THE TOWN OF JARRA—DETAINED BY THE MOORS.
THE town of Jarra is of considerable extent; the houses are built of clay
and stone intermixed—the clay answering the purpose of mortar. It is
situated in the Moorish kingdom of Ludamar; but the major part of the
inhabitants are negroes, from the borders of the southern states, who
prefer a precarious protection under the Moors, which they purchase by a
tribute, rather than continue exposed to their predatory hostilities.
The tribute they pay is considerable; and they manifest towards their
Moorish superiors the most unlimited obedience and submission, and are
treated by them with the utmost indignity and contempt. The Moors of
this and the other states adjoining the country of the negroes resemble
in their persons the mulattoes of the West Indies to so great a degree as
not easily to be distinguished from them; and, in truth, the present
generation seem to be a mixed race between the Moors (properly so called)
of the north and the negroes of the south, possessing many of the worst
qualities of both nations.
Of the origin of these Moorish tribes, as distinguished from the
inhabitants of Barbary, from whom they are divided by the Great Desert,
nothing further seems to be known than what is related by John Leo, the
African, whose account may be abridged as follows:—
Before the Arabian conquest, about the middle of the seventh century, all
the inhabitants of Africa, whether they were descended from Numidians,
Phœnicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals, or Goths, were comprehended
under the general name of _Mauri_, or Moors. All these nations were
converted to the religion of Mohammed during the Arabian empire under the
Kaliphs. About this time many of the Numidian tribes, who led a
wandering life in the desert, and supported themselves upon the produce
of their cattle, retired southward across the Great Desert to avoid the
fury of the Arabians; and by one of those tribes, says Leo (that of
Zanhaga), were discovered, and conquered, the negro nations on the Niger.
By the Niger is here undoubtedly meant the river of Senegal, which in the
Mandingo language is _Bafing_, or the Black River.
To what extent these people are now spread over the African continent it
is difficult to ascertain. There is reason to believe that their
dominion stretches from west to east, in a narrow line or belt, from the
mouth of the Senegal (on the northern side of that river) to the confines
of Abyssinia. They are a subtle and treacherous race of people, and take
every opportunity of cheating and plundering the credulous and
unsuspecting negroes. But their manners and general habits of life will
be best explained as incidents occur in the course of my narrative.
The difficulties we had already encountered, the unsettled state of the
country, and, above all, the savage and overbearing deportment of the
Moors, had so completely frightened my attendants that they declared they
would rather relinquish every claim to reward than proceed one step
farther to the eastward. Indeed, the danger they incurred of being
seized by the Moors, and sold into slavery, became every day more
apparent; and I could not condemn their apprehensions. In this
situation, deserted by my attendants, and reflecting that my retreat was
cut off by the war behind me, and that a Moorish country of ten days’
journey lay before me, I applied to Daman to obtain permission from Ali,
the chief or sovereign of Ludamar, that I might pass through his country
unmolested into Bambarra; and I hired one of Daman’s slaves to accompany
me thither, as soon as such permission should be obtained. A messenger
was despatched to Ali, who at this time was encamped near Benowm; and as
a present was necessary in order to insure success, I sent him five
garments of cotton cloth, which I purchased of Daman for one of my
fowling-pieces. Fourteen days elapsed in settling this affair; but on
the evening of the 26th of February, one of Ali’s slaves arrived with
directions, as he pretended, to conduct me in safety as far as Goomba,
and told me I was to pay him one garment of blue cotton cloth for his
attendance. My faithful boy, observing that I was about to proceed
without him, resolved to accompany me; and told me, that though he wished
me to turn back, he never entertained any serious thoughts of deserting
me, but had been advised to it by Johnson, with a view to induce me to
turn immediately for Gambia.
_February_ 27.—I delivered most of my papers to Johnson, to convey them
to Gambia as soon as possible, reserving a duplicate for myself in case
of accidents. I likewise left in Daman’s possession a bundle of clothes,
and other things that were not absolutely necessary, for I wished to
diminish my baggage as much as possible, that the Moors might have fewer
inducements to plunder us.
