A BOA-CONSTRICTOR VISITS US—THE BURTON BOAT—MOUSSA’s BEHAVIOUR
ENTAILS A THRASHING AND HIS DISCHARGE—GREAT HEAT—A FINE
HIPPOPOTAMUS KILLED—HAMRAN FEAST—THE WHITE ANTS—ANOTHER
HIPPOPOTAMUS KILLED—MAHOMET SALI BRINGS SUPPLIES—NATIVE
MUSIC IN THE NIGHT—DELICATE HINTS CONVEYED TO THE
PERFORMER—A REMARKABLY FINE NELLUT SHOT—ARAB AND EGYPTIAN
TAXATION—BABOONS—A HAMRAN STORY—ALI BITTEN BY A SCORPION—ON THE
MARCH ONCE MORE—ROUGH JOURNEYS.
In the evening, whilst George and Anselmia, our two European servants,
were dining by their tent, George called out, “A snake, a snake.” A
little terrier, named “Tartar” (which Mr. W. D. James had brought from
England) began barking furiously, whilst we sallied forth with anything
we could lay our hands on—Mr. Phillipps and I each with a spear, Mr.
Colvin with an Abyssinian sword—darted off, just in time to see a great
boa-constrictor gliding through the grass and into some thorny bushes
where we could not pursue him.
George said, “I heard something hissing,” and said to Anselmia, “What the
devil is that?” looked round and saw an enormous snake about a yard off
in the tree behind me, hissing away, with head up. I was off in quick
sticks. Last night a lion came so close to my tent, and made such a noise
that he woke us all up, and produced quite a stampede amongst the horses
and camels. Some of the natives sleeping just outside my tent threw
firebrands at him. Unfortunately the moonlight was wanting at the time or
we might, perhaps, have bagged him.
Two tetél, four ariel, and several birds were shot to-day.
March 15th.—Hyænas were rather noisy last night, but I have never known
them so troublesome anywhere as at Kassala. The heat to-day was 106° in
the shade—so far the hottest day I ever experienced. Of course the Burton
boat is in frequent use now. To-day, whilst quietly punting about near
the bushes with my gun laid across the seat, I observed some beautiful
and strange birds. I quietly seized my gun, and found the barrel so
excessively hot that I positively could not hold it until I wrapped my
pocket-handkerchief round it. I succeeded in bagging two fine spotted
giant king-fishers. This morning Moussa, a mischievous young rascal,
whom we had brought with us from Kassala, was severely thrashed with
the coorbatch, then sent away with our head camel-man (who was going
for dhurra) to the Sheik at Ombrager, to be forwarded on to Kassala. It
seems that he had quarrelled with Idrees, a native servant from Keren;
then, whilst struggling together, he whipped out a pair of scissors and
with it snipped out several bits of flesh from his arms and chest. This
was not his first offence, for on the 13th he received 20 lashes of the
coorbatch. Then he laid himself down at once, face downwards, and took it
without flinching; to-day he got it severely, and yelled most vigorously.
His offence on the former occasion was this: Whilst Sali was running to
camp, rifle in hand, this impudent young scamp struggled with him for
the possession of it (this was just after dark). In the struggle the
rifle went off, and might have lodged a bullet in Sali or anyone in camp.
Unfortunately the coorbatch is the only remedy for these natives—the only
way of keeping up discipline. If treated with kindness and forbearance
they think we are getting lax and easy, will at once take advantage of
it, skulk about and do nothing, but the coorbatch at once brings them to
reason.
Mr. A. James found a man’s skull to-day, also a gigantic tortoise shell.
Mr. Phillipps angled and caught an enormous gamout, weighing 31 lbs. Two
ariel, a nellut, and calf buffalo were shot.
