Narrative of a Mission to Central Africa Performed in the Years 1850-51 Volume I Part 17

The valleys and rocks of Aheer abound with several kinds of wild animals, both the inoffensive and the ferocious; viz. the gazelle, the wadan, the wild ox, the ostrich, the wild boar, the jackal, the wolf, the hyaena, and the lion. Numerous birds haunt the trees. Amongst others we noticed a very beautiful species of dove, with a very distinct black ring round its neck; the hippoo; the wood-p.e.c.k.e.r; linnets; and over us flew the little black-and-white bird with the long feathers in its tail.

_15th._--We had a fine morning; the wind has quite dried our encampment.

There will be little more wet weather, they tell us; and the rain has some time quite ceased in Soudan. This is fortunate, as already several of our things have been spoiled. The Kailouees are taking advantage of the dry weather, and may be seen riding about in all directions. The members of the great families, like our European aristocrats, seem to have no other occupation. G.o.d has created the earth for this cla.s.s to gallop about over. It was very warm and fine all day; thermometer at noon, in tent, 95 Fahr.: there was little wind.

The secret of En-Noor's authority is this: in all his great gains, and lucky enterprises, and pieces of good fortune--as our arrival here has proved--he gives his princ.i.p.al people and courtiers a share of the profit or the spoil; and when nothing particular is going on, he feeds them from the granary of his house, or clothes them from his heaped-up merchandise. All this, however does not save the prince from being occasionally robbed--if we are to believe report, which says that the other evening some black cotton turbans were taken from his house. The news from the town is, that En-Noor and his courtiers have received the amount of their extortion in goods. We have now given at Tintalous to the value of nearly a thousand dollars, and yet we have not received the smallest present in return--not a supper the day of our arrival, not a little b.u.t.ter or fruit; nothing, absolutely nothing!

Our servants have nearly procured all the ghaseb which they require for the journey from this to Zinder, viz. one hundred sahs. This they have purchased with various little wares, princ.i.p.ally knives and looking-gla.s.ses. The ghaseb is always mixed with ghafouley, a species of grain about a third the size of a small pea. Ghafouley is called _koula_ in Soudanese. The Aheer cheese has appeared for the first time amongst us to-day. It is made in little squares, three by two inches broad, and a quarter of an inch thick. It is eaten fresh, but has a poor flavour.

The people prefer pounding it into dust when dry, and drinking it with ghaseb-water, which is white as milk, and very cool. The paste thus made is very white, and becomes as hard as a stone when dry. I have also made acquaintance with _doua doua_, round black b.a.l.l.s of a vegetable composition, eaten with various dishes as seasoning. It is very abundant in Soudan. There is also a species of ghaseb-paste, called _daboa_, not unlike macaroni in very small pieces. This is very much esteemed. It swells exceedingly when boiled, like paste. We begin to get into regions where the preparation of food is greatly changing.

Yesterday my servants purchased me a fowl, and I learned for the first time that this delicacy was to be procured.

I have studied but little since I left Tripoli. Our affairs have always been worse and worse, and we have had a continual battle to preserve our existence. Such is the beginning of this expedition: G.o.d only knows what may be its _end_. There is left for us but a firm reliance in His goodness and protecting providence.

_16th._--This was a warm, hazy day, and we were troubled with considerable languor. I have slept but little these three nights, and feel somewhat indisposed for want of rest. I read a good deal of Clapperton's "Journey to Sakkatou," besides beginning a vocabulary of the Kailouee language, with the a.s.sistance of Mokhlah Bou Yeldee, who is a very clever young man. He gets his living by writing charms, and sells a good number for the cure of disease. People pour water on the ink or writing of the charm, and then drink the magic liquid. The remedy is doubtless as effectual as many patent medicines in Europe. As is well known, this superst.i.tion of drinking the Koran is of old date.

