Narrative of a Mission to Central Africa Performed in the Years 1850-51 Volume I Part 11

I sent off my Soudanese servant this morning to the Tanelk.u.ms, to ask them to wait for us; or at least leave the things behind which I require for our use.

Yesterday evening the new moon (second evening) was seen by our people, telling them that the Ramadhan was finished. They saluted the pale crescent horn with some discharges of their guns.

To-day is a great feast, but they have not the means of keeping it.

I cannot say that at this portion of my journey my mind is visited by much cheerfulness. However agreeable may be the valley of Aroukeen, with its gra.s.s patches, its clumps of trees, and the eternal shadow of its rocks, I find my strength begin, to a certain extent, to fail me. For several days I have had some threatening symptoms of ill-health; not very serious, perhaps, to a person surrounded with any of the comforts of civilisation, but much so to one in my position. Besides, despite my endeavours to disbelieve the dangers with which we are said to be menaced from lawless freebooters, it is difficult to disregard them so far as to remain perfectly impa.s.sive.

My Kailouee friends do not seem to share our apprehensions. Sometimes this circ.u.mstance cheers me; at others it suggests the idea that they may be in league with their brethren. Let us hope not. At any rate I am still displeased with them on account of their shabby conduct, and disposed, perhaps, to look at them more unfavourably than they deserve.

A man came over the hills to our right in the course of the day. He belonged to the Soudan caravan, the great body of which was pa.s.sing at no great distance by another road. Our presence does not seem to be agreeable to such of these people as derive no profit from it. This individual, in his own name and that of his companions, insists that we Christians must not be allowed to enter the City of Marabouts, the Holy City of Aheer. Many Musulman countries of the interior have their holy cities. Perhaps this worthy man made these observations because he had nothing else to say. At any rate, having expressed his opinion, he went off. I regretted his churlish warning; but his presence, to a certain extent, cheered me. It was pleasant to know that a large body of my fellow-creatures were near at hand in this inhospitable desert, even though they entertained feelings of suspicion against us, and were proceeding on a path which might never again bring us together. Caravans often pa.s.s thus in these regions, like s.h.i.+ps at sea, which hail each other if within hearing, but, not lying-to, are satisfied by this slight testimony of mutual sympathy.

_11th._--We started somewhat late, and made a good day of nine hours and a-half through winding narrow valleys, supplying a fair quant.i.ty of hasheesh. The country around was wild and rugged--still the same primitive formation, gneiss being the most common rock. On the way we heard the story of the origin of the Kailouees, as given by the Haghar Tuaricks; it is probably meant as a satire. According to this people, a female slave escaped from their country, and travelling over the desert, reached her native place in Soudan. But she bore within her bosom a pledge that still half bound her to her ancient masters. She brought forth a male child, and loved him and reared him; so that in process of time he took a wife, and from this union sprung the b.a.s.t.a.r.d race of Kailouees.

_12th._--We had halted the previous evening because we were within an hour of the well of Tajetterat, which had become famous in our caravan as the place where we were to be attacked and despoiled by the freebooter Sidi Jafel Waled Sakertaf. This morning we pursued our way, cautiously sending scouts before. But as the wady opened, the place proved to be desolate, and we advanced joyously, with the confidence that this time at least we had been disturbed by a false alarm. Still, as we descended towards the well we could not now and then refrain from casting our glances about into the gorges of the mountains, to discover whether or not, after all, our enemies were lying in ambush there. Not a living thing stirred upon the hills; and we gathered round the two wells, or rather holes sc.r.a.ped out of the sand, with feelings of delight and confidence. The water proved to be good; it is said to be produced by rain, and to be purgative,--a quality it must derive from the soil through which it trickles. We determined, however, not to stop at this place, lest the men of Janet[7] might after all arrive; and pus.h.i.+ng on, in hopes that our track might be confounded with those of the caravans, we reached, after a rapid march of five hours and a-half, the well of Esalan. As we approached, we saw an encampment in its neighbourhood, and camels grazing about. Our vanguard halted; and the whole caravan soon became ma.s.sed in the entrance of the gorge through which we were about to issue. Our far-sighted guards, however, soon discovered that there was no cause for alarm. We had at length overtaken our Tanelk.u.m friends; and riding forward I greeted them, and, forgetting all idea of danger, anxiously asked for our baggage, and above all for my inestimable supply of potted soups!

