of which measures about seven miles; but only about half of this area is
inhabited, the principal quarter being formed in the midst of the town
on the north and west sides of the palace of the sultan, while a few
detached quarters and isolated yards lie straggling about as outposts.
The most characteristic feature of the place consists in a deep trough-
like depression or bottom, stretching out to a great length, and
intersecting the town from east to west, in the same manner as the town
of Kanó is intersected by the Jákara; for this hollow of the capital of
Bagírmi, after the rainy season, is filled with water, and on this
account is called “bedá” by the natives, and “el bahr” by the Arabs,
while during part of the dry season it is clothed with the richest
verdure. It is remarkable that not only in this respect the town of Más-
eñá resembles that of Kanó, but, like the great market-place of Háusa,
its surface is also broken by many other hollows, which contain the
wells, and during the rainy season are changed into deep ponds, which,
by accumulating all the refuse of the town, cause a great deal of
insalubrity; but in general the soil, consisting of sand, dries very
quickly after a fall of rain.
[Illustration: _To face p._ 388. _of Vol. III._
PLAN OF THE TOWN OF MÁS-EÑA.
1. The house where I lodged, represented here also on a larger scale.
2. The palace of the sultan, surrounded by a strong wall 18 feet high,
and 10 feet thick, built of baked bricks, but at present in decay.
_a._ Public hall of audience.
_b._ Hut of kadamánge.
_c._ Entrance-hall, or hut used as a parlour.
_d._ Court-yard in which I had an audience with the king, while
he himself was in room _e_.
3. House of the fácha.
4. Mosque.
5. Open square in front of the palace, planted with trees.
6. House of zérma.
7. House of the fáki Sámbo.
8. House of the chiróma.
9. House of the máina Beládemí.
10. Market-place.
11. Tomb of ʿAlí Fenjár, the great chief of Miltú, who two years
previous to my visit to the place died here at an advanced age and
much respected. The tomb is well shaded by a kúrna-tree.
12. A large deep hollow with wells, but in the rainy season full of
water.
13. A seat or diván of clay—“dágalí” in Kanúri, “teláng” in tar
Bágrimma.
14. Huts for common strangers and pilgrims.
15. Hut of Fáki Íbrahím and his companion.
16. House of female patient.
17. Kitchen-gardens.]
The principal quarter of the town lies on the south side of the great
hollow or bedá; but even this very central quarter is far from being
densely inhabited, and was less so during the first month of my
residence, owing to the absence of the sultan. The central point of this
quarter, at least in regard to its importance, if not to its position,
is the palace of the sultan, the whole arrangement of which is in
general similar to the residences of the chiefs in other towns,
consisting of irregular clusters of clay buildings and huts. But there
is a remarkable feature in this palace, which distinguishes it in a very
conspicuous manner from all other buildings of the kind in these
countries. This difference consists in the wall which surrounds the
whole building being built, not of sun-dried, but of baked bricks. I
have had an opportunity of describing, on my journey from Kanó to
Kúkawa, the ruins of the town of Ghámbarú, which is built of the same
material; and I shall further on describe those of Bírni or Ghasréggomo,
the old capital of Bórnu, constructed in the same manner. But at present
the traveller looks in vain for such solid buildings in any of the towns
of Negroland; and I was therefore not a little surprised at finding it
here, in a place where one might least expect to see it.[44]
It was not, however, a building of recent date, but built at least
fifty, or perhaps a hundred years ago, or probably more, and was at
present in a considerable state of decay. It forms a quadrangle of a
somewhat oblong shape, the front looking towards the N.W., and measures
from 1500 to 1600 yards in circumference. It must once have been a very
strong building, the walls measuring about ten feet at the base, and
from fifteen to twenty feet in height, and the entrance-gate being
formed by thick wooden planks bound with iron. Upon entering, we first
got into an open courtyard, in the eastern part of which there was a
large oblong building or hall built of clay, which formed the public
place of audience. Adjoining this there was a hut, wherein the
kadamánge, or zérma—for he had lately risen in the service—who had been
installed as lieutenant-governor, had his official residence, while
further westward another hut formed the entrance-hall into the inner or
private apartments of the sultan, which I shall notice on the occasion
of my audience with the sovereign.
