Beauty of Wadaï — Compliments to its Fertility — Comparison with
Darfur — The two Capitals — Contracted Characters of Fadhl and
Saboun — Inhabitants of Wadaï — Beautiful Women of the Koukah
— The Goran — White and Black Women — Government of Wadaï
— Language — Recent Civilisation of Wadaï — Punishment of
Adultery — A Bornouese Army — Love of Peace — The Fasher of
Warah — The Osban Guard — Gates of the Palace — The Town.
The sovereigns and the peoples of Soudan look upon the establishment
of the kingdom of the descendants of Seleih, or, in other words, the
kingdom of Wadaï, as a most wonderful and memorable event. Their
country, indeed, seems to be a rose amidst other flowers—a large
garden in which streams wander, so bountiful has Providence been
to it of its blessings. On all sides pure and limpid waters of
argentine transparency, and gardens filled with brilliant flowers,
are to be seen. On the banks of the rivulets the arrak weaves its
branches into thick hedges, where the nightingale trills its song,
rejoicing the heart and charming the soul.
Wadaï is broader than Darfur, but not so long. Its territory is
much more generous. There is the same difference between them
as between to-day and yesterday, between the sun and the moon,
between a garden and a desert, between paradise and the great
fire. There are, it is true, some few places in Darfur the soil
of which something resembles that of Wadaï, but the greater part
of the former country is sandy, and almost deprived of water. The
Forians, therefore, who inhabit these deserts are puny, thin,
and have a yellow tint in their complexion; they are, so to
speak, always thirsty, and are compelled to portion out water as
if they were in a ship that has lost its reckoning at sea. But
in Wadaï, nearly everywhere there are springs of living water;
nearly everywhere there are leafy trees filled with the songs of
birds. From the province of Saba on the east, to the river which
forms the extreme boundary of the kingdom on the west, there is no
place where it is necessary to take in a supply of water. At each
village, during the twenty-two days which the Traject requires,
there are wells, and streams, and trees, and fields. The country is
nearly everywhere thickly peopled; and one village gives more profit
than ten villages of the neighbouring country. Compared to Wadaï,
Darfur may be said to be ruined. The same distance separates them
as separates the Pleiades from the earth. Whoever would depreciate
Wadaï would act like the legitimate wives of a harem, who look
upon a beautiful concubine just introduced, and exclaim in their
jealousy and bitter hatred,—“How ugly she is!”
The people of Wadaï, although less civilised than the Forians,
are of a more generous nature and a more hospitable character. All
the princes of Soudan admit that the administration of no country
is so well organised. The capital, Warah, is wonderfully situated
and laid out; it is shut in by mountains, so well disposed that
there are only two approaches, one of which could be defended by ten
men and the other by two. The soil of its territory is excellent,
neither too hard nor too sandy, whilst that around Tendelty reminds
one of the plains of Arabia, the foot of the traveller sinking in,
whilst dusty whirlwinds constantly arise. At Warah the dwellings
are better constructed than at Tendelty. At the latter place both
enclosures and houses are made of millet-stalks, except that the
Sultan has two little brick warehouses where his most precious
garments and weapons are kept, to preserve them from fire. But at
Warah most houses, with their enclosures, are of masonry, and the
palace of the Sultan is composed of a number of pavilions with solid
walls, and bow-windows with trellis-work. A kind of rampart, instead
of a hedge of thorns, surrounds it, as the halo surrounds the moon.
In Darfur there are no lands that are worth those of Wadaï,
except in the western provinces. But all the districts of the
latter country are rich and fertile, and well-peopled. In Darfur
most of the villages are nearly devastated by the violence and
tyranny of the governors. The few places that are well inhabited
are those whose chiefs have sufficient power to excite fear. Beyond,
all is desolation. The sufferings of the people, when I was there,
were extreme. Mohammed Fadhl was yet young; he passed his time in
pleasure, in riding, in drinking, and with women. His governors
overwhelmed the people; every one feared to possess wealth; there
were no longer any ranks or classes; the lowest kind of people were
promoted to the greatest honours, slaves became viziers, the most
respectable and revered men became humiliated.
