At length on the 4th of May, I left the town and encamped outside, close
in front of the gate. The Sheikh had also given me another camel, and a
young and rather weak horse, which did not seem very fit for such a
journey, and which in the sequel proved rather a burden than otherwise
to me. In this spot I remained some days, waiting for my fellow-
traveller Kólo, who was still detained in the town, so that I did not
take leave of the Sheikh until the 9th of the month, when he received me
with great kindness, but was by no means backward in begging for several
articles to be sent to him, especially a small cannon, which was rather
out of comparison with the poor present which he had bestowed upon
myself. However, he promised me that I should still receive another
camel from him, of which I stood greatly in need, although I had made up
for one which was lost during my stay before the gate of the town,
through the carelessness of Ábbega, by buying a fresh camel at the last
moment of my departure. It was for this purpose that I took the sum of
thirty dollars from the 1000 dollars brought by the caravan, and which I
was anxious to leave behind for the use of Mr. Vogel. Altogether I was
extremely unfortunate with my camels, and lost a third one before I had
proceeded many miles from the town, so that I was obliged to throw away
several things with which my people had overladen my animals.
Our move from Dáwerghú in the afternoon of the 10th was very
inauspicious; and while a heavy thunder-storm was raging, enveloping
everything in impenetrable darkness, only occasionally illumined by the
flashes of lightning, I lost my people, and had great difficulty in
joining them again. Having then moved on by very short marches as far as
Nghurútuwa, through a finely wooded valley called Hénderi Gálliram, we
pitched our tents on the 14th of May near the town of Yó, where, to my
utmost disappointment, we had to stay the five following days, during
which the interesting character of the komádugu, which at present did
not contain a drop of water, with its border of vegetation, afforded me
but insufficient entertainment. It would, however, have been curious for
any European, who had adhered to the theory of the great eastern branch
of the Niger flowing along this bed from the Tsád, to see us encamped in
the dry bottom of this valley. At all events, oppressed as I had been
all the time by the apprehension that something might still occur to
frustrate my departure, I deemed it one of the happiest moments of my
life, when in the afternoon of Saturday the 19th, we at length left our
station at this northern frontier of Bórnu, in the present reduced state
of that kingdom; and I turned my back with great satisfaction upon these
countries where I had spent full five years in incessant toil and
exertion. On retracing my steps northwards, I was filled with the hope
that a Merciful Providence would allow me to reach home in safety, in
order to give a full account of my labours and discoveries; and, if
possible, to follow up the connections which I had established with the
interior, for opening regular intercourse with that continent.
Our first day’s march from here, however, was far from being auspicious;
for, having met with frequent delays and stoppages, such as are common
at the commencement of a journey, and darkness having set in, the three
monkeys which I wished to take with me, by their noise and cries,
frightened the camels so much that they started off at a gallop,
breaking several things, and amongst others a strong musket. I saw,
therefore, that nothing was to be done but to let loose these malicious
little creatures, which, instead of remaining quiet, continually amused
themselves with loosening all the ropes with which the luggage was tied
on the backs of the animals. Having encamped this night at a late hour,
we reached, the following morning, the town of Bárruwa, and remained
here the whole day, in order to provide ourselves with the dried fish
which is here prepared in large quantities, and which constitutes the
most useful article for procuring the necessary supplies in the Tebu
country. The Dáza, or Búlgudá, who were to join us on the march, had
been encamped in this spot since the previous day. From here we pursued
our road to Ngégimi; but the aspect of the country had greatly changed
since I last traversed it on my return from Kánem, the whole of the road
which I had at that time followed being now covered with water, the
great inundation of the Tsád not having yet retired within its ordinary
boundaries. The whole shore seemed to have given way and sunk a few
feet. Besides this changed aspect of the country, several hamlets of
Kánembú cattle-breeders, such as represented in the accompanying
woodcut, caused great relief and animation.
[Illustration]
It was also interesting to observe the Búdduma, the pirate inhabitants
of the islands of the lagune, busily employed in their peculiar
occupation of obtaining salt from the ashes of the “siwák,” or the
_Capparis sodata_. Having rested during the hot hours of the day, we
took up our quarters in the evening just beyond a temporary hamlet of
these islanders; for although watchfulness, even here, was very
necessary in order to guard against any thievish attempt, yet, in
general, the Búdduma seem to be on good terms with the Tebu, with whom
they appear to have stood in intimate political connection from ancient
times.
