EXCURSION TO LOGGUN, AND DEATH OF MR. TOOLE.
Jan. 1824.—We passed the night of the 24th at Angornou, and
proceeded, without leaving the lake at any great distance,
for two days, when we arrived at Angala, one of the ancient
governments subject to Bornou. The present sultan was the first
friend and supporter of El Kanemy; and, twenty-five years ago,
when he was only a merchant, betrothed to him his daughter Miram
in marriage, with a large dower in slaves and cattle. The sultan,
a most benevolent-looking old black, received us with great kindness
and hospitality; and as soon as we were lodged in the house of the
delatoo (prime minister), bowls of milk, rice, flour, and honey,
were brought to us; an abundance of eatables were also sent in the
evening, and the next morning a very fine live sheep.
Miram (princess in the Bornou language), now the divorced wife
of the sheikh El Kanemy, was residing at Angala, and I requested
permission to visit her. Her father had built for her a very fine
house, in which she constantly resided: her establishment exceeded
sixty persons. She was a very handsome, beautifully formed negress,
of about thirty-five, and had imbibed much of that softness of manner
which is so extremely prepossessing in the sheikh. Seated on an
earthen throne, covered with a turkey carpet, and surrounded by twenty
of her favourite slaves, all dressed alike, in fine white shirts,
which reached to their feet, their necks, ears, and noses thickly
ornamented with coral; she held her audience with very considerable
grace, while four eunuchs guarded the entrance; and a negro dwarf,
who measured three feet all but an inch, the keeper of her keys, sat
before her with the insignia of office on his shoulder, and richly
dressed in Soudan tobes. This little person afforded us a subject of
conversation, and much laughter. Miram inquired whether we had such
little fellows in my country, and when I answered in the affirmative,
she said, “_Ah gieb!_ what are they good for? do they ever have
children?” I answered “Yes; that we had instances of their being
fathers to tall and proper men.” “Oh, wonderful!” she replied:
“I thought so; they must be better then than this dog of mine;
for I have given him eight of my handsomest and youngest slaves,
but it is all to no purpose. I would give a hundred bullocks, and
twenty slaves, to the woman who would bear this wretch a child.”
The wretch, and an ugly wretch he was, shook his large head, grinned,
and slobbered copiously from his extensive mouth, at this flattering
proof of his mistress’s partiality.
We left Angala the following day, to the great distress of our
host, the delatoo, who would have feasted us for a week. A child
had been borne by one of his wives, just about the time Dr. Oudney
had passed through on his visit to Showy; which, in return for
his prescriptions, the delatoo had named _Tibeeb_, the Doctor’s
travelling name. Indeed, there was a liberality of feeling and
toleration about our host deserving most honourable mention; and
when, on my return from Loggun, worn out by fatigue and anxiety, I
really required nursing, he introduced his sister, a female of most
matronly deportment, who superintended the process of shampooing,
which was performed by one of her best looking and most accomplished
handmaids. On my expressing my thanks to the delatoo for these
unlooked-for attentions, he replied, “It grieved us all to see so
great a man as yourself, so far from home, a stranger and without
women; when in your own country, ‘gray hairs to you!’ you have,
at least, a hundred, I dare say!”
On the 23d we reached Showy, on the banks of the river Shary: the
magnitude of the stream drew from us both an involuntary exclamation
of surprise; it appeared to be full half a mile in width, running
at the rate of two to three[47] miles an hour, in the direction
nearly of north. In the centre of the river is a beautiful island,
nearly a mile in length, in front of the town. Showy forms part of
the district of Maffatai, and is governed by a kaid: and this person,
who treated us with great attention, proposed that we should proceed
down the stream to the Tchad, according to the sheikh’s directions.
On the 2d of February we embarked, accompanied by the kaid and eight
canoes, carrying ten and eleven men each: ploughing the stream with
their paddles, for nearly eight hours, they brought us, by sunset,
to a spot called Joggabah (or island, in the Mekkari language),
about thirty-five miles from Showy. The river, full as it is of
water at this season, had a highly interesting appearance: one
noble reach succeeded another, alternately varying their courses
by handsome sweeps, some of them three and four miles in length;
the banks were thickly scattered with trees rich in foliage, and all
hung over with creeping plants, bearing various coloured and aromatic
blossoms, amongst which the purple convolvolus flourished in great
beauty: several crocodiles, from eight to fifteen feet in length,
were slumbering on the banks, which, on our near approach, rolled
into the stream, and disappeared in an instant. The natives appeared
to fear them but little in shallow water, but dived in with great
boldness after the ducks we shot, and a large iguana that we struck
while sleeping on a tamarind tree, and which fell headlong into the
river. Joggabah is a beautiful feature in the scenery, as well as a
prominent one; and is seen for nearly six miles in proceeding down
a very wide, handsome reach, which we called Belle-vue Reach. The
river is here quite as wide as at Showy, which, with this exception,
I take to be the widest part.