March 16th.—Temperature 105°, wet bulb 71°, solor 160°. Last night hyænas
and wild cats exercised a disturbing influence on our slumbers. Soon
after breakfast a Hamran Sheik, with attendants, called, presenting us
with a good quantity of milk and a sheep. During the day a crocodile was
shot, also a very fine hippopotamus. The latter was observed poking his
head above water in a large pool a little way from camp, little thinking
of the danger awaiting him. He had no sooner done so than crash went a
hardened bullet into his skull. Down he went, but could not stay long,
for he must come up to breathe. On his reappearance he received another
leaden messenger in his skull. On his coming to the surface a third
time he spouted up a quantity of blood and water, and received one more
bullet, after which he disappeared mortally wounded. The next time he
came to the surface a floating corpse. A few hours afterwards ropes were
obtained and fastened round him by some Arabs, who dived, and he was
dragged to shore amid universal rejoicing, they knowing right well that
a feast was in store.
We find the white ants very troublesome here. Should anyone be careless
enough to leave his satchel or portmanteau on the bare ground he would
regret it in the morning. Anyone who has visited Central Africa will
come away with very distinct recollections of the white ants. They are
really wonderful little creatures, and the structures they erect are
often on a colossal scale. Quite near to our dining place here is one
of their buildings. As a rule they are built of a conical or sugar-loaf
form, but I have seen them of the form of turrets. They are worked up
from the soil of the country by the ants, and are of the consistency of
stone, and so strong that a buffalo or leopard has been known to take
up its position on the top for the purpose of observation. During one
portion of our journey, on emerging from a wood, I saw what I at first
took to be a village on a large plain; the habitations resembled huts,
in some cases 15 feet high, and proportionately large at the base. They
were only a colony of white ants, and I dare say their village consisted
of 200 of these ant hills. The white ants (_Termes bellicosus_) are not
true ants; that is, they do not belong to the order _Hymenoptera_, which
embraces the industrious bee and the crafty ichneumon, but belong to
the order _Neuroptera_, which embraces the brilliant, though voracious
dragon-fly, the ephemeral may-fly, and the wily ant-lion. They are
called ants because they are similar to them in their habits and in the
constitution of their colonies. Their antennæ are larger than the head,
their mandibles are well-developed, and the inferior pair of wings is
generally as large as the superior.
There are four classes found in the colony of the white ant—the king
and queen, who live together in a central chamber near the ground,
after having lost their wings; the workers, who build and nurse their
young; the soldiers, who never build or nurse, whose duty consists in
defending the nest when attacked. Neither the workers nor the soldiers
have wings. The largest worker is supposed to be a fifth of an inch long.
The soldiers, which have an enormous head and formidable mandibles, are
at least twice as long, and are said to weigh as much as thirty workers,
attaining the length of nearly four-fifths of an inch, while the female,
when she has become a queen, and about to form an extensive colony,
attains the length of six inches, and lays eggs at the rate of sixty
a minute, or more than eighty thousand a day. The white ants are most
destructive to houses, furniture, clothes, and books; they will, in
fact, destroy anything but stone and metal. Anything that is reducible
to powder will, where they have located themselves, fall to certain
destruction. They work unseen. I have often noticed twigs, leaves,
branches of trees, and so on, destroyed by them. They plaster them over
with mud, and underneath this cover they work. Wooden pillars and beams
are continually made perfect shells by their operations, and the safety
of houses is frequently affected, though externally they would appear
strong and good. The library at the Faurah Bay Church Missionary College,
Sierra Leone, was in a great measure destroyed by their instrumentality.
In 1879 the Bishop of Sierra Leone appealed for funds in order to repair
the churches, which, he said, “are ant-eaten.” Now, although the white
ants are so annoying that hardly anything is proof against their attacks,
they are a great blessing in tropical climes, their office being, in the
economy of nature in these hot countries, to hasten the decomposition
of the woody and decaying parts of vegetation, which, without their
intervention, would render these regions uninhabitable by breeding a
pestilence. The remains of the white ant in the Coal Measures is an
evidence that it was, to a certain extent, through their destructive
agency that the tropical vegetable matter was accumulated which went
to form our coal. The white ant, by hastening the decomposition of
vegetable substances, has ever proved a friend to man; the true ants also
have proved themselves a boon to the inhabitants of tropical climes by
destroying what are popularly classed as vermin.