[Sidenote: Tuesday, May 22nd.]
At the distance of only a mile from our encampment we passed, close on
our left, the site of Wúdi, enlivened by a few date-palms, the whole
open grassy plain to the right, over which our former road to Kánem had
lain, being enveloped in a wider or narrower strip of water. Having
halted again, at the beginning of the hot hours, in a well-wooded tract,
we observed in the afternoon a herd of elephants, which passed the heat
of the day comfortably in the midst of the water, and among the number a
female with her young. Further on, we were met by a troop of five
buffaloes, an animal which, during my former journey, I had not observed
near the lake.
Thus we reached the new village of Ngégimi, which was built on the slope
of the hills, the former town having been entirely swept away by the
inundation. Here we remained the forenoon of the following day; the
encampment being enlivened by a great number of women from the village,
offering for sale fish, in a fresh and dried state, besides a few fowls,
milk, and “témmari,” the seeds of the cotton plant. But with the
exception of a few beads for adorning their own sable persons, they were
scarcely willing to receive anything besides corn. I was glad to see,
instead of the ugly Bórnu females, these more symmetrical figures of the
Kánembú ladies, the glossy blackness of whose skin was agreeably
relieved by their white teeth as well as by their beads of the same
colour. Our friends, the Dáza, who, five weeks previously had been
driven back by the Tawárek, had recovered here their luggage, which on
that occasion they had hastily deposited with the villagers, when making
an attempt to cross the desert. They were here to separate from us for a
time, as, for some reason or other, they wanted to pursue a more
westerly track, leading by the Bír el Hammám, or Metémmi, which is
mentioned by the former expedition, while our friend Kólo was bent upon
keeping nearer the shores of the lagune, by way of Kíbbo.
After a short conversation with the chief of the place, the May-
Ngégimibe, we set out in the afternoon, and proceeding at a slow rate,
as the camels were very heavily laden, we passed, after a march of about
eight miles, along a large open creek of the lagune; and, having met
some solitary travellers coming from Kánem, encamped, about eight in the
evening, on rather uneven ground, and kept alternate watch during the
night.
[Sidenote: Thursday, May 24th.]
Starting at a very early hour, we soon ascended hilly ground; but, after
we had proceeded some miles, were greatly frightened by the sight of
people on our right, when we three horsemen pursued them till we had
driven them to the border of the lake. For this whole tract is so very
unsafe, that a traveller may feel certain that the few people whom he
meets on the road, unless they bear distinctly the character of
travellers like himself, will betray him to some predatory band. Having
proceeded about nine miles, we halted near an outlying creek of the
lake, the water of which was fresh, although most of these creeks
contain brackish water. When we continued our march in the afternoon, we
passed another creek, or rather a separate lake, and, winding along a
narrow path made by the elephants, which are here very numerous,
reached, after a march of a little more than ten miles, the leafy vale,
or “hénderi,” of Kíbbo, and encamped on the opposite margin. This
locality is interesting, as constituting, apparently, the northern limit
of the white ant. We, however, were prevented by the darkness from
making use of the well, as these vales are full of wild beasts, and we
were therefore obliged to remain here the forenoon of the following
day,—a circumstance which was not displeasing to me, as I did not feel
at all well, and was obliged to have recourse to my favourite remedy of
tamarind-water. We pursued our march before the sun had attained its
greatest power; but met with frequent stoppages, the slaves of our Tebu
companions, who were heavily laden and suffering from the effects of the
water, being scarcely able to keep up; a big fellow even laid down never
to rise again. Indeed it would seem as if the Tebu treated their slaves
more cruelly than even the Arabs, making them carry all sorts of
articles, especially their favourite dried fish.
