Mahass, in order to besiege the castle of Tinareh, which had been
seized by a rebel cousin of the king of Mahass. The latter being
Hosseyn Kashef’s father-in-law, the Kashef was bound to come
to his aid, and had accordingly brought with him about sixty men,
with whom I found him encamped, or rather hutted, on the western
side of the river, close under the walls of the castle, while his
brother Mohammed had possession of the eastern bank, with an equal
number of men. They had been here for several weeks, and had often
summoned the castle, to no purpose, although the garrison consisted
only of fifteen men. They at length conceived the idea of cutting
off the water from the besieged, by placing close in shore, just
below the castle, a vessel, which they had sent for from Argo, and
on board of which they put some men armed with musquets, who were
protected from the fire of the garrison by a thick awning formed
of the trunks of date trees thrown across the deck; these men, by
their fire, having effectually prevented the besieged from obtaining
water from the river, the garrison was under the necessity of making
proposals for peace; pardon, and safe conduct, were promised them,
and the castle was surrendered on the evening preceding my arrival.
When I reached the camp of Mohammed Kashef, he was not present, but
occupied, with his brother, in taking possession of the castle. His
people crowded round me and my guide, desirous to know what business
had brought me among them, and supposing that I belonged to the
suite of the two Mamelouk Begs, of whose arrival at Derr they had
already been apprized. Shortly afterwards, Mohammed came over from
the opposite bank with his suite, and I immediately went to salute
him. Born of a Darfour slave, his features resembled those of the
inhabitants of Soudan, but without anything of that mildness which
generally characterizes the Negro countenance. On the contrary,
his physiognomy indicated the worst disposition; he rolled his eyes
at me like a mad-man; and, having drank copiously of palm-wine at
the castle, he was so intoxicated, that he could hardly keep on
his legs. All his people now assembled in and around his open hut;
the vanquished rebels likewise came, and two large goat skins of
palm wine were brought in, which was served out to the company
in small cups neatly made of calabashes; a few only spoke Arabic;
the Kashef himself could scarcely make himself understood; but I
clearly found that I was the topic of conversation. The Kashef,
almost in a state of insensibility, had not yet asked me who I was,
or what I came for. In the course of half an hour, the whole camp
was drunk; musquets were then brought in, and a feu-de-joie fired,
with ball, in the hut where we were sitting. I must confess, that at
this moment I repented of having come to the camp, as a gun might
have been easily levelled at me, or a random ball have fallen
to my lot. I endeavoured several times to rise, but was always
prevented by the Kashef, who insisted upon my getting drunk with
him; but as I never stood more in need of my senses, I drank very
sparingly. Towards noon, the whole camp was in a profound sleep;
and in a few hours after, the Kashef was sufficiently sober to be
able to talk rationally to me. I told him that I had come into Nubia
to visit the ancient castles of Ibrim and Say, as being the remains
of the empire of Sultan Selym; that I had had recommendations from
Esne to himself and his two brothers, and that I had come to Mahass
merely to salute him and his brother, conceiving that I should
be guilty of a breach of good manners if I quitted Say without
paying my respects to them. Unfortunately, my letters from Esne,
addressed to the three brothers, were in the hands of Hassan Kashef,
who would not return them to me when I quitted Derr, saying that I
should not want them, as he had not given me permission to go beyond
Sukkot. My story was, in consequence, not believed: “You are an
agent of Mohammed,” said the Kashef’s Arabic secretary; “but,
at Mahass we spit at Mohammed Aly’s beard, “and cut off the heads
of those who are enemies to the Mamelouks.” I assured him that I
was not an enemy of the Mamelouks, and that I had waited upon the
two Begs at Derr, who had received me very civilly. The evening
passed in sharp enquiries on the one side, and evasive answers
on the other; and the Kashef sat up late, with his confidents, to
deliberate what was to be done with me, while I took post with my
camels, under cover, behind his hut. No one had the slightest idea
that I was an European, nor did I, of course, boast of my origin,
which I was resolved to disclose only under the apprehension of
imminent danger. In the night a messenger was sent across the river
to learn Hosseyn Kashef’s opinion respecting my arrival.
