There was now a fair opportunity offered me of leaving the town in an
honourable way, under the protection of the friendly Kél-úlli, who for
this very purpose had brought with them from the encampment my four
camels; but the Sheikh missed this favourable occasion, by relying too
much upon the promised arrival of the great Tawárek chief Alkúttabu. As
for our friends the Tademékket, to whom Áhmed Wádáwi, the learned
follower of the Sheikh, had been sent as a messenger, they did not come
along with him, but sent word that they would follow him as soon as
their presence was required; their chief Áwáb having gone to raise
tribute from the degraded tribe of the Idélebó.
Uncertain as my situation was under these circumstances, I felt cheered
by the not very improbable chance of my departure; for at length the
last cause which had delayed me so long seemed to be removed, by El
Bakáy’s wife giving birth to a child on the 4th of March. All political
as well as domestic circumstances therefore seemed to conspire in
rendering it possible for him to accompany me for the distance of some
days; and he had really assured me the night before, when I was engaged
in a consultation with him till near morning, that I should leave on the
following Tuesday; but, having had too much insight into his dilatory
character, I told him very plainly that I did not believe a word of it,
as he had disappointed me so often. And I had reason to be satisfied
with my scepticism, as the phantom of the “tábu,” or the great army of
the Tawárek, with whose assistance he hoped to triumph over his enemies,
did not allow him to adhere to any fixed plan. Now the “tábu” was really
approaching; and it was merely some unforeseen circumstance, probably
owing in part to the machinations of the party publicly or secretly
opposed to the authority of the Sheikh, which prevented the great chief
of all those westerly Tawárek from reaching Timbúktu, and crowning all
the hopes and wishes of my protector.
It was in the afternoon of the 5th that we received undoubted news of
the approach of the tábu, the shepherds seeking to secure their flocks
by flight, and all those who had reason to fear the wrath or anger of
their mighty liege lord endeavouring to reach the islands and creeks of
the river as a place of safety. A messenger who arrived from Bamba,
stated that the tábu had really reached the town of Égedesh, a few miles
beyond Bamba; nay, even the state of the atmosphere seemed to confirm
the news of the approach of a numerous host, as it was entirely
enveloped in thick clouds of dust. But the Sheikh was a little too rash
in sending, on the 6th, a message to El Férreji, giving him official
information of the arrival of Alkúttabu. That officer answered, in a
manly way, that he must not think of frightening him, and that he
himself, if necessary, was fully able to summon an army from Fermágha
and from Dár e’ Salám, the capital of the province of Jimbálla on the
other side of the river; that he had come to drive me out of the town,
and that he would at any cost achieve his purpose; and although the
Sheikh’s rival, Hammádi, seemed to be frightened, and came to sue for
peace, yet Sídi Mohammed was wearied with his brother’s continual
procrastination, and from that day forward did all in his power to make
me leave the town under any condition, and banish me to the tents.
There is no doubt that, in the event of the “tábu” not arriving, the
Sheikh’s situation became more dangerous in consequence of the arrival
of his brother ʿAbidín, who entered the town amidst a demonstration of
firing and music on the afternoon of the 7th. All the three brothers
went out on horseback to meet him; but this man, who was bent upon
following a policy entirely opposed to that of El Bakáy, took up his
quarters with Hammádi, the adversary of the latter. Even the eldest
brother was so little satisfied with the Sheikh’s present policy, that,
when I called upon him about midnight of that same day, a very serious
conversation arose between the two brothers, Sídi Mohammed asking El
Bakáy whether they were to fight the Fullán on account of a single
individual, and one too of a foreign religion; and reproaching him at
the same time with the fact, that his preparations did not advance,
while on his part he did not think any preparations were necessary at
all, as he was sure that not even the tribe of the Igwádaren, who are
settled near Bamba, would do me any harm. But the Sheikh endeavoured to
gain time, by telling his brother that he would send the following day
for the horses from Kábara, and that he would write a letter to some
chiefs on the road through whose territory I had to pass.
