FROM GHAT TO MOURZUK.
Another Range of Black Mountains.--Habits of She-Camels when
having Foals.--Our Mahrys.--Intelligence of my Nagah.--Geology of
Route.--Arrive at the Boundaries of Ghat and Fezzan.--The
Moon-Stroke.--Sudden Tempest.--Theological Controversy of The
Shereef.--Wars and Razzias between the Tibboos and
Touaricks.--Forests of Tholh Trees.--The Shereef's opinion of the
Touaricks.--Dine with The Shereef.--Saharan Travellers badly
clothed and fed.--Style of making Bazeen.--Mode of
Encamping.--Cold Day, felt by all the Caravan.--Well of
Teenabunda.--Arrival in The Wady of Fezzan.--Meeting of the two
Slave Caravans.--Tombs of Ancient Christians.--Routes between
Ghat and Fezzan.--Weariness of Saharan Travel.--Oases and Palms
of The Wady.--We meet a rude Sheikh, demanding Custom-Dues.--Haj
Ibrahim's opinion of the Virgin Mary.--Black Jews in Central
Africa.--My Affray with the Egyptian.--Route to Tripoli, _viâ_
Shaty and Mizdah.--Features and Colour of Fezzaneers.--My Journey
from The Wady to Mourzuk, on leaving the Slave-Caravans.--Tombs
of former Inhabitants, and Legends about them.--Bleak and Black
Plateau.--The Targhee Scout.--Have a Bilious Attack.--Desert
Arcadians, and lone Shepherdesses.--Oasis of Agath, and its want
of Hospitality.
_12th._--A LONG, long, weary day, and tormentingly hot in the middle of
the day. Course north-east, over plains scattered with small stones.
Traversed a few small ridges of hills. A new species of stone to-day, the
hard slate-coloured, and some of it with a granite-like look. Afternoon,
came in sight of the other chain of black, or, as sometimes designated,
Soudan mountains, stretching boundlessly north and south, like those
near Ghat. This chain likewise extends to the Tibboo country. It is an
error of some of the late French writers, to make the Saharan ranges
always run east and west. This direction of development only applies to
the Atlas ranges of the Coast. No trees, and no herbage for the camels.
The hasheesh which the camels ate this evening was brought us from the
encampment of yesterday. The poor slaves knocked up to-day; rested many
times on the road, and another very ill. In all probability she will
follow her companions lately dead. Others, however, sang and danced, and
tried to forget their slavery and hardships. But the death of the two
girls is a damper for the rest, and they have not been so merry since
that mournful occurrence. The she-camels, which have foals, give no milk
for want of herbage. The two mothers bite one another's children. This,
perhaps, they do to teach the young ones their true mothers. One of them
makes a great noise over her young one, and disturbs all the caravan.
Evening, whilst all the people were at prayers, and prostrating in their
usual parallel lines, I went up to her, and began teazing her. The angry
brute slowly and deliberately got up, but, once on her legs, she made a
dead set at me, running after me. Meanwhile, receding backwards as fast
as I could, I fell over some of the people praying and prostrating, and
the camel attacked them as well as me, spoiling their devotions. The
camel now returned to her foal; and, prayers over, Haj Ibrahim said to
me, laughing, "Yâkob, the camel knows you are a kafer, and don't pray
with us. So she attacks you. Camels never attack good Moslems at their
prayers." The foal of seven days' old walked the whole of our long march
to-day! and nearly as fast as a man. So the poor camel begins to learn
by times its lessons of patience and long-suffering. The mahry of the Haj
is very vicious and greedy, and bites all the other camels which eat with
it. Camels are made to eat in a circle, all kneeling down, head to head,
and eye to eye. Within this circle of heads is thrown the fodder. Each
camel claims its place and portion, eating that directly opposite to its
head. The people eat in the same manner in circles, each claiming the
portion before them, but squatting on their hams instead of kneeling. The
mahry of the Haj is quite white, and is a very fine animal; but its eye
is small and sleepy-looking, so that it does not appear to have the
amount of intelligence of the Coast camels. We have another smaller
mahry, and some of the mahrys are as diminutive as others are gigantic in
size. My nagah feeds by herself. The males never bite the females as they
bite one another,--a piece of admirable gallantry, so far, on their part,
but they rob the females of their fodder, and I am obliged constantly to
keep driving them away from my nagah. The nagah knows she receives her
dates from our panniers. Stooping down on one of them this evening to
find something, putting my head right in, and raising myself up, I found
the nagah's head right over my shoulder, attentively watching me, to see
if I was bringing out her dates. She distinguishes me well from the Moors
and Arabs, by my black cloak, and is usually very gentle and civil to me,
and familiar, more especially about the time of bringing out the dates.
_13th._--Our course north-east, over an undulating plain of sand and
gravel, and at intervals the desert surface was a plain pavement of
stone, of a dark slate-colour. Greater part of the route strewn with
pieces of petrified wood, but no pretty fossil remains. Wood, apparently
chumps of the tholh. We had all day the new range of black mountains on
our right, which extend southwards far beyond the Fezzanee country to the
Tibboos. Intensely cold all day, the air misty, and the wind from
north-west. But I prefer this cold to the heat of yesterday. Haj Ibrahim
complained of the cold, and was alarmed for his slaves. One of the
females he chased on his mahry, the girl running away on foot, and gave
her two or three cuts with the whip. She had been accused of too great
familiarity with a male slave. Crime and slavery go hand in hand:
Miserable humanity!
About noon, we reached the territory of Fezzan. Good bye, Touaricks!
farewell to the land of the brave and the free! Farewell, ye Barbarians!
where prisons, gibbets, murders, and assassinations are unheard of. We
now tread the soil of despotism, decapitations, slavery and civilization,
under the benign Ottoman rule, in conjunction with the Christianized
Powers of Europe! The boundaries of Ghat and Fezzan are determined by two
conspicuous objects, first, by a chain of mountains running north-east
and south-west, joining the oases of Fezzan on the north, and extending
to the Tibboo towns on the south, the eastern side of all which chain is
claimed by the masters of Fezzan, the western by the Touaricks of Ghat;
and secondly the forests of tholh trees, which are now appearing in our
north, affording abundant wood to the people of the caravan, and browsing
for the camels. I am now, then, once more under the power of the Porte,
and within the region of Turkish civilization. Passed other desert
mosques, with some Arabic characters written in the sand, near the
Keblah.
To-night the moon shone with a sun's splendour; all our people seemed
startled at this prodigious effulgence of light. Several of the slaves
ran out amongst the tholh trees, and began to dance and kick up their
heels as if possessed. It might remind them of the clear moonlit banks
and woods of Niger. Haj Ibrahim at last got out his umbrella and put it
up, "What's that for?" I asked. "The moon is corrupt (fesed), its light
will give me fever. You must put up your broken umbrella." So said all
our people, and related many stories of persons struck by the moon and
dying instantaneously[103]. This is another illustration of the passage,
"The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night." (Ps. cxxi.
