passes at some distance to the south of the town, and is distinguished
by the special name of Yálowe. It was a very charming spot, winding
along through a rich and varied forest, bordered by an uninterrupted
line of the finest fig-trees, principally of the kind called “ngábore.”
The channel itself was only about forty yards wide, encompassed by banks
of from twelve to fifteen feet in height, and at present it was not
enlivened by a continuous stream, but contained several detached pools
of stagnant water. Although the water was cool, and not disagreeable to
the taste, still it was not very pure, and could not but contain the
germs of much disease. This is the same komádugu with which, in its
upper course in the territory of Ujé, I had become acquainted on my
journey to Ádamáwa.[13] The banks all around were enlivened by horses
and pack-oxen, who were enjoying the rich verdure; and there was not a
shady tree but had been taken possession of by a troop of Kánembú or
Kanúri, in order to find that comfortable repose which the noisy
encampment could not afford.
Having heard that the wealth of the inhabitants of Díkowa consisted of
cotton, I expected to find extensive well-kept cotton-plantations; but
although the article was cultivated to a great extent, I was astonished
at the neglected appearance which it exhibited, the cotton-fields being
almost buried beneath the thicket, and overgrown not only with rank
grass, but even with trees and bushes, so that scarcely any space was
left for the plants to spread out; nevertheless their luxuriant growth
bore ample testimony to the rich nature of the soil, and gave an idea of
the wealth that lies buried in these regions. I have already observed,
on another occasion, that the natives of Negroland take very little care
of their cotton-plantations; and there is no doubt that, if sufficient
care was bestowed, quite a different quality might be produced.
I roved about in this wild and fertile region till I was entirely hemmed
in by an impenetrable thicket. While returning hence to our encampment
by a more westerly path, I was ruminating in my mind how the former
rulers of this country had evinced so much more feeling for the bounty
and beauty of nature than its present possessors; for while these have
chosen for their residence the most monotonous district of the empire,
the former selected those parts which nature itself had embellished—the
shores of the so-called Yeou, or the komádugu Wáube, and this fine
watercourse of Díkowa; and they not only chose the most interesting
spots, but they even embellished them by art, as the large artificial
basins in the neighbourhood of Ghasréggomo, Ghámbarú, and Dámasak amply
testify. In this respect it is not uninteresting that we are informed by
the imám Áhmed, the historian of the king Edrís Alawóma, that his
master, when he visited the town of Fíka, could not forego the pleasure
of paying a visit to the famous little alpine lake which lies at some
distance from that town. Although the country of Bórnu is far from being
the most favoured part of Negroland, yet the shores of these
watercourses are very rich indeed, and capable of maintaining a numerous
population.
In returning to our encampment, I passed the market or durríya, which
was held every afternoon on the west side of the encampment. It was
really a busy scene, not yielding in importance to the little daily
market of the capital; and this was not at all marvellous, as a greater
crowd of people, and a far greater number of horses, were gathered here
than the average population of Kúkawa. Not only were provisions, such as
meat, grain, beans, ground-nuts, and other articles of a like
description, offered for sale; but even small luxuries; and there was a
good deal of bartering, as the buyers were destitute of
currency—kúngona, or cowries, as well as gábagá or cotton strips. I also
observed that the encampment, especially on this side, where it was
skirted by a thick covert of trees, was encircled by a living wall of
light Kánembú spearmen, who were keeping watch; for although the army
was still in its own territory, yet, in the weak state of the
government, a certain degree of insecurity already commences here; and
the very first evening of our being encamped on this spot, the ngáufate
was roused by the gangéma, or announcement by beat of drum, to the
effect that everybody should be on his guard against horse-stealers.
While the country around presented interesting features, and the
encampment itself exhibited a scene of great variety, the time we spent
here passed away comfortably and agreeably, with the sole exception that
the space allotted to us was too confined to be comfortable. We were on
the most friendly terms with the sheikh as well as with his vizier; and
all court etiquette was dispensed with. This went so far that I and my
companion accommodated our noble and princely friends with our woollen
jackets and drawers; for they began to feel the cold at night very
severely, and on these occasions the very respectable Háj Edrís had to
play the part of a royal laundress.
