Buying and bartering are going on; cheating and robbing—the latter, however, only on our side. My servants are on the shore, and making gestures and signs with their fingers, to know what they shall purchase for me of the national wares. I do not bargain in person, for I am afraid of the sun. The people, in spite of their good humour, are, as I have convinced myself here, surprisingly mistrustful. Goods and the price of their purchase, are exchanging hands simultaneously. As the people transact but little business among themselves, it is very natural and right that they should exercise precaution in their transactions with a foreign people like ourselves; and it is certain that we have given the first cause for suspicion.
As I said before, the hair is generally kept short; they decorate it, for want of something better, with a cock’s or guinea-fowl’s feather. A more elaborate coiffure is of black ostrich-feathers, placed together in a globular form, and the lower ends plaited, in a little basket, the thickness of a fist. This tress-work, holding the feathers, stands on the centre of the head, fastened by two strings round the neck, and appears pretty generally worn. Prince Dogalè also wore one, but of somewhat larger size. Some have their hair, which is tolerably long, smeared so thick with ochre, that merely little tufts are to be seen hanging about. Moreover, leather caps, fitting exactly to the skull, were worn with long or short tassels, hardly to be distinguished from the coloured hair. This antique kind of covering for the head, from which the Greeks and Romans formed their helmets, is similar, as regards form, to the modern fesi or tarbush and takië (the cotton under-cap worn under the Turkish knitting-worsted cap). They appear here to serve principally as a protection against the sun. It was only with difficulty that I could procure two different specimens, and the sellers pointed quite dolefully to the hot sun, when they bared their shaven heads.
Leathern strings, as also strings consisting of aglets, strung in a row, not made, as I thought at first, of conchylia, but of the shells of ostrich-eggs, were slung round their hips. Several of the latter strings, which are also much in request with the women in Belled Sudàn, and require laborious work, were purchased by the crew, and I got, also, specimens, but they were all, with one exception, immediately purloined.To my great astonishment, I saw subsequently in the Imperial Cabinet of Arts at Berlin, with which my Ethnographical collection is incorporated, a string exactly similar, which Mr. Von Olfers had brought from the Brazils. These strings wander, therefore, from the north of Africa to the west coast of that part of the globe, and from thence with the slaves to America, in the same way as they come from the other side to Sennaar by means of the slaves; or it may be, that they are made of the same size by the American savages. If the former be the case, this single fact would shew that there is a connection between the country of Bari and the Atlantic Ocean. I was told that the blacks break in pieces the ostrich-eggs, grind the fragments on a stone to a circular form of about two lines in diameter, and then string one lamina after another on a thread, to the length of several ells—a work which requires great patience.
Sometimes from mere stupid wantonness, shots were fired in the air from the vessels, and the natives disappeared from the shore for a short time, but returned directly that the report of the shots died away. Several women now approached, part of them decked with the before-named leathern apron, and part with a rahàt girded round their hips, as in the land of Sudàn. The threads hanging down from the girdle are not narrow slips of leather, such as those in Sennaar, but twisted cotton, and only the length of a finger. These scarcely form in front a light thread apron of a span in breadth, and leave the hips free, on which laces with tassels and small iron chains hang down, and a tuft falls down over the os sacrum, moving to and fro when they walk like an animal’s tail.
Now I see that the womenwishto paint themselves, as I saw them before. There are two who have coloured their nipples and navels to the size of a dollar. The breasts are more rounded, and have not that horizontal conical form found in the black slaves of the land of Sudàn. I have already previously remarked that the women on the White Stream possess modesty in the concrete sense of the word; and though part of them are young and beautiful, but not tall, compared with the men, yet they regard these naked and magnificent manly forms without any immodest look; so, likewise, the men, kings of the world, gaze tranquilly upon the women. I am fully persuaded that, where woman bears in her mind the principle of the most necessary covering, naked truth is exactly the thing to keep up constantly a chaste as well as a decent relation between the sexes. Only give these women the deceits of the dress of European ladies, and clothe the men, and we shall see what will become of theblameless Ethiopians!
I am the more desirous to see continual repetitions of the sights peculiar to the land of Bari, because, by the festive occasion of the royal visit, these are multiplied in every form, and therefore I am still acquiring much knowledge. The square shields, about three feet long and two feet broad, with scallopped edges projecting into four sharp points, appear to be little used. They are of neat’s hide, and have a stick badly fixed in the centre to hold them by, the edge of which is not even turned to give a firmer hold. They have blue and red stripes crossed, each of a hand’s breadth, as their externaldecoration, and these are coloured with earth, so that they are easily obliterated. The Frenchmen made white stripes with chalk between these colours, and thus was the tricolour found in the middle of Africa. Whether the blue and red streaks serve as signs to distinguish one party from the other in warfare, I know not.Generallythe men here carried round, high-arched hand-shields, a foot in length, made of very solid thick leather. These hand-shields appear now, and perhaps exclusively, adapted for warding off a blow with the clubs, for they would probably be of little avail as a protection against arrows and spears to such colossal bodies, in spite of all the dexterity of these men. Yet they gave me to understand previously, that they warded off hostile spears by means of these shields.
The boar’s tusks on the bracelets were mostly imitations of ivory, and therefore like the small iron bull’s horns, are perhaps symbols of valour and the power of nature. They had, besides, all kinds of knick-knackeries on the arm and neck, such as little tortoise-shells, dogs’ or monkeys’ teeth, entire strings of which even they wear, pieces of bones, &c. It struck me that little bones of this kind are either remembrances or amulets, from the circumstance of their always wishing to retain them when we had already purchased the articles to which they were fastened. The iron necklaces were of very different kinds: close to them were iron ornaments arranged in a row, in the form of a narrow leaf, or in small open spindles, from which little red fruits projected. I observed here also, the wide iron rings for the neck, of the thickness of a finger, which reach over thehead, and down to the middle of the breast, and are not only worn in Khartùm, but also in Egypt, by the daughters of the Fellàhs. We here find an old fellow who will not sell his spear, the shaft of which is roughly wrought from iron, and who laughs at the sug-sug offered to him as idle toys.
I must break off for the moment from this subject, for a fresh clamour resounds, and the cry of “Hui, ih;” therefore away I go to Selim Capitan. We do not sit long with anxious curiosity, and look at the vacant carpet on which the great Matta was to recline, under the shade of the ship’s tent (Denda, perhaps derived from the Italiantenda, for a war-tent is called Gemma, and a shepherd’s-tent of straw-mats Birsh), for the sandal which had fetched the supreme chief from the right shore, arrives. The Melek or Sultan, as the Turks and Arabs call him, on account of his vast power, steps on our vessel, with a retinue of followers, part of whom we knew. The dress and coiffure distinguish his tall figure from all the others. Notwithstanding every one removed on one side, and we form a divàn upon cushions and chests around the carpet before the cabin, yet he treads upon the vessel with an insecure step, for he has his eyes directed towards us, and stumbles against the projecting foot of the gun-carriage. He carried his throne himself,—the little wooden stool, which we should call a foot-stool, and of which all make use; but he bore also an awful sceptre, consisting of a club: its thick knob was studded with large iron nails, to inspire greater respect.
