ON THE KINGDOM OF DARFOUR.[91]
The realms of Darfour, one of the most extensive dominions of central
Africa, and totally unknown in its interior, consist of the following
countries, partly provinces of the kingdom, and partly tributaries to
that throne: Darfur, Runga,[92] Shala, Gulla, Binga,[93] Bergu,[94]
the latter was conquered by the Sultan of Darfour, in the year 1833,
and includes the small provinces of Bachermi,[95] Kugo, and Niero;
and further, the small, but independent states of Berti, Domurky,
Birget, Gimmer, Fellata, Forga, and Bandala. Gimir, Sachaua,
Bego, Yambusa, Dama, Masalit, and Midol, are small republics,
which formerly had no superiors beyond a magistrate, or sheikh,
in each village, who exerted no executive power, but was obeyed as
the head of a family.
All these states were subjected to Darfour by force of arms. Their
respective sultans inherit the right of throne as heretofore, but are
now tributaries to that country; the contribution consists of ivory,
rhinoceros’ horns, white copper, gold, and slaves. The seraskier,
or general, who resides at Shata or Deleb, is forced to levy the
tribute; and detachments of troops are continually on foot in the
various districts, engaged in collecting the taxation, for which
purpose they are always obliged to resort to coercive measures. The
army consists of irregular troops armed with shield and spear,
and some few with bows and arrows. The cavalry are provided with
very hardy horses, and armed with double-edged sabres, which they
obtain from Germany; they are, in part, clad like the old Numidian
horse in shirts of mail, purchased at large sums in Arabia; so high,
indeed, is the price of this armour, that it might be manufactured
in Germany at one fourth of the cost. There are only about four
hundred muskets, of various shapes and sizes, in the whole army;
their balls they cast of copper. At El Fasher, the capital of
Darfour, four iron cannons are mounted. Dar-Marra, a large hill,
situated at a distance of two short days’ journey from El Fasher,
is considered the fort of Darfour, and is believed to be impregnable,
as it has a never-failing supply of water, and if besieged, might
grow sufficient corn for the consumption of the garrison. The army
of Darfour, has, at various times, ventured as far as Banda,[96]
Wuanga, and Pegu, but was always beaten back with considerable
loss. Mohammed Fadel, Sultan of Darfour, is the present despotic
monarch reigning over all these countries; he is an exceedingly
barbarous man, greatly dreaded by all his subjects, and has merely
kept himself in power by his considerable irregular army. His
younger brothers, Abumedina and Achmet, who are both beloved by
the people, he, on that account, bitterly hates, and consequently
treats them more harshly than slaves. When his oppressive cruelty
became too severe to be endured, they determined, with the aid of a
few trustworthy friends, to effect their escape to Kordofan, their
flight was, however, discovered, and Sultan Fadel had them pursued;
they were overtaken on the borders of Kordofan, and the youngest
was, after some slight resistance, seized and carried before his
brother Fadel, who instantly had his eyes put out. A fleet horse
saved Abumedina, and he reached Kordofan, after having received
a severe sabre wound across his head in his defence; he now placed
himself under the protection of Mehemed Ali, who instantly made him a
monthly allowance. On his last journey to the gold-mines of Fazoglo,
in Sennaar, Mehemed Ali summoned Abumedina into his presence, and
promised to place him on the throne of Darfour, as soon as his own
affairs with the Porte were settled; for which kind office Abumedina
is to pay an annual tribute to Egypt of a thousand horses, ivory,
and white copper; the exact quantity of the latter articles was
not determined, but he is to keep the Egyptian auxiliaries in his
pay as long as he may deem their services necessary.
Should his wishes of rising to the throne of Darfûr be fulfilled,
as he confidently hopes, Europeans would gain considerably by
this change in the government, for it would open a new path into
the unexplored portions of Central Africa; and much good may be,
moreover, expected from his very excellent character. He has often
told me himself, that he would receive an European, who would occupy
himself with the civilization of his people, with open arms.[97]
The following short anecdote may serve as a proof of the kindness
of his disposition, and of the nobleness of his character.
