only been, during night, surrounded by a low thorn fence. Numberless
Dom-palms, from one and a half to two feet in circumference, had been
felled in the wood, and sawn into lengths of twenty-five feet, dragged
down by men and beasts, and buried upright in the earth, giving the camp
an outward form of a lengthened square, with three gates or outlets,
while within all was disorderly confusion. The entrances, as well as the
spaces between these large palisades, were filled up with thorn-bushes,
to impede the naked-legged enemy in getting over them even should they
not altogether prevent him. Toward evening many fires were made outside
this seriba, and detachments of cavalry and infantry told off to them,
while the guns were placed at the north and south gates, to guard
against any surprise. By day guards were posted on the eastern rocks, on
which the camp itself leant, to overlook the country. In the evening,
however, they were withdrawn, on account of the numerous wild beasts. In
the interior also some change had taken place, so as to keep open
passage between the gates and along the seriba. The Pascha made his
rounds, at uncertain hours, round the camp, and up and down it, and
seemed proud of his work; he usually went alone save two servants, who
followed him, bearing his pipe and camp-stool; he bore no sabre, had
merely a long staff in his hand, which he, like Frederick the Great,
often made use of, but never making more than one blow with it, where he
found sentries sleeping, sitting, or having laid aside their arms. Very
often I had to accompany him on such rounds, during which he now and
then conversed with such as came in his way, knew all their names, put
them into confusion by his questions, and laughed at their too simple,
or oftener free and easy answers; but much more frequently in a truly
paternal tone, reminded them of their duty. At times we sat down at one
of the gates, and even on the Pascha did the splendid rocks, and their
grotesque lighting up by the fires, make an impression, and strongly
affect him with home-sickness, by reminding him of Circassia. We two
brothers also often sat for hours before our hut, gazing on the ever-
changing scene around, and felt as if in a dream.
The burning sun, the rays of which, reflected from the rocky walls had a
double power, caused us after a time to exchange our tent for a recuba.
For this purpose, Topschi Baschi made his gunners fell for us some tall
Dom-palms, and drag them with mules into the camp. Our hut was to be
distinguished beyond all others. I caused the two longest palms having
forks to be sunk pretty deep into the ground, at the back and front,
and, laying a slender stem across, bound it to the forks with withies,
thus forming the gables. This was not the work of a moment, as ladders
and cranes there were none. The Turks and Arabs assembled, and at first
imagined that I was, at the Pascha’s orders, raising an enormous
gallows, on which were to be hung the Sheiks held prisoners in the camp,
viz. Mohammed Din and the others. Four corner timbers, each with a fork,
were soon found among the sawed off remains of the palisades, sunk into
the earth till only six feet of them was left above it, and two long
stems bound along these, thus forming the eaves or lower rims of the
roof. Then spars were laid along and tied on; and, over all, a pretty
thick thatch of long grass. The front and back, as well as the side
walls, were covered with durra straw, and besides defended by pales
driven into the earth, and wove in with the straw, thus to defeat, as
far as possible, the constant attempts at theft. Round the hut the soil
was thrown up a foot high, and a kind of wall formed, and ditch to save
it in case of any high flooding, from the rains. Above, in front, was a
round hole, and two doors with pointed gothic arches formed the
entrance; so that the whole, when looked at from the front, was not very
unlike a Gothic chapel. We had bought one of the here common large
carpets of coarse wool, which at night, on the inner side, covered doors
and window, and was fastened to the ground by some small posts. The
interior of the hut was divided into two compartments, the front one
having on right and left of it our angarebs, that served us as sleeping
places and divans. In the back part, that had also a small door, was our
store of provisions, and many chests and cases placed on stones: these
took it all up, save a passage. This we called our sanctum. Behind this
our recuba were the huts of our servants, made by themselves in their
usual careless manner. Our _chateau_ so pleased the Pascha, that he gave
me the employment of superintending the building of a recuba for him,
that was to be as large as a castle (kasr). He himself fixed on length
and breadth, a heap of the longest Dom-palms were dragged in, and the
carpenters (baltaschi, sappers[31]) set to work to sink them in the
ground; and these were then bound to one another, and from one side to
another, with long ropes, to prevent their giving way, as cross beams of
such length could not be found, and the Pascha would have no partition
in the interior. The spar work of slender palms was laid on, and
fastened in the joinings with long rails, which for this purpose were
sunk into the great tree. I would have added supports, but the Pascha
rejected these with an “Allah Kerim!” and thus was formed a house far
surpassing all the rest.
