Narrative of a Mission to Central Africa Performed in the Years 1850-51 Volume Ii Part 7

_Nov. 30th to Dec. 3d._--The weather has been mild these last few days; this morning, half an hour after sunrise, thermometer 51.

En-Noor has been to pay a visit to the Sultan of Asoudee, meeting him at some neighbouring village. There was a council respecting the affairs of the tribe of the Iteesan, who are fighting amongst themselves; but no news has transpired since his return. The old sheikh is in good health and spirits, which he attributes partly to drinking my coffee twice and thrice a-day. He says we shall leave here in the course of twelve days.

Senna is grown, or rather collected, in all the districts of Aheer; but it is cheap now, and does not fetch the price in Tripoli which it formerly did; many other as suitable purgatives being found in Europe, I suppose. Senna is, besides, procured from the district of the Tibboos of Bilma, and some of this is still sent to Tripoli. Bornou has also much senna, but it does not pay the expense of forwarding it to Tripoli.

The relations of man and wife in Aheer are curious, if not extraordinary. A woman never leaves the home of her father! When a man marries a woman, he remains with her a few weeks, and then, if he will not take up his residence in the town or village of his wife, he must return to his own place without her. When a man sees a woman who pleases him, he offers the parents a price for her--say, four camels. If the parents agree that the price is adequate to the charms or the rank of their daughter, the bargain is concluded. These four camels remain always the property of the wife, with which she supports herself, sending them to Soudan or to Bilma, fetching ghaseb or salt. Many of the women have a large property obtained in this way. When their husbands visit them, they give them something to eat, and they remain a few days or weeks; and again depart to their own native towns, leaving the wife with her property, and any chance lover. But the men marry two or three wives, and so are constantly in motion, first going to visit one wife and then another. Thus the male population of this country is kept in a continually restless state of activity--roaming about here and there, marrying another and another wife, if their means will permit them. The women, of course, left in this way, and unrestrained by any high moral motives, take as many lovers as they dare, or can secretly dispose of.

It appears that En-Noor always disapproved of this strange system, and swore he would never marry a wife, because he should be obliged to go to another town to reside there, and so be exposed to having an inferior position, the authorities of the town of his wife pretending to exercise jurisdiction over him. All his women have ever been slaves. His highness is now living amidst his daughters and their children--the men who married them being all away in their own native countries. A daughter of En-Noor costs ten camels, and this is considered a very high price for a woman. With two or three camels, a woman manages to support herself and children. If the husbands of En-Noor's daughters be ever so poor, he never gives them anything but a little food. They must come and reside in his town. His highness pa.s.ses all his evenings amidst this circle of women--his female slaves, his daughters, and granddaughters.

The population of Gouber and Maradee together may be about 1500.

_Maradee_, capital of Maradee, and residence of the Siriki.

_Jinubakai_ is the second division of the country, inhabited wholly by the pagans or gia-drinkers (beer-drinkers); not, therefore, Mahometans.

_Gouber_ (Gubar), is the name of the country, of which the capital and residence of the sultan is _Chibri_. This country consists of a large city (Chibri), and several small villages, some fifty or sixty; two are here mentioned, Gomer and Sanna.

These two countries of Gouber and Maradee are now in alliance against the Sultan of Sakkatou, i.e. of the Fellatahs, and mutually inflict razzias upon one another. Tesaoua is in close connexion with these ancient Kohlan countries, and is, indeed, a province of Maradee. There are mixed up with the population a number of people, emigrants from Aheer, called Buzai; but these Aheer Tuaricks have lost both their language and nationality, retaining merely the name, to denote their origin. So, in all probability, were more people and of other countries to emigrate to Soudan, they would soon become Soudanee, and lose their nationality. In these countries of Soudan above-mentioned, Mahommedanism has been but lately professed. But the great distinguis.h.i.+ng mark between paganism and Mahommedanism appears to be the drinking or not drinking gia, the latter being the people who of course abstain from this intoxicating beverage.

Overweg says, that within three-quarters of an hour's walk are found hereabout granite, sandstone, and basalt, a variety of stones somewhat remarkable.

