After halting to refresh ourselves, during which time I snatched a few
moments to perform my _sujdah_, we remounted, and through the whole day,
regardless of the sun's fiery rays, which struck down upon us like
tongues of fire, we pushed forward over a rough, stony wilderness,
devoid of herbage or any living thing except the great, grey vultures
circling above with ominous persistency.
Throughout the day, my ugly little negro companion continually fingered
his strange amulets, uttering curious pagan incantations in his own
tongue, while to myself I repeated the "Kul-ya-ayyuha 'l-Kafiruna," and
the "Kul-Huw' Allah," more than once inclined to upbraid my friend as an
infidel. But, on reflection, I saw that any words of reproach would
pain him to no purpose, therefore I held my peace. His face, black as
polished ebony, seemed to grow increasingly ugly as he became more
wearied; when he smiled his mouth stretched from ear to ear, and the
craning of his neck, as he swayed with the undulating motion of his
camel, gave him a weird, grotesque appearance, even in the brilliant
glare of noon. The beads, trinkets, pieces of lizard skin, and
mysterious scraps of wood and stone strung around his neck, he
constantly caressed, while twice he suddenly dismounted, and holding his
hands aloft, frisked like an ape, yelling at the sun as if he had taken
leave of his senses.
Notwithstanding his extreme ugliness and his strange actions, I
nevertheless grew to like him, for he seemed genuinely devoted to me, as
a slave should be to his master.
Two hours after high noon, when the sun was beginning to veer round and
shine directly into our faces, we entered the Wady al-Ward (the Vale of
Flowers) the dwarf had mentioned. Beside the small river--scarcely more
than a brook--we journeyed over ground thickly covered with herbage and
flowers. For a few minutes we allowed our camels to browse, then urged
them on, remembering it was imperative that we should arrive at Sokoto
before the gate closed for the night. The shadow cast by the rocks, the
cool rippling of the water, and the fertility of the country we
appreciated after the arid, sun-baked wilderness. But as we journeyed
on we found grim relics of an attack which had evidently been made some
months before upon a caravan, for fresh, green garlands of ropeweed and
creepers had festooned decayed skulls, and entwined about the bleaching
bones of arms and legs, now and then blossoming into brilliant clusters
of scarlet or blue flowers.
Through the valleys we wound for many hours, while the sky changed from
blue to gold, and from gold to crimson, until at last the sun slowly
sank before us with that gorgeous flood of colour only to be witnessed
in Central Africa, and the low hills, bristling with mimosa and doum
palms, assumed singular forms and uncouth dimensions in the twilight
mirage.
In the rapidly-falling gloom our eyes were at last gladdened by the
sight of the tall minarets of Sokoto, but the tall, bronzed guards at
the city gate are ever wary, and a strange scene was enacted. It
appeared that with the people of Sokoto the measures formerly taken to
guard against surprise are now observed as a matter of form and
etiquette. Hence, as we approached the gate the guards crouched, and
throwing their litham over the lower part of their faces in Tuareg
fashion, grasped the inseparable spear in the right and the
shangermangor in their left hand. This action caused us considerable
anxiety, but after these preliminaries they began to inquire our names
and places of abode, afterwards giving us "peace," and allowing us to
proceed. For a few minutes we halted to gossip, so as not to appear in
undue haste, and just as the call for evening prayer was sounding and
the guards were beating the great drum to announce the closing of the
gate, we passed into the spacious market, wherein a caravan of many
camels were taking their ease preparatory to starting for Timbuktu on
the morrow.
Riding on through the city--the ancient and now discarded capital of the
Sultan 'Othman's empire--we found it very extensive, and although the
character of the houses was much more primitive than those of Moorish
type in Kano, yet there was manifested everywhere the comfortable,
pleasant life led by the inhabitants. Each courtyard was fenced with a
"derne" of tall reeds, excluding, to a certain degree, the eyes of the
passer-by without securing to the interior absolute secrecy; and each
house had, near its entrance, the cool, shady "runfa" or place for the
reception of strangers or the transaction of business, with a "shibki"
roof, and the whole dwelling shaded by spreading trees.