After a march of not more than twelve miles, we halted some distance to
the east of the well of Kufé, and were greatly excited in consequence of
the approach of our fellow-travellers the Dáza, whom, at the moment, we
did not at first recognise. This locality was also regarded so unsafe
for a small caravan, that we started again soon after midnight, and
halted after a march of about fifteen miles, when we met a courier
coming from Kawár with the important news that Hassan Bashá, the
governor of Fezzán, who had been suffering from severe illness for
several years, had at length succumbed; and that the Éfedé, that
turbulent tribe on the northern frontier of Ásben, which had caused us
such an immense deal of trouble in the first part of our expedition, had
undertaken a foray to Tibésti,—a piece of news which influenced our own
proceedings very considerably, as we were thus exposed to the especial
danger of falling in with this predatory band, besides the danger which
in general attaches to the passage through this extensive desert tract,
which extends from Negroland to the cultivated zone of North Africa. It
was this circumstance, together with the great heat of the mid-day hours
at this hottest part of the year, which obliged us, without the least
regard to our own comfort, to travel the greater part of the night; so
that I was unable to rectify and complete, in general, the observations
of the former expedition, the route of which, being entirely changed by
the new astronomical data obtained by Mr. Vogel, would be liable to some
little rectification throughout.
Having rested during the hot hours of the day, we pursued our march
about two o’clock in the afternoon, when, after a stretch of about two
miles, we entered a fine hilly district, well adapted for pasture-
grounds for camels and sheep, but untenanted in the present deserted
state of the country. A mile and a half further on, we passed the well
of Mul, which was at present dry, and then winding along the fine
valley, were detained a long time by the loss of another camel. Having
then encamped, after a march altogether of about ten miles, we started
again, an hour after midnight, and after travelling nearly thirteen
miles, reached the well of Únghurutín, situated in a hollow surrounded
with fine vegetation, and affording that most excellent fodder for
camels, the “hád;” besides which there was a great deal of “retem,” or
broom.
[Sidenote: Monday, May 28th.]
Having spent the Sunday in Únghurutín quietly, and indulging in some
little repose, we started a little after midnight, and did not encamp
till after a march of about fifteen miles. It was interesting to
observe, when the day began to dawn, that all along this region a
considerable quantity of rain had fallen, in consequence of which “hád”
and “sebód” covered the ground, although we were extremely glad to
escape from that great annoyance to travellers, the feathery bristle, or
“ngíbbi.” Another twelve miles in the afternoon, through a more open
country, broken in the earlier part by a few specimens of the tree
“símsim,” brought us to the well Bedwáram, or Bélkashi-fárri, where we
encamped at the foot of the eastern eminence, choosing our ground with
great care, as we were to recruit here our strength by a longer stay,
the well being at present frequented by a number of that section of the
Gunda tribe of Tebu, which is called “Wándalá,” or “Aussa.” For in
general the well is by no means a safe retreat, and it seems to have
been at this well, or in the neighbourhood, that Corporal Macguire was
slain last year, when returning home, after the report of the death of
his chief, Mr. Vogel.
We had great trouble in opening the wells; for we needed a large
provision of water, as, besides filling our skins, we had here to water
all our camels. Only one of the wells was open at the time, and
contained very little water. It is easily to be understood in what a
perilous position a small caravan would be, if attacked under such
circumstances by a gang of highway robbers, and I felt particularly
obliged to Sheikh ʿOmár for having afforded me the protection of the
salt merchants, the Dáza, who were busy the whole day long in digging
out the wells. I was glad to find that the temporary inhabitants of the
place behaved quietly and decently, and even brought us some camels’
milk, which they bartered for small looking-glasses.
Having remained here also the 30th, we started in the afternoon of the
last of May, and, after a good stretch of nearly twenty miles, encamped.
We set out again after about four hours’ rest, when having proceeded
some six miles, we entered the open sandy waste, just beyond a fine
group of símsim trees, and halted again, during the heat of the day,
after a march of about six miles more. I here enjoyed again the wide
expanse of the open desert, which, notwithstanding its monotony, has
something very grand about it, and is well adapted to impress the human
mind with the consciousness of its own littleness, although, at the
present season, it presented itself in its most awful character, owing
to the intense heat which prevailed.