Hardly was this erection finished, than my brother was summoned to the
Pascha, to inspect two female slaves purchased for him by Mohammed Ehle
(Ehle, white, innocent). According to my brother’s report, they were
both very pretty, of bright brown colour, free from blemish, very young,
and from the land of Basa. The poor girls sat in one corner of this
larger recuba, behind a great curtain; they were totally ignorant of the
Arab language, and, trembling in every limb, awaited their fate. Ere
long we beheld, behind the large building, two tokuls (plur. täkela)
erecting under Mohammed Ehle’s superintendence; the cross-formed pointed
roofs were brought in by men, placed on buried pales, bound fast on the
forks of these, and the interval between the pales filled up into a wall
with durra straw; so that, in a few hours, these Æthiopian huts (of
which the Hallenga erected many in the camp, for twenty or thirty
piastres each) were all ready, finished, and standing there, in
connexion with the Pascha’s palace. The one tokul was for the girls, the
other for his excellency, that he might there retire and rest after the
labours of the day. Silken stuffs and coloured muslins were all at hand,
to dress out, or rather hang on these girls; and one would have fancied
that these naked innocents would have felt happy in their unwonted
splendours; but it was not so. On the second day, as we sat on our heels
with the Pascha, he smiled in his own peculiar way, and then asked my
brother to give him some love-powders. Joseph would not hear of it; and
the mighty man became angry, and said it was his own look-out whether
they injured him or not, as Joseph said they would. Joseph now hit on a
happy thought, viz. to tell the Pascha that wine was specially
necessary. On this a whole basket of wine was sent to our hut, with the
remark that we might, with the rest, make any decoctions for ourselves
we pleased; which we laughingly promised to do, but hastened off to our
hut to see what sort of liquor we had got, and found a most capital
French wine. As my brother knew how strong the Pascha’s faith was, he
merely mixed up two bottles of it with some lemon-peel, and sent them to
him.
The following night a regular hurricane, with torrents of rain, came on;
and this was used by the home-sick girls, left all alone in their dark
corner, to call to mind the liberty they had been deprived of, and while
the Pascha held a divan in front of their abode, to break through the
straw walls of their prison, cast off and forsake all their fine
clothes, and escape out of the camp. The Pascha was furious; but, in
spite of his rage, he in a very droll way alluded to the girls’ escape.
He had, however, during the night sent out scouts in all directions,
who, to our great grief, brought back to the Pascha the unfortunate
fugitive girls, whom they had found hiding in the bush. Unhappily, none
of us were present at this minute, to beg mercy (amahn) for them; for he
afterwards told us he would have given them to us. He had acted so
meanly as to sell them to the merchant, Hassan Mosmar of Berber, who was
then in the camp. A real piece of good fortune it was for the poor girls
that they had left all the clothing and ornaments the Pascha had given
them behind, for otherwise some deed of barbarity would have most
probably fallen on them.
This same night, during which the storm demolished a great part of the
camp, the roof was blown off our recuba. In spite of a sound draught we
had taken out of the Pascha’s hamper, the heavy rain aroused us out of
our sound sleep. A foot deep rushed the water, below our bed places. I
hastily seized the carpet and cowskin on which I lay, and hung both up
above my head; on which my brother lost no time in jumping across to me,
and getting under this shelter. With legs tucked in under us we both
crouched close together, and were all right; save only our just alarm
for a return of fever. The water-spout, however, seemed as if it would
never cease, and a chill seemed inevitable; besides, thirst tormented
us. Luckily, the hamper of wine stood near me, on it there lay a piece
of bread that had been given us, made out of the apple-like fruit of the
thorny Nebbek, and this, in our state of despair, we much longed for,
both to pass the time in eating, and, if possible, ward off the fearful
cold and consequent fever. The dagger served instead of a knife, the yet
untasted curious bread had the flavour of the best ginger-bread, and the
wine was excellent. The next morning, when the rain had ceased, and the
water run off, the cover was raised from our head as if by an invisible
hand, and we were found sleeping in brotherly love and embrace, the head
of one on the other’s shoulders; but the laugh and well-known voice of
Mallem Challill, aroused us out of our sweet dreams, and we sprung up
happy and fresh, only somewhat dazzled with the daylight, but all ready
for work, as we had, as usual, lain down dressed and armed.