_March 14th._ Early in the morning, Hosseyn Kashef came over with a
number of his men, to pay a visit to his brother, and to have a look
at me. The same questions were again repeated, and the like answers
returned, as on the preceding evening; but Hosseyn’s behaviour
towards me was more gentle than that of his brother; for while the
latter was constantly threatening to send my head to Ibrahim Beg,
the chief of the Mamelouks, the former contented himself with telling
me that I might return; but he begged I would leave my two camels and
my gun with him; my pistols I had concealed under my wide Egyptian
cloke. I at last plainly told the two brothers, that if any thing
should happen to me, their mercantile speculations at Esne would
certainly be the worse for it; that they had only to send to Derr,
to be convinced of the truth of my story; that were I even, as they
supposed, an agent of Mohammed Aly, they might be assured that he
was not a man who would suffer any person in his employ to perish
treacherously without revenging his death; but that being, as I told
them, simply a traveller, they could have no pretext whatever for
detaining me, or offering any insult to my person. These and many
other arguments at last made some impression on the two chiefs;
but I am very doubtful, what might have ultimately been my fate,
had it not been for the arrival of two nephews of the governor of
Sukkot, on a visit to their relations; they confirmed all I had
stated, having seen the strong letter of recommendation from Hassan
Kashef, which I brought to their uncle, Daoud Kara. The language of
the two brothers now changed; but I still continued an object of
great distrust, as the newly-arrived visitors were unable to give
any satisfactory account of my motives for coming so far. Hosseyn
Kashef returned to the opposite shore, and promised to send me back
the vessel to carry over me and my camels; but soon afterwards I
saw her dropping down the river, and was informed that the camp
was to break up the next day, and return by slow marches to Sukkot.
Though extremely disappointed in my wish to visit the western bank
of the Nile, yet I felt it would be madness to attempt to proceed
farther southward. I was now without a friend or protector, in a
country only two days and a half distant from the northern limits
of Dóngola, the newly conquered kingdom of the Mamelouks, against
whose interests I was suspected to be acting, while the governors
of Mahass supported them; I knew, likewise, that the two Mamelouk
Begs whom I had seen at Derr were rapidly advancing, and, from what
I had heard of them, at that place, they might probably be inclined
to intercept me on my return. Under these circumstances I determined
to return northward immediately, as I did not think it prudent to
travel in the company of the followers of Mohammed Kashef; but when
I waited upon that chief to take leave of him, he abruptly told
me to stay till the morrow, and to return in his company. Having
already gained my principal object, that of personal safety, which
could only be owing to the governor’s secret fears of offending
the Pasha of Egypt, I thought I might venture a little farther,
and I therefore told the Kashef, that I was anxious to reach Derr
as speedily as possible, and for this reason should not wish to
proceed at such slow marches as his soldiers would make. When he
still persisted in desiring me to defer my departure, in the hope,
probably, of extorting some presents from me, I frankly told him
that I should, from that moment consider myself as a prisoner in
his camp, not having been permitted to act according to my own
will; “Go then, you rascal!” (Inshi ya marras), he exclaimed,
in his usual brutal language. I immediately obeyed him, and in five
minutes was out of sight of the camp, where I had passed one of
the most uncomfortable days I remember to have experienced during
four years travelling. I slept that night in a deserted hut, four
hours distant from Tinareh, near the Kerrarish encampment where we
had alighted two nights preceding.
It will here, perhaps, be asked, why I did not travel in Nubia as a
merchant; the answer is, that merchants travel as far as Mahass only
with slave caravans; they are, besides, obliged to tarry long in
the countries they pass through, which was contrary to my views. I
might, indeed, have carried merchandize with me, sufficient to
purchase one or two slaves; but the people would then have said that
it was not worth while to come to Mahass to make such a purchase,
the profits upon which would not counterbalance the expenses of the
journey from Esne and back again; and I should have thus been still
suspected of being sent on a secret mission. On the other hand, had
I carried goods with me equal to the value of half a dozen slaves,
contributions would, in all probability, have been levied upon me
by the governors, and I should have been detained much longer than
I could have wished.