Having a tedious march before us through the dreary desert of Tintúmma,
we started for a long wearisome night’s march, some time before the heat
had attained its highest degree, only one hour after noon, but probably
we should have acted wiser to have waited till the heat was past, as the
poor slaves of my fellow-travellers were knocked up before the heat came
on. Only a short rest of forty minutes was granted, at eight o’clock in
the evening, for a cold supper of guinea-corn, when the caravan started
again to continue its night-march over this unbounded sandy waste; but
I, as well as my chief servant, being on horseback, I found myself at
liberty to remain some time behind, indulging in the luxury of a cup of
coffee. I remained however almost too long; and if it had not been that,
contrary to my orders, which were to the effect to spare the powder as
much as possible, my servants kept firing their pistols off at random,
in order to cheer themselves and the poor slaves, I should have had some
difficulty in following the caravan. Cheered by the firing, and perhaps
impressed with the awful character of the country which we were
traversing at such an hour, the slaves, forgetful of their over-fatigue,
kept up an uninterrupted song, the sounds of which fell occasionally
upon my ears, as I followed them at a great distance. But under the
effects of this excitement, and in the cool of the evening, they marched
at such a rate, that I did not overtake them till long after midnight,
when freemen and slaves began to feel exhausted, and would gladly have
lagged behind; and I had to urge on several of these unfortunates, and
prevent them from staying behind, and falling a sacrifice to thirst and
fatigue. One of my servants was not to be seen. In fact this desert is
famous for people well accustomed to it losing their way, and the white
sand, extending to a boundless distance, is so confounding, that people
often miss their direction entirely. But the fatigue of this night’s
march was very great indeed, and when the day dawned, I gladly availed
myself of the opportunity afforded by a little herbage of giving a
slight feed to my exhausted horse to obtain a few minutes’ repose.
Pursuing then our dreary march, while a heavy wind rose, which by
raising the dust made the desert look still more gloomy, we gradually
discovered the rocky mountains of Ágadem ahead of us, but did not enter
the peculiar valley formation till a quarter past seven o’clock. Here we
chose our camping-ground in a corner surrounded by the “siwák,” which
form quite a little plantation, and occasionally attract temporary
settlers, especially of the tribe called Bolodúwa, or Ám-wadébe.
However, the sand wind made our stay here very cheerless, which was
increased by the circumstance of the ground being full of camel lice,
this being the usual camping-ground. The water of the well was clean and
excellent, but not very plentiful, so that we had to take our supply for
the road before us from a more northerly well. The servant who was
missing not having been found, we waited anxiously for the arrival of
the Dáza in the afternoon, when he made his appearance in their company.
They had fortunately seen him at a great distance, when he had
completely lost his way, and was wandering southward. I made a present
to the man who had brought him back. We remained here the following day,
and besides the small luxury of the wild fruit of the siwák, I was glad
to be able to buy a vessel of butter from our friends the salt-traders,
as my store of this article was nearly consumed.
[Sidenote: Monday, June 4th.]
The poor slaves of our companions were so totally exhausted by the
fatigue of the journey, that they would have preferred anything to a
continuance of such suffering, and when we started at a very early hour,
a poor female slave tried to make her escape, by hiding herself in the
bushes, but, she was soon found out, and received a severe flogging for
her pains.
Proceeding along a very peculiar basin of natron, at the foot of the
rocky slope, we reached after a march of about four miles the northern
well, situated in an open pleasant landscape, the mountains on the east
side receding in the distance. We remained here this day and the
following forenoon, keeping back the Dáza, who were anxious to pursue
their journey, for animals as well as men stood in need of some repose,
in order to enable them to traverse the long desert tract which
separated us from the Tebu country.
[Sidenote: June 5th.]
Just about noon, as we were packing ready to start, a thunder-storm
gathered on the chain towards the east, and a few drops of rain fell
while we were setting out. Having then kept along the valley for about
three miles, we ascended the higher ground with an easterly direction,
and obtained a sight of the eastern slope of the chain which borders the
valley, which, although not so high on this side as towards the west,
seemed yet to have an elevation of about 300 feet. About three o’clock
we had again a slight shower of rain. The whole of Ágadem, as I here
became aware, forms a sort of wide extensive hollow, bordered on the
eastern side by this rocky chain, and towards the west at the distance
of about three miles, as well as towards the north by sandy downs. The
higher level itself, over which our track lay, was broken by
considerable depressions, running east and west, and forming such steep
slopes, that Clapperton’s expression of high sand hills, which he had
here to cross seems well justified; and we ourselves took up our
encampment after a march of a little more than eleven miles in a hollow
of this description, bordered by high sand hills towards the west.
