with that of Great Britain. The only good ones are what the Jelabs
bring with them from Egypt: yet the animal is much used for riding;
indeed few persons mount an horse but the military, and those who
are in immediate attendance at court. An Egyptian ass fetches from
the value of one to that of three slaves, according to the weight he
is able to bear. A slave will purchase three or four of the ordinary
breed; yet they are not anxious to improve them. Perhaps the animal
degenerates: but it is certain that his external appearance undergoes
a great change.
The bull is sometimes castrated. Yet of the animals slaughtered
in the market I have generally observed that the emasculated are
fewest in number; nor is any preference given to the one over the
other for food. Indeed, the character of animals in the entire
state appears materially to differ from what is remarked of the
same animals with us. The horned cattle, fed by the tribes in the
vicinity of the rivers, amounts to a very considerable number, and
the tribute paid out of them to the monarch forms a valuable part
of his revenue. Thence they are brought to the several towns for
slaughter. The beef is good: the Egyptians dislike it, but with the
natives it is a constant article of food. Cows are also in abundance,
but their milk is not very palatable: some of the settlers make
it into a kind of cheese, but the inhabitants are not generally
acquainted with that process; they have, however, a mode of giving
it an acescent taste, and in that state it may be kept a few days,
and is neither disagreeable nor insalubrious.
The camels of Fûr are of a mixed breed, and they are found of all
colours and sizes. Those which come directly from the West or South
are large, smooth-haired, and most frequently of a colour approaching
to white, or light brown. Those which are brought from Kordofân
are many of them black, and are remarked to be less docile than the
others. There are few countries where the animal abounds more than
in Dar-Fûr. They are remarkable for enduring thirst, but not for
bearing great burthens. The camels in this country are particularly
subject to the mange, (_Gerab_,) which attacks them chiefly in winter,
and in some pastures much more than in others. This malady is very
contagious. It is cured by the application of a kind of tar, procured
by distillation per deliquium, from the seeds of the water-melon. When
the male camel is found unruly, they sometimes deprive him of one
or both testicles. It is a cruel operation, as immediately after
having incided with an ordinary knife, they sear the wound with an
hot iron till the hemorrhage be stopped. It may be doubted whether
this practice be permitted by the law of the Prophet; but, however
bigoted their minds, where advantage is hoped for, their faith is
ductile. The flesh of the camel, particularly of the female, (_naka_,)
which is fattened for the purpose, is here much used for food. It is
insipid, but easily digested, and no way unpleasant. The milk also
is much in esteem. The camels bred in Fezzân, and other countries
to the West, as well as those of Arabia, are for labour reckoned
superior to those of Fûr, and fetch an higher price. The former
are larger and able to carry an heavier burthen, but not so capable
of enduring thirst. In Soudân they seldom carry above five hundred
weight, and oftener three or three and a half: while in Egypt they
are frequently obliged to toil under eight, ten, or even more. From
these are selected the camels which bear the sacred treasure to the
tomb of the Prophet. Soudân affords many fine dromedaries, but those
of Sennaar are most celebrated. Incredible stories are told of the
long and rapid journies performed by them; as that they will hold
out for four-and-twenty hours, travelling constantly at the rate of
ten miles per hour: however this be, they are indisputably swift,
and perform long journeys almost without refreshment.
The dogs of Dar-Fûr are of the same kind as those of Egypt, and
live on the public like the latter. I have understood that there is
in some parts of the country a species of dog, used in hunting the
antelope, (_ghazâl_, Ar.) and another sort to guard the sheep;
of the sagacity of the latter wonderful tales are told, as well
as of the courage and fidelity of both. Experience has not enabled
me to confirm the report. The common house-cat is scarce; and if I
am rightly informed, there are none but what have been originally
brought from Egypt. They are of the same kind as with us.
