than five are reckoning up large sums or drawing up most important
reports in a space where no European clerk would find room to perform
the most trifling duty. Besides, when one sees how few of these Coptish
writers must arrange everything and conduct all state affairs, which are
here pretty extensive and tolerably closely looked after, one must smile
at the army of great and small scribes in our state arrangements. As an
instance, the Pascha has with him on the present expedition some 10,000
soldiers, not reckoning servants, camp and baggage attendants and Arab
auxiliary troops, in all not less than 20,000 men. He is not only
military but also civil Governor of all Bellad-Sudan; all business and
other state matters, without exception, must fall on him, must be cared
for by him, and letters and orders sent regarding them. Daily there
arrives a dromedary courier (hagahn) with the post (posta), and his
jarre (leather sack), is full of letters for the Pascha who reads all of
them, and generally answers most; among them are those from the
different ministers in Cairo and Alexandria, which usually require
direct answers, or contain certain orders, which again must be
promulgated in all the provinces. Then come reports from the extensive
province of Kordofan, from the districts of Dongola, Berber, Chartum,
Sennaar, Faszogl; from the Kaschefs of Kataref, Sauachinn, Atisch,
Karreri, Wollet Mèdine, Schendy, Gos Rajeb, Rosseres: then there is the
correspondence with the Sheiks of the different Arab tribes who are
tributaries, as the Kababish Arabs on the left bank of the White Nile,
up to Dongola, Kordofan, and Hassanie, Dongola, Agricultural-Schaigies
in Dongola, the War-Schagies in Halfaia, Schendy, Ellefun, &c.; the
Mograbins, Bischari, Schukurie, Batahanie, the tribe of Abu Ginn in
Atisch, of the Dabaina, Homrahn, Baghara, Fungh, Hammech, and others.
And how many secretaries and clerks has the Pascha for all this? In all
five! Mallem Challill, with two copyists; Sheik Effendi, as journal
keeper; and Mustapha Effendi, as conductor of the Turkish
correspondence; and even these have at times an idle day. Much
simplified, certainly, is the writing; inasmuch as the Pascha only gives
out dictatorial orders, that must be obeyed without any further
remonstrance or petitioning; and the military and civil rule are united
in one person, and not so divided and subdivided as in more civilised
states. He alone issues orders, passes all great sentences, and declares
war or concludes peace; thus all is shortened and simplified, and needs
not the result of twenty different departments, and as many colleges or
offices.
As to the religious ceremonies and usages of the Copts, which, such as
they are, are closely observed by them,—they are bigots to their own
faith, and hate (independent of the feelings of slavery) all Mussulmen
bitterly, as also all other Christians who hold not the same opinions
with themselves; know to a nicety all saints in their calendar, strictly
keep the fast days, of which they have many; submit to, and inflict
faithfully on themselves, the penances laid on them by their father
confessors, even though these extend to the leaving off of their
favourite dram-drinkings; most regularly attend the churches on the
Sundays, and are on these occasions more cleanly in their dresses than
usual. The women sit in church in balconies with blinds. The Copts marry
in their own sect, and are only allowed one wife; many of them certainly
keep slaves or concubines, but the children of such are not looked on as
legitimate—a custom that has crept in with Islam. On the inner flat of
the right wrist each Copt has a cross (salib), which is usually cut into
the flesh when he is a boy, and is ineffaceable; the women generally
have the same on the hollow of the chin. With these marks they are sure
of kind reception and hospitality in all places where Copts dwell. Many
Coptish families in Egypt have still private property, but keep it as
secret as possible, for were the Turks to get scent of it, they would
most certainly ere long find means to deprive them of it. This by no
means large religious sect is, however, again divided into two, one of
which holds by the old faith and ritual, and the other, headed by
Basilius Bey, at present on account of his fits of drunken passion
exiled to Tachta, and also by Sergius Bey and Tobia Bey, would wish to
introduce some changes. These would join the Catholic Church, and are
also inclined to listen to the English missionaries.
* * * * *
CHAP. XI.
March from Dabàab. — A Sham Fight. — Schaigies. — Sufferings from Heat
and Thirst. — Choice of Camp. — Kassela-el-Lus. — Escape of Female
Slaves. — Storm of Rain.
