Narrative of a Mission to Central Africa Performed in the Years 1850-51 Volume I Part 19

At five in the evening we hoisted the British flag, and fired no less than a hundred musket discharges. I do not recollect that this ceremony was ever before performed in the desert, in Bornou or Soudan, although the union-jack certainly now flies at Mourzuk and Ghadamez, on the roofs of the consular houses.

Now I pray G.o.d that our great troubles may be over in Aheer--little troubles we must always encounter, and bear with fort.i.tude. Our servants and friends are much rejoiced at our success with En-Noor, and they promise me farther success in Soudan and Bornou. Alas! G.o.d alone knows what is reserved for us; but we must not despair after these, events of Aheer. At first all was black, without one solitary ray of light; now, all the Sultans of Aheer are determined they say, conjointly, to afford us protection: whilst the people are showing themselves more friendly every day.

A strange thing is a devoted slave. Zangheema is the devoted slave of En-Noor. He is his right hand, his man of business, his vizier, his shadow, his second self. Alternately Zangheema attends the marts of Mourzuk and Kanou; and, fortunately for us, he is now going to Kanou.

_25th._--Whilst we were occupied in drying our clothes after the previous day's tempest, we learned that another Sultan had put himself on the list of beggars. His Excellency Astakeelee of Asoudee has written a long letter to En-Noor, of which we are the subject. The substance is that it is a sin (haram) to plunder us Christians. En-Noor says we must send him some trifle as a present. There remain yet to come Lousou and some others. I am glad we are not expected to give much in these cases, as our means would not allow us to do so. I sent to Astakeelee a red cloth caftan or long loose gown, a white turban, a fez, a small looking-gla.s.s, and a few cloves for the Sultana, the total value about twelve dollars.

Serious news has just come in from the northern frontier. It appears that the Azgher who followed us all the way from Aisou to Aheer, secretly exciting the people against us, have joined with the Kailouee borderers in an attack upon a small Tibboo caravan. Two of the merchants have been killed, and thirty-five slaves stolen and carried away over the desert, in the direction of Tuat.

This news was brought in the afternoon by a caravan of Fezzanees, who have arrived from Ghat. They declare that they buried the bodies of the two murdered men. A servant who escaped gave them the rest of the news.

It is probable that the Tibboos made considerable resistance on the road, as they are brave fellows, and this resistance occasioned their being murdered. The news has produced great excitement.

The people begin to see the evil effects of countenancing the forced exactions made upon us. This will be an instructive lesson to the holy marabouts of Tintaghoda, who headed the tribes of the frontier against us unfortunate Christians.

When we met these very small caravans on the road, with only two owners, three or four servants, and some forty or fifty slaves, and all without arms, or perhaps with only a couple of swords, I used to wonder at their apparent security, and could not help observing, when we were night and day pursued by bandits, "These robbers must have an extraordinary affection for Muslims, and be very Deists themselves; for these few defenceless people pa.s.s unmolested, and we are pursued continually, although our caravan is full of arms."

En-Noor and the new Sultan of Aghadez have been talking loudly of a razzia to the north; they will now see its absolute necessity, unless the route between Aheer and Ghat is to be closed, except for very large caravans.

The Fezzanees who left Ghat nineteen days after us also say that before they started the news had arrived there that the Christians were all murdered by the people of Janet. They add, besides, that they met Waldee at Tajetterat, together with the people of Janet, amounting to seventy maharees, all encamped there. If true, probably these were the Tuaricks, with whom we were menaced at Taghajeet. The people of Janet were in pursuit of us. Waldee persuaded them to retrace their steps, declaring, which indeed was the truth, that the Christians were by that time arrived in the country of En-Noor, and were consequently beyond their pursuit. The bandits hearing this, immediately returned.

The Fezzanees praise the exertions which Waldee made on our behalf.

Hereafter we shall be able, if we live, to verify this intelligence. It seems doubtful that the people of Janet should be nine days too late for us. However, our informants declare they gave the brigands victuals and a few presents.

I suppose that the grossly-exaggerated accounts which have been spread as to the vast sums that Hateetah and Wataitee got from us had much to do in getting up this fermentation in the desert of Ghat. We knew already that all the tribes and sheikhs were jealous of our escort. I must renew my application to Gagliuffi for the rest.i.tution of the property of the British Government; if not, the people who form the proposed razzia will divide it amongst themselves.

_26th._--En-Noor has sent me word this morning that I may make myself quite at home in his city, and have nothing whatsoever to fear.

Moreover, he begs to inform me that he has sent for our lost camels to the districts where they are supposed to be detained, with a peremptory order, that if they are not immediately given up they are to be seized by force, and if not found, other camels are to be confiscated instead of them. This may be the first effect of the slaughter of the Tibboos.