The wild or ferocious animals are, principally, the lion, the leopard,
the hyena, (Fûr. _murfaîn_, _dubba_, Ar.) the wolf, the jackal,
_canis aureus_, the wild buffaloe: but they are not commonly seen
within the more cultivated part of the empire, at least that which
I have visited, excepting the hyena and the jackal; the former come
in herds of six, eight, and often more, into all the villages at
night, and carry off with them whatever they are able to master. They
will kill dogs, and asses, even within the inclosure of the houses,
and fail not to assemble wherever a dead camel or other animal is
thrown, which, acting in concert, they sometimes drag to a prodigious
distance; nor are they greatly alarmed at the sight of a man, or
the report of fire-arms, which I have often discharged at them,
and occasionally with effect. It is related, that upon one of them
being wounded, his companions instantly tear him to pieces and devour
him; but I have had no opportunity of ascertaining this fact. The
people of the country dig pits for them, and lying in ambuscade,
when one is entrapped, stun him with clubs, or pierce him with their
spears. The jackal is harmless, but his uncouth cry is heard far off,
and wherever there are rocks to shelter them, their howling community
dwells undisturbed.
In the countries bordering on the empire of Fûr, where water is in
greater abundance, the other animals mentioned are very numerous,
and much dreaded by travellers, particularly on the banks of the
_Bahr-el-Ada_. To those already enumerated, may be added, the
elephant, the rhinoceros, the camelopardalis, the hippopotamus,
and the crocodile.
The elephant is seen, in the places he frequents, in large herds of
four or five hundred, according to report. It is even said that two
thousand are sometimes found together; but I do not suspect the Arabs
of extreme accuracy in counting. These people hunt him on horseback,
having singled out a straggler from the herd; or aim at him with
spears from the trees; or make pits into which he falls. His hide
is applied to many useful purposes. The African elephant is smaller
than the Asiatic, and probably of a different species. The meat is an
article of food in great esteem with them. The fat forms a valuable
unguent, and the teeth, as is well known, supply the merchants with
immense profits.
The buffaloe is not found tame in Soudân. The wild one is hunted
by the Arabs, and serves them for food. The hippopotamus is killed
for his skin, (which being remarkably tough, makes excellent shields,
and whips not wholly unlike our horse-whips) and for his teeth, which
are much superior to ivory. The horn of the rhinoceros, to which
animal the Arabs have applied a term somewhat less appropriate than
the Greek, but still characteristic, (_Abu-kurn_, father of the one
horn,) makes a valuable article of trade, and is carried to Egypt,
where it is sold at an high price, being used for sabre-hilts,
and various other purposes. The more credulous attribute to it some
efficacy as an antidote against poison.
The antelope and the ostrich are extremely common throughout the
empire. The civet-cat is not seen wild in the quarter which I visited,
but is frequent enough farther to the South. Many are preserved in
cages in the houses of the rich. The women apply the odour extracted
from them to add to their personal allurements; and what is not thus
disposed of becomes an article of trade.
The lion and leopard, though common in a certain district, are not
found near the seat of government. The Arabs hunt them, strip off the
skin, which they sell, and often eat the flesh, which they conceive
generates courage and a warlike disposition. They occasionally take
them young, and bring them for sale to the Jelabs, who sometimes carry
them as presents to the great men in Egypt. I purchased two lions:
the one was only four months old when I bought him. By degrees,
having little else to employ me, I had rendered him so tame, that he
had acquired most of the habits of a dog. He satiated himself twice
a week with the offal of the butchers, and then commonly slept for
several hours successively. When food was given them they both grew
ferocious towards each other, and towards any one who approached
them. Except at that time, though both were males, I never saw them
disagree, nor shew any sign of ferocity towards the human race. Even
lambs passed them unmolested. The largest had grown to the height
of thirty inches and a half over the shoulders.
The _ennui_ of a painful detention, devoid of books and rational
society, was softened by the company of these animals; and the
satisfaction was not small, even from this species of diversion. At
length, towards the end of my stay, after they had been with me
more than two years, finding it impossible, under the circumstances
I then was, to carry them with me, I shot the one; and the other,
either from disease or the loss of his companion, died a few days
afterwards. The Sultan had also two tame lions, which, with their
attendant, came into the market to feed.
The remaining quadrupeds may be classed more briefly; for being all
known, they will require no particular description.
Ar.
_Mus Jaculus_—Jerboa.
_Simia Æthiops_—Abelang.
_Histria ciestria_— _Porcupine_.
_Simia cynamolgos_—kurd Ar.
BIRDS.
1. _Charadrius Kerwan_—Oriental dotterel.
2. _Numida Meleagris_—Guinea fowl.
3. _Tetrao Coturnix_—Egyptian quail.
4. _Vultur Percnopterus_—White-headed vulture.
5. _Psittacus Alexandri_—Green peroquet.
6. _Columba domestica_—Common pigeon.