At the Arabic invitation, “fadl ochaut,” accompanied by a motion of the hand, he took his seat onthe oval and somewhat hollowed-out stool, of about one foot long, and three quarters of a foot broad. There is something naturally dignified in his countenance and bearing, without any assumption; he looks at the semicircle surrounding him, so that he may not do anything derogatory to his position as Sultan, seeking probably him who is pointed out as the matta, or whom he takes to be our matta. He then slides along to Selim Capitan, who might appear to him to be of that rank from his corpulence, takes his right hand, andsuckshis finger-ends, which appears to me a humiliation. The large-bearded Suliman Kashef, vain and proud like all Circassians, wanted to have the same honour paid to him, and held out his fist with its powerful broad knuckles; but King Làkono was autocrat enough to conclude, from the principle of his sovereignty, that two mattas or monarchs could not be or exist by the side of one another. Selim Capitan, therefore, was to him the only real and supreme head of the foreigners, and he refused this homage in a very contemptuous manner to Suliman Kashef, who, contrary to his usual custom, was not arrayed in all his bravery to-day. In order not to make himself ridiculous, the latter suppressed the word “Kiàffar,” or “Abd,” which I saw was already trembling on his lips.
Làkono’s brother, and a couple of his suite, as also the Crown Prince Tshobè, whom we had not seen before, clearly endeavoured, without however throwing one glance of disapprobation at the old man, to repair this misunderstanding, occasioned by their peculiar etiquette, by paying all of us great lords the honour of finger-sucking. One thing was that the fingerscould not be bitten off in this operation, owing to their lower teeth being wanting. As a testimony of welcoming and friendship, they stroked also our arms. They had not done this previously, perhaps because the king had not yet assured us of his favour.
That deliberations took place among the household of the king about the possible aim of our journey, may be presumed; both because the Sultan not only kept away for a long time, notwithstanding his residence was only three hours distant, but also from other indistinct intimations, and from the very intelligible previous warning, that we were to remain on the right shore, at the original landing-place, because the Matta would not allow us to move anyfurther. Of course we did not take any notice of this warning, and would not understand it. Perhaps the white faces of another world, our vessels larger than their palaces, in which we go up the river without oars, when the wind is favourable, and especially the thunder and explosion of our cannons and guns, might have been the principal motive that induced the wise council to come to the reasonable opinion that it would be a ticklish affair to spit us like bats, or to kill us like dogs with clubs.
When we little expected it, the Sultan raised his voice, without commandingsilentiumbeforehand with his sceptre, and sang—his eyes directed firmly and shining on us—a song of welcome, with a strong, clear voice. This was soon ended, and the song had brightened him up surprisingly, for he looked quite merrily around, as far as his eyes, which were apparently effected by a cataract, would allow him. This misfortune might be the cause also why he walked, asif in a mist, with an insecure step on the vessel. According to the translation passed by two interpreters from one to the other into Arabic, he chanted us as being bulls, lions, and defenders of the Penates (Tiràn, Sing Tor, Assad and Aguàn el bennàt).
He is of an imposing figure, with a regular countenance, marked features, and has somewhat of a Roman nose. We noticed on all the bare parts of his body remains of ochre, apparently not agreeing very well with the skin, for here and there on the hands it was cracked. He was the first man whom we had hitherto found clothed.
His temples are slightly depressed; on his head he wore a high bonnet, in the form of a bear-skin cap, covered over and over with black ostrich-feathers, which were fixed inside by an oval net-work. His feather-tiara was fastened under his chin by two straps; two other stiff red straps, with small leather tufts, projected like horns over both temples; these horns denote here, perhaps, the royal dignity, like the caps of horns (Takië betal Gorn) of the Moluks, in Belled-Sudàn, and may be an imitation of Ammon, or of Moyses. He shook his cap very often in real pleasure. A long and wide blue cotton shirt, with long open sleeves, lined inside with white cotton, reached down to the feet from the throat, where it was hollowed out round, and had a red border. A large blue and white chequered cotton band, bound round the hips, held this dress together. He wore round the neck strings of blue glass paste, and rings of thin twisted iron wire. The feet were covered with well-worked red sandals, of thick leather. Bright polished iron rings, the thickness of the littlefinger, reached from the ankles to the calf, exactly fitting to the flesh, and increasing in size as they went up the leg. Above these he wore another serrated ring, and a thin chain. The knuckles of the right hand were surrounded with an iron and a red copper ring, of twisted work. On the left hand he had a prettily decorated yellow copper ring, with a dozen narrow iron rings, likewise fitted exactly to the arm. As we subsequently saw, the upper part of both arms was surrounded with two heavy ivory rings, of a hand’s breadth. Contrary to the usual custom, he had also thefour lower incisors; we could not ascertain the cause of this distinction, and at our question on the subject, he only answered with a cunning laugh. I soon remarked, moreover, that he wanted the upper teeth; yet he may have lost them from old age, for want of teeth is common even among these people, and he might have numbered some sixty years.
This want of sound teeth—as negroes are always distinguished for good teeth, and the marshy soil has entirely ceased in the country of Bari—may perhaps only arise from eating some fruit unknown to us, such as the cassavas in Guiana, which have the same effect; or the reason for it may be sought in their pulling them out directly they pain them, with their iron instruments, always at hand. The constant smoking of their very strong tobacco, with the absence of cleanliness, which, however, is not the case with our Nuba negroes, may contribute to this imperfection. At first he smoked the cigar given him, and then the Turkish pipe, with the air of an old smoker; for smoking is a general custom among the nationson the White Nile. Dates were set before him, and the others picked him out the best, and breaking them in two, laid the stones in a heap, and gave him the fruit in his hand, partaking of them with him.
The music which had accompanied him to the shore, and embarked on board the vessel, consisted of a drum, made out of the trunk of a tree, and beaten with sticks, a kind of clarionet, and a fife, different only from the small ones worn by all the natives round their necks by being three or four times larger. King Làkono’s dress and copper rings came from the country of Berri; this was a confirmation of what we had already heard. He had never seen horses, asses, or camels, and it seemed as if there were no words in his language to denote them; nor did he know of an unicorn, and did not understand our explanation of these animals. If the Arabs in the land of Sudàn do not deny the existence of the unicorn in the interior of Africa, and even assert that there are some, if the subject be followed up further, this arises from politeness, in order that they may correspond with our desire to prove the real existence of such an animal and is not what they know to be truth.
Làkono made himself comfortable afterwards, and sat down upon the carpet, moving his little stool under his shoulders. A red upper garment was fetched, and the Turks made him comprehend that he must stand up to have it put on. They bound a white shawl round his ribs, and another was twisted round his head, as a turban, after they had clapped on him a tarbusch. On this, one of the two slaves who accompanied him placed on his own head the royalfeather-cap, and laughed behind his master’s back. This only lasted, however, a minute, though the others took no offence at it. The dress altogether, was found to be too short and scanty for such limbs. Several strings of beads were hung round Làkono’s neck, and several more piled up before him, to take to his wives; hereupon he could rest no longer, and went off, followed by all the others.
He was taken back by the sandal to the right shore, where his people shouted to him a “hui ih!” and afforded him an assisting hand when disembarking from the vessel, as well as on the shore itself, according to the usual practice among themselves. We fired off cannons in honour to him, as soon as he set foot on land. Fear thrilled through them all, and even the Sultan set off running for a moment, till he was disabused of his panic, probably by his brothers.