During my sojourn in Lobeid, I had the opportunity of an introduction
to Abumedina: he received my visit with great kindness and
attention, and I passed for a considerable time some hours daily
in his company.[98] Among my effects there happened to be a gun
in the form of a walking-stick, which Abumedina very much wished
to possess, when he learned the use of it. At his request, but
rather as a mark of my esteem, I gave it to him, with instructions
as to the treatment of it, in loading, &c., and I more especially
drew his attention to the quantity of powder necessary for the
charge. A short time after this, Abumedina went out shooting, at
his country-seat, and overcharged the gun, which of course burst and
in the explosion very much shattered his left hand. His attendants
laid the blame of this accident upon me, and requested the sultan
to punish me for it. Apprehensive of the consequences, I fled, and
concealed myself in the house of a fakeér, who was my friend, and
from whom I had no treachery to fear. I there heard that the Divan
at Lobeid had instituted proceedings at law against me, but that
Abumedina had taken my defence upon himself, and torn the papers,
saying, “Pallme is my friend! he cautioned me; he is innocent;
it was the will of God.” After passing ten days in a dark and
damp straw hut, in the greatest anxiety, I preferred continuing my
flight, although I had nothing further to fear from Abumedina. I
consequently proceeded straightway to the White Nile, and thence
to Sennaar, whence I travelled over Berber, and the desert, to
Egypt. By the time I had passed the first cataract, all my cares
were dissipated, and I was walking one day on the banks of the
Nile, at Sijuth, when I suddenly heard a negro calling me by my
name, at a short distance from me. I turned round, and immediately
recognized Abumedina’s eunuch. This rencontre appeared to me,
at the moment, rather suspicious; I quickened my pace, therefore,
towards my boat, to reach my arms, and defend myself, if necessary;
nor could the eunuch induce me to follow him; but then came one of
the Sultan’s mamelukes, in whom I could place more confidence;
I consequently accompanied him to the boat belonging to the prince,
where I was most cordially welcomed. The Sultan had all my luggage
removed to his boat, and I travelled in his company to Cairo,
where he waits for the twelve thousand men, which Mehemed Ali has
promised to lend him, for the purpose of conquering Darfour,[99]
as soon as circumstances will permit him to spare as many troops.
THE END.
LONDON:
Printed by S. & J. BENTLEY, WILSON, and FLEY,
Bangor House, Shoe Lane.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 1: The Rev. J. Russell’s Nubia and Abyssinia,
p. 179.—TR.]
[Footnote 2: A pastoral race.]
[Footnote 3: Birket, as found on the maps of Arrowsmith.]
[Footnote 4: A hermit, and also a schoolmaster.]
[Footnote 5: Slave Merchants; Merchants in general; called, also,
Djelabs, Gelabs, and Jelabs. Vid. “Legh’s Narrative of a
Journey in Egypt and the Countries beyond the Cataracts” and, also,
the Journal of Captain Light.—TR.]
[Footnote 6: The German orthography has been generally followed,
as it is impossible to give the exact spelling of these names,
without being furnished with the Arab characters.—TR.]
[Footnote 7: Accounts, it would appear, are kept in _current
piastres_ of Egypt, each piastre being equivalent to forty
paras. Fifteen and a half or sixteen piastres are = one Spanish
dollar; hence one piastre = three pence halfpenny of English
money, and five paras would, therefore, be about one halfpenny
English. For further information _vide_ Encyclopædia Britanica,
vol. iii. Article Egypt.]
[Footnote 8: This noble animal will probably be found stuffed in
the royal Museum at Munich, for Mehemed Ali presented it to the
Conseillier d’Etat Schubert who was at Cairo in the year 1836.]
[Footnote 9: A coin which is no longer current, but was equal to
two piastres ten para, about twelve and a half kreuzer current =
eight pence of English money.—TR.]
[Footnote 10: A solemn feast kept by the Moslemin; the great Baëram,
commences on the 10th of Dhu Ihajia; the little Baëram is held at
the close of the fast Ramadhan.—TR.]
[Footnote 11: Sennaar and Kordofan; Dongola is also under his sway,
but does not belong to the Belled Soodan.]
[Footnote 12: Between Ambukol and Khartoom.]
[Footnote 13: The ardeb is equivalent to very nearly five English
bushels.—LANE. _Modern Egyptians, Library of Entertaining
Knowledge._—TR.]
[Footnote 14: _Holcus arundinaceus_, or _Sorghum vulgare_, of
Linnæus, and _Holcus Doura_, of Forskaël.—TR.]
[Footnote 15: The Cantaro is = 100 Rotoli, but the rotolo has
different weights. The former is = 150 lb avoirdupois; the latter =
6159 grs. English, or, also, to 18 oz. avoirdupois.—TR.]
[Footnote 16: A general term for millet, whether _panicum miliaceum_,
or _holcus spicata_; it is the _holcus dockna_ of Forskaël.—TR.]
