separated from each other by covered apartments. In the first courtyard,
marked _a_ on the ground-plan, in a sort of shed, the eunuchs (or, as
the people of Logón say, the “bille-melágem”) were assembled. I was not
a little surprised to find here two cannons of iron, certainly of not
very good workmanship, and very old, but furnished with frames. Having
waited here some time, till my arrival was announced, I proceeded to
another antechamber, marked _b_, the whole of the building looking very
neat and orderly. The courtyard probably measured not less than one
hundred feet in length, by about thirty feet in width. Having then
traversed another antechamber and courtyard of about the same
dimensions, we reached the public court of audience, furnished with a
raised platform, on which stood the royal throne,—a rough kind of seat
covered with a baldachin of planks, and painted red. The sultan however,
at present, was not here, but was sitting in his private room _e_,
behind a matting curtain; and I was desired to address him without
seeing him. I therefore paid him my compliments, addressing Kashélla
Mʿadi in Kanúri, and he interpreting what I said into the language of
the country. I begged to inform the Míyará that the sultan Inglíz, who,
during the reign of the former chief of Logón (the míyará Sále), had
sent Khalílu (Major Denham), had now instructed me to pay my respects to
him. He was greatly delighted at this compliment, and inquired
repeatedly after the health of the sultan of the nasára Inglíz. Having
made use of the opportunity afforded by the matting of observing me
without being himself observed, and seeing that I was something like a
human being, and evidently of an innoxious kind, and the present having
been carried into his presence, he called me inside his room, saluted me
in a very friendly manner, and shook hands with me. He then begged me to
explain to him the presents, taking extreme delight in the articles of
English manufacture, including even the large darning needles; for,
small and insignificant as these articles were, he had never seen their
like. He even counted the needles one by one, and assigned them their
respective owners in the harím. The principal favour which I had to beg
of him was to allow me to navigate the river to some distance; and
having granted my request, he dismissed me very graciously.
On the next page are ground-plans of the houses of the sultan and
keghámma.
[Illustration:
A. HOUSE OF SULTAN.—_a._ Great Courtyard. _b._ Second Courtyard, about
100 feet long by 30 wide. _c._ Third Courtyard. _d._ Inner Courtyard,
with shed and throne. _e._ Room of Sultan. _f._ Stabling.
B. HOUSE OF KEGHÁMMA.—1. Large Court. 2. Staircase leading to the
upper apartments. 3. Courtyard. 4. Second Courtyard. 5. Room of
Keghámma, with two couches, that in the background being raised above
the floor.
6. Shed built of mats and poles in front of the palace.
7. Caoutchouc-tree.
8. Mosque or “Dabáldemá,” shaded by some fan-palms, or as the people
of Logón say, “gurúru.”]
Yúsuf, or, as the people of Logón say, Ýsuf (this is the name of the
present sultan), is a tall, stout, and well-built man, apparently about
forty years of age, with large features and a rather melancholy
expression of countenance, which I attribute to his peculiar and
precarious political situation, being the ruler of a small kingdom
placed between two predominant neighbours, who harass him incessantly.
He has been sultan about nineteen years, and was a young man at the time
of Denham’s visit, when his father Sále and his elder brother ʿAbd el
Kerím shared or rather disputed the government with each other. He had
two more elder brothers of the names of Chiróma and Marúfi, both of whom
died before him. Just at or shortly before the beginning of his reign,
as it would seem, owing to an expedition into the country by Dáúd, one
of the war-slaves of the sheikh Mohammed el Kánemí, Logón became a
tributary province of Bórnu, being subjected to an annual tribute of one
hundred slaves, and the same number of shirts or tobes. Previous to that
time, the ruler of this little country is said to have made an annual
present of only two slaves.
Our treatment was hospitable in the extreme; and it seemed almost as if
our host had a mind to kill us with excess of kindness, for in the
evening he sent us four enormous bowls of well-prepared pudding of
sorghum, together with meat and broth, and early the next morning a
large bowl of gruel seasoned with honey, and a few moments afterwards
three or four bowls of hasty-pudding. Fortunately there were people
enough to consume this plenteous supply of food; for there was a large
party of Bagírmi people returning to their country from Kúkawa, and to
them I gave up these luxuries, but afterwards they repaid my kindness
with ingratitude. Being desirous of having a look at the town, I sallied
forth in the afternoon with a well-mounted trooper, who was attached to
my friend Kashélla Mʿadi, by the western gate, and then turning round
towards the east, proceeded in the direction of the river.