En-Noor sent a message this morning by the slave of Makersee, that we were not to say a single word to any one, not even to our servants, about the money, or its amount, which we have paid him for our escort to Zinder. He says, "If the people hear of this money, they will all come down upon me for a portion; and if I do not comply with their wishes they will abandon us, and not go with us to Zinder, and I want as many of them to go with me as possible."

Our wealth is still noised abroad! The people believe all our boxes to be full of gold and silver. Even En-Noor sought for secret information respecting the amount of dollars which he supposed to be concealed amongst our baggage.

I was again restless when night came on, and was still awake when the moon was near setting, about three A.M., under tent, at which time suddenly I heard the wife of Sad begin to squall, with the sound of the trampling of feet around my tent. I conjectured immediately what was up, "Another attack!" I repeated mechanically to myself, and getting up, began to dress myself. At first I thought our a.s.sailants were at some distance off, but when the boxes began to be drawn from around my tent I exclaimed, "Oh, oh, they are upon me, and are carrying off the things."

Still I had become so accustomed to these attacks, or attempted attacks, by night and by day, that I felt quite indifferent, and began to dress myself as if nothing was the matter, or simply as if some one had called me up suddenly to breakfast, or that we were to start off early on our way.

I found my clothes, however, with some difficulty, and tore them a little in putting them on. At last I went out. All our people were up, as well as the Germans. On inquiring the news, I learned that a band of robbers had attacked us; from six to ten had been counted. My servants had all decamped, with the exception of Sad. Some of them had been struck by the robbers, and others had been threatened, and had ran away.

My servant Sad, as soon as he sallied out and saw what was going on, seized his matchlock, and pointed it at the a.s.sailants, especially those who were removing the saharees (large square boxes). Upon this they began to quake, and, parleying with Sad, begged for mercy, and said they would go immediately if the powder was not used against them. Sad took them at their word, and they ran off. They had already, however, carried away about nine pounds of tea, packed in tin boxes. It is probable they mistook these boxes of tin for silver, or considered their contents to be money, gold and silver, although their lightness should have undeceived them. As the Arabic Bibles and Testaments were packed up with the tea, they carried off a Bible with them. But this they afterwards dropped on the road, and it was picked up by a shepherdess, and brought to me. They also took away a pewter dish and two bags of grounded ghaseb, besides ripping open the bags of the blacks. This appears to be the amount of the robbery and devastation; very fortunate are we it was not worse. We had watched many nights, and had often loaded our guns; but this night, when the thieves came, we were miserably unprepared to receive them. The Germans had been cleaning their guns, and all were unloaded. Overweg had his fowling-piece charged with small shot. At length we got two or three guns in trim, and our servants followed the robbers, but nothing of them was to be seen. The cowards had fled at the first show of resistance. In the morning, on searching through the small valley up which they had come, we were surprised to find marks of no less than thirteen camels--enough to carry away all our goods. So that it is probable there were some thirteen robbers, a part of whom remained with the camels whilst the others attacked us. Amankee, on being knocked down with a s.h.i.+eld, got up again, and ran off to the town, giving the alarm everywhere.

En-Noor, as soon as the news of this aggression reached him, sent off a _posse_ of people, and then called in the inhabitants of a neighbouring village; so that, when all was over, our encampment was surrounded by a disorderly mult.i.tude of protectors till day-light.

To my tent came the confidential servant of En-Noor, and everybody was talking, drinking coffee, and making merry. After all, it was well to have these people, for if the thirteen robbers had shown ordinary courage, in our unprepared state we should have had a good deal of work to do, and might some of us have got bad sword-cuts or spear-thrusts.

En-Noor, they say, is exceedingly angry about this attack, and has sent eleven mounted men after the robbers to seize their camels, which if he gets hold of he intends to confiscate. On Amankee calling on him he observed, "You, Amankee, being a native of Soudan, and not a Muslim of Tripoli, are like the Kailouees. You can fire on these Kailouee robbers.