[Footnote 17: Ornithomyzes, a family of apterous and parasitic
insects, vulgarly called “tics.” The latin name _Ricinus_,
is taken from Varro, and not well chosen, as it is liable to be
confounded with the plant of the same name. Vid. _Dictionnaire des
Sciences naturelles_, tom. xlv. article _Ricins._—TR.]
[Footnote 18: Shebé or Sheb, native alum.—TR.]
[Footnote 19: Telka or Telg, a species of pomatum.—TR.]
[Footnote 20: These Sheikhs, or saints, are what we call idiots. They
are unfortunate beings, who, although neglected by nature, are
considered in this country as direct apostles from God, to inform
the children of man of their destiny. These poor wretches are
all but idolized, every one being anxious to shew them the utmost
respect. When they walk out in the streets, they are stopped by
old and young, who kiss their face, hands, and even their feet, and
offer them everything they wish for. Beings of this description are
generally very apathetic, and accept little or nothing; they are,
in fact, generally to be met dressed in the most disgusting clothes,
in rags, or utterly naked, although they would be provided with the
finest raiment if they merely expressed the slightest wish. Their
parents, sisters, or other relations, on the other hand, know how to
turn their misfortune to the best account, and accept considerable
presents for their intercession with these saints, or for procuring
others an opportunity of consulting this oracle. They give the most
absurd and ridiculous answers to questions that are put to them,
partly as a consequence of their fatuity, and partly because taught
to do so; it is, indeed, scarcely possible at times to guess at
their meaning. The more absurd the answer, the more contented is
the party interested; and absolutely delighted, if he can only make
out a single word of the whole rodomontade, which in the slightest
agrees with his wishes. To these saints the women flock in numbers
to beg for fertility. Besides these Sheikhs, there are others, and
Fakéers, who write amulets, which the women wear on their arms,
or heads, firmly believing that their most fervent wishes will be
then fulfilled. The latter profession is exceedingly lucrative,
and I have seen several persons who had made a small fortune in
this manner, and very well understood the art of imposing on the
people, and of persuading them to purchase a fresh charm, although
experience must have convinced them of the futility of the last.]
[Footnote 21: Tarabuka, a drum, which is beaten with the hand.]
[Footnote 22: Takie.]
[Footnote 23: The Arab term for the Sesamum.—TR.]
[Footnote 24: _Spica nardus_; _Valeriana celtica_.—TR.]
[Footnote 25: The fruit of the _prunus mahaleb_, or perfumed cherry,
a native of Austria.—TR.]
[Footnote 26: Dhofer is the shell of an animal found on the Red Sea,
cut into small pieces and used as a perfume, emitting a pleasant
odour when held over the fire. _Burckhardt’s Travels in Nubia_,
p. 286.—TR.]
[Footnote 27: The use of Kophel is of very great antiquity, and is
mentioned in the New Testament by the term στιβίζειν.—TR.]
[Footnote 28: The miners in Germany form almost a particular
caste, and are distinguished from every other artizan by the
peculiarities of their dress. It consists of a black half smock of
glazed linen, with wide sleeves, contracted at the wrist, decorated
with innumerable buttons, and reaches to the waist, where it is
fastened by a broad belt. A leather apron, worn either in front,
or, during their work, reversed, completes the uniform. The latter
article of dress is essential to them in their occupation, which
consists of sitting on the hard rock and breaking the ore away with
their hammers. The head is covered with a thick felt hat, without
a brim, on the crown of which the lantern or candle is placed,
during their descent into the mines.—TR.]
[Footnote 29: It is customary among Europeans travelling on the Nile,
to hoist their national flag, a custom which is the more necessary,
as they, by so doing, avoid many enquiries, which are made at
different places by the local police, and thus save themselves much
trouble, and unnecessary delay.]
[Footnote 30: Chesnut, or maize flour, boiled in water, a species
of flummery.—TR.]
[Footnote 31: Bamié, or bamíyeh, the esculent _hibiscus_:
the part eaten is a polygonal pod full of seeds and nutritive
mucilage. _Lane’s Modern Egyptians, note,_ p. 199.—TR.]
[Footnote 32: The oock’ckah is = 400 dir’hems, is from 3 lb. 3
oz. 13¾ dwt., to 3 lb. 4 oz. troy; or from 2 lb. 11 oz. 8 dr. 18¾
gr., to about, or nearly 2 lb. 12 oz., or 2¾ lb. avoirdupois. Vide
_Lane’s Modern Egyptians, Library of Entertaining Knowledge,
appendix_, p. 578.—TR.]