[7] This name is sometimes written "Janet," sometimes "Ghanet"

by Mr. Richardson, who, moreover, now describes the inhabitants of the place as Haghar and then as Azgher. A more definite account is given further on. It appears, however, that vulgarly in the Sahara all the Tuaricks are called Haghar or Hagar, which seems to have been used rather indiscriminately in the caravan as a term of fear.--ED.

In this part of the country the scenery is far more open than it was before; the mountains are lower, but the wadys are not so wide. Here and there occurred considerable patches of herbage, called _sabot_, and many large, fine trees. Amongst the smaller ones, for the first time, we came upon the senna plant, some of the leaves of which our people plucked.

Higher up, in Aheer, is apparently the native soil of this plant. We had also again the adwa, several trees, and the kaiou or kremka, the only plant we have yet seen with a truly tropical aspect.

The adwa bears a fruit something like the date, and is eaten by the people in Soudan. As to the _sabot_, above mentioned, it is a kind of herbage, which covers the beds of the valleys in this region of primitive rock: it forms the princ.i.p.al food of our camels. The _bou rekabah_, however, the best for them, is in small quant.i.ties, but when seen is devoured to the sand. The people of Aheer eat its seed as ghaseb.

Yesterday, we saw, for the first time, a bird's nest in the desert, in the side of a rock. It contained no eggs; our people, on a former occasion, brought in some. It is astonis.h.i.+ng how few birds' nests are found, though in some places a good number of small flutterers are seen.

About the wells of Tajetterat darted half-a-dozen quails. We have not yet observed an ostrich, although many traces have been found on the sand. Around, however, are numbers of the wadan,[8] and our huntsmen are active. Yesterday some flesh of this animal was brought in.

[8] Wadan is the Arabic name of the aoudad of the Berbers. We call the animal "mouflon" (_Ovis tragelaphus_). It is found in considerable numbers throughout the deserts of Northern Africa, from the Atlantic to the Red Sea. I have seen a beautiful specimen, nearly all milk-white, in Cairo.--ED.

In this part of the route we frequently fell in with small heaps of stones; and if we ask what they mean, are invariably told they are the graves of slave-children who have perished by the way, most probably in the arms of their mothers. What wonderful tales of sorrow and anguish could these rocks give, if they were not compelled to eternal dumbness!

What sighs, what shrieks of grief have echoed here! How many tears have watered this track! These thoughts saddened our way; but they seemed at the same time to rouse that enthusiasm which is the only adequate ally to those engaged in such a mission as ours.

The son of Shafou is to leave us at Esalan. I may as well record here, in form, a list of our grievances against the Tuaricks, for the information and warning of future travellers:--

1st. They, the Tuaricks, wished to obtain presents from the Germans, nearly in the same quant.i.ty as from myself; or, at least, something considerable.

2d. They wanted us to remain six weeks in Ghat, to wait for an answer from Sultan En-Noor at Aheer.

3d. They refused to conduct us to the frontier of Aheer, according to their agreement at Mourzuk.

4th. They demanded seventy reals for the pa.s.sage of our free blacks.

5th. They insisted on having the presents for Berka, Khanouhen, and Jabour, before the treaty was signed.

The first two demands I successfully resisted, as also the third at Ghat. The fourth was compromised; we paid twenty-eight reals instead of seventy. The last I yielded, on the condition that I should only give three burnouses.

_13th._--The water of Esalan is, likewise, nothing but a deposit of rain. Several holes are scooped out in the sand, down to the rocky bed of the valley.

CHAPTER XIII.