Things being thus adjusted, we departed from Jarra in the forenoon, and
slept at Troomgoomba, a small walled village, inhabited by a mixture of
negroes and Moors. On the day following (February 28th) we reached
Quira; and on the 29th, after a toilsome journey over a sandy country, we
came to Compe, a watering-place belonging to the Moors; from whence, on
the morning following, we proceeded to Deena, a large town, and, like
Jarra, built of stone and clay. The Moors are here in greater proportion
to the negroes than at Jarra. They assembled round the hut of the negro
where I lodged, and treated me with the greatest insolence; they hissed,
shouted, and abused me; they even spat in my face, with a view to
irritate me, and afford them a pretext for seizing my baggage. But
finding such insults had not the desired effect, they had recourse to the
final and decisive argument, that I was a Christian, and of course that
my property was lawful plunder to the followers of Mohammed. They
accordingly opened my bundles, and robbed me of everything they fancied.
My attendants, finding that everybody could rob me with impunity,
insisted on returning to Jarra.
The day following (March 2nd), I endeavoured, by all the means in my
power, to prevail upon my people to go on, but they still continued
obstinate; and having reason to fear some further insult from the fanatic
Moors, I resolved to proceed alone. Accordingly, the next morning, about
two o’clock, I departed from Deena. It was moonlight, but the roaring of
the wild beasts made it necessary to proceed with caution.
When I had reached a piece of rising ground about half a mile from the
town, I heard somebody halloo, and, looking back, saw my faithful boy
running after me. He informed me that Ali’s men had gone back to Benowm,
and that Daman’s negro was about to depart for Jarra; but he said he had
no doubt, if I would stop a little, that he could persuade the latter to
accompany us. I waited accordingly, and in about an hour the boy
returned with the negro; and we continued travelling over a sandy
country, covered chiefly with the _Asclepias gigantea_, until mid-day,
when we came to a number of deserted huts; and seeing some appearances of
water at a little distance, I sent the boy to fill a soofroo; but as he
was examining the place for water, the roaring of a lion, that was
probably on the same pursuit, induced the frightened boy to return in
haste, and we submitted patiently to the disappointment. In the
afternoon we reached a town inhabited chiefly by Foulahs, called
Samaming-koos.
Next morning (March 4th), we set out for Sampaka, which place we reached
about two o’clock. On the road we observed immense quantities of
locusts; the trees were quite black with them.
Sampaka is a large town, and when the Moors and Bambarrans were at war
was thrice attacked by the former; but they were driven off with great
loss, though the king of Bambarra was afterwards obliged to give up this,
and all the other towns as far as Goomba, in order to obtain a peace.
Here I lodged at the house of a negro who practised the art of making
gunpowder. He showed me a bag of nitre, very white, but the crystals
were much smaller than common. They procure it in considerable
quantities from the ponds, which are filled in the rainy season, and to
which the cattle resort for coolness during the heat of the day. When
the water is evaporated, a white efflorescence is observed on the mud,
which the natives collect and purify in such a manner as to answer their
purpose. The Moors supply them with sulphur from the Mediterranean; and
the process is completed by pounding the different articles together in a
wooden mortar. The grains are very unequal, and the sound of its
explosion is by no means so sharp as that produced by European gunpowder.
_March_ 5.—We departed from Sampaka at daylight. About noon we stopped a
little at a village called Dangali, and in the evening arrived at Dalli.
We saw upon the road two large herds of camels feeding. When the Moors
turn their camels to feed they tie up one of their fore-legs to prevent
their straying. This happened to be a feast-day at Dalli, and the people
were dancing before the dooty’s house. But when they were informed that
a white man was come into the town they left off dancing and came to the
place where I lodged, walking in regular order, two and two, with the
music before them. They play upon a sort of flute; but instead of
blowing into a hole in the side they blow obliquely over the end, which
is half shut by a thin piece of wood; they govern the holes on the side
with their fingers, and play some simple and very plaintive airs. They
continued to dance and sing until midnight, during which time I was
surrounded by so great a crowd as made it necessary for me to satisfy
their curiosity by sitting still.
_March_ 6.—We stopped here this morning because some of the townspeople,
who were going for Goomba on the day following, wished to accompany us;
but in order to avoid the crowd of people which usually assembled in the
evening we went to a negro village to the east of Dalli, called Samee,
where we were kindly received by the hospitable dooty, who on this
occasion killed two fine sheep, and invited his friends to come and feast
with him.