[Footnote 33: A pomatum for anointing the body, prepared from
Spikenard, Mahaleb, and Tuffer. Burckhardt, in his Travels in
Nubia, p. 200, mentions a preparation of sheep’s-fat, soap,
musk, pulverized sandal-wood, senbal, _i. e._, Spikenard, and
Mahaleb. Brown names as one of the articles of this unguent, _dufr_,
a species of shell of a fish used for perfume.—_Brown’s Travels
in Africa, Egypt, and Syria._—TR.]
[Footnote 34: Or rather, probably, excision, a custom of
great antiquity.—Vide _Strabo Lib._ xvii., Καὶ τὰ
παιδία περιτεμνειν καὶ τὰ θήλεα
ἐκτέμνειν.—TR.]
[Footnote 35: Mulieri in manum conventuræ mentulæ suæ imaginem
ligneam seu luto formatam sponsus mittit.—TR.]
[Footnote 36: See the chapter entitled the capital Lobeid.]
[Footnote 37: Public dancing girls.—TR.]
[Footnote 38: It is, of course, understood, that travellers from
Cairo are furnished with provisions of all kinds, whereas those
returning from the Belled-Soodan are merely provided with red
lentils. A singular fate has brought us five times unexpectedly
together, within the space of five years, in three different quarters
of the globe; the last time we met in a miserable village, in the
Isle of Cyprus, towards the end of last year.]
[Footnote 39: _Lu, lu, lu!_ This cry has a triple signification. It
expresses joy, grief, and danger, and serves also as an encouragement
in battle. The intonation of these sounds determines the difference
of their import. It may be readily recognised when it has been
frequently heard, but cannot be described.]
[Footnote 40: Bakkara are a race of Arabs who occupy themselves
with breeding cattle.]
[Footnote 41: Evil Spirit.—TR.]
[Footnote 42: Johara.—TR.]
[Footnote 43: The most prevalent means, in most Mooslem countries,
of exciting what the Arabs term “Keyf,” which I cannot more
nearly translate than by the word “exhilaration,” is tobacco,
whose accompaniment is usually the cup of coffee.—_Lane’s Modern
Egyptians_, vol. ii., ch. 2., p. 35-6.—TR.]
[Footnote 44: Maxima mihi etiam apud hoc nigrorum genus generationis
organa observandi fuit occasio.]
[Footnote 45: Hic cinctus pudenda tegit.]
[Footnote 46: A custom more especially prevalent in the Harz
mountains on the evening of 1st of May, the night of Walpurgis,
when fires are lighted on the hills, and torches tossed into the
air, to drive away the witches, who are supposed on this occasion
to be making holiday. This custom is alluded to in Goëthe’s
Faust.—TR.]
[Footnote 47: A white cap, worn beneath the Tarboósh.]
[Footnote 48: A red cap, with a silk tassel.]
[Footnote 49: The pod of a tree with which the natives tan leather
in Kordofan.]
[Footnote 50: This earth is found near Shendy, and is said to be
met with in several places on the White Nile also.]
[Footnote 51: It resembles the tomato in shape and size, grows in
a similar manner, and has a very unpleasant taste.]
[Footnote 52: The _chaussure_ consists of shoes and sandals, but
a part of them appear on parade barefooted, for they are not over
rigid disciplinarians; the covering to the head, like that of all
the other troops, is the turboosh—a red cap, and the only article
of dress about them in decent preservation.]
[Footnote 53: Situated at a distance of four hours’ march from
Cairo. This school was subsequently removed to Cairo at the advice
of Prince Pückler-Muskau.]
[Footnote 54: _Solanum Lycopersicum_.—TR.]
[Footnote 55: _Citrus Decumana_, the shaddock?—TR.]
[Footnote 56: Long-staple, Sea island, Egyptian cotton.]
[Footnote 57: Long staple, common Egyptian cotton.—TR.]
[Footnote 58: Heglig, of Browne; Agihalid, of Adamson; the
Balanites Egyptiaca in the _Description de l’Egypte, publiée
par_ Panckoucke. Forskael mentions the fruit of the eglit, but not
the tree.—TR.]
[Footnote 59: The Acacia.—TR.]
[Footnote 60: Cucifera thebaica, in the _Description de
l’Egypte_.—TR.]
[Footnote 61: Faecher palme, Borassus flabelliformis, of
Forskael.—TR.]