[Illustration: Drawn by Captn. Clapperton.
Engraved by E. Finden.
FISHING BOATS ON THE SHARY.
_Published Feb. 1826, by John Murray, London._]
This island is high ground, with steep and nearly perpendicular banks,
and a depth of ten feet water close to the edge: the canoes moor up
to the shore; the stream runs strong and clear; and the landing is on
a fine dry sandy beach: it extends to the Tchad north, a distance of
twelve or fifteen miles, and has two handsome streams bounding it,
which run north-east and north-west, and by which the Shary takes
its way into that immense lake. It abounds with game: and we had
fish in abundance, venison, the flesh of a buffalo, and wild ducks,
for supper, all roasted on wooden spits.
We pitched our tent on the jutting head, where, a few years ago,
stood a negro town: the inhabitants, however, were refractory,
committed piracies on the Showy people, and in consequence the
sheikh determined on exterminating them. They were in league with
the Biddoomah, who were now kept to their own islands. Joggabah we
found uninhabited, and covered with jungle and prickly underwood,
in that part where we passed the night: we saw thirty porcupines,
and killed a centipede and two scorpions under our mats. We had two
canoes rowing guard the whole night on account of the Biddoomah. By
daylight we re-embarked, and proceeded by the north-west branch for
more than two hours, keeping nearly the same direction: we passed
several marshy floating islands, covered with rushes, high grass,
and papyrus, apparently dividing the water into different streams,
when we found ourselves in that sea of fresh water, the Tchad, which
we named Lake Waterloo, and into which the Shary empties itself. It
was my intention to have proceeded quite round the island to the east,
and to have returned by the other branch; but after making about two
miles in the open lake, a heavy swell from the north-east caused so
much water to come into the canoes, and so much labour to the men,
that we gave up that idea. After our return to the south side of the
island we followed the north-east branch, and found it vary but little
in appearance. During our passage, by keeping the deepest water,
and avoiding the convexities of the stream, we, at this season,
met with no impediments; and had nowhere less than three feet
water. We passed many small islands, all of which, near the mouth,
were destitute of trees, but covered with reeds (among which was the
papyrus), bamboos, and very tall grasses: the quantity of water-fowl
was immense, of great variety, and beautiful plumage. The nearest
Biddoomah island is said to be three days voyage on the open lake,
from the mouth of the river, in a north-east direction, say ninety
miles, during two of which these canoes lose sight of land: with an
excellent telescope I could discern nothing but the waste of waters to
the north or east. The Biddoomah are a wild and independent people,
who carry on a piratical war with all their neighbours: they send
out fleets of sixty or one hundred canoes; and they are reported as
terrible kaffirs.
We now commenced our return, and a laborious business it was,
rowing or paddling against the stream: the paddles were only
resorted to when, now and then, a headland sheltered them from the
wind and current; and so cautious were the men of Showy, that it was
near midnight before we landed on a spot named Buffalo Bank. We had
endured two days of burning heat and exposure to the sun, and a night
of watchfulness and torture from the insects; added to this, we had
lived entirely on Indian corn, boiled in the canoes during the day:
we were also constantly ankle deep in water, from the leaking of the
canoes. The banks were here, for some miles inland, thickly clothed
with handsome trees encompassed by creeping shrubs in full blossom,
while large antelopes and buffaloes were starting from the thickets
where they had fixed their lairs. We disturbed a flock of several
buffaloes on our making the shore; and hippopotami came so close
to us as to be struck by the paddles: here, and at the confluence
of the two branches, we found the greatest depth of water. The most
desirable route for us now to have pursued would have been to have
gone from hence to Loggun by water, but Gulphi lay in our way, and
it was impossible. To follow the direction of the river, therefore,
as nearly as we could, by moving in a line parallel to its banks,
became our next anxiety.
Previously, however, we again embarked, and visited a spot
called Dugheia, within a day’s journey of Gulphi, higher up the
stream. Dugheia is a ford and a ferry, where the sheikh, with all his
people, pass the stream on their expeditions against the Begharmis:
the ford is in a slanting direction, and between two sinuosities. When
the river is at its greatest height, the water reaches up to the
neck; it was now not above the arm-pits of a good sized man. The
infantry, placing their spears and bags of corn on their heads,
in their shields, cross with ease: the cavalry are moved over in
canoes, and the horses swam at the sterns. The appearance of the
river is similar both above and below Showy: excepting that above
there are more picturesque islands; on one of which we passed the
night, and named it Red Heron Isle, as my poor friend shot there a
bird of that species.