Meanwhile the affairs of Wadaï prospered under the hand of Sultan
Mohammed Abd-el-Kerim Saboun. His justice and beneficence spread
over all; under his reign no one had to complain of injustice or
misery. He gave the bow to the bowman, the house to the mason,
to every one his place and his duty. He maintained Divine law
in honour. His equity penetrated to the most distant part of the
kingdom. He was loved by all, except by the wicked, whose hearts
were sick and whose souls were tainted and jealous. Wherefore
did destiny transform these joys into grief and sorrow? As a dog
seizes on its prey, it seized upon this prince in the full vigour
of youth. Too soon was the cup of misfortune poured out for those
who loved him. Everywhere had his arms triumphed. Everywhere he
drenched his enemies in the bitterness of death and desolation. He
subjected Bagirmeh, the dwelling of disorder and crime. He ruined
Tamah, the den of vice and irreligion. He shook the joints of the
Forians and their Sultan by the terror of his arms, and they feared
that the time of their expulsion was come. Saboun died in the year
1226 (A.D. 1811), after reigning only eight years, having done more
than other princes could have done in eighty. He lived too little
for his country. If his life had been prolonged, he would have
seized on Darfur and other provinces of Soudan, and have brought
back to those countries the beautiful age of the youth of the
universe. The days of his reign were days of smiling festival;
his anger was directed against evil, and he had no joy but in
goodness. Never did his subjects desire any other master than he.[35]
Let us now speak of the various inhabitants of Wadaï. The great
tribes of Dar-Seleih are the Massalit, the Mimeh, the Dajo, the
Kashmereh, and the Goran, or five primitive tribes; then come the
Koukah, the Jenakherah, and the Birguid. Each of these people
inhabits a particular country. The Massalit occupy the eastern
province, and have relations of interest, family, and origin, with
the Massalit of Darfur. They are of middle height and dark bronze
colour, and thickly cover a large plain country.
The Wadaïans, properly so called, or primitive inhabitants of
Wadaï, occupy more especially the central portion of the kingdom. It
is amongst them that are chosen the viziers and the especial troops
of the Sultan. The country they inhabit is hilly, and there is found
Mount Absenoun. The people of this mountain consider themselves as
the original source of the Wadaïans, all of whom, they say, are
issued from them. Some leagues north of Senoun is Mount Melangan. The
Senawans are of a dark black colour, of elevated stature, and
strongly built, reminding one of the redoubtable Amalekites. The
Melangans are less dark, and have something of a bronze tint.
The Kashmereh are established at four days’ distance from Warah
to the south, in the Botagha, a charming, well-watered valley,
where they sow a great quantity of vegetables and plants which serve
as condiments, such as pepper, coriander, garlic, and onions. The
tribe has its dwellings on the northern side of the valley, and is
spread over a surface of four days in length and of only four hours
in width. The villages are small, and extend along the crest of the
hill like the pearls of the necklace of a houri. Sultan Saboun had
given to my father the administration and the revenue of five of
these Kashmereh villages, which certainly were more profitable than
fifty Forian ones. All their stations are well peopled and full of
life. From the smallest of them, if the trumpet of war were sounded,
at least five hundred vigorous men would issue. I am persuaded that
this tribe alone would furnish an imposing army. They are, moreover,
submissive, and more easy to lead than the other Wadaïans. They live
in plenty, and their families have numerous children. Their nature
is simple and docile, without meanness. They are of middle stature,
and of a complexion between white and black. Their language differs
from that of the other Wadaïans.
The Koukah are established to the south-east of Wadaï, and form
three divisions. They are esteemed by the Wadaïans on account of
the slaves which are derived from them to serve as concubines. There
is especially one division which supplies magnificent women, even
preferable to the most attractive Abyssinians. The young slave-girls
which are brought from thence are ravishingly beautiful, and endowed
with grace that stirs all the emotions of the heart. Their charms
trouble and torment the soul, turn the heads of the most devout
ascetics, and lure them to pleasure. The Koukah tribe is numerous,
and their country is well watered. According to the Wadaïans,
all the inhabitants of the Dar-Seleih may be bought and sold,
except the five original families.
