the Fáro, in a marshy plain, which presents nothing attractive to the eye
of an artist. Dr. Barth describes it as a large open place, consisting
mainly of conical huts, surrounded by spacious court-yards, and even by
corn-fields; only the houses of the governor and his brothers being built
of clay. When he entered it, Lowel, the governor, was in his fields, and
could not be seen; but on his return the travellers proceeded to his
“palace” to pay their respects. They were not allowed an interview,
however, until the following day, and then it was anything but
satisfactory. The officer who had accompanied them from Kuka took the
opportunity of delivering certain despatches; and as they proved
displeasing to the governor, he immediately vented his wrath upon Dr.
Barth, accusing him of treacherous intentions. The audience terminated
in confusion, and next day but one, Dr. Barth was ordered to leave Yola,
on the pretence that his sojourn there could not be allowed unless he
obtained the authorization of the Sultan of Sokoto. He was suffering
from fever, and the heat of the day was excessive, but at once made
preparations for departure. Sitting firmly in his large Arab stirrups,
and clinging to the pommel of his saddle, he turned his horse’s head
towards Bornú, and, though he fainted twice, was soon invigorated by a
refreshing breeze, which opportunely rose with healing on its wings.
But he was really ill when he arrived at Kúkáwa, and, unhappily, the
rainy season had begun. During the night of the 3rd of August, the storm
converted his sleeping apartment into a small lake, and his fever was
seriously aggravated. The pools which formed in every nook and corner of
the town were rendered pestiferous by the filth of all kinds which
stagnated in them. He ought to have withdrawn to some healthier country,
but, in order to pay the debts of the expedition and prepare for new
explorations, was compelled to remain and sell the merchandise which had
arrived in his absence. He made all haste, however, to discharge this
duty; and when, early in September, the Government despatched a body of
the Welád Shinán—Arab mercenaries whom they had enlisted—to reconquer the
eastern districts of the province of Kánem, he attached himself to the
expedition, accompanied by his fellow-traveller, Overweg.
In the course of this new journey they obtained another view of Lake
Tchad, under peculiar circumstances. It was about seven o’clock in the
morning. Far to their right, a whole herd of elephants, arranged in
almost military array, like an army of rational beings, slowly proceeded
to the water. In front appeared the males, as was evident from their
size, in regular order; at a little distance followed the young ones; in
a third line were the females; and the whole were brought up by five
males of immense size. The latter, though the travellers were riding
along quietly, and at a considerable distance, took notice of them, and
some were seen throwing dust into the air; but no attempt was made to
disturb them. There were altogether about ninety-six.
Barth and Overweg returned to Kúkáwa on the 14th of November, but ten
days afterwards they again sallied forth, accompanying another warlike
expedition, which had been ordered to march against Mánderá. It
presented, however, few features of interest or importance. The
indefatigable pioneers were back again in Kúkáwa on the 1st of February,
1852, and there they remained until the 1st of March. Though crippled by
want of means, enfeebled by fever, and beset by a thousand difficulties,
Dr. Barth resolved on continuing his work of exploration, and, on the
17th of March, entered into Bagirmi, a region never before visited by
Europeans.
Bagirmi forms an extensive table-land, with an inclination towards the
north, and an elevation of 900 to 1000 feet above the sea-level. It
measures about 240 miles from north to south, and 150 from east to west.
In the north lie some scattered mountain ranges, which separate the two
basins of Lake Fittri and Lake Tchad. The chief products are sorghum,
millet, sesamum, poa, wild rice, haricot beans, water-melons, citron, and
indigo. Very little grain is cultivated. The population numbers about
1,500,000 souls.
On reaching the broad stream of the Koloko, Dr. Barth found that he was
suspected of treacherous designs against the throne of Bagirmi, and the
boatmen refused to ferry him across, unless he obtained the Sultan’s
permission. Resolved not to be baffled on the threshold of his
enterprise, he retraced his steps for about two miles, then turned to the
north-east, and at Mili succeeded in effecting the passage of the river.
