Meanwhile my good and benevolent protector was in a most unpleasant
dilemma, between his regard for his own interest and his respect for
myself. He severely rebuked the Tárki chief for having disturbed the
friendly relation which had formerly existed between himself and me; for
since our retrograde movement, in order to incite my friend to a greater
degree of energy, I never went to his tent, although he repeatedly paid
me a visit. At length, after mature consideration, the Sheikh had
decided that I, together with the greater part of his followers, should
go to Ernésse, there to await his return, while he himself intended to
approach still nearer to Timbúktu, although he affirmed that he would
not enter the town under any condition.
Thus we separated the next morning, and I took leave of the friends whom
I had made among the tribe of the Igwádaren. These people were leaving
their former homes and their former allies, in order to seek new
dwelling-places and new friends. There was especially, the little Kúngu,
who, early in the morning, came on his white horse to bid me farewell.
We had become very good friends, and he used to call daily to talk with
me about distant countries, and the different varieties of nations as
far as he had any idea of such things. He was an intelligent and
chivalrous lad, and with his long black hair, his large expressive eyes,
and his melancholy turn of mind, I liked him much. When I told him that
he would yet become one of the great chiefs of the Tawárek, and a
celebrated warrior, he expressed his fear that it would be his destiny
to die young like his brothers, who had all fallen in battle at an early
age; but I consoled him, and promised that if any friend of mine should
visit these regions after me, I would not fail to send him a present for
himself. He regretted having left the neighbourhood of Bámba, which he
extolled very highly on account of its fine trees and rich pasture-
grounds; but he spoke enthusiastically of the Ráfar-n-áman, or, as the
Arabs call it, the Rás el má, with the rich grassy backwaters and creeks
which surround it, especially the valley called Tisórmaten, the
reminiscences of which filled his boyish mind with the highest delight.
Thus I took leave of this young Tárki lad, after having given him such
little presents as I could spare. Swinging himself upon his horse by
means of his iron spear, he rode off with a martial air, probably never
to hear of me again. I took the opposite direction, along the shore of
the creek Amalélle, accompanied by a guide whom Áhmed el Wadáwi had
brought from Ernésse, and followed by Mohammed ben Khottár the Sheikh’s
nephew, Sídi-Mohammed the Sheikh’s son, and almost the whole of his
followers. However, the company of all these people did not inspire me
with so much confidence that my friend and protector would not tarry
long behind, as the fact of the presence of his favourite female cook
Díko who accompanied us, and whose services my friend could scarcely
dispense with; and I thus agreed in the opinion of his confidential
pupil Mohammed el Ámín, who, knowing well the character of his teacher,
disputed with energy with those amongst my companions who thought that
the Sheikh would send us word to join him in the town.
I therefore cheerfully enjoyed once more the very peculiar character of
this river district, with its many creeks, small necks of land, and
extensive swamps. Since we had last visited this place the waters had
retired considerably, and the extensive swampy lowlands between
Temáharót and Ernésse had become quite dry, so that we had to cross only
a narrow channel-like strip of water. Following then the sandy downs, we
soon reached the well known encampment of the Kél-n-nokúnder, where I
was hospitably entertained with a bowl of ghussub water. I was disposed
to enjoy in privacy the view over the river, while lying in the shade of
a siwák, but the number of Tawárek who were passing by did not allow me
much leisure, for the tents of Sául, as well as those of El Wóghdugu,
were at a short distance. But these people, conscious of their having
deserved punishment at the hand of their liege lord, were frightened
away by the rising of a simúm, as it is popularly believed in the
country that this wind is the sign of the approach of the great army, or
tábu, of the Awelímmiden, and they all started off the next morning.
The river, which is here very broad, forms a large low island called
Banga-gúngu, the “hippopotamus island,” while a smaller one,
distinguished by a fine tamarind tree, is called Búre. I endeavoured in
the afternoon to reach the bank of the river itself; but it is beset
with a peculiar kind of grass of great height, armed with such offensive
bristles that it is almost impossible to penetrate through it. In the
latter part of the cold and during the hot season, a path leads along
this low grassy shore, but, during some months of the year, the water
reaches the very downs. It is a fine spot for an encampment, the air
being good. But the whole site consists only of a narrow sandy ridge,
backed towards the north by an extensive swamp, the border of which is
girt with the richest profusion of vegetation, interwoven with creeping
plants, and interspersed with dúm-bush. This place is called “úggada,”
and forms a haunt for numbers of wild beasts, especially lions, and the
inhabitants gave an animated description of a nocturnal combat which,
two days previously, had raged between two lions on account of a
lioness.