The study of _sau_, "footsteps" of men and animals, is quite a science in this part of the world. The Fezzanee are reckoned the most expert in this knowledge; they are said to be able to distinguish the footsteps of people when printed upon the trunk of a palm, the print-step being made by dipping the feet in water! As to animals, the people observe near the neighbouring rocks the sau of the lion--a very deep, heavy impression of his five claws, of the monkey, the hare, the gazelle, the fox, the jackal, the hyaena, the mouse, &c. &c. Indeed, we appear to be surrounded with animals; and in the morning I found the sau of the dog, the cat, the hare, and the mouse, on the sandy floor of my tent. It is my intention, before I leave Africa, to draw the forms of the footsteps of the more remarkable animals. _Inshallah!_

_4th._--Visit from his highness the Sheikh every day. He is now kind enough to send me every morning--at the suggestion of his princ.i.p.al wife--a small can of milk, which, besides the value of the milk itself, saves my sugar, enabling me to drink tea and coffee without sweetening.

This evening the _shara_ was brought of the arrival of couriers from the salt-caravan, to say it was near. Like the Arabs, for this shara or news, or first advice of the coming of something good or agreeable, the Kailouees ask some present. We gave a little bit of sugar to the slave who brought the welcome intelligence.

_Dec. 5th to 9th._--I was occupied with vocabulary of Haussa and Bornou.

Weather mild and misty, but a little cold this morning; thermometer, at three-quarters of an hour after sunrise, 43.

Nearly all the salt-caravan has arrived, and proceeded in advance, coming in small detachments. They rendezvous in a fine wady full of herbage, with water higher up. We are expected to leave in a few days, three or four at most. Nothing seems now to detain En-Noor. But the Fadeea have returned from the Hagar, finding themselves not pursued.

They very naturally prefer their own fine valley in Asben to the stony, desert wilds of Hagars. I suppose a razzia will be executed against them, for the restoration of the camels of Tintaghoda, on the return of the salt-caravan from Soudan.

En-Noor gives a tremendously unfavourable account of the Oulimad, who occupy the desert of Sahara between Aghadez and Timbuctoo, and keep the road there shut against caravans. He says, they would sleep in our tents in the day, eat and drink with us; but in the night they would carry away the tent, and make themselves clothing with it. In fact, En-Noor considers them the veriest barbarians in this region of Africa. There may be a little exaggeration in this, and the Oulimad may not be worse than the Hagars of Ghemama, or even than some of his own people. The Kailouees do not hunt, nor do they cultivate the soil; so that this country abounds with animals. Some of the country is extremely wild and rocky, and affords many a retired den for the lions, who descend from the rocks and prowl abroad for prey in great numbers. Their footmarks frequently cover the length and breadth of the wadys. Barth himself saw (very fortunately, for it is a sight seen by very few persons indeed) as many as five together. Monkeys also abound in great numbers. I related to En-Noor the anecdote, as a joke, of the monkey shaving the cat in Paris; but this he took seriously, for he observed, "That is nothing; I have seen the monkeys crack lice just like men." It is always a difficult matter to translate a joke to these people. Overweg has been out these last two days hunting for ostrich eggs, in the places which these birds frequent. He saw their footprints, dung, feathers, &c., and two specimens, but found no eggs. It appears this is a most difficult bird to catch.

En-Noor continues to be very friendly. I get milk now every morning, for which I pay sugar and coffee. His highness and his people went out yesterday to dig a well, about two hours distant. All the water in this place is exhausted. It appears to be merely a deposit of rain-water under the sand, at a depth of from four or five to eight feet. It becomes, as in this case, entirely exhausted before the commencement of the next rains; but of course there are some springs, and many wells which are not dried up during the whole year.

N.B.--If I remain a month at Zinder, I must make a little excursion amongst the Bornou villages and see the rustic life of the people; but I fear it will be a bad place to hear the pure Bornouese language. I still hope to go off early to Sakkatou, and finish quickly with Soudan. In these matters the Germans are better off than I am, and have not to wait for money.[10]

[10] Nearly the whole of this long account of a residence in Aheer consists in the journals of Mr. Richardson of disjointed fragments, jotted down almost without any connexion. This was necessarily the case. Few incidents, save an occasional visit from thieves, or a dispute with that strange old gentleman, Sultan En-Noor, diversified this period. However, the simple commonplace book of a traveller in a totally new country can never be without its interest. No doubt Mr. Richardson would have attempted, had he survived, to throw all these observations into a picture; but any attempt to do so on my part would have probably resulted in the omission of characteristic traits, and the introduction of extraneous ideas. The following chapters appear to me to increase in interest, page by page.--ED.