It is quite clear, however, that En-Noor is bound in honour to recover for us our lost beasts of burden; their detention must otherwise disgrace his authority.

As soon as a Moor or an Arab gains a little money, he begins in the first place to buy a new wife. The merchants, especially those who traverse the Sahara, have a wife and an establishment at all the princ.i.p.al cities. When they have half-a-dozen of these establishments they are then great men. Es-Sfaxee has gained a little money by our misfortunes, and he now begins to talk of buying a young slave for a wife, and what not, to attend him on the road. But no sailor, who sails the waters of the world through and through, and has a la.s.s at every port, manages matters so well as the travelling Moorish merchant. This Moor has his comfortable home in every large city of the interior of Africa, and no one inquires whether he exceeds the number fixed by the law of the Prophet or not. Indeed, no one knows how many wives he has, or where they are.

Ferajee, of the escort, had a particular salutation, by which he used always to address me. It continues to be repeated by some of our people: "Othrub Gonsul! Fire off the gun, O Consul! Othrub Gonsul!" This salute I always heard when Ferajee was in a good humour, and now it is used to signify that our affairs are looking up.

According to a Tanelk.u.m, Janet is entirely peopled by Azgher or Ghat Tuaricks, and members of the tribe of Aheethanaran, who now live on good terms with the Azgher. This tribe is scattered about as far as Falezlez.

It was the people of the same tribe who formed a razzia expedition against us. The oasis of Janet, however, is not independent. It is subject to Shafou; but has a local government of its own.

Every day brings the news of a new razzia. This morning it is reported that some brigands of Oulimid who inhabit a district beyond Aghadez, came down upon the people of Aghadamou, a place five days from Tintalous, on the route of Soudan, destroyed their houses, and carried away a great number of their camels. Aghadamou is represented to be a wady, with a number of huts scattered about. I had not heard of this place before as being on the Soudan route.

In the afternoon En-Noor walked out, and came up to me and saluted me.

As I pa.s.sed by his highness I had an opportunity of noticing his dress.

He wore over the body a plain blue-checked Soudan robe, with trousers of a similar material; on his head was a red cap bound round with a blue-black bandage (turkadee), in the form of a turban, but also brought, according to the invariable custom of the Tuaricks, over and under the eyes. His shoes were the common Soudan sandals; and thus, with a long wand, or a white stick, he proceeded with a slow-measured pace through the streets of the town. A dependant followed the Sultan at a short distance, but the absence of an escort proclaimed how deep-rooted was his authority.

To-day, for the first time, En-Noor sent to buy something of us, viz. a loaf of white sugar. As Overweg is going to Asoudee under the protection of En-Noor, I gave him the loaf of sugar, and told him to send it, on his part, as a present to the Sheikh, and at the same time to ask him to get his escort ready.

The Fezzanees call the Milky Way, which appears at this season nearly overhead early in the evening, "the road of the dates," it being now the time in which the dates ripen.

Late in the evening a troop of twenty maharees came riding straight up to our tents. Although none of our people were gone to bed, although all were up and about talking, not a single person saw them coming but myself; and I only saw--none of us heard, so noiselessly did they steal over the sand. This troop merely came in to bait for the night. They, however, brought some person with them who is about to be married to a woman of Tintalous.

_27th._--I rose early, having slept little on account of noises of various sorts, which continued all night long. First, there was a drum perpetually beating, announcing rudely enough the approaching nuptials; then there was a cricket singing shrill notes at my head; and then there was the screech-owl making the valley of Tintalous ring again with its hideous shriek. Add to all, between the roll of the big noisy drum, the cries and uproar of the people. This morning there are groups of people squatting all about. Two maharees are riding round and round one group.

Before another is a man dancing as indelicately as a Moorish woman of the coast.

News of still another razzia ushers in the day. A small caravan, it is reported, was attacked a few days ago, on the route between this and Zinder. The princ.i.p.al merchant was killed, and all the goods and slaves carried away. The few agents now in Tintalous see clearly that this route will become, for the future, safe only for large caravans. En-Noor says of the villages which were attacked by the tribe of Oulimid, that the people must have been chickens not to have defended themselves; but the fact is, the whole country is now, to a certain extent, abandoned to the pillage of lawless banditti.

In the evening the people contrived to celebrate the preliminaries of the approaching nuptials. The bride, I now find, is no less a personage than the daughter of En-Noor,--a full-grown desert princess. The Sfaxee and several other foreign merchants fired in the evening salutes in honour of the occasion. The drum was again kept beating all night, accompanied again by the crickets and the screech-owl. Oh for a quiet sleep!