Having been a quiet spectator of this dispute I returned to my quarters,
and in order to provide against any accident I packed up the remainder
of my luggage, and made everything ready for starting. Meanwhile, Sídi
Mohammed and Álawáte, in order to further their plans, had the same
afternoon an appointment with ʿAbidín and Hammádi, where they probably
determined as to the course to be pursued with regard to me: and El
Bakáy, who went the same evening to pay a visit to ʿAbidín, seemed to
have given a kind of half promise that I should leave in the afternoon
of the 10th. But having obtained a short respite, in the course of the
following day, he delayed my departure from day to day, expecting all
the time the arrival of Alkúttabu.
Meanwhile, Sídi Mohammed had made a serious attack upon my religion, and
called me always a káfir. But I told him that I was a real Moslim, the
pure Islám, the true worship of the one God, dating from the time of
Adam, and not from the time of Mohammed; and that thus, while adhering
to the principle of the unity, and the most spiritual and sublime
nature, of the Divine Being, I was a Moslim, professing the real Islám,
although not adopting the worldly statutes of Mohammed, who, in
everything that contained a general truth, only followed the principles
established long before his time. I likewise added, that even they
themselves regarded Plato and Aristotle as Moslemín, and that thus I
myself was to be regarded as a Moslim, in a much stricter sense than
these two pagan philosophers. I concluded by stating that the greater
part of those who called themselves Moslemín did not deserve that name
at all, but ought rather to be called Mohammedán, such as we named them,
because they had raised their prophet above the Deity itself.
Being rather irritated and exasperated by the frequent attacks of Sídi
Mohammed and Álawáte, I delivered my speech with great fervour and
animation; and when I had concluded, Sídi Mohammed, who could not deny
that the Kurán itself states that Islám dates from the creation of
mankind, was not able to say a word in his defence. As for El Bakáy, he
was greatly delighted at this clear exposition of my religious
principles, but his younger brother, who certainly possessed a
considerable degree of knowledge in religious matters, stated, in
opposition to my argument, that the Caliphs, El Harún and Mʿamún, who
had the books of Plato and Aristotle translated into Arabic, were
Metʿazíla, that is to say, heretics, and not true Moslemín; but this
assertion of course I did not admit, although much might be said in
favour of my opponent. At all events, I had obtained some respite from
the attacks of my friends; and having thus the support of them all, in
the afternoon of the following day, the 10th of March, we went quietly
to the tents in order to celebrate the “Sebúwa” (corresponding to the
baptism of the Christians) of the new-born child. On this occasion I
noticed that the water in the outlying creeks which we passed had only
fallen about three feet since the 17th of February, which is less than
two inches per day; but it is probable that the water of the principal
branch decreases more rapidly than that of these winding backwaters.
The camp was full of animation, the Gwanín el Kohol, a section of the
Bérabísh, having taken refuge in the encampment of the Sheikh from fear
of the Kél-hekíkan, with whom they were on hostile terms. It was highly
interesting for me to be thus brought into close contact with these
people, who owe allegiance to the chief that had murdered Major Laing;
and well aware that I could not fail to entertain a strong prejudice
against them, they all thronged round me on my arrival, and hastened to
assure me of their friendly disposition. They were armed with double-
barreled guns, a weapon which, owing to the trade with the French, is
now common through the whole of this part of the desert, the long
single-barreled gun, the only favourite weapon with the Arabs to the
north, being here regarded with contempt as befitting only the slave. In
general, the people were of middle stature, although some of them were
fine tall men and of a warlike and energetic appearance, having their
shirts, mostly of a light blue colour, tied up over their shoulder and
girt round the waist with a belt, the powderhorn hanging over the
shoulder, quite in the same style as is the custom of their brethren
nearer the shores of the Atlantic. Their head was uncovered, with the
exception of their own rich black hair, or guffa, which, I am sorry to
add, was full of vermin.
The same evening, although it was late, my host, who was certainly not
wanting in hospitality, slaughtered five oxen, and in consequence we
partook of supper about an hour after midnight. But that was not at all
unusual here; and nothing during my stay in Timbúktu was more annoying
to me, and more injurious to my health, than this unnatural mode of
living, which surpasses in absurdity the late hours of London and Paris.