On the 8th of February we returned to Showy, and the day following
pursued our route by Willighi and Affadai. Willighi is a walled town
of considerable strength; indeed the Begharmis always pass it by on
their predatory excursions. The walls are nearly fifty feet high,
with watch-towers erected on the salient angles, where there are
constant sentinels. The sultan also lives in a sort of citadel with
double walls, and three heavy gates in each wall, strongly bound
with iron. Borgomanda, the reigning sultan of Begharmi, and Cheromah
(which means heir-apparent), send annual presents to Mai Dundelmah,
the sultan of Willighi; but he is a hadgi, and holds the sheikh
of Bornou in too high estimation to forsake his fortunes. Before
arriving at Willighi, which is only a day’s journey from Gulphi,
we recrossed the Gurdya, a considerable stream running from the
Shary into the great lake.
Feb. 10.—We left Willighi, after presenting the sultan with two
knives, two pairs of scissors, a turban, and a red cap, and in about
two hours arrived at another ford of the water Maffatai. These
fords are known by the natives of the neighbouring towns only,
who are always hired as guides. The water was up to the body of the
horse; and a weak camel, by encountering the load of another, was
thrown off the causeway into twelve or fourteen feet of water. We
crossed, this day, three deep marshes, besides the river, which,
the Willighi guide informed us, extended to the river, at one of
which we were detained nearly an hour before we could venture a
passage: the water reached to our saddles. After the rainy season,
canoes come from Showy to the neighbourhood of Willighi, for a wood
which is here abundant, called by the natives kagam, and another
called korna, with which they build their canoes, and make their
paddles. The fruit, also, of a species of locust tree, which the
natives call kadellaboo, is here gathered. We rested under the shade
of a beautiful large tree of this description, bearing a flower of
a deep crimson colour; a yellow jessamine, with a delicious odour,
was creeping around it, while other delicate aromatic plants grew
in wild profusion. Nevertheless, the paths through these woods,
though literally strewed with flowers, were nearly impassable from
the overhanging branches of thorny shrubs, which not only tore our
shirts and cloaks, but were sufficiently strong to drag the loads
from the backs of the camels: we were nearly twelve hours in making
twenty-two miles. When we arrived at the town of Affadai, our people
were too tired to cook the rice we had with us, and the kadi merely
sent us flour and water paste, and _leban_ (sour milk): at the same
time promising to kill a sheep the next day, if we would stay. We,
however, departed early on the following morning, and came, towards
evening, to a place called Kala, a wretched nest of huts, although
surrounded by a wall, and having strong gates.
On the 12th we moved on, and, after crossing a long and deep marsh, we
halted, about noon, for an hour or two, at a town called Alph, which
stood on a foundation of earth artificially raised in the midst of a
swamp extending for miles in every direction. We shot several cranes;
one of a beautiful white, with a yellow beak, and dark hazel eyes,
with a yellow rim. We now began to approach Kussery, and again came to
the banks of the river Shary, leaving Gulphi to the eastward. This
route is but seldom traversed: it is a continued succession of
marshes, swamps, and stagnant waters, abounding with useless and rank
vegetation: flies, bees, and mosquitos, with immense black toads,
vie with each other in a display of their peace-destroying powers.
I had, with grief, for several days, observed in my companion symptoms
which gave me great uneasiness: his stomach constantly refused our
coarse food of fish and paste; but as he complained but little, I
hoped a day or two at Kussery would restore his wonted good health
and spirits. Kussery, however, unfortunately, was the last place one
should have chosen for rest and tranquillity: during several hours in
the day, the inhabitants themselves dare not move out, on account of
the flies and bees. The formation of the houses, which are literally
one cell within another, five or six in number, excited my surprise;
which was not a little increased when I found that they were built
expressly as a retreat from the attacks of these insects. Still I
was incredulous, until one of our people, who had carelessly gone
out, returned with his eyes and head in such a state, that he was
extremely ill for three days. Kussery is a strong walled town,
governed by an independent sultan, named Zarmawha, who has twice
been in rebellion against the sheikh. Bellal was obliged to take
off his red cap and turban, and enter the presence with his head and
feet bare—a ceremony which had previously been dispensed with on
our journey. The sultan merely peeped at us through a lattice-work
of bamboo, but inquired particularly, why I turned my face towards
him as I sat. I, of course, replied, that turning my back would be,
in my country, a gross affront; at which he laughed heartily. We
had a separate letter to this prince from the sheikh: he seemed,
however, to pay but little respect to it, or the bearer, Bellal,
while to me he was most attentive. We had ten dishes of fish and
paste, which regaled our attendants sumptuously; and one of his own
household took up his residence at our huts. The fish was stale, and
offensive to more senses than one, which the natives rather prefer,
as we do game that has hung some time. The sultan’s officer,
however, seeing that I could not touch these Kussery delicacies,
quickly brought me a mess made of fresh fish, which, though a little
oily, was not unpalatable, with a large bowl of leban. Salt is here
scarcely known, and therefore not eaten with any of their meals:
out of the small stock I had brought, the townspeople were always
begging little lumps, which they put into their mouths, and sucked
with as much satisfaction as if it had been barley sugar.