[Footnote 62: “Peace be on you,” the greeting of peace, to which
the response is, “On you be peace.” This is the salutation of
Mooslims to each other only.—Vide, _Lane’s Modern Egyptians_,
p. 273.—TR.]
[Footnote 63: Buffaloes.—TR.]
[Footnote 64: The oschour of Burckhardt and Browne.—TR.]
[Footnote 65: Of the Acacia, according to Burckhardt’s Travels
in Nubia, p. 264.—TR.]
[Footnote 66: Girbe.—TR.]
[Footnote 67: Vid. Chapter XIX.]
[Footnote 68: The Kashef, or impression of the seal, is customary
over the whole of the East, and a signature, although in the
handwriting of the individual, does not render a document, or other
paper, valid unless it be at the same time sealed with the Kashef,
or initials of the writer.]
[Footnote 69: An expression in use among the natives of Egypt,
Syria, and Arabia, to denote an amusement and every description
of ornament or pomp; thus the women are said to have a _fantasia_
on their heads or dress, as they go out to witness a _fantasia_.]
[Footnote 70: Wind and heat cause a diminution in the weight of
the gum before it reaches Cairo.]
[Footnote 71: Cisme, or shishme, a small grain of the size and
shape of the smallest lentil of a deep black shining colour is
imported from Darfour. It is pulverized and rubbed into the eyelids
for complaints of the eye.—_Burckhardt’s Travels in Nubia_,
p. 262.—TR.]
[Footnote 72: Vide the following chapters.]
[Footnote 73: Spikenard, from Carinthia, is as indispensable
as bread in this country, it is employed, as before-mentioned,
in the preparation of telka, which every woman must possess, or
she has the right of divorce. The rottolo of one pound is sold at
four or five piasters (one shilling and twopence to one shilling and
sixpence). This article is already in demand in the negro states, and
the consumption will greatly increase in the space of a few years.]
[Footnote 74: Dogas, manufactured in Carniola and Styria, are
iron plates of various sizes, furnished with a ring and hook, and
employed for the purpose of baking bread. They are indispensable
to the caravans.]
[Footnote 75: The razors (the commonest sort manufactured in the
capital of Styria,) are not used for shaving the beard; some few
natives employ them for the hair of the head, but the greater number
for shaving the hair of the pudenda. They are also put into use in
the circumcision of girls and in the mutilation of boys.]
[Footnote 76: Two-edged swords, of Austrian manufacture,
are thirty-six inches and a half in length, and one inch and
three-quarters in breadth, of equal diameter throughout, and
rounded off inferiorly. Seven inches and a quarter in the curve,
and marked: ♁ with a lion. The scabbards and hilts are made in the
country. They are in most request in Darfour. The sale is attended
with considerable profit, but those marked with a death’s-head
from the workshops of Peter Knell, in Solingen, are preferred.]
[Footnote 77: Antimony from various mines in the province of Austria,
and reduced to a powder, is used as a cosmetic by the women and
girls, who cover their eyelids with it.]
[Footnote 78: Arsenic from different parts of Austria is bought
in those negro states where gold is found. It is transmitted from
Kordofan as far as Bunda.]
[Footnote 79: Iron wire and brass wire from the Tyrol and the
province of Austria, is in great request in all parts of Africa
for the decoration of lances and tobacco-pipes, and also for
ear-rings. In some districts the natives wear as many as ten brass
rings in one ear.]
[Footnote 80: Common cloths from Bohemia termed technically Londerin
seconds. The scarlet colours are preferred in Darfour.]
[Footnote 81: Glass beads from Bohemia play a very prominent part
in the commerce of Africa. In some places the red are in demand,
in others again the blue or yellow beads, but where a particular
colour does not happen to be fashionable, there is no sale for them
even at the cost price.]
[Footnote 82: Card counters are in request in most of the negro
states, they are worn by the women as an ornament in the head-dress.]
[Footnote 83: Narghilé, the glass water-reservoirs of the Persian
pipes.—TR.]
[Footnote 84: Brick or ebrigh ablution vases, in the form of a
coffee biggin; those in general use in the East are made of copper,
but those of glass are also frequently to be met with.—TR.]
[Footnote 85: Drinking-cups of glass, shaped like our
tea-cups.—TR.]