However, our halt was very short, and soon after midnight we pursued our
march, the desert now becoming more level, and therefore allowing a
steady progress by night. Pursuing our march with alacrity, we encamped
after a stretch of about sixteen miles in a spot which was full of those
remarkable crystallized tubes which are called “bargom-chídibe,” by the
Kanúri, and “kauchin-kassa,” by the Háusa people; and the character of
which has been explained in such various ways, some supposing them to be
the effect of lightning, while others fancy them to be the covered walks
with which the white ant had surrounded stalks of negro corn. Pursuing
from here our march, a little before two in the afternoon we entered a
sandy waste, which well deserved to be compared to the wide expanse of
the ocean, although even here small rocky ridges protruded in some
places; and after a march of about ten miles, we ourselves encamped
under the protection of such a ridge.
[Sidenote: Thursday, June 7th.]
Starting again from here at a very early hour in the night, we reached
after a march of about six miles the well of Díbbela, the romantic
character of which, with its high sand hills, from which black rocky
masses towered forth, together with its dúm-palms, struck me not a
little. But the water is abominable, being impregnated with an immense
quantity of natron; and it was here that Mr. Henry Warrington, who had
accompanied Mr. Vogel to Kúkawa, succumbed to the dysentery with which
he had been seized on the road, the bad quality of the water having
probably brought the disorder to a crisis. It was, moreover, a very hot
day, although not hotter than usual, the thermometer at two o’clock
indicating 109° in the best shade I could find; and the masses of sand
all around were quite bewitching and bewildering. Starting again in the
afternoon as soon as the heat had reached its greatest intensity, we
ascended the sandy downs with a considerable westerly deviation, leaving
just beyond this hollow another one, with some talha trees, and then
keeping over the sandy level with a ridge of the same character, and
passing after a march of about five miles a great quantity of kajíji,
till after a good stretch of altogether seventeen miles, we encamped on
hard sandy ground. On this tedious journey, I always felt greatly
delighted on our arrival at the camping-ground, to stretch myself at
full length on the clean sand, the softness of which makes one feel in
no want of a couch.
[Sidenote: June 8th.]
Having encamped at a rather late hour, we did not start so early as
usual, and halted after a march of about eight miles on a ground almost
entirely destitute of herbage, but what seemed very remarkable, soaked
by the rain of the previous day, and affording another and still
stronger proof of the incorrectness of the opinion which had hitherto
been entertained of this whole tract never being fertilized by the
rains. The soil also was full of the footprints of the “bagr-el-wáhesh,”
_Antelope bubalis_, which being pursued by the sportsmen of Ágadem and
Díbbela, had evidently sought a refuge in this region.
Having from hence made a stretch of about ten miles in the afternoon,
and halted for nearly four hours at sunset, we started again for a
wearisome night’s march, deviating very considerably from our former
track; and after a march of a little more than eighteen miles, the
latter part over a difficult range of sand hills, we reached in the
morning the well of Zaw-kurá in a dreadfully fatigued state, and with
the loss of four camels; but it was cheering to find that the locality—a
vale richly adorned with siwák, or _Capparis sodata_, afforded some
relief not only to the body but even to the mind. We here met with a
small caravan of Tebu, natives of the very ancient village of Ágherim or
Ághram, the place of which I have spoken on a former occasion[54], and
which lies three days north-west from here by way of Yawi. Being on
their road to Bórnu, they were anxious to exchange their camels for
mine, the latter being accustomed to the climate of Bórnu whither they
were going. Such an exchange is certainly advisable to travellers
proceeding in either direction, in the event of the animals of each
party being equally good; but, on the one hand, I wanted too badly the
few camels which had withstood the fatigue, and, on the other, those of
these people were too poor to allow me to accept their offer; and in
consequence, they had to load the five horses which they had with them
with water-skins. These people gave us the important information that
the ghazzia of the Tawárek had returned from Tibésti, having made only a
small booty of forty camels and thirty slaves, on account of the Tebu
having been on their guard, although they threatened to return at some
future period. We remained here the following day, enjoying the repose
of which we stood so much in need. A strong wind had been blowing all
night; but the heat, at two o’clock in the afternoon, reached its usual
elevation of 108° in the best shade.
[Sidenote: Monday, June 11th.]