I gave the sultan, in the morning, a parcel of beads, two pairs of
scissors, a knife, two turkadees, and a turban; on which he said
“we were a great people, a race of sultans, and would bring good
fortune to his dominions!” I must not omit to mention a visit
which I received from the sultan’s sister. She had been some time
divorced from her husband, who had gone over to the Begharmis. The
officer in attendance on us announced her with great secrecy,
about ten o’clock at night. For the only light in our hut we were
indebted to the pale moonbeams which shone through the door-way,
as we had neither candles nor lamp; and I had been some time fast
asleep when she arrived. Her attendants, three in number, waited for
her at the entrance, while she advanced and sat herself down beside
my mat: she talked away at a great rate, in a sort of whisper, often
pointing to my sick friend, who was at the further end of the hut;
and did not appear at all to wish for any reply. After remaining
nearly half an hour, and feeling and rubbing repeatedly my hands,
face, and head, which she uncovered by taking off my cap and turban,
she took her leave, apparently much gratified by her visit.
[Illustration: Drawn by Major Denham.
Engraved by E. Finden.
THE RIVER SHARY, FROM THE WALLS OF KUSSERY.
_Published by John Murray, London. Feb. 1826._]
The river here is a wide, handsome stream, and the walls extend quite
to the banks, and have two water-gates; the character is the same as
nearer its embouchure. I passed one of these water-gates at sunset,
and was much struck by the beauty of the landscape, with the fishing
canoes just returning towards Loggun: the stream sweeps off to the
south-south-west, and then to the south. Loggun was said to be thirty
miles distant by the river. Here my poor friend declared it impossible
to remain, and we moved on towards Loggun the next morning. We
could advance, however, but a few miles. Mr. Toole’s sufferings
were most acute; he twice fainted, and we lifted him on and off his
horse like an infant, so helpless had he become. What added also to
our distress was, that from this time until the evening of the 16th,
the Shouaa Arabs, who occupy the frontier of the Loggun country,
refused to allow us to pass until the sultan had been consulted,
and a number of his questions answered as to the purpose of our
visit. We were now close to the river, and notwithstanding the
heat, the only means we had of defending either ourselves or our
animals from the torture of the millions of insects that beset us,
was by lighting fires at the entrance of our tent, and constantly
supplying them with weeds and wet straw: the thick suffocating
smoke arising from this description of fire afforded us temporary
relief. I rode down to the river, which here flows with great beauty
and majesty past the high walls of this capital of Loggun; it comes
direct from the south-west, with a rapid current. We entered the
town by the western gate, which leads to the principal street:
it is as wide as Pall Mall, and has large dwellings on each side,
built with great uniformity, each having a court-yard in front,
surrounded by walls, and a handsome entrance, with a strong door
hasped with iron: a number of the inhabitants were seated at their
doors for the purpose of seeing us enter, with their slaves ranged
behind them. At first they took but little notice of us: indeed, our
appearance could not have been very imposing: one of our party was
laid on a camel, and another supported on his horse by two persons,
who walked on each side of him, while he raved most incoherently
from the violence of the fever by which he was consuming. At length,
however, a person of apparent consequence advanced towards my horse,
bending nearly double, and joining his hands (the first salutation of
the kind that I had seen), followed by his slaves stooping still lower
than himself. After explaining that he was deputed by the sultan to
welcome _kab n’jaffy_ (the white man), and repeating frequently
that he was _kaffama_ (my friend), he preceded our party; and,
as we moved on, each assembly that we passed rose from the ground,
advanced towards us, and saluted us in the same manner as I have
already described. We were at length conducted to our habitation,
which consisted of four separate huts, well built, within an outer
wall, with a large entrance hall for our servants: in the most
retired and quiet spot I spread the mat and pillow of my patient,
who was in a sad state of exhaustion and irritation.