Early the next morning two more head of cattle were slaughtered, and
enormous quantities of rice and meat were cooked for the great numbers
of guests, who had flocked here together from the town and from all
parts of the neighbouring district. Amidst such feasting the name of
Mohammed was given to the new-born infant. The way in which the guests
dealt with the enormous dishes, some of which were from four to five
feet in diameter, and could only be carried by six persons, bore
testimony to the voracity of their appetites; one of these immense
dishes was upset, and the whole of the contents spilt in the sand.
But the people were not long left to enjoy their festivity, for just
while they were glutting themselves a troop of Kél-hekíkan, the tribe
who waged the bloody feud with the Gwanín, passed by, throwing the whole
encampment into the utmost confusion. When at length it had again
settled down, the festivities proceeded, and Mohammed el ʿAísh, with
some of his countrymen from Tawát, rode a race up the slope of the downs
towards the tents, firing their guns at the same time; but altogether
the exhibition was rather shabby, and some of the men were very poor
riders, having probably never been on horseback before, as they were
natives of the desert where the camel prevails. The inhabitants of
Timbúktu, who possess horses, are continually pestered with the request
to lend them to strangers; and, with regard to these animals, a sort of
communism prevails in the town; but they are of a very poor description,
only the Sheikh himself possessing some good horses, brought from the
Gibleh, or Western quarter of the desert.
The Kél-hekíkan formed also a subject of anxiety to us in the evening,
and, after a long and tedious consultation, it was decided to send some
people to watch the movements of those freebooters. Having been met
with, they declared they should feel satisfied if the Sheikh would
consent to deliver up to them the person who had first slain one of
their companions, for this had been the beginning of the feud with the
Gwanín, although the murderer belonged to the Túrmus, and not to that
other tribe which had taken up the quarrel. In consequence of these
feudal relations I had an interesting conversation with the Sheikh, and
Fandaghúmme, one of the chiefs of the Tademékket who had likewise come
to join this festival, about the “fedʿa,” or the price of blood, many of
the Tawárek tribes refusing to accept any fedʿa, but peremptorily
requiring bloodshed. I have already mentioned these freebooters, the
Kél-hekíkan, on a former occasion; and it is remarkable, that this very
tribe, which at present is most distinguished by its lawless and
sanguinary habits, and which in consequence of the almost uninterrupted
state of warfare in which they are engaged, was at the time reduced to
about forty full-grown men, exhibits the finest specimens of manly
vigour and stately appearance which are to be found in this whole
region.
Notwithstanding the importance which the day possessed for my protector,
the stay in the camp, deprived as I was of books or any other source of
amusement, and of even the smallest European comfort, became more and
more tedious to me. My material privations also were not few, especially
as I had not even taken coffee with me this time, so that I had nothing
to refresh myself with in the early part of the morning. However, I
tried to pass my time as cheerfully as possible, and took some interest
in the appearance of a man who had likewise come out to enjoy the
hospitality of the Sheikh. This was the sheríf Múláy Isay, who, on
account of his white skin, was almost suspected by the natives to be of
European origin. In the course of the day the Sheikh showed me some rich
gold trinkets belonging to his wife, manufactured in Waláta; and this
was almost the only time that I had an opportunity of inspecting these
gold ornaments. They formed a sort of diadem: and I understood my host
to say that he wanted to have a similar one made for Queen Victoria,
which, however poor in itself, I assured him would be valued by the
English as a specimen of their native industry.