We started again in the afternoon, winding round the south-eastern edge
of the considerable mountain group to which the vale is indebted for its
existence, and having on our right sandy downs. Just at the spot where
we left the small oasis, known to the traders of the desert as Zaw-
kanwa, on our left, we fell in with the footsteps of a small party,
when, supposing them to be marauders, we followed them up for awhile,
till we had convinced ourselves that they were people in search of a
runaway slave. Pursuing then our march altogether about sixteen miles,
we halted at nine o’clock in the evening; but started again at midnight,
and after a march of fourteen miles, reached Muskátenu, the southernmost
limit of the oasis of Kawár, although nothing but an inconsiderable
shallow depression, full of marl and alum.
Although the heat was greater than usual, the thermometer indicating as
much as 110°, we started with great alacrity in the afternoon, as we
were now approaching the seats of Tebu power and civilization in the
heart of the desert, where nature has provided this little fertile spot,
in order to facilitate intercourse between distant nations. However,
several sandy ridges opposed themselves to our progress before we
reached the real beginning of the valley, at the western foot of a large
and broad-topped rocky mound; but the sand was not so deep as I had been
led by the description of other people to expect. Here the scenery
became highly interesting, the verdant ground—where small patches of the
grass called “ghedeb” and vegetables were sown, surrounded by slight
fences of palm-bushes—being overtopped by handsome groups of palm-trees;
and cheered as I felt by this spectacle, after the dreary march which we
had made, I could not grudge my people a few shots of powder. But while
our friends the Dáza salt-traders encamped at the very thickest grove,
where the dilapidated town of Bilma is situated, we ourselves entered a
dreary salt-pan, and encamped about a mile further on, near a miserable
little village called Kalála, without the ornament or shade of a single
tree. Moreover, the ground was so hard, that it was only with the
greatest difficulty that we were able to pitch the tent; and having no
wood wherewith to cook a supper, a small hospitable gift from our friend
Kólo, consisting first in a dish of fresh dates, and afterwards in a
mess of cooked pudding, proved very acceptable. The miserable hamlet,
besides a few hovels, scarcely to be distinguished from the ground,
contained only the ruins of a mosque, which had been turned into a
magazine for salt.
Our stay here became the more disagreeable, as towards the morning of
the following day, a heavy gale arose, against which this open tract
offered not the slightest protection; but I amused myself by paying a
visit to the salt-pits, in the high mounds of rubbish, a few hundred
yards to the east of our encampment. I was highly interested in the very
peculiar character which they presented, the pits forming small
quadrangular basins, of about four or five yards in diameter, deeply cut
into the rock, where all the saltish substance contained in the ground
collects, and is thence obtained, by pouring this water, impregnated
with salt, into moulds of clay of the shape which I have described in my
notice of the salt trade[55], in that part of my journey where I was
myself travelling in the company of the salt traders of Ásben. The salt,
filtering through the sides of the mound, had all the appearance of long
icicles. But at present only a small quantity of prepared salt was lying
here, the season for the Kél-owí to carry it away being some months
later, when this tract must present a very different aspect, and exhibit
a considerable degree of activity; and it would have been highly
interesting if Mr. Overweg had been able to visit the place at such a
season, as he had intended.
It was also a circumstance of considerable interest, that about two
o’clock in the afternoon, while the thermometer indicated 107° 3′ in the
best shade I could find, we had a slight shower, although this whole
region has been set down as an entirely rainless zone. My camels being
greatly reduced, and several of them of little value, I exchanged the
two worst among them for one belonging to the Dáza, our former fellow-
travellers, who being bent upon staying here a few days, before they
undertook their home journey to Bórnu, were thus enabled to wait until
the animals had recruited their strength.
[Sidenote: June 14th.]
At an early hour in the morning, long before the dawn of day, we
continued our journey northward along the Wádi Kawár, as it is called by
the Arabs, or the Héneri-tegé, valley of the Tegé or Tedá, as it is
called by the natives, having the steep rocky cliffs, which at times
formed picturesque platforms, at about three miles distance on our
right. Meanwhile the country became beautifully wooded at the dawn of
the day, and numerous travellers attested a certain degree of industry
in this curious abode of men in the heart of the desert. After a march
of about twelve miles, where the valley became contracted by a lower
rocky ridge crossing it, we encamped at the side of a palm-grove, with a
number of draw-wells, or “kháttatír,” where every kind of vegetable
might be easily raised. The ground produced “aghúl,” and “molukhía,” or
_Corchorus olitorius_, and was surrounded by high sandy downs, while at
some distance eastward a village is situated, of the name of Éggir.