The whole south-eastern part of the palace, being inclosed by a separate
wall, is entirely devoted to the female portion of the royal household,
and is full of huts, the number of which, of course, I am not able to
tell, having had no access to this sacred and most secluded part of the
residence. According to report, at least, the sultan is said to have
from 300 to 400 wives. The huts are of various sizes and descriptions,
in conformity with the character of the tenant of each. In front of the
palace a spacious area or square is laid out, ornamented with six
karáge-trees, besides a fine tamarind-tree which grows a little on one
side of the entrance to the palace. Adjacent to the royal residence, on
the west side, is the large house of the fácha, or commander-in-chief,
and towards the east a mosque, of small dimensions, with a minaret at
the north-west corner. The other sides are occupied by the residences of
some of the principal courtiers, such as the mánja, the zérma, and the
bárma. The principal street of the town joins this area in the north-
west corner; and along it lie the dwellings of some of the other
principal men. At the spot where this road passes by the north side of
the deep hollow or concavity above described (12), it is crossed by
another principal street, which, in a straight line, proceeds from the
gate leading to Ábú-Gher, and intersects the market-place.
My own residence was situated at the south-western angle of the
inhabited quarter; and while it had the advantage of being in an open
and airy situation, it had also the disadvantage of being visible from
almost every part of the town, so that I could not step out of my room
without being seen by all the people around.
Dilapidated as was the appearance of the whole town, it had a rather
varied aspect, as all the open grounds were enlivened with fresh
pasture; but there is no appearance of industry, and the whole has the
character of a mere artificial residence of the people immediately
connected with the court. The market-place is rather small, and not
provided with a single stall, the people being obliged to protect
themselves as well as they can, by forming a new temporary shed every
market-day. The most interesting aspect is afforded by the bedá, or
bahr, which is bordered on the south-west side by a few picturesque
groups of dúm-palms and other trees of fine foliage, while at the
western end, near the market-place, there is a large extent of kitchen-
gardens, as well as near the south-eastern extremity. In consequence of
the peculiar nature of the bedá, the direct communication between the
northern and southern quarters, which during the dry season is kept up
by a good path, seems to be occasionally interrupted during the rains.
The construction of the houses in general is good, and the thatchwork of
the roofs formed with great care, and even with neatness; but the clay
is of rather a bad description for building, and the clay houses afford
so little security during the rainy season, that most people prefer
residing during that part of the year in the huts of reeds and straw:
and I myself had sufficient opportunity of becoming acquainted with the
frail character of these structures. There are, however, some pretty-
looking houses on the road to Ábú-Gher.
The walls of the town, in most places, are in a state of great decay, so
that the gates in reality have lost all importance; nevertheless there
are still nine gates, or rather openings, in use. Most of them lie on
the south side, while there is not a single gate towards the north, this
quarter of the town being so deserted that it is even overgrown with
dense underwood. All around the place, as well on the south side, where
a large pond is formed in the rainy season, as on the other sides, there
are villages inhabited by Shúwa or Shíwa (native Arabs), principally of
the tribe of the Bení Hassan, who supply the town with milk and butter.
Besides studying, roving about, paying now an official visit to the
lieutenant-governor, then a more interesting private one to my friend
Sámbo, much of my time was also occupied with giving medicine to the
people,—especially during the early period of my stay; for the small
stock of medicines which I brought with me was soon exhausted. But even
if I had possessed a much larger supply, I might perhaps have been
tempted to withhold occasionally the little aid I could afford, on
account of the inhospitable treatment which I received; and in the
beginning I was greatly pestered by the lieutenant, who sent me to some
decrepit old women, who had broken their limbs and in every respect were
quite fit for the grave. I then protested officially against being sent
in future to patients at least of the other sex, beyond a certain age.