After a halt of six days in the camp at Dabàab, the army again marched
at dawn. The first country we passed was flat and stony, only here and
there showed some low bushes, though its monotonousness was made
somewhat more tolerable by the view of the Hill of Kassela, on which we
marched. The whole land was covered with small pieces of granite,
pebbles, and stones, which had been washed and rolled down from the
mountains by floods, although these hills were yet a day’s journey
distant. After three long hours, our progress was interrupted by six or
eight small gohrs, which from the rain of the former week had been
converted into large swamps, and promised much annoying fatigue,
especially to the baggage camels. The fields round about showed no trace
of having ever been cultivated, and the grasses also had almost vanished
from the surface; the trees were very small and few. Of living animals
we only saw one ostrich, and this at a considerable distance, hurrying
rapidly off on its long legs, while a few birds of prey, like solitary
specks, floated over our heads. At length, fully two hours distant from
all the other hills, rose in this large sterile plain a round conical
hillock of some 150 or 200 feet high. The position seemed to plainly
mark it out as some ancient monument, and we fancied we saw ruins on it;
but, on riding up to it, we were disappointed in only finding time-worn
and blackened rocks and blocks of granite. To our left (east) was
visible a long chain of isolated hillock rocks of the most curious
forms, but mostly pyramidical; they stood out singly like the sentinels
of the higher hills, which run in unbroken range to the east and south,
boundary hills between the races of Makada and of this land. Some of
these hills showed the fairest shapes and brightest colours. We rode to
the foot of the hills south of Kassela, that with its dome-shaped head
offered a most imposing sight, and declared its height by its cloudy
canopy or curtain. We sought in vain for a sign of ancient ruin or
building remains on hillocks and hills; nothing of the kind was to be
found, and none of the natives knew aught of bint gaddim (old
buildings). Time and weather had here wasted the hard granite rocks, and
those still standing upright were split and fractured into a thousand
shapes and forms.
To somewhat lessen the tedium of our march the Pascha hit on the happy
thought of ordering out the various Arab races, as also the Turkish,
Mograbin, and Schaigie cavalry, to go through a sham fight, each after
their own manner, and this certainly afforded a most interesting and
characteristic scene. All, save the Arabs, rushed impetuously on the
invisible enemy, discharging their firearms, and then immediately
retreating, while past our ears whistled some of their balls. To
infantry unaccustomed to such attacks these violent cavalry onsets might
be dangerous, as these incessant skirmishings would be an eternal
harassing, that could only be resisted by a rapidly-formed square,
retained with steadiness and energy; and I much doubt if our forces here
could, without much difficulty, be brought to effect or maintain a
formation that would defeat such attacks. Even at the most rapid gallop,
all these cavalry handled their long, heavy flint muskets like riding
whips; in pursuit and retreat they used their pistols, and kept up a
constant fire on the pursued or pursuing enemy. All was done in the most
rapid gallop, nor did they make the smallest attempt at order in their
onsets. The twentieth part of the Turkish cavalry alone had sabres, but
all muskets and pistols; some men had four of the latter, two in the
girdle and two at the saddle-bows. The Schaigies, like the Mograbins,
are only armed with muskets; but the officers have mostly pistols, and
the leader a sabre. Firearms are, indeed, the best and most efficacious
weapons here in Bellad-Sudan, as the blacks do not possess such, and
have a great dread of them; and on their part generally fight by casting
lances and stones from a distance, out of their rocks and forests, as
swords are not common among them. The Turkish cavalry certainly cut the
best figure from their handsome and swift horses, but could not in
dexterity and active movement compare with the Schaigies, who are,
however, at present ill-mounted, as the formerly highly-famed Dongola
breed of horses, somewhat similar to the Holstein, have been much
decreased by the doings of the Turks, especially by those of Ismail
Pascha and Defterdar Bey. Better soldiers than the Schaigies could not
be found for these lands. They are the real fighting caste of the
country, born and brought up here, and from their youth practised to
war; able to bear the greatest fatigues and privations with endurance
and indifference. They are closely acquainted with the capabilities,
manners, and customs of these lands; and this knowledge enables them to
inflict severe injury on their foes. With savage courage they steal into
the very heart of the enemy’s country, and never return empty-handed.