_March_ 7.—Our landlord was so proud of the honour of entertaining a
white man that he insisted on my staying with him and his friends until
the cool of the evening, when he said he would conduct me to the next
village. As I was now within two days’ journey of Goomba, I had no
apprehensions from the Moors, and readily accepted the invitation. I
spent the forenoon very pleasantly with these poor negroes; their company
was the more acceptable, as the gentleness of their manners presented a
striking contrast to the rudeness and barbarity of the Moors. They
enlivened their conversation by drinking a fermented liquor made from
corn—the same sort of beer that I have described in a former chapter; and
better I never tasted in Great Britain.
In the midst of this harmless festivity, I flattered myself that all
danger from the Moors was over. Fancy had already placed me on the banks
of the Niger, and presented to my imagination a thousand delightful
scenes in my future progress, when a party of Moors unexpectedly entered
the hut, and dispelled the golden dream. They came, they said, by Ali’s
orders, to convey me to his camp at Benowm. If I went peaceably, they
told me, I had nothing to fear; but if I refused they had orders to bring
me by force. I was struck dumb by surprise and terror, which the Moors
observing endeavoured to calm my apprehensions by repeating the assurance
that I had nothing to fear. Their visit, they added, was occasioned by
the curiosity of Ali’s wife Fatima, who had heard so much about
Christians that she was very anxious to see one: as soon as her curiosity
should be satisfied, they had no doubt, they said, that Ali would give me
a handsome present, and send a person to conduct me to Bambarra. Finding
entreaty and resistance equally fruitless, I prepared to follow the
messengers, and took leave of my landlord and his company with great
reluctance. Accompanied by my faithful boy (for Daman’s slave made his
escape on seeing the Moors), we reached Dalli in the evening, where we
were strictly watched by the Moors during the night.
_March_ 8.—We were conducted by a circuitous path through the woods to
Dangali, where we slept.
_March_ 9.—We continued our journey, and in the afternoon arrived at
Sampaka.
Next morning (March 10th) we set out for Samaming-koos. On the road we
overtook a woman and two boys with an ass; she informed us that she was
going for Bambarra, but had been stopped on the road by a party of Moors,
who had taken most of her clothes and some gold from her; and that she
would be under the necessity of returning to Deena till the fast moon was
over. The same even the new moon was seen which ushered in the month
Ramadan. Large fires were made in different parts of the town, and a
greater quantity of victuals than usual dressed upon the occasion.
_March_ 11.—By daylight the Moors were in readiness; but as I had
suffered much from thirst on the road I made my boy fill a soofroo of
water for my own use, for the Moors assured me that they should not taste
either meat or drink until sunset. However, I found that the excessive
heat of the sun, and the dust we raised in travelling, overcame their
scruples, and made my soofroo a very useful part of our baggage. On our
arrival at Deena, I went to pay my respects to one of Ali’s sons. I
found him sitting in a low hut, with five or six more of his companions,
washing their hands and feet, and frequently taking water into their
mouths, gargling and spitting it out again. I was no sooner seated than
he handed me a double-barrelled gun, and told me to dye the stock of a
blue colour, and repair one of the locks. I found great difficulty in
persuading him that I knew nothing about the matter. “However,” says he,
“if you cannot repair the gun, you shall give me some knives and scissors
immediately;” and when my boy, who acted as interpreter, assured him that
I had no such articles, he hastily snatched up a musket that stood by
him, cocked it, and putting the muzzle close to the boy’s ear, would
certainly have shot him dead upon the spot had not the Moors wrested the
musket from him, and made signs for us to retreat.
_March_ 12.—We departed from Deena towards Benowm, and about nine o’clock
came to a korree, whence the Moors were preparing to depart to the
southward, on account of the scarcity of water; here we filled our
soofroo, and continued our journey over a hot sandy country, covered with
small stunted shrubs, until about one o’clock, when the heat of the sun
obliged us to stop. But our water being expended, we could not prudently
remain longer than a few minutes to collect a little gum, which is an
excellent succedaneum for water, as it keeps the mouth moist, and allays
for a time the pain in the throat.