Already, during our hibernal stay in the country of Aïr, we had been
obliged to accommodate our old and austere friend Ánnur and his numerous
relatives with our Turkish waistcoats: but we had not yet condescended
to give away our under-clothing; and being ourselves extremely poor and
destitute in every respect, it was certainly not a little privation we
imposed upon ourselves. The clothes of the sheikh and his vizier were
all very wide, and not fit for keeping out the cold. I have repeatedly
had occasion to mention how sensitive the Africans are to cold; and I am
persuaded that, in the burning regions of Central Africa, a good cargo
of warm underclothing would find a ready sale, especially if it should
arrive in the months of December and January. But neither did our noble
hosts, on their part, fail to do everything in their power to render our
situation as comfortable as possible; and it was very satisfactory to
see how anxious the vizier was to supply us with all desirable
information.
One evening at a late hour, when I was reposing in my tent and about to
go to bed, he sent for me in the greatest hurry, as if my life or death
were at stake; and upon hastening thither, anxious to hear what was the
matter, I was told that the vizier had been informed of a person being
in the encampment who, like my old friend the mʿallem Katúri, had
accompanied the memorable expedition of Ámba Sámbo, the warlike chief of
Chámba, towards the country of Ígbo on the sea-coast. But while the
latter had gone to Mbáfu with the main body of the army, the adventurous
proceedings of that person had not even been limited by the boundaries
of the sea; and he informed me in the most positive and conclusive
manner that the body of troops which he accompanied had sailed along a
rocky coast for fifteen days, when they unexpectedly met with an island,
where they took possession of a number of muskets, their owners, who
were all dressed in jackets, having taken refuge in their large vessel.
He did not doubt that these people were Christians, and according to the
description which he gave me of the vessel, there can scarcely be any
doubt that it was a European one; but I did not feel quite certain as to
the point whether he had navigated a large river, or the open sea,
though I think it probable they went down the Niger, and surprised one
of the European traders at the mouth of the river. At any rate, however,
this is an extremely interesting circumstance. I apprehend that the
chiefs of Ádamáwa will hesitate in future to extend their expeditions so
far, after an English steamer has gone up the river to the very heart of
their own country. It was this same Bórnu horseman who informed me that,
on that expedition, all the horses had died from a disease proceeding
from worms.
While chatting together upon these subjects till after midnight, I had
an opportunity of giving the vizier some little information regarding
the peculiar character of the maritime power of the imám of Maskat, of
which he had never heard before, and which interested him exceedingly.
With the Arabs of Timbúktu, also, this subject formed a topic of the
highest interest, as they had no idea that there were people of the same
faith living on the eastern shores of this continent; and they delighted
in the thought, that even in those regions there were Moslems, who were
not quite destitute of political power. For, although the famous
traveller Ebn Batúta has given to his countrymen an account of these
regions, it was only in Sókoto that I met with a man, the learned Káderi
dan Táffa, who knew Sofála by name.
My friend Bíllama also frequently called on me, and furnished me with a
variety of information[14], while I applied myself strenuously to the
study of the Kanúri language, which had discouraged me at first, owing
to the difficulties of its grammatical structure: and I could scarcely
have had a better teacher than our friend Háj Edrís; for, being of
Kanúri origin, he had lived a great many years in the east, especially
in Medína, and had become almost an Arab. He was certainly an
intelligent and honest man; and in the course of our stay we became
indebted to him in many respects. Of course we could not expect him to
render his service gratuitously, as he himself was not in affluent
circumstances, though as a courtier he had to keep up a good appearance;
but being myself very poor at the time, I could do nothing but place him
upon a needle-pension, the needles being very useful in the encampment
for buying provisions.
[Footnote 12: Between Yédi and the Tsád, the following places are
situated—Léga, a considerable town surrounded by a wall; Díbbuwa,
Jíggeri, Manawáze, Górdiná, and Mógolám.]
[Footnote 13: With regard to the direction of its lower course, the
statements of the people do not entirely agree, and I shall have
occasion to say something more about it when I speak of my return
journey from Bagírmi.]