The country through which he advanced was fertile and well cultivated;
village succeeded village in an almost unbroken series; here and there
groups of natives issued from the thick foliage; numerous herds of cattle
were feeding in the rich green water-meadows, and among them birds of the
most beautiful plumage, and of all descriptions and sizes, sported upon
nimble wing. The gigantic pelican dashed down occasionally from some
neighbouring tree; the marabout stood silent, with head between its
shoulders, like a decrepit old man; the large-sized azure-feathered
“dédegami” strutted proudly along after its prey, the plotus, and
extended its long snake-like neck; and the white ibis searched eagerly
for food, with various species of ducks, and numerous other lesser birds,
in larger or smaller flights.
But an unexpected obstacle arrested his progress; an official arrived
with an intimation that he could not be allowed to continue his advance
without the formal consent of the supreme authority. He therefore sent
forward a messenger with letters to the capital, and retraced his steps
to Mili, to await his return. He had not long to wait. The messenger
made his appearance on the following day, bearing a document with a large
black seal, which directed him to proceed to Búgomán, a place higher up
the river, until an answer could be obtained from the Sultan, who was
then absent on a campaign in Gógomi. But on his arrival at Búgomán, the
governor refused to receive him, and the unfortunate traveller was glad
to find a resting-place at Bákadá. There he had time and opportunity to
meditate on the vast numbers of destructive worms and ants which
afflicted the land of Bagirmi; especially a terrible large black worm, as
long as, but much bigger than, the largest of European grubs, which, in
its millions, consumes an immense proportion of the produce of the
natives. There is also an injurious beetle, yellow as to colour, and
half an inch as to length; but the people of Bagirmi take their revenge
upon this destroyer by eating him as soon as he has grown fat at their
expense. As for the ants, both black and white, they are always and
everywhere a scourge and a calamity. Of the termites, or so-called white
ants, which, by the way, are not really ants, Dr. Barth had unpleasant
experience. As early as the second day of his sojourn at Bákadá, he
observed that they were threatening his couch, which he had spread on a
mat of the thickest reeds, with total destruction. To circumvent their
devices, he elevated it upon three large poles; but in two days’ time
they had not only raised their entrenchments along the poles to the very
top, but had eaten through mat and carpet, and accomplished much general
depredation.
No reply arriving from the Sultan, Barth not unnaturally lost patience,
and decided on quitting the inhospitable Bagirmi, and returning to
Kúkáwa. But he was closely watched; and on arriving at Mili, was
arrested by order of the governor, who took possession of his arms, his
baggage, his watch, his papers, his compass, and his horse, and placed
him in charge of a couple of sentinels. Happily, while at Bákadá he had
made a powerful friend, who, making his appearance at Mili, interfered on
his behalf, obtained the restoration of his property, and conducted him
in person to Másená, the capital. There he was lodged in a clay house
standing in an open courtyard, which was likewise fenced by a low clay
wall. The house contained an airy front room, which he found very
comfortable, and four small chambers at the back, useful for stowing away
luggage and provisions.
Másená occupies a considerable area, the circumference of which measures
about seven miles; but only about half this space is inhabited, the
principal quarter being formed in the midst of the town on the north and
west of the Sultan’s palace, while a few detached quarters and isolated
yards lie straggling about as outposts. Its most distinctive feature is
a deep trough-like bottom, running from east to west, which in the rainy
season is filled with water, in the summer with verdure of the greatest
luxuriance. To the south of this hollow, or bedá, lies the principal
quarter, which, however, is by no means thickly inhabited. In the centre
stands the palace; which is simply an irregular cluster of clay buildings
and huts, surrounded by a wall of baked bricks. Generally speaking, the
appearance of the town was one of decay and dilapidation; yet, as all the
open grounds were enlivened with fresh green pasture, it was not
deficient in a certain charm. There are no signs of industrial activity.
The market-place is rather small, and without a single stall or shed.
The chief feature of interest is the bedá, which is bordered on the
south-west by picturesque groups of dúm-palms and other trees of fine
foliage; while at the western end, as well as on the south-east, spreads
a large tract of market-gardens.
In general, the houses are well built, and the thatched roofs are formed
with care, and even with neatness; but the clay is not of a good kind for
building, and the clay houses afford so little security from the rains,
that most persons prefer to reside during that part of the year in huts
of straw and reed.