MIMOSAS AND TAMARIND-TREES. — DIFFERENT SPECIES. — DURRA AND CREEPING BEANS. — RELIGION OF THE ETHIOPIANS. — SECOND VISIT OF LÀKONO. — THE CROWN-PRINCE TSHOBÈ. — PARTICULARS OF THE COUNTRIES OF BARI AND BERRI. — DESCRIPTION OF LÀKONO’S FAVOURITE SULTANA. — MOUNTAINS IN THE VICINITY OF BARI. — THEIR FORM AND DISTANCE. — ISLAND OF TSCHANKER. — REMARKS ON LÀKONO’S LEGISLATION AND CONDUCT. — THE NJAM-NJAM, OR CANNIBALS. — CUSTOMS AND ARMS OF THE NATIVES. — THE TROPICAL RAINS.
25th January.—At eleven o’clock we leave our island at the right shore, and halt towards the south, for the north-east wind is favourable to us. On the right and left are several little villages, and on the right shore a low foreland, which we had already visited and found very fertile. Several poison-trees stand near the village lying in the background. The bushàr and garrua have not left us, but cover the greatest part of the shore, where the thorn-bushes appear to diminish, the nearer we approach the equator. We remark the very same circumstance with respect to the mimosas, and in those that we still here and there see, the leaves are broader and seem to announce varieties or different species. Even the tamarind-tree, from which we have already gathered ripe fruit, has a different physiognomy here to what we see in the country of the Shilluks; the branches are more slender, and the larger leaves are not sothickly piled one upon the other. I was laughed at by my servant when I asked the name of this tree.
We sail along the left shore, and advance three miles and a half; but one ship soon gets obstructed here, another there, and the water-track pointed out to us by the natives is really very narrow. The stream, which might previously have been about three hundred paces, is here certainly five hundred. A large island, with another smaller one, covered with durra, rises out of it. At one o’clock S.S.W., in which direction we sail now at the right shore, where the water is better than we had thought. The negroes continue to run along the shore, or in the shallow places plunge into the water, and cry as loud as they can to us to stop a little and barter with them. The right shore is planted with durra, but it is already harvested. It is a small reddish kind, giving but little meal. At the previous landing-places there were, amongst other plants, several small creeping beans, of white and red colour, thriving luxuriantly on the ground. A small island on our left.
I hear, from the mast, that nineteen mountains (gùbàl) are counted, without reckoning the small ones. The chain of mountains is, properly speaking, not wooded; but that which looks like a forest, from a distance is, in reality, the fragments of rocks, with which they are nearly all studded at the base: yet between these blocks a tree and copsewood here and there thrives, which may sprout out beautifully green in the rainy season. A splendid ground, covered with trees, and inclined towards the river, approaches to the foot of the Korek, but does not probably afford the shade we suppose at a distance. The shores are not onlyvery strongly intersected with layers of sand, but also the mould of the dam itself is completely mixed with sand. Therefore it seems that the river enters now into a rocky bed, from the mountains of which there is not much fertility to wash away.
Two o’clock; W. by S. On the left shore again, several of those round-headed beautiful trees, with large acacia-leaves, under which the negroes seek for shade. The Frenchmen had, according to yesterday’s measuring, 4° 40′ north latitude, and 41° 42′ east longitude, from Paris. Selim-Capitan, however, found 4° 35′ north latitude, and 30° east longitude. At half-past two o’clock we go with the river S.S.W., which direction it seems to retain for the present. On the left an island. The people still continue to shout, but they run no longer, as if they were mad, into the water, to cling to and hold fast to the vessels, for the sailors rap their fingers smartly; but stand quietly on one foot, resting the other against the knee. Three o’clock; S.S.W. The water is not bad, and we shall have, perhaps, a good course for a considerable time, if we only sound properly. On the right there is a small island, with a couple of tokuls behind upon the shore. Immediately on the left is another shallow island, with luxuriant durra. The natives wade through the water to an island situated not far from the left shore, upon which we see a farmyard. Two more islands follow this one, and they swarm with black people. Four o’clock. The direction of the river is always still S.W., whilst we seek for deeper water in the windings of the stream. Right and left are islands, and also tokuls, part of which peep over the trees. The forms of the mountains becomemore visible and different from what they had hitherto appeared. This produces uncommon changes in the landscape, where all the surface of the earth is picturesquely skirted with trees.
Who would have thought of such a beautiful country in the centre of Africa, and looked for such a well-proportioned, gigantic race as we see yonder! They are real giants. Go on shore, look at the Turks, the Christians, and our other companions,—what children they seem standing in the middle of this crowd of Titans. Half-past four o’clock. Rocks shew themselves, for the first time, in the river. Three large, and several small ones form an ominous crossline for our voyage. At five o’clock we halt at an island near these rocks. Here there are picturesque materials enough, and nothing shall prevent me from taking a panorama of this region.
The people appear to be favoured of God as of heaven itself. The sun and moon do not appear to excite any unusual ideas here, although the former may be welcome in the morning, when they shake off the night’s frost with the ashes, and in the evening to light them when they return from the chase, from labour in the fields, and from battle, or when they drive home their herds. The moon is of less service to them, for they go to roost with the fowls. The beneficent deeds of these two luminaries are too regular. But the canopy of heaven itself may direct their thoughts above; from thence comes the rain, irrigating their fields, causing the stream to increase, filling and animating anew their large fish-ponds. God’s water is allowed to flow over God’s land, and they are pleased at the cheerfulharvest, without praying, beseeching, and returning thanks, for they may look upon periodical rain as a regular tribute from above. Heaven does not forsake her people here, and the inexorable sun, parching up everything, has perhaps never been worshipped by the Ethiopians.
We lie now to the eastern side of the island of Tshànker. King Làkono visited us to-day a second time, and brought with him a young wife from his harìm. He took off his hand the orange-coloured ring, on which Selim Capitan fixed a longing eye, and presented it to him with a little iron stool, plainly forged in a hurry. The Crown-prince, Tshobè, has a very intelligent countenance, and seems to me to be a clever fellow. He wears no ornament on the upper part of his arms, except the two large ivory rings. Although it was known that he would succeed King Làkono, and that the latter had called him his eldest son and successor, yet the Turks believed that he was some relation of the king’s, whom he had only brought with him to receive presents. I had, however, previously seen him with us, and remarked at that time that he kept back proudly when the others stepped forward for our gifts. But Làkono had only presented us with two oxen, and given us a verbal mandate to the republicans of the left shore; therefore, the Turks were discontented. Against all policy, the honour of a Turkish coronation-mantle was not conferred upon Tshobè, nor on the others who might have expected a dress. The prince took the miserable glass beads with a kind of indifference and contempt.
We gathered further intelligence about the country, and Làkono was complaisant enough to communicate to us some general information. With respect to the Nile sources, we learn that it requires a month, the signification of which was interpreted by thirty days, to come to the country of Anjan towards the south, where the Tubirih (Bah’r el Abiad) separates into four shallow arms, and the water only reaches up to the ankles. Thirty days seems indeed a long time, but the chain of mountains itself may present great impediments, and hostile tribes and the hospice stations may cause circuitous routes. These latter appear necessary, for the natives being already overladen with weapons and ornaments, it is impossible that they can carry provisions for so long a time, from the want of beasts of burden. There are said to be found very high mountains on this side, in comparison with which the ones now before us are nothing at all.
