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

Kasem.

Tahir.

Taib.

Rufai.

Abdallah.

Mohammed Lamin (name of his grandfather).

Kanami.

The mother of the Sheikh is called Magera, a native of Begarmi.

_Sisters of the Sheikh._

Nafisa; to her belongs the country of k.u.malewa (same mother as Abd-Er-Rahman).

Maimuna; to her belongs the place of Wameri (same mother as above).

Aisha; to her belongs Koba.

Maream.

Fatema.

Mabruka.

Hamsa.

Alia; to her belongs Hamisah, a village.

Halima.

Zainubo; to her belongs Furferrai.

Mussaud.

Fadula.

Rabia.

Sinnana.

Mubarka.

Rihana.

These are all he recollects among the number. A copious royal family!

_Daughters of the Sheikh._

Rukaia (married), about twenty years of age; to her belongs Balungu.

Fatima, a young girl.

No doubt there are others. It is curious to compare this knot of near relations with the scanty families among the Tuaricks. The fertility of the human race seems to be as that of the soil on which its several tribes are located. Deserts may produce conquerors, but the fat lands produce subjects.

I may now add a further list, obtained at the same time as the above.

The great vizier (or prime minister) is Haj Bes.h.i.+r; but there are other viziers of more or less power:--Shadeli; Ibrahim Wadai; Rufai (cousin of the Sheikh); Hamza, and Mala Ibrahim. These form the council of the Sheikh.

The chief kady is Kady Mohammed, and another kady of influence is named Haj Mohammed Aba.

The princ.i.p.al slaves (that is to say, the princ.i.p.al favourites in these despotic countries) are Kashalla Belal and Kashalla Ali. The word Kashalla corresponds to the t.i.tle Bey. The brother of Abd-el-Galeel, lately killed, is living at Kuka, and is called Sheikh Ghait. There is also there a brother of the ancient sheikh killed in Fezzan, called Sheikh Omer, uncle of the above.

According to my informant, the power of the Sheikh has immensely increased since the days of the first expedition. The Sheikh has now more than 100,000 cavalry, and a great quant.i.ty of muskets. Certainly I have ocular proof that Zinder, an important province, has been added to the territories of this most powerful prince. I may as well mention, that my authority is Omer Wardi. His father, Mohammed Wardi, went with Clapperton to Sakkatou.

The Sheikh, according to this seemingly well-informed person, is paramount sovereign of Begarmi and Mandara,--these states paying each a tribute yearly of one thousand slaves, to which Mandara adds fifty eunuchs,--a most costly contribution. This seems to be the country where eunuchs are made in these parts.

Lagun is also under the Sheikh, and has become a province of Bornou.

In this country, it is said, there are pieces of cannon. Also, there is another country, Kussuri, four days south of Begarmi, now united to the Sheikh's territories; and besides, Maffatai, four days south-east from Kuka (a country of a sultan).

Dikua, two days south from Kuka; a province with a powerful sultan, who has the power of life and death.

Kulli, one day west of Dikua; Blad-es-Sultan.

En-Gala, two days south of Kuka, country of a sultan; belonging to Yusuf, brother of the Sheikh.

I went to see the renegade Jew; he was busy in a quarrel with a servant of Lousou, to whom he had given eight slaves to take to Ghat, to be sold on his account. Lousou had sold the slaves, and rendered no account to the renegade--a most unprincely proceeding, to say the least of it; if, indeed, it would not be more African to say princely proceeding: for there seems no vice, whether violent or mean, which is not exaggerated by the holders of power in these parts.

The souk is almost deserted to-day, on account of the Sarkee being absent. I pa.s.sed the slave-stalls, and saw another poor old woman for sale, upwards of fourscore years of age. The slave-merchants offered her for four thousand wadas, about eight s.h.i.+llings. People purchase these poor old creatures that they may fetch wood and water, even until their strength fails them and they faint by the way.

I made other inquiries about the Hazna of Zinder. It seems the Sarkee himself is still half pagan, for at the beginning of every year he proceeds with his officers to a tree, the ancient G.o.d of paganism, and there distributes two goffas of wada (about 100,000), three bullocks and sheep, and ghaseb, to the poor. These things are really offered to the deities of his ancestors, though the poor of the country get the benefit of them. There are four or five trees of this description, at which such annual offerings are made; but there is only one Tree of Death where malefactors are executed, the one mentioned in a former page.[17] The Muslim converts of Soudan find the Ramadhan excessively burdensome, as well as many other rites of Islamism, and for this reason the greater part of the population of Soudan, who profess Mohammedanism, are still pagans in heart. It is vain to expect a nation to pa.s.s from loose to ascetic practices without some moral motive, such as that which sustained the Muslims at their first brilliant start in the world.

[17] See pp. 211 and 218. Probably the second Tree of Death described was in reality only a fetish tree.--ED.

A Tuarick came this morning and said the devil was in his head, and that he wanted some medicine to drive him out. I gave him an emetic of tartarised antimony, which I hope served his purpose.

N.B. The news of the Sarkee having "eaten up" four countries of Korgum is confirmed to-day.

The preparation of kibabs is quite a science here. The kibab cook makes a conical hillock of dust and ashes, flattened on the top. The edge of this mound he plants with sticks, on which is skewered a number of little bits of meat: then a fire is kindled between this circular forest, and the sticks are twisted round from time to time, so that every part may be well roasted. To us these kibabs are cheap enough, five or six cowries a stick.

The wall of Zinder has no gates, only openings. I went to the garden of the Shereef. The vegetation does not look very flouris.h.i.+ng in this season. The Shereef has planted some horse-beans; "the only beans of the kind," says the gardener, "in all the territories of Bornou."