Chartum before mentioned, who had married a woman of this priest-
village, and who often had invited us to come and drink merissa, which
he secretly brewed. As he almost never spoke the truth, from which habit
we called him Misaur, we now threatened to take him stoutly to task, if
he did not procure us this drink, which he had days before promised to
bring into the camp, though we held it impossible that he would dare to
produce it here. He led us through an empty house into a court
surrounded by a high mud wall, and to the shade of a tree; then brought
out some small stools or chairs (bamber), made of woven camel-hides, for
us to sit on. With his hands he dug up the earth before us, showed us a
wooden cover, and, after this was removed, a great burma (an earthen
bomb-shaped vessel), full of merissa, concealed under it. He then
hurried into the house, and brought out a small gara, to scoop it up in,
and a knife, with which he scraped off the brown bark of some branch
smelling like mint, and which, powdered over the merissa, gave it a more
piquant taste. We grew merry, as if from draughts of good wine, and
drank, in the German student style, in rivalry with the Faki. From the
rapid drinking and talking, he became maudlin and loving, and wanted to
embrace us as his brothers, but the stools not being the steadiest, he
came to the ground. We then helped him up, and now he as suddenly became
lachrymose, as it occurred to him that he must save us from a great
peril, and that, as he knew the road, we must return with him to Sennaar
along the Abyssinian frontier. Our servant became now attentive, and
winked to me to mark the Faki; however, we drank on stoutly, would not
allow any danger was near us, and at last out came his secret. On our
arrival hereabouts, the Pascha had sent his stores of powder to this
village, not so much because, from the great want of caution in the
soldiery, it and the camp were in great peril when it was there, but as
he held it improbable the enemy would risk the blowing so many holy men
and their village into the air by firing it. This, however, we now, to
our great surprise, learned was about to be done, and the holy men were,
within three days, secretly to remove their possessions by night out of
the village, and hide them in the great cave of the Kassela, and when
all was ready, the house in which the all-important powder was stored
would be fired. If this plot were carried out, the whole army, and we
with it, would be lost to a certainty, as the Hallenga, excited by their
priests, would have then set on us, and we could have offered no
resistance. As by this time the Faki could no longer either get upon his
legs, or stand when placed on them, our servant raised the burma out of
the ground, and placed it on his beast before him, to bear it off to the
camp, where we might finish its contents. Burdened with this important
secret, but otherwise very merry, we rode back to the camp. My brother
made his report to the Pascha as to the illness of the Faki, and the
former could not conceal his annoyance, that, by declining the medicine,
a want of confidence had been shown him,—a confidence that he on so many
occasions had most horribly abused, as had been acknowledged by his
former trusty surgeon, Soliman Effendi.
Before now, I had, at the instigation of his higher officers, more than
once begged of the Pascha to remove the stores of powder into the camp,
and place a cordon of sentinels round it, as the priesthood, most
especially, were unworthy of trust. I now repeated the request; he gazed
on me with sparkling eyes, and said, “I know all!” At once he gave
orders to closely surround the village with troops, to allow no one to
pass in or out, and to strongly reinforce the guard over the powder-
magazine. Next morning, the powder, which was packed in small chests,
was brought on camels’ backs into the camp, and piled up in a
pyramidical form on the open space before our tent. The Pascha fancied
that all that was necessary for its safety, was to cover it with a
tokul, to protect it from rain. I represented to him, that the foe might
steal up into the rocks above us, and from thence, fastening burning
stuff to their lances, hurl them down on the straw thatch, and so, at
one stroke, destroy us all. On this, great thick woollen cloths were
got, and spread over the chests, and above these a coating of turf
placed. Over all this a tokul was erected, and the Pascha seemed
satisfied, but still brooding over the vengeance he would take on the
Faki, though probably he would not at once venture to carry it out, so
as not to further inflame all the tribes against him. I had afterwards
returned to Chartum (Chardum, by the Turks), on my way to visit the
White River, when my brother’s letters informed me that the Pascha had
hung up, not on a gallows, but on Dom-trees near the camp, nine of the
Faki, and that he asserted he would ere long serve in the same way some
forty more.
Breach of matrimonial ties is uncommon here; any female guilty of such
breach is slain with a lance, not by her husband, but her brother. At a
marriage, the women sing all manner of indecent scandals against the
man, and especially those least likely to make him acceptable to a young
wife. The wives veil themselves always, even at home, while the slave
and female attendants (Nussuahn), young or old, wear merely a small
cloth round the loins and hips. The preparation of fat for ointments,
and incense, form their main employment. The beauties of a maiden are
great eyes, large and round; small breasts; hair down to the shoulders,
and sometimes a white skin. When tidings reach them of the death of a
relative, they howl in a fearful manner all night, strew dust or earth
on their heads, and repeat this for many successive nights.