But sometimes the patients proved rather interesting, particularly the
females; and I was greatly amused one morning when a handsome and well-
grown young person arrived with a servant of the lieutenant-governor,
and entreated me to call and see her mother, who was suffering from a
sore in her right ear. Thinking that her house was not far off, I
followed her on foot, but had to traverse the whole town, as she was
living near the gate leading to Ábú-Gher; and it caused some merriment
to my friends to see me strutting along with this young lady. But
afterwards, when I visited my patient, I used to mount my horse; and the
daughter was always greatly delighted when I came, and frequently put
some very pertinent questions to me, as to how I was going on with my
household, as I was staying quite alone. She was a very handsome person,
and would even have been regarded so in Europe, with the exception of
her skin, the glossy black of which I thought very becoming at the time,
and almost essential to female beauty.
The princesses also, or the daughters of the absent king, who in this
country too bear the title of “mairam” or “méram,” called upon me
occasionally, under the pretext of wanting some medicines. Amongst
others, there came one day a buxom young maiden, of very graceful but
rather coquettish demeanour, accompanied by an elder sister, of graver
manners and fuller proportions, and complained to me that she was
suffering from a sore in her eyes, begging me to see what it was; but
when, upon approaching her very gravely, and inspecting her eyes rather
attentively without being able to discover the least defect, I told her
that all was right, and that her eyes were sound and beautiful, she
burst out into a roar of laughter, and repeated, in a coquettish and
flippant manner, “beautiful eyes, beautiful eyes.”
There is a great difference between the Kanúri and Bagírmi females, the
advantage being entirely with the latter, who certainly rank among the
finest women in Negroland, and may well compete with the Fúlbe or
Felláta; for if they are excelled by them in slenderness of form and
lightness of colour, they far surpass them in their majestic growth and
their symmetrical and finely-shaped limbs, while the lustre and
blackness of their eyes are celebrated all over Negroland. Of their
domestic virtues, however, I cannot speak, as I had not sufficient
opportunity to enable me to give an opinion upon so difficult a
question. I will only say that on this subject I have heard much to
their disadvantage; and I must own that I think it was not all slander.
Divorce is very frequent among them as inclination changes. Indeed I
think that the Bagírmi people are more given to intrigues than their
neighbours; and among the young men sanguinary encounters in love
affairs are of frequent occurrence. The son of the lieutenant-governor
himself was at that time in prison on account of a severe wound which he
had inflicted upon one of his rivals. In this respect the Bágrimma very
nearly approach the character of the people of Wádáy, who are famous on
account of the furious quarrels in which they often become involved in
matters of love.
Occasionally there occurred some petty private affairs of my friends
which caused some little interruption in the uniform course of my life.
Now it was my old friend Bú-Bakr, from Bákadá, who complained of his
wife, who resided here in Más-eñá, and who did not keep his house as
well and economically as he desired, and, when he occasionally came into
the town, did not treat him so kindly as he thought she ought to do, so
that he came to the serious conclusion of divorcing her. Another time my
restless friend was in pursuit of a runaway slave, who had tried to
escape beyond the Báchikám.
Then it was my friend Háj Áhmed, who complained to me of his
disappointment, and how he had been overreached by his enemies and
rivals. He was certainly in an awkward position in this country; and I
could never get quite at the bottom of his story. For, as I have
mentioned above, he had been sent from Medína in order to obtain from
the king of Bagírmi a present of eunuchs; but now, after he had been
residing here about a year and a half, having been continually delayed
by the ruler of the country, another messenger had arrived, who, it
seemed, was to reap the fruits of my friend’s labours. Háj Áhmed had
accompanied the sultan on his expedition the previous year; but he had
almost lost his life, having received a severe wound in the head, from
one of those iron hand-bills which form the chief weapon of the pagan
tribes towards the south. He therefore thought it better this time to
remain behind; but he made no end of complaints, on account of the
miserly and inhospitable treatment of the lieutenant-governor. The
situation of my friend became the more lamentable when his female slave,
the only one he had at the time, managed to make her escape, having
thrown down her mistress, who had gone outside the town with her.
