kailouees, who have chosen this occasion to be troublesome. We do not get so much information, by the way, out of these people as we might expect; they do not know the names of the wadys and rocks hereabouts, and so pretend they have none.

The hundred dollars which we brought from Mourzuk are now nearly all gone--I have only eight or ten left. Friend Sidi Jalef Waled Sakertaf--how unmusical the name sounds!--will get little money from us, and must content himself with our baggage, if he will play the robber.

For the cousin of a Sultan, fie!

_August 1._--We left Ajunjer early, and made five hours only, because to-morrow there is no herbage until late in the evening. How tantalising to be obliged to advance thus by short stages towards an ambuscade! We take things pretty philosophically, however, and make geological observations. Overweg (who begins to show signs of weakness) is delighted that we have at length reached a region of granite. I think I must have pa.s.sed a great number of rocks of the same kind between Ghadamez and Ghat. To the eye of an ordinary observer, some of them have the same aspect as sandstone, or even limestone. This granite interests us, especially as in the direct Bornou route there appears to be none at all.

Dr. Barth compares the Tuaricks of Ghat and the Haghar to lions and tigers, and the Kailouees to snakes. The comparison well hits off their outward characteristics, but, as Overweg says, we must not judge of these people by the ordinary rules of morality, or apply to them an European standard. I suspect we shall have to put up with still more extraordinary specimens of human nature.

We were proceeding, engaged in noticing the various colours and forms of the granite, when there appeared advancing through the ravine ahead a number of moving figures. At first, of course, we were a little alarmed; but it turned out to be only a slave caravan--about twenty camels and forty slaves. One of the little boys had an immensely large head--quite a phenomenon. We, of course, eagerly questioned the merchants about Sahara news, and especially as to whether the Tuaricks had made their appearance at Falezlez or Tajetterat. They had neither seen nor heard of the hostile party; and perhaps we may hope that all this is a rumour.

However, it looked very like truth; and, possibly, Sidi Jafel may know perfectly well that there is no occasion to hurry. The Tanelk.u.ms are now about four days in advance of us, and may receive the first brunt of the attack. These slave-dealers tell us, that from Falezlez to the place where we are to be robbed and murdered is four days of dismal desert, without water--suffering before sacrifice. We are getting into the heart of the Sahara at last. Day by day the stations become more difficult.

Another caravan is to pa.s.s in a few days, which may give us more definite intelligence. I am writing to Government and to my wife; but of camels I am heartily sick. Gagliuffi's camel still sticks in my throat.

It was the first to knock up. I have left it at Ghat--thirty-eight mahboubs gone. People want to make a fortune out of my poor expedition.

_2d._--We made a long day of twelve hours, at first between granite rocks for four hours, and then over a sandy plain. This plain was at first scattered with pebbles of granite, but finally it became all sand.

The granite rocks were mostly conic in form, and on our right rose one peak at least six hundred feet high. Further off on the same side, at a distance, the rocks continued in a range, instead of being scattered about like so many sugar-loaves placed upon a plane, as mountains are represented to children. To-day the granite became stratified, or gneiss; there were also some fine specimens of hornblend.

One of our Kailouee friends amused himself on the road by giving a good beating to his female slave. These people transact their domestic affairs in public with the utmost simplicity. They seem to think they are showing themselves in a favourable light by this brutal conduct, for I detect glances of pride thrown towards us. Whenever these beatings occur--which they do at no distant intervals--there is always another servant, or some one, who attempts to separate the enraged master from the object of his wrath. In the present instance, interference took place in time to prevent any very serious consequences; otherwise, I have no doubt the ruffians would go on exciting themselves, and beating harder and harder, even until death ensued. We noticed the common black bird I have already mentioned, with white head and tail. It is indeed seen everywhere, and may emphatically be called "The Bird of the Desert!"

Next day, the 3d, we started at daybreak, and made another long day of nearly twelve hours. It is necessary to hurry over these inhospitable tracts. After two hours we got among some sand-hills, and continued all day over the same kind of ground--hill and valley alternating, with here and there a huge, isolated, granite, rock rising up like an island.

Pebbles strewed the surface of the sandy valleys. I scarcely remember to have beheld so desolate a region. For two days there has been no water, and the camels have stretched out their necks in vain for herbage. A little gra.s.s, it is true, was plucked among the sand-hills to-day, and mixed with the dates, which we are compelled to give to the camels.

These poor beasts are becoming thin and gaunt, from the effects of heat, fatigue, and especially from the lack of sufficient herbage. Luckily, cool winds from the south supply the place of the gheblee.