6.) In the Scriptures are several allusions to a stroke of the sun, (see
Is. xLix. 10, Rev. vii. 16,) but few to the moon-stroke. Saharan opinion
is that the moon-stroke is fatal. I am not aware that the moon-stroke is
well authenticated by our eminent physicians. The writer of the psalm
spoke the current language of his epoch of science. It is probable that
"moon-struck madness," and strokes of the moon, are the effects of
noisome or infectious vapours which crowd about the night, and obscure
with a still paler light that pale luminary. The sun-stroke seems to be
well-authenticated; many cases of Europeans going hunting and sporting in
the open country of Barbary, then and there receiving a stroke of the
sun, and dying with fever, are on record.
_14th._--Course as usual, north-east. Cold to-day. Skirt the
mountain-chain on our right, and traverse a vast plain, scattered with
pebbles and other small stones. As yet, we have not passed over sands or
through any sandy region, although sand-ranges bounded the west in the
early part of the route; here and there a little sand, loose and flying
about. Our road is a splendid carriage-road. Oh, were there but water!
But water is the all and everything in The Desert. Encamped on the
limitless plain. How variable is Saharan weather: now, at sunset, a
tempest rises, and sweeps the bosom of The Desert with "the besom of
destruction!" A high wind continued all night. I fancied myself at sea,
but preferred the Ocean Desert, its groaning hurricane, its hideous
barrenness, to the heaving and roaring of the Ocean of Waters. We passed
another desert mosque; it was only a simple line, slightly curved for the
Keblah. There were also some letters written on the earth, in Arabic,
passages from the Koran. Other writing on the ground is always smoothed
over, and not allowed to remain. Part of the road was covered with heaps
of stone, as if done to clear it, as well as to direct travellers _en
route_.
The Shereef introduced the subject of religion to-night in conversation.
He observed:--
"The torments of the damned are like all the fires in the world put
together."
_I._--"Are these torments eternal?"
_The Shereef._--"Yes, as everlasting as Paradise."
_I._--"But do you not continually say, 'God is The Most Merciful.' How
can this be?"
_The Shereef._--"I don't know, so it is decreed." The Shereef boldly
continued, "In this world[104] God has given all the infidels plenty of
good things, (this being a sly allusion to the Christians and their
possession of great wealth); but, in the next world, the believers only
will enjoy good, and the kafer will be miserable." "You, Yâkob," he
proceeded, "are near the truth, very near, and near Paradise, because you
can read and write Arabic, and understand our holy books."
And so he went on preaching me a very orthodox sermon. I asked him how
God would dispose of those who never read or heard of Mahomet or the
Koran. He couldn't tell. The same queries and objections are,
nevertheless, applicable to our own and to nearly all religions, which
make the condition of believing one thing, and one class of doctrines,
absolute for salvation. The Touatee gold-merchant, who was close by at
the time, interposed, "You are near jinnah (Paradise), Yâkob, one word
only, 'There is no God but God, and Mahomet is the prophet of God.'" I
returned, "If this be not uttered from the heart it is useless and
mockery." "By G--d! you are right, Yâkob," exclaimed the Shereef. Like
most Mahometans, the Shereef says, "The coming of Jesus is near, when he
will destroy all the enemies of God, Jews and Christians, and give the
world and its treasures into the hands of the Moslemites." I asked him
why he represented all mankind but the Moslemites to be the enemies of
God? My mind always recoils from the thought of arranging mankind, and
marshalling them forward, so many enemies of God, as if the Eternal and
Almighty Being who planned, formed, and sustains the universal frame of
nature, could have enemies! Man may be the enemy of his fellow man, but
cannot be the enemy of God. The Shereef here did not know what to say,
and I think replied very properly, _Allah Errahman Errahem_, "God is most
merciful!" a sentiment which all of us admit in spite of our peculiar
dogmas of theology. But this conversation offers nothing new or different
from those which I had with my taleb Ben Mousa, at Ghadames.
The Shereef then spoke about slavery, and asked me, why the English
forced the Bey of Tunis to abolish the traffic in slaves. I explained the
circumstances, adding, the Bey was not forced, but only recommended, by
the English Government to abolish the slave traffic. He then began a long
story in palliation of the traffic, stating that the slaves knew not God,
and that in being enslaved by the Mohammedans they were taught to know
God. I soon stopped his mouth, first, by telling him, the Turks not long
ago had enslaved the Arabs and sold them for slaves at Constantinople,
and then, adding, "Nearly all the princes, whence the Soudanese and
Bornouese slaves were brought, are professedly Mahometans, as well as
their people." He acknowledged, however, slaves were mostly procured by
banditti hunting them, not captured in war. He finished, "The Touaricks
of Ghat formerly hunted for slaves in the Tibboo country, twice or thrice
in the year, and in these razzia expeditions some would get a booty of
three, or five, six, ten, and twenty, according as they were fortunate.
Now they have other business on hand, the war with the Shânbah. The
Touaricks of Aheer, those who bring the senna, are now the great
slave-hunters." The Shereef showed me a Tibboo youth seized by the Aheer
people. The Shereef's account of the Touarghee razzias in the Tibboo
country is confirmed by the reports of our Bornou expedition, or rather
the Shereef confirms the reports of our countrymen. Dr. Oudney says, "It
is along these hills (the ranges which go as far as the Tibboo country)
the Touaricks make their grassies (razzias) into the Tibboo country.
These two nations are almost always at war, and reciprocally annoy each
other by predatory warfare, stealing camels, slaves, &c., killing only
when resistance is made, and never making prisoners." But, it must be
observed, Touaricks are never made slaves; they may be murdered by the
Tibboos. Not six months ago the Aheer Touaricks captured a Tibboo
village. The few who escaped fled to the Arabs, under the son of
Abd-el-Geleel, imploring aid for the restoration of their countrymen and
property. These Arabs, who themselves mostly live on freebooting, were
glad of the opportunity for a razzia. They recaptured everything, and
restored the poor Tibboos to their village, making also a capture of a
thousand camels from these Kylouy Touaricks.
Enjoy better health in this journey, than on that from Ghadames to Ghat.
Felt myself stronger, and hope yet to undertake the journey to Bornou
before the summer heats.