[Footnote 14: Among other things, he informed me that at a short
distance north from Díkowa lies the town Ájiri, equally surrounded by a
clay wall, and inhabited by Kanúri; but while a tribute is levied on
Díkowa by the Malá Mása Mándará, Ájiri belongs to a man called Ábsa.
About two hours south by west from Díkowa is another walled town, called
Gáwa; but this town still at the present day is inhabited by the ancient
population of the country, viz., the Gámerghú, and is the residence of a
petty native chief, Bíllama Sára, while another petty chief of the
Gámerghú has his residence in Degímba, the Dagwamba of Major Denham. Of
the Gámerghú I have spoken on a former occasion.]
CHAP. XLIII.
THE BORDER-REGION OF THE SHÚWA.
[Sidenote: Saturday, December 6th.]
At length, after a protracted stay, we left our encampment at Díkowa,
though still in complete uncertainty whether the expedition was
directed against Mándará or not; for as yet the chief of that little
country (which, through the adventures of Major Denham, has obtained
in Europe a greater share of attention than it really deserves),
relying upon the natural strength of his mountains, had not yet made
his submission. The rumours which we heard from thence were of the
most contradictory nature; and it seemed as if Abú Bakr, which is the
name of the present chief, had made up his mind to a determined
resistance, having retired into his mountain-fastnesses, to the great
disappointment of the vizier, who repeatedly asked me and my companion,
with great anxiety, what was to be done, and how it was possible for the
cavalry to attack the enemy in his mountainous retreat: for, whatever
military strength the Kanúri may still possess, it is almost solely to
be looked for in their cavalry. The former excellence of the Kánembú
spearmen, resulting from their enthusiastic devotion to their leader,
has disappeared long ago, at least since the overthrow of the old
dynasty; and the vizier had to expect very little sympathy from this
body, as most of them were decidedly favourable to the interest of his
adversary, ʿAbd e’ Rahmán. As far as I had been able to learn the nature
of those rocky mountains on my journey to Yóla, I could not but think
that not only the cavalry of Bórnu, but even the Kánembú spearmen,
accustomed as they were to the level plains of their country, would be
incapable of climbing those rocky cliffs.
The whole country was enveloped in a thick fog when we started in the
morning; so that the passage of the komádugu, with its steep banks,
caused a considerable crowding and pushing, which was far from
agreeable. When we had got safely over, we had to pass a thick forest
consisting of “bíto” and “kindín” or talha-trees; and on our left
appeared the large walled place of Áfagé, a considerable town, but not
so large as Díkowa. After only a short interval, we saw another town on
our right, called Kodége, the walls of which were in an advanced state
of decay, but were at present adorned with living battlements of male
and female spectators.
Proceeding a short distance onward, we encamped at an early hour to the
westward of another walled town, called Zógoma. The whole of this
district, favoured as it is by nature, seems to have been once in a very
flourishing condition. It was, however, rather odd that we should have
encamped here, as the horses had to be led back to Áfagé for water.
I had scarcely pitched my tent, when that cruel minister of police,
Lamíno, a man whose character my friend Háj Edrís used significantly to
describe in the few words, “kárgo díbbi, kíndi díbbi” (bad in heart, and
bad in deed), brought into my presence a famous cut-throat of the name
of Barka-ngólo, whose neck was secured in a large machine called “bégo,”
consisting of two pieces of wood from four to five feet in length, and
very heavy, so that every movement was accompanied with the greatest
pain. Nevertheless my mischievous friend persuaded himself that it would
gratify me to see this miserable wretch fight with another culprit
secured in the same manner, by giving to each of them a long whip of
hippopotamus-hide, and forcing them by threats to flog each other. It
was a horrible sight; and I had great difficulty in convincing my cruel
friend that such a scene was far from being agreeable to me. In order to
get rid of him, I presented him with a quantity of cloves to give to his
beloved ʿAáisha, of whose culinary powers we had already had several
proofs. He was greatly pleased with my present; and with an amorous
smile he described to me how deeply he was in love with his darling,
saying that he loved her, and she loved him also: “and,” added he in a
very sentimental way, “such a mutual love is the greatest bliss on
earth.” Europeans must not fancy that there is no such feeling among
these Africans as love, although it is not quite so ethereal as it
sometimes seems to be with us. Notwithstanding these amorous
declarations, which sounded very ridiculous coming from such a mass of
flesh as he was, I was glad when he was gone.
