Family of the Sarkee--Converted Jew--Hard Dealings--How to get rid of a
Wife--Route to Tesaoua--Influence of Slavery--Prices of Aloes and
Silk--Medicine for a Merchant--Departure of the Sarkee for the
Razzia--Encampment--Mode of Fighting--Produce of Razzias--Story of the
Tibboo--Sheikh Lousou--Gumel--Superstitions--Matting--Visit
of Ladies--The Jew--Incendiaries--Hazna--Legend of Zinder
Well--Kohul--Cousin of the Sheikh--Female Sheikh--State of the
Country--Salutations.
_Jan. 24th._--The thermometer stood last night at 74 deg. after dark. This
morning it is, as usual, about 56 deg.. The weather is still hazy; but the
town is remarkably healthy, and there are very few cases of fever at the
present time. Zinder, by the people, is said to be always cool.
His highness the Sarkee of Zinder is a prince of true African and
Asiatic calibre. He has three hundred wives, one hundred sons, and fifty
daughters; but his women are not prisoners in a harem. His wives and
daughters are seen about the streets walking alone, and the daughters
are given in marriage to the grandees of the court. His wives, likewise,
are often found with paramours outside the palace.
I went to see a Jew who has been some time resident in Zinder. This Jew
is one of those three who came to Mourzuk with Abd-el-Galeel, and after
his death turned Muslims, and came up to Soudan and Bornou. He is called
Ibrahim. The one now in Tesaoua, and who is going with Overweg to
Maradee, is Mousa; and the other is called Isaac. The Moors put no faith
in the conversion of these Jews: they say, "These men are always Jews in
their hearts; they turned Muslims on speculation." It is certain that
they got handsome presents at Mourzuk from the credulous believers. Of
others, the Moors say they became Muslims to prevent the Tuaricks from
killing them. I asked Ibrahim how he passed the Tuarick countries, and
was informed that the Ghatees treated him the worst. They swore he was
not a Muslim, but still a Jew, and demanded one hundred dollars from him
to pass. He got off with fifty; whilst to the Aheer people he paid about
twenty dollars. A Christian or a Jew must never think he will be able to
save his money, or, much less, his credit, by apostatising, for these
Tuaricks will always swear his conversion is sham, however real it may
be. He will always have to pay the same money, whether he keep his
religion or sell it for the chance of saving his worthless gold and
silver.
All these Jews, however, seem to have thriven in their apostasy. Ibrahim
of Zinder is worth about six or seven thousand dollars, and, besides
being a working-jeweller, is a merchant. I tried to exchange some of my
imitation rings for his silver ones, but it was useless. He had the
conscience to demand thirty of my nicely-made rings for one of his
trumpery, ill-made silver ones--silver with a very bad alloy. Then he
wanted a pretty cotton-print handkerchief for a miserable silver bead.
With such people it is impossible to strike a bargain. These Barbary
Jews are the hardest and most tricky dealers in the world. Ibrahim has
been laid up with a bad leg for five months, and intends going to Kuka
when he gets better. He wanted me to sell him some mastic, but I
refused. He said he wished to have one jolly day, but the fellow is
almost a skeleton with his ulcerous leg.
The Shereef Saghir is quite a character. He has been over the greater
part of the world, and along the Indian coast--has seen the English in
India, and the Christians in many ways and manners; and so is free from
all sort of fanaticism. He wants now to return with me to England. He
says--Soudan is _batal_ (worthless), and that if he take his wife, the
daughter of the Sarkee of Zinder, with him to the north coast, he will
sell her, and so finish his connexion with the negroes! I forgot to
mention that Ibrahim has brought with him a Muslim wife from Mourzuk,
and has now two or three black wives, and several children.
From the courier who came from Dr. Overweg I have obtained the following
account of the route from Zinder to Tesaoua:
From Zinder direct west to Tus, 1 hour; village: to Termini, 5 hours;
village: to Dambidda, 1 hour; a large village: to Babul, 5 hours;
village: to Gumda, 4 hours; village: to Kurnaua, 4 hours; village: to
Garagumsa, 5 hours; village: to Shabari, 7 hours; village: to Maizirgi,
1 hour; large village: to Tesaoua, 5 hours.