_15th._--Course to-day nearly east. Encamped just as the sun dipped down
in the ruddy flame of the west. Strong wind, blanching the sooty cheeks
of the poor slaves, who were borne down with exhaustion. They were
literally whipped along. And the little fellow who refused a ride from
me, got a whipping for sitting on the sand to rest himself. I now made
him mount my camel, which his master, not a bad-natured man, thanked me
for. All day we continued to traverse the vast plain, having on our right
the same chain of hills, and, on the left, the sand groups, as far as the
eye could see. These broad, now boundless plains, or valleys, are
unquestionably the dry beds of former currents. Even now our people
called them wadys or rivers. The chain of mountains and the chain of
sand-hills are their natural banks. The tholh-tree was most abundant
to-day. I never saw it so thickly scattered before. It was spread over
all the plain, now in single trees, and now in forest groups, which were
also magnified in the distance, and had a grateful and refreshing effect
upon the vision, wearied with looking on stones or gravel, or bare
desert, or black rocks and glaring sand-hills. Unquestionably these trees
of the African are as old as those of the American wilderness. The
tholh-trees of the dry thirsty African plain are however but dwarfs
compared with the giant trees of the American forest, watered by ocean
rivers. The tholh would seem to live without moisture: it is fed by no
annual or periodic rain, no springs. And yet it buds, opens its pretty
yellow flowers, sheds its fine large drops of translucent gum,
flourishes all the year round, and tempts with its prickly leaves as with
richest herbage, the hungry camel. Indeed, about this part of the route
the camels get nothing else to feed on. We have seen no living creatures
these last five days. On one part of our route our people pretended to
trace the sand-prints of the wadan, and others affirmed them to be the
foot-marks of the wild-ox. I must except the sight of a few small birds,
black all over but the tails. Some one or two had white heads, as well as
white tails. People say these birds drink no water, as they say many
animals of The Sahara drink no water. The little creatures certainly do
not drink much water. Two or three dead camels thrown across the route of
this day's march. The live camels usually turn off the way from them.
Several Saharan mosques, the form of a cross being made in the Keblah on
one of them, as seen in the diagrams.
The Shereef's ideas of the Touaricks are not so favourable as those of
his uncle, the Governor of Ghat, and in some respects they are more
correct. The Shereef says:--"The Touaricks are not of the Arabian race.
They are the original inhabitants of Africa (Numidians). Their language
is a Berber dialect. They are a race generally of bandits, and, when
their food fails them, like famished wolves, they make irruptions into
their neighbour's territory, and plunder what is before them. This they
do in small bodies, when camel's milk fails them at home. The Aheer
Touaricks are of the same race as those of Ghat. Many of those of Aheer
have no fear of God, and never pray like the rest of professed
Mohammedans. Those of Ghat are perhaps the best of the Touaricks, and the
most religious. The Touaricks of Touat encircle those of Ghat, lying
across the route of Timbuctoo. Their Sultan's name is Bassa, a giant of
The Desert. He eats as much as ten men. He is the terror of all. But
Jabour knows him, and enjoys his friendship and confidence. The road from
Ghat to Timbuctoo, through Bassa's territory, is extremely short. It is
stony, through high mountains, and intensely cold. Springs of water
abound there." Such are the ideas and opinions of the Shereef on the
Touaricks. The mountains of the route alluded to, are the grand nucleus
of the Hagar, which intersect and ramify through all Central Sahara. The
Shereef, and some others travelling with us, delight in paradoxes, and
maintain, in spite of Haj Ibrahim, who has been to Constantinople and
seen the Sultan of the Turks, that there is no Sultan now, the
administration at the Turkish capital being in the hands of Christians.
The Shereef now invited me to dine with him from bazeen, and when I sat
down, kept addressing me:--"Eat plenty!" But only think of three grown
men sitting down to a small paste dumpling, with a little melted butter
poured over it, and the host crying out lustily to me:--"Eat plenty!"
Such, indeed, was our repast! Of course, returning to my encampment, I
ate my supper as if nothing had happened to me. And this little dumpling
supper is the only meal in the day which our people eat. Well may they
cry out about the cold, and pray for the heat. In a hot day a man is
supposed to eat half the quantity which he does in a cold day. I am,
therefore, still of the same opinion as before expressed, that the
sufferings of these people, who travel in Sahara, are enormously
increased from their want of sufficient food and clothing. As to
clothing, many of them, in this trying season, go half-naked.
Some of our Arabs, who make bazeen for a large party, have a scientific
way for its cooking and preparation. On the Ghat route a young Arab was
accustomed to fill up three parts of a large iron pot with water. This
water he would boil, throwing into it the meanwhile peppers, sliced
onions, and occasionally, as a luxury, very small pieces of dried meat,
or scraps from which fat had been strained. The pot having boiled until
the onions and peppers were soft, he now brings the meal, mostly
barley-meal, but sometimes coarse wheaten flour. This he pours into the
pot, forming a sort of pyramid in the boiling water. He then gets a
stick, mostly a walking-stick, pretending first to scrape off the dirt,
or rubbing it in the sand; with the stick so polished, he makes a hole in
the centre of the pyramid of meal, through which the water bubbles up and
circulates through the mealy mass, now fast cooking. He now gets two
small pieces of stick, and puts them into the ears of the iron pot, which
generally are burning hot. He removes with the pieces of stick the pot
from off the fire, and places it on the sand. He now squats down over it,
putting his two feet, or rather the great toes of the feet, one on each
ear of the pot, which gives him a poise, or sort of fulcrum. And then,
again, taking the long stick, he stirs it up with all his might, round
and round and round again, until all the water is absorbed in the
pudding-like meal, and the meal is thus well mixed into a sort of dough.
However this dough is not unbaked paste, but a _bonâ-fide_ dumpling,
cooked and ready for the sauce. Now comes the wash wherewith to wash it
down. My young Arab friend takes the dumpling, or pudding, in a great
round mass, and places it within a huge wooden bowl. He then goes off for
the oil, or liquid butter, which is usually kept in a large leather
bottle, or goat's-skin, with a long neck. He does not pour the oil out,
but thrusts one of his hands into the oil, and, taking it out, with his
other hand rubs or squeezes off the oil over the mass of dumpling. When
he has got enough, he sets to and sucks his fingers, as the great reward
of all his labour in preparing the supper of bazeen for his companions.
Once he did not sufficiently squeeze off the oil from his hands, and his
uncle scolded him for leaving so much on to suck. He protested to his
uncle that the bazeen had taken him an unusually long time to
prepare[105]. The supper is now ready. The party squat round it on their
hams. They dig into the mass with their fingers, after saying aloud, as
grace, _Bismillah_, "In the name of God," before they begin supper.
Digging thus into it, they make small or large balls, according to the
measure of their jaws, which are generally sufficiently wide, or
according to the sharpness or dulness of their appetite. These balls they
roll and roll over in the oil or sauce that is often made of a herb
called hada, or âseedah, a pleasant bitter, and producing a yellow
decoction, (whence the bazeen is sometimes called,) which enables the
large boluses to slip quietly and gratefully down the throat. Meanwhile
a jug of water is handed round, provided always there is any difficulty
in getting down the balls; but mostly the water is handed round after the
eating. It is drunk with a _bismallah_, and then a _hamdullah_, or
"praise to God," the grace after meat, winds up and finishes the repast.