The stay in this place became the more disagreeable, as a high wind
raised thick clouds of dust, and the leathern tent, in which Fandaghúmme
was staying, was blown down, and I was therefore rather glad when, in
the evening of the 13th, we returned into the town. Here, again, the
news of the arrival of the “tábu” was a second time reported, and
everybody again thrown into a state of excitement; the Ergágeda, a tribe
of Arabs or Moors, moving to and fro, while all the poor degraded tribes
in the neighbourhood, together with their herds of cattle and their
flocks of sheep, fled again for refuge to the encampment of the Sheikh,
such as the Kél e’ Sheríʿa, the Kél-antsár, the Ídenán, and the Kél-
úlli. My protector himself was again to return to the tents on the
morning of the 15th, when a serious business arose, the Fullán insisting
with great pertinacity that I should leave the town this day, or else
they would certainly kill me; for they would rather, they said, that the
“tábu” should annihilate them all, than that I should remain a day
longer in the town.
Next morning the Fullán and the merchants from the north assembled in
the house of Mohammed el Férreji, and discussed with great energy what
means they should adopt to drive me out, binding themselves by an oath
that I should not see the sun set over the town. The officer Hámedu, the
son of Mohammed Lebbo, even went so far as to rise in the assembly and
swear that he himself would certainly slay me if I should stay any
longer. The alarm which this affair caused in the town was very great,
although matters of this kind in Negroland are never so serious as in
Europe. Álawáte, therefore, being informed of what was going on, entered
the assembly and made a formal protest that I should see both sunset and
sunrise in the town, but he pledged his word that I should leave it
before the sun reached that height called dáhhar (about nine o’clock in
the morning) by the Arabs, and if I remained after that time they might
do what they pleased with me.
[Sidenote: March 17th.]
I had lain down rather late, and was still asleep, when Sídi Mohammed,
before sunrise, sent word to me to mount in order to follow him out of
the town; and he behaved very unpolitely when objections were raised to
the effect that it would be better to wait for El Bakáy. Soon after he
came up himself on horseback before my door, sending one of his
brother’s principal and confidential pupils, whom I could scarcely
expect to do anything contrary to the wishes of his master, to bid me
mount without further delay, and to follow him to the “ródha,” or the
sepulchre of Sídi Mukhtár, where El Bakáy would join us. Seeing that I
had nothing to say, while as a stranger I could neither expect nor
desire these people to fight on my account, I mounted, fully armed, and
with two servants on horseback followed Sídi Mohammed on his white mare.
All the people, in the streets through which we passed, cautiously
opened their doors to have a peep at me. The ruling tribe also were not
inactive; and they had mounted several horsemen, who followed close upon
our heels, and would probably have made a demonstration if we had halted
at the “ródha.” But my conductor, instead of staying there, as I had
been made to believe, led on straight to the tents. Numbers of Tawárek
families, carrying their little property on half-starved asses, met us
on the road, flying westward, and confirming the fact that the approach
of the tábu was not merely an idle rumour. The encampment also, which
had been chosen at another spot, presented a very animated scene, a
large hamlet, consisting of matting dwellings, or seníha, inhabited by
the Kél-úlli and the Ígelád, _protégés_ of the Sheikh, being closely
attached to it. The consequence was, that although the whole locality,
formed by a sandy ridge with a slight depression full of trees,
presented a more cheerful aspect than the former encampment, by degrees
it became rather narrow and confined. Having received the compliments of
my new friends, I endeavoured to make myself as comfortable as possible;
but not much repose was granted me, for, about three o’clock in the
afternoon, Mohammed ben Khottár, the Sheikh’s nephew, arrived with a
verbal and peremptory message from the former to his elder brother, Sídi
Mohammed, to the effect that the Fullán were about to storm my house in
the town, in order to seize my luggage which I had left there; and
desiring him instantly, and without the slightest delay, to bring me
back, as all these proceedings were the consequence of his (Sídi
Mohammed’s) indiscretion.
Roused by this angry message, the noble son of the desert repented what
he had done to the detriment of his brother’s interest, and calling
together by strokes of the tobl, or great drum, which hung ready on the
top of the sandy slope, all the people capable of carrying arms, he
mounted his mare, with his four-barreled gun before him, while I, with
my two servants, followed behind.