The Goran inhabit the north of Wadaï, spread in little stations,
each of which suffices for its wants. They are rich in flocks,
in horses, and in camels. The people are of small stature, and of
a clear brown colour, something resembling that of the Egyptians,
so that they seem not to be of Soudan origin. The women that I have
seen from that place appeared to me of remarkable beauty, but the
Wadaïans differ in opinion. They almost dislike the colour of the
Goran women, whom they consider to be too white, and they are sold at
a low price. In Wadaï, the more an individual varies from the black
colour the more distant does he seem from the position of a slave,
but, at the same time, if there is any tendency to whiteness, they
are displeased. The clear mulatto complexion of the Abyssinians is
to them the type of the beautiful. A Tripoline saddler once presented
to Saboun two slaves, one white and the other Abyssinian. The latter
won the tenderness of the Sultan, but the former he never approached,
and she remained deserted in the harem until her death.
I did not live long enough in Wadaï to be able to determine
perfectly the different natures of its various people.[36] There are
many other less important tribes spread here and there throughout
the country. The Birguids, who correspond to the tribe of the same
name in Darfur, are a treacherous, brutal people,—black, small,
and slender. They occupy themselves principally in the chace, and
in working in iron. I must observe, that nearly all the tribes that
inhabit Darfur have corresponding or sister tribes in Wadaï.
All the frontiers of the country are surrounded with Arab
tribes,—generally rich in camels, horses, flocks, slaves,
silver, and coral. They are well furnished with arms, especially
with excellent lances. The narrow space between Darfur and Wadaï is
left unoccupied, because the Bedawins fear the extortions of the two
great countries by which they would be hemmed in. As I have said,
the Bidegat, though they live like Arabs, and feed principally on
camels’ milk, are of negro origin.
All the peoples and tribes of Wadaï are governed by kings, to whom
the title of Sultan is never given. Indeed, the Wadaïans will
not admit that there exists in the whole world any other Sultan
than theirs. All the other Sultans, according to them, are only
Meliks. No one must say to a Wadaïan that there is a Sultan in his
country, under pain of being taken severely to task; and if any one
of the country were to use that expression he would most probably be
insulted. Nevertheless, in conversation, the people never say Sultan,
but use the word Melik, in speaking of their sovereign. The fact is,
their language does not contain the word Sultan. It is a poor, hard,
and rough dialect, in which the letter _k_ constantly occurs. The
commonest syllable is _ak_, God is Kalak, and the same word means a
young child. Karak means a pious man, and also a pumpkin. One day
I heard a kabartou, or crier and public executioner, blowing his
trumpet, and singing his warlike song. I asked what he was saying,
and was told that his words meant “hungry bird, come and eat;”
that is to say, massacre your enemies, and may the hungry birds feed
to satiety upon their flesh. I did not, however, remain long enough
in the country to learn the language, and, indeed, did not think it
necessary to do so, many of them speaking Arabic. I only knew what
was necessary for ordinary life,—the names of water, of bread, of
meat, household utensils, clothes, &c.; but as for a long time I have
not had occasion to use these words, I forget them. Moreover, all the
tribes of Wadaï have a particular language, each totally different
from the other—as different as their physical characteristics. The
Wadaïans, in fact, have a large head, a long face, strong joints,
and elevated stature; generally, the men are handsomer than the
women. The Kashmereh have an oval face, are of middle height,
with joints not prominent. The Birguid have small heads, slender
bodies, short stature, and are in general very black. The Koukah
are mulatto-coloured, slight, and active; the women are handsomer
than the men. Each of these people, therefore, has a physiognomy
so distinct that it is recognised at once. It is not long since the
Wadaïans were almost savages. They have only begun to be civilised
for about half a century. Before that period they were confined or
shut up within their frontiers, after the manner of the Chinese,
allowing no one to go out, not even strangers who came to visit
them. They feared that some foreign nation might be excited to
attack and conquer their country. If a stranger arrived he was
well treated and fed, but could never hope to depart. This custom
was persisted in until the time of Sultan Saleh, who was a man of
intelligence and good sense, fearing God and loving goodness. Under
his reign some merchants came to trade at Wadaï, and were allowed
to depart again. From that time forth caravans began to arrive, and
the movement continued until Saboun came to the throne. Then the
prosperity of the country increased, and the reign of that prince
was a series of blessings. He gave presents to the merchants, to
incite them to return to his country. The news of his generosity
spread far and wide, and traders began to fall upon Dar-Saleh like
showers of fertilising rain. Ulemas and poets came from distant
countries to visit the prince. His reign was beautiful as the spring,
generous as the beneficent dew. The only reproach that could be made
against him was, that by his hospitable treatment strangers were so
fascinated that they forgot all their other friends, and even their
families. Saboun, from his youth upwards, was a rigid observer of
all the principles consecrated by religion. No one could reproach
him with neglect of any duties. When he became Sultan he caused
the law to be respected, and applied it severely to all criminals,
however high placed. In no country have I seen, as in Wadaï, the
punishment prescribed by the law inflicted for adultery. I have
seen Saboun condemn a woman for this crime. She was buried upright,
up to her breast, in the earth, and then stoned to death.[37] As
for the use of wine, I have seen this crime as severely punished
in other countries as in Wadaï.