Get your gun loaded, ready for any other occasion."

At daylight, after lecturing my servants for not giving the alarm (for, with the exception of Sad's wife, they were all so terror-stricken--literally struck dumb with terror--that they could not speak, much-less cry out), I sent Amankee off at the heels of the robbers. In all such emergencies I have found no one like Amankee; he is a complete bloodhound, and can scent his way through all the desert, and follow the steps of the most agile and quick-witted fugitive. I knew Amankee would pick up some of the tea and bring news of the robbers. He returned, and fulfilled my expectations: he picked up about six ounces of tea scattered on the road, and brought the news that the robbers were from Tidek and Taghajeet. They had come some days' journey to plunder us. I learned, also, that the rascals, just before they attacked us, had been feasting at a wedding in Tintalous.

I grieved very much for the loss of my tea, and employed six or seven hours in picking the stones out of what Amankee recovered. I had greatly coveted this luxury, and set my heart upon it; and now my idol was ruthlessly torn from me by a band of robbers! Amankee, knowing my feelings, had offered a reward for the rest, telling the people he saw on the road that the tea could only be drank by Christians, and was poison for Muslims! This fib drew from the astonished Kailouees a woful e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n--"Allah! Allah!" Many funny scenes were enacted during the few minutes of the attack of the robbers. The other negress, a wife of another of the servants, was quite dumb; but Sad's wife crept around the tent like a dog, on her hands and feet, giving the alarm, but fearing to rise up lest she should be felled down by the robbers. The servants of the Germans hearing the squalling thought it was Sad "beating his wife"--a thing common in these countries. Dr. Barth heard all sorts of noises, but imagined they were all from the celebration of the wedding. It is always well to examine suspicious circ.u.mstances. A strange camel had been seen straying at sunset near our tent, which excited the suspicions of myself and Dr. Barth. If we had obeyed our presentiments, we might have discovered the intended attack, or, at least, have made some preparations.

A few robbers have often visited us before this. When I had an interview with En-Noor I asked for a couple of guards, but he refused them, on the plea that they were unnecessary. Although he knew well the country is now full of thieves, and told us so, he never expected this audacious attack of thirteen maharees! Soudan abounds with thieves, and we must now always keep watch. May we, however, in our further progress, have nothing more to fear than petty larceny; and we shall have reason indeed to be thankful!

CHAPTER XVIII.

We s.h.i.+ft our Encampment--En-Noor's Circular--The Kadi's Decision--No Progress in the Sahara--Aghadez Gumruk--Scorpions--Election of Sultans in Aheer--Present of Salutation--Paying for finding lost Property--Courier from the new Sultan--No Presents sent us--Notes on Denham--A Bornouese Measure--Intended Razzia--Firing off Gunpowder--Hypotheses of Danger--Dress and Women--Enroute to Bilma--Soudan Caravan--Visit from Tintaghoda--Aheer Honey--Modes of Measurement--Power of En-Noor--Visits to him from great People--Stations on the Bilma Road--Salt-Trade--Account of our Pursuers at Tajetterat--Costume of the Kailouees--Their Weapons--Poisoned Arrows--Charms--Female Dress--Names of Articles of Costume--Character of Kailouees.

_Sept. 17th._--In the morning En-Noor sent a message that we must immediately move from our present encampment on our sand-hills, a quarter of a mile from the town, where we had a pleasant view of everything in the valley and around, and come near the people. So in the course of the day we pitched tents close by the houses of the town. We found that we were not so much molested by the inhabitants (i.e. by their curiosity) as we expected.

I had heard in the previous evening that En-Noor, two or three days ago, had written, by means of one of the learned men of this place, to all the towns and villages around him, begging the Sheikhs and people not to offer us any molestation whilst we were residing here, under his immediate protection, as his guests, and as sacred persons recommended to his care. This shows good-will in the venerable Sultan. He sent to us this morning the result of the Kadi's decision, respecting the robbers.