CHAP. XII.
Gohr-el-Gash. — Dam across the great Gohr. — Kassela-el-lus. —
Elephants. — Lion and Elephant Hunt. — Mohammed Din. — Murder of his
Nephew and Friends. — Sheik Mussa resolves to starve himself. — The
Faki-el-Kebir. — Faki Village. — Faki Plot. — Narrow Escape.
The hatred of the natives among themselves goes so far, that it has
caused “divide et impera” to be the rule of Egypt’s policy. Mohammed
Ehle, who is appointed by the Divan Sheik of the Hallenga, has taken it
into his pious wise head to drive the Haddenda out of their land, if not
totally extirpate them, with the support of the Turks. The great Gohr-
el-Gash goes in full force from here, and sends its arms—such, for
instance, as the gohr at El-Sofr—through the lands of the Haddenda; and
it is this that gives abundance of water to this great tribe and their
fruitful lands, as well as, here and there, to the impenetrable Chaaba,
that land of free tribes so much dreaded by the Turks. This life-vein is
now, on the advice of Mohammed Ehle, who already before tried it, to be
cut off without mercy; and I, as engineer and confidential adviser to
the Pascha, have been at the same time compelled to lend a helping hand
in it. Mohammed Ehle, the Pascha, and I, mounted dromedaries, and rode,
followed at a distance by an escort, towards the south, for about an
hour, passing by the village of Kadmin. On our way our beasts suddenly
shied, and I fancied I saw a hulk of a bear; but it proved to be some
large baboons, who were hurrying past us from the dom-palm forest, where
they find their food, to the barren rocks, over which dangerous road
they made their way with great speed and agility. We then came to the
western rocks of the Kassela-el-Lus, which extend to the gohr. Here the
gohr was pretty deep, and at the same time narrower both above and
below, and this place seemed suitable for forming a dam slanting across
it. The Pascha at once gave the order, that a part of the army, with
4000 axes, should cut down the palms, which are only to be found in the
neighbourhood of the gohr, and as far as its overflow extends. The
troops, on this, advanced; and the Pascha rode backwards and forwards,
to encourage the people by his presence, and called this “politica
sogaier” (small policy); which art he also afterwards exercised with no
little effect. The tribe of the Hallenga is by no means so savage and
defiant as the Haddenda, and patiently set about delivering tribute, in
a monstrous quantity of straw mats, that we found would be necessary in
forming the dam (gisser).
By next morning, a lot of fallen palm-trees lay scattered about the
gohr, near this spot. The dam ran from N.E. to S.W., and the main bed of
the gohr was 1220 metres broad. I at once told the Pascha that it would
be necessary, on the other side, where the banks somewhat rose, to dig a
canal so far as to reach the water level of the Atbara, and so prevent
the rushing back of the waters. The dam was commenced by a double row of
palm-trees being placed close to one another perpendicularly, while mats
were extended along these on both sides, and sand thrown in between
them. As soon as one set of mats were filled, another was placed above,
and by this means the height of five metres was reached. To prevent the
yielding of the trees, and to break the force of the water above, a
slope of 45° (Arab, kerath) was given to the dam. At the rocks on the
right bank, where the principal body of water seemed to rush, was thrown
in an immense quantity of matting sacks filled with sand. The work was
from time to time urged on by drums beating, and by the Pascha’s
presence; this haste was all the more necessary, as the rainy season had
commenced, and might, as if by a charm, call up all growing shrubs and
trees into full force, and fill at any moment the gohr, before we could
oppose our first bulwark to its waters. I examined the opposite side,
which was covered with atle-trees, and found there an arm that must be
filled up, as well as the main course. From the greater depth of this,
and its seeming to contain when full a greater weight of water, a triple
row of palms was used here. To prevent the work in the main gohr from
going to nought in the tropical rains, I had placed above the dam a row
of palms, sunk in the earth to half their length, and supported them
also by straw mats full of sand. This was run out about 270 metres.