The business of the caravan and its affairs of encampment are always
terminated before supper. So the dumpling or pudding-fed travellers now
roll themselves up in their barracans, covering their faces entirely, and
stretch themselves down on the ground to sleep, frequently not moving
from the place where they ate their supper. There is generally a mat or
skin under them, and they lie down under the shade of the bales of goods
which their camels carry. The first thing on encamping is to look for the
direction of the wind, and so to arrange bales of goods, panniers, and
camel gear, as to protect the head from the wind. In this way one often
lies very snug whilst the tempest howls through The Desert. People like
to retain the taste of the pudding in their mouths, particularly if a
little fat or oil be poured over it. I once gave an Arab some coffee
after his pudding-supper, which he drank with avidity, but afterwards
began to abuse me. "Yâkob, what is your coffee? I'm hungry, I'm ravenous.
Why, before I drank your coffee, my supper was up to the top of my
throat, but now I want to begin my supper again. I'll never drink any
more of your coffee, so don't bring it here." A little more cuscasou is
eaten on this route than on that of Ghat from Ghadames, the Fezzaneers
and Tripolines preferring coarse cuscasou to bazeen if they can get it.
The poor Arabs are often obliged to put up with zumeetah, which they eat
cold. Haj Ibrahim eats his fine cuscasou, which he brought from Tripoli,
but I do not consider him a _bonâ-fide_ Saharan merchant. This is his
first trip in The Desert.
_6th._--Rose as the day broke, with a hazy yellow tint over half the
heavens, and started early in order to reach the well before night. Very
cold, and continued so all day long. Felt my nerves braced, and liked
cold better than heat. In proportion as I liked the cold, all my
travelling companions disliked this weather; all were shivering and
crumpled up creatures. The slaves suffered dreadfully, having
shivering-fits and their eyes streaming with water. However, I could not
help laughing at the Shereef and the Touatee, who kept crying out, as if
in pain, "_Mou zain el-berd_ (Not good is the cold!)" And, to make it
worse, they both rode all day, by which they felt the cold more. On the
contrary, I walked full three hours, and scarcely felt myself fatigued.
Indeed, to-day, I was decidedly the best man of the caravan, and suffered
less than any. I always walk an hour and a half every morning. But my
Ghadames shoes, that I'm anxious to preserve, are fast wearing out, which
spoils some of the pleasure. The small stones of Desert soon cut and wear
out a pair of soles, which are made of untanned camel's skin. Observed to
the Shereef, to tease him, "Why, you Mussulmans don't know what is good.
Your legs and feet are bare. You have nothing wrapt tight round your
chest. Your woollens are pervious to the cold air. You're half naked; but
for myself, I'm clothed from head to foot, only a small portion of my
face is exposed. You must go to the Christians to learn how to travel
The Desert." "The Christians are devils," he returned, "and can bear cold
and heat like the Father of the imps in his house (perdition)." "Mou
zain, el-berd," cried the Touatee. Yesterday and this morning the slaves
were oiled all over with olive-oil, to prevent their skin and flesh from
cracking with the cold. This is a frequent practice, and reckoned a
sovereign remedy. Hot oil is also often swallowed. Boiling oil is a
favourite remedy in North Africa for many diseases. The poor slaves were
again driven on by the whip. We reached the well just after sunset. Haj
Ibrahim rode far in advance on his maharee to see that the well was all
right, our water being exhausted. Happily the weather prevented any great
absorption of its water. When the slaves got up, having suffered much
to-day from thirst, although so cold, they rushed upon the water to
drink, kneeling on the sands, and five or six putting their heads in a
bowl of water together. I myself had only drunk two cups of tea this
morning, Said having given the slaves all the water we had left. To-day's
march convinced me that thirst may be felt as painfully on a cold day as
on a hot day.
Course, north-east, inclining to east. Met with some Fezzanee Touaricks,
who were a very different class of people from those of Ghat and Aheer.
They are simple shepherds, tending their flocks, mostly goats, in open
Desert, which browse the scanty herbage of the plain. The mountain chain
on our right continues north with us. We found in our route the blood and
filth of a camel just killed. Dead or killed camels, are generally found
near the wells on the last day's journey, after having made five or six
days' forced marches to reach them. It is here they're knocked up, going
continually and most patiently to the last moment of their strength, when
they expire at once.
Teenabunda or "Well of Bunda," is a well of sweet delicious water. It is
some thirty or forty feet deep. There is nothing to mark the site of the
well from the surrounding plain, nor palm tree, nor shrub, nor herbage of
any kind. An accident alone could have discovered this well. Some stones
are placed about in the form of seats, and one can easily see where there
has once been a fire from the sign or circumstance of three stones being
placed triangularly, leaving a small space between them for the fire.
These three stones also support the pot for cooking, as well as inclose
the fire. This evening took some bazeen with the Ghadamsee merchants.
They are fond of showing me this little mark of hospitality. However the
same thing was enacted as at the Shereef's supper. Three grown-up persons
sat down to the one day's meal, a smallish dumpling, seasoned with highly
peppered sauce of hada, and a little fat. It is quite absurd to call this
a supper for three persons; it is mocking European appetite. How they
live in this way I cannot comprehend.
_17th._--Rose early, but did not start until the sun had two hours
mounted the horizon. We usually start half an hour after sunrise. Weather
fair and fine, a cool breeze and hot sun, which is suitable for the
middle of the day. I do not feel it at all oppressive. Continued
north-east. We now caught a glimpse of the palms of The Wady. But here we
overtook our Tripoline friends, who had left Ghat ten days before us and
were waiting for our arrival. They conducted us to their encampment. The
party consisted of Mustapha, an Alexandrian merchant of Tripoli, and
another merchant, having with them some sixty slaves. When our slaves
arrived these ran out to meet them, welcoming them in a most affectionate
manner as old friends. In fact, most of them had been companions in the
route from Aheer to Ghat, sharing one another's burthens and sufferings,
helping to alleviate their mutual pains. After being separated and sold
to different masters, never expecting to see one another again, it is not
surprising there should have been such a tender and affectionate meeting
of the poor things. I shall not soon forget the sight of two little girls
who unexpectedly met after being sold to different masters and separated
some weeks. The little creatures seized hold of one another's hands, then
each took the the head of each other with the palms of the hand, pressing
its side, in the meanwhile kissing one another passionately and sobbing
aloud. And yet those brutal republicans of America,
"Whose fustian flag of freedom, waves
In mockery o'er a land of slaves--"
have the devilish cruelty to continue to stigmatize, by their laws of
equality and liberty, the Africans as goods and chattels, depriving them
of their divine right of sentient and intellectual beings, having all the
tenderest and holiest affections of humanity. These poor little girls
were quite unobserved by their masters or drivers, who were now occupied
with the rakas or courier, who had brought letters from Tripoli in answer
to ours sent some time ago. The news is good for the merchants; the Pasha
will not exact the customs-dues of Fezzan on those who return this
route, on account of the war between the Shânbah and Touaricks.
