Narrative of a Mission to Central Africa Performed in the Years 1850-51 Volume I Part 18

The two predominant pa.s.sions of men in all these Tuarick countries, especially Aheer, are for dress and women. A few only are tainted by fanaticism, and fewer still are misers; because, probably they have nothing to save. Of the character of the women I cannot speak, for want of experience; the few we have met with have begged mostly for trinkets, and looking-gla.s.ses, but we have seen little of the love of intrigue.

About Aheer, the Bornou and Soudan routes appear not to be far apart.

The Tibboos make Kisbee to be only eight days from Aghadez. The Kailouees also state that Bilma (or _Boulouma_, in their p.r.o.nunciation) is only seven or eight days of good travelling from Tintalous; but the salt-caravans always employ fourteen days, arriving at Bilma on the fifteenth.

Yesterday afternoon a portion of a large Soudan caravan arrived. A number of bullocks were amongst its beasts of burden; one of these had immense branching horns, and, according to the report of Sad's wife, was of the same species as those found in her country, Kanemboo, near Bornou. These bullocks seemed to be in every respect trained like horses, and some of them carry a burden of four cantars.

_22d._--I rose early, to prepare my despatches for Mourzuk and England.

To-day not much wind, only a little refres.h.i.+ng breeze. The wind, which appears to visit us daily instead of the rain, generally begins about an hour after noon, and continues to blow in fitful gusts until three or four P.M. when it gradually sinks. The evenings are perfectly calm, though not always cloudless.

Yesterday five maharees arrived from Tintaghoda, mounted by persons who came to inquire after the health of En-Noor. They left early this morning. Somehow or other these maharees always look suspicious to me.

The injuries we have received make us suspicious.

I ate some honey of Aheer to-day. It has a most treacley taste, and, in truth, is not unlike treacle, not having the delicate flavour of honey.

It has purgative qualities. They boil it on the fire, and so spoil it.

I wrote to-day to Viscount Palmerston, to Mr. Gagliuffi, and my wife, sending also specimens of the Kailouee language, and the journal of Yusuf, describing the route from Ghat to Aheer--altogether a good parcel.

The Arabs and Moors try to measure everything by portions of their body.

The draa, a measure from the elbow to the tips of the fingers, is in universal requisition. The fathom, signified by the arms extended on both sides the body, is not so frequently in use. The sun is often said to be so many fathoms high. If we attended a little more to these natural measures it might be well, although the human body being so various in size we could never be correct, and then we might lose sight of those artificial means of measuring objects which distinguish us from the semi-barbarian Arabs.

This evening I heard from Es-Sfaxee a more favourable account of the power of En-Noor. It would appear that En-Noor is the aged Sheikh, the Sheikh Kebeer, of the Kailouees, whom all respect, and to whom all look up in cases of difficulty and distress. With En-Noor always authority remains, whilst all the other Sheikhs are being changed--some every year. En-Noor, nevertheless, appears to be a great miser, continually ama.s.sing wealth in money, merchandise, or camels. He is also reported to have four hundred horses in Damerghou, a district of which is subjected to him.

At the present time he is constantly receiving visits from the surrounding Kubar, "great people," inquiring after his health, and bringing presents. Whilst he thus ama.s.ses treasure, he feeds a number of dependants a little above the starvation point; and this standing army suffices for his executive. Several of the princes of Aheer are expected to visit the new Sultan of Aghadez, and compliment him on his accession.

The exact name of the new Sultan is now said to be Kadaree Ben El-Bagharee.

_23d._--I rose early, to send off the despatches. They are sent to Asoudee, where there is a caravan just arrived from Kanou. Among the persons composing it are some Mourzuk people, who will take charge of the despatches. This caravan stays a few days in Asoudee, when it will leave direct for Mourzuk, and arrive at this latter city in the course of two months and a-half.

I have just received an account of the route of the salt-caravans from Tintalous to Bilma:--

From Tintalous to Asaughar Five days.

" Fakramah One day.

" Kawar One day.

" Boulouma One day.

The mediate time occupied is said to be between eight and fourteen days.

The three stations mentioned between Tintalous and Bilma have wells of water. There is also an abundance of herbage all along the route for camels. The direction of the route is always east, over a flat country (probably through wadys); although, my informant adds, there are no mountains. The salt is found in small lakes. The people ama.s.s it with the water, and make of it round cakes; the water runs away, and the cakes become hard and dry. It is then packed up in camel-loads. A large camel-load pays to the Tibboos half a metagal, or about ninepence English money. It is thus evident that the Tibboos do derive a revenue from their salt, contrary to what was stated by them to Major Denham.

Since his time, however, this people have found themselves in a better condition to enforce this impost on the Kailouee salt-merchants than they were formerly.