Làkono did not seem, according to my views, to understand rightly the question, whethersnowwas lying on these mountains. He answered, however,No. Now, when I consider the thing more closely, it is a great question to me whether he and his interpreter have a word for snow; for though the Arabic word telki or snow is known perhaps in the whole land of Sudàn, yetthatitself is unknown. Whether these four brooks forming the White Stream come from rocks or from the ground, Làkono could not say for he had not gone further. With respect to the country of Berri, which he stated in his first visit was likewise a month distant, Làkono now corrected himself and said that this country is not thirty, but onlyten days’ journey off to the east. He impressed on us particularly that copper is as abundant, and found there in the same manner as iron here. He appears, indeed, to wish to inflame our gold-seeking hearts by his repeated commendations of this country, on purpose that he may get possession, at one blow, of the treasures, with the assistance of our fire-arms. He expected an answer which could not be given him, because the Dinkaui, who translated his words into Arabic, only told us (according to my full conviction) what he chose to let us know, most probably being induced by the other soldiers and sailors to do everything he could for our speedy return.
We also heard that on the road water is found, but that in Berri itself there isno river, and that the natives drink fromsprings(Birr). The people of Bari get their salt, which is quite clear and fine-grained, from thence. It is boiled in earthen pots, and retains their form. The language of the country of Berri is different from that of Bari. The blue beads, in the form of little cylinders, which we saw on Làkono and some others, and had even found previously, came also from Berri. We had similar-formed glass paste, of white and blue colours; but the higher value was set on the blue, and on the large, round, blue beads.
Commercial intercourse in Berri does not seem to be carried on in a very peaceful manner, according to what we had heard previously, and also now from some of the King’s companions; for it is boasted that on the way home copper is plundered from the people on the road, with whom they take up their quarters, and who have it piled up in their houses. They say that the men on the copper mountains are avery bad set; and that therefore they are obliged to take from them again the spears which they had given them for copper. In Berri also the people go naked, and there are few dresses such as Làkono possesses. The latter asserts that his dominion reaches seven days’ journey further up the river. Much might be learnt if there were more order, on our side, in the questions; but they are jumbled up one with the other, and asked more for amusement than for scientific interests, without once reflecting whether the answer corresponds to the question or not.
The favourite Sultana had certainly not much to boast of in the way of beauty, but she was an amiable looking woman: she was not at all shy, and looked freely around her. A number of glass beads were given to her, and she was too much of a woman and negress not to be exceedingly delighted at them. Làkono restrained himself, as at the first time, on the sight of such presents, within the limits of pleasing surprise, without betraying the least symptom of the childish joy which is indigenous in these men of nature. She was, however, very cordial with him, and he with her; he helped her even to pack together her ornaments in a handkerchief, and gave it over to her with a benevolent look. I had the honour also of a friendly smile from her, which I naturally returned. She remarked this immediately to her lord and master, whereupon the latter bowed his entire approbation, and smiled at me.
This queen was very simply adorned for her rank. Her head was shaven quite bare, without a diadem and other ornaments; her hair, the embellishment ofwoman, was therefore put to the sword, and with it also the first advantageous impression, even if the nose had not been slightly turned in. She was simply clothed with two leathern aprons, under which, through her continually shifting her seat, I caught sight of a rahàt. A number of polished iron rings were spread over the joints of her hands and feet. A narrow ring of ivory was on the upper part of each arm; and around the neck a large iron ring, from which a great tooth, a flat little bell, and some other knick-knackeries of iron, hung down to her breasts, which are already tolerably withered, for she has probably borne children. She had red sandals on the feet, with little iron rings on them as ornaments. All the under part of the body was tattooed—this may be the sign of a foreign race; the nose also is of a different stamp to those in Bari. The root of the nose is certainly strongly depressed in these women, of whom I saw yesterday also some specimens, so that it forms, with the arched forehead, not an unpleasing waved line, terminating in a saucy point, without the latter becoming a flat knob. If we could have put into the mouth, where the four lower incisors also were wanting, a ducat, or perhaps a dollar, the teeth would not then have projected in the negro manner, and those blubber lips would not have been at all noticed.
The skull, throughout Bari, is not generally pressed back like that of animals, to the occiput, although the latter is strongly developed. I find, however, no difference in the form of our Egyptian thick heads directly they take off their tarbusch. Thefluidum primordialeof the Barian power of creation must thereforehave worked, in this mountain-land, with the same noble power as that of the land of Kashmire.
In other respects our queen was well formed, and the calves of her legs projected tolerably stoutly over the iron rings. Even in Germany she would have been considered one of the tallest of her sex, and here also her size would be surprising if she wore a long dress. She was at least five and a half Rhenish feet high, for she looked very comfortably over my head. On this occasion I discovered remains of ochre in her close-cut hair, a sign that she does not use soap. Her name is Ishòk; she could scarcely keep herself from laughing, and appeared to be very much flattered when she heard her charming name repeated by us several times. Làkono and his queen had brought a doll, representing a woman, hewn roughly from wood, as a present, which turned out, contrary to our expectation, to be only a doll; for they laughed immensely when we asked them whether they worshipped or adored it as a deity.
We could not get a clear conception of their ideas of religion—the less so, because the Tershomàn translating into Arabic was a heathen Dinkaui. It seems that they worship a spirit of nature, for we had been previously told that their god was grander than the mast of our vessel. Whether they reverence him under a tree, as the criminal court of Làkono seems to denote, is a question I do not venture to decide. Horns, teeth, and amulets point to some sort of worship.
Without troubling himself further with farewell ceremonies, Làkono rose with his men; but his wife had previously looked at the carpet, gave him afriendly dig in the ribs, and whispered a few words to him. The great king did not wait for this being said twice; he seized the end of the carpet, and gave it over, without further ceremony, to the slave close at hand. This carpet belonged, however, to Rassulla Effendi, who was the maùhn, or scribe, to Selim Capitan, and a Persian by birth. He drew a long face on seeing these proceedings, but was consoled with the promise of another new carpet, and the whole thing was laughed at as an ingenious trick.
A panorama, to which, however, the neighbourhood of beautiful mountain-forms lends the true charm, opens from the Island of Tshànker. Opposite to us, on the right shore, we see the village of Wuàlana, and before it lies a shallow island, called Koriana; on the right shore lie, at a short distance from it, the villages of Harikono and Amrit. The houses of the villages are tokuls, part of them having higher pointed roofs. Shady trees stand around, and the copsewood enjoys such a verdant life that we might fancy ourselves in a northern region.
The mountains lie around in the following direction: Mount Lof-et rises behind Mount Pelenjà, to S.E. by E., at a distance of about four hours, like an isolated mountain of small height. Mount Pelenjà, to S.E., in tolerable extent, from its peak about eight hundred feet high, S.E., 60″ to S. and 75″ to E., some three hours distant, a small mountain group of a rocky nature, and partly wooded, completely secluded. The mountain chain of Logojà, where cannibals dwell, the anterior peak of which seems to project to N., rises at a distance of from eight to nine hours, to a height like that of the seven hills seen fromCologne, with a lofty back, which appears, so far as it is not concealed from the eye by the mountains lying before it right and left, to extend from S.E. southerly 60″ long. The Hill of Liènajin, or Linanzin, a gently rising rock, covered with bushes, towards S.E. 50″ to S., distant an hour and a half. The still smaller rocks of Arlu, to S.E. by S., two hours distant; the rocks of Luluri or Lullulù to S.E. 30″ to S., one hour and a half. In the S. rises Mount Lugi, smoothed at the top, with precipitous disrupt walls of rock, which does not appear to exceed Korèk in height, and may have six hundred feet relative height. The river winds a little to the W. around its base, and this mountain may once have formed a terrace, which has joined to the mountain chain of Kàlleri, lying behind to S.S.E., forming as it were the foot to the mass of mountains rising up in the S. We see on the unevenly elevated rocky wall of Kàlleri, the dry bed of a cataract, to which even the natives drew our attention.