They also were the only indwellers of all Nubia up to Beni Schangull who
ventured to meet Ismail Pascha in open battle, and were only defeated by
the overpowering force of firearms. They then possessed no firearms, but
the straight double-edged sword, lance, and shield were their weapons,
and the larger number of them had iron chain armour and helmets; but
these, on adopting firearms, they have cast aside as useless. The most
of them are mounted on horseback, or on camels; those on foot are only
armed with the lance. Their horses were famed far and near, but only
among their leaders are many of the old breed to be found. Burckhardt,
who saw the Schaigies in their own land, believed that their breed had
originated in a cross between their country horses and the Arabian. But
this is not well-founded; they much more resemble our German horses, and
have even as little Arab blood in them as these. In general, they are
large and long-bodied, with strong thick tails, which they mostly carry
ill, and coarse thick manes; the neck is long, and always a ewe-neck,
and the ever somewhat thick head, always ill set on it; in the breast
and coupling they are generally weaker than Arab horses; the back, too,
is much more hollowed, the croup sloping more, and the continuation of
the backbone not so perfect as in the Arab breed. They are generally
rather lean, and can go a good pace, but not with the same powers of
continuance as the true Arabs or the cross with the Syrian horse.
These two last-mentioned breeds are rather short than long bodied, and
never over the middle height; from the shoulder to the end of the
backbone is an almost straight line, and this may be the reason they
always carry a good tail, as this is nothing but the finish off of the
stronger backbone. The tail is docked by the Arabs, but not so short as
in England, nor is it ever set or nicked, nor is the hair of the tail so
neatly trimmed and arranged. They have very fine bone, and broad chests,
and stand wide behind. Below the neck is broad and thick, but runs up
small and thin towards the head, so that with the small well-set head
and bright ever-observing eye, and open nostrils, it is a fair sight.
They never carry the neck arched, but it stands at somewhere about an
angle of 130° with the backbone, and the head at one of 90° with the
neck; hence its motions are free and unconstrained. When tied up this is
not done by the head, but by the foot; either one hind foot only, or one
hind and one fore, being picquetted to a peg driven into the ground. To
make them more strong and lasting, the Arabs give them honey mixed with
meal or dried flesh; and certainly they will hold out and undergo much
fatigue for two or even three days without water or food. In general,
all horses here are given water once a day and food twice, generally
durra, which they eat from a nosebag.
On the march, as at home and every where, the Turkish horses must be
saddled day and night, as Mahomet ordered that man and horse should ever
be ready for the field. Their saddles are very high before and behind,
the stirrups, as also those of the Mograbins, are large iron plates, on
which the whole foot rests. The Arabs here, and the Schaigies, have
stirrups like Europeans, in which, as they wear sandals, and often have
their feet altogether bare, they only stick the great toes; at times one
sees attached to the stirrups a spur an inch long. On their small wooden
saddles there is only allowed a place for the drinking-vessel; but the
way the Arabs keep their seats on the small wooden saddles of their
camels, at their quickest pace, in the sharpest turnings retaining their
balance, is truly wonderful, and in doing so they stick out their elbows
far from their bodies, and look as if about to fly. Here on horseback no
one rides by hold, but all by balance, and, in the most rapid pace of
their horses, the Schaigies will coolly pick up a stone, or any other
small object, from the earth, without losing their balance or checking
their horses.
Their dress consists, with the better sort, of a tarbush; the most of
the common orders having their hair uncovered, cut close, or when
covered, with a white taghie (takhie); short white breeches, and a
ferda, or a shirt. One can at first glance tell a Schaigie, and still
one cannot easily tell how they are so completely distinct from the
other Arabs. Their faces are good, and generally marked and thin; the
higher among them, especially Melek Mahmud, are distinguished by
extremely fine features; foreheads rather lofty; eyes lively and sharp
cut; nose arched, and pointed at the end (in this they are principally
distinguished from the smaller-featured Barabra); lips common; beard
thin; colour of skin brown, or brown-black; slight of form, but well
built, and therefore, with great ease, they perform all kinds of bodily
exercises, and the common expression used of them is “Jasiff saie el
Tair” (light as a bird). All are very fond of liquors. Although, from
their face and features, they seem to more nearly approach the Arabs
than the Nubians, still they unanimously, and with something like scorn,
assert that they are no Arabs, and have no descent from such a race. But
whence they come, or to what race they are allied, as they themselves
equally deny a Nubian descent, their small kings, who have their
pedigree at their fingers, could not, or would not, tell us, much as we
tried to get out of them their genealogy. They firmly maintain that they
have been, from most distant times, the children of the soil (betal
Thin), and have ever been the warriors of their race (min Astlu Askari).