7. _Tetrao rufus_—Red partridge.
8. Owls (not common).
9. _Columba Turtur_, very common.
No. 4. This bird is of surprising strength, and is said by the natives
to be very long-lived, _sed fides penes auctores_. I have lodged a
complete charge of large shot, at about fifty yards distance, in the
body of this bird: it seemed to have no effect on him, as he flew
to a considerable distance, and continued walking afterwards. I
then discharged the second barrel, which was loaded with ball:
this broke his wing, but on my advancing to seize him, he fought
with great fury with the other. There are many thousands of them in
the inhabited district. They divide the field with the hyena: what
carrion the latter leaves at night, the former come in crowds to feed
on in the day. Near the extremity of each wing is a horny substance,
not unlike the spur of an old cock. It is strong and sharp; and a
formidable instrument of attack. Some fluid exsudes from this bird
that smells likes musk, but from what part of him I am uncertain.
No. 2. This beautiful bird is found in great numbers in Fûr, of which
the common fowl, though it now abounds, is not a native. The voice
of the Guinea fowl, when apparently elated, is very peculiar. No
external difference, even in this their native climate, is to be
observed between the male and female of this bird. They are carried
as a profitable commodity to Kahira, where however, in a domestic
state, it is said they seldom or never breed.
5. These birds, in the beginning of summer, fill the trees in the
vicinity of the town I lived in. They are caught unfledged, and
brought up in the houses, till they become quite domestic; are then
carried to Egypt, and taught a kind of speech, which being acquired,
they are sold at a high price.
Of fish I saw none but what were too much disguised by drying to
be recognised.
The fish in the river _Ada_, I am told, consist of nearly the same
species as those of the Nile in Upper Egypt. They are caught in
wicker baskets, and used for food.—The natives have also a way of
drying them, but it does not prevent their being so offensive to the
smell, as to be useless to any but themselves. Numerous huts built
of reeds are found on the bank of the river, as well for the use of
the fishermen, as of those who ensnare the ferocious animals that
come to drink its waters.
The Chameleon abounds in Dar-Fûr; the _viverra Ichneumon_, _nims_,
and almost all the species of lizard are also seen there.
Of Serpents, the _Coluber Hayé_ of Egypt, the _Coluber vipera_,
and the _anguis Colubrina_, were the only ones I saw: and no more
than one or two of each; though it was represented to me that in
some places they are numerous. The Fûrians have not the art of
charming them, like the Egyptians and Indians. I exposed myself to
much ridicule by collecting a number of chameleons in my apartment,
to observe their character and changes; the people there think them
impure, and relate many foolish stories concerning them.
A great number of insects and reptiles, which I had taken care to
conserve, accident has deprived me of, and I cannot now furnish a
catalogue. The scorpion is small, of a brown hue, and his venom not
extremely violent. The natives cure the sting by immediately applying
to the part a bruised onion, which is renewed till the pain subsides.
The white ant, or _Termites_, is found in vast numbers, and is
exceedingly destructive, eating through every thing within its reach,
whether vegetables, cloth, leather, paper, provisions, &c. A bull’s
hide, if not newly covered with tar, is no defence against it. The
_Apis mellifera_ (common bee) abounds; but they have no hives, and
the wild honey is commonly of a dark colour, and unpleasant taste. I
have observed a beetle, not very large, which is characterized by
burying its eggs in a small ball of horse’s or other dung, and
then rolling the ball from place to place in the sand or clay, till
it attains a size greatly exceeding that of the animal itself. Great
quantities of cochineal are visible; which, if the natives, or the
Egyptians who visit them, had any reflection or spirit, it might be
thought would be applied to some useful purpose.
The locust of Arabia, _Gryllus_, is very common, and is frequently
roasted and eaten, particularly by the slaves. The _Scarabeus
Ceratoniæ_; the _Culex Egypti_, _namûs_ in Ar. (mosquito), is
particularly vexatious in the rainy season.
METALS AND MINERALS.