At this corner the river bends away from the wall to the distance of
about an English mile, being from 350 to 400 yards across; the western
shore was low at this point, but on the opposite side it rose to the
height of from 12 to 15 feet. It was enlivened by about 40 or 50 boats,
most of them about 4 feet at the bottom, and 6 feet at the top, and
remarkable for their formidable prows. All these boats are built in the
same way as those of the Búdduma, with this exception, that the planks
consist of stronger wood, mostly bírgim, and are generally of larger
size, while those of the Búdduma consist of the frailest material, viz.
the wood of the fógo. The joints of the planks are provided with holes
through which ropes are passed, overlaid with bands of reed, and are
tightly fastened upon them by smaller ropes, which are again passed
through small holes stuffed with grass. Their elevated prow seems to
indicate the shallowness of the water as well as the vehemence of the
current which in certain seasons of the year sweeps down the river, and
which I experienced on my return when it was full. At present, the water
was rather shallow, and several sand banks were to be seen. My principal
attention was attracted by the fishing boats, which were furnished with
large nets suspended from the poop by two immensely long poles, called
“the two hands,” “músko ndí,” by the Kanúri people, and “sémi” by the
people of Logón.
We then continued along the shore, which becomes gradually more and more
compressed between the wall and the river. Where the latter approaches
nearest the wall there are corn-fields, which are continually irrigated
from the river. The stalks of the corn at present were 1½ foot high. As
I have observed in another place, wheat has only recently been
introduced into Negroland, and wherever a little is grown it is only
known by the Arabic name “el kámeh.” The generality of the inhabitants
do not relish it, but it is esteemed a princely food. Of course, corn is
also dearer where it does not grow spontaneously, the tropical rains
being too powerful for the tender plant, so that it can only be grown in
the dry or rather the cold season, near the rivers or swamps, by
artificial irrigation.
Delighted with the view which the scenery of the river exhibited, we
reached the most eastern gate on the south side of the town, when
suddenly an old man with an imperious air forbade me to survey the
river, and ordered me to retrace my steps directly. I was rather
startled and confounded, as, having the permission of the sultan, I
could not imagine who besides himself had such authority in the place,
and could forbid me to do what he had allowed me; but my companion
informed me that he was the king of the waters, the “maráleghá,” and
that he had full command over the river or “lagham.” I had heard and
read a great deal of the authority of the king of the waters, the
“serkí-n-rúwa,” in the countries on the Niger, but I was not aware that
a similar custom prevailed here. Confused, and rather ashamed, I re-
entered the town through the next gate.
Close to this gate was the house of the Ghaladíma, or Malághwán; and I
was induced to pay him a visit. He seemed to be rather an effeminate
person, living in a dark and well-perfumed room. The visit was of no
other interest than that it gave me some further insight into the
ceremonial of the court of this little kingdom, the very existence of
which was denied by so eminent a man as M. Fresnel a few years ago.[26]
The first thing I did on returning to my quarters was to expostulate
with the keghámma on the authority exercised by his colleague, the king
of the waters; and he promised me that the next day I should visit the
river, and even navigate it, without the least hindrance. However, there
was so much talk in the town about my surveying the stream, that I was
obliged in the course of the afternoon to pay the vizier another visit.
He was very anxious to know whether if once embarked in a boat upon the
water I might not jump out in order to search for gold; when I told him
I was rather afraid of the crocodiles. This expression of my fear
contributed a great deal to alleviate his suspicions, for it seemed that
until then he had supposed Europeans to be a sort of supernatural
beings, and exempt from every kind of fear.
Our treatment was hospitable in the extreme,—so much so that two hundred
persons might have feasted upon the dishes that were sent to me. But
besides all these dishes of native food, my hospitable host sent for my
own private consumption a large fat sheep, and an enormous jar of milk.