One must not put any confidence, as other travellers have done, in what
they have learnt from their priests, who are said to assert the
contrary; though we have not heard it from them, for most of these (but
this we afterwards heard from the much-travelled Sheik and Faki Hamsa of
Hannak, in the country of Barabra, who boasted of his Arabian origin,)
are of Arab families, and are to be looked on as the proselyte-makers of
the Nubian Christians, to whom they, along with Islam, have also brought
the Arabic (the only language well pleasing to God), as well as to the
Schaigie. Such pious fathers also fancy, although they may be of a
totally different origin, that they are able, by means of Arabian
descent, to claim a kind of relationship with the Prophet. Here starts
up the interesting historical question, are these Schaigies, who perhaps
really do owe their present name to some Arabian saint, a part of the
emigrated warrior caste of Egypt, or the descendants of those
discontented warriors who were hospitably received by the kings of
Ethiopia? Their country, their proximity to old Meroë, which they
perhaps protected against the barbarous south, and their own warlike
spirit, agree with this tradition; as does also the fact, that amongst
them has never existed any common superior chief, but all have ever
lived free under their moluks; the present ruling families are perhaps
the old Egyptian leader-race, who, holding the Ethiopian kings as their
only lords, became, on the overthrow of that kingdom, independent
princes, as the Macedonian generals did on the death of Alexander the
Great. Their hair too is thinned, or kept cut short to the head, as
cleanliness, so necessary in Egypt, may have demanded; and such a custom
is contrary to Arab habits, and those of Nubia and Barabra also,
although they have, in common with those races, incisions on the cheeks
as marks of caste; among the Schaigies these are horizontal.
After a longer halt, we at last quitted our camp at Dabab. The Hakim
(Kadi), whom we visited in that village, said that the Hallenga were
indeed an Arab tribe, but not Arabs or Nomades, but “Naas betal bellad”
(people of the land), as they from centuries had had fixed dwellings
therein, as the tokul and mud huts of his own village might testify.
However, he also asserted that neither the Schaigies nor Djalin were of
Arab descent, as I also learnt from the latter, on making more
particular inquiries. From all this, it seems more than probable that
these two races are to be looked on as the ancient people of Meroë, and
as different tribes of the same race, as the Djalin have the incisions
on the cheeks from above downwards, while those of the Schaigies are
more horizontal. How strong the belief here is in an extreme old age, we
heard not only from the old Hakim, but also from the Pascha himself. In
this neighbourhood lives a holy man, who, by all accounts, has seen
upwards of 400 years, during which period he has wholly subsisted on
milk. The Pascha sent for the holy man, that we might ourselves behold
him, but he has not thought fit to appear. Moreover, it is said, that in
the neighbouring hills there are many persons of 150 to 200 years old.
In Senaar the Pascha had himself seen and spoken with a man of 250 years
of age. Of registers of birth there is as little here now as in the time
of Methuselah. The people here believe such tales, and a high age,
whether real or claimed, gives to the Faki his boasted saintship.
According to the old favourite custom, we were marched out in the noon’s
heat, and followed back the road by which we had come, to the springs.
We left the slopes of the higher Abyssinian hills on our left, passed
through forests and steppes, where we saw only a few cattle, as Mahommed
Ehle, the Sheik of Hallenga, had been knowing enough to have all such
driven away, and to represent his people as a most well-disposed but an
exceedingly poor race. The Pascha pretends he believes this, although
camels are stolen daily; out of personal revenge, one of his dromedaries
has been slain, and on the same occasion one of ours was carried off. We
passed south-westwardly through durra-fields, then south, and at last
east, directly in the direction of the hill of Kassela-el-Lus. We had to
pass many gohrs full of water; (a bad road for camels, who so easily
slip and fall, and sweat, from mere alarm;) and encamped, at the advice
of Mahommed Ehle, on a waterless plain, while his own fair village lay
some way to the left. The soil here seemed, on the whole, unfruitful,
and the durra-crops were far inferior to those at El Sofre. In the
evening violent thirst reigned in the camp, and all cursed the
perfidious Mahommed Ehle, who had promised water.