The love of Saboun for science caused a great many learned men to
collect around him. The most distinguished was Ahmed-el-Fasi. After
him came the Imâm Nour, the great Kadi, who was an Arab belonging
to one of the neighbouring tribes. The Fakih Wali of Bagirmeh was
a distinguished poet, and composed several copies of verses in
praise of the Sultan. Many other learned and able men were to be
found among the courtiers of Saboun.
I have already mentioned the courage which distinguishes the
people of Wadaï, who surpass in valour most of the neighbouring
tribes. They are far more intrepid than the people of Bornou,
which is a country vaster and richer than theirs. I have often been
told that the Fullans, or Fellatahs, have conquered the Bornouese
nearly every time they have fought with them. When my father went
from Bagirmeh to Bornou, the Fellatahs had just gained a great
victory over that country, and its Sultan had fled away to the
province of Kanoum. Here the able vizier, Emin, received him, and,
having collected a large army, succeeded in replacing him on the
imperial throne.
On one occasion the Sultan of Bornou, about the time of the wars
of Zaky, sent an army, under the command of one of his viziers,
to meet the Fullans. There were with them some Magrebyn and Bedawin
Arabs. The Bornouese, during their march, entered a vast sandy plain,
which stretched farther than the eye could reach, and perceived in
the distance a great black mass, covering the whole horizon. They
imagined that this mass was the army of the Fellatahs. Fear seized
upon them, and chilled their souls. The head of the column halted in
consternation, and soon the whole warlike array came to a full stop,
and then began to retrograde, the soldiers crying one to the other
that it was impossible to resist so great a multitude. A Magrebyn
went to the vizier in command, and said,—
“What! do your troops disband at sight of that black mass,
without knowing what it really is?”
“Who,” said the Vizier, “will go and reconnoitre?”
“I will.”
So the Magrebyn rode out alone across the plain, and soon discovered
that the supposed Fellatah army was nothing but an immense herd of
ostriches that were flapping their wings on the horizon, and thus
figured an army marching, with its banners spread. The scout wheeled
round, and returned shouting, “Come back, Bornou; come back! They
are only ostriches!” But the army, instead of listening, continued
its flight more rapidly, and arrived in complete rout at the Birny of
Kanoum, where was then the Sultan. It was found necessary, therefore,
to put all the chiefs to death, and to threaten whoever again
fled before the enemy should meet with the same punishment. Thus
incited, the army marched out under Emin, defeated the Fullans,
made a hideous massacre of them, and drove them out of the country.