Thus it appeared as if I was destined once more to enter Timbúktu, and
this time under very warlike circumstances. We went at the beginning at
such a rate, that it seemed as if we were about to storm the place
directly; but on reaching the first creek of the river we made a short
halt, while my Mohammedan friends said their prayers, and at last came
to a stand on an eminence, whence we sent a messenger in advance. Sídi
Álawáte came out of the town to meet us. Meanwhile darkness set in, and
we again halted on another eminence in sight of the town, and sent a
second messenger to the Sheikh. We were joined after a while by the
people from Tawát, who informed us that El Bakáy had left the town with
a numerous host of followers, but that they themselves did not know
whither he was gone. Messengers were therefore despatched to endeavour
to find him.
In the meanwhile the Tawárek whom we had with us, beat their shields in
their usual furious manner, and raised the war-cry; the night was very
dark, and I at length fired a shot, which informed our friends of our
whereabouts. We found the Sheikh close to the town south of the “ródha,”
with a large host of people, Tawárek as well as Arabs, Songhay, and even
Fullán. The Fútáwi, Ismʿaíl, who from his knowledge of colonial life in
St. Louis or Ndér, afforded me a constant source of entertainment as
well as vexation, welcomed us with a song, and all the people gathered
around us in motley confusion. The spectacle formed by this multifarious
host, thronging among the sand-hills in the pale moonlight, was highly
interesting, and would have been more so to me, if I could have been a
tranquil observer of the scene; but, as I was the chief cause of this
disturbance, several of my friends, especially the Imám, Háj el Mukhtár,
whom I had known in Bornú, made their way to me, and begged me to beware
of treachery. The Sheikh himself despatched his most trustworthy servant
to inform me that I had better keep in the midst of the Tawárek, whom he
himself thought much more trustworthy than the Arabs. The Kél-úlli
forthwith formed a square round me, but at the same time made a joke of
it, trying an experiment as to the warlike disposition of my horse, by
pushing against me with one side of the square, while beating their
shields, till, being thrown back upon the other side, I spurred my horse
and drove them to their former position. Excited by this animated scene,
my noble charger, to the great amusement of this turbulent host, began
to neigh from sheer delight.
Meanwhile the brothers had dismounted, together with their trusty
councillors, and were wasting the time in useless consultation, while
some Fullán horsemen were roving about and kept me on my guard; but one
of them was dismounted against his inclination. His horse received a
wound either from the stump of a tree or from a spear, and thus he
remained the sole victim of this glorious and memorable night’s
campaign.
At length, having moved to and fro for some time, we approached the
outskirts of the Áberaz, and there took up our position. But the Fullán
and Songhay, who had likewise assembled at the beating of the alarm
drum, being arranged in front of us, notwithstanding their cowardly
disposition, it did not seem likely that we should be allowed to get
inside the town without bloodshed, and I protested repeatedly to the
Sheikh, that nothing was more repugnant to my feelings, than that blood
should be shed on my account, and perhaps his own life be endangered.
Meanwhile numerous messengers were sent backwards and forwards, till my
protector and host, whose feelings had been deeply wounded, declared
that he would allow me to remain outside the town, if the Fullán would
withdraw their force so as to put every thing in his own hands, and
would promise to leave my house untouched. And he strictly kept his
word; for, while he himself entered the place with Álawáte, he allowed
me to return to the tents in the company of his elder brother. We did
not arrive at the encampment before three o’clock in the morning, for we
lost our road in the pale moonlight, and became entangled among the
numerous creeks of Bose-bángo, while we suffered at the same time
greatly from hunger, and the coolness of the night. Such was the sole
result of this night’s campaign.
The following day we received the news from an Urághen, who arrived from
the east, of the tábu having returned eastward, in consequence of a
serious quarrel having broken out between the tribes of the Tarabanása
and the Tin-ger-égedesh, who composed part of the army; and in
consequence of the obstinacy of Ákhbi, the chief of the Igwádaren, who
had refused to acknowledge the authority of his liege lord, and to come
forth from his place of retreat, the island of Kúrkozáy, in order to do
homage to Alkúttabu. The ruling tribe of the Awelímmeden gave vent to
their anger by plundering the poor inhabitants of Bamba, or Kasbah, a
place situated about half-way between here and Gógó. That dreaded host
having retraced its steps, and thus disappointed the hopes of my
protector, all the poor people who had put themselves under the
protection of the Sheikh felt reassured, and again brought out their
little property, which they had secreted in the various tents of the
encampment. The Ígelád lagged a little longer behind, and in the evening
assembled in considerable numbers before my tent in order to have a talk
with me. On the whole they behaved very decently.