[Footnote 86: I furnished Dr. Madden, who was sent by the English
“Society for the Abolishment of the Slave Trade,” to Egypt,
with the body of the matter of this and the following chapter
at his urgent request, and that of several other gentlemen who
were totally at a loss for correct information on the slave-hunts
annually taking place in the provinces of the Pasha of Egypt. I
was the more willing to assist him in this undertaking, as it was
the intention of the Society to make representations to Mehemed
Ali on this subject, and thus to endeavour to save thousands of
unfortunate victims. This and the subsequent chapter have appeared
in the second volume of the “British and Foreign Anti-Slavery
Reporter,” No. 28, Jan. 13th, 1841.]
[Footnote 87: Gasua originally means a campaign against the infidels,
and is the same word as razzia so often heard in Algiers, merely
differing in pronunciation.]
[Footnote 88: Dire.—TR.]
[Footnote 89: The information I was able to collect was communicated
to the celebrated French traveller, Antoine d’Abbadie, who laid it
before the Academy in Paris and the Geographical Society in London;
by the latter it was subsequently published in the Athenæum,
of 18th January 1840. As regards the White Nile, more accurate
information may now have been obtained through the expedition sent
in the year 1840, for the third time, by Mehemed Ali, to trace the
river to its source.]
[Footnote 90: In the _Athenæum_ this place is erroneously called
Bab-Belull, its correct name is Cab-Belull.]
[Footnote 91: I consider myself justified in annexing these few
remarks on Darfour to the description of Kordofan, although somewhat
irrelevant to the subject, as so little is yet known of that kingdom,
and the source of my information may be considered very authentic;
for I had it from no less a person than Sultan Abumedina, the brother
of the Sultan of Darfour, and I am, moreover, of opinion that it
will not be altogether useless in a geographical point of view.]
[Footnote 92: Runga is situated on a river, believed to be the
White Nile, and is said to be a fertile country, with a very
healthy climate. Bananas, wild grapes, lemons, and three sorts
of potatoes, grow in the country; the first is a small and curved
variety, which grows without cultivation in the sand; the second
variety resembles the European potatoe in shape and flavour,
and is planted; the third, which is also cultivated, is a giant
potatoe, said to attain the weight of twelve oock’ckahs, equal
to twenty-seven pounds. The country is supposed to be very rich
in silver ore, of which but little use is made, as the smelting
costs the natives too much trouble. Darfour draws a great deal
of ivory and rhinoceros’ horn from this country, but it has no
camels. Islamism has made great progress there within the last
few years. The religion of the natives is exceedingly simple; they
believe in the existence of an invisible deity who produces water,
namely rain, and makes their fruit to grow. They pay, further, great
respect to persons afflicted with fatuity, and believe them to be
prophets of the invisible God. They build peculiar huts for these
beings, more like birdcages than houses, where they are confined,
and provided with food. Before sunset the populace visits them to
consult them for advice, and every answer, be it ever so nonsensical,
is regarded as an oracle, and firmly believed. The same ideas are
said to prevail in Banda, Wuanga, Binga, and Gulla.]
[Footnote 93: In Binga a large quantity of copper ore is found,
which is met with in commerce in Kordofan, and converted into
anklets for the women, weighing about one pound each; it has not
the same characteristics as the European copper, but bears a nearer
resemblance to brass; its colour is pale yellow.]
[Footnote 94: A caravan leaves Bergu annually for Tripoli. The
distance from Bergu to Kobbe, the chief commercial town of Darfour,
is twenty days’ march. Since Bergu has become tributary to Darfour,
European goods have found their way into the latter country from
Tripoli by way of Bergu.]
[Footnote 95: Bagermi.—TR.]
[Footnote 96: Banda has been vaunted to me as a country rich in gold;
it is also said to possess a large quantity of white copper.]
[Footnote 97: At present any traveller might reach Darfour, but he
would never return, because the reigning Sultan looks upon every
white man as a spy of Mehemed Ali’s. Mohammed Fadel’s chief
wish is to have some European settlers in his country; he even
invited me through a Djelabi, to come; for he is well aware that
Mehemed Ali has set his eye upon Darfour. An European died eight
years ago in that kingdom: he was a renegade, and stood very high
in the favour of the Court. He has left two full-grown sons; but
I could neither discover his name, nor the country he came from.]
[Footnote 98: I have frequently dined at his table, and when I, on
one of these occasions, observed no bread, and asked the reason,
he answered: bread is only for servants and slaves; but that it
had never been a custom of the Sultans of Darfour to eat bread.]
[Footnote 99: It need scarcely be mentioned that this change of
government has not yet taken place.—TR.]
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