I explain the conduct of the Bornouese by their long habit of easy
and peaceful life. Wherever habits of repose and inertness have
prevailed in a state, the citizens learn to fear the fatigues
and dangers of war. They have passed their time amidst physical
enjoyment, rich dishes, elegant clothing, valuable horses, beautiful
women, and the desire of the constant enjoyment of luxury has become
imperative. If unforeseen circumstances call upon men to abandon
these delights, they naturally resist and refuse to risk their
lives, and abandon their comforts, forgetting that by this conduct
the ruin of the most flourishing state is brought about, and that
the fear of losing some enjoyment often leads to the loss of all.[38]
I have already said that the customs of Wadaï and those of
Darfur are similar in some respects. The houses in the latter are
more elegant, but those in the former are more solid. Warah is
a large city, surrounded by a natural rampart of mountains. The
dwelling of the Sultan is entirely of masonry, but is surrounded
by huts inhabited by slaves. To the west, outside of the wall,
is a mosque and a great square, called the Fasher, which word, in
Wadaï, is restricted entirely to this place; whilst, in Darfur,
it is applied to the whole town in which the Sultan resides. Two
lines of acacia-trees adorn the Fasher of Warah. In the first
line is a tree especially set apart for the use of the Sultan,
who sits under it every Friday on coming out of the mosque, for
the ceremony of salutation, in order to review his troops and to
receive the complaints of his people. A little to the west of the
first range of trees is another, under which the Kadis, the Ulemas,
and the Shereefs sit. There is another range of trees, a good deal
farther off, which serves as the permanent tribunal of the Kamkolak.
The great gate of the palace, which opens on the Fasher, may be used
by every one, great or small, rich or poor. Outside are numerous
huts, principally built against the wall, and inhabited by the Osban
who may be on guard. These Osban are really Turguenaks, although
the latter name is more especially applied to the superior officers
of the corps, who are four in number, each commanding a thousand
men. The Osban form the body-guard of the prince, and are also his
executioners and the instruments of his anger. On this account
they wear a uniform of imposing and menacing aspect. They wear
short tunics, carry heavy clubs, and have iron head-pieces. Every
evening a body of one thousand comes to guard the palace, five
hundred remaining without, and five hundred acting as a garrison
within. They march up in four divisions, making a frightful noise
with their tambourines or drums, which are formed of hollowed trunks
of trees, with skins stretched over each end. They do not wait to
be relieved in the morning, but march away without being replaced,
for there is no guard during the day.
The tribunal where the Sultan dispenses justice is a little square
building, built against the wall-enclosure within the first gate. The
second gate is guarded by a number of pages, who have passed the age
of puberty, and who remain within. With them also are the grooms. The
third gate is called the gate of iron, and is, indeed, covered with
iron plates.[39] Beyond this, to the right, is the Kasr; where the
Sultan sits in the afternoon during Ramad’han to listen to the
reading of the Koran. In the interval which separates the third
and fourth walls live the eunuchs and the young pages who have not
yet arrived at the age of puberty. These alone, with the Sultan,
are allowed to pass the fourth gate, which leads to the harem.
The walls and buildings of which the palace is composed are not
much higher than a man, excepting the private apartment of the
Sultan, which has a story above the ground-floor, with three windows
overlooking the whole city. The windows are merely square holes, with
two sticks placed crosswise. The dwelling-places of the eunuchs,
the pages, and the Osban, spread throughout the palace, exactly
resemble in form the Forian huts, and, like them, are constructed of
millet-stalks; but the houses of Warah have nearly all enclosures
built of earth mixed with stones. The earth used is greasy, and,
when submitted to the action of the rain, becomes covered with a
white crust as hard as iron.
Within the third gate of the palace, opposite the apartment of
Ramad’han, is a kind of large shed, where every day the Sultan
passes some time despatching business. He is separated from those
who come to him by a partition of mats, made of a kind of grass
woven with wonderful delicacy. This enclosure allows the Sultan
not only to hear what is said, but to see those who are present
without being visible to them.
The town of Warah, which is divided into two divisions, the
Tourtalou, or left division, and Toulalou, or right division, is less
populated than Tendelty. The latter place, however, is chiefly filled
with merchants and strangers, who come and go. Neither city has a
large population. The Forians are fond of pageantry and show. Each
king surrounds himself with a number of secondary kings, who form
his court, and endeavour to imitate his manners. In this way the
principal people, instead of, as in other countries, collecting in
the capital, are dispersed throughout the various districts, and
Warah may be said to be inhabited chiefly by the court of the Sultan.
The topographical position of Warah differs essentially from that
of Tendelty. The latter capital is established on a vast Gauz, or
sandy country, where every one constructs a dwelling of the best
aspect he may. Many of the habitations of the viziers approach in
appearance that of the Sultan; but at Warah, which is hemmed close
in by hills, the palace takes up so much space, that the great
people who live there are obliged to occupy very humble dwellings.