MOUNT PELENJA.MOUNTAIN CHAIN OF LOGOJA.MT. KORESCHIP.MT. KONNOPI.ISLAND OF KORIANA.COUNTRY ON THE RIGHT SHORE OF THE NILE FROM THE ISLAND OF TSHANKER, TOWARDS SOUTH-EAST.—27TH JANUARY, 1841.
MOUNT PELENJA.MOUNTAIN CHAIN OF LOGOJA.MT. KORESCHIP.MT. KONNOPI.ISLAND OF KORIANA.COUNTRY ON THE RIGHT SHORE OF THE NILE FROM THE ISLAND OF TSHANKER, TOWARDS SOUTH-EAST.—27TH JANUARY, 1841.
COUNTRY ON THE RIGHT SHORE OF THE NILE FROM THE ISLAND OF TSHANKER, TOWARDS SOUTH-EAST.—27TH JANUARY, 1841.
All these mountains and rocky hills lie on the right side of the river. This coincides with what hasbeen said to us previously, and the plastic formation of the mountains themselves shews that the river does not break through from E. or S.E., and the natives are right when they place the sources of the White Stream to thesouth. On the left side of the river rises first, S.W. 3″ to W., Mount Lòngi, at two hours distant; Mount Lobèk, with a rocky head S.W. 28″ to W., three hours; the flat, round Loffoni S.W. 30″ to W. four hours; Mount Bio S.W. 60″ to W., some eight hours distant, ascending again to a considerable height; Mount Korèk, already known to us, on the ground softly rising from the river; it is one hour and a half from the river, entirely of a rocky nature, intersected in manifold parts by steep disrupt walls of rocks, similar to quarries. All its peaks not only lie in the distance, where the whole mountain appears like a terrace, but also near at hand, in equal horizontal lines, from W. to 75″ to N. It is perhaps not more than six hundred feet high, and it is the mountain that principally affords iron, although all the heights are said to contain the same.
As I distinguished previously Mount Nerkanjin on the left side of the Nile, by its height, so the mountains seem to increase generally on this side in height, as also the country from the shore to S.W. gradually ascends. Mount Konnopi or Kunobih appears W. by N., at a distance of from nine to ten hours, of light-coloured rocks, without any vegetation. It forms likewise a mountain group, with its six or seven peaks, which fall away tolerably steeply in convex lines, and separate one from the other. The high points of this group are of equal form,and may rise to two hundred feet relative height. Behind this mountain and Korèk, a mountain-chain projecting on both sides of Korèk, which stretches itself for about an hour in length, extends in an undulating form, and loses itself to S. This chain is called Kugelù, and I calculate its distance at being at least twenty hours. To N.W. 73″ towards N. lies Mount Lokùn, about two to two and a half hours distant, with a gentle slope of small height, and to N. the Nerkanjin already known to us, some eight to nine hours distant.
If we only consider the situation of these mountains generally, and the evidence of the natives with reference to the origin of the White Stream, who, from the moment that they stated the iron came from the mountains in the south (where we had already hoped for mountains), shewed their accurate knowledge of locality, and who here, also, transfer the sources of the White arm of the Nile from the foot of the mountain landfurther to the south, every doubt must be removed by the agreement of these expressions. Even among us the opinion was prevalent that the sources of the Nile should be sought to the east in a ramification of the Abyssinian chain of high mountains. We have therefore made close inquiries, whether anyrunning waterwere existing on this side, and learned that there is not; for the people in that part, drink, on the contrary, fromsprings. Nature seems here to have formed, generally, to the east, as well as to the west, a watershed.[2]
In S.E. Mount Logojà is seen, at a distance of eight to nine hours, a chain of mountains stretching from E. to S.; in the west rises Mount Kugelù, twenty hours off, like a long serpentine track, which must be in proportion to the presumed distance, as also its height to the near rocky mountains of considerable elevation, and seems to extend likewise to the south. Both mountain chains may, in consequence of these exterior plastic proportions, rise up like branches to the mighty trunk of mountains in the south, as the natives on the Island of Tshànker endeavoured to shew me when I was sketching, by uttering names and making unmistakable gestures. This mountain-stock, perhaps a second Himalaya, may form the combination of streams of the White Nile between these its sides. The river here formerly broke violently through its projecting base—isolated Mount Lugi, which is like a half demolished pyramid, and rushed down over it like a powerful waterfall.
Selim Capitan made three observations upon the Island of Tshànker, and the northern latitude was confirmed as 4° 30″. The stream, having a direction to S.S.W., is found to be three hundred mètres[3]broad, from the island to the right shore. The two arms of the river may amount to something over one hundred mètres from the island to the left shore, before which another little island lies. A rocky bar of gneiss extends here from E. to W. right across the stream, and continues beyond the islands, the highest points of which it forms, to the left shore, where we may follow the traces of this rocky bank to a still greater distance, for it projects in a slight breadthover the ascending grounds. This reef, running from E. to W. which may give the direction of the succeeding chasms in the valley broken through by the stream, rises in the middle of the river to a larger rock, and other blocks peep out of the water towards the right shore, whilst the other rocky part towards the Island of Tshànker is only superficially covered by water. The current gushes by the before-named rocks as at the Bingen Loch,[4]and it is only there where we may expect to find a passage.
Our Arabs are glad at this tschellàl, as they call a waterfall, or even a current, and want to take it immediately for an insurmountable wall, even before sounding the passage. The conchylia, similar to oysters, clinging to these gneiss rocks, are the thorn-muscles, which are found also at the cataracts in Nubia (Etheria tubifera). By mistake, I previously called these musclesampulla tubulosa.[5]Besides the snails mentioned on a former occasion, I found on the shores of the White Stream the large water-snails (ampullaria ovata var.), as well as the muscles (Iridina rubens, andAnodonta acuta).
The specimens of sand I brought back with me, and which were subjected to an examination in Berlin, with my other geognostical collections, have been already defined by Dr. Girard, in C. Ritters’ “Glance at the Source-Territory of the Nile.”
He says:—“A sand from the shore of the Bahr-el-Abiad, in the kingdom of Bari, is similar to this sand (from the Sobàt river), only a little coarser in the grain, which, however, is only at the most of the sizeof millet-grain: it contains principally quartz, but more mica than the former, and has considerably more of those black grains, from which we see that it is horn-blende. This is either derived from syenite and diorite masses, as they often appear in gneiss and mica-slate mountains, or they might be also of volcanic origin, for the lava of the Gebl Defafaungh lying to the north boundary of these plains, contains the same in great abundance.” With respect to the constituent part of the rocks of this cataract, Dr. Girard observes:—“It is gneiss, consisting of white feldspar, and a good deal of white mica, and mica-slate, containing much granular, brittle, white and yellow quartz, no feld-spar, and small scaly black mica.”
The island of Tshànker, on which I planted a number of palm-seeds, rises, with reference to the back of the surface of the earth, fifteen feet high above the present water-mark. The natives could not have been able to have sown the ground, which is strongly mixed with sand, with the simsim (sesame), a grass particularly requiring moisture, if the water of the swollen river had not remained upon it for some time. In accordance with that, the chain of mountains must have discharged an immense body of water during the rainy season, for the island appears to me to lie somewhat higher than either of the shores, and the high water overflows therefore not only this island, but also a great part of the shores which are separated about six hundred mètres from each other. From this cause arise the beautiful green trees, and the verdant low country lying back, from which ephemeral shallow lakes the water seems to be drawn off by canals. Like Oases (Arabic Oà), theylie there in a level land, which is parched up far and wide.