The inhabitants of Mahass pretend to be descendants of the Arabs
Koreysh, the tribe to which the prophet Mohammed belonged, and who,
as is well known, were partly Bedouins, and partly husbandmen. It
is the tradition of Mahass, that a large party of Koreysh took
possession of the Wady at the same period when numerous Bedouins
from the East invaded Egypt and Nubia. The chief, or king of Mahass
(ملك الدار) is of the family of Djama (جامع). He collects
the revenue of his kingdom, and pays tribute to the governors of
Nubia, who receive, annually, from each of the six principal places
in his dominions, five or six camels, as many cows, two slaves,
and about forty sheep, besides making extraordinary requisitions. I
had the honour of seeing the king of Mahass, a mean looking black,
attended by half a dozen naked slaves, armed with shields and
lances. From hence, along the Nile to Sennaar, about thirty-five
days journies, there are upwards of twenty kings and kingdoms, every
independent chief being styled Melek. The power of each of these
petty-sovereigns is very arbitrary, as far as relates to exactions
upon the property of his own subjects, but he dares not put any of
them to death, without entailing upon his own family the retaliation
of blood by that of the deceased. All the respectable inhabitants of
Mahass are merchants; they buy slaves in Dóngola, Berber, and in the
country of the Sheygya, and dispatch a caravan to Cairo twice a year;
Mahass is the nearest place, in the Black country, from whence slave
traders arrive at Cairo; the distance is about a thousand miles. A
male slave in Mahass is worth from twenty-five to thirty Spanish
dollars, a female, from thirty to forty. At Cairo they sell at a
profit of one hundred and fifty per cent.; and the merchandize taken
in return produces from two to three hundred per cent., or even
more under the present circumstances, as the Mamelouks are eager
purchasers. Dollars are the currency in concerns of great amount;
but in trifling bargains, the medium of exchange is the measure
of Dhourra, before mentioned,[37] and the pike of linen cloth,
of which shirts are made; thirty pike make a piece, which is worth
one dollar; at Siout its value is two piastres, or two-sevenths of
a dollar. The Nubians, from Derr to Dóngola, have no commercial
intercourse with Darfour, or Bournou. An Arab told me, in Mahass,
that Bournou was from twenty-five to thirty days journies distant
from thence, but that there was scarcely any water on the road.
The Wady Mahass extends two days beyond Tinareh; its principal places
to the south are: Delligo, from two to three hours from Tinareh,
on the east side of the river; farther on, Koke (كوكّه), on
the west side: here is the last cataract in the Nile; one day’s
journey from Tinareh, is Naoury (نوري), on the east side; then
Berdje (بِرجه), and Ferreg (فريك) on the west side. Two
days journeys from Tinareh, is Hannek (حنق), where the mountains
which confine the Nile through the Wady Mahass terminate. South of
Hannek, half a day’s journey, an island commences, called Mosho,
with a village of the same name on the west bank; and close to
it is the island of Argo, a long day’s journey in length, and
belonging to Dóngola; there is a brick castle upon it, the only
building of any size south of Mahass. Mosho is the northern limit
of Dóngola. Between Argo and Dóngola, is the village or city of
Handak, which I find laid down on the African maps. The river must
take many considerable turnings in the Wady Mahass, as Mosho may
be reached in one day and a half from Tinareh, by a road which lies
over the mountains. The Jesuit missionaries, if I recollect right,
visited Mosho in their way from Dóngola to the Great Oasis.