News of Sidi Jafel--Disputes with Wataitee--His violent Conduct and strange Language--The Desert--Scarcity of Money--Proceed through a rocky Country--Soudan Weather--Approach the Frontiers of Aheer--Storm--Hard Day's Travelling--The Seven Wells of Aisou--"The Haghar are coming"--Suspicious Characters--Alarm--The Three Strangers--Our Hospitality--Heat of the Weather--Hard Travelling--Account of the Kailouee Guides--Women of the Caravan--Their Treatment--Youthful Concubines--Another long Day--A Rock-Altar--Demonstrations of the Haghar--Wells of Jeenanee--Marks of Rain--Sprightly Blacks--New Climate--Change in the Vegetation and the Atmosphere.

We have at length heard what appears to be a fair account of the rumour respecting that terrible Sidi Jafel. He did leave Janet as if bound for Tajetterat; but it was for the purpose of giving his camels a feeding of herbage in that direction. He took his family and tents with him, and has been seen with his son by the huntsman of Wady Aroukeen. He is not a sheikh, but a spirited old man; and, from what I can understand, is a Haghar belonging to Ghemama, and not an Azgher of Ghat. They now a.s.sure us that he had never any intention of attacking us; but as there is rarely smoke without a fire, it is possible he may have indulged in a little threatening talk, just to impress an idea of his importance on the people of Janet. This is Waled Shafou's view of the case.

We moved on from the well of Esalan in the evening, but only for an hour and a half, to a place in the same wady; where there was abundant herbage for the camels. Here we had another Tuarick dispute. Wataitee pretended to fix at a very high rate his services in answering to our call, and proceeding with us as far as this well. At first I refused to give anything at all, since he had stipulated to conduct us as far as the frontiers of Aheer. I then offered him a burnouse (a small white one), and a shasheeah (or fez), both which he obstinately rejected in my teeth, but did not state what he wanted--except muttering, "Money, money, money!"

Fearing some violence from his threatening manner, I was obliged to load my guns and pistols. Whilst declaring he would not take anything by force, he used very threatening language. He was to have left us at the well, but followed us this evening; and when we decamped I determined, therefore, if possible, to come to some arrangement with him through En-Noor, as he might prove a dangerous enemy.

Whilst speaking to Yusuf on this subject, En-Noor the Kailouee, who, by the bye, must not be confounded with the Sultan of Aheer bearing the same name, came in and told us that he had just seen Wataitee, who was exceedingly exasperated, and who threatened to stop the caravan in the morning if his demands were not complied with. What is to be done? Were we to aim at satisfying all the unjust claims made upon us, we should not only be beggared immediately, but should have whole crowds of fresh suppliants coming in every day. Wataitee seems to expect that I should give him something like a hundred reals in money for his pretended extra services, and goes thundering about, "that the lands, and rocks, and mountains of Ghat do not belong to G.o.d, but to the Azgher, to whom the Creator has given them once and for ever, and who are the sovereign and omnipotent rulers of this portion of earth--this large tract of Sahara."

There has often been detected in the speeches of African princes a certain degree of blasphemy and resistance to the omnipotent sovereignty of the Deity they adore; and this kind of language was not new to me.

The possessors of lawless power seem easily to identify themselves with G.o.ds.

To us, naked rocks, and treeless valleys, and bare stony plains, are objects without interest, except in a geological point of view. But it is very different with the Haghar and Azgher. In their eyes, a plain of stones and sand holds the place of a heath of growing bloom; a barren valley is a vale of fertility; rocks and mountains are always objects of beauty; whilst wells are treasured of wealth, as indeed they are verily in the desert. A Tuarick may be said to know every stone of his arid kingdom.

Taking these things into consideration, and making a merit of necessity, we agreed together to offer him thirty reals. He had already come down to fifty, and now accepted the thirty, but said they must be the large ones, or _douros_ (dollars). It was arranged that I should pay the money to En-Noor in Aheer; for all now had become convinced that not one of us three had any dollars worth speaking of left. I believe I have some six or seven, whilst the Germans have none. If we had brought a thousand with us, they would all have been scattered to the wind in these Tuarick countries. Our servants, being persuaded that we have no dollars left, have sworn to the fact; so that my candid declaration, "That if they were to kill me, they could not find ten dollars to pay them for their trouble," is now believed.