The next morning I was sent for to appear before the sultan:
ten immense negroes, of high birth, most of them gray-bearded,
bare-headed, and carrying large clubs, preceded me through the
streets, and I was received with considerable ceremony. After passing
through several dark rooms, I was conducted to a large square court,
where some hundred persons were assembled, and all seated on the
ground: in the middle was a vacant space, to which they led me, and
I was desired to sit down also. Two slaves, in striped cotton tobes,
who were fanning the air through a lattice-work of cane, pointed out
the retirement of the sultan. On a signal, this shade was removed,
and something alive was discovered on a carpet, wrapped up in silk
tobes, with the head enveloped in shawls, and nothing but the eyes
visible: the whole court prostrated themselves, and poured sand on
their heads, while eight frumfrums and as many horns blew a loud
and very harsh-sounding salute.
My present, a red bornouse, a striped cotton caftan, a turban, two
knives, two pairs of scissors, and a pair of red trowsers, was laid
before him: he again whispered a welcome, for it is considered so
extremely ill-bred in a Loggun gentleman to speak out, that it is
with difficulty you can catch the sound of their voices.
He examined me very minutely, when the shade was again drawn. I
begged for permission to embark on the Shary, and was told he would
consider of it. He particularly inquired if I wished to purchase
_b’lowy_, or handsome female slaves, which I assured him I did
not; “because,” said he, “if you do, go no farther: I have
some hundreds, and will sell them to you as cheap as any one.”
Loggun, the capital of which country (Kernuk) is on the banks
of the Shary, and in 11° 7′ north latitude, is a very populous
country. Kernuk has fifteen thousand inhabitants at least. They speak
a language nearly Begharmi. The Shouaas are all round them, and to
them they are indebted for the plentiful supply of bullocks, milk,
and fat, with which the market abounds: these necessaries are paid
for by tobes, and blue cotton in stripes, which the Loggun people
make and dye of a very beautiful colour. They have, also, a metal
currency in Loggun, the first I had seen in Negroland: it consists
of thin plates of iron, something in the shape of the tip with which
they shoe race-horses: these are made into parcels of ten and twelve,
according to the weight, and thirty of these parcels are equal in
value to ten rottola, or a dollar.
[Illustration]
The money market, however, of Loggun, has its fluctuations: the value
of this “circulating medium” is settled by proclamation, at the
commencement of the weekly market, every Wednesday; and speculations
are made, by the bulls and bears, according to their belief of its
rise or fall. Previous to the sultan’s receiving tribute or duty
on bullocks or indigo, the delatoo generally proclaims the currency
to be below par; while, on the contrary, when he has purchases
to make for his household, preparatory to one of their feasts,
the value of the metal is invariably increased. The proclamation
of the value of the metal always excites an amazing disturbance,
as if some were losers and some gainers by the variation.
They are a much handsomer race than the Bornouese, and far more
intelligent—the women particularly so; and they possess a superior
carriage and manner to any negro nation I had seen. The ladies of
the principal persons of the country visited me, accompanied by
one or more female slaves. They examined every thing, even to the
pockets of my trowsers; and more inquisitive ladies I never saw in
any country: they begged for every thing, and nearly all attempted
to steal something; when found out, they only laughed heartily,
clapped their hands together, and exclaimed, “Why, how sharp he
is! Only think! Why he caught us!” If they may be said to excel
my Bornou friends in accomplishments, they fall far behind them in
modesty. They are passionately fond of cloves, which, when pounded
and mixed with fat, they rub over their hair and skin. To give them
their due, they are the cleverest and the most immoral race I had
met with in the Black country.
I was not a little surprised the next day at hearing that there were
two sultans, father and son, both at the head of strong parties,
and both equally fearing and hating each other: that I had seen
the son, but that it was absolutely necessary to give the elder
at least as much as I had given the younger one. I remonstrated;
but Bellal assured me that his slaves were the most expert thieves
in the kingdom—that no walls could stop them if the sultan once
gave the word “Forage.” There was no alternative; so putting ten
dollars in a stocking, and tying up in a French silk handkerchief
two strings of coral, and a few cloves, with six gilt basket-buttons,
I presented him with them, and had the pleasure of hearing that his
majesty was highly gratified by the present. Of the bad terms on
which these rival sultans were, notwithstanding their consanguinity,
I had pretty good proofs, by their both sending to me for poison in
secret; “that would not lie,” to use their own expression. The
_mai n’bussa_, the young sultan, as the son was called, sent me
three female slaves, under fifteen years of age, as an inducement;
whom I returned, explaining, in pretty strong terms, our abhorrence
of such proceedings; for which I had the satisfaction of hearing
myself, and all my countrymen, pronounced fools a hundred times over.