March 17th.—I am happy to say that the temperature has dropped to 97°,
and that is quite as hot as one cares about. Whilst breakfasting,
about 6 a.m., a native came, saying “Assint effendi,” at the same time
jerking his thumb towards the river. This meant a hippopotamus. He was
accordingly sought for, found and killed before 8 a.m., not far from
camp. To see the Arabs then cutting up the carcase, wallowing in gore,
and stuffing lumps of meat or fat into their mouths, and rubbing the
latter on their heads was a most disgusting sight, almost as bad as the
Basé. Festoons of meat soon ornamented every tree in the neighbourhood of
the camp. The natives themselves looked like a number of dips melting in
the sun. Every head to-day is dripping with fat, which melts and drops
about all over the shoulders. Feeling a little Mark Twainish, I cannot
help remarking that this plastering of the head with fat is, no doubt,
a very ancient custom, in which Aaron, his friends, and contemporaries
were accustomed to indulge to a great extent. Do we not read? “And they
annointed his head with oil, which ran down even unto his beard.” This
was probably the fat obtained from hippopotamus, buffaloes, &c., and
clearly indicates that these old gentlemen were, more or less, affected
with sporting proclivities; but it is more than probable that they were
not at that time in possession of eight-bore rifles and hardened bullets.
During the greater part of this day we have observed a peculiar hazy
appearance on the other side of the river—extending for miles—resembling
mist in appearance. It was really a very fine dust. In the evening this
was followed by a good deal of wind, which much increased towards night.
March 18th.—Last night and this morning was cooler than any for weeks
past. Temperature at 1.30 p.m. 92° in the shade. Mahomet Sali put in an
appearance to-day with a camel-load of flour and bread from Kassala.
He also brought the skin of a very fine boa-constrictor, which one of
our party was not long in annexing. It really was intended for George,
but the annexer gave the owner two dollars for it, and so it became his
pretty quickly. The bread we have is like the Cairo bread we brought with
us. It is baked hard in squares, resembling dog-biscuits. When wanted at
meal-times they are dipped in water and then put over the fire for a few
minutes, when they become spongy and eatable.
Two or three little matters conspired to ruffle me rather last night.
When retiring for the night my first business was to kill two scorpions
and some gigantic spiders which I found in my tent. Having accomplished
these murders to my entire satisfaction, I undressed, lastly taking off
my socks. I had no sooner put my feet on the matting than the soles of my
feet felt as if they were pin-cushions, receiving a thousand prickling
sensations—sometimes not unlike those produced by a galvanic battery.
I found on inspection of the matting swarms of large black ants. This
was not all. I got into bed, but was not allowed to sleep without the
accompaniment of a stringed instrument, somewhat resembling a banjo,
which a wretched Arab had constructed out of an empty preserved meat tin.
He had stretched a piece of skin tightly across this, attached a bridge,
three strings, a finger-board, and all the rest of it, then strummed and
fingered away close to my tent, producing the most monotonous sounds
for an hour or two after I was in bed, evidently as much in love with
his instrument as someone else would be with his violoncello. I had not
done anything deserving such torture as this wretch thought proper to
inflict on me, so would not stand it any longer. I therefore got up and
delicately conveyed a hint (in the shape of a boot which I hurled at him)
that this mode of serenading in the middle of the night was not only
unappreciated by me, but decidedly objectionable. The stringed instrument
ceased for a while until I was just going to sleep, when this demon in
human form again started. I immediately threw out three more rather
forcible hints. They were another boot and two empty claret bottles; and
I rather think the last two hints appealed forcibly to his feelings, as
the light guitar was then laid aside, and I was allowed to sink into a
calm sleep.
During the day Mr. W. D. James shot a magnificent buck nellut, which had
the finest head we have yet seen. His horns, taking the direct length,
measured 39½ inches; taking the curves, 53 inches. An enormous tortoise
was brought to camp this morning alive (abugeddir, as they called him).
Two stout men can stand on his back, and he walks away with them as if
they were two straws.
March 19th.—Temperature, 92° in shade. The hazy appearance noticed during
the last two days has passed away; the wind also has subsided. I think we
may expect a hot day again.