Near the well Haj Omer beckoned me to show me what he called,
"water-courses of Christians," ancient irrigating ducts of the people of
former times. These consisted of raised banks of earth, stretching across
the road to the mountains on the right. Along these lines of embankment
were large fields of cultivation, showing the country had declined in its
agricultural industry, which, indeed, is manifest from every oasis I have
yet seen in The Sahara. It is probable these earlier or ancient
cultivators of the soil were colonies from the coast. Omer also pointed
out at a distance, what he styled "The tombs of Christians," on the sides
of the mountains, scattered miles along, showing The Desert to have been
cultivated to a far greater extent in past times.
Our route from Ghat to Fezzan is good enough perhaps for man, being
simple and plain, easily traversed, generally on level surfaces, but it
is very bad for animals, there being scarcely any herbage, except at
Serdalas, and the Ghat Wadys. Our camels had little herbage for seven
days, which greatly tried their strength and endurance. The caravan we
now joined had lost two camels, and I was afraid for my nagah. Water they
had none for six days. The Soudan sheep also went without water those six
long days. Our route is thus mentioned by Dr. Oudney: "There are several
routes to Ghat (from Mourzuk); and the upper one, where we had to enter
the hills, was last night fixed for us. There is plenty of water, but
more rough than the lower, which is said to be a sandy plain, as level as
the hand, but no water for five days." Travelling with slaves, a route
is always extended one-fifth, at the very least: such was our case.
Afternoon, we encamped at the mouth of the wady, weary, thirsty, and
exhausted, which forcibly brought to my mind that oasis of rest,
(wearied and disgusted, as I felt with Saharan travel,) so divinely
described in Desert pastoral style: ουδε μη πεσῃ επ' αυτους ὁ ἥλιος,
ουδε παν καυμα . . . . και ὁδηγησει αυτους επι ζωσας πηγας ὑδατων.
(Rev vii. 16, 17.) We have in these divine words the smiting and
parching of Saharan sun and heat, and the Lamb-Shepherd leading the
drooping flocks to the living life-giving springs of the oases of
Desert.
Our people called the series of little oases, which we now entered,
_El-Wady_. But this term is hardly sufficiently distinctive, and, I
think in the general division of Fezzan, it is called _El-Wady
Ghurby_--الوادي الغربي--or "The _Western_ Valley," in
contra-distinction from _El-Wady Esh-Sherky_, "The _Eastern_
Valley."
_18th._--Entered fully into The Wady this morning. After so much Desert,
was delighted to ecstasy with the refreshing sight of the distant forests
of palms, crowd upon crowd in deepening foliage, their graceful heads
covering the face of the pale red horizon, as with hanging raven locks of
some beautiful woman. Saw a few huts of date branches, some wells, and
here and there a villager. The huts were so blended with the date-palms,
in colour and make, that it was with difficulty our eye could catch sight
of them. I am often astonished how these slight, feeble tenements can
protect the people from the sun and cold and wind. It is like living in
open Desert. When we had continued our course some two hours, the Sheikh
of the district came running out after us, demanding the customs-dues,
and attempting to stop the slaves for payment. "What does this fellow
want?" I said to our people, feeling myself now under the protection of
the Tripoline government, and knowing the Sheikh to be subjected to the
Bey of Mourzuk. They replied, "Oh, he wants some slaves to work at the
water (by irrigation)." The Sheikh would not be said "nay." He demanded
to see the teskera of the Pasha exempting us from the duties, which he
could not, as Haj Ibrahim was gone to purchase dates. He then commenced
seizing slaves, but our Arabs now attacked him, pushing and dragging him
away. These people are mighty fond of a little scuffling. We encamped for
the night in The Wady. More "Tombs of Christians" were pointed out to me.
Many dwarf palms were scattered about, wild and producing no fruit. Water
may be under the surface. Our people say these palms would all bear fruit
if cultivated and watered. Undoubtedly many more could be cultivated.
There are innumerable palms in this wild dwarf state. My nagah growled
and grumbled on seeing the palms, rightly concluding that we were arrived
in an inhabited country. These melancholy-looking creatures are extremely
wise. The other evening we had great trouble to get the nagah to eat
herbage when she was brought to the encampment. She had for her supper
every evening a few dates and barley for several successive days. Now we
left off giving her them on arriving at The Wady, where there was
abundant herbage. This she resented, and grumbled nearly all night,
keeping us from sleeping, and would not eat the herbage. On encamping,
the camels are allowed to stray and graze an hour or two, and are then
brought up to the encampment for the night, the drivers cutting a little
herbage for them to eat during the night, or in the morning before
starting. Like us, more intelligent brutes, the camels don't like
starting on a journey with an empty stomach.
Haj Ibrahim expressed surprise that I had with me religious books. He
thought the English had "no books," (that is, religious books.) Some
Christians in Tripoli (Roman Catholics) had told him the English people
had no books. He then observed to me, that it was wrong to worship Mary,
who was not God, or the mother of God, for God had no mother or father.
And although the French and Maltese, in Tripoli, had told him the English
had a bad religion, it could not, he observed, be a worse religion than
this, that of worshiping a woman instead of God. Of Mary, he continued,
"She was a good woman, and conceived without a husband. Mary merely
wished to bear a child, and as it was a pious wish, God granted her
request, and by a simple word she conceived and bore Jesus." Of slaves,
the merchant, says:--"They are brought from all countries of Soudan,
nearly a thousand countries. Only a few slaves captured or brought to the
Souk are Mussulmans, they're nearly all Pagans. Mussulmans make war
against infidels to get prisoners, as we and you did formerly; the
Maltese[106] and English made us slaves, and we made you slaves. Some of
the slaves are Christians, (_i. e._ Pagans,) and some are Jews." I was
much interested, and questioned the merchant about this latter remark,
when a Negro slave, who had been lately to Soudan with his master,
observed, "The black Jews keep the Sabbath, and get drunk on that day.
They drink bouza (or grain liquor). They also circumcise as we
Mohammedans." It is probable these Negro Jews are the corrupt descendants
of the converts of Abyssinian Jews, who ages ago penetrated Central
Africa _viâ_ the provinces of Darfour and Kordofan, and the countries
lying on the two great branches of the sources of the Nile. In the
beginning of our era, we hear of the Eunuch of the "Queen of the
South[107]," or of Abyssinia, who was a Jew, and converted by Philip to
Christianity. There is therefore no manner of difficulty in accounting
for the presence of these corrupt degenerate black Jews, amongst the
tribes of Central Africa.