CHAP. XIII.
Ravages of Wild Beasts. — Hills of Basa. — Native Tribes. — Chariff. — A
Chasua and its consequences. — Singular Recovery. — Supper Party. —
Female Slaves. — Turkish Jealousy. — Snakes. — Superstitions. — Basa. —
Origin of Tribes and Races. — Miseries and Ennui of Camp Life.
To form a regiment for the Khaimakan Hassan Effendi, a vile fellow, who
was slave along with the Pascha, the officials have to furnish slaves.
The Pascha gave 50, Mustapha Bey 35, a Colonel 30, a Kaimakan 15, a
Bimbaschi 10, a Jusbaschi 2, a Melasim, and all Mallems, 1; and just as
arbitrarily does the Pascha act with the Saraf (money-changer, or
financial officials). The Saraf of Cairo has run off with 7000 purses
(kies). The Pascha has been generous enough to place 3000 to his own
debit, but the other Sarafs of the country must pay the remaining 4000.
No officer, however old, gets his discharge without first having his
accounts overhauled, or, in other words, being plundered. Some people of
Mohammed Ehle’s have been caught tempting the soldiers to desert, and
stealing camels, but our chief remains true to his policy not to break
with the Hallenga. The only punishment he inflicts on them is to take
away their lances and shields, and, at the prayer of Mohammed Ehle,
after a few days’ imprisonment, let them go. The making of busa, or
merissa, is forbidden, and brandy is not to be had; so now they steep
raisins and honey in water till it ferments, burying the vessel
containing it in the ground. The opium is, too, all used up, and the few
who have been in the habit of using it torment my brother for some, and
promise in return what they never mean to perform. The tigers (nimr), or
panthers, almost nightly spring from the rocks over the low camp-fence,
and bear off so easily goats and sheep, that the owners, who sleep
beside them, only hear the dying cry of the prey, and the rapid spring
of the spoiler over the pales. The lions have again slain a man, and
three cows, near the camp; we therefore are now more cautious when we go
out to hunt, and the servants wisely stick close to us. Our collection
of birds and four-footed animals is much increased, and we have also
gathered together a number of snakes and other reptiles.
Towards the east, among the hills, running up to Habesch, dwell savage
tribes and robbers; they speak an aggem of their own, are Maguss
(heathens), dress in skins, or go perfectly naked. Their weapons are the
lance and a small shield of buffalo-hide. The men ornament themselves
with coral, are powerful, incredibly agile, and wonderful runners. They
are an abomination to the Mussulmen, as they neither pray, have any
kitab (book or Koran), nor any Faki. They have neither camels nor
horses, but only cattle, goats and sheep, and live on milk and flesh.
They grow little durra, as their ground is ill adapted to it, and only
eat of it every tenth or twelfth day. Their towns or villages are
situated on the highest hill-tops, are fenced in with thorns and stone
walls, and they are said to have sixty such fortresses. They are of
various shades of colour,—brown, black, red, and almost white. The
fairer females of bright complexion are highly valued. They plunder from
each other, principally stealing women and cattle, and make forays into
Habesch and Taka; they know not the duties of hospitality; the stranger
who enters their country, even though a female, is robbed and murdered.
The father will demand the guest from the son, even though he has eaten
and drunk with him, and only with the view of sacrificing him to their
inhospitable usages. This makes them deeply hated by the Arabs, with
whom a guest (Diffahn), with certain exceptions, is sacred. They sell
their own offspring, even their daughters, as victims to Turkish lust.
They tattoo body and limbs very neatly. Whence these _hill-tribes_, whom
the Arabs, in contempt, call Naas-el-Gebl saket, spring, no one knows;
probably, however, they are the original inhabitants of the land, driven
back into the hills by the conquering races of Abyssinians and Arabs:
further, the different hill-tribes have different languages, with some
Arab words mixed in them, as in Faszogl.