While waiting the Sultan’s arrival, Dr. Barth’s time was chiefly occupied
in defending himself against the attacks of the large black ant (_Termes
mordax_). One day, in particular, he maintained a long and desperate
encounter with a host of these voracious little insects. In a thick
unbroken column, about an inch broad, they had marched over the wall of
the courtyard, and entering the hall where he abode both day and night,
advanced right upon the store-room. But his couch being in their way,
they immediately assailed his own person, and compelled him to decamp.
Assisted by his servants, he then fell upon the bandits, killing all the
stragglers and foragers, and burning the main body of the army as it
proceeded on its way. But fresh legions arrived on the scene of war, and
it took a struggle of two hours’ duration thoroughly to break up their
lines, and put them to flight.
The insects seemed to have been attracted by the corn which Dr. Barth had
stored up. But it must be owned that, if inconvenient in one respect,
their attacks are beneficial in another; for they destroy all kinds of
vermin, mice included. And while they thus act as the “scavengers of the
houses,” in many parts of Negroland they also render service through
their very greediness in gathering what man would fain appropriate for
himself. They lay in such considerable stores of corn, that the poor
natives frequently dig out their holes in order to gain possession of
their supplies.
It was on the 3rd of July that the Sultan appeared before the walls of
his capital, escorted by about eight hundred cavalry. At the head of the
_cortége_ rode the lieutenant-governor, surrounded by a troop of
cavaliers. Then came the Barma, followed by a man carrying a spear of
ancient and peculiar shape, designed to represent the “fetish,” or idol
of Kénga-Matáya, the original patrimony of the kings of Bagirmi. Next
rode the Fácha, or commander-in-chief, who is the second person in the
kingdom; and after him the Sultan himself, attired in a yellow burnous,
and mounted on a grey charger, the points of which could hardly be seen
owing to the amplitude of the war-trappings that hung about him. Nor was
the head of his rider much more plainly visible, not only on account of
the horsemen gathered round him, but more particularly owing to two
umbrellas—one of green, the other of red—borne on each side of him by a
couple of slaves.
Six slaves, their right arms clad in iron, fanned the magnificent prince
with ostrich feathers attached to long poles, while round about him were
gathered a motley array of his captains and courtiers, gay in burnouses
of various colours, or in shirts of black or blue. Behind them followed
the war-camel, bestridden by the drummer, Kodgánga, who made the echoes
resound with the clang of a couple of kettle-drums, fastened on each side
of the animal; and the charivari was swelled by the exertions of three
musicians, two of whom played upon horns, and the third upon a bugle.
Mention must be made of the long train of the Sultan’s female slaves, or
favourites, forty-five in number, all mounted upon horseback, all dressed
from head to foot in black cloth, and all guarded by a slave on either
side. The procession was terminated by a train of eleven camels,
carrying the baggage.
A day or two afterwards, an officer of the Sultan demanded Dr. Barth’s
attendance at the palace. He hastened thither; and being admitted into
an inner courtyard, found the courtiers sitting on either side of a door,
which was protected by screenwork made of very fine reeds. Being desired
to sit down, along with his companions, and ignorant whom he should
address, he asked in a loud voice if the Sultan ’Abdel-Kadir were
present. A clear voice, from behind the screen, answered that he was.
When fully satisfied that he was addressing the prince, he proceeded to
offer his respects, and present the compliments of the great and powerful
British Government, which desired to be on terms of unity with so
illustrious a prince. His speech, which he delivered in Arabic, was
translated by an interpreter, and received a favourable reply. His
presents also were accepted with satisfaction, and the audience ended.
Next day he had a second audience, at which he expressed his desire to
return to Kúkáwa. After some slight delay, he obtained the Sultan’s
leave to depart, and was supplied with a camel and two horsemen to assist
him on his journey. Well pleased with the result of his visit to Másená,
after the inauspicious circumstances which had attended its commencement,
he set out on his return to the capital of Bornú, and arrived there in
safety on the 21st of August. He was glad to find Mr. Overweg in
excellent spirits, for liberal supplies had been forwarded by the British
Government, though looking physically weak and exhausted. The sheikh
received him with great cordiality, and he enjoyed a degree of comfort
and repose to which he had long been a stranger.