It had been decided that we should await here the return of the Sheikh;
but, after we had passed the following day in this place, our friends
the Kél-n-nokúnder, already satisfied with the honour of entertaining so
many guests for one day, endeavoured to escape from our hands, and,
without having given us the slightest warning, on the morning of
Saturday suddenly removed their encampment. Fortunately they went
eastward, in which direction I would have followed them to the end of
the world. Thus my companions, the télamíd, rushed after them like
hungry vultures after their prey. I had my things packed in a moment,
and we followed them along the same narrow neck of downs on which our
route had lain in coming from Amalélle; but, instead of traversing the
swamp by the ford northward, we kept along it towards the east, where
the downs gradually decrease in height, being overgrown with colocynths,
and, further on, with túrsha, or _Asclepias gigantea_, and the blue
_Crucifera_ or daman-kádda. Further on they cease entirely, and give way
to a low shore, which, during the highest state of the inundation, forms
a connection between the river and the swampy background stretching out
behind the downs.
Here, where the river takes a fine sweep to the south-east, and forms
several islands, was situated in former times a town of the name of
Belesáro, but, at present, nothing but groups of a beautiful species of
wild fig-tree, called here duwé, mark this spot as the former scene of
human industry.
Crossing then a low swampy ground, overgrown with rich býrgu and rank
reed grass, we reached the high sandy downs of Úle-Tehárge, which had
already attracted my attention from our encampment in Tehárge. On the
highest part of these downs the Kél-n-nokúnder chose the place for their
new encampment, and I fixed upon a former fence, wherein I pitched my
tent, which from this elevated position was visible over a great part of
the river. But my young friend, the Sheikh’s nephew, imbued with the
superstitious prejudices of his mother, always greatly objected to my
using the former dwelling-places of other people, as if they were
haunted by spirits.
It was a beautiful camping-ground, elevated about 150 feet above the
surface of the river, over which it afforded a magnificent prospect, the
river here forming a very noble sheet of water. It is asserted, however,
that in summer it is fordable at the place called Énsowéd. A little
beyond the end of the downs, where it formed another reach towards the
south, the river presented the appearance of an extensive lake. Nearer
the opposite shore a low grassy island called Rábara stretched out, and
another narrow strip of ground called Wáraka was separated from the
shore, on our side, by a narrow channel, and overgrown with the finest
býrgu. Towards the south, the steep sandy downs were bordered by a strip
of rich vegetation, behind which a green swampy plain stretched out,
intersected by an open channel, which separated us from the main, where
another village of the Kél-n-nokúnder was lying, the barking of whose
dogs was distinctly heard.
The small creek which separated the island of Wáraka from our shore was
full of crocodiles, some of which measured as much as eighteen feet, the
greatest length which I have ever seen this animal attain in Central
Africa; and swimming just below the surface of the water, with the head
occasionally peeping forth, they greatly threatened the security of the
cattle, who were grazing on the fine rank grass growing on the border of
the creek. In the course of the day these voracious and most dangerous
animals succeeded in seizing two cows belonging to our hosts, and
inflicted a very severe wound upon a man who was busy cutting grass for
my horses.
This man had attached himself to my party in order to return to Háusa,
which was originally his home. But there was a great difference of
opinion as to whether he was at liberty to go, although he was a
liberated slave, and I was given to understand that his company might
involve me in disputes with his former masters; for, in general, even
liberated slaves are supposed to observe some sort of duty to their
former employers. Nevertheless, I had allowed him to stay, but was now
obliged to send him back to Timbúktu, as almost the whole of his foot
had been carried away by the monster, so that he was entirely unfit for
the journey, and required immediate relief.
The view of the river was the more interesting, as a strong north-east
wind, or, as the Tawárek say, “erífe,” ruffled its surface so
considerably, that it crested the waves with white foam, and presented a
very animated appearance, the magnificent sheet of water, the green
island and shore, and the high ridge of the wide sandy downs, forming a
most pleasing contrast.
There was, also, no lack of intercourse. Sometimes it was some fishermen
of the Songhay who solicited my hospitality in the evening; at others,
it was a troop of Tawárek horsemen, who came to see the Christian
stranger of whom they had heard so much. The most remarkable among them
were the horsemen of the Kél-tabórit, and the Kél-támuláit[27], with
whom I had a long conversation, in the course of which I endeavoured to
make them understand that the whole of this extensive region, of which
they knew only a small part, was “nothing but a large island, or gúngu”
(“gúngu ghás”), in the great salt sea, just as the island of Rábara,
opposite to us, was with regard to the Niger, or the Eghírrëu, the only
name by which this river is known to all the Berber tribes. They thus
became aware that the dominion of the sea was of some importance, as it
gave access to all these countries, whereas before they had only looked
with a sort of contempt upon people living only, as they thought, in
vessels on the sea; and they were not a little surprised when I told
them that we were able to come up this river from the sea. They likewise
had heard, and some of them perhaps had even seen, something of that
adventurous Christian who, fifty years ago, had navigated this river,
and who, even after this lapse of time, remains a mysterious and
insoluble enigma to them, as to the place from whence he so suddenly
appeared, and whither he was going.