We were now approaching hostile territory, and in the evening a
“gangéma,” or proclamation accompanied by beat of drum, was made
throughout the whole encampment, to the effect that the train of camels
and pack-oxen, which previously had greatly hemmed in the cavalry,
should not start until after the former had moved on. Zógoma is the
farthest town of the Bórnu territory in this direction; and the
following day we encamped in a district of the name of Mása, close to a
swamp, thickly covered with water-plants, principally the _Pistia
stratiotes_. Several Shúwa villages were lying about at short distances
from each other.
On the road we passed some cotton-plantations and stubble-fields. The
chief agricultural produce of Mása consisted of “sábade,” the sweet
sorghum or _Sorghum saccharatum_. This sort of grain I had not yet seen
in the course of my journey; but in Díkowa my friend Malá Ibrám had sent
me a large quantity of it, in order that I might indulge in this African
luxury. At that period I was surprised at the great length of these
stalks, some of which measured fourteen feet; but how astonished was I
afterwards, when, in the course of my travels, in the luxuriant valleys
of Kébbi I found specimens of twice that length! This evening the vizier
treated us with the marrow of the “sábade,” which in snow-white pieces
of about eight inches in length, were neatly placed upon a straw cover
or “féfe,” such as are used in the country. While indulging in this
simple African dainty, our conversation, very naturally, turned upon the
cultivation as well as the preparation of sugar, which is one of those
articles of European industry that most excites the admiration of the
natives of this country. But when they learn in what a filthy manner it
is refined, they become horrified, and hesitate whether they shall say
farewell to this indulgence, or overcome the scruples and prejudices of
their creed.
There is no doubt that the “sábade” would yield a rich produce of sugar;
but it is not necessary to have recourse to this expedient, as the
sugar-cane itself grows wild in several regions of Negroland, and we
shall actually find a small plantation of it, and boiling-houses, on a
small scale, carried on by a native in the neighbourhood of Sókoto. Our
conversation at these African _soirées_ with the vizier became sometimes
so learned, that even Ptolemy with his “_Mandros oros_” was quoted. But,
sad as it must seem to all who, like myself, delight in going back into
remote antiquity, this famous mountain, which at the first sight seems
to be an ancient memorial of the Mándará mountains, of some 1700 years
standing, appears to belong entirely to Western Africa. Our kind host
always found great delight in every kind of information; it was only a
pity he was wanting in manly energy to carry out his good projects.
[Sidenote: Monday, December 8th.]
Woe to those regions through which an army takes its march in these
parts of the world, were it even their own country. We passed this
morning some very extensive corn-fields, the crops of which were of the
most luxuriant growth; but notwithstanding the piteous clamours, and
even the threats of the slaves who were watching on the highly-raised
platforms in order to keep away the birds from the corn, the rich ears
fell a prey to the hungry horsemen, for their own sustenance and that of
their animals. These raised platforms are here called “górgo;” and the
ropes which were fastened between them and the trees were provided with
small hollow gourds, “káre,” filled with stones, which, when set in
motion, were intended to frighten away the birds.
After a tolerable march, we took up our encampment near the straggling
hamlet Delhé, a locality touched at by Major Denham, on his unfortunate
expedition to Mándará, but placed by him much too far southward.
All the cottages in these Shúwa villages have a conical roof rising to a
great elevation, and tapering like a sugar-loaf,—the thatch being put on
in a very irregular way, and fastened with ropes, though it is
pleasantly and cheerfully adorned by the climbers of the “ságade” or
“kubéwa,” a species of the _Cucurbita melopepo_ (squash gourd), if not
identical with it, the fruit of which, when boiled, has a very pleasant
taste, and in some regions of Negroland, as far as Timbúktu, forms the
principal vegetable for seasoning food.
