The sultan wears a white turban of very fine muslin, the ends of
which are embroidered with gold, and brought to the front; this
29 turban comes from Bengala.[59] He wears a loose white cotton shirt,
with sleeves long and wide, open at the breast; unlike that of the
Arabs, it reaches to the small of the leg; over this a _caftan_[60]
of red woollen cloth, of the same length; red is generally
esteemed. The shirt (_kumja_) is made at Timbuctoo, but the caftan
comes from Fas, ready made; over the caftan is worn a short cotton
waistcoat, striped white, red, and blue; this comes from Bengala,
and is called _juliba_.[61] The sleeves of the caftan are as wide
as those of the shirt; the breast of it is fastened with buttons,
in the Moorish style, but larger. The _juliba_ has sleeves as wide
as the caftan. When he is seated, all the sleeves are turned up
over the shoulder[62], so that his arms are bare, and the air is
admitted to his body.
[Footnote 59: _i.e._ Bengal.]
[Footnote 60: A _caftan_, or coat, with wide sleeves, no
collar, but that buttons all down before.]
[Footnote 61: It is not the cotton cloth which comes from
Bengal that is named _Juliba_, but the fashion or the cut of
it.]
[Footnote 62: The Moorish fashion.]
Upon his turban, on the forehead, is a ball of silk, like a pear;
one of the distinctions of royalty. He wears, also, a close red
skull-cap, like the Moors of Tetuan, and two sashes, one over each
shoulder, such as the Moors wear round the waist; they are rather
cords than sashes, and are very large; half a pound of silk is used
in one of them. The subjects wear but one; they are either red,
yellow, or blue, made at Fas. He wears, like his subjects, a sash
round the waist, also made at Fas; of these there are two
kinds,--one of leather, with a gold buckle in front, like those of
the soldiers in Barbary; the other of silk, like those of the
Moorish merchants. He wears (as do the subjects) breeches made in
the Moorish fashion, of cotton in summer, made at Timbuctoo, and of
woollen in winter, brought ready made from Fas. His shoes are
distinguished by a piece of red leather, in front of the leg, about
three inches wide, and eight long, embroidered with silk and gold.
30
When he sits in his apartment, he wears a dagger with a gold hilt,
which hangs on his right side: when he goes out, his attendants
carry his musket, bow, arrows, and lance.
His subjects dress in the same manner, excepting the distinctions
of royalty; viz. the pear, the sashes on the shoulders, and the
embroidered leather on the shoes.
The sultana wears a caftan, open in front from top to bottom, under
this a slip of cotton like the kings, an Indian shawl over the
shoulders, which ties behind, and a silk handkerchief about her
head. Other women dress in the same manner. They wear no drawers.
The poorest women are always clothed. They never show their bosom.
The men and women wear ear-rings. The general expense of a woman's
dress is from two ducats to thirty.[63] Their shoes are red, and
are brought from Marocco.[64] Their arms and ankles are adorned
with bracelets. The poor have them of brass; the rich, of gold. The
rich ornament their heads with cowries. The poor have but one
bracelet on the leg, and one on the arm; the rich, two. They also
wear gold rings upon their fingers. They have no pearls or precious
stones. The women do not wear veils.
[Footnote 63: Equal to from two to thirty Mexico dollars.]
[Footnote 64: They are manufactured at Marocco.]
31
DIVERSIONS.
The king has 500 or 600 horses; his stables are in the inclosure;
the saddles have a peak before, but none behind. He frequently
hunts the antelope, wild ass, ostrich, and an animal, which, from
Shabeeny's description, appears to be the wild cow[65] of Africa.
The wild ass is very fleet, and when closely pursued kicks back the
earth and sand in the eyes of his pursuers. They have the finest
greyhounds in the world, with which they hunt only the
antelope[66]; for the dogs are not able to overtake the ostrich.
Shabeeny has often hunted with the king; any person may accompany
him. Sometimes he does not return for three or four days: he sets
out always after sunrise. Whatever is killed in the chace is
divided among the strangers and other company present; but those
animals which are taken alive are sent to the king's palace. He
goes to hunt towards the desert, and does not begin till distant
ten miles from the town. The antelopes are found in herds of from
thirty to sixty. He never saw an antelope, wild ass, or ostrich
alone, but generally in large droves. The ostriches, like the
storks, place centinels upon the watch: thirty yards are reckoned a
distance for a secure shot with the bow. The king always shoots on
32 horseback, as do many of his courtiers, sometimes with muskets, but
oftener with bows. The king takes a great many tents with him.
There are no lions, tigers, or wild boars near Timbuctoo. They play
at chess and draughts, and are very expert at those games: they
have no cards; but they have tumblers, jugglers, and
ventriloquists, whose voice appears to come from under the armpits.
He was much pleased with their music, of which they have
twenty-four different sorts. They have dances of different kinds,
some of which are very indecent.
[Footnote 65: The _Aoudad_; for a particular description of
which, see Jackson's Marocco, Chapter V., Zoology, p. 84.]
[Footnote 66: The Gazel, or Antelope, outruns at first the
greyhound; but after running about an hour the greyhound gains
on him.]