Legislation appears to be in a peculiar state in the country of Bari. We were told that King Làkono slew criminals with his own hand, by a thrust with a spear, and very quickly (goàm, goàm), without any ceremonies; he sits under a large tree, with a heavy spear in his hand, to pass judgment, and assumes a very angry look. Perhaps the great spirit of the tree may inspire him on such a presidency, or rather his own feeling of justice may cause this righteous anger, and make him the supreme judge and executioner of the misdoer, the latter being devoted also to death by the unanimous will of the assembly. Priests or sorcerers do not appear to be assembled at these public sittings in judgment, which remind us of the ancient German institutions, because not a trace has been found, so far as I know, of any such men among these people. The great king, therefore, does not crack the criminal’s skull with the club-sceptre he usually carries, as I imagined on his first visit; but the very same views of a death without dishonour seem to prevail here as among the Shilluks, who do not slay the Arabs taken prisoners by them with the honourable spear, but beat them to death like a dog with the hassaie.
The innate respect towards the king is, however, greater perhaps than the royal power. This may mostly be reduced to the gigantic limbs of his family and all his adherents, amongst whom the heads of tribes subject to him, may be numbered, who stand around his free stool as judges armed, although not voting, maintaining order, and easily defeating hissolitary antagonists, with their heavy sceptres of ebony, like constables’ staves.
It is evident that he has opponents, and indeed not a few, from the circumstance that he requested us to shoot some people on the left shore, because they were always making war on those of the right shore. It might therefore seem quite right to him that several of the inhabitants of that side were shot down a few days ago, in so shameful a manner, from our vessels. His statements of the hostile feelings of the men there does not appear, however, to be founded on truth, for we have seen several times herds of cattle swimming over from one shore to the other, without any robbery and contention taking place in consequence. On a closer inquiry, his main grievance was unbosomed; for two years he hadnotreceivedanythingfrom the people of the left shore. This was interpreted, consonant to Turkish views, to mean Tulba (tribute); it seems to me, however, to denote rather a voluntary contribution, because he complained at the same time, that he had nothing to live upon, and therefore was not able to give us anything.
King Làkono had a very sound understanding, and contrived skilfully to evade the demand for meat, and the desire expressed to visit him at his residence; for the Turks wanted to make a closer inspection of his treasures, since gold was said to be among them. He always affirmed that we should be obliged, in paying such a return visit, to swim through a deep gohr, although we had been previously told that he possessed a large and handsome sürtuk, in which he plies far up and down the river. Our sandal, which appeared to him probably more fittedfor use than his own hewn-out trunk of a tree, pleased him so well, that he asked it as a present. Of course we were obliged to refuse him; for this little skiff was quite indispensable to us for communication. It was promised that a far handsomer vessel should be built for him at Marseilles—a white lie, with which he did not seem to be content. It was tolerably plain, from the badly translated expressions of these lords of Bari, and still more from the far more intelligible language of signs, of which they were not sparing, that they were perfectly conscious of their superiority in force; for they signified, with ironical laughter, that they could easily take our sandal by force, because it was the smallest of our vessels.
Although Làkono seemed not to have expected such an answer from us, and to be offended at it, yet he did not relinquish his plans of conquest and booty, in which we were to assist him. He wished not only to undertake a warlike expedition, in company with us, to Berri, so rich in copper, but also to the neighbouring mountain-chain of Logajà (also Lokonjà). The cannibals dwelling upon this mountain—not known here, however, by the name of Njam-Njam—had been long the subject of conversation among the crew. According to what we heard from the natives below, these ill-famed mountaineers had heads, and went on all-fours like dogs; this was repeated also, even in Bari, probably from our misunderstanding the language.
Captain Selim, the Muscovite, to whom courage could not be denied in other respects, had, even in Khartùm, been wonderfully afraid of these so-called Njam-Njams.Now, however, he allowed his fear to mount to a truly ridiculous height, probably because he was the most corpulent of us all, except Selim-Capitan. He thought nothing less than that he would be the first roast morsel which that savage mountain-race would choose for a feast, on a favourable nocturnal opportunity. Before the first expedition, my brother had designated him a plump morsel (kabàb semmin) for the cannibals; and scarcely was he summoned to this expedition than he inquired repeatedly and anxiously about the existence and the abode of these men. This joke was now haunting his brains, and particularly when his fat face was lighted up by the enjoyment of araki, which he drank secretly in his cabin, in order not to let the others partake of it. In such a condition as this, he exhorted me to assist in urging as speedy a return as possible; and, moreover, to think of my poor brother Jussùf, who perhaps was ill.
Làkono, explained, on closer questioning, the ominous rumour of the Anthropophagi, with dogs’ heads, and informed us that these bad people have heads indeed, like others, but allowall their teethto remain in their head, and crawlupon all-fourswhen they eat men. This means, perhaps, nothing more than that they do not join in open combat with the inhabitants of Bari, but crawl close to people, like dogs, plunder them, and perhaps eat them. The Baghàras assert, that the same custom of crawling, in marauding expeditions, exists among the Shilluks; and our Circassians relate things, which are scarcely credible, of the manner in which boys and girls are caught in their country.
It wasconfirmedhere what we had previouslyheard, viz. that brothers do not marry sisters, nor fathers daughters; they were indignant, and with reason, at such a question. The bride is purchased from the father for sixty to seventy oxen: this price might be called dear, in spite of the numerous herds of cattle here; yet it counteracts polygamy and the enfeeblement of race thereby produced, as much as the forbidding of marriage among blood relations. The release of a prisoner costs only thirty oxen, whence we might conclude that their wars, which they appear to carry on only by the river’s side, are not very barbarous. Besides, their spears confirm this supposition, for they are ground off to a smooth edge, and have no barbs such as those of the people of the mountains in these regions, and in the land of Sudàn.
The spears with barbs found amongst them, have been either received in exchange, having been thrown by the mountaineers in the mutual feuds, or they have been forged by themselves for the chase, to cast at the wild deer when they hunt them to death. The poisoning of arrows, with their various barbs, is certainly against this humane view of the character of the people. They warned us of poison every time we purchased arrows, yet I found a quantity among them not poisoned. It may therefore be usual to use the latter only in war, because otherwise they would poison their spears; whilst they shoot the deer with the former, without the poison perhaps exercising any effect when the flesh is eaten—as Shömburg says, is also the case in Guiana. They bury their dead in a recumbent posture, and far away from their huts or tokuls.
According to Làkono and his relations, the rainyseason will set in, intwo monthsfrom the present time, (therefore at the end of March, or beginning of April.) This appears, in truth, somewhat late: for the two arms of the Nile, near Khartùm, begin to ascend nearly simultaneously on the 2nd or 3rd of May, and it is impossible that even one drop of these first rains in the high land, which the thirsty soil, moreover, immediately absorbs, and which are swallowed up by a course in a long valley-land, should reach Khartùm from hence in so short a time. The regions lying lower, and subject to the tropical rains, are the cause perhaps of the first swellings to the White Stream; for, before all those numerous low grounds and shallow lakes are full, the eventual connections with the more distant inner waters, are restored and overflow. Much more time is required for this than for the effusion of the mountain waters, near the sloping rocky ground lying before us.