Having halted here for about five hours, we pursued our journey, the
strip of trees closely approaching the rocky cliff, and after a march of
three miles, left on our right the village Ém-i-máddama, and further on,
that called Shemídderu, lying partly at the foot, partly on the slope of
the rocky cliffs on our right. Having then left a small isolated grove
of date trees on the same side, we reached the beginning of the
plantation of Dírki; and traversing the grove where the fruit was just
ripening, we approached the dilapidated wall of the town, which
presented a very poor spectacle, and then kept between it and the
offensive salt-pool on our right, and encamped on the north side. This
town, which, notwithstanding its insignificance, has a name all over the
desert, was of some importance to me, from the fact of its containing
the only blacksmith in the whole of this oasis, whom I wanted to prepare
for me a double set of strong shoes for each of my horses, as we had a
very stony tract to traverse beyond this oasis. He promised to make them
and to bring them up to us at Áshenúmma, but he did not keep his word,
and thus was the cause of my losing one of my horses in that difficult
tract. Having passed the villages of Tegimámi and Elíji, we reached the
town of Áshenúmma, the residence of the chief of these Tebu, situated on
a lower terrace formed by a gentle slope at the foot of the steep
cliffs, and encamped in the bottom of the valley near an isolated group
of sandstone rock, round which the moisture collects in large hollows,
scarcely a foot below the surface of the gravel. All around, a rather
thin grove of date trees spreads out; further westward, there are the
two salt lakes mentioned by the members of the former expedition.
In the afternoon, I went into the town, to pay my respects to the chief
whose name is Mai-Bákr. The place, which seems to have attracted the
notice of Arab geographers from an early date, consists of about 120
cottages, built with rough stones, and scattered about on the slope,
besides a few yards erected with palm branches. The cottages are very
low, and covered in with the stems and leaves of the palm tree. A
solitary conical hut, like those of Sudan, was likewise to be seen. One
of the stone houses exhibited a greater degree of industry by its
whitewashing, but the residence of the chief was not distinguished in
any way. The latter, who bears the title of Maina, was a man of advanced
age and of respectable behaviour. At the time of our entrance he was
squatted on fresh white sand in front of his “diggel,” placed in the
ante-chamber or segífa. He received my present (which consisted of a
black tobe, two túrkedís, and a harám, worth altogether about four
Spanish dollars) kindly, and expressed his hope that I might get safely
over the tract before me, if I did not lose any time by a longer delay.
Meanwhile a Tebu merchant who was present gave me the very doubtful
information that the people of Tawát paid to the French an annual
tribute of 60,000 dollars. The inhabitants of Áshenúmma and of the
neighbouring places, are very differently situated from those of Dírki
and Bilma, for the latter on account of their being the medium of
communication in the salt trade, are respected by the Tawárek, for whom
they prepare that article, and who, in consequence, do not plunder them
even when they meet them in the desert. Nay, they even protect them, as
I have described in the former part of my journey, so that merchants
from Dírki and Bilma were proceeding to Háusa by way of Ásben. The
inhabitants of the other places, on the contrary, such as Áshenúmma, are
exposed to all sorts of oppression from the former, and even run the
risk of being slain by them when met alone. With regard to the Tebu in
general, I have already spoken repeatedly about their intimate
connection with the Kanúri race, and have enumerated the names of the
sections of their tribe, so far as I have become acquainted with them,
and I shall say more on the subject of their language in a preface to my
vocabularies. It was a remarkable fact, but easily to be explained, that
the greatest heat which I experienced in the desert was in this valley,
the thermometer at two o’clock in the afternoon rising daily to between
110° and 112°.
We remained here the following day, when I enjoyed the scenery of the
locality extremely, and made a sketch of it, which is represented in the
plate opposite. I also desired Corporal Church, who, as I have stated
above, was in my company, and who felt assured that Captain Clapperton
had indicated the mountain chain on the west by mistake, to ascend the
slope of the chain above Áshenúmma, in order to convince himself that
that meritorious traveller had not been misled in such a strange manner.
With the aid of my small telescope, he discovered in the far distance to
the west, a chain bordering the valley in that direction. This breadth
of the valley is even indicated by the distance intervening between
Ágherim and Fáshi on the one side, and Bilma and Dírki on the other.
[Illustration: Drawn by J. M. Bernatz, from a Sketch by Dr. Barth.