_14th._--Wataitee came early to my tent, and asked me for a bit of sugar. I gave him half a loaf, with which he was apparently well satisfied; for afterwards he asked if I had any letters to take to Ghat.

I consigned to him a letter for Mr. Bidwell and my wife. Wataitee amused Barth by recounting to him numerous dues which he had failed to pay.

Amongst the rest, a tax to see the Kasar Janoon; fifty dollars for drinking of the well of Esalan, &c. &c. These matters being at length settled, we proceeded for Aisou, and journeyed a long day of twelve hours and a-half. I was looking out every moment, expecting to clear the rocks, and enter upon the immeasurable stretch of plain reported to us.

But all was a rocky granite expanse, with conical-shaped rocks, exactly as before described. We begin to tire of this kind of country, which seemed so picturesque when we first entered upon it.

To-day the weather was misty, and we felt as if entering into the circle of a new climate. Few or no animals were seen. All is dismal and dreary.

_15th._--We rose at daybreak, and proceeded steadily on, making a day's journey of thirteen long weary hours. The stony plain opened rather more than yesterday, but there were always rocks on either hand.

To-day we had the first drops of Soudan rain, and a complete Soudan atmosphere. We also observed the vermilion tinge on the clouds, peculiar to Central Africa; and the air was hot and clammy. Every sort of desert phenomenon is seen in these parts in perfection. The mirage often fills up the interstices left between the rocks, and inundates the plain ahead with its fantastic waters.

_16th._--We were early in motion this day; and started, cheered by the hope held out to us, that at the termination of two long marches we should at length reach, at the Seven Wells of Aisou, the frontiers of Aheer. It is true that we were promised no town, no village, not even visible landmarks; above all, no custom-house officers to suggest the blessings of civilisation. There was, in truth, some idea that very indefinite dues might be exacted of us during our progress through the northern districts of the Asben territory. Still it was a comfort to get at last within the limits of the influence of a form of polity, however rude.

Whilst we were indulging in these reflections, there came on a regular desert-storm. A vault of clouds, like huge irregular rocks, was soon heaped up overhead. The thunder roared from side to side of the horizon.

The lightning flashed, sometimes above, sometimes between, the isolated hills, showing them like long black tents pitched here and there on the plain. Our beasts moved eagerly on; and their drivers, though accustomed to such phenomena, were hushed into awe. The tempest did not last many minutes; but it was accompanied by wind so violent that we could scarcely preserve our seats in the saddles, and finished off with so violent a shower of rain that we got quite wet through almost in an instant. This is a fair warning that we are really within the tropics.

We made fourteen hours that day, and felt dreadfully exhausted on arriving at the place where we expected to encamp for the night. In two hours, however, the Kailouees came and told us that there was no more water in the skins; that the camels were restless, knowing that a well was ahead; and that it was better to move on at once, and make for the well of Aisou, that marks the commencement of the Aheer territory. We started, therefore, again, although I was suffering from illness, and moved on all night, nodding in our saddles in a half-slumber, that to those unaccustomed is almost more fatiguing than watchfulness. Several times I felt inclined to insist on a halt; but the people, who were eager to arrive, cried out that _the camels wanted to reach the water_; and proceeding accordingly, about seven o'clock the next morning we at length reached the Seven Wells. We found only two open, the others being closed up by sand. Some of them belong to the Kailouees, and the others to the Tuaricks of Ghat. There is no good feeding for the camels, only a few tufts of coa.r.s.e herbage. The kingdom of Aheer presents itself under grim colours. I did not move about this day, but consecrated it to rest.

The rocks of Asben rise above the horizon.