Two little girl-slaves were barbarously whipped this evening for eating
hasheesh (herbage), which they picked up on the roadside. This was done
to prevent them having diarrhœa, and eating poisonous herbs. It was
nevertheless what they had been taught to do on the Aheer route, and
there could not be very much harm in picking up a little fresh juicy
herbage, to appease their thirst during the heat of the day's march. The
slaves _en route_ are only permitted to drink twice in the day, once at
noon, and once in the evening. When our supply of water is scanty, only
once a day.
_19th._--This morning made but three hours' journey through The Wady
Oases. We had not proceeded an hour _en route_, when the same farce was
attempted to be played upon us as yesterday; three or four people coming
galloping up to us to stop us, in order to collect the customs-dues. This
they did a second time, after letting us go on once. I was determined now
to show I was not a slave-dealer, and would not be stopped to suit their
caprice, for we told them we had a teskera from the Pasha, exempting us
from the gomerick. Proceeding forwards with Said, one of the party, a
fellow on horse-back, stopped my nagah, seized her, and commenced beating
Said. I instantly jumped off, exclaiming, "I'm an Englishman--a
Christian, and not a slave-dealer; I have nothing on which to pay duties,
and will not be stopped." Our people bawled out likewise, "The Christian
has nothing for the gomerick, he has no slaves." The fellow gave Said
another rap with his sword on his attempting to rescue our camel.
Hereupon, losing all patience, I took the spear, and with the flat part
of its head gave the fellow a tolerable blow on the shoulders. Now
followed a desperate scuffle, the first I had had in The Desert. The
fellow screaming out, suddenly maddened to fury, drew his sword, and made
a thrust at me, but the blow was turned by the shaft of my lance. Our
people now seized hold of him and me. A little more scuffling went on,
and getting clear of the grasp of our people, I made off in advance, with
Said, alone. After continuing half an hour through the palm-woods, we
turned and saw the whole caravan coming up quickly after us. The party
who stopped us had consented to let the caravan follow me. Haj Ibrahim,
who had the Pasha's teskera, was again absent, having gone to purchase
more dates. If the fellow had not been very impudent and violent,
inflicting blows on Said, I should not have committed this folly of
forcing my way, for, after all, it was great imprudence on my part, and
might have been attended with very serious consequences.
When the caravan came up, I said, in hearing of our people, to the fellow
who was still following them, "If you had struck my servant in Tripoli,
the Pasha would have put you in prison. This is not Touarghee country,
but a country where there is a government. This country belongs to
Tripoli and the Sultan. Your violence was equally improper and
unnecessary." All applauded this, and our champion of the sword said
nothing in reply. After arriving at the small district of Blad
Marabouteen, or "a country of Marabouts," we encamped for the day. The
fellow, who turned out to be an Egyptian, a petty officer of the Porte,
and Kaed of the district through which we passed, now came to me, sat
down by my side, and made it up. I then observed to him, "It's all
nonsense." The Egyptian laughed and I laughed. He kept seizing me by the
hand, and exclaiming with vehemence, "Gagliuffi! Gagliuffi! ah! that's a
fine fellow! Gagliuffi at Mourzuk." Again the Egyptian laughed, and
screamed with frantic gesticulations, and our people coming up were also
merry with him. "Ah!" he continued, "Gagliuffi, a real cock of the
dunghill, a noble fellow, Gagliuffi! Do you know Gagliuffi?" I said I did
not. This he couldn't understand, and said, "Ah, Gagliuffi has got plenty
of money, he's the Bashaw of Mourzuk. Every time you go to see him he
gives you coffee." Another Fezzaneer, standing by, swore to this:
"Gagliuffi is the Bey! Gagliuffi has got plenty of money." Afterwards I
reported this affair to Mr. Gagliuffi, our Vice-Consul at Mourzuk. He was
greatly amused and flattered at the report of his wealth and consequence.
He observed, "Although I'm poor enough, God knows, it's better that these
people should think me rich." The Egyptian was commanding a small force
of Arabs in The Wady. I learnt from him, the Vice-Consul had been sick
lately, but was now better. In The Wady there is fever during summer, but
not much now. The Kaed, I saw in conversing with him, had been drinking
leghma, and was "elevated," which sufficiently accounted for his
interrupting our march, and the violence of his conduct. Our people say,
he wished us to encamp in his district, to amuse himself with us. They
continued all the evening to praise my spirit for resisting the fellow's
impertinence in his stopping us. "To-day you were a man, Yâkob," they
kept repeating. I explained, "Fear, where fear is necessary, as in the
Touarghee districts. There we must bow the head, for resistance would be
dangerous. But here, in the country of the Sultan, why should we fear?"
This speech greatly pleased our people, who themselves had not been
detained by the Kaed, on account of my forcing the way. Upon the whole,
this ludicrous affray raised my reputation for (physical) courage amongst
the people. For moral courage I always take credit to myself. It is
nevertheless, a very delicate thing in Saharan travel to know when and
where resistance is to be offered against imposition: and perhaps, it is
better to give way always than to resist, leaving the matters of dispute
(of this sort especially) to be settled by the caravan with which you
travel.
The united caravans will remain here some eight or ten days, to give rest
to the slaves, as well as to obtain fresh provisions. To-morrow morning I
go early to Mourzuk, which is two days from The Wady. Tripoli is distant
from The Wady, fifteen, seventeen, or twenty days, according to the
progress of the caravan. The route lies direct _viâ_ Shaty, four days'
distant from this, and Mizdah, in the mountains (Gharian), ten or twelve
days, and thence three days more to Tripoli. The route from El-Wady to
Shaty consists of groups of sand-hills, of painful traverse. Shaty itself
is a series of oases. Between El-Hasee and El-Ghareeah, which now follow,
there is an immeasurable expanse of Desert plain. The Atlas Mountains
then succeed with their bubbling fountains and green valleys, and
olive-clad peaks. Mizdah in The Mountains consists of two large villages.
Saw several of the inhabitants of The Wady, and made acquaintance with
the Fezzaneers, as they have been called. Some of them are as black as
negroes, others as white as the Moors of the coast, others olive, yellow,
brown, &c., and their features are various as the colour of their
complexions. The Fezzaneers must be considered Moors and townspeople,
rather than Arabs or nomades. Houses in The Wady are of palm-branches,
and some of sun-dried mud-bricks, but mostly miserable hovels, the very
picture of wretchedness. We passed a village entirely abandoned, (Kelah,
as the people said,) apparently from the failure of water. Palms in The
Wady are not very fine. There are many patches of cultivation of grain
and vegetables. Water is found near the surface, and the wells are
numerous.