On the 19th, my poor colleague seemed a little better: he had slept,
and was more calm and easier. I left him in the morning for the
purpose of proceeding up the river, and returning the next day, or
the day after that. The Shary, after leaving Kussery, makes a sweep
nearly due south, when it winds to the south-west; and nearly on the
apex of the sinuosity, if I may so express myself, stands the capital
of Loggun. The river is here not more that 400 yards in breadth. The
canoes are different from those of Showy, measuring nearly fifty feet
in length, and capable of carrying twenty or twenty-five persons:
they are built of two fine-grained woods, called kagam and birgam,
which grow in abundance along the banks from Williky to Loggun:
the planks are often from two to three feet wide.
It was near noon, when we had ascended but a few miles, that a canoe
was seen following our track, with a speed denoting some extraordinary
occurrence; and on their reaching us, and reporting the cause of
this haste, such confusion took place amongst my party, that out of
seven canoes which accompanied me, not one remained; all made for
the shore; and it was with some difficulty that we could persuade
our own to return with us to Loggun. We now found that the Begharmis
were again on the Medba, and coming towards Loggun. The sultan, on
our return, sent for us, and desired the sheikh’s people to quit
his dominions _instanter_. I told him that I came expressly to remain
some time; that Bellal might return; but that for myself, I was his
subject, and must remain under his protection; added to which I had
a sick friend, and a sick servant, and that I could not move. This,
however, he would not hear of. Bellal was desired to quit Loggun,
and to take all of us with him. “More than half my people are
Begharmi,” said the sultan; “I have no protection to give—go,
go! while you can.” Obliged to obey, I raised my suffering friend,
who was unable to assist himself in any way: we set him on a horse,
and with no provisions but a sack of parched corn, which the sultan
gave us, at four o’clock the same day we quitted the walls, when
the three gates were shut upon us, one after the other, with great
satisfaction, by an immense crowd of people.
It was late at night when we halted near some deserted cattle sheds,
of the Shouaa Arabs, who had fled; and in one of which we laid my
exhausted companion, while I kept watch on the outside. From this
time, until the night of the 21st, when we came to a small village
called Tilley, on the banks of Gambalarum, we had scarcely any rest,
and but little food. Bellal and his slaves becoming impatient, I had
ridden on with him in front, for the purpose of keeping him always
in sight, while I left Mr. Toole in charge of Columbus, who was
sufficiently recovered to attend to all his wants; occasionally,
however, going back myself, and urging them to keep up as much
as possible. It had now been dark for four hours, and the road
was winding, thickly wooded, and intricate. Bellal proceeded to
search for the ford, preparatory to crossing the stream: to this I
decidedly objected, until our companions and baggage came up; knowing
that our doing so must depend on the state of my patient. He made
various objections, but as I dismounted, and began gathering wood
for a signal-fire, he gave up the point: they answered immediately
the glare of the flame, and curling smoke, by a shot; and Bellal
and I proceeded in the direction of the sound, for the purpose
of conducting them to the spot we had rested on: a second and
a third shot, however, were necessary before we could meet, so
intricate were the paths. I found Mr. Toole perfectly senseless,
and we laid him on a bed of unripe indigo, near our fire, wrapped
up in his blanket, while a little warm tea was prepared for him,
and he soon after fell into a sound sleep. Bellal now recommenced
searching for the ford, which I allowed him to do; fully determined,
however, not to disturb my companion until morning, unless the danger
of our situation should increase: he returned soon after midnight,
and pronounced the river not fordable, either above or below the
town. We were obliged, therefore, to load instantly, and proceed by
a more northerly route, where our danger was greater. My companion
allowed himself to be moved, with great patience; and Bellal, of
whose bravery and kind-heartedness I had seen many proofs, shed tears
on observing the sad change, which disease had effected in my once
lively and active comrade. He declared that his anxiety was more on
our account than on his own, as he never would see the sheikh’s
face, or Kouka, if any thing happened to us. We passed the walls of
Affadai soon after daylight, from whence the people were flying in
all directions, and rested for the night at Yrun, after fording the
river at Solon: here the natives had determined on making a stand;
and three of the four gates were built up, while the fourth had only
space sufficient left for a man to force himself through. The kaid
sent to invite us to remain; and furnished us with milk, and fresh
fish, as well as with corn for our half-famished animals. We raised
a tent over Mr. Toole, where he lay on the ground, and twice, during
the night, gave him rice and tea; after which, to my inexpressible
delight, he slept. On the following day we reached Angala, a place
of comparative safety, and where we were sure of protection. On
passing over the plain which leads to this city, I shot a very
large korrigum, a species of antelope, with long annulated horns,
nearly as large as a red deer. At Angala we took up our old quarters,
at the house of the delatoo; and Mr. Toole, on being told where he
was, exclaimed “Thank God! then I shall not die!” And so much
better was he for the two following days, that I had great hopes of
his recovery: about four o’clock, however, on the morning of the
26th of February, those hopes were at an end. A cold shivering had
seized him, and his extremities were like ice. I gave him both tea
and rice-water; and there was but little alteration in him, until
just before noon, when, without a struggle or a groan, he expired,
completely worn out and exhausted.