This very splendid treatment, however, created a great deal of jealous
and envious feeling in the breasts of those Bagírmi people whom I have
before mentioned, although they themselves reaped the greatest benefit
from the liberality of the sultan towards me. From what I observed, I
think I may draw the conclusion that it is the general policy of the
ruler of this little tributary kingdom to treat his guests well, and
certainly it is a wise one; but I dare say I was especially favoured by
the sultan.
[Sidenote: March 15th.]
With extreme delight I had cherished the plan of navigating the river,
although, of course, from the very beginning I could not expect to
achieve great things, for the means which were at my disposal at the
time did not allow me to overcome any serious obstacles which might be
thrown in my way; but besides this, the authority of this little prince
of Logón extends only a short distance along the shores of the river.
At eight o’clock I was aboard of my little boat or “wöam.”[27] I thought
that I should have got one of the largest size; but none was to be
obtained. The boat, however, which was finally assigned to me, though
measuring only twenty-five feet in length by about four feet in the
middle, was tolerably strong, the planks of which it consisted being
recently sewn and stuffed in the way above described; but, of course,
this method of shipbuilding is far from rendering the vessel watertight.
The boats being without seats, large bundles of reeds are placed at the
bottom for the passengers to sit upon, with nothing to prevent them from
being drenched with water.
While we crossed to the other side of the river, passing numerous
sandbanks which at present had been laid bare, the town presented quite
an interesting prospect, the wall being overtopped by dúm-palms, or
“gurúru,” a pair of deléb-palms, “murgúm,” and an isolated date-tree,
“díffino,”[28] these three species of palms growing together in this
place in a very remarkable manner; for it is a rare thing to find them
in one and the same spot.
The river, while skirting the town, forms a bend, and changes its course
from a west-easterly to a northerly direction. While gliding along the
eastern shore my companions called my attention to a species of very
tall reed, which they call korókoró, but which is nothing else than the
papyrus, which, as I have observed, grows on the shores of the Tsád, and
which we shall find in several smaller lakes. But it was highly
interesting to me to hear that the natives in this country prepare a
peculiar sort of cloth or “gábagá” from it, which I think must be
identical with the cloth mentioned by Arab writers under the name
“wórzi” or “berdí,” being the Egyptian name for papyrus. However, I did
not observe here several other species of the reed which grows on the
Tsád, principally the bolé; and on inquiring for that beautiful variety
from which the fine matting “kasár” or “farfar” is made, and for which
the people of Logón are so celebrated, I was informed by my companions
that it only grows near the large market-town Jínna, of which I shall
have occasion to say something more further on. I was very anxious to
know how the natives called this river, to which, by Major Denham, the
name of Shárí or Sháry has been given, and I was confirmed in the
opinion which I had previously formed, that this river is not the Shárí,
but a small branch of it; Major Denham, during the short stay which he
made here, not being able to ascertain that this river, which he saw at
the town of Logón, was not the same as that which he saw at Kúsuri, but
only a branch of it, and the smaller one. However, all the names given
to rivers by the various tribes of Negroland have no other signification
than that general one of “water,” “river,” from the western great “Bá,”
of the Mandingoes by the Ísa of the Sónghay, Eghírrëu of the Imóshagh,
“Máyo” of the Fúlbe, Gulbí of the Háusa, Kwára of the Yóruba, Bénuwé of
the Bátta, Komádugu of the Kanúri, the eastern “Bá” of the Bagírmi, the
Fittrí of the Kúka, the Bat-há of the Arabs of Wádáy. Thus the name
“Shárí” also signifies nothing more than “the river,” that is to say,
the river of the Kótokó, to whose language this word belongs, and the
word “tsáde,” or rather “tsádhe,” seems nothing but a different
pronunciation of this same name, the original form of which is probably
“sáre” or “sághe.”