Hardly had we got our work ready, when the rain from the Abyssinian
mountains turned the gohr into a lake. It was now plainly seen that the
level was also to be taken well into consideration, and that from the
water rising the whole length of the dam, it must be forced backwards
into the forests higher up. Bad food, and the burning sun, had
prostrated almost all the soldiers, who were fearfully tyrannised over
during this labour by their officers. I therefore proposed to the Pascha
to continue the dam by means of an earthen mound, and to employ on it
the hypocritical Mohammed Ehle and his people; which task Mohammed Ehle,
with most humble reverence to the Pascha, and a fiery glance of
gratitude to me, at once promised to undertake. The dam was thus
continued, and ere long had a length of 1613 metres, and, at top, a
breadth of five metres.
The Haddenda already felt the want of water, as that stood already three
metres high in the great gohr. Bloody feuds commenced between the
Haddenda and Hallenga, and I much rued now my inhuman work. I therefore
did not further urge the digging of a canal (bachr terra) to lead the
water over the small rise of the land, into Atbara, and well knew what
was coming. One morning the Pascha pulled up his horse before our
recuba, and aroused me by his “Musju!” out of my sleep. There was a
fearful tumult in the camp; all were rushing out from it; for the Gisser
was broken through. I had to mount in all haste, and on the way I heard
that the Haddenda, in spite of the guard of 200 men, had broken down
this Arab wonder. We rode to the critical point; bags with sand were
cast in; the Pascha was furious; he sprung from his horse, rushed into
the water, and gazed at me as if he expected I was about to follow his
example. I, however, remained calmly on my horse, and tried by
remonstrances to get him out of the water—told him how little such
conduct became the general; that it was his duty to support us; that
here human powers were useless; and that all came from above (kulo min
fok). We now went to the rocks from which the dam ran out, and took our
breakfast in the shade; where I repeatedly advised him to return at once
to the camp, so as not, by remaining in his wet clothes, to incur the
danger of fever. He was already green and yellow about his jaws, ere he
could be persuaded to leave. Hardly was he in camp, when my brother was
called; found him in the cold fit, and his teeth chattering so much that
he could not speak. Joseph and I were, most probably, the only ones in
all the camp who rejoiced that such had been the dam’s fate. The Gisser
was done for!
In this way were all the fine plans of drying up the highly beautiful
lands of the Haddenda and destroying their Silva Hercynia—or, as the
Pascha (excusing himself to me) styled it, forming the dam into an
immense reservoir, and so, selling the water to the Haddenda—if not for
ever totally defeated, at least transferred to futurity.
Very soon the gohr was in flood, and the water extended up to the S. and
W. points of the camp, while it overflowed the whole Dom-palm forests,
and from this arose general illness. The soil here is not so good as in
Mohammed Din’s country, and even in the lower fields, the durra does not
reach the same height as in his lands. The Hallenga have, therefore,
less grain, fewer cattle, and camels; but such of the last as they have,
they have wisely hid from our spoiler’s eyes. A horse costs here fifteen
or twenty reals or Theresa dollars. The Sugk or Bazaar is in the open
streets of the village of Hauathi, on the Gohr-el-Gash, some half an
hour’s journey distant: milk, butter, honey, meat, and cotton goods are
the main articles. Although, in former days, the barter of small
articles was chiefly managed by means of durra, men now begin to know
the value of Egyptian coin, and are shameless in their demands; for
instance, for a bottle of milk, about three quarters of a quart, they
will ask sixty fadda or paras, equal to one and a half piastres. Gold,
however, will not be taken, as men will not acknowledge its value, not
holding it to be as good as the Okiën that rich women wear in their
ears. The mats they make here are seventeen to eighteen feet long, three
feet wide, and cost two girsch, or piastres. An immense quantity of
monkeys are among the hills here; we often, at first, counted troops of
200 or 300 of them on the slopes of the dome-shaped Kassela, ere the
continued shooting in the camp frightened them off; they are the size of
a stout hound, and have shiny, dark brown skins and horrible faces. They
are called here Chirt, and seem to be a species of _kynokephalos_. At
night, is often heard, on the rocks above us, a fearful screaming and
howling, when they receive a visit from some panther or leopard. One
day, my brother and I made a foray on the apes, and, unmarked by them,
got before them on the smooth rocks, over which their path ran; but
hardly were we there, when they descended from their Olympus, and
bombarded us with stones, so that we had to beat a speedy retreat. A
Turk called Hassan, a capital shot, and who often brought to our kitchen
hares, guinea fowls, and otru (a dwarf deer), that he had killed with
ball, promised at our request, not only to bring in a male and female of
these apes, but, if well paid, a camel load of them. For many days we
did not see our friend Hassan again; at last, we fell in with him at the
bazaar, but he tried to get out of our way; however, we caught him, and
asked for the apes; but he fancied we were laughing at him, and pointed
to a hole in his head and a wound he had got in the shoulder. On my
pressing two charien (gulden) into his hand, he recovered his good
humour, and declared to us, that he would have nothing to do with those
_metamorphosed men_.