If we should not, however, take the nearer district of the tropical rains as an explanation of the simultaneous swelling of both arms of the Nile near Khartùm, we could not explain this phenomenon, for the mountain waters of the White Stream must, though with a far slower course, make three times as long a way as those of the Blue Nile, in just the same time. A difference is consequently seen at Khartùm at high water, which, however, soon becomes equal, from the mutual pouring into each other of the arms, or by the damming up of the tributary streams.
Fadl is my faithful confidant in purchasing the curiosities of the country; he is slow and painstaking in a negotiation, when I immediately lose my patience.He first, for a long time, squats, as he used to do in the land of Sudàn, with the people here; plays with the glass beads,—holds the larger ones by themselves against the light, as if they were jewels; and the good Ethiopians become so confident and longing, that they can hold out no longer; and then he is very slow in giving any, so that the value increases in their eyes. They are not only, as I have before said, very mistrustful in this barter, but also so undecided, like children, that beads and goods are often given away and returned. I have some hopes that my Ethnographical collection will increase considerably in this manner during the return voyage, for we have already exchanged many weapons and other things.
The spears of this country are distinguished by a greater elegance in the workmanship, and do not exceed the length of the gigantic bodies of these men. With the exception of a few, they are javelins, seven feet long, with a shaft of the thickness of a thumb. The shaft of bamboo is encircled entirely, or partly, with a narrow band of iron, or with the skins of snakes and land crocodiles, and the lower end surrounded with an iron knob and single rings, in order that the spear may have the proper equilibrium in the hand when it is hurled. About half a foot from the end it is generally furnished with a tuft of fur, which seems to stand in the place of afeatheredarrow, a weapon never seen here. The iron of the head is one and a half to two feet long, the back flat, and the knob has four little bosses.
The bows are from five and a half to six and a half feet long, of bamboo, and encircled in the samemanner; the strings are made from the inner bark of trees. The arrows are very neatly wrought, have barbs, and are two and a half to three feet long.
The harpoons employed against crocodiles and hippopotami, have, with the short point, which has only one barb, a length of thirteen to fourteen feet. The shank, of bamboo, is an inch and a half thick, and is not fastened to the point (neither are the shafts to the beads of lances, so that it comes off in launching the harpoon. The point itself remains by a long thin line made of bark, in the possession of the fisherman, and is always visible to him at the end by a float of ambak wood, until the animal struck has exhausted its rage; and then, sitting in his hewn-out trunk of a tree (sürtuk), he takes the line in his hand, and with a spear attacks the exhausted beast as it comes up to the surface for air, until it bleeds to death.
The ivory rings, two of which are often seen on the upper part of each arm, are two pounds and upwards in weight; the fluted clubs of ebony are two to three pounds. The knives are crooked, rounded at the top, and half a foot long, with a handle one and a half or less in length. The people procure the materials for their beautiful works in iron from Mount Korèk, in the tanks and gohrs of which iron is said to be found, like sand, in immense quantities. They brought me a little basket full of this coarse-grained black mineral, and with it a few scoriæ. According to Marian, the men smelt in earthen pots; for furnaces and such like are as little to be looked for here as in Kordofàn.
This is pure magnet-iron, which, as my Nuba thinks, they free from the larger stones, and thenshake in a sieve, to free it from the fine rocky sand. Girard says that this magnet-iron shews also, in several places, specular-iron, and recalls to mind similar appearances in the great Mica slate chain of mountains of the Brazils. The specimens of stones procured from Mount Korèk, through the natives, were of a reddish coarse-grained granite, although we had expected gneiss from thence, having found it near and upon the island of Tshanker. Yet I would not be certain that these specimens were not taken from some other mountain. What rich results might ensue from an examination of these mountains!
KING LÀKONO’S PRIDE. — BEER KNOWN TO THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS. — BAR OF ROCKS. — WAR-DANCE OF THE NATIVES. — DETERMINATION OF THE TURKS TO RETURN, AND DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE AUTHOR. — COMMENCEMENT OF THE RETURN VOYAGE. — REPUBLICANS IN THE KINGDOM OF BARI. — VISIT OF THE FRENCHMEN TO MOUNT KORÈK. — REASON OF THE AUTHOR’S AVERSION TO ARNAUD. — CONDUCT OF VAISSIÈRE AND SCENE IN HIS DIVAN. — CULTIVATION OF COTTON AT BARI. — APATHY OF FEÏZULLA-CAPITAN AND THE CREW. — SUPERIORITY OF MAN TO WOMAN IN A NATIVE STATE. — WATCHHOUSES.
26thand27th January.—King Làkono, notwithstanding his complaisance in other respects, is proud in this single instance: he will not go on board anyothervessel than that of Selim Capitan’s, much as Arnaud wishes it, who promises us a greatfêtewhen we shall bring this to pass. Selim Capitan passes with him for a matta enjoying the same privileges as himself, because he has our treasures, glass ornaments, and clothes, in his keeping, and distributes themad libitum, with the consent of Suliman Kashef.
The island of Tshanker, called also Riëm to Selim Capitan in my presence (perhaps the name of the second and smaller island), has become, since our abode here, a market for barter. A great crowd of people is always collected here, and Selim Capitan considers it advisable to give them a taste of the effect of a gun. He therefore shot a bull while running, twice in the head; unfortunately the ballsdid not pierce through, and therefore the beast staggered, but did not fall. Hereupon Selim held the barrel behind the animal’s ear, and the bull fell; the people, indeed, drew back astonished, but the excessive fear of fire-arms appears, since our short stay, to be at an end in the more civilised state of Bari.
I was the cause of presents being made to Làkono, for future sowing of maize, and a better kind of durra, Ommòs (Egyptian peas), and the so-called horse-beans, (called by the Arabs, Ful, and a very nourishing favourite food of theirs,) beside many other fruits. He seemed to me to be a man who would take care to sow them, for he planted even the stones of the dates which he had eaten with us. If the dates in these warmer regions should ever come up, the whole crew, without meaning it, have contributed to plant them, because they threw away the stones of the dates they ate on all the landing-places. I doubt, however, if dates will ever thrive, because the doum-palms have a very stunted appearance in the lower countries of the White Stream, and for a long time have entirely disappeared.
As the vine thrives in Sennaar, it might grow also here, and I should have gained immortal fame if I had not unfortunately forgotten, in Khartùm, the layers of vines I had determined to take with me. Merissa is also not unknown here, as the black soldiers told me, who had drank it, and found it equally good as that of Sennaar.Beerwas known even to the ancient Egyptians: what is now prepared in Egypt under the name of Busa, from wheat (kamm) is bad and pappy; in Nubia, Belled-Sudàn, we get it ofbetter quality, made from durra, and called generally merissa: the same is also quite a common drink in this country. Beer appears, consequently, to be generally indigenous where agriculture takes place, and where wine has not received the preference due to it.
28th January.—Nature has drawn here a real bar of rocks through the White Stream, which we dare not venture to surmount; for the water has fallen, for some days, as is quite evident, and the vessels could only, by taking out all their freight, pass the defile near the large rocks, which is called on this account, bab, or gate. The river-bed beginning from hence, appears to be generally of a more rocky nature, for we perceive, even from the rocks on the Island of Tshanker, breakers in the stream up the river: however, there is no doubt, that we might sail away victoriously over these obstacles at the time of the inundation, for the river here rises to about eighteen feet high. The main thing would be, then, for north winds to blow exactly at this period, strong enough to withstand the pressure of water rising in this mountain-land; for I am still of opinion that the rapidity of the current increases from hence in such a manner, that we could not advance by the rope even with the best will. We have remained here at the island three entire days, and thene plus ultrais not so much inscribed on the Pillars of Hercules in the water, as desired in the hearts of the whole expedition.