This evening one of the Kailouees challenged me to have a run with him; I accepted the challenge, and we ran a short distance, to the great amus.e.m.e.nt of the people.

Our guides are sociable companions enough. They pointed out to day on the sand the footsteps of the caravan which we met a few days ago going to Ghat; and likewise their own footsteps, left when they pa.s.sed by that way a month and a half since.

CHAPTER XII.

Reach Falezlez--Dates left in the Desert--Road-marks--Disputes with the Kailouees--News from Tidek--Scarcity of Food in Aheer--Similitudes and Signs of the Tuaricks--Fine Climate--Arrival of Wataitee--His Boasting--Saharan travelling--My Umbrella--Grasping Son of Shafou--Geology of the Desert--The "Person who gives"--Another Caravan--Tuarick Sportsmen--Wady Aroukeen--Fine Scene--New Trees--Kailouee Camels--Fine Nights--Well--New Moon--Pa.s.sing a Caravan in the Desert--Origin of the Kailouee Tuaricks--Arrive at Tajetterat--No Robbers--An Alarm--Well of Esalan--Senna--Birds--Graves of Slave Children--Our Grievances against the Tuaricks.

_4th._--We might have reached the well of Falezlez last night; but as we did not know who might be waiting for us there, preferred halting three-quarters of an hour from it, and advanced only in the morning, in broad daylight.

Here we found our dates, left by the Tanelk.u.ms in the side of a mound of sand, with a piece of rotten wood stuck up to mark the place. Had they been, however, exposed by the side of the well, and a hundred caravans had pa.s.sed, no one would have touched them. It is a point of honour to steal nothing thus confided in the desert. Mutual interest suggests mutual forbearance. The Tanelk.u.ms left these dates, because we had only hired the camels to bring them thus far, and they knew we should not probably come up with them. This increase of our provisions turns out to be opportune. Without it, some of our animals might have fallen down.

Round and near Ghat we found the stones which are set up at certain intervals to mark the direction of the roads, frequently arranged in circular heaps. An usual form is pyramidal, but the most common practice of all is to set up one stone end-ways upon one or two others. Sometimes a hundred of these will be seen together.

We have had some trouble in satisfying the Kailouees for the protection they afford us. At Ghat the agreement made was for one hundred reals, half in goods and half in money, and a trifling present when they arrived at their journey's end. This was arranged by Haj Ibrahim and Mohammed Kafa, a merchant of Ghat, and consul or wakeel of the Kailouees, whom I have before mentioned. Immediately that they became a little familiar with us, they began to say that they had not received all the hundred reals; but on hearing that we should write to Ghat about it, they dropped this plea, and asked for another hundred reals as the present promised them, as they pretended, through Haj Ibrahim. When the news came respecting Sidi Jafel--taking advantage of our supposed fears--they boldly demanded a sword, some burnouses, and one hundred reals in money.

All these demands I firmly resisted as long as I could; but at length, when a compromise seemed necessary, we arranged for a hundred reals more in goods. A part we have given here, and the rest we have promised on our arrival at Aheer. Nothing is now said of Zinder, although the first arrangement was from Aheer to Zinder. Such are the people we have to deal with in Africa. But could we not find similar extortion amongst the innkeepers and the conductors of carriages on the highways of Europe?

That all the people are _soua soua_--"higgledy-piggledy" is our only equivalent phrase--is bad news for a Saharan traveller; for it signifies nothing less than that there is no paramount authority in a country, and that the traveller is exposed to the insolence of every evil-disposed person. Such is represented to be the condition of Tidek, the first province of Aheer upon which we shall enter.

The scarcity of food in Aheer--one of the causes of the disturbances that are taking place--arises, we are told, from the quant.i.ty of provisions carried away from the country when the Kailouees made their expedition against the Walad Suleiman. But this expedition is now finished, and there has been time for a revival of prosperity. Sickness and disease are reported in Aheer at the present time. These are unpleasant tidings for a traveller who is braving the fatigues and perils of the Great Sahara, in hopes of some little repose at his journey's end.

To express great numbers, the Arabs and Tuaricks always use the similitudes, "like the dust," or "like flies." When the Tuaricks say we are to give nothing to anybody--speaking, of course, of other people, as Hateetah to me--they take up a little sand between the ends of their fingers and scatter it on the palms of their hands. When they wish to describe roads free from hills and ravines they extend the palm of their hands, adding, "Like this." I cannot say that I admire the Kailouees in any respect. Barth's comparison to snakes is tolerably correct. They have duped us in various ways, and our only consolation is being able to report their conduct to their friends in Ghat and Zinder.