_28th._--Late in the evening another troop of twenty maharees came to visit En-Noor, and a.s.sist at the nuptials. They were known at some distance by the jingling of the bells, which are always worn on their camels on such occasions. The drumming was kept up again the greater part of the night, the screech-owl and crickets joining the discord as before.

_29th._--Several of our people have recently been unwell, Yusuf amongst the rest. They take little care of themselves, and attribute their illness to the ghaseb. I expect we shall have them all ill in Soudan.

Early this morning I found Ibrahim, servant of the Germans, holding in his hand and playing with a huge scorpion, which he had caught near the tents. He seemed to have fatigued it so much that it could not sting. It kept, indeed, always striking with its tail, but very feebly. Its head was not at all prominently brought forward out of its body, and it looked as if it had no head at all. It had ten legs. I told Ibrahim that he was a marabout, at which he was greatly flattered.

The twenty maharees have joined the nuptial festivities this morning. A number of women are squatting in a group on the ground, and the men mounted on their camels are riding round and round them, sometimes in single file, and at other times in two's and two's. Whilst this is going on, another mounted party gallops up one by one to the group from a short distance. All this is done to the sound of rude noisy drums. I have not heard any songs, or seen any other species of music but this drum. There are, however, several drums of different sizes, and producing various noises. They are made of wood and with bullocks' hide.

The women looloo as on the coast, and both men and women dance; not exactly as the negroes do, but still somewhat indelicately. Hamma, who commanded our escort, has returned from visiting his friends.

The Tanelk.u.ms report that Hamma is something like Achilles, for he has often been wounded, having been in many battles, but none of his wounds have ever proved fatal, or even much incommoded him.

It would seem that Tintalous, like all the Tuarick countries, is a miserably poor place; for it is said that none, or very few, of the people in the town have a fire for cooking their _bazeen_, except the great En-Noor himself. The time, however, approaches for the departure of the caravans for Zinder, whence they bring back a great quant.i.ty of ghaseb and samen.

A Haghar, or Ghat Tuarick, I know not which, came into my tent this morning and behaved insolently. Amongst other antics, he took up a gun.

I immediately wrested it out of his hands and sent him out of the tent.

Yusuf was present, but, as usual, showed little spirit.

My blacks were taken aback at my treating a Haghar in this cavalier way; but I observe that they are now more cautious in permitting strangers to enter my tent. The day before I turned a saucy Kailouee out, and my servants begin to understand that I will not be pestered more with these people, and so they keep them off. This is my only plan, for I have told them a hundred times not to allow strangers to come and molest my privacy.

_30th._--The noisy drums have ceased, and most of the Targhee visitors have departed. The people, however, still bring news of razzias, Kailouees with Kailouees. A messenger has returned with his report about the boat; it is quite safe and in good hands, at Seloufeeat.

A caravan arrived yesterday from Ghat, and reports that Wataitee had returned to that place and brought rea.s.suring news respecting us. Behind is coming another caravan, in which is some Moor from Tripoli. Probably this person will bring news or letters. From the report of Ibrahim, the Germans' servant, it would seem that the people of Tintalous believe that Christians eat human beings; and further, from what I hear, this strange prejudice possesses the minds of the lower cla.s.ses in many countries of Soudan. Such are the opinions of the semi-barbarians of Africa respecting us and our boasted civilisation! There is much to be done yet in the world before mankind know one another, and acknowledge one another as brethren.

En-Noor sent word this morning that he and his friends, the Sultans of Asoudee and Aghadez, had combined a razzia against the people of Tidek and Taghajeet, who had plundered us on the road; and that fifty maharees had gone to execute their purposes. This is the expedition which has been long talked of: we shall see its results. Dr. Barth is making arrangements for going to Aghadez.

I have prepared a draft of a treaty, which Yusuf, who accompanies Barth, will take with him. I have also made a selection of presents for the Sultan of Aghadez.

There is now an immense movement throughout all the Kailouee country. It is supposed that the razzia for the west has other ulterior objects besides merely chastising the Fadeea and people of Tidek for plundering us. The power of En-Noor more and more developes itself. He seems to be determined to take every opportunity to consolidate it.

_Oct. 1st._--Yesterday evening I saw the first drove of bullocks in this country; it belonged to En-Noor. Overweg made a bet with me that En-Noor would give us one of these animals to-day. I took his bet of twelve small Aheer cheeses against his six, and won; for the greedy old dog has sent us no bullock. This morning a man offers me a draught bullock for sale. The price demanded is fifteen metagals of this country, two and a-half of which are equal to a Spanish dollar. He lowered his price to eight, and the blacks offered seven, but eight were at last given. One of our people mounted the naked back of the bullock, and rode him as quietly and easily as a little pony.

END OF VOL. I.