Narrative of a Mission to Central Africa Performed in the Years 1850-51 Volume Ii Part 12

The news is, that I must stay here ten days, to oblige the slaves who have been sent from Kuka to carry the baggage. We are also to stay at Minyo a few days, _en route_ four days from this.

I spent the evening gleaning information of the interior. There is now no war in any part of Central Africa, i.e. no great wars. Probably the princes of Africa, like those of Europe, find that war will not pay. At any rate, all is peace for the present. This will facilitate our progress. I had a visit from the son of the Kadi of Kuka, an intelligent young man, who has promised to come to-morrow to write the routes from Zinder to his native place.

I have obtained a list of the names of the princ.i.p.al sultans in this part of Africa:

1. Bornou--The Sheikh Omer, the son of the sheikh who reigned in the time of the first expedition. He has now reigned fourteen years. He has a good character.

2. Sakkatou--Sultan of the Fellatahs, Ali. He is not so great as his father Bello, celebrated in the time of the first expedition.

3. Asben, or Aheer--Abd-el-Kader.

4. Maradee--Binono.

5. Gouber--Aliou (Ali).

6. Niffee--Khaleelou. The name of the capital is Gondu. The Sultan is a Fullan, but independent of Sakkatou, as are many other Fullan princes.

7. Adamaua--Lauel. He is called by the Fullans Madubbu-Adamaua, i.e.

Sultan or Kakam of Adamowa. He is a Fullan, but the people whom he governs are all Kohlans, or negroes.

8. Yakobah--Ibrahim. His father was called Yakobah, and the country has probably derived its recent name of the late sultan; the capital is called Baus.h.i.+. The rulers are Fellatahs.

9. Kanou--Osman Bel-Ibrahim.

10. Kashna--Mohammed-Bello.

11. Zaria--Mahommed Sani.

12. Kataguni--Abd-er-Rahman.

13. Kadaija--Ahmadou.

14. Timbuctoo--Mohammed Lebbu, a Fellatah.

15. Jinnee--

16. Begharmi--Burkmanda.

17. Mandara--

18. Lagun--

19. Zinder--Ibrahim.

The alliances and enmities, the wars and the intrigues of all these princes, will one day, perhaps, form materials for some semi-mythological history, when civilisation has removed its camp to these intertropical regions. Regular annals, however, there never can be. No record seems to be kept, except in the unfaithful memories of the natives; and even if the contrary were the case, posterity would willingly consign to oblivion all but the salient points of this period of barbarism and slave-hunting.

Daura is a city of great antiquity, but I have never seen it on the maps. It is two days from Zinder on the route to Kanou, and has now about the same number of inhabitants as Zinder, or from 20,000 to 25,000.

Ancient Haussa, according to the Monshee, consisted of seven cities, viz.

1. Kanou.

2. Kashna. This city is now about three times the size of Zinder.

3. Daura.

4. Zaria.

5. Gouber.

6. Maradee.

7. Zanbara. This city is now about the size of Kashna. It lies beyond Gouber, not far from Sakkatou.

I went to see the souk. There are two market-days in Zinder: the great souk on Thursday, and the little one on Friday, the days following one another. I rapidly pa.s.sed through it; it was full of people and merchandise; all things in abundance; no one called after me, but I did not like to stay long to expose myself. The princ.i.p.al provisions and domestic animals offered for sale are cattle (oxen), sheep, camels, a.s.ses, goats, beef, mutton, samen, honey, ghaseb, ghafouley, a little wheat, dried fish (rather stinking, because no salt is used in drying), kibabs or roasted pieces of meat, beans, dankali or sweet potatoes; which last are brought from Kanou, as also is the fish, &c. I purchased three sweet potatoes for a fifth of a penny. There was, besides, also a good quant.i.ty of merchandise of every sort, and slaves in numbers. Honey also is brought from Kanou to this souk. In Kanou, twelve pounds and a-half are sold for four thousand wadas, or four-fifths of a dollar. In Zinder, the same quant.i.ty sells for about double the price. They adulterate here and send it to Aheer.