On the Gohr-el-Gash, two days’ journey from here to the eastward,
commence the extensive and highly populous mountains of Basa. The two
principal cities of that land are Bada and Deriba. These nations also
murder their guests, and are Kaffers or Maguss (heathens). Here, too,
plundering is the main pursuit, with little agriculture, but much
cattle-breeding. The whole labours are those of the chase, especially
elephant-hunting, the making of coloured straw mats, and vessels for
food and drink; they also make very neat drinking-cups and milk-dishes,
covered or lacquered over with rosin. They generally eat their meat raw,
drink much merissa, and old and young dance and beat the nogara day and
night. The Gash winds through among the hills, and gives these tribes
water; for eight days’ journey on each side of it, extend the hills of
Basa to Makada, to which succeed the hills of Damballass, followed by
the high lands of Hammassein, in which the Gohr commences. The houses in
Basa are well-built tokuls. The coral-ornamented men, who smoke much,
wear a ferda, the women only a small loin-cloth. In both sexes the eyes
are small, the cheek-bones very prominent, the face broad, and the lips
not even fleshy; their whole physiognomy displays brutality and
savageness. Each hill has its chief; one over all there is not; the
powers of the chiefs are small. Even the Turks admit their bravery, and
say that individuals among them would take up a position on the rocks,
and, after having cast away all their lances, would defend themselves
against a heavy fire with stones, until they were brought down riddled
with many balls. The love of home is very great; much to our joy, almost
the whole of the slaves of both sexes have escaped from the camp by the
gate, which the Schukurie held. The women had actually slain their
infants, that these, by their cries, might not betray or impede their
flight. These people run like deer, and in a moment leave much ground
behind them. Their language is perfectly different from all others, and
is certainly a well-sounding one, e.g. _Oïfa_, meaning merissa. Here,
and on the way to the hills, snakes are said to be found, not so very
long, but thick as a crocodile, and able easily to swallow a man;
instances are related of their having half or wholly swallowed the
sleeper from his angareb. Four days’ journey off, higher among the
hills, lies Belcha, or Balacha, which, according to these people, must
be an immense and most populous city.
Behind these, a day’s journey from here, on a hill towards the east, is
Sabderath, and half a day’s journey from thence is Gedehn, the
population of which are of Arab descent, and tributary to the Turks.
From the hills of Baria, Mària, Basehn, and Semhend and to the north-
west, bounded by the Haddenda, extends in a somewhat bowlike form, from
the south to the east, the land of the Beni Amer, which, in its people
and their habits, much resembles the Haddenda; its southern part is
hilly, more so than on the east, where it slopes away till it reaches
the Red Sea. It receives its principal supplies of water from the Gohr
Baraka, which has its rise in the north-east chain of the Abyssinian
mountains, and winds through the lands of Kostahn and Mària westwards,
then divides into two branches, one of which runs eastward by Sauakin
into the Red Sea, and the other through the Beni Amer. On its course to
Sabderath, where date and tamarind-trees are to be found, it loses much
of its waters, and beneath that hill it divides again into two arms, one
of which runs southward round the hill of Kassela-el-Lus, by the village
of Hafara, and the other westward, by Hauathi, into the Gohr-el-Gash.
Among the Beni Amer, cultivation is not much pursued, but attention is
paid to cattle-breeding, and they have many of these, and camels with
large humps, which they barter with the Haddenda for grain. There are
also in their land many giraffes and elephants, the teeth of which they
pay tribute in.
North-east of Basa, to the frontiers of Makada, and to the south-east of
the Beni-Amer, extend the hills of Baria, inhabited by a numerous race
of blacks, heathens, who, however, wear the ferda. They are a stout,
warlike race, great hunters, and therefore little of agriculturists.
Mària, yet more populous, and on the western frontier of Habesch, and
south-west of Sauakin, has, on the contrary, much grain, and many most
beauteous female slaves, of a copper-brown and red-yellow colour. These
people have a sultan, and manners very like the Abyssinians. It is said
they are Christians (Nassara), and not badly disposed or cruel; to this
it is not unlikely Christianity has somewhat contributed. The hills
there are well covered with fine trees, and tamarinds are plentiful; but
also immense serpents, of which most wonderful tales are told. The
natives are most dexterous in weaving straw.
On the land of Mària joins, to the S.E., Kostahn, the tribes of which
are the most warlike of all, and are ruled by a sultan. Both races much
resemble the Abyssinians, and in Kostahn are both Christians and
heathens. Swords are rare; with their lances, however, they attack
elephants, of which there are many, as also wild buffalos and
rhinoceroses; the teeth, hides, and horns of these they bring to
Massaua, in the Habesch, and there barter them for pieces of cotton
cloths for clothing. Both countries receive their waters from the
Baraka, and on it, but further up the hills, their villages lie. Each
land has a different language, mutually plunder each other of women and
cattle, and carry on war among themselves, and against Makada. The men
usually wear their hair long, and anoint it with fat. In all these lands
gold is unknown, so are also the Abu Nukta and Abu Matfe (Theresa
dollars and Spanish piastres), and all trade is carried on by barter in
salt, cloths, and cattle.