The same afternoon, just as the sun was sinking below the horizon,
I followed his remains to their last resting-place, a deep grave,
which six of the sultan of Angala’s slaves had prepared, under
my direction, to the north-west of the town, overhung by a clump of
mimosas in full blossom. The delatoo, or prime minister, attended the
procession with his staff of office, and a silent prayer breathed over
all that remained of my departed friend, was the best funeral service
circumstances allowed me to perform. After raising over the grave a
pile of thorns and branches of the prickly tulloh, several feet high,
as a protection against the flocks of hyænas, who nightly infest
the burying-places in this country, I returned to the town. In the
course of my life, I had seen many of my less fortunate companions
pay the great debt of nature—their deaths generally caused by
severe and painful battle wounds; but the recollections left on my
mind by the calm departure of my amiable and suffering companion
exceeded all former ones in acuteness—proving, that in grief,
as in pleasure, sensations of the more quiet and gentle kind often
make a deeper impression on the heart than those of a fiercer or
more violent nature. Not by me alone, however, was he lamented even
here; so pleasing were his manners, and so various his acquirements,
that his friends and relations have much to regret in his loss;
but they may also be proud of having had him for a connexion.
Mr. Toole possessed qualifications which rendered him particularly
useful on a service of this nature. He was persevering and intrepid,
and of a most obliging, cheerful, and kind disposition: only once
did he declare his incapability to proceed, and refused to be
lashed on the camel; but when I sat down on the ground beside him,
and Bellal and the sheikh’s people prepared to leave us, he cried
out, “No! no! heed me not: tie me on once more; but, pray, gently:
you will not leave me alone! and I shall be the cause of others
falling into unnecessary peril.”
If the readiness with which he volunteered his services to the
government of Malta, to join me at Bornou, entitles him to praise,
his manner of performing the journey from Tripoli gives him a claim to
still greater. Including his delays, which were several and vexatious,
he arrived in one hundred and eight days at Kouka, which, considering
the people he had to deal with, required very extraordinary efforts,
great temper, and good management. Notwithstanding the expedition
he used, but five camels died on this long journey, which, for
a commencement, was a very severe campaign; and his constitution,
though strong, was not sufficiently seasoned to support the fatigues
and privations to which he was from necessity exposed.
Mr. Toole had scarcely completed his twenty-second year, and was
in every sense a most amiable and promising young officer. To his
fate he was perfectly resigned; and on the day previous to that of
his death, when I mentioned to him his return to Kouka, he smiled,
shook his head, and said, “No! no! it is all over.” Nearly his
last words were expressive of hopes that, through Earl Bathurst’s
recommendation, his next brother might succeed to the ensigncy in the
80th regiment, which would become vacant in the event of his death;
and this request was no sooner made known to his lordship than it
was immediately complied with.
An immediate return to Kouka became, on the death of my companion,
the most desirable step to be taken; and, during the evening of
the next day, accompanied by Bellal, I left Angala. The Begharmis
were now scouring the country in every direction; notwithstanding,
we arrived at Angornou on the 1st of March, with only the loss of
two camels. Here I met the sheikh with a large force, which he had
hastily collected for the purpose of attacking these invaders. He
was, as usual, full of kindness, and sent word to the person whom
he had left in charge at Kouka, to do every thing for me that
I requested. All his people were in alarm, and seemed to doubt
greatly what would be the issue of the approaching contest. On the
2d of March I returned to Kouka; and, on the following day, had
an attack of fever myself, which, though a slight one, confined me
for ten days to my mat: my illness, however, I do not consider at
all attributable to climate—deprivation of rest, fatigue, heat,
and anxiety of mind, brought on the attack, from which I speedily
recovered. My greatest suffering had ever been in my eyes; and a
violent discharge from them greatly relieved me.