_18th._--Bidding adieu to the land of Ghat--if that name can be applied to the desert which we have just traversed--we left the Seven Wells, and once more entered upon the desert. We had scarcely been in motion two hours, when there was an alarm of Haghar coming upon us from behind. I did not at first know how the report originated, and looked anxiously around upon the desert expecting to see a body of enemies charging down some valley. All the people ran for their guns, and I hastily delivered out powder and ball. It was amusing to see the slaves with their bows and arrows, coming forward and trying to look martial. I have no doubt they would have done their best. When the tumult was a little calmed, I learned that two of our people, who had remained behind a short time at the wells of Aisou, saw a Tuarick coming up to the place, and, two others slowly following, all three mounted on tall maharees. They spoke to the one who arrived first, and inquired if many were behind. To this they received a laconic answer, "Yes." One of them accordingly, feigning to retire, left his servant hid behind a rock to watch what took place, and ran after us to communicate the unwelcome intelligence, that we might expect an attack. We marched the whole day with our weapons in hand, keeping a sharp look-out in the rear. Of course there was no other subject of conversation than the robbers, of whose existence our fears made us certain. Were they, after all, led by that Sidi Jafel, of whom rumour had lately become so complimentary? Whence did these encouraging accounts come? Were they circulated by persons interested in putting us off our guard? Discussing these questions, we pushed on through a very arid country, searching for one of those two blessings, which seem to be always separated in this part of the desert,--water and herbage. We had found the former at Aisou; the latter greeted us in plenty at a place called Takeesat, where we encamped, intending to pa.s.s the night and the whole of next day. The herbage was of the kind called _nasee_, which is very strengthening for the camels.

I believed that the Haghar would not follow the Kailouees upon their own territory, but I was mistaken. Just before sunset, to our surprise, we saw rising above the hills around the valley where we are encamped, three mounted men. These mysterious Haghar are then determined, we thought, to pursue us Christians as their natural prey! The men rode coolly up and mingled with us, probably understanding and enjoying the looks of suspicion and terror that greeted them. No one thought proper, at first, to address them a single question; and they were allowed to picket their maharees without molestation. It must be confessed that there was no little agitation in our camp, and everything was done to give any attacking force a warm reception. We made barricades of the boat, and kept watch all night. We also scoured the valley all round to see if there were any other people about.

I must insist, for the credit of our gallantry, that it was not of these three men that we were afraid. Our caravan was composed of sixty individuals capable of bearing arms, besides women and children. Our camels also amounted to one hundred and seven. Had we not, therefore, been tormented for so many days by rumours of intended attacks, we should have laughed at these Haghars, however fierce might have been their looks, and however hostile their intentions. But our guides, who knew the habits of the desert, did not think it beneath their dignity to be alarmed, nor to look anxiously about to the right and to the left, as if every stone concealed an enemy, every ravine an ambush.

By the way, it may be as well to mention here, that the reader may know how to call the enemies we feared, that although vulgarly the whole race that inhabits between the borders of Fezzan and Timbuctoo are called Haghar, the Tuaricks of Ghat are properly distinguished as Azgher; and those located towards Tuat and the Joliba, Haghar. Had they and their party been of generally predatory dispositions, they would have had something to occupy them--the caravan belonging to Haj Ibrahim coming from Soudan. We should, perhaps, be uncharitable enough to hope that precious time might be occupied in plundering these good people, were we not certain that, if we are really to be attacked, it is because of the presence of Christians. Will our guides peril life or limb to preserve from danger people whose tenets they abhor?

_19th._--The three men, supposed scouts or spies, remained with us during the night. At first, it was proposed to push on, and get as far as possible away from danger; but as our unbidden guests made a great oath that they did not know that there were foreigners in the caravan, and that they only wanted a supper, having had nothing to eat for fifteen days, we determined to carry out our original intention, both for the sake of our camels and ourselves. That the men might be bound to us by the tie of hospitality, I presented them with some hamsa, to which En-Noor added a little zumeetah, and we determined at all hazards to give our camels and ourselves rest. Our people, in fact, soon discovered that the Tuaricks had brought nothing with them but a single skin of water. They pretend they are going to see their friends and relations in Aheer, and wish to accompany us, which our people have politely declined. But I must see the end of them before I set down an opinion.