_20th._--I left our caravan early this morning for Mourzuk. On taking
leave of my companions of travel they begged me to come back, and
continue the route with them to Tripoli. Could only promise in the style
of En-Shallah, "If God wills," for I had long made up my time not to
return. Should the Bornou route be favourable, I might go up before the
hot weather came on; if not, I intend returning _viâ_ Sockna to Tripoli,
"the royal road," wishing to see as much as possible of the inhabitants
of the oases of The Sahara, on which route were many centres of
population. My companions, from whom I had received nothing but kindness,
continued to call after me, "Come back, Yâkob," until our little company
was out of sight. I thought this extremely friendly, and another instance
of the unadulterated kindness of heart found in Saharan traders. Our
course now lay somewhat back again, we proceeding south-east. We had to
cut through the mountains which had been so long on our right. The range
still continued north up The Wady, but how far I cannot tell. I believe
no European whatever has travelled the route _viâ_ Shaty and Mizdah, to
Tripoli. As we ascended through the gorge or break in the chain, "the
tombs of the Christians" were again pointed out to me, or rather the
burying-places of the earlier inhabitants of these regions. All the early
inhabitants, or those before the Mohammedan conquest of Africa, are
vulgarly called Ensara by Moors. These tombs consist simply of circular
heaps of stones, picked up from the rocks around. Some are large,
perhaps a dozen yards in circumference. Mounting one, I found it hollow
at the top; the stones had been merely heaped up in a circular ring.
Within was a little sand settled, collected from the wind when it
scatters the sand about. There was no appearance of bones, or any
inscriptions. The whole mountain range of The Wady, I am told, has heaps
of stones piled up in this way. There is no doubt but what they are the
graves of former inhabitants.
The question to be solved is, why are these graves of this circular form?
why heaps or rings of stones thus heaped up, so different from the long
square graves now met with in all North Africa and The Desert? The form
of these tumuli evidently denote another people, or at least a people of
another religion. Where there are tombs there are legends of the dead. My
travelling companions now related to me, that there appears not
unfrequently, and mostly at midnight, when the moon has but a narrow dim
circlet, a solitary Christian, who flits mournfully through these
solitudes, now and then sitting on the circular tombs, now peeping from
within the rings of stones, his chin resting on the edge. His aspect is
hideous, and he has one big burning eye-ball in the middle of his
forehead. His skin (for he is naked) is covered with long hair, like a
shaggy goat (a species of satyr), and two tusks come out of his mouth,
like those of a wild boar. A holy Marabout once met him, and interrogated
him courageously about his doleful doings amongst these graves. The
spectre deigned this answer, "I mourn the fall of my fellow-Christians
and the triumph of the Faithful over the Infidels. The Devil makes me
come here. I shall wander until the appearance of Gog and Magog upon the
earth, and then shall be yoked to their chariot, and go out and conquer
the world, and kill the Faithful. But I shall be tormented afterwards.
Such is my doom: I can't help it." It is said the Marabout pitied him,
and prayed to God for him, but it was revealed to the holy man in a
dream, not to pray for lost spirits, whom Heaven's decrees had
irrevocably doomed to perdition.
There was also another legend related to me by the Fezzan Targhee, who
was now my guide through this dreary gorge, full of the tombs of the
dead. It is too long to repeat. Suffice it to say that, whilst his
great-grandfather and other shepherds were tending their flocks on the
subjected plains below, a troop of these Christians broke loose from the
dark caverns in the mountains, where they are chained, and began to abuse
and banter the shepherds, because they did not say, "There are three
Gods." The shepherds withstood the temptation and the terror of their
countenances, although they, the shepherds, exceedingly quaked. The
Christians, in their rage against the shepherds professing so constantly
the Unity of God, dispersed their flocks, drove them into the caverns,
and disappeared together with the flocks. But the angel Gabriel descended
from heaven, and blessed the faithful shepherds, led them on many miles
to a desert place, where there were three tholh-trees which had been
planted by these reprobate Spirits in adoration to The Three Gods. Now
the number of shepherds also happened to be three. The good Gabriel told
them to cut down the trees, and burn them separately. The shepherds did
so, and for their obedience, from beneath the ashes a great cake of
molten gold came pouring out. "These cakes are the Gods of the
Christians; there are three of these cakes," said Gabriel. "Take each
one, and go, and trade to Soudan," added the angelical messenger; and
then in a bright cloud ascended over the top of the mountains. It so
happened that his great-grandfather thought three was a lucky number, and
wished to become a Christian, whereupon God caused a troop of banditti to
fall upon his caravan, who plundered him of everything, and reduced him
again to beggary. Such are the tales of Marabouts of The Sahara, quite a
match for the legends of our Monks of the good and happy olden times.
As these legends finished, we got up to the top of the range, when a cold
bleak wind cut our faces, coming north-east over the plateau, which to my
surprise now appeared. I expected to find a descent, or another rounded
side of the chain. But all east was a bare, bleak, black plateau, as
hideous as desolation could render it, according well with the scenery of
the desolate grave-stones we had just seen, and the woeful tales about
them we had heard. It was the veritable beach of the river Styx. I turned
with a chill of horror from the waste back again upon the valley which we
had left. How different the view! Here we beheld the ten thousand fair
waving palms, which cover the green bosom of The Wady,--a paradise
encircled with ridges and outlines of the most frightful sterility. We
now mounted our camels, for it was necessary to face also this new
desert. I greatly perspired with the labour of the ascent, and now caught
a cold, and had a bilious attack, the only time I was seriously unwell
during my nine months in The Desert, and strange enough that it should
be occasioned by cold. Our party consisted of myself and Said, the
Targhee guide, and Mustapha, the Tripoline Moor, who was going to
purchase provisions, and borrow money at Mourzuk. These merchants so ill
manage their affairs, that they were nearly out of provisions for their
some hundred and odd slaves, themselves and servants, and besides had no
money to replenish their stock. Our course was now east verging to the
south. On the plain I saw the last of the Touaricks, and it was a noble
sight. This was a Targhee Scout, scouring The Desert in search of the
Shânbah, well-equipped and mounted on his maharee. He was returning
south-west to Ghat, taking the route over the mountains which we had just
ascended.
[Illustration]
After a few hours we again descended into a small shallow wady, where was
a little herbage. We continued all day, and endeavoured to reach a part
of the plateau, where were some Fezzan Touaricks tending their flocks,
and where it was said we should get milk and a kid of the goat to kill
and eat. The whole of the day it was cold, and the wind piercing, which I
attributed to the elevated region we traversed. On arriving at a thin
scattered forest of tholh-trees we stopped, but being most unusually
exhausted by the fatigue of the ride, and the attack of the bile, I could
not dismount from my camel, and was lifted off. We searched a long time
for the shepherds, and at length their flocks were discovered. I took a
little tea, and surrendered myself to rest and to sleep, not being able
to eat anything. My companions pretended to seek out and purchase a kid,
but unless you furnish the money, nothing of this luxurious sort is ever
obtained in The Desert. I had no money, and we had no kid. Meanwhile our
people, who had only brought with them dates, ate up my little stock of
cuscasou. I had only laid in a sufficient quantity for some fifteen days,
from Ghat to Mourzuk. Passed a bad night, and greatly relaxed.