His business, however, was to explore unknown countries, and to open up
new paths to the enterprise of commerce. Considering it almost
impossible to penetrate southward, on account of the obstacles thrown in
his way by the native princes, he meditated a journey westward in the
hope of reaching the celebrated city of Timbúktu, at one time the centre
of so many extravagant legends. The fulfilment of his projects was
delayed by an unhappy calamity. During a short excursion in the
neighbourhood of Kúkáwa, Mr. Overweg got wet, caught a chill, and was
afterwards seized with a violent fever, which carried him off in a few
hours (September 27th). He died, a martyr to science, and one of the
many victims of African exploration, in his thirtieth year.
A delay of some weeks was the necessary result of this melancholy event;
but Barth, though left alone, was not to be turned aside from the great
object of all his labours. His gaze was directed towards the
Niger—towards the _terra incognita_ which lay between the route pursued
by the French traveller, Caillé, and the region in which Lander and Major
Clapperton had achieved so many important discoveries. His preparations
completed, he took final leave of Kúkáwa on the 25th of November; and on
the 9th of December had crossed the frontier of Háusa. On the 12th he
directed his course towards the north-east, and the mountain region of
Múniyo. The road waved, serpent-like, through a succession of valleys,
the green sides of which were covered with groves and villages. Múniyo
takes the form of a wedge, or triangle, the apex projecting towards the
desert. The home of a peaceful and industrious population, who flourish
under a mild and orderly government, it presents an agreeable contrast to
the neighbouring territories, inhabited by nomads. Its rulers, men of
courage and energy, have not only been able to defend their country
against the attacks of the Babus, but to encroach upon the district of
Diggéra, which had submitted to the latter. The chief of this
independent province can bring into the field, it is said, an army of
1500 horse and 9000 or 10,000 archers; and his revenue amounts to
30,000,000 kurdi (about £6000) a year, without counting the tax which he
levies on the crops.
Barth diverged somewhat to the westward in order to visit U’shek, the
largest corn-producing district in western Bornú; it is characterized by
a curious alternation of luxuriance and sterility. At the foot of a
mountain lies a barren, desolate tract, on the very threshold of which
lies an undulating country, bright with date-palms and tamarisks, with
crystal pools and rich grasses. Around the town of U’shek spreads a
glittering girdle of corn-fields, onion-beds, cotton-fields, in various
stages of development. Here the labourer is breaking up the clods and
irrigating the soil; there, his neighbour is weeding out his blooming
crops. The vegetation everywhere is abundant. The accumulation of
refuse prevents you, however, from gaining a general view of the village,
which lurks in the sheltering folds of the soil; but the main group of
houses surrounds the foot of an eminence, crowned by the habitation of
the chief. Observe that while the huts are made of reeds and the stems
of millet, the towers in which the grain is pounded are constructed of
clay, and ten feet in height.
Beyond U’shek stretches a sandy table-land, waving with a dense growth of
reeds, and intersected by fertile valleys. Then comes a spur of the
mountain-range which rises in the south-west; an irregular and broken
plain, carpeted with grass and broom; a jungle of mimosas, dense thickets
of capparis, and at intervals small patches of cultivated land. The
climate is intensely hot; the very soil seems to burn; and our traveller,
feeling himself ill, was forced to rest. During the night, a cold
north-east wind covered him and his followers with the feathery awns of
the pennixtum; and they rose in the morning in a condition of
indescribable uneasiness. The next night was also cold; but there was no
wind.
At Badámuni, the fertile fields are brightened with springs, which feed a
couple of lakes, connected by a canal. Notwithstanding this channel of
intercommunication, one of these lakes is of fresh water; the other
brackish, and strongly impregnated with natron. It is noticeable that in
this region all the valleys and all the mountain-chains run from
north-east to south-west, and the direction of the two lakes is the same.
Their margin is fringed with papyrus, except that at the point where the
water turns brackish the papyrus is succeeded by the kumba, the pith of
which is edible. Dr. Barth’s two attendants, born on the shores of the
Tchad, immediately recognized this species of reed as growing in a
similar manner at the point where that great inland sea touches the
basins of nature that surround it. It is a curious circumstance that
while the lake of fresh water is of a bright blue, and calm and smooth as
a mirror, the other is green as the sea, and heaves to and fro in
constant commotion, rolling its foamy waves to the beach, which they
strew with marine weeds.