This singular question was put to the Kadi, "Whether it was lawful to rob and murder the Christians by night?" Answer, "No; on the contrary, the Christians may fire on and kill the Muslim robbers." The Sultan, it appears, attaches great importance to this decision, and counts on it to obtain the suffrages of all his people in our favour.

Such are the circ.u.mstances attending the first visit of Christians to Aheer! I believe this attack will do our servants good. They see now, that, by a little resistance, the most audacious of thieves will be put to flight. We ourselves shall also keep better watch for the future.

_18th._--I finished to-day a vocabulary of the Kailouee language. I endeavour also to divert my mind from the many causes of annoyance that now exist, by studying the records of the Denham and Clapperton expedition. We shall soon be amidst the same countries that they explored, and, no doubt, shall find that little has changed in the manners of the people during these last thirty years. Neither in the Desert nor in the kingdoms of Central Africa is there any march of civilisation. All goes on according to a certain routine established for ages past.

A courier has just arrived from the new Sultan of Aghadez, demanding the gumruk, or custom-dues, from the caravan of Christians who have entered Aheer. As if we had not already paid enough! After two or three weeks of incessant solicitation, by the way, I gave Es-Sfaxee, Yusuf, and Mahommed, a small bottle of rum--the first, and it shall be the last; for they got drunk and quarrelsome upon it.

_19th._--This day I took a walk over the neighbouring rocks, whence there is a wide view over the whole surrounding valley. I have omitted to observe, that at our former place of encampment were seen many scorpions; so that here these reptiles inhabit the open country equally with the ruins of old houses or mosques, and such places. Under one of my boxes was also discovered a lefa, the most dangerous species of serpent in these countries.

It appears that most of the caravans that pa.s.s through this country are obliged to pay a certain gumruk to the prince of Aghadez. The relations of the lesser Sheikhs of Aheer with the paramount sultan are of this kind. When a sultan dies, or is displaced, they a.s.semble like the College of Cardinals, or rather like the old Polish n.o.bility, to elect a new one. It is the law that this Sultan of Aghadez must be a stranger.

When once chosen he is invested with something like absolute authority throughout all Aheer, and he alone possesses the dreaded power of "cutting off heads." En Noor has sent this morning what is called "the present, of salutation," which he determined to despatch to Abd-el-Kader, the new Sultan of Aghadez, instead of the immense gumruk demanded. The present consists of one Egyptian mattra.s.s; two white turbans with red borders; a piece of white muslin for making light turbans; two shasheeahs, or red caps; two small gilt-framed looking-gla.s.ses; and a few beads of gla.s.s and earthen composition; one pound of _jouee_, or perfume for burning; a small packet of _simbel_, an aromatic herb used for was.h.i.+ng the body; and two heads of white sugar.

This composed what may be called the official present for the district of Tintalous. En-Noor added, from himself, two camels, a piece of silk for a gown, and various other little things.

Whilst these magnificences are going on, we are enjoying the comfortable reflection that all our losses are gains to other people, whether they be friends or enemies.

I had as much trouble to satisfy the parties who found the Arabic Bible as if I was purchasing their own property, and not rewarding them for accidentally finding some of my lost goods. Finally, however, I arranged to give them two cotton-printed handkerchiefs and a small quant.i.ty of spices. This was more than enough. These rewards for finding our lost property naturally impels our friendly people, either to rob us themselves or to wish that others may rob us, that they may have something to gain by attempting to recover our lost things. What we had to pay for the recovery of each of our camels was almost as much as some of them were worth.