Although success had certainly not attended my endeavours in this
instance, yet the excursion had not been without its advantages. Our
knowledge of the country, and the people by whom it was inhabited,
was considerably increased: the district we had penetrated was
one where kafilas do not go, or where straggling Moorish merchants
ever venture to present themselves; and treacherous indeed must the
character of that people be, where the love of gain will not induce
the avaricious and persevering Moor to carry on his traffic. The
being foiled in my attempt to get up the stream from Loggun, was a
circumstance I much regretted; but from the confirmation received
there of the report I had previously heard, of a more southerly
branch of the Shary, running through a mountainous country to
the eastward, I have no doubt of that being the fact; and had not
events beyond the power of human control prevented my residence
for a short time at Loggun, this stream would, I am inclined to
think, have been found to extend to Adamowa, and from thence to the
lake Fittre. Loggun itself is more healthy and abundant than any
other part of the banks of the Shary. Gussub, gafooly, ground nuts,
mangoes, and onions, are in great plenty, as well as honey, butter,
milk, and beef. There is a market every evening, where fish and
flesh may be purchased in any quantities. Salt is extremely scarce,
and apparently but little esteemed, or the want of it regretted:
they sometimes use, as a substitute, fine trona, which is, however,
dreadfully bitter and nauseous. The trees are numerous, and much
larger than those of Bornou, although most of them are acacias:
the locust, with its blood-red blossom, is the most striking, with
the exception of the kuka, or kukawha, and this I never saw in flower.
The inhabitants of Loggun, of both sexes, are industrious, and
labour at the loom more regularly than in any part of the sheikh’s
dominions; almost every house has its rude machinery for weaving,
and the finer and closer linen is here produced; the width, however,
is invariably the same as the Bornou gubka, not exceeding six
or seven inches. In one house I saw five looms at work: the free
people usually perform this labour, while the female slaves prepare
the cotton, and give it the deep blue dye so esteemed amongst them,
by their incomparable indigo: the glazing is also another and very
important part of their manufacture: the linen, which, previous to
its being dyed, is generally either made up into tobes, or large
shirts, or into lengths of fifteen or sixteen yards, which is equal
to the size of a turkadee, is, after three steepings, and as many
exposures to the sun, laid in a damp state on the trunks of large
trees, cut to a flat surface for the purpose, and are then beaten
with a wooden mallet, being at the same time occasionally sprinkled
with cold water and powdered antimony, _kohol_; by this means, the
most glossy appearance is produced: the constant hammering attending
this process during the whole day, really sounds like the busy hum
of industry and occupation.
Neutrality has been the policy of Loggun during the whole of the wars
that have laid waste Bornou: she has, at times, made great sacrifices
to preserve it, but peace has been her reward; and should confidence
and tranquillity be established by El Kanemy’s exertions in those
provinces bordering on the great track of kafilas, Loggun will be
a profitable resort for merchants: they are any one’s people who
can gain an influence over them, and appeared to care as little
about the Mohammedan forms of religion as we did ourselves. The
surrounding country abounds with cattle, and wild animals of
every description found in Africa. They are a remarkably handsome,
healthy, and good-looking race. In the immediate neighbourhood of
the great river, some of the towns are extremely healthy; Showy in
particular; and from thence to its embouchure, the banks are high
and seldom overflowed: the current runs with great strength along the
perpendicular sides of what I have called Buffalo bank, where there
is great depth of water, and a firm sandy bottom. Towards Kussery,
again, they are said to be sickly; but this is accounted for by the
marshy nature of the country round about them; and the windings of
the river, which here, by causing a convexity, gives shallow water,
a languid current, and low marshy ground. The overflowings, also, of
the smaller streams, leave here stagnant lakes, of several miles in
extent, which are filled with unsightly useless shrubs: the woods
are not cleared; and the wind has therefore but little power to
disperse the foul exhalations, which arise from these unwholesome
fens. The innumerable hosts of flies and insects appear to cause the
inhabitants of the banks of this river to complain more than either
the heat or the climate. Chickens are frequently destroyed by them,
soon after they are out of the shell: a chief told me, near Kussery,
that, during the last two years, he had lost two children, who were
literally stung to death; and from our own observation and sufferings,
this does not appear to be an exaggeration.
[Illustration]
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 47: In a subsequent visit I had an opportunity of measuring
the river just below Shary, and found it 650 yards.]