In the evening I went with the Shereef to his garden. He has brought with him the tastes of the people of Morocco for gardens, and has introduced into Zinder tomatas from Kuka. His beds contain onions, peppers, cuc.u.mbers, wheat, lemons, date-palms, and some other small things. There is a little wheat also, but merely as an ornament. The date-palms bear twice a-year, but the dates do not dry in this country.

There is a part of Soudan where the dates are said to become dry as those of Fezzan. The lemons are as good as those on the north coast, but they are found only in Soudan. But two or three trees have been seen in Bornou. Onions are in abundance, and it is said that those people who eat onions do not catch the fevers of Soudan. The Shereef considers the horses of this country to have little strength--not to be compared with those of the north coast. He has sent me one to ride round the environs.

We conversed upon Algerian affairs. The Shereef said nothing against the French in general; he only complained of the non-fulfilment of the treaty of capitulation with Abd-el-Kader and his fellow-prisoners. I told him Bou Maza was liberated, which news surprised him. He said Bou Maza was a fool, and had no followers. All the conversation of the Shereef was marked with good sense. He had been in Malta, and resided there two months. His native place is two days' journey from Tangiers.

He is well acquainted with Christians. He speaks with a strong Mogarbi accent. As to this country and the Tuaricks, he observed the Sheikh was determined to keep them down, and was not afraid of them.

The Shereef possesses a fair amount of women--some twenty, but only one son. I sent this evening presents of rings to the ladies.

Yusuf paid a visit to the Sultan this morning, to carry him a present on his part. He entered the interior of the building, and found it full of dirt, and bare of every species of furniture. The Sultan himself had only upon him a Soudan tobe and a white cap. All the rest of his people were bare-headed, and were covered with dirty tobes. This contempt of dress arises from the fact that the prince was a slave of the ancient Sultans of Bornou. There are, besides, other sultans _en route_ to Kuka, of the same stamp; but he of Minyo is said to dress excessively, changing his costume five times a-day. We are to remain some days in Minyo, of which I am glad, because there we shall see the Bornouese population, in a purer state. Here it is mixed somewhat with the Kailouees and other tribes. At any rate, the manners of the people are somewhat influenced by the great number of foreigners. En-Noor and Lousou have both houses in Zinder, which the people dignify by the name of _belad_ or "villages," but which are simply enclosures of a few huts.

I have been endeavouring to collect materials for the statistics of Zinder. The following note exhibits a partial result:--

Various persons give the population of Zinder at 25,000 or 30,000 souls.

Let us take the number at 20,000.

The military force consists of cavalry and foot--two thousand cavalry having swords, spears, and s.h.i.+elds; and eight or nine thousand bowmen, having only bows and arrows. This force is commanded by one Shroma Dan Magram, who receives the enormous pay of half the land taxes of some fifty towns and villages in the circle of the province of Zinder. The officers of the Sultan of Zinder are mostly slaves.

The princ.i.p.al personages are Shroma Dan Magram; the Kady, Tahir; the Bash Kateb, or Secretary, Dang Gambara; the chief of the Treasury, Nanomi; of the Custom-house, Fokana. There are four officers of the Treasury, and four of the Custom-house; and, moreover, four Viziers, the princ.i.p.al of whom is Mustapha Gadalina.

The Arabs do not pay any custom duties, but all the blacks and the Kailouees and Fullans pay as follows:--

A camel, laden or unladen -- 5000 wadas.

An a.s.s " " -- 100 "

An ox " " -- 100 "

There is no duty on goods, and, whether the camels are laden with rich burnouses or salt, it is all the same thing.

Camels are very cheap in this country, and the best of all will not fetch more than 40,000 wadas, or about sixteen Spanish dollars. The Shereef is to purchase ours, four of them for 120,000 wadas; they cost about three times the sum in Mourzuk. Horses are not quite so cheap; the best will fetch 100,000 wadas.[14] The exchange here is the same as in Kanou; 2500 wadas is the value of the large dollar, or douro ghaleet, as it is called amongst the Moorish and Arab merchants.

[14] See p. 216.