The want of water and groanings of the men, set all again on their legs
before day-break, and with music, loud murmurs, and most horrid noises,
we marched on hillward. The Pascha, on account of these tumults,
remained in the pass, casting furious looks round him; but we,
accompanying the advanced guard of Schaigies, pushed on eastward. The
hills, visible even from Gos Rajeb, now appeared close at hand, but
still we reached them not till mid-day. The flat country, on which were
started some hyenas, jackals, and hares, was cut up by many small rain-
brooks from the hills, much impeding our march; most easily might such
have been filled up, but Turkish generalship could not condescend to
such trifles, and there therefore arose a confusion and straggling
unequalled, as every one took any way he fancied likely to lead him
across them. The camels, horses, and asses remained fixed in the mud,
drinking; the poor thirsty soldiers rushed blindly after them, and laid
about them to get a mouthful of stinking water to cool their burning
throats. We also were nearly again mired, having got into a bog, but at
last we arrived at the left bank of the Gohr el Gasch, which showed
itself shortly before the first rocks, and where we, having got a start
of the rest, could coolly drink ourselves, and let our beasts do so
likewise. The country, covered with coarse granite sand, washed down
from the hills, rose somewhat on the opposite side, but was wholly
without vegetation. A vale of some half-hour’s breadth opened between
the high rocky walls of the Mokran (from which also a gohr came down
called Baraka) and the hill of Kassela. On the west side of the Mokran
mountain we rode southwards to the foot of that of the Kassela el Lus,
and there halted to await the Pascha.
The army came on, and order seemed to have been in some measure
restored; but when they arrived at the Gohr Baraka, neither man nor
beast was to be restrained; they rushed on, and quenched their burning
thirst in its clear waters, which ran merrily down from the narrow vale-
gulley; this seemed, some quarter of an hour further up, where it
separated the hill of Kassela from that of Mokran, to narrow greatly,
and after running a little distance, to unite itself to the Gohr el
Gasch. The heat was most fearful; neither the more healthy hill-breeze,
the truly magnificent nature of the high, domelike, and bold granite
formations, nor the almost picture-like blue colour and romantic form of
the mountains of Sabderath, gave for the moment the hoped-for relief,
nor made their full impression felt. A consolation it certainly was that
we were to remain here for at least three months, to let the rainy
season pass over, and then continue our conquests. At last the Pascha
and his followers galloped up. I drew his attention to the spot where we
had halted being highly suited for the camp; as it was open on three
sides, to the east leant on a perpendicular wall of rock, and water was
near. He thought a better place could be found, and we had to ride on
for an hour, till we reached a ravine, in the bottom of which we saw the
village of Kadmin, or Assunia, at the foot of the immense masses of rock
of the main mountain of Kassela-el-Lus. But the ground here was cut up
by rocky ridges, and it was plain that the hill shed down a part of its
waters on it. The Pascha rode backwards and forwards, dismounted and
received some of the people of the village, who made queer faces when
they found the camp was to be pitched immediately over their heads. I
had already discovered a somewhat raised spot, where we had made our
dromedaries lie down, thus taking possession of it for our tents; the
Pascha looked at us, again mounted his Arab, and we followed him back to
the flat, I had at first proposed as our camping-place. Our first
business was to get up our tent as quickly as possible, and to send for
water, as my brother was complaining of violent headache, although as
yet the Pascha had given no orders to encamp there. No sooner was our
tent up, than all the army began to pitch theirs round us, as if by
higher orders, and as now the Pascha had also had his pitched, I
hastened to him, begged him to have sufficient extent and room given the
camp, and, for that purpose, to place some picquets out, so as to at
least give it some regular figure, oblong or square. Inside the
different detachments of the army sat down as they pleased, but always
as far off as they could from the Pascha, so as not to be overlooked by
him, or at least as little as possible. By this there was left a kind of
clear space in the centre of the camp, on which, to our great joy, stood
isolated the Pascha’s tents and ours. Such was the beginning of the city
to be founded here,—a picture of what was perhaps only a repetition of
what had occurred in founding other older cities.
With gloomy face, silent and thoughtful, sat the Pascha, now the Rubicon
was crossed; and then first sounded the cannon-shot, as a signal that
here the camp was to be. The outwardly humble Sheiks, who welcomed him
here, and most of whom had never heard such a report before, shrunk
together and shuddered at the shot, which again recalled a smile to the
Pascha’s moody face. A loud, far round rolling echo, caused him to have
the gun repeatedly fired, he seemed again to feel pride in his superior
power, and in announcing his presence to the tribes around by the
thunder of his guns. The Turks too did not fail to arouse the echo by
repeated volleys of their fire-arms, till one might almost have fancied
he was near the scene of a battle. Not in vain, therefore, did the
Viceroy of Egypt style himself in his proclamation to these races, who
are little acquainted, if at all, with fire-arms, “Lord of Armies and
Cannon.” In the deeper stillness of evening, the echo of the great gun,
beating the signal of retreat, was yet more imposing; the many fires of
the camps lighted up the high rocky domes and buttresses, which cast
strange shadows, and gave a truly splendid night view, such as we had
never seen before.