Along this route there is abundance of herbage and trees, but no running
water or wadys. There are wells of great depth. The distances between
the various villages being in all, when summed up, thirty-eight hours,
we must consider the whole length of the route three long and four short
days' journey, as the caravans generally arrive on the fourth day.
Slavery is the curse of all these countries. My Soudan servant, Amankee,
would not come with me to Zinder, on account of his longing desire to
see his mother and brother and sisters; and yet, although these feelings
are deep in the bosoms of all the blacks, they can see their neighbours
torn away from their houses and carried off in irons with the greatest
indifference. The slaves of the Sarkee of Zinder are double-ironed, like
convicts, and in this condition jump through the streets, for they
cannot walk. The backs of these poor slaves are all ulcerated with the
strokes of the whip.
I received a visit this morning from the Jew Ibrahim. After a good deal
of wrangling I exchanged three handkerchiefs for three beads of silver,
but one of the beads I made him a present of. I was much surprised to
hear from him that the aloe wood, _aoud el-Komari_, sold in Bornou for
its equal weight in silver. He also stated that twelve rubtas of raw
silk sold for one real in Mourzuk and Zinder, whilst fifteen could be
purchased in Kauou for the same money. What will become of the goods of
the Germans?
En-Noor's wife, Fatia, sent this morning for medicine to enable her to
bring forth a child. I maliciously recommended to her a younger husband.
A Tibboo has continued to pester me to death for a medicine to make him
profit in his mercantile transactions. To get rid of him, being in a
merry mood, I scribbled over a piece of paper, and he swallowed it. A
great number of people come for medicines who are not sick. I generally
content myself with a bare refusal, explaining that there is no
necessity; but there is nothing so difficult as to convince a man that
he is well when once he has persuaded himself of the contrary.
The Sarkee went out this morning to his razzia and does not return for
some days, so I shall not be able to take leave of his highness. The
gossips persist in saying that he is dreadfully in want of money, and
must go out to bring in some slaves to pay his debts. He was attended by
about one thousand cavalry, and a good number of maharees. He is gone
southwards. They report that he is indeed gone to Daura, but nothing is
known positively as to whether he will capture the Sheikh's subjects or
those of the Fellatahs. The Sarkee, on a former occasion, captured a
great many people belonging to Germal, one of the Sheikh's provinces,
and an order was forthwith sent to him to restore them to their homes
and lands. He was compelled to comply. Besides slaves, the Sarkee will
bring in bullocks and horses; but the sheep taken are eaten by the
troops of the razzia. His highness is expected to gather an army of 2000
horse, and 10,000 on foot, besides camels for provisions and water, when
completed. The plan and route of the expedition are kept a profound
secret, so that the army will fall upon the unsuspecting population by
surprise.
After about three or four hours' ride the Sarkee usually encamps, and a
souk, or market, is opened at the camp for provisions. "There are no
women with the _yaki_ (or army of razzia), the men cook and do all the
work," says my informant. At night the Sultan calls round him his chosen
troops, and distributes gour-nuts, and makes presents of provisions. He
then sleeps a few hours, and probably starts at midnight, or as soon as
the moon rises. A slave, a soldier of the Sarkee, who has been to a
hundred razzias, tells me, that three years ago this Sarkee went to
attack him of Daura in his capital. On arriving before the town the army
of Zinder set fire to all the ghaseb stubble and the garden-trees around
it. This done, they commenced a regular battle with the besieged. The
fight continued till night, when the Sarkee of Daura fled. The Zinder
people carried off a large booty: the share of the Sultan alone was nine
hundred.