In former times the race of the Hallenga had, at the foot of the hill of
Kassela-el-Lus, a great city, an hour’s journey in length, and it seems
to have extended from Kadmin, near which one sees yet many loam walls,
over our camping place, and on to the entrance of the valley, between
the above-named hill and that of Mochrän (Mokran). The true name of the
hill is el Lus, and the word Kassela is the name of a sainted Sheik. The
rock-dome of Kassela is surrounded by six pillar-like rocks; and hence
the saying “Kassela-el-Lus saba Rus” (Kassela-el-Lus of the seven
heads), whereby would be denoted the pride and invincibility of its
people. Above on the hill are yet to be found the ruins of the castle of
a queen, named Sunia. The above-mentioned large city was called Fakenda,
and there, according to the old Faki Mohammed in Kadmin, dwelt all the
race of the Hallenga, descendants of the Hedjas. Some thirty years ago
the race, partly from the distance of water, and partly from their
numbers becoming too great, divided and separated; and from this
separation arose Hauathi, Kadmin (Sunia or Assunia), Abré and Dabàb. The
language of these villages is the Aggem, an original language, but mixed
with many Arabic words. In Sabderath are made very nice sandals, stout
leather sacks, and a good cotton stuff. Defterdar Bey destroyed
Sabderath and murdered all he met with therein; he had large pyramids
built of the corpses, to contaminate the air, and so force the fugitives
to take up, at least for some time, a new location. He acted less
savagely in Hallenga, as he was not resisted there, all having fled to
the hills, but he carried off all their fine horses, which were of the
famed Dongola breed, and also all their horned cattle, which are of a
fine form and bright colour, the dark-coloured ones not being admired by
the natives. Judging from their language, some mixture must have taken
place with the original native race, perhaps by means of their women;
but of this the natives will not hear, but claim a pure origin.
The Sheik Mussa of Hauathi had often visited us, and invited us to come
to his village, as there many birds of paradise are to be found. We
started, and we were yet a good distance from the village, when we
perceived a large tree, on which, even when some way from it, we saw,
glistering in the sun’s beams, many of these splendid birds. We entered
Mussa’s court-yard, and the first thing that struck our eyes was his
beautiful slave-girl Melka. She had a regular, handsome face, was a
native of the Basa hills, and had, like all these hill-races, the
advantage over the Arabian females in displaying well-turned, round
calves. She had been the person who for some time had brought us milk in
the mornings, and so we were old acquaintances. We also saw the Sheik’s
wife and daughter, both of good stature and with delicately cut
features. On returning from our bird-chase and from the before-mentioned
tree, from which we procured many of the gay birds, as also of their
artfully formed nests suspended from it, we found our dinner prepared;
this consisted chiefly of a number of fowls, brought on in a great pot,
floating in butter. The Sheik seemed much vexed that our stomachs were
not those of two starved Arabs; he scooped with a small gourdshell the
melted butter out of the pot, and begged us to drink it, as it was most
wholesome, and would make us fat. On this occasion he told us, that
every rich man took from five to eight pounds of butter to breakfast, a
statement incredible, though confirmed by many other informants.