The weather has been dry and hot for the last few days; at noon the thermometer rose to 100 under the tent. Suddenly it became cloudy, and a few drops of rain began to patter down. There was every appearance of a storm, and our people began to collect towards the tents. At this time another courier arrived from the new Sultan, Abd-el-Kader, of Aghadez, respecting us. His highness says:--"No one shall hurt the Christians: no one shall lift up a finger against them; and if they wish to come to my city, I shall be very happy to receive them." This courier arrived so quickly after the other, that I suspect his highness may be spelling for a large present; or he may have just heard of the bad treatment we have received, and being a new man has determined to afford us some reparation. Little reliance, however, can be placed on these professions, until we know something more of the character of Abd-el-Kader. It is certainly a great disappointment for us that we do not go to Aghadez. I am afraid that this will be the case with many other important cities.

The Es-Sfaxee wished to have a feast to celebrate the arrival of this good news, but I cannot join in such a demonstration. We have little cause for rejoicing at the conduct of the people of Aheer. En-Noor has not yet sent us a sah of ghaseb; or a drop of samen or a sheep's head.

Never did travellers visit a country in Africa, without receiving some mark of hospitality of this kind from the chief or sovereign of the place.

In the evening a fellow came and asked us if we could sell him a veneese (a dressing-gown) in exchange for ghaseb. After some trouble we fixed the bargain. Sad was fool enough to give him the veneese before he brought the merchandise, the fellow promising to bring it the next morning. During the night he fled with his booty on the road to Aghadez.

Amankee went in pursuit of the fugitive, seized him on the road, and brought back the veneese: for such matters there is no one equal to Amankee.

_20th._--Denham compares the berries of the _suak_ (suag) to cranberries. _Zumeeta_ is called parched corn; it should be parched ground corn. Gafouley is called guinea-corn. The green herb with which _bazeen_ is generally seasoned is called _melocheea_ (ochra). There are, however, various herbs for this seasoning, though all of them have a similar flavour. I confess, myself, I do not much like the flavour; it is, like that of olives, an acquired taste. Bazeen may be called flour-pudding.

Gubga is a Bornouese measure, eight draas (or lengths of the lower part of the arm, from the elbow to the tips of the fingers) in length and one inch and a half broad. Denham, who spells it gubka, says it is about one English yard. The eight draas would be, however, nearly three yards.

This measure is applied to white, coa.r.s.e, native-woven cotton, and a piece of cotton eight draas long and one inch and half broad is a gubga.

This is the money of Bornou; it must be a most inconvenient currency, but habit accustoms us to everything.

It is reported in town, that En-Noor intends shortly to make a razzia on the towns where we were plundered: he says, perhaps justly, "The tribes have '_tasted_' fine burnouses, more especially their sheikhs; and emboldened by their success, and the attractiveness of the rich vestments, they will now plunder all the caravans." This is another reason why strong representations should be made to the Pasha of Mourzuk to grant us redress. En-Noor can seize camels and sequester them; he can also seize men: but he must afterwards send them to Aghadez for trial.

This razzia, however, will not come off yet.

A storm of wind, with at little rain as usual, visited us in the afternoon. It then cleared up, and was fine all the evening.

The Es-Sfaxee, heading our servants, was determined to fire away a little gunpowder this evening though much against my inclination. After they had been firing near the tents, En-Noor sent for them to fire at the doors of his house. The old Sheikh is now waxing mighty civil, and swears that we are his _walad_ (children). We shall see what we shall see. Yusuf even thinks he can be persuaded to sign the treaty. All the Kailouees are very fond of powder, and also very much alarmed at it.

They say they could themselves make plenty of powder if saltpetre were found them.

_21st._--It appears that some of the districts of Damerghou are included within the circle of Aheer, and that the Kailouees exercise authority there. En-Noor has a house there.

Overweg's three hypotheses of danger south of Bornou are:--

1. To be stripped of everything by robbers, and left naked in the wilderness.

2. To be devoured by wild beasts.

3. To be forced to traverse a desert where there is no subsistence for man or beast. Indeed, after the experience we have had up this road, although a Tuarick road (and Tuaricks are not supposed to have a peculiar antipathy to Christians), it will be next to suicide to proceed far south without adequate guides and protection.