This freebooting prince does not fight himself, but sits down at a
distance from his troops and overlooks their conduct and manoeuvres; his
generals command and lead on the attack, whilst a body-guard surrounds
the sacred person of the monarch. On the occasion referred to, this
body-guard was covered with mattrass-stuffing to shield off the terrible
arrows of the Daura people. The greater part of the troops of Zinder
have only a spear; a few have shields and swords, but none have muskets.
All the Daura people have bows and arrows. There are numbers of petty
traders here waiting for the booty of this razzia, and some of the
creditors of the Sarkee went this morning to wish him God speed. I am
glad I did not go out to see him start on such a nefarious expedition.
It appears, however, that we are not to leave for Kuka until the return
of the army. They intimate that a portion of the spoil will be sent with
us to the great Sheikh of Bornou: so that after all, however unwilling,
we shall seem to countenance this bloody work.
_26th, Sunday._--We have still to remain here another week at least, so
I must make what use I can of the time of this delay, caused by the
nefarious razzia, now in course of operation. In the extravagant manner
that this government of Zinder conducts its affairs, it can only support
itself by periodical expeditions of this kind. There is one Fez merchant
here, to whom the Sarkee owes four millions of wadas, or about two
thousand reals of Fezzan; and other creditors claim in a like
proportion. Now, indeed, we begin to understand how the slave-markets of
quasi-civilised countries are supplied by the surplus produce of these
expeditions.
The route from Aghadez to the country of Sidi Hashem, now governed by
his son, is three days' journey, and from the country of Sidi Hashem to
Wadnoun, three days: there is also a route of five days, a little more
direct; and the route direct from Aghadez to Wadnoun is four days'
journey.
The story of the Tibboo is going the round of the town, and becoming the
daily gossip. This story has now assumed a substantial historical shape.
The facts are, as I have already intimated, that the Tibboo persecuted
me to give him a medicine to enable him to trade with profit. I
scribbled over a bit of paper, cut in the shape of a dollar, the number
10,000 dollars, and told him to swallow it, and afterwards to bring it
me in the same state. The price for this was a fowl. He swallowed the
paper, and went off to get the fowl. Not succeeding in the souk, he went
to the Shereef Kebir, and requested him to give him a fowl for a sick
person. The Shereef gave him what he asked, and the Tibboo brought it to
me. This story since has been greatly embellished at the expense of the
Tibboo, and affords infinite amusement to the Moorish and Arabic
merchants of Zinder.
I have just noticed some sable ladies, with their hair all twisted into
three or four great points--vain attempts at curls. The back parts are
all covered with a paste of indigo. The hair is well dressed, and free
from any woolly appearance.
Yesterday the Sheikh Lousou paid me a visit. I presented him with a loaf
of sugar, and a cotton handkerchief. He received them with manifest
pleasure, and promised to write a letter to the Queen, that, in the
event of other English people or Europeans passing through the Tuarick
country of Aheer, he would render them all the protection in his power.
Lousou is esteemed by some persons as great a man as En-Noor in Zinder,
but this estimation is exceedingly out of place. Lousou could give
protection to European travellers and merchants, but not in an equal
degree to En-Noor. As he is a younger man than En-Noor, however, it is
desirable to secure his friendship, and, if possible, that of the
Sarkee. Lousou wore the bag of camphor which I gave him, showing it to
me with great satisfaction.
According to the information of a slave of the Sarkee, Gumel is a large
Bornouese province, the capital of which is Tumbi: the Sultan's name is
Dan-Tanoma. Gumel is one day and a-half from Zinder, but the capital is
three days by horse and five days by camel travelling. Gumel has twelve
great officers. Bundi is a large province of Bornou, the capital of
which is Galadima: the Sultan's name is Kagami. Galadima is three days
from Zinder. Aoud, a large place, is one day from Galadima. Alamaigo,
also a large village or town, is half a day from Galadima. Meria, is
three days from Galadima, and three from Zinder.