Of metals, the number found in the district known to me, is small. But
in its neighbourhood, to the South and West, if I have been rightly
informed, almost all descriptions are to be met with. The copper
brought by the merchants from the territories of certain idolatrous
tribes bordering on Fûr, is of the finest quality, in colour
resembling that of China, and appears to contain a portion of zink,
being of the same pale hue. The large rings into which it is formed
(of ten or twelve pounds weight each) are very malleable: of the
ore I never was able to procure a specimen. Iron is to be found in
abundance, and the Pagan negroes, on whom the Mohammedans look with
contempt, are the artists that extract it from the ore; an art of
which the former, as far as I have seen, are ignorant. Though their
iron, through the stupidity of the inhabitants, never acquire the
more useful character of steel, its effects in the form of knives
and javelins are yet commensurate with the malign dispositions of
mankind. And though soft and perishable, with increased trouble in
renewing the edge, the tools formed of it answer all the purposes
of their rude workmanship.
The method by which I observed a workman supply the defect of a
furnace for fusing metals appeared worth noticing. He had a leathern
bag, which, on compression, forced the air through a wooden pipe for
bellows, and placed over the fire, made in a small hole in the earth,
the remains of a water jar, with which simple apparatus the effect
was rapid and not inconsiderable.
Silver, lead, and tin, I have never heard mentioned here, but
as coming from Egypt. Of gold, in the countries to the East and
West, the supply is abundant. Little comes to Dar-Fûr, except by
accident. What is produced in the West reaches the northern markets
by means of other caravans. The monarch occasionally obtains a small
quantity for his own use from the East.
Alabaster, and various kinds of marble, exist within the limits of
Fûr. The rocks chiefly consist of grey granite. But of stone adapted
to building, or convertible into lime, either there is none, or the
quantity must be extremely small. The granite serves for hand-mills
without being cut, for the metal of which their tools are composed
is too soft to be employed for that purpose.
Fossile salt is common within a certain district: and there is
a sufficient supply of nitre, of which however no use is made. A
quantity of sulphur is brought by the Arabs, who feed oxen (_Bukkara_)
from the South and West. But of the place where it is found I have
heard no description. It must also exist on the mountain called Gebel
Marra; as it is related there are hot springs there; which animals,
particularly birds, are observed not to approach; this, if true,
may be the effect of sulphureous vapours.
PLANTS.
Though my residence in Dar-Fûr was so much protracted, I feel myself
able to furnish only a very imperfect catalogue of its vegetable
productions. These are to be sought chiefly in the districts to the
South, where water abounds, and where the extreme restraint under
which I found myself prevented me from seeking them.
During seven or eight months in the year the whole surface of the
earth to the North is dried up by the sun, and the minute plants
which spring and flourish during the _Harîf_[45], are mingled in
the general marcescence, as soon as that season is passed. Even the
trees, whose fibres pierce more deeply into the substance of their
parent soil, lose the distinctive marks of their proper foliage,
and exhibit to the distant observer only the sharp outline of their
grosser ramifications.
Of the trees which shade our forests or adorn our gardens in Europe,
very few exist in Dar-Fûr. The characteristic marks of those species
which most abound there, are their sharp thorns, and the solid and
unperishable quality of their substance. 1. The Tamarind is not very
common in the quarter I frequented; but those which were visible to
me were of great height and bulk, and bore a copious supply of fruit.
2. The Plane, platanus Orientalis, _Deleib_, is found, but seems
rather to have been brought from Egypt, than indigenous.
3. Sycamore of Egypt, _Ficus Sycomorus_, _Gimmeiz_, a few near Cobbé;
said to be much more common to the southward. I did not observe that
it produced any fruit.
4. _Nebbek_ Ar. _Paliurus Athenæi_. Of this there are two species
in Dar-Fûr. They term the largest _Nebbek-el-arab_. There
is a difference in their fruit, as well as in their external
appearance. The one is a bush, with leaves of dark green, not very
different from those of the ivy, but much thinner. It appeared to be
the same I had seen in the gardens of Alexandria. The other a tree,
growing to considerable size, but having both the leaves and fruit
smaller, and the fruit of darker colour, and somewhat different
flavour. Both of them equally thorny. The natives eat the fruit
fresh or dry; for it dries on the tree, and so remains great part
of the winter months. In that state it is formed into a paste of
not unpleasant flavour, and is a portable provision on journies.