This smaller western branch of the Shárí the natives of Logón call
“Lághame na Lógone,” that is to say, the river (“lágham”) of Logón; but
higher up it has different names, according to the places which it
passes by, being called by the Músgu people in their own language “Éré,”
or “Arré,” a name which itself means nothing else but river; while in
another place, where I reached it on my expedition to the Músgu country,
it bears the peculiar name “Serbéwuël,” I do not know exactly for what
reason. Meanwhile we were passing by the village Hónkel, which lies on
the western side of the river, and which as I shall soon have occasion
to observe, was of great importance in the former history of this
country. The river changing its direction here, we again approached the
western shore, and saw that at least half the inhabitants of the town
had come out to see what the Christian was doing on the river; for they
could scarcely imagine that I had embarked for any other purpose than to
search for gold. In the midst of the crowd some horsemen in a very showy
dress were observed, and I was informed that they were people from
Ádishén the Músgu chief, just arrived with a message; and I soon
observed that they were priding themselves on a dress which they had
received from their oppressors, on the expedition in which I and Mr.
Overweg accompanied the latter.
Seeing a crocodile raising its head just above the water close to the
other side of the river, I could not resist firing at it, when the crowd
burst out in loud cheers of acclamation. The servants of the sultan,
however, who had accompanied me in the boat, had been for some time
uneasy, and wished me to return; and on reaching a beautiful solitary
deléb-palm, or “margúm,” as they are called by the people of Logón, I
could no longer resist the pleadings of my companions to abstain from
proceeding further. We had here an extensive view over the river, its
principal direction being from south 20° east. All these large and
splendid streams with which nature has endowed these regions are now
scarcely of any use to the people living on their banks; and no traffic,
except between the nearest places, is kept up.[29] A wide field for
improvement is here open to the energy of man when these regions have
been brought under the notice and the influence of Europe.
Turning our boat, we allowed it to go along with the current. The
surface of the water was so smooth and pleasant, that I was tempted to
take a bath, and there was a great shouting amongst the crowd on the
shore when they saw the white man jump overboard; but their surprise was
great when, after having splashed about for some time in the river, the
current of which was too strong for my weakened frame, they saw me come
out empty-handed, and they cried out that they had been cheated,—the
people having told them that I was searching for gold. However, when I
disembarked, the crowd of spectators was so immense, that my companions
could only open me a passage with their whips; and I was really glad
when I again reached the house of the Keghámma or Ibálaghwán.
This little excursion, however, cost me dear; for those people of
Bagírmi whom I have mentioned before, the principal among whom was
called Háj Áhmed, seeing me creating such an uproar, felt inclined to
suppose that, if I should enter their own country in the absence of the
ruler, I might create a disturbance in the kingdom. The prince of Logón,
likewise, had formed far too high an idea of my capacity, and begged me
most earnestly to stay some time with him, thinking that he might derive
some profit by making himself more independent of his neighbours.
Amongst other things, he wanted me to fire off those two guns which I
have mentioned before; but their whole appearance inspired me with too
little confidence to do so.
As it was, I had a great deal of trouble in persuading the sultan to
allow me to pursue my journey eastward; but seeing that if I were to
stay here a few days longer I should spend the little I had left, I was
firm in my purpose of extending my discoveries beyond my predecessors,
Major Denham having already succeeded in reaching this place, although
he has only very insufficiently described it, and entirely failed in
fixing its right position. I therefore proceeded to take leave of Míyará
Ýsuf the next morning, when I found him in the courtyard numbered _f_ in
the woodcut, which he seemed to use as stables. His whole stud, however,
appeared to consist of only three or four horses of tolerable
appearance. He himself was sitting on a raised platform of clay (segáge)
dressed very simply, and wearing a red woollen shawl round his head. He
was very kind and friendly, and begged me most urgently not to make a
long stay in Bagírmi, but to return as soon as possible. Our
conversation this time, as well as on the former occasion, was in
Kanúri, which he understood perfectly well.
Logón is, it seems, not a national, but a political name, although I
have not been able to make out its exact meaning.[30] The inhabitants
belong to that great race of the Mása whom I have mentioned on a former
occasion, being the brethren of the Músgu, and the kinsmen of the
inhabitants of Mándará (the Ur-wándalá) and the Kótokó. Their political
existence as people of Logón (or, as they call themselves, Lógodé Logón)
is quite recent[31], and their Islám is of still more recent origin.