The long duration of the rainy season here, as well as in Ádamáwa,
renders sheds for the cattle necessary; and these consist of huts
constructed similarly to the dwellings of man, but more spacious, with
the exception that the walls consist merely of trunks of trees. The
Shúwa of this village, as well as those of a neighbouring one, which
after the name of a chief is called Háj Ámaka, belong to the tribe of
the Bulgówa, or ʿAwisíya. The place where we encamped was full of
brushwood; and it took us a long time to pitch our tents.
The variation of the temperature was so great, that I caught a severe
cold; it was therefore agreeable to me that we remained here the
following day: for while, during the greatest heat, at two o’clock,
P.M., the thermometer in the ventilated tent showed often from 93° to
96° F., during the night it generally fell to between 50° and 53°. The
vizier was kind enough, when I did not come to his _soirée_, to send one
of his young slaves with a censer; but I was so unfortunate as to excite
the anger of the little tyrannical messenger, who wanted me to imitate
their own custom, which is, to place the censer under their wide shirt,
and, by drawing the opening close over the head, to concentrate the
fumes arising from the incense under their shirt, and receive it into
the face, while I, thinking this rather too much, was satisfied with
holding my face over it.
[Sidenote: Wednesday, Dec. 10th.]
We made a short march in advance, and transferred our encampment to
Díggera, through a country where wilderness and cultivated ground
alternated. Here we remained the five following days; and I had
sufficient leisure to regret that I was not better provided with books.
Anxious to employ my time usefully, I began, with the assistance of two
Mándará, or rather Wándalá slaves, to write down a vocabulary of the
language of that country, which by the natives themselves is called
“Ára-Wándalá,” as they call their country “Khakh-Wándalá,” or “Khákh-
Úndalá.”
The cold which we experienced during our stay here we considered very
severe—at least from an African point of view and feeling; for in Europe
it would have been thought very moderate. Fortunately our encampment was
more comfortable than it had been at Delhé, and presented features of
considerable interest; for here we saw the first complete example of
those shallow stagnant watercourses which are so highly characteristic
of the equatorial regions of this continent, and explain at the same
time the conflicting statements with regard to the direction of so many
watercourses in these regions. However, there are two different kinds of
these shallow waters: first, such as are in immediate connection with
larger rivers, and often run parallel to them, and which most
appropriately deserve to be called backwaters; and, secondly, those
which are quite independent, and form a small water-system by
themselves. To the latter kind seems to belong this swampy sheet of
water, or “ngáljam,” of Díggera, although I heard some Shúwa affirm that
it extended to the Tsád.
I first turned my steps eastward, where the encampment extended to the
very foot of the beautiful trees which, forming a rich border of the
finest embroidery from the hand of nature, girt the water. Most of them
were either fig (sycamore) or tamarind-trees. The aspect of the scenery
was most interesting, and under almost every tamarind-tree a group of
people was encamped.
The cavity where this sheet of water had collected formed a very slight
depression in the meadow-ground, it being almost flat; the water, to all
appearance, had already decreased considerably, and only in a few places
presented an open sheet, being in general closely overgrown with rank
grass and tall reeds. I followed it to a considerable distance towards
the N.N.W., till I was obliged by the thick covert to retrace my steps,
and then turned westward. The far larger extension of the water during
the rainy season was sufficiently indicated by the luxuriant growth of
trees. I crossed it at a spot where it was not so extensive, and found
the bottom of it extremely muddy, which made the passage rather
difficult, though the water was only two and a half feet deep. The
indented outlines of its shores greatly distinguished it from those more
complete and regular-shaped ngáljams which, in the course of time, I had
an opportunity of visiting, not only in those extensive plains between
the river Bénuwé and Shári, but also in the regions of the middle course
of the so-called Niger; for, in the quarters just mentioned, these
shallow waters, or meadow-waters, often stretch out, in a straight or
regularly-sweeping line, like artificial canals, to an immense
distance,—especially that most interesting sheet of water three days
west of Timbúktu, the “Áraf-n-áman,” or Rás el má.