The people, although of cheerful temperament, appeared more simple in
their dress than in Kano. The men wore a wide shirt and trousers of
dark colour, with a light cap of cotton cloth, while the female
population affected a large cotton cloth of dark blue fastened under or
above the breast, their only ornaments being strings of glass beads worn
around the neck. Proud, ignorant, bigoted and insolent, the people of
Sokoto are all owners of cattle, camels, horses and slaves. These
latter, along with the women, generally cultivate some fields of dhurra,
or corn, sufficient for their wants. The Arab, in Sokoto, would
consider it a disgrace to practice any manual labour. He is essentially
a hunter, a robber and a warrior, and, after caring for his cattle,
devotes all his energies to slave-hunting and war. The lower classes
are simply a rabble of filth, petty mendicancy, gaol-bird physiognomy
and cringing hypocrisy.
Passing through several markets crowded by chattering throngs, and up a
number of close streets where idle men and women were lounging, and
where the heat from the stones reflected into one's face, we at last
found the _marina_, or dyeing place, near the city wall. It consisted
of a raised platform of clay with a number of holes or pits in which the
mixture of indigo was prepared, and the cloths were placed for a certain
length of time, according to the colour it was desired they should
assume. It was beside one of these holes, working by the light of a
rude torch, his arms immersed in the dark blue dye, that we found the
Arab we sought.
As we gave him "peace" he rose to his feet with dignity, and dried his
stained hands. He was about sixty, tall, with kindly, sharp-cut
features, and a long, sweeping beard flecked with grey. Taking Azala's
letter, he opened it, read it carefully twice, caressed his patriarchal
beard, and placed the paper in a pocket beneath his burnouse. Then
turning, he said,--
"Upon thee be perfect peace, O friends. Welcome to the poor hospitality
of the roof of Mohammed el-Arewa. Take thine ease to-night, for ere the
sun riseth over the blue hills of Salame, we must set forth if thou
wouldst escape those who seek thy destruction." Then, after blowing out
his torch, he addressed me, saying, "Art thou the friend of the Lalla
Azala?"
"She is my friend," I answered, with promptitude.
"Discretion sealeth thy lips," he observed, laughing. "Well, I, too,
loved once at thine age. If thou art, as I suspect, the lover of the
beauteous Azala, of a verity thou hast chosen well. Happy the man who
basketh in the rose-garden of her smiles. To her I owe the freedom of
my only child, my daughter, who, captured by the Tuaregs, was sold to
the accursed Grand Vizier Mahaza--may Allah burn his vitals!--and only
by the intercession of the Lalla was she released. I am Azala Fathma's
devoted slave, to do as she commandeth," adding in a lower tone, as if
to himself, "Women swallow at one mouthful the lie that flattereth, and
drink drop by drop the truth that is bitter. But the Lalla Azala careth
not for flattery, and seeketh only to do good. She is a pearl among
women."
Then accompanying him to his house close to the principal gate, we were
treated as honoured visitors. A guest-dish, sweet as the dates of
Al-jauf, was prepared for us, and we ate _fara_, or roasted locusts
seasoned with cheese, _tuwo-n-magaria_, or bread made from the fruit of
the magaria tree, roasted fowl and dates, washed down with copious
draughts of _giya_ made of sorghum. After our meal, eight negro girls
came forth and gratified our ears with a performance on various
instruments. There was the _gauga_, very much like our own Arab
_derbouka_, only larger, the long wind instrument, or _pampamnie_, a
shorter one like a flute, called the _elgaita_, the double tambourine
called the _kalango_, the _koso_, the _jojo_, or small derbouka, and the
_kafo_, or small horn, which in unison created an ear-splitting tumult
impossible to adequately describe.
The negresses blew, thumped and grinned as if their lives depended upon
the amount of sound they obtained from their various instruments, but,
worn out by the forced march, I heeded not their well-meant efforts to
entertain, and actually fell into a heavy slumber with the mouthpiece of
the pipe my host had thoughtfully provided for me still between my lips.
In the night, awakened suddenly by the loud blowing of a horn and
frantic shouting, I lay and listened. As it continued I got up and
aroused Tiamo, who slept near. For some minutes we strained our ears to
ascertain the cause of the hubbub, apparently at the city gate, when
suddenly our host burst into the apartment panting.