The caravan of Ghat Tuaricks brought here the news, a few days ago, that no less than four hundred people, fractions of the tribes of the Azgher, consisting of men, women, and children, followed us as far as Tajetterat to see what they could get from the Christians. When they arrived at the wells, to their great disappointment we were gone. Some of them were nearly naked, having only a piece of leather round their loins. Our sending for an escort from Mourzuk seems to have aroused the whole country; all these poor wretches expected, at least, a little _hamsa_ from the Christians, who were reported to have a long train of camels laden with gold and silver, and all sorts of rich goods. I do not doubt the correctness of this news; it is so perfectly Targhee in its kind: but the report of sixty maharees pursuing us from the Haghar desert was always doubted by me.

There is now news of my stolen tea, and a chance of my getting some of it back again, the robbers confessing to their friends that they do not know what to do with such "_herbage_," as they call it: it is quite useless to them.

The Kailouees and Tuaricks generally do not like beards, and cut off the hair of the upper lip quite close. Indeed, wearing as they do the thilem, the beard and the mustachios are completely hidden. The Kailouees leave the crown of the head, which is close shaved, as in the case of the Mahommedans of the coast, quite bare, exposed to the sun and weather. Around the lower part of the head they wind a long narrow strip of black cotton stuff (called _rouanee_ in Soudanee), which is continued round the face, upper and lower part, and forms the thilem, only about an inch breadth of the face being exposed or visible; that is, the portion including the eyes and bridge of the nose. The generality of the Kailouees wear, besides, a tobe, or long broad cotton frock (or rather s.h.i.+rt, for nothing is worn under it at the upper part of the body), with immensely wide sleeves. Those a little better off also wear trousers, very wide about the loins, narrow at the legs, and drawn round the waist with a belt. All use leather sandals, strong and thick; some of them are prettily made. The whole of this apparel is imported from Soudan, there being apparently no manufactures in Aheer.

The arms of the men,--for all go armed with some weapon,--are a dagger under the left arm, a sword slung on the back, and a spear in the right hand. The spear-shaft is wood, whilst those of the Ghat Tuaricks and Haghars are frequently metal, of the same substance as the point of the weapon. These iron spears are said to be manufactured by the Tibboos.

They are much more formidable weapons than the spears with wooden shafts. When mounted on their maharees, all the Kailouees have s.h.i.+elds made of the tanned skins of animals, generally of the wild ox (_bugara wahoosh_). To these arms the people in Aheer now begin to add matchlocks, which are sent up from the coast. The sword is not worn on the back when riding, but hangs down on the right-hand side, sheathed in a fantastic leather cage.

A few of the poorer sort of Kailouees appear with bows and arrows. The latter they carry in very close bundles, so well packed up that not one can separate from the other. They told me they were poisoned, and would not let me touch them. Amongst the accomplishments of the Gighis and magicians of Africa is that of poisoning arrows. The pagan nations are generally very expert in this

"dreadful art, To taint with deadly drugs the barbed dart."

The younger and more fas.h.i.+onable Kailouees wear round their necks, and hanging down over their breast, a large necklace of charms sewn in leather bags. Some also wear a sort of cloth cap, called bakin zakee, of a green colour, round which they bind the turkadee, or black turban. On this cap they also occasionally wear charms, done up in small metal boxes. Their camels are very fantastically dressed in leathern trappings.

The great men, and indeed all those that can afford it, despise the simple Kailouee costume, and indulge in all the rich dresses which are so much liked by the Moors of the coast,--burnouses, shasheeahs, turbans, veneeses, caftans, tobes of silk, &c.

The dress of the women whom we see about is a simple cotton tobe, covering them from neck to heels. The colour of these tobes is generally blue-black, dyed with indigo; some are glazed with gum. Many, however, are white, and ornamented in front about the neck with silken embroidery,--a costume which gives them a very chaste and elegant appearance. Sometimes the tobes are variegated in colour, as are the trousers; but the sombre, or pure white, are the most popular.

I have set down the Kailouee names for various articles of dress as well as weapons:--

Green cloth cap Bakin zakee.

Turban, or bandage round the head and face Taghalmous.

Red or other caps Takabout.

Frock and s.h.i.+rt Teekatkat.

Trousers Eskarbaee.

Sandals Eghateema.

Dagger Azegheez.

Sword Alagh.

Spear Ebzaghdeer.

s.h.i.+eld Aghar.

Arrow Amour.

Bow Takanya.

Leathern bag for tobacco, pipe, needles, thread, scissors, looking-gla.s.s, and other small things,--nicknacks Elbes.

Charm Sheera.

I can scarcely yet venture to p.r.o.nounce an opinion on the character of the Kailouees. They decidedly differ from the Haghar and Azgher Tuaricks, in being more civil and companionable. But they seem to have acquired from Soudan the habit of petty thieving, from which the Haghars are especially free.

CHAPTER XIX.