CHAPTER VII.

Razzia on the Fadeea--Haussa--Names of Places--Ant-track--Circular Letter from Mourzuk--Vast Rock--Mustapha Bey's Letter--Effects of Water--b.u.t.terflies--Aspect of the Country--A Slave advanced to Honour--Shonshona--Herbage--Birds--Appearance of the Salt-Caravan--Colours of Dawn--Bilma Salt--Mode of Barter--Pa.s.s the Rock of Mari--Granite--Indigo Plant--Presents at Stamboul--The Sultan begs again--Old Men's Importunities--Baghzem--Curiosities of the Route--People of Damerghou--Temporary Village of Women--Country begins to open--Barter Transaction with Lady En-Noor.

_Dec. 10th._--I rose before the sunrise; the coldest morning we have had; thermometer at half-an-hour after sunrise, 38.

It is reported that we leave here to-morrow, or the day following. There is arrived from Aghadez the first man of that city after the sultan, called Amagai. He is come here respecting the affairs of the Fadeea.

En-Noor also asked to-day for a list of all the things taken by force from us on the frontiers. It appears the Sultan of Aghadez had captured the Sheikh of the Fadeea, or some one sheikh, and allowed him to go out of prison on the promise that he would restore all the things taken from us--but not to us; so these Sultans and Sheikhs of Aheer will probably get all these things back, and divide the spoil. But, nevertheless, it is better that the people in authority should have them, than that they should remain in the possession of the robbers, the lawless plundering tribes of the frontier. Probably these people will be more cautious how they plunder another caravan of Christians. It will always be a satisfaction to us that the robbers were made to disgorge their booty. I have also heard that a small camel was brought in exchange for my large lost one; and En-Noor sent it back, ordering them to restore the large camel of the boat. My camel has been to fetch salt from Bilma.

The children call Tesaoua, and the countries thereabout, Haussa, and say it is near, and that they go on donkeys. From this it is certain this portion of Soudan still has the ancient name of Haussa. Afaou is merely the Bornou name for Haussa, there being no place or district of that name. All these countries have most of them two names, or two p.r.o.nunciations of the same name; one by the natives, and one by the Moorish merchants and other strangers. Thus the village of En-Noor is called by strangers Tintalous, and by the people themselves Chintullus.

Travellers had better adhere to the name the place has amongst the strangers and foreign merchants, otherwise their narrative might be questioned by the people abroad, who do not know the native name.

Maradee has its native name of Mariadi, but if you were to mention this name in Mourzuk and Tripoli none would know the country of which you were speaking. In fact, it is just the same as calling Florence Firenza, when speaking to persons who have not travelled in Tuscany, or who are unacquainted with Italian. I continue much occupied with the Bornouese and Haussa languages, and am now collecting the names of insects and animals. This is extremely difficult, as for many of the animals of Soudan there are no Arabic names.

I measured an ant-track, and found it 125 feet. The ants were fetching the cottony dried blossom of a withered plant, and were amazingly busy.

The tracks did not wind much. I noticed, also, in my walk, the footmarks of hares and many other animals. This country is full of live things.

_11th._--I rose before sunrise; this is the coldest morning I have yet had, according to the thermometer, which was only two degrees above the freezing point (34).

A circular letter arrived to-day from Aghadez, addressed to all the Tuaricks, written by Mustapha Bey of Mourzuk, recommending them to render us all necessary protection. It is dated back two months.

Probably this letter was written on account of the unfavourable intelligence which reached Mourzuk respecting us. To-morrow, please G.o.d, we start for Soudan.

_12th._--Thank G.o.d! we left our encampment of Chintagawna this morning.

And oh, most gracious G.o.d! give us a prosperous journey, and may we be useful to ourselves and our fellow-creatures.

We started about eleven o'clock, and went on about three hours and a-half. The day was very cool; the thermometer in the morning, at sunrise, being only three degrees above the freezing-point. We expect to see the water freeze on the high plains through which we are about to pa.s.s, before arriving at Damerghou. Our encampment is a pleasant wady, under a conical-formed rock of considerable elevation, perhaps 1500 feet. We are also in a high situation, some 1000 or more feet above the level of the sea. There is near this rock a lower one of an oblong form, its sides fluted with pillars; these columnar ma.s.ses are basalt. Dr.