Seeing that I was now restricted to a stay in the encampment, I had sent
my servant, the Gatróni, into the town in order to bring out my luggage.
He returned in the evening without having accomplished his errand, but
in the company of the Sheikh himself, who informed me that he did not
wish the luggage to be brought out of the town before he was ready to
accompany me himself on my journey, as he was afraid that his two
brothers still wanted to get something more out of me than they had
done. But as he had sworn in the first paroxysm of anger that he would
at all hazards bring me back into the town, I told him, in order to
console him, that I would once more re-enter the place in the dark,
quite by myself, stay a short time in my house, and then return to the
camp, in order that his oath might be fulfilled. But he would not allow
me to expose myself to any danger on his account, as the rules of his
creed made it easy for him to get rid of the obligation thus contracted
against his conscience, by subjecting himself to the penance of a three
days’ fast. He informed me now that the Fullán officer, Férreji, had
accompanied him on leaving the town as far as the “ródha,” giving him
every assurance of his friendship, and that thus everything would end
well; and he hoped to obtain for me favourable conditions from the
Fullán for any future European or Englishman visiting this place.
Together with the Sheikh, Sídi Álawáte also had come out, and he behaved
in a rather friendly manner to me, offering his services towards
hastening my departure, which I gladly accepted, without however putting
any confidence in him; for I was well aware that he liked my property
better than myself.
Seeing that I was obliged to resign myself in patience, and had still to
wait here some time, I sent one servant and two of my horses into the
town. Since the waters had retired, the flies had become such a terrible
plague, that they threatened the life of man and beast, and it was
chiefly this nuisance that rendered my stay here so uncomfortable. It
was likewise almost the ruin of the horse, which I was obliged to keep
with me in case of any emergency. It is on account of this pest that
none of the people of the desert, whose chief property consists in
camels, are enabled to visit the town at this period of the year.
Not only flies, but other species of insects also, became now
exceedingly abundant in this desert tract, after it had been inundated
and fertilised by the waters of the river; and a countless number of
caterpillars especially became very troublesome, creeping about the
ground, and getting upon the carpets and mats and every other article.
While thus the inconvenience of the open camp was manifold, my
amusements were rather limited, and even my food was poorer than it had
been before. The famous “rejíre” had been supplanted, from want of
cheese, by the less tasteful “dakno,” seasoned, in the absence of honey,
with the fruit of the baobab or monkey-bread tree. In the morning,
however, it afforded me some amusement to observe the daughters of the
Ígelád driving out to the pasture grounds their parents’ asses, and to
witness the various incidents in the daily life of these people. But
they were soon to leave, as well as the Kél-úlli, both tribes returning
to their quarters further eastward.
All my friends, with whom I had had only so short an acquaintance, thus
taking leave of me, I was extremely glad when a brother of Mohammed ben
ʿAbd-Alláhi came out of the town and paid me a visit. It was from this
man, whose name was Dáúd, that I obtained a great deal of important
information with respect to the quarter north of the river, between
Hamda-Alláhi and Bághena. I also met here another person, who gave me a
curious piece of information with regard to the Rás el Má, the great
north-westerly creek of the river, which I have already mentioned
repeatedly, and of which I shall say more in the Appendix[23], although
I was not enabled to understand its whole purport. In reference to that
basin, he said, that, when the waters had decreased very considerably, a
bubbling was observed at the bottom of the basin; but whether this
referred to sources of living water, or to some other phenomenon, I
could not make out distinctly, although I imagine the former to be the
case.
[Sidenote: March 21st.]