The tropical rains generally commence at Assur or Magreb (three o’clock,
P.M., or sunset), are usually accompanied by a Habub (blast of wind),
and last till far into the night. In the morning the sky is clear and
pure, not a cloud, save those which almost the whole day hang round the
great hills’ rocky dome. If the cloud (Nedde) withdraws during the day,
rain sets in. However, it has not proved, as we were told by all, that
during the Chariff, or rainy season, rain fell day and night, and in
drops the size of musket-balls. Not only in the valleys, but in every
crevice and fissure of rock, now starts up verdure, even where it could
hardly have been looked for. A man here came to my brother, and
requested a certain poison, backing his request by saying that he wished
to separate from his wife for ever. We advised him to adopt the
Mussulman’s plan, and, if his wife was a bad one, to divorce her; but he
preferred dying to exercising such a right, and left us much depressed.
I had tried to persuade the Pascha not to treat Mohammed Din so harshly;
but he said I did not know him. He at the same time told us, that his
policy demanded he should also carry off into imprisonment at Chartum,
the as-saint-esteemed old Sheik Hagemar, of Mahass, who had long
prophesied the arrival of the English in these countries, and now
English ships were in the port of Sauakim, from which the people much
desired a landing.
Desertion among the soldiery still goes on, and increases: so many are
now sick, that all fear to die. The vapours drawn from the water and
damp soil by the sun’s heat, the many dead camels lying round the camp,
have poisoned the air, and brought on a serious mortality among the men,
who are almost all covered with small, itching pimples. Even the finest
horses of Dongola, Cairo, Scham (Syria), and Arabia, are dying in the
same way. The Pascha, not to embitter his higher officers, although all,
discontented as they are, still appear before him with the utmost
outward subserviency, allows them now to draw almost the full amount of
their allowances; though they alone should answer for the deserters. The
news from Sauakim, of a probable landing of the English, has caused much
excitement in the camp. From all sides men flock to and question us, as
they fancy that we, being Franks, must be aware of the English plans. On
the whole, much general satisfaction would follow a change of rule; and
this is specially shown when we tell them of the good pay of the
English, the good treatment all receive at their hands, and how no
officer is subjected to unworthy usage from his superiors, nor dare any
attempt, such practices as are common here, towards man or officer.
Certain of the detachments sent out in various directions to bring in
tulba (tribute) have been slain, and a kind of revolt has occurred in
the camp. In Mitkenab, in the land of the Haddenda, one of these
detachments, a troop of Turkish cavalry, who seemed to be on the best
footing with the inhabitants, who prepared a feast for them, have been
treacherously murdered. They had encamped, eaten, and drunk, when the
Haddenda attacked with their knives the thirty-two horsemen and fifteen
servants, and cut their throats like sheep, before these, armed with
pistols and muskets, could rise to defend themselves. The Buluk Baschi,
alone, slew the Arab attacking him, threw himself on his horse, and
galloped in with the horrible tidings. We were with Abdin Bey, their
commandant, when the messenger of death entered. Abdin Bey, who loved
his men, dead or alive, became so furious, that he howled aloud, and
plainly gave us to understand that this murder was done at the
instigation of the Pascha. He was about to rush to him, but as this
would at once have driven matters to extremities, his relatives and we
held him back by force, although the foam actually stood on his lips.
Then he wanted to mount with all his men, and take a bloody revenge, nor
wait for any orders from the Pascha. Afterwards I accompanied him to the
Pascha, who put on a most indifferent face, as if nothing particular had
occurred, called him merely Aga, though he is by birth a Bey of one of
the first Albanian families, and smiled sarcastically when he prayed to
be allowed to set out immediately; and at last said to him, “Your men
and horses are ill, but, if you choose to go alone, you may.” This
finished the business. The Pascha, indeed, could not put up with the
pride of this Arnaut, who could see in the Pascha merely a Mameluke and
a slave.