According to strict Muslims, it is a sin to write Jebel Mekka, "the
mountain of Mekka." I have lately noticed several instances of
superstition. A Moor of Fezzan, to whom I gave a small portion of
camphor, showed me the paper and piece of cotton cloth in which he had
wrapped it up, and swore that during the night the ginns, or evil
spirits, had eaten it. Many other Moors asked me if it was possible to
preserve camphor from the ginns? They said they knew a man who one
evening locked up a piece of this substance in an iron box, and in the
morning it was gone; the ginns had eaten it.
I went to see the manufacture of the matting which is used for making
houses. There were thirty slaves at work, all belonging to one man; over
these were three masters (also slaves), to keep them at their task. They
certainly did not hurry themselves, and very few people hurry themselves
in this country. These slaves were all Hazna, or pagans. The Sarkee of
Zinder, besides Tuaricks, has many pagan subjects. Some of the blacks, I
was surprised to see, had breasts as full and plump as many women. In
other respects these pagans do not differ from their Muslim brethren.
The matting is woven thirty or forty feet long, and eight feet broad,
and is used to enclose a cluster of huts. It is all doubly-woven. I gave
each of them a small looking-glass, having nothing else to dispose of.
According to a Moor here, the land revenues of Zinder are divided into
three portions; one of which goes to the Sarkee, one to the Sheikh, and
one to the Bashaw. This is the new arrangement. The Sarkee makes up his
accounts, or fills up his exchequer by razzias.
_27th._--The weather continues mild, but thick. The thermometer now
stands at about 60 deg. at sunrise. The people are mostly healthy. We do not
hear of cases of fever, or any other periodical complaints. As soon as
up, I received a visit from a number of old ladies, who came to see the
Christian, and to bring him a bowl of milk. One of them had been the
nurse of the Sultan of Zinder; so that I was bound to feel duly honoured
by this attention.
Everybody now says the Sarkee will return in the course of five days,
and besides slaves, will bring store of cattle and horses, the spoils of
the poor people. I certainly never heard of a more iniquitous
expedition, for it is believed he has gone against the pacific and loyal
subjects of the Sheikh--not tribes or villages under another power.
I went to visit the renegade Jew Ibrahim. I had prescribed a regimen for
him, to assist in the cure of his bad foot, but yet he had done nothing.
These kind of people are most eager to get prescriptions, but very lax
in following them. Probably in secret they expect a magical cure, and
have no confidence in any specific less expeditious than the waving of a
wand. I repeated everything again to him, without expecting compliance.
It is, however, cheap to express condolence in this manner.
The streets are almost deserted; only a few beggars and poor people show
themselves about. There was a fire last night in the market-place, said
to be the work of an incendiary. The thieves here set fire to the huts,
and profit in the confusion by carrying off the goods and chattels of
the alarmed; as, indeed, they do in London and other cities of Europe.
The devices of roguery are marvellously monotonous.
In the forenoon I received a visit from the Iman of the mosque of
Zinder. I asked about the Hazna, or pagans, thinking to get a little
information; but I only learnt what I knew before, that the Hazna make
their offerings, which consist, of milk and ghaseb, under trees. These
Hazna are mostly peasants--little farmers; and, like Cain, they offer to
their deity the fruits of the earth. The Iman said their deity was
Eblis, or the Devil; an accusation commonly bandied between rival
creeds. He informed me, also, that there are a good number of Hazna in
both Zinder and the other towns and villages of the province. He
despaired of their ever becoming Muslims, but added, "The great men
amongst them must become Muslims by order of the Sheikh, whilst the poor
people are left to do as they please, and so furnish a constant supply
for the home and foreign slave-mart. It is not the interest of the
Sarkee or the foreign merchants that they should become Muslims."
I have heard of the names of two other Tuarick tribes, viz. the
Ezzaggeran, near Gouber, and the Daggera, near Minyo, belonging to the
Tuarick country of Gurasu. These, apparently, are fractions of tribes.
I register the following legend, which seems to imply that Zinder, like
many of the towns of this part of Africa, is of comparatively modern
origin.