These observations occur to me during our prolonged halt at the well of Falezlez. The whole caravan needs this refreshment, both on account of the fatigues it has already encountered, as of those to which it may look forward on the tract of desert which now stretches wild and inhospitable before us. Yesterday the sky was completely overcast; but during the night and this morning the clouds have been succeeded by wind, and strong blasts have completely cooled us. I do not think that the climate would affect me so much as it does if I had something good to eat; but the Tanelk.u.ms have got with them all my soups. The Germans eat hausa like Tuaricks, and do very well. I expected to find the water of Falezlez most unpalatable. This, indeed, is its reputation; but we were all agreeably deceived, and the salt taste was scarcely perceptible.

About ten in the morning, on the 5th, a solitary white camel, with a rider, was reported as trotting rapidly over the hills to the east. The circ.u.mstance created some excitement. It was Mohammed Wataitee, son of Shafou, coming riding like the monarch of the desert, as he is, upon his fine maharee. He had been travelling three days and three nights consecutively; and however eager we were to hear his opinion of the dangers that threatened us, it was necessary to allow him to spend the whole day in repose.

When we could get speech of the traveller, he talked boastfully of the value of his protection, and a.s.sured us that we had really nothing to fear. He had heard, or would acknowledge to have heard, no rumours of the hostile intentions of his father's cousin; only, he observed, "He is an old man," with a gesture that implied wilfulness. He would have us believe that this terrible enemy who has been pursuing us--at least in our imagination--is nothing but a testy old gentleman, who says these sort of things in a fanciful way just to express his power.

_6th._--We were off soon after sunrise, and made a long day of twelve hours. The Kailouees were half an hour more performing the same distance. They started first, and we travel a little faster than they.

Scarcely a blade of herbage cheered our sight to day. A sandy, gravelly hamadah, with a few rocks and sand-hills here and there,--such is the nature of the country. The rocks now a.s.sume a conic form, _ke ras suker_, like a sugar-loaf, as the people say. Our course was south-west, and so it will continue to be, nearly as far as Esalan, I was amused by an observation of Dr. Overweg; he said, "I now understand the system of these people" (Saharan travellers). "It is to travel as much as possible without labour--to do all that is necessary, but nothing more. When we left Tripoli, instead of reposing immediately at the camping-ground of the caravan, everybody was running about to climb the hills and rocks; but now we all fall down to rest as soon as we have halted." The Doctor speaks of himself and Barth, certainly not of me; for I always rested as much as possible with the people.

My old broken white umbrella attracts some attention amongst the Kailouees. They all make a trial of it. Strong umbrellas would be very useful during the hot summer months for all Saharan travellers.

I to-day asked the son of Shafou how his father liked the sword. An unfortunate question. He replied, "Ah, he sends his compliments; but says the sword is a little thing, and that you ought to have sent him some money. There were many people waiting to see you at Aroukeen. They were much disappointed at your not coming. They said,--'The Christians must pa.s.s this way.'" It appears that a whole tribe of Tuaricks were waiting for us, to beg, and to "eat us up," as the Arabs graphically express it. In this respect we have been fortunate in not finding Tuaricks on our line of route.

7th--We made another long and weary day of twelve hours. The fatigue is killing. Our course was south-west, through heaps and groups of rocks and narrow shallow wadys. In some directions, ridges of small rocks; in others, isolated ma.s.ses of conic form. The bed of the desert is mostly granite, and some of the rocks are of the same substance. Indeed, the Central Sahara seems to bristle with ridges of granite. Then there are many varieties of this stone, and others springing out of granite, as quartz rocks and felspar, and some sandstone mixed with quartz. Across our path we observed many traces of wild oxen, and a few were seen with their immense horns. Birds and reptiles were rare, and the lizard not so frequent as before. Our camels found scarcely a mouthful of hasheesh; no trees were visible, except a few miserable tholukhs.

The Kailouees have changed in a marked manner since Wataitee has rejoined us, and are much more civil. But I do not talk to them, contenting myself with a civil "Good day. How do you do?" This prevents them from begging of me. They beg of Barth and Overweg, who do not notice them. As I am "the person who gives," I am obliged to be very polite, but distant.

_8th._--We started at sunrise, and made a short day of seven hours and a-half, resting at last in a wady surrounded with rocks, where there was some good herbage.

In the course of this march we met another portion of the large Soudan caravan, and consigned to it our letters. They brought the news that the Tanelk.u.ms were a day only in advance, having halted to take up water at Aroukeen, where they dug again the old well which had been blocked with stones.

This caravan informed us, besides, that the body of the large caravan was resting at the well of Tajetterat. They had seen no Tuaricks. We begin to hope that we have been disturbed by false alarms.