The Wady Dóngola, where the Nubian language ceases to be spoken,
extends southward on both sides of Argo, and of the numerous other
islands formed in the river, for five days. South of Hannek, the
immense plains of Dóngola commence; I was credibly informed that
there are no rocks in this district, which, during the period of
the inundation, presents a watery surface of from twelve to fifteen
miles in breadth. Commerce is not so flourishing in Dóngola as
it is in the states to the south of it; merchants being exposed to
many vexations from the kings, as well as from the village chiefs,
who seem to be almost independent of the former. A man’s property
is valued, as in Nubia, by the number of water-wheels he possesses,
and the revenue is collected from them. The Arabs Sheygya, since
they have been in possession of a share of the revenue, take from
the ground irrigated by each wheel, four Mhourys[38] of Dhourra,
two or three sheep, and a linen gown worth two dollars. The native
kings take the same. Dóngola is noted for its breed of horses,
great numbers of which are imported by the people of Mahass; they
are chiefly stallions, the natives seldom riding mares. The breed
is originally from Arabia, and is one of the finest I have seen,
possessing all the superior beauty of the horses of that country,
with greater size and more bone. All those which I have seen had
the four legs white, as high as the knee, and I was told that there
are very few of them without this distinctive mark. Prime stallions
bear a high price, from five to ten slaves being paid for one. These
horses do not thrive in northern climates, not even at Cairo, though
Mohammed Aly has lately sent one as a present to the Grand Signior,
for which he gave 750 Spanish dollars. The greater part of them are
fed for ten months in the year merely on straw, and in the spring,
upon the green crops of barley. The Mamelouks, since their irruption
into Dóngola, are all mounted upon these horses.
There are no elephants in Dóngola; but the hippopotamus is very
common in the river. Its Arabic name is Barnik (برنيق),
or Farass-el-Bahr (فَرَس البَحر), the Nubians call
it Ird. It is a dreadful plague on account of its voracity,
and the want of means in the inhabitants to destroy it. It often
descends the Nile as far as Sukkot: the peasants, as I passed,
told me that there were three of them in the river between Mahass
and Sukkot. Last year several of them passed the Batn el Hadjar,
and made their appearance at Wady Halfa and Derr, an occurrence
unknown to the oldest inhabitant. One was killed by an Arab, by a
shot over its right eye; the peasants ate the flesh, and the skin[39]
and teeth were sold to a merchant of Siout. Another continued its
course northward, and was seen beyond the cataract at Assouan,
at Derau, one day’s march north of that place.
The city of Dóngola, by the natives called Dóngola el Adjouze
(دُنقله العجوزه), Old Dóngola, or more properly
Tongol (تُنكُل), is equal in size to Derr. The Bedouin
tribe of Kobabish (قبابيش) reside in the country and are
continually making incursions into Darfour, from whence they
carry off slaves. Many individuals of the tribe of Ababde, of
the eastern mountain, were also settled at Dóngola, where they
had acquired great wealth, and influence; but, when the Mamelouks
spread themselves over the country, as will be presently related,
they retired with their chief, Hay (حاي), to Egypt.
South of Tongol, or Dóngola, proceeding along the banks of
the Nile, the following places are met with; near Tongol, Afar
(افار), then Daffar (دَفّار); Hattany (حَتّاني);
Kennat (كنّات); and Ambougo (امبوكو), which last is
three days journies from Tongol, and seven or eight from Argo.[40]
Here the territory of Dóngola terminates, being divided from
that of the Arabs Sheygya by a mountainous rocky tract, two hours
journey in breadth, reaching close to the river, and forming the
recommencement of the chain which terminates at Hannek. On the
south side of this tract, or rather the east side, for the river
here flows in the direction from east to west, the country of
the Sheygya commences; the first city or village (Beled or Wady)
is Gos (قوس), inhabited by the tribe Onye; then follows Hannek
el Zebeyr (حَنق الزبير), inhabited by another tribe so
called; farther on is Dar Essorab (دار الصُوراب); Koreyr
(كُرير); Koray (قُرَي); Abramnar (ابرمنار); Wosta
(وَسطه); Tongazy (تُنكاسي); Koro (قُرو); Kadjeba
(قَجبه), Merawe (مروه), a singular coincidence in sound
with the ancient Meroë; Bargal (بركل); Noury (نوري);
Kasandjar (كَسنجر); Hamdab (حمداب); Oly (اولي);
Zoara (زواره); and Dollago (دلاكو); where terminates the
territory of the Sheygya, the whole length of which may be estimated
at from thirty-five to forty hours march. The principal of the above
enumerated places are, Koray, Kadjeba, and Merawe, the two latter
being situated, on the banks of the river, nearly opposite each
other. Merawe may be considered as the capital, or chief residence,
of the Sheygya; it has a castle built of brick. Between the city
of Dóngola and Merawe is the Wady of the Arabs called Bedeyr
(بدير), whose chiefs have, till lately, been tributary to
the Sheygya. There is a short road from Dóngola to Merawe, over
the desert, of two days and a half. From Mahass to Merawe, over
the mountains, is seven or eight days easy journeys; but there
is no water on the road.[41] The valley of the Nile throughout
the country of the Sheygya is no where more than three miles in
breadth; in several parts of the river are small cataracts, where
the mountains on each side nearly join. There are few crocodiles in
this part of the river, and the hippopotamus is not met with. The
tree most frequently seen on the banks of the stream is the Sant,
or acacia; date trees are scarce. Dhourra, and the grain called
Dhoken, are the most common productions of the fields, which are
irrigated in the summer by means of water-wheels. The country is
as well inhabited as the most populous parts of Egypt.