Twenty years ago there was a fine spring of water bubbling from under
the largest granite rock of Zinder. It was this spring which first
attracted a population to settle here. Suleiman, father of the present
Sarkee, one day harangued the people, and told them, "This water is not
necessary for us; the Sheikh of Bornou will hear of this prey, and come
and take our country from us. Now let us fetch a fighi, who shall write
a talisman; and we will put this talisman upon the mouth of the spring,
and with it a large stone, and the water of the spring shall immediately
dry." The people consented to this; the charm was written and thrown
into the spring, and the stone was rolled on to its mouth; since which
the spring has in reality ceased to flow.
The population of Zinder is now supplied with water from three wells,
about half an hour distant from the spring, now dry. Upon the stone over
this dried spring are several marks, like the footprints of camels and
horses. Other people add, "the marks of a man when he kneels down to
pray."
The Shereef Kebir says, that Lousou brought a piece of magnetic iron to
him, which he sent to Haj Beghir in Kuka. Lousou reports that there is
an abundance of magnetic iron in Aheer. Kohul is very cheap in the
market of Zinder. In Kanou it can be had for ten reals (Fezzan) the
cantar; and in Yakoba, whence it is brought, for three reals. There is a
whole rock of kohul in Yakoba, the property of the Sultan. The Fellatahs
rule Yakoba as well as Adamowa. They are still very powerful in all this
part of Africa. Individual Fellatahs have as many as five thousand
slaves, who work partly for their masters and partly for themselves.
I visited this evening Sidi Bou Beker Weled Haj Mohammed Sudani, cousin
of the Sheikh of Bornou. He was surrounded with all the objects of
Bornou luxury,--carpets, guns, pistols, swords, umbrellas, &c. &c. He
was busy looking over a book containing an explanation of dreams, with a
vastly-knowing malem. They both made pretensions to great learning. In
other respects, the cousin of the Sheikh was very affable. He said,
Bornou is the only good country hereabouts. All the rest are full of
fever or bandits. "There were two English," he observed, "came to us (in
Bornou), and were very well until they went to Soudan, where they died."
These persons were Oudney and Clapperton. I told him I must return by
way of Wadai, which he disapproved of. I added, that Abbas Pasha would
write to Darfour and Wadai, to give me protection. He then said, "Oh, if
the Sheikh writes to Wadai, you can go in safety."
This cousin of the Sheikh is a great merchant, and comes backwards and
forwards to Zinder from Kuka.
_28th._--The nights are still rather cool, but the days not so. The
weather continues heavy, with a south-east wind. I went to the cousin of
the Sheikh to administer to him a dose of Epsom salts. I have often been
surprised to see how greedily these people drink off this nauseous
medicine, and smack their lips as if it was something excessively
delicious.
Afterwards I had a visit from a great sister of the Sarkee, a woman who
is a Sheikha (female Sheikh), and receives the revenues of fifty
villages for her own private use. She was quite well, but begged hard
for medicine. At last I gave her some tea, which she drank off, after
laughing a good deal.
A small caravan has arrived from Ghadamez in three months, but brought
no news, except that Aaron Silva is living, and not dead, as reported.
These merchants make continual inquiries respecting the state of the
country (i.e. of Soudan), and are answered, "_Afia, afia._" However, it
is these same slave-dealing merchants who occasion the greater part of
the wars and troubles in these countries, by their perpetual demand for
slaves.
I am told that many cantars of indigo can be purchased in Soudan (in
Kanou), at a price which would bring a great profit in Tripoli; but the
merchants refuse to engage in this commerce. I think I shall make a
trial of it.
The cousin of the Sheikh recommended me to dress in my English clothes
on my arrival in Kuka. By doing this, he observed, "you will please the
people, and get many presents." It was ever my intention to dress in
European clothes in Bornou.
The common mode in which a poor person salutes a great man, is by
kneeling down and throwing dust upon the bare head. The degree of
humility and respect is expressed by the quantity of dust thrown! The
Sarkee, of course, gets a great deal of dust, and every personage under
him his portion, according to his rank. The beggars throw the dust about
in clouds. At first, it is painful to see this custom.