_21st._--Up to this time I had always travelled through The Desert with a
large number of persons. Our party was now only four. And yet I felt no
fear, and went to bed last night in open desert with as much indifference
as if I had been in a hotel in Europe. Such is the force of habit. The
Desert itself now even begins to wear a homely face to me, and, indeed,
for the present, I am obliged to make it my home. We rose early, and I
found myself a little better. At the time I attributed my illness to the
water of The Wady, but which was incorrect. Before starting, I obtained a
bowl of sour milk. To my surprise I saw only women tending these flocks.
I asked about their husbands. They were gone away to work in Ghat,
Fezzan, and other parts. Here were three or four adult women, and a few
children, wandering solitarily in Open Desert! Not a habitation was near
for many miles round! I could not help exclaiming, "Are you not afraid of
robbers?" "No," replied an aged woman, "I have been here all my life, and
shall die here. Why go away? What better shall I find in Mourzuk or Ghat?
Can they give me more than milk? More than milk I care not for. And God
is here as elsewhere!" Let the reader picture to his mind's eye, three or
four lone females, with a child or two, wandering over a sandy plain,
tending amongst a thinly-scattered forest of gum-acacia trees a few small
goats, without a house or even a hut to sleep under, only the shade of a
straw mat suspended in the prickly trees, and, then, repeat and mark well
the truth of Pope's fine lines,--
"Order is heaven's first law, and this confess'd,
Some are, and must be, greater than the rest,--
More rich, more wise; but who infers from hence
That such are happier, shocks all common sense."
Our people observed to me, "This is a country of the Sultan, so the women
fear nothing." But the environs of Ghadames are the country of the
Sultan, which does not prevent the depredations of banditti. There is no
water here, they go to Agath to bring their water for themselves and
their flocks. Of course, the complexion of these shepherdesses is quite
brown or brown-black, by exposure to the weather. I shall ever remember
the modest air with which a nomade young woman came and presented us with
a bowl of milk. It was modesty's self's picture! The shepherdess nymph
stepped forward timidly, with her eyes averted, not presuming even to
look at us; and as soon as she placed the bowl on the ground, a short
distance from us, she escaped to the thicket of the tholh-tree, like a
young roe of the timid trembling herd. On her glowing cheek,--
"Sweet virgin modesty reluctant strove,
While browsing goats at ease around her fed."
"And now she sees her own dear flock
Beneath verdant boughs along the rock--
And her innocent soul at the peaceful sight
Is swimming o'er with a still delight."
Such a picture of pure heartfelt shyness and delicate modesty could only
be witnessed in these solitudes, where this maiden shepherdess never
perhaps speaks to any man but her own way-worn, severe, but
honest-hearted father, when he returns from his little peregrinations,
bringing a few blankets, a little barley and oil, the staple matters of
existence for these lonely nomades. Nothing was given in return for the
milk, for we had nothing to give. But if offered it would not have been
accepted, by the laws of hospitality amongst these desert Arcadians. The
reason now assigned for not giving us a kid, is, all the men are absent,
and they cannot part with one, even if money be sent from Mourzuk for
payment.
About 3 P.M., to my great joy, we arrived at the village of Agath. Our
route was over a bare level plain, and our progress like at sea, when the
masts of the ship are first seen, then the hull; so here we first saw the
heads of the date-palms, then their trunks, and then the clusters of the
hovels of the village. I was happy to learn our guide determined to pass
the night here. The poor fellow was himself worn to a skeleton in
travelling these wastes, with but one eye left, and that very dim. He was
glad to "put up" for the night. When he started it was to have been a
journey of a day and a half, it was now to be three days. We got into an
empty hovel, and with palm-branches kindled a fire, which was kept up in
a blaze to serve for a lamp. This is the usual practice, now and then
putting on a piece of wood to make a light. Very few Saharans have the
luxury of lamps or candles. I still suffered from bile, languor, and
exhaustion, and once placed upon my mattress, I did not leave it till
next morning. We had no provisions, for our party had eaten up all I had.
We tried to get something from the Sheikh of the village, but only
succeeded in obtaining a few loaves of newly-baked bread, with a little
herb sauce, hot with peppers, to pour upon the bread to moisten it.
Mustapha attempted to make a great noise, and talked about reporting him
to the Pasha of Mourzuk, and getting him bastinadoed for treating a
Christian in this way. I discouraged these threats, and would have no
imbroglio, for I knew the character of the Sheikh could not well be worse
than that of Mustapha himself. Mustapha demanded meat, but I begged only
a little flour and butter to make some bazeen in the morning. The Sheikh
promised and took leave. In the morning the Sheikh fled, and we saw no
more of him. He deserved to be reported at Mourzuk. Hospitality certainly
does not flourish at Agath. It's odd, the only time I was seriously ill,
and really wanted hospitality, I found it not. To-day we picked off
several fine pieces of gum from the tholh. Many of the trees had their
branches lopped off, first for allowing the goats to nibble the green
leaves, and afterwards to use the dry branches for firing.
FOOTNOTES:
[103] In the East Indies persons are known to become blind _for
the night_, (something like the _night-blindness_, which we have
before mentioned,) by the influence of the moon; or such is what
people say.
[104] In the Koran it is intimated that God fattens the wicked in
this world for the day of slaughter in the next. I forget the Surat.
The Arabic is--سنسدرجهم--signifying, "_We_ (God) _make
them proceed by degrees_;" that is to say, We, God, give the
wicked pleasures and enjoyments in this world, that we may punish
them the more in the next world. This is a most abominable
sentiment, and intolerable to a right-thinking mind. But I believe
such a blasphemous opinion has also been held by some mad-brained
Christians.
[105] In the event of my publisher bringing out a new edition of
the venerable Mrs. Glass, or Mrs. Rundall, I fervently hope he
will not fail to avail himself of this receipt for the making of
bazeen. I am also of the opinion of the former ancient dame, with
regard to the necessity of catching a hare before it is dressed;
and I think the meal likewise must be procured before it is made
into bazeen. To be eaten with relish, it besides must be eaten in
The Desert.
[106] The oath taken by the Knights of the Order of Malta,
was--"_To kill, or make the Mohammedans prisoners, for the glory
of God_."
[107] "And behold a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority
under Candace, Queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all
her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for worship."--(Acts viii.
27.)