The war-dance, which the blacks performed yesterday, has contributed certainly to the final determination to return. Even I thought yesterday that Iheard and saw in the fearful battle-song, a declaration of war, and a challenge to the contest. It was almost impossible to persuade oneself that it was merely a mark of honour. The natives marched up and down the island, in columns, brandishing their lances in the air, sang their war-songs with threatening countenances and dreadful gestures, then fell into still greater ecstasy, ran up and down, and roared their martial chant. Nevertheless I altered my opinion that this was done with hostile views, for the native interpreters remained quietly with us on board the vessel; and when we sent them to request that this honour might not be paid to us, they returned, though not having effected our object.
It was thought advisable that we should leave the shore, for the natives had only need spring down to be on board our vessels. There were certainly too many black people, and a warlike rapacious enthusiasm might easily, it was true, possess their minds, inflamed as they were by the military manœuvres. It was well, therefore, that a reiterated request on our side was answered, and an end put to the warlike ceremony, without our having betrayed our fear, by pushing off from the shore.
I remained this night on board Selim Capitan’s vessel, to induce him torenewthe examination of the rocky pass in the water, and to allow me to accompany him; but he declared to me, although he could not conceal his own nervousness, that not only the Frenchmen, but also Suliman Kashef, even if the latter told me the contrary, have determined not to proceed further. I knew therefore how to explainwhy Selim Capitan and Arnaud had gone alone to the rocky pass, without letting me know of their intention, although the spot to be explored, where a passage possibly might be made, was scarcely a gun-shot distance from us. I felt myself, however, too much weakened from my illness to swim to it, and to scale the rocks, for I would not ask the favour of the sandal. My servants, who wished as much as myself to proceed further, had been at the place; and Fadl, who had been previously a mariner himself, declared that we could certainly pass through, but not back again, if the water continued to fall so much as it has done now for some days.
Selim Capitan was really inclined to explore the ascent, but this continuation of the voyage was not to last longer than a day. But when he knelt this morning on his carpet, before sun-rise, directing his face to the East, for prayer, and discerned the numerous fires on the right shore, which he had not remarked during his ablutions, he looked at me so mournfully and suspiciously, that I could scarcely restrain my laughter. He concluded his prayer; and now he saw also on the island of Tshanker, near us, a number of such little straw fires, over which the naked people were warming themselves; whilst nearly every single man was stretching out his long legs over his own little fire. Then his courage sank anew, for there were still more blacks than yesterday.
These men, however, did not come empty-handed, and barter rose to a pitch of greatness and variety, such as we had not before seen—a quantity of fowls, goats, sheep, cows and calves, wood, ferruginous sand, and iron dross, tobacco, pipes, simsim, durra, weapons,all kinds of ornaments for the body—everything for beads. Nevertheless the good Ethiopians did not shew themselves to-day quite blameless, for they sold quivers full of arrows, many of which were without points. They delivered the wares while receiving the beads, or the seller ran hastily away, retaining the goods as well as the purchase-money; they cuffed and wrestled with our men, without, however, making use of their weapons. On the whole, however, the injustice was on our side; the drum therefore beat to recall the crew to the vessels.
It was the middle of the day, about two o’clock, when Selim Capitan, in order to take his leave, and to employ the dreaded people at the moment of our departure, and keep them far from us, threw ten cups of sug-sug on shore, and the cannons on all the vessels were discharged, to bid solemn farewell with twenty-one shots to the beautiful country which must contain so many more interesting materials. The forty or forty-two days lost by Arnaud’s fault, in Korusko, are again recalled to my mind. If we had arrived here twenty days previously, neither would all these rocks have been an obstacle, nor would there have been a pretext for not proceeding further; and it would have been no absolute misfortune, supposing that in ourreturnwe had not been able immediately to sail over this reef of rocks.
Rain begins here, as I have already said, in two months’ time. On its setting in, the neighbouring masses of rocks discharge their water into the river-bed; the river rises after a few days, and it would not be difficult, therefore, at the expiration of that time, to pass the rocky bar. But against the proposalto wait for the rainy season, the objection, partly founded in fact, was offered, that the provisions which had been provided for ten months, would not suffice for the return voyage. Certainly the provisions had been shamefully dealt with, and there was little to be expected from the people of this country, who would be paid for every thing. It is just as clear that the natives do not cultivate agriculture beyond their immediate necessities, and therefore have stored up no magazines, as that their herds are only sufficient for their consumption, because, had it been otherwise, the Sultan, leaving aside the people, must have shewn himself more liberal. It is certain also, that with the hitherto lavish profusion of glass-beads, their value must infallibly decrease, and that therefore we shall soon be in want of this means of payment.
The principal reason, however, of my proposal not meeting with favour, appears to me to lie in this, that a sudden attack by the natives was feared, and not entirely without justice, on a longer and closer acquaintance, by which our supremacy, at all events, must suffer; because Turks wish always to remain Turks, that is, born lords of the earth. As a last resource I rely upon a third expedition, and this thought afforded me also some consolation.
The water has diminished to a remarkable degree. Close to the first island, which is next to the left shore, we ran aground, and now we have been squatting for several hours near the second island, lying at the left shore. All “lissa” and “ela” cannot bring us from the spot, although the men, who are trying to raise the vessel in the water, have rested twice from exhaustion. The negroes,indeed, approach us and laugh, but they may wish, notwithstanding, to assist us; yet it appears advisable to keep them at a distance by firing, so that they may not remark the impotency of a vessel when stranded. I here count, from the deck, eight villages on the rising ground of the left shore; on the right, lying more level with the water-line, only two. The sun sinks behind Mount Korèk, and we hope to work ourselves off this time. This may be a difficult return voyage, for we have many shallow places to pass, and the water continues to fall. We are again afloat at sunrise.
Behind the last-mentioned island we remark another little one; then we pass between two islands, for this voyage by the left shore is of a very complicated nature. We are scarcely off before the vessel immediately again sticks fast, and whirls round like a top. We proceed down the river close to the left shore, the negroes throwing stones at us; we know not whether they are in jest or in earnest. To be sure, we did not conduct ourselves in a very friendly manner, in our ascent by theleftshore, having killed there eleven people, and certainly wounded many more. These are the republicans, who would not recognise King Làkono; they laugh at the threats of the crew, until Feïzulla Capitan orders his pistols to be brought, so that he might intimidate them. We shoal again, work ourselves clear, but cannot reach the other vessels, where Làkono is said to be on board Selim Capitan’s. It seems that the good king will regain, by our presence, his authority, which has been considerably diminished by the withdrawal of the subsidy, or Tulba, over these people onthe left shore, who are to give us, according to his promise, several cows.
I cannot yet recover; but just at this moment, when the vessel has turned to the north, in the direction of my brother, I resign myself, with pleasure, to the idea of remaining with Làkono, learning the language, and collecting the necessary information, making myself useful in extending the knowledge of economical and technical sciences, and taking part in their military expeditions, wherein I should have formed a fearfulavant gardewith my three servants, who were of the same inclination as myself, owing merely to our fire-arms;—and thus to become of the most vital importance to the next expedition, and to be able to return with it.