5. _Heglîg_ or _Hejlij_, Ar. This tree is about the same size as
the one last mentioned, and is said to be a native of Arabia, though
I have seen it only in Fûr.—The leaf is small, and the fruit it
bears is of an oblong form, about the size of a date. Colour brown,
tinctured with orange; dry, and of a viscous quality. The nucleus
is large in proportion to the fruit, which adheres to it with great
tenacity. This is also formed into a paste, but of no agreeable
flavour. It is however eaten by the Arabs, and by some esteemed
efficacious as a remedy for certain diseases. It seems a slight
diuretic. The wood is hard, and of a yellowish colour; it grows in
great abundance, and is very thorny. This, together with the _Nebbek_,
chiefly furnish thorns for the fences.
6. _Enneb_, a small tree, to the fruit of which they have given the
name of grapes. It bears leaves of light green hue, and the fruit,
which is of a purple colour, is attached, not in bunches, but singly
to the smaller branches, and interspersed among the leaves. The
internal structure of the fruit is not very unlike the grape,
which it also resembles in size. But the pulp is of a red hue,
and the taste is strongly astringent.
7. _Shaw_, Ar. a shrub about the size of the Arbutus, having, like
it, a leaf of strong texture, of oval form, pale green, wider at the
lower, and narrower at the upper extremity than the arbutus.—The
leaf has the pungency and very much the taste of mustard. This shrub I
saw chiefly in _Wadi Shaw_, a place we passed in going and returning,
between Sweini and Bîr-el-malha. The natives cut off the smaller
branches, which they use to rub their teeth, alleging that the acrid
juice of this plant has the property of whitening them.
From an exact correspondence as to the place of its growth,
viz. near the salt springs, the camels not eating it, and some
other circumstances, I take this to be the _Rack_ of Bruce,
vol. v. p. 44. though unable to recognize it in the figure there
given.
8. Ceratonia Siliqua, _Charôb_.
9. Solanum sanctum, nightshade, _Beidinjan_, or _Melingân_, brought
originally from Egypt, and used for food.
10. _El Henne_, from Egypt, growing into use.
11. _Sophar_, Ar. Cassia sophera, wild senna, native, and grows in
plenty after the rains.
12. _Sûnt_, Mimosa Nilotica, in great quantity.—It is from
this tree, which is also called _Seiâl_, that the gum, brought to
Egypt by the caravans, is chiefly gathered. There are also found
the trees called by Bruce _Ergett Dimmo_, and _Ergett-el-Kurûn_,
and the _Farek_, Bauhinia Acuminata of the same writer.
13. A kind of legumen called _Fûl_, bean. It is not much used for
food, but as an ornament by the women, being strung in the form of
beads, when quite dry, at which time it is very hard. It is also
used as a weight of four or five grains.
14. A beautiful legumen, of a scarlet colour, with a black spot at the
point of attachment to its cyst. It is called in Dar-Fûr _Shûsh_;
is about the size of a small pea, hard and polished; grows on a plant
resembling tares; is strung and used as an ornament by the women.
15. The common onion, Allium cepe, _Bassal_, Ar. is abundantly
supplied in Dar-Fûr, but inferior in size, taste, and colour,
to that of Egypt.
16. Garlick, Allium sativum, _Tûm_ Ar. cultivated and used for food.
17. Water-melon, Cucurbita citrullus, _Butteik_ Ar. This grows
wild over almost all the cultivable lands, and ripens as the corn
is removed. In this state it does not attain a large size. The
inside is of a pale hue, and has little flavour. As it ripens,
the camels, asses, &c. are turned to feed on it, and it is said to
fatten them. The seeds, as they grow blackish, are collected to make
a kind of tar, _Kutrân_. Those plants of the melon which receive
artificial culture grow to a large size, and are of exquisite flavour.
18. Common melon, Cucumis melo, _Kawûn_ Ar. is occasionally
cultivated, but rarely brought to perfection.
19. Cucumbers, Cucumis sativus, _Cheiar_ Ar. of which the Jelabs
have introduced the culture, as well as of the preceding.
20. Gourd, Cucurbita Lagenaria, _Karra_ Ar. This serves for
drinking-vessels and other purposes. It is found in abundance. When
fresh, it is used for food, and being properly dressed with meat,
is very palatable. Grows to a large size.
21. Cœlocynthis, _Handal_ Ar. very common.
22. Momordica Elaterium, _Adjûr_ Ar. also very common.
23. _Ushar_. This plant abounds so much as to cover whole plains. No
other use is made of it than to spread its branches and leaves
under mats and goods, which it is said guards them from the _Termis_
or white ant.
24. Nightshade, Solanum foliis hirsutis, _Enneb-el-dîb_.