Overweg examined the rocks, and found the outer crust a new species of rock, a sort of trachite or brachite; and the interior a sort of basalt, or volcanic substance. The large rock is also of the same formation. Dr.

Barth ascended the large rock.

I am now told that I made a great mistake about the wording of the circular letter of Mustapha Bey. This letter begins by thanking the Tuaricks of Aheer for exterminating the Walad Suleiman! It then hints broadly at the necessity for the Turks in Mourzuk and the Tuaricks of Aheer being friends; and to maintain this friends.h.i.+p one important condition is required--that they, the Tuaricks of Aheer, shall protect all the merchants or other travellers pa.s.sing through their country, and coming from Mourzuk. In the event of their committing a bad action, the Bey says he may be compelled to make reprisals; so it is quite clear the letter is written entirely on our account, and perhaps is a preliminary measure to making reprisals. _Nous verrons._ This letter is only addressed to the people of Aheer.

If water be the sustaining and even the generative force of vegetation in the desert, it is also the destruction of trees and herbage; for along the line of the current of the wady are seen immense numbers of dead and overthrown trees, torn from their roots by the force of the water in the rainy season. En-Noor paid me a visit this afternoon, and took a nap in my tent.

_13th._--We rose early, but did not start till about nine o'clock. This was the coldest day we have yet experienced: the heavens were overcast with clouds. We came five hours; our course irregular, but always south-east; the track through wadys filled with the usual trees of the tholukh species. Yesterday were seen numbers of large b.u.t.terflies, but to-day, on account of the cold, few. Flies innumerable follow the caravan. The rocks were, as yesterday, many conic-formed, and others rounded or appearing in ranges, like huge hayc.o.c.ks: granite, sandstone, and trachite. We have in the distance before us, a peculiarly shaped rock of considerable height, called _Mari_, in the midst of a range. We are encamped in the bed of an immense broad valley, and camels are feeding about in considerable numbers. The salt-caravan is very near. We are not yet in the regular caravan route, _via_ Asoudee, but expect to reach it after to-morrow. En-Noor has with him as a guest the princ.i.p.al man of Aghadez, before mentioned. This man was once a slave, but by his address has risen thus high, as the slaves frequently do in Turkey: so widely do similar manners prevail. Many slaves in Soudan rise to the highest consequence.

The _shonshona_ (or practice of scarifying the face or neck) prevails everywhere in Bornou, Soudan, and all this part of Africa; the Tuaricks and Fellatahs being the only people who abstain from this barbarous practice. Each device of scarifying denotes the peculiar nation of the blacks. I have now got three sketches of faces thus disfigured, and shall get as many as I can.

The Mahommedans of the coast usually teach that this way of marking the body is a sin, but nevertheless the black Muslims will not abandon the peculiarities of their nation.

_14th._--Started early, but made only two hours and a-quarter, through the expansive valleys of yesterday. Here we found the salt-caravan, there being in this place abundance of room, herbage, and a large well, all necessary for such an a.s.sembly of people and beasts. On the road we put up a covey of partridges, and a splendid solitary bird, the _hobara_ of Soudan. Footprints of the hares and of the gazelle were observed _en route_.

By this opportunity we have got a few dates from Bilma; but they are very poor, some of them little better than dried wood. The salt-caravan has nothing attractive. The salt is all tied up in small bales or bundles, the outward wrapper being matting or platting of strips of the leaves of the doom-palm, called by the people _kabba_. Our caravan resembles the march of a wandering tribe, there being camels, sheep, oxen, a.s.ses, dogs, with all the paraphernalia of tents, cooking utensils, &c. Some of the animals are laden, some unladen, playing, running, and skipping about. Then come the human animals, men, women, and children of every age. Our own caravan is mostly composed of the household and slaves of En-Noor, with two or three strangers. But now all changes to the salt-caravan, and we shall probably be soon absorbed in it.