This was a very important day in various respects. First, it was highly
remarkable for its atmospheric character, as beginning the “nisán,” that
is to say, the short rainy season of spring. This peculiar season I had
not observed in the other more southerly parts of Negroland which I had
visited, but it is also observed in other tropical regions, especially
in Bengal, although that country is certainly placed under different
conditions, and reaches farther northward. We had two regular falls of
rain this day, although of no great abundance, this phenomenon being
repeated for about seven days, though not in succession. Meanwhile the
flies became quite insupportable, and almost drove me to despair.
But the day was also important in another respect, as the sons of Sídi
Mohammed, El Bakáy, and his brothers, attempted to bring about a
friendly understanding among themselves; and I was not a little
surprised in the morning of this day, on being informed by Sídi
Mohammed, who acted as my guard here, that I was to accompany him back
to the “ródha,” the venerated cemetery a few hundred yards east of the
town, where Sídi Mukhtár lies buried; for it thus seemed as if there was
still some prospect of my again coming into collision with the
townspeople. Galloping on the road with Dáúd, the brother of ʿAbd-
Alláhi, who accompanied us, and beating him easily on my fine “Blast of
the Desert,” as I styled my horse, which was still in tolerable
condition, I followed my companion, and we took our post at the southern
side of the tomb of the ancestor of the holy family. Although I had
passed it repeatedly on former occasions, I never until now inspected it
closely. I found it a spacious clay apartment, surrounded by several
smaller tombs of people who were desirous of placing themselves under
the protection of the spirit of this holy man, even in the other world.
Gradually we were joined by the relations and friends of the Sheikh,
Álawáte appearing first and saluting me in his usual smiling manner;
then the sickly Mohammed ben ʿAbd-Alláhi, who was regarded almost as a
member of the family; next followed Hammádi, who greeted me and received
my compliments in return; then the Sheikh el Bakáy; and, lastly,
ʿAbidín, whom I had not seen before. He looked rather older than the
Sheikh, with expressive sharply cut and manly features, besides a rather
fair complexion, fairer than my host. He was clad in a bernús of violet
colour, and it appeared remarkable to me that, although I had placed
myself exclusively under the protection of his brother, to whom he as
well as Hammádi was vehemently opposed, yet he behaved very friendly
towards me.
All the parties having assembled, we were regaled with a luncheon, at
which I was the first to be helped. The people then having said their
prayers of “ʿaser,” while I retired behind the sepulchre, in order not
to give any offence, we went to a greater distance from the town, in an
easterly direction, in order to get out of the way of the people who had
come from the town on this occasion, when the various members of the
family of Mukhtár sat down upon the ground in a circle, and began a
serious private consultation, in order to settle their political
affairs; but, although it lasted for more than an hour, it did not seem
to lead to the desired end, and broke up abruptly. The Sheikh had
endeavoured to persuade me to pass this night in the Áberaz, or the
suburb of the town; but this I had refused to do, being afraid of
causing another disturbance, and, as he promised that he would come out
of the town with my luggage on the Friday following, I returned with
Sídi-Mohammed to the tents.
Honourably as I was treated on these different occasions in consequence
of the great exertions of my protector, yet the Fullán had obtained,
throughout the whole affair, a slight advantage in political
superiority, and they followed it up without hesitation and delay, by
levying a tax of 2000 shells upon each full-grown person, under the
pretext that they did not say their Friday prayers in the great mosque
as they were ordered to do. This is one of the means by which the
conquering tribe was endeavouring to subdue the national spirit of the
native population, by making them celebrate the great weekly prayer in
the mosque which had originally been built by the Mandingo conqueror
Mansa Músa, and which they themselves had made the centre of their
establishment in the town. Even in previous times it had always been the
centre of the Mohammedan quarter. They were supported in this endeavour
by the precepts of Islám, according to which a Moslim, even if he says
his ordinary prayers at home, is obliged, when staying in the town and
not prevented by disease, to say his Friday prayers in the Jámʿa.