The Sheygya, of whom I have seen only one individual, at Mahass,
are certainly a very interesting people, and form the most powerful
state to the north of Sennaar. They have a tradition that their
forefather was a man of the name of Shayg (شايق), whose four sons
gave origin to their principal tribes. At present they are divided
into many tribes, of which the Adelanab is the most powerful, being
that of the great chief; the others are: El Hamdan (حمدان);
Essoleymane (سليماني); and El Amrab (الامراب); to
these may be added the tribes of Onye, Zebeyr (which must not be
confounded with the royal family of Argo, to which they have no
relationship), and the Arabs Menasyr (عَرَب المناصِر),
who inhabit the Wady Menasyr, to the east of the country of the
Sheygya, and who, although not strictly belonging to the Sheygya,
may, from their intimate connection with them, be enumerated among
their tribes. These different people are continually at war with
each other, and their youth make plundering excursions as far as
Darfour, to the west, and Wady Halfa, to the north. They all fight
on horseback, in coats of mail (ذرع), which are sold to them
by the merchants of Suakin and Sennaar. Fire-arms are not common
among them, their only weapons being a lance, target, and sabre;
they throw the lance to a great distance with much dexterity, and
always carry four or five lances in the left hand, when charging
an enemy. They are all mounted on Dóngola stallions, and are
as famous for their horsemanship, as the Mamelouks were in Egypt;
they train their horses to make violent springs with their hind legs
when gallopping; their saddles resemble the drawings I have seen of
those of Abyssinia, and, like the Abyssinian horsemen, they place
the great toe only in the stirrup. It is from the Sheygya that the
people of Mahass are supplied with saddles.
The Sheygya are a perfectly independent people, and possess great
wealth, in corn and cattle; like the Bedouins of Arabia, they pay
no kind of tribute to their chiefs, whose power is by no means so
great as that of the chiefs of Dóngola. They are renowned for
their hospitality; and the person of their guest, or companion,
is sacred. If the traveller possesses a friend among them, and has
been plundered on the road, his property will be recovered, even if
it has been taken by the king. They all speak Arabic exclusively,
and many of them write and read it. Their learned men are held in
great respect by them; they have schools, wherein all the sciences
are taught which form the course of Mohammedan study, mathematics
and astronomy excepted. I have seen books, copied at Merawe, written
in as fine a hand as that of the scribes of Cairo. Whenever young
men are sent to them from the adjacent countries for instruction,
the chief of the Olema distributes them amongst his acquaintances,
in whose houses they are lodged and fed for as many years as they
choose to remain.
Such of the Sheygya as are soldiers, and not learned men, indulge in
the frequent use of wine and spirits made from dates. The manners of
their women are said to be very depraved. The merchants among them
travel to Darfour, Sennaar, and Suakin; and, in years of dearth
in Arabia, they export wheat and Dhourra to the Djidda market,
by the way of Suakin. A caravan of pilgrims departs annually to
these two places. Suakin is twelve days journeys distant from the
borders of the country of the Sheygya.