At about four hours from the encampment of yesterday we descried some mountains to the south-west. Near them is the well of Janet, said to be about seven hours out of the line of route. It is a frequent resort of Tuaricks, who come to the neighbourhood for hunting purposes. All this region is favourable to sport. Along our route to-day were noticed footmarks of wild oxen and wadan.

Wataitee asked me whether he should go to see if there were any Tuaricks at Janet, to get news of them; but I told him that he had better continue with us until we reach Tajetterat. This he has agreed to do; and we all feel that his presence is, to a certain extent, a protection.

In the evening we had a visit from three Tuarick sportsmen, with a couple of dogs. We purchased two carcases of wadan from them. It would have been most amusing to an untravelled European to witness the bartering between us. The princ.i.p.al hunter got hold of the grey calico, and would not let go until he had his full measure. Then how deliberately he measured again with his long arms, with all the appearance of justice, whilst he was filching off inches at once! Two small carcases cost us about a mahboub. Wataitee pretends that these hunters never carry provisions with them, but must catch wadan and oxen or die. I made a tremendous supper of wadan, being as ravenous as a wolf for a little meat and soup. The meat is so strong and nouris.h.i.+ng, that it threatened to produce injurious effects. It is necessary to be cautious about indulging in unaccustomed food. Still this meat is far superior to camels' flesh.

_9th._--We rose, and, with our accustomed regularity, started before daybreak in search of water, for the Kailouees are without this element essential to life in the desert. Having continued about six hours and a-half, we encamped in Wady Aroukeen. It would not have been necessary to come to this place, had our imprudent Kailouees taken in a sufficient supply of water. This wady lies east and Tajetterat west.

Our course had been over an elevated rocky plain; but I had no idea of the height to which we had arrived. Suddenly the ground broke up on either side of the track into rocky eminences, and we now came to the brow of a sharp descent. The valley of Aroukeen wound as it were like a snake far down at the bottom of an immense hollow, surrounded on all sides by an amphitheatre of savage-looking mountains--great stony swells, made hideous here and there by crags and ravines, and piled away on all sides in shattered magnificence. This is the grandest desert prospect I have yet seen, and must strongly clash with the ordinary notion of the Great Sahara which untravelled geologists have represented as the recently-elevated bed of some ocean. We must now have reached the summit of an inland Atlas, dividing the extreme limits of the Ghat territory from the, to us, mysterious kingdom of Aheer.

In Wady Aroukeen there are some of the finest tholukhs I have seen, reaching the height of thirty or forty feet. There are, besides, two new species of trees, the adwa of Soudan, called, in Aheer, _aborah_: they have not been observed before, and are natives of Bornou. Their general aspect resembles the tholukh, but they have large p.r.i.c.kles and a smooth roundish leaf. There is a good deal of hasheesh in this valley.

We are now, they say, about twelve days from Aheer, exclusive of the stoppages; twelve days, I mean, of twelve hours a-piece. These long stretches are desperately fatiguing, and trying to the health; but there is no remedy. We must make these weary stages on account of the scarcity of water and herbage for the camels. The Kailouees tie their camels by the lower jaw, and fasten the string to the baggage piled on the back of the preceding animal; and the long line moves on well this way. The Tuaricks fasten their bridles, when they ride their maharees, by a round ring in the nose.

We had granite again to-day, and fine beds of felspar, pebbles, and rocks. The geology of this portion of Sahara is very interesting, but no crystals have yet been found. Yesterday and to-day, the wind has been high, moderating greatly the heat. The wind is nearly always south-east.

The nights are resplendent. Jupiter and Venus are seen close together in beautiful conjunction. The constellation of the Scorpion rises higher in the south, whilst the Pole-star apparently falls.

I read nothing nowadays but a few verses of the Greek Testament, and write these miserable leaves of journal. I must save my strength. I am very weak as it is. We have still got nearly forty days of actual travelling to make before we enter Soudan, but we hope Providence will allow us a little rest at Aheer.

_10th._--We moved on late this morning up Wady Aroukeen, one hour and a-half, to a place where we have better feeding for the camels; but it was scarcely worth the trouble of loading and unloading, as the animals could have been led up here to this portion of the wady.

Wady Aroukeen is in every respect a desirable place for the resting-place of a caravan. It is full of trees and hasheesh, and lined with lofty precipitous rocks, which afford shelter in winter and in summer, and, as say the Scriptures, give "the shadow of a great rock in a weary land." The well dug by the Tanelk.u.ms supplies very palatable water. It lies about an hour and a-half from our encampment.