Rainstorm--Overtures from En-Noor--Another Interview--Aheer Fas.h.i.+ons--A great Lady--Hoisting the British Flag--A devoted Slave--Sultan of Asoudee--Attack on a Caravan--Purposed Razzia--Desert News--Buying Wives--A peculiar Salutation--Oasis of Janet--New Razzias--Costume of the Sultan--The Milky Way--Noise at a Wedding--Unquiet Nights--Sickness in the Encampment--A captive Scorpion--Nuptial Festivities--An insolent Haghar--Prejudice about Christians--Movements in Aheer--Bullocks.

_Sept. 24th._--We had a good deal of wind yesterday, but no appearance of rain. This morning was fine, clear, and warm; but just after noon a sudden fall of rain came, followed, within five minutes, by a tempest of thunder, lightning, rain, and hail, which broke immediately over our heads, and carried away our small tents. Even my Bornou tent, having been dried up by the recent weather, admitted the rain, and several of our things were wetted. The tempest itself did not last more than fifteen or twenty minutes; and by the time the moon rose in the evening, all clouds had cleared away, and the heavens were as pure as in the morning. I may observe that the rain is less disagreeable to me than the clouds of sand-dust, with which we are at other times persecuted. The fine particles cover and pervade everything, and getting between the skin and the flannel, produce an irritation like the p.r.i.c.king of needles.

This day Yusuf brought a message from En-Noor, to the effect that he had heard from various people that I had brought a sword for him from the Queen of England, and also a letter from Her Majesty. He added: "I trust I have done nothing to offend the Consul or his companions; and I pray that there may be nothing between us but good feeling and justice--no lying, nothing but truth and fair dealing."

It now seemed to me that a good opportunity had arrived for introducing the subject of the treaty; and I determined to make an effort, being convinced, from recent transactions between En-Noor and his brother chieftains, that he exerts paramount influence in Aheer; so that it may be of considerable benefit to Christian travellers that a treaty of amity and commerce should be signed by him. Yusuf therefore prepared a treaty in Arabic, and I one in English. This done, I caused En-Noor to be informed of our intentions, and, taking with me a sword, went to visit him with some anxiety.

We found the Sultan, in company with half-a-dozen people; he received us in a very friendly manner, and really seemed on this occasion to be what he professes to be, the friend and Consul of the English. I explained to him, that we certainly had this treaty ready for him, and intended to have presented it to him on our arrival; but on account of our sufferings and the robberies committed on us, and seeing the country in a state of revolution, I had no heart to present to his highness anything from the Queen of England. However, now that things were more settled, and as I saw there was authority in the country, I had much pleasure in proposing for his signature a treaty from my Government. At the same moment, as an incentive, I presented the sword (a small naval officer's sword, with a good deal of polished bra.s.s and gilding about it, of the value, at most, of five pounds). To my great satisfaction, his highness accepted both treaty and present with ardent manifestations of pleasure. He made me read the doc.u.ment in English, to hear the sound of our language; and he also desired me to leave with him an English copy. This we did, with some explanation of the contents in an Arabic letter on the back. We then took our copy in Arabic. The sword pleased him greatly, on account of its lightness, for he is an old man, not very strong; and because it glittered with gold. We wrote the maker's name in Arabic, and gave directions to have it well preserved. He inquired after Drs. Barth and Overweg, and seemed to take great interest in our welfare.

In the midst of our conversation a lady, one of the Sultan's female relations, came, moved no doubt by curiosity, into the room. She was evidently a fine dame, a person of fas.h.i.+on in this Saharan capital. Her countenance, in due obedience to the requirements of _ton_, was not "_rouged_ up to the eyes," but "_yellowed_ up to the eyes!" There cannot be a more appalling custom. Imagine a young lady, of brown-black complexion, daubed with brilliant yellow ochre! The paint covers the whole face, from the roots of the hair to the lower jaw, forming two semicircles with the upper lips. Between the eyes are three black beauty-spots, descending perpendicularly on the bridge of the nose. The eyebrows are blackened, and joined, so as to form one immense arch across the face, under the yellow brow. Is it possible to disguise the human countenance more completely?

The dark-blue cotton skirt of this lady was turned up behind over her head, so as to form a kind of hood; but underneath she wore a coloured petticoat. Generally, the women of Tintalous wear a frock, or chemise, and a piece of cotton wrapper over their head and shoulders.[18] This wrapper, which serves as a shawl, is not unlike, in effect, the black veil worn by the Maltese women. The lady we saw at En-Noor's wore a profusion of necklaces, armlets, and anklets of metal, wood, and horn.

She gazed about for some time and then went her way. After asking and receiving permission to hoist the British flag over the tents, and to fire a salute, we imitated her example. This is my first success in diplomacy! On returning, we prepared for our evening's festivities, but the tempest a.s.sailing us we waited till fairer weather.

[18] Answering to the gown and head-veil of the fellahs.--Ed.