Their country also, like that of the Músgu, was formerly split into a
number of small principalities, the chief of Hónkel being the most
powerful among them, till about a century and a half ago, when Bruwá,
the predecessor of Míyará Mása, is said to have founded the town of
Logón, and to have removed the seat of his principality to the present
capital (“bírni,” or “kárnak”) of the country. But this ruler, as well
as his immediate successors, was a pagan, and probably at that time
there were only a few Mohammedans in the place; and Míyará Sále, the old
prince whom Denham visited, the father of the present ruler Yúsuf, is
said to have been the first among the petty princes of this country who
were converted to Islám. Others assert that an older king, Mógha Jénna,
was the first Moslim; and this is not at all improbable as the names of
some of the kings who preceded Sále evidently show that the influence of
Islamism, at least to outward appearance, was felt at a much earlier
date.
With regard to the order of succession from Mása down to Sále, it seems
that Mása was succeeded by a prince of the name of Úngo Aná-smadú, who
was followed by Úngo Aná-logón, the prince to whom, possibly, the
present name of the country Logón is to be referred; he was succeeded by
Mógha ʿAlí, then followed Mógha Káder, and then the predecessor of Sále,
namely, Má Sálikwá. Hence, at the very utmost the Mohammedan religion is
not above sixty years old in this country; and many of the younger
inhabitants of the place are well aware that their fathers were pagans
by birth, and afterwards turned Mohammedans. Of course their Islám, even
at present, is of a poor character; and the whole knowledge of religious
matters which they possess, with the exception of a few elevated
persons, consists of a few phrases which they learn by heart without
understanding their meaning, and the practice of circumcision. In the
country towns, however, even at present, most of the people are pagans.
The inhabitants of Logón fought repeatedly with their neighbours and
kindred of Mándará, and seem to have been successful in that direction.
They are also said to have once destroyed the town of Mélé, which lies
on the eastern side of the river Shárí, and to have killed all the male
inhabitants. The former sultans of Bórnu seem to have left the people of
Logón in enjoyment of tolerable tranquillity, being content with a small
tribute which they made them pay as a mark of subjection. But at present
the tribute is considerable, considering the small extent of the
country, and moreover the unfortunate petty prince of this small kingdom
is compelled to pay another tribute to the sultan of Bagírmi, whose
people harass him continually.
The name which the people of Logón give to their western neighbours is
interesting, as its origin seems to go back into a remote age; for they
call them Billangáre, or rather, “bílle Ngáre,” a name which was
probably derived from Ngarú, the ancient capital of the Gháladí, or the
western provinces of the Bórnu empire, which I have mentioned on a
former occasion; “bílle” means people in general. As for their eastern
neighbours, the Bagírmi people, they call them by the name of Mókkode,
which might seem to have some connection with Makada, a name often
applied to the country west of Abyssinia, and which I think is
erroneously stated to mean Christian.
From the south-west the Fúlbe or Felláta press heavily upon them; and,
as we have seen on the expedition to Músgu, the elderman in the village
of Wáze, which belongs to the territory of Logón, is himself a Púllo or
Felláta.
The people of Logón in former times seem to have made frequent inroads
into the country of their neighbours and kinsmen the Músgu, in order to
supply their want of slaves; but about eight years previous to my visit
they seem to have suffered so severe a check in that quarter, as to make
them desist from undertaking any further expeditions. Upon that occasion
they lost their commander-in-chief, Keghámma or Ibálaghwán Yáhia[32],
the same who built the really imposing palace where I was lodged. This
commander undertook an expedition into the Músgu country, not, as usual,
by land, but by water, and having gone on shore near a village called
Gúmmel, was taken by surprise, and together with the most valiant of his
companions, was slain by the natives of the country.
The government seems to be a limited monarchy, the sovereign being
surrounded by a number of high functionaries, who form the divan or
“tálubá,” identical with the nógoná of the Bórnu people. The first of
these high functionaries is the Ibálaghwán, next follows the Málaghwán
or Gháladíma, then the Mairáy, then the Madám, the Mará-leghá or king of
the water, the Wulangháy or Chiróma (the claimant to the succession),
the Maraymarbá, the Madamátiyá, the Madám ukhsám, the Intháwa, the
Mághawén akhthám, the Másaghé akhthám, and the Mághalé-muté.