When the Fullán conquered the place, they purposely increased the ruin
of the old native mosque of Sán-koré, which is situated in the northern
quarter, and afterwards prevented its being repaired, till by the
exertions of the Sheikh El Bakáy, especially on his visit to Hamda-
Alláhi some years previously, the inhabitants of the town had been
allowed to repair that mosque at their own expense. This had been
accomplished at the cost of 600 blocks or rús of salt, equal to about
200_l._
Besides levying this tax upon the inhabitants in general, they also
devised means to subject to a particular punishment the Arab part of the
population who had especially countenanced the Sheikh in his opposition
against their order to drive me out, by making a domiciliary search
through their huts, and taking away some sixty or eighty bales or
sunníye of tobacco, an article which, as I have stated on a former
occasion, forms a religious and political contraband under the severe
and austere rule of the Fúlbe in this quarter.
[Sidenote: March 24th.]
This was the day on which the Sheikh had promised to bring out my
luggage, but, to my great disappointment, he came empty-handed; and
again he had much to say about the expected arrival of Alkúttabu, the
chief Somki, it was stated, having been called from Áribínda to meet his
liege lord at Ghérgo (pronounced Rérgo) with fifteen boats. But, as the
sequel showed, this was a mere stratagem of that crafty chief, who
intended to make an unexpected foray upon his foes the Kél-hekíkan, in
which enterprise he was perfectly successful, killing about a dozen of
that already greatly reduced tribe. While the Sheikh boasted of the
innumerable host which his friend the Tárki chief carried with him, I
was greatly amused at learning from an Urághen, who had come to pay us a
visit, that Alkúttabu had only 300 fighting men with him at the time. I
also observed with a certain degree of satisfaction that my kindly host
became aware of what I was subjected to day by day; for, while on a
visit to my tent, one of the flies that tormented me stung him so
severely as to draw blood; and I then showed him my poor horse which was
suffering dreadfully, although at times we lighted a small fire in order
to afford him some relief.
During my stay here, I had become better acquainted with Sídi Mohammed,
and I had convinced myself that he was a straightforward man, although
certainly not very friendly disposed towards Christians in general. Next
morning, therefore, when he and the Sheikh were consulting together, I
complained bitterly of their breaking their word so repeatedly, and
putting off my departure so continually. They then endeavoured to soothe
my disappointment, and, as they were going into the town, wanted me to
go along with them, but I declined. In consequence of this remonstrance,
they sent me from the town the Sheikh’s nephew, who had been ill for
several days, to bear me company and to take care of me, and this was a
great treat in my solitary situation, as I had nobody to speak to.
However, new difficulties appeared to arise with regard to my departure,
and, during the next few days, I received several curious messages, the
real purport of which I was quite at a loss to understand. But El Bakáy
at length promised that I should only have to wait two days longer, when
he would go with me himself; but it was not till the very last day in
March that he returned from the town to the camp, and, although he at
length brought my luggage with him, my real departure was even then
still far remote.
During this time I had especially to contend against the intrigues of my
head man ʿAlí el Ágeren, who seemed to find the stay in Timbúktu at my
expense (where he himself was quite safe and well off, and could do what
he liked,) quite pleasant and comfortable. He was therefore in no hurry
to leave, but rather tried every means in his power to counteract my
endeavours for a speedy departure. An extraordinary degree of patience
was therefore necessary on my part, and I was obliged to seek relief
from the tediousness of my stay here in every little circumstance that
broke the uniform tenor of my monotonous life.
A great source of entertainment to me were the young sons of my
protector, Bábá Áhmed and Zén el ʿAbidín, who were continually wrangling
about all sorts of articles, whether they belonged to the one or the
other; my tent and my horse forming the chief objects of their childish
dispute. And I was greatly amused, at times, at the younger boy placing
himself at the entrance of my tent, and protesting that it was Zén el
ʿAbidín’s tent, and preventing his elder brother from approaching it.
The plate opposite gives a fair idea of the whole life of this desert
camp, with its liberty, its cheerfulness, and its tediousness.
[Illustration: Drawn by J. M. Bernatz, from a Sketch by Dr. Barth.