The tribute laid on the land of the Beni-Amer, in camels and cattle, has
only come in part to hand. There are yet due 3500 cattle and 1300
camels, which the blood-sucker Hassan Effendi must go and bring in. Soon
after his setting out, there was much talk of the cruelties which he was
exercising on the natives. Although the people, on the whole, remained
quiet, and their chiefs, not being able to assert their authority, had
fled, still Hassan had allowed 200 persons to be pitilessly shot down,
and besides had carried away whole herds of camels from the Haddenda,
with whom we were on terms of peace. These, at once, took their revenge;
burned Gos Rajeb, murdered some twenty merchants, and plundered the
magazines of corn laid up there for our retreat. Almost all the soldiers
returned ill, when the continued rains forced them to retire to camp. To
give the Pascha actual proof of their courage, they had cut off the ears
of the slain; and he, in return, ordered a present to the soldiery. A
servant had been compelled to cut off the ears, and now he lies yonder
firmly bound, and raving mad. All stealers of camels, when caught in
_flagranti_, are immediately deprived of their ears, as the Pascha also
pays for them. That many lose their ears who had no thought of theft, is
easily imagined, as the operation is done on the instant and spot.
Besides many pretty women and children, Hassan Effendi brought in 2900
cattle, and 7000 sheep. He had, also, laid hands on eighty camels for
himself; these he gave out he had bought. The camels, though handsome
animals, showed little docility, as they live among these natives as
untrained as in the desert; they were sent off to Cairo for sale.
Although Hassan cheats the soldiers in an unheard-of manner, keeps back
their corn, has cows stolen and slain and sells them, milk, flesh, and
all such things, to the soldiers, at a high price, and has before been
imprisoned for his roguery, and a second time, for similar tricks,
degraded, still the Pascha has advanced him to be Kaimakan, and raised
for him, as already said, at the expense of all his officers and
officials, a complete regiment. All he requires for his own housekeeping
is one piastre’s worth of flesh a day, and his people get only belila
(boiled durra) and water for themselves. If they ask wages, he gives
them the bastinado. He purchases from the poorer officers the horses
they have taken as spoil, but never pays them; and these are afraid to
complain to the Pascha, lest they expose themselves to Hassan’s
intrigues, and the cabals which the higher officers carry on against
their inferiors. The Pascha had sent the poor camel-drivers sixteen
cows, but this vampire took on himself to reduce their share to three,
keeping thirteen to himself. I held it my duty to tell the Pascha this,
who merely said, “Malliich” (’Tis no matter), and soon after mentioned
he had recommended him to Cairo, to be made Bey! that he was already
very old, and was failing, and that, ere long, the Divan might call him
to account, or be his heir. While thus speaking he could not repress an
ironical smile—such is Turkish policy. The market now showed well; fine
cows could be bought for forty or sixty piastres, five to eight cows
were given for a horse from Habesch, and goats and sheep were to be had
at three or four piastres a head. The Hallenga made large profits, and
those who had before represented themselves as miserably poor, now
flocked in with from eight to twelve pieces of cotton cloth on their
shoulders for sale.
The Schaigies, also, made a chasua on the Dabaina-Arabs, who dwell
towards the south, between the small rivers Settiet and Bassalahn, and
will pay no tribute. The Schaigies, however, suffered considerable loss,
from the now highly flooded waters, the lands there being very fruitful
from this abundance of water. Although the Schaigies lost many men, and
also horses, still they have brought in with them 700 cows and 300
camels; but all, from the constant rains, have returned ill. Such as
have to supply themselves with new horses are much cast down, as a new
horse often costs them all their pay for two years. Although it is usual
to give a part of the spoils of such robbing expeditions to the troops
engaged, still the Pascha on this occasion took the whole of the plunder
to himself, but in the name of the Belik, leaving unanswered their
petition for a share. By this, the Schaigies, who are ever placed in the
most dangerous posts, are much soured, openly and bitterly complain to
us of their wants, and make no secret of their hatred of the Turks.
Thus, in one way or another, the whole camp is filled with sickness and
discontent. I myself had been ill eight days of fever and ague, and was
lying alone in our tent, suffering from violent fever, when a Faki
entered and came up to my bed head, accompanied by Melek Mahmud, who had
brought him to cure me. My brother entered, and seating himself on his
angareb, signed to me, with assumed gravity, to remain calm and quiet,
as the Faki commenced murmuring sentences out of the Koran, and, like a
mesmeriser, to pass his hand over my head and face. To please the Melek,
I submitted quietly; but when the priest, raising his voice, began to
spit in my face, while he would have held me down by the shoulders, I,
enraged, sprung up and hurled him from me on my brother, whose enjoyment
of the scene greatly annoyed me. In an instant, I was all well again:
the excitement had thrown off the fever, nor did it return.