Scenes like these happened daily; and I had frequent opportunities of
demonstrating to my friends, how the vigour and strength of the
Christian empires of Europe were principally based upon their capability
of continually renewing their vitality from free native elements, and by
totally abstaining from slavery. And I further demonstrated to them that
slavery had been the principal cause of the speedy overthrow of all the
Mohammedan dynasties and empires that had ever flourished.
Another time it was my friend Slímán, who, besides topics of a more
serious nature, used to entertain me with stories from his domestic
life; for, being of a roving disposition, ever changing, and of rather
desultory habits, he was accustomed to contract temporary matches for a
month, which of course gave him a great insight into the habits of the
females of the countries which he traversed on his peregrinations.
At another time some natural phenomena gave me some occupation. Amongst
the nuisances with which the country of Bagírmi abounds, the large black
ant called “kingíbbu” and “kangífu” in Kanúri, “kíssino” in tar Bágrimma
(the language of Bagírmi)—_termes mordax_,—is one of the most
troublesome; and besides some smaller skirmishes with this insect, I had
to sustain, one day, a very desperate encounter with a numerous host of
these voracious little creatures, that were attacking my residence with
a stubborn pertinacity which would have been extremely amusing if it had
not too intimately affected my whole existence. In a thick uninterrupted
line, about an inch broad, they one morning suddenly came marching over
the wall of my court-yard, and entering the hall which formed my
residence by day and night, they made straight for my store-room; but
unfortunately, my couch being in their way, they attacked my own person
most fiercely, and soon obliged me to decamp. We then fell upon them,
killing those that were straggling about and foraging, and burning the
chief body of the army as it came marching along the path; but fresh
legions came up, and it took us at least two hours before we could
fairly break the lines and put the remainder of the hostile army to
flight.
On this occasion the insects seemed to have been attracted entirely by
the store of corn which I had laid in from Bákadá. In general their
hostile attacks have also a beneficial effect, for, as they invade the
huts of the natives, they destroy all sorts of vermin, mice included.
But while in some respects these black ants may be called the
“scavengers of the houses,” in many parts of Negroland they often become
also very useful by their very greediness in gathering what man wants
entirely for himself; for they lay in such a considerable store of corn,
that I have very often observed the poor natives, not only in these
regions, but even along the shores of the Niger, digging out their
holes, in order to possess themselves of their supplies.
Besides these large black ants, the small red ant, called in Bórnu
“kítta-kítta,” and in Bagírmi “kíssasé,” is found in great numbers, and
becomes often very troublesome by its very smallness, as it gets so
easily into all sorts of dresses without being observed. I was once
greatly amused in witnessing a battle between this small red ant and the
white ant, called “kanám” in Bórnu, and here “nyó” (_termes fatalis_),
when the latter were very soon vanquished by the warriors of the former
species, who, notwithstanding their smaller size, were carrying them off
with great speed and alacrity to their holes; for the white ant is
powerless as soon as it gets out of its subterranean passages, which
impart to them strength, as the earth did to Antæus.
The rains, which at first had set in with considerable violence, had
afterwards almost ceased, so that the herbage on the open uncultivated
grounds in the town became quite withered, and many of the people, who
upon the first appearance of rain had been induced to trust their seeds
to the soil, were sadly disappointed; and I have already had occasion to
relate that the natives, including their chief, attributed this state of
the weather to my malignant influence. However, I was delighted when I
sometimes made a little excursion on horseback in the environs of the
capital, to see that the open country was less dry than the inside of
the town, although even there as yet little cultivation was to be seen.
It seemed very remarkable to me that here, as well as in the other parts
of the country, especially Bákadá, the corn was generally cultivated in
deep furrows and ridges or “derába,” a mode of tillage which I had not
observed in any other country of Negroland through which I had
travelled. The people, however, were very suspicious whenever I mounted
on horseback; and the first time they saw me galloping off, they thought
I was going to make my escape, and were therefore all on the look-out.