Yesterday morning I observed the dawn of day, and witnessed a degree of redness and red clouds, or, more poetically, rosy-tinted clouds, which I never before observed in all the Sahara. Probably now the sky will change to a colouring more like England. Sunset and sunrise in the Sahara are essentially different from those of England, the colours in the desert being exceedingly light and bright; and often in the summer time, at daybreak, there is a full, blazing sun in the course of three quarters of an hour; so that, that rich colouring of the summer's dawn in England is never here observed.

I visited the salt-caravan, or that portion of it which belongs to En-Noor. The salt is prepared in Bilma, by the Tibboos, in three different manners. There is, first, the _canto_, a kind of pillar or pedestal, about 16 inches high, and 3 or 4 broad in its widest part. As to weight, 10 of these are a good camel-load, 8 a load for a small camel, and 6 for a weak camel. Then there are two cakes, one of refined salt and the other coa.r.s.e. These coa.r.s.e cakes are about 5 inches in diameter, and the refined ones 7 inches, the former being about 3lbs.

and the latter 5lbs. in weight. When a caravan of Tuaricks arrive at Bilma, they find the salt all ready for them, and they pay a barter for it in this way,--a zekka of ghaseb is exchanged against twenty of the coa.r.s.e cakes; a zekka for six of the refined cakes, and three zekkas of ghaseb for two of the pillars. Ghaseb appears to be the only staple thing which the Tibboos receive for their salt; they may also take now and then turkadias, or black turbans, and on the other side the Tuaricks bring a few dates with them: the fruit, even those of the best quality, are not very good or fine. This commerce of barter is managed almost solely by the women: the men remain in their houses, whilst the women go to the salt-pits or lakes, and transact this important business; but the men do not run away, as is commonly reported. At least, so say the Tuaricks. The supply of salt is inexhaustible. It is, probably, on account of the weight of the salt, and the fatigue of the camels which carry it, with the distance, that this commerce is not very profitable to the Tuaricks; but this can only be ascertained in the markets of Kanou, and other large cities of Soudan. There are only six months to the rainy season, so I have just time to go to Sakkatou and return, without waiting long at any of the intermediate places between Sakkatou and Kuka.

Our encampment is under some rocks, where are seen the dens of lions. At the mouth of these caves or holes are bones of animals and the dung of the lions.

_15th._--I rose early, but we did not start till two hours after sunrise. The caravan was a considerable time in loading. We have only with us En-Noor's detachment of the salt-caravan, about 130 camels. We may be quicker in our movements to-morrow. The first morning of starting is always thus slow. We came to-day five hours: pa.s.sed the picturesque rock Mari, like a camel couchant, and entered after three hours the Asoudee route, or the direct caravan route from Ghat to Damerghou, through Aheer. Another detachment of the salt-caravan pa.s.sed or crossed us, and took another route to the east. Our course was always southwards, now S.E. now S.W., through wadys filled with trees, mostly tholukh and its varieties; the rocks were all granite. Aheer appears to be a region essentially of granite, although here and there are volcanic cones striking up, composed of basalt, or a variety of this stone. The weather was very cloudy and cold, only a little warm in the middle of the day. We have not come to water or wells for three days, because our journeys are very short. To-day I saw, for the first time, the indigo plant--_neela_ in Arabic, and _bala_ in Soudanese. I was glad to make its acquaintance. It grows amongst the other herbage, and may be easily confounded with it as a common herb. It is now in seed, the pods being small and very hard. This is one of the products capable of working the regeneration of Africa, if Africa is to be civilised by legitimate commerce.

En-Noor asked to-day if, on entering Constantinople, we English made presents. I told him very positively, "No;" but, on the contrary, everything which the English demanded of the Sultan of the Turks he did for us; and because the Sultan was weak, England was obliged to protect him against the encroachments of the other Christian nations.

I was much surprised to hear to-day that En-Noor begged a black burnouse from Barth. The old Sheikh is a Tuarick every inch of him. Nevertheless, it is too bad to beg the things which we wear to protect us from the cold and the heat. Barth, I believe, has not yet made the Sheikh a present, and he is coming Hateetah over my worthy friend. Overweg has given the Sheikh a cloth jacket, which he could ill spare. I feel most determinedly disposed to give nothing more; but in justice I have to add, that his highness sends regularly the milk in the morning, that he gave me a piece of gour-nut on the road, and that he sent me a few dates at my request! These are great things for Tuaricks; so, "patience."