The influence of conversation is great among these simple dwellers of
the desert, and the more we talked the more friendly became the
behaviour of my visitors, till at last they asked me why I did not marry
one of their daughters and settle among them. On the other side of the
river there were encampments of the Imedíddiren and Terféntik, and some
of the latter paid our hosts a rather abrupt visit, taking away from
them a head of cattle, so that the Sheikh’s nephew, Mohammed ben
Khottár, was obliged to cross the river in order to obtain damages from
them. The Kél-n-nokúnder, who in former times had been greatly ill-used
by the free Imóshagh, have been imbued by their protectors the Kunta
with such a feeling of independence, that they are now not inclined to
bear even the slightest injustice, and they had certainly some right to
demand that, at the very moment while they were treating so large a
party belonging to their protector, they should not themselves suffer
any violence. However, I heard to my great surprise, that they likewise
pay zekʿa to the Fúlbe, or Fullán. My friend, who had some trouble in
persuading the freebooters from beyond the river to restore the
property, represented them to me as fine tall men, kinsfolk of the
Tarabanása, but very poor. It is really surprising that a family of
peaceable men should exercise such an influence over these wild hordes,
who are continually waging war against each other, merely from their
supposed sanctity and their purity of manners.
The interesting character of the locality did not suffice, however, for
our material welfare, and my companions made serious complaints on
account of the scanty supply of food which they received from our hosts;
and for this reason they were almost as eager to hear some news of the
Sheikh as I myself.
From our former encampment in Ernésse, I had sent my servant, Mohammed
el Gatróni, into the town in order to procure me a supply of the most
necessary provisions, as my former stock was entirely consumed; and it
was fortunate, on this account, that I had saved 5000 shells, which I
was able to give him for this purpose. He now joined us again in this
place on the 14th, and, of course, every one hastened to learn what news
he had brought from the town and from the camp of the Sheikh. He had
arrived in Timbúktu a little before sunset, and, having finished,
without delay, his purchases of the articles wanted by me, immediately
hurried away to the camp of my protector; for, as soon as the news of
the arrival of my servant had got abroad in the town in conjunction with
the return of the Sheikh to his camp, the utmost excitement prevailed
amongst the townspeople, who fancied that I myself was returning, and,
in consequence, the alarm drum was beaten. My servant also informed me
that the Tawátíye themselves were greatly excited against me, as if I
had had anything to do with the proceedings of the French against
Wárgelá; and he assured me, that, if I had still been in the town, they
would have been the first to have threatened my life. He had only slept
one night in the camp, and then left early the following morning, and
therefore knew nothing about our protector’s coming, but he confirmed
the fact that there were letters for me. Fortunately, on returning, he
had been informed that we had changed our camping-ground, and finding a
guide, he had been able to join us without delay. The suníye of negro-
millet fetched at the time, in the market of Timbúktu, 4500; a large
block of salt of about 60 lb. weight, 5000; and kóla nuts, from 80 to
100 shells each. With my limited supply of means, it was fortunate that
I never became accustomed to the latter luxury.
[Footnote 26: El Bekrí, ed. de Slane, p. 182. والزنا عندهم مباح]
[Footnote 27: Two of the Kel-tabórit gave me the following list of
places from hence along the river as far as Ánsongó, and, as it contains
a few names with which I did not become acquainted in the right place,
and moreover presents various forms, I will here insert it:—Ejíji, Yó
Kaina, Karre, Gówa, Káma, Kokíshi, Bogánne, Serére, Aríbis, Anrabéra,
Ajíma, Terárwist, Kórsejáy, Tédafó, Ajáta, Aútel-mákkoren, Tekánkant,
Insámmen, Ém-n-tabórak, Asíya, Samgoy, Tághemart, Kóyaga, Taúsa, Burrum,
Tén-ézede, Há, Gógó, Borno, Bára, Enejéti, Tufádafór, Ebélbelen,
Ánsongó. At the same time I learned the localities along the road from
Ánsongó, or probably from Búre to Dóre, the chief place of Libtáko,
which is a track not unfrequently followed by the inhabitants of the
districts on the left bank of the Niger:—Inbám, Ejérar, Támbelghú,
Akhabélbel, Énkulbá, Wendu (Dóre). Akhabélbel, or Khalébleb, is the name
of a large lake or backwater, which is also touched at in going from
Gógó to Dóre, and which seems to deserve the full attention of European
explorers.]