The town of Zindu is protected by a rampart and ditch. Its aspect is
remarkable: a mass of rock rises in the western quarter; and outside the
walls stony ridges run in all directions, throwing forth a myriad crystal
streams, which fertilize the tobacco-fields, and secure for the immediate
neighbourhood an exceptional fertility. The landscape is enlivened by
frequent clumps of date-palms and by the huts of the Touaregs, who
conduct a brisk trade in salt. To the south extends an immense piece of
ground, utilized, at the time of Dr. Barth’s visit, as a garden of
acclimatization. It is easy, let us say, to define the ground-plan of
Zindu, but not to depict the stir and movement of which it is the centre,
limited as that activity may be, compared with the feverish and
far-reaching life of the industrial centres of Europe. Zindu has no
other manufacture than that of indigo; nevertheless, its commercial
energy is so great that it may justly be termed “the port of the Soudan.”
Here Dr. Barth received the welcome supply of a thousand dollars, which,
not to excite suspicion, had been carefully concealed in a couple of
sugar barrels. He was enabled, therefore, to purchase the articles
necessary for barter or gifts in his expedition to Timbúktu, such as red,
white, and yellow burnouses, turbans, cloves, cutlery, beads, and
looking-glasses; and on the 30th of January, 1853, he resumed his march.
The country he had to traverse was the scene of incessant warfare between
the Fulbi and the independent tribes. At the outset he met with some
salt merchants from A’ir, whose picturesque encampments would have
delighted an artist’s eye, but did not add to the security of the roads.
He arrived in safety, however, on the 5th of February, at Kátséna, and
took up his quarters in a residence specially assigned to him. The house
was spacious; but so full of ants, that, having rested himself for an
hour on a bank of clay, he found that the freebooters had climbed the
wall, constructed covered galleries right up to his person, and delivered
a combined attack upon his shirt, in which they had eaten large holes.
The governor of Kátséna gave our traveller a courteous reception, and
deigned to accept with evident satisfaction the burnouses, cafton, cup,
two loaves of sugar, and pistol, which Dr. Barth offered him. The pistol
gave him so much pleasure that he asked for a second; and, of course, a
refusal was impossible. Thenceforth he ate and drank and walked and
slept with his two pistols in his belt, and terrified everybody who
approached him by snapping caps in their face. It happened that, at this
time, the ghaladima of Sikoto, inspector of Kátséna, was in the town
collecting tribute. He was a frank and simple-natured man, neither very
generous nor very intelligent, but of benevolent disposition and sociable
character. Dr. Barth purchased some silk and cotton stuffs from the
looms of Mepè and Kanó, and being very anxious to pursue his journey,
waited for the ghaladima to set out, in order to enjoy the advantage of
his escort. It was on the 21st of March that this high official,
accompanied by our traveller, took his departure. The governor attended
them as far as the limits of his jurisdiction, and they had a numerous
guard; while, as a further protection against mishaps, they steered to
the south, instead of to the west, in which direction war was raging.
It was the happy time of spring; a bloom was on the earth, and a light
and perfume in the air; nature put on her greenest attire; the alleluba,
the parkia, the cucifera, the bombyx rose in masses of foliage. The
country through which the travellers rode was fair and fertile, populous
and well cultivated; the pastures echoed with the low of cattle; the
fields rejoiced in profuse crops of yams and tobacco. In the district of
Maja, cotton, indigo, potatoes were grown on a very large scale. Beyond
Kuruyá, a town of 5000 to 6000 souls, the fertility of the land
increased, if such increase were possible; the many-rooted banyan, or
Indian fig-tree, displayed its colossal splendour:—
“Irregularly spread,
Fifty straight columns propped its lofty head;
And many a long depending shoot,
Seeking to strike its root,
Straight, like a plummet, grew towards the ground;
Some on the lower boughs, which curved their way,
Fixing their bearded fibres, round and round,
With many a ring and wild contortion wound;
Some to the passing wind, at times, with sway
Of gentle motion moving;
Others of younger growth, unmoved, were hung
Like stone-drops from the cavern’s fretted height.”