This morning a son of the Hamran Sheik came to camp, demanding a tax
of eight dollars on our guide. The latter is to receive 25 dollars per
month, out of which the Heikota Sheik wants eight dollars. To begin at
the fountain-head, the Egyptian Government have a head-tax—every young
person on reaching a certain age is taxed. The owner of every date
palm-tree has to pay a tax, the same with the owner of a “sageer,” or
sakia (a water-wheel); in fact, I believe everybody and everything is
taxed. The Government look to the Governor-General of the Soudan for
a good round sum; he, in turn, looks to the Mudir, or governor of a
district. He squeezes the necessary out of the sheiks of the various
tribes, and they in turn (to use a metaphor, suck the orange dry) screw
out of the poor Arabs of the tribe what they require. If the sheik fails
to produce the sum required of him by the Mudir, the latter swoops down
on his camels, flocks, and herds and sells a sufficient number of them to
produce the required sum; but if the sheik has no camels, &c., he himself
is seized and put in durance vile until the tribe find the necessary
number of dollars.
Some worms there are who feed on men;
Others there are who feed on them.
These lesser worms have worms to bite ’em;
Thus worm eats worm _ad infinitum_.
How can Egypt ever prosper under such a system? What inducement have
these poor Arabs to accumulate anything more than is sufficient for their
daily wants? None. When we engaged servants at Heikota, at, say, 12
dollars per month, the first thing the sheik did was to take two dollars
from each man, and very probably as much, or more, at the termination of
their services. The beasts, the ants, the reptiles, and birds prey on one
another; crocodiles on big fish, and big fish on little ones. There is no
Salvation Army there, and if there were (I don’t want to be ironical, but
_Byron_-ical) I do not think there exists a more preying community.
Two nellut and a maarif shot to-day.
March 20th.—This morning, just after breakfast, I took up my gun and went
about 100 yards from camp, with the intention of shooting a baboon. But
my heart smote me—they looked so awfully human—and I desisted; but I sat
down and derived much amusement from watching enormous baboons and little
monkeys gambolling by the water’s edge.
On returning to camp I found Suleiman conversing with a man wearing a
belt full of cartridges (a rather uncommon spectacle). The conversation
lasted some time. I was told afterwards that when he learned from
Suleiman that we had been again by or in Abyssinian territory, he
exclaimed, “You have to thank the good God that you came away when you
did. Had the Abyssinians seen your tents and all those boxes they would
certainly have come down on you and killed everyone of you for the sake
of the tents alone, to say nothing of the boxes.” He also informed him
that about a month ago they killed a party of Hamrans, who went up there
hunting from this neighbourhood, just for the sake of a gun or two, and
whatever else they could lay their hands on.
A buck nellut, two wild boars, killed; two buffalos wounded. Temperature,
97° F. in shade.
March 21st.—Temperature, 100°. Nothing of interest to-day. A tetél, two
nellut, and mehedehét shot; maariff wounded, but not secured. To-morrow
we turn our faces to the Red Sea coast, and expect to reach Massawa in
about three weeks time.
March 22nd.—Last night, just as I was about to retire for the night, I
was sent for to Ali, the cook, who had just been stung on the thigh by a
scorpion. He was evidently suffering great pain. I gave him a strong dose
of ammonia and some brandy, at the same time advising him to poultice the
wound after I had cauterised it. Suleiman having more faith in a more
heroic mode of treatment, obtained a razor, and with it made a series of
little gashes, remarking at the same time, “There, now Ali better after
that; the bad blood come from him now.” Of course I did not interfere,
but allowed them both to have their own way, to their mutual satisfaction.
As we were now about to take our farewell of the river, I indulged in
a swim at 6 a.m., not forgetting at the time to hurl in several large
stones preparatory to my dive, as a warning to all crocodiles to vanish
for a time.
At 10 a.m. the hamlah was on the move. Our journey this day was pursued
under very unpleasant conditions, as we travelled frequently through
large bushes of mimosa and kittars, tearing our helmets and clothes to
pieces, and inflicting not a few scratches on our bodies. At 7 p.m. we
encamped at Khor-Maiatah, about five miles from our old camp. The day’s
sport was a crocodile and buffalo.