All this time the sultan or “bánga” was absent, and the false news which
was repeatedly told of his whereabouts kept up a continual excitement.
When I first arrived in the country, he had gone a considerable distance
towards the south-east, and was besieging a place called Gógomi, which
was strongly fortified by nature, and made a long resistance, so that
the besieging army lost a great many of their best men, and among them
an Arab sheríf who had joined the expedition. But at length the place
was taken, and the courtiers prevailed upon the prince to retrace his
steps homewards, as they were suffering a great deal from famine; so
much so that the greatest part of the army were obliged to live upon the
fruit of the deléb-palm (_Borassus flabelliformis?_), which seems to be
the predominant tree in many of the southern provinces of Bagírmi.
[Sidenote: July 3rd.]
After false reports of the sultan’s approach had been spread repeatedly,
he at length really arrived. Of course, the excitement of the whole
population was very great, almost all the fighting men having been
absent from home for more than six months.
It was about nine o’clock in the morning when the army approached the
south side of the town, displaying a great deal of gorgeous pomp and
barbaric magnificence, although it was not very numerous, being reduced
to the mere number of the inhabitants of the capital, the remainder
having already dispersed in all directions, and returned to their
respective homes. Thus there were not more than from 700 to 800
horsemen, or “malásínda;” but my friend the sheríf Slimán (who,
exasperated at the bad treatment of the lieutenant-governor, had left
the capital to join the expedition, and who, as far as I had an
opportunity of trying him, was not inclined to exaggerate) assured me
that, even on their return, the army mustered at least 2000 horsemen.
At the head of the troop, as having supplied the place of his master
during his absence, in his character of lieutenant-governor, rode the
kadamánge, surrounded by a troop of horsemen. Then followed the bárma,
behind whom was carried a long spear of peculiar make, which in the
history of this country forms a very conspicuous object, being meant
originally to represent an idol, which is said to have been transplanted
from the parent state Kénga Matáya, and evidently bore a great
resemblance to the “féte” of the Marghí and Músgu. Just in front of the
sultan rode the fácha, or commander-in-chief, who is the second person
in the kingdom, similar to the keghámma in the old empire of Bórnu, and
who in former times possessed extraordinary power. The sultan himself
wore a yellow bernús, and was mounted upon a grey charger, the
excellence of which was scarcely to be distinguished, it being dressed
in war-cloth, or líbbedí, of various-coloured stripes, such as I have
described on my expedition to Músgu. Even the head of the sultan himself
was scarcely to be seen, not only on account of the horsemen riding in
front and around him, but more particularly owing to two umbrellas, the
one of green and the other of red colour, which a couple of slaves
carried on each side of him.
Six slaves, their right arm clad in iron, were fanning him with ostrich
feathers attached to long poles; and round about him rode five
chieftains, while on his right were seen the ghelétma and other
principal men of the country. This whole group round the prince formed
such a motley array, that it was impossible to distinguish all the
particular features with accuracy; but, as far as I was able to make out
from the description of the natives, there were about thirty individuals
clad in bernúses, while the others wore nothing but black or blue-
coloured shirts, and had their heads mostly uncovered. Close behind this
group followed the war-camel, upon which was mounted the drummer,
“kodgánga,” who was exerting his skill upon two kettle-drums which were
fastened on each side of the animal; and near him rode three musicians,
two of whom carried a bukí, “kája,” or small horn, and the third a jójo
or “zózo,” a sort of double derabúka.
However grotesque the appearance of the royal cavalcade, that part of
the procession which followed was more characteristic of the barbaric
magnificence, and whole manner of living, of these African courts. It
consisted of a long uniform train of forty-five favourite female slaves,
or concubines, “habbabát,” of the sultan, mounted on horseback, and
dressed from top to toe in black native cloth, each having a slave on
either side. The procession terminated in a train of eleven camels
carrying the luggage. The number of the infantry or “malajá” was also
limited, as most of them had returned to their respective homes. But, on
the other hand, almost all the people of the town had come out to see
the victorious army on their return.