About five o’clock we came in sight of Benowm, the residence of Ali. It
presented to the eye a great number of dirty-looking tents, scattered
without order over a large space of ground; and among the tents appeared
large herds of camels, cattle, and goats. We reached the skirts of this
camp a little before sunset, and, with much entreaty, procured a little
water. My arrival was no sooner observed than the people who drew water
at the wells threw down their buckets; those in the tents mounted their
horses, and men, women, and children, came running or galloping towards
me. I soon found myself surrounded by such a crowd that I could scarcely
move; one pulled my clothes, another took off my hat, a third stopped me
to examine my waistcoat-buttons, and a fourth called out, “_La illah el
Allah_, _Mahamet rasowl allahi_”—(“There is but one God, and Mohammed is
his Prophet”)—and signified, in a threatening manner, that I must repeat
those words. We reached at length the king’s tent, where we found a
great number of people, men and women, assembled. Ali was sitting upon a
black leather cushion, clipping a few hairs from his upper lip, a female
attendant holding up a looking-glass before him. He appeared to be an
old man of the Arab cast, with a long white beard; and he had a sullen
and indignant aspect. He surveyed me with attention, and inquired of the
Moors if I could speak Arabic. Being answered in the negative, he
appeared much surprised, and continued silent. The surrounding
attendants, and especially the ladies, were abundantly more inquisitive:
they asked a thousand questions, inspected every part of my apparel,
searched my pockets, and obliged me to unbutton my waistcoat, and display
the whiteness of my skin; they even counted my toes and fingers, as if
they doubted whether I was in truth a human being. In a little time the
priest announced evening prayers; but before the people departed, the
Moor who had acted as interpreter informed me that Ali was about to
present me with something to eat; and looking round, I observed some boys
bringing a wild hog, which they tied to one of the tent strings, and Ali
made signs to me to kill and dress it for supper. Though I was very
hungry, I did not think it prudent to eat any part of an animal so much
detested by the Moors, and therefore told him that I never ate such food.
They then untied the hog, in hopes that it would run immediately at
me—for they believe that a great enmity subsists between hogs and
Christians—but in this they were disappointed, for the animal no sooner
regained his liberty than he began to attack indiscriminately every
person that came in his way, and at last took shelter under the couch
upon which the king was sitting. The assembly being thus dissolved, I
was conducted to the tent of Ali’s chief slave, but was not permitted to
enter, nor allowed to touch anything belonging to it. I requested
something to eat, and a little boiled corn, with salt and water, was at
length sent me in a wooden bowl; and a mat was spread upon the sand
before the tent, on which I passed the night, surrounded by the curious
multitude.
At sunrise, Ali, with a few attendants, came on horseback to visit me,
and signified that he had provided a hut for me, where I would be
sheltered from the sun. I was accordingly conducted thither, and found
the hut comparatively cool and pleasant.
I was no sooner seated in this my new habitation than the Moors assembled
in crowds to behold me; but I found it rather a troublesome levée, for I
was obliged to take off one of my stockings, and show them my foot, and
even to take off my jacket and waistcoat, to show them how my clothes
were put on and off; they were much delighted with the curious
contrivance of buttons. All this was to be repeated to every succeeding
visitor; for such as had already seen these wonders insisted on their
friends seeing the same; and in this manner I was employed, dressing and
undressing, buttoning and unbuttoning, from noon till night. About eight
o’clock, Ali sent me for supper some kouskous and salt and water, which
was very acceptable, being the only victuals I had tasted since morning.
I observed that in the night the Moors kept regular watch, and frequently
looked into the hut to see if I was asleep; and if it was quite dark,
they would light a wisp of grass. About two o’clock in the morning a
Moor entered the hut, probably with a view to steal something, or perhaps
to murder me; and groping about he laid his hand upon my shoulder. As
night visitors were at best but suspicious characters, I sprang up the
moment he laid his hand upon me; and the Moor, in his haste to get off,
stumbled over my boy, and fell with his face upon the wild hog, which
returned the attack by biting the Moor’s arm. The screams of this man
alarmed the people in the king’s tent, who immediately conjectured that I
had made my escape, and a number of them mounted their horses, and
prepared to pursue me. I observed upon this occasion that Ali did not
sleep in his own tent, but came galloping upon a white horse from a small
tent at a considerable distance; indeed, the tyrannical and cruel
behaviour of this man made him so jealous of every person around him that
even his own slaves and domestics knew not where he slept. When the
Moors had explained to him the cause of this outcry they all went away,
and I was permitted to sleep quietly until morning.
_March_ 13.—With the returning day commenced the same round of insult and
irritation—the boys assembled to beat the hog, and the men and women to
plague the Christian. It is impossible for me to describe the behaviour
of a people who study mischief as a science, and exult in the miseries
and misfortunes of their fellow-creatures.