"Alas!" he cried, in a hoarse whisper. "The soldiers of the Sultan have
arrived. Listen!"
The noise continued. Armed men were battering on the great gate that
closed at night-fall and never opened till dawn, except to admit an
Imperial messenger. We could distinctly hear their voices demanding
admittance in the name of the Sultan.
"Already have I bribed the guards of the Kofa with twenty pieces of
silver. When questioned, they will deny thine entrance here," the old
dyer exclaimed in reassuring tones, as at the same moment there fell
upon our ears the answering voices of the sleepy guards, urging them to
be patient while the gate was unbarred.
Tiamo and I exchanged uneasy and significant glances in the dim light
shed by a hanging lamp of brass.
"Suppose they determine to search for us," the dwarf suggested, in
alarm.
"The assurance of the guards will throw them off our scent, and at dawn
they will rest after their long journey. Then will the gate be opened,
and we shall be enabled to escape. Take thine ease in peace, for of a
verity, the way will be long ere thou canst again rest."
And hastily raising the curtain that hung before the arched door, he
disappeared.
Feeling myself safe beneath the hospitable roof of one who owed to Azala
a deep debt of gratitude, I threw myself again upon my divan, and soon
dreamed of the beautiful woman whose countenance fascinated me, and
whose glorious hair held me entangled in its silky web. How long I
dreamed I cannot tell, for again I was awakened, this time by the ugly
dwarf shaking me by the shoulder.
"Rise, O master," cried El-Sadic, in alarm. "We are discovered!
Already the soldiers of the Sultan have entered the house!"
As, half dazed, I stood rubbing my eyes in wonderment, Mohammed el-Arewa
burst in upon us, gasping in a low tone,--
"Gather thy belongings quickly, and follow me. It is thine only
chance."
In less time than it occupies to relate, we snatched up our articles of
dress, and hurried after him through several doors, until he came to a
double one, whereat was seated a black slave. As we passed quickly
through this, the odour of fragrant perfumes greeted our nostrils, and,
in the semi-darkness, there was the _frou-frou_ of silk, and the sound
of hasty, shuffling feet. A second later, we found ourselves in a small
apartment, lit more brightly than the others, tastefully decorated in
green and gold, and containing many priceless Arab rugs and soft divans.
"Rest here undisturbed," he said, waving his hands in the direction of
the inviting-looking lounges, around which were scattered traces of
women's occupation. "Within the apartments sacred to my women they will
not search for thee. Though I commit an offence against our law, thou
art safe in this, my harem. I will shield thee, even with mine own
life, for the sake of the Lalla Azala, upon whom may Allah ever shower
his blessings! Rest, then, while I go and complete the preparations for
our flight."
"We thank thee, O father!" I answered, fervently. "May thy face be
ever brightened by the sun of Allah's favour!"
But he was already out of hearing, so suddenly did he leave us.
Within a quarter of an hour, sounds of a loud and fierce altercation
reaching us, caused us to stand rigid and silent. So rapidly were the
words spoken in the Hausa tongue, that many of them were to me
unintelligible, but, glancing at the dwarf, I noticed that his brow was
contracted. His eyes glittered with a keen, murderous expression that I
had never seen before, as, with unsheathed knife in hand, he stood near
the doorway of the harem on the alert, determined not to be taken
without a struggle, and to sell his life dearly.
The curtain on the opposite side of our place of concealment stirred,
and a fair face peered forth inquisitively, listening as attentively as
ourselves, to the heated argument outside. Her great, fathomless eyes
were surmounted by two delicately-pencilled arches, and her black,
glossy hair fell down her neck, covering her cheeks with its warm
shadows.
With a suddenness that startled us, a deep voice, raised louder than the
others, expressed a conviction that we were hidden there, and declared
his intention of making a thorough search, whereupon approaching
footsteps sounded on the paving; the young woman withdrew her head with
a slight scream, realising that her privacy was to be intruded upon, and
Tiamo and I stood together, dismayed at our base betrayal by the keepers
of the city gate.
It was an exciting moment. In desperation, I drew my two-edged
_jambiyah_--determined to fight desperately, rather than fall alive into
the hands of the Sultan's torturers.