and the copious wells, render the Wady el Nabeh next to Haimar, and
Shigre, the most important position upon this route. Small caravans
generally stop here a few days, in going to Berber, in order to give
their camels a little time to repair their strength. It is supposed,
that the water of the Nabeh is peculiarly refreshing to them. It
certainly has strong purgative qualities. Large caravans however
find it impossible to remain here for more than one night, because
the drinkable water is but scanty. Our chiefs were the whole morning
consulting, what to do; we had a two days march to Shigre, and from
thence five days to the Nile at Berber. It was impossible to load the
animals with a quantity of water, sufficient for the whole journey,
yet we had no water to expect south of Shigre, and very little at
Shigre. There is another source called Nawarik (نواريق) in the
mountains to the S. E., four days and a half journey from El Nabeh,
and as many from Berber, which would have been an eligible route to
take. But none of our party were acquainted with the road, excepting
a Bisharye Arab, and the others were not willing to trust themselves
to his guidance. A third route was pointed out to me from Nabeh,
leading in a S. S. W. direction, to the Nile in three long days and a
half, but that part of the Nile is inhabited by the Arabs of Mograt,
who were enemies of our caravan, and whose chief, Naym, had lately
been killed by a Shikh of the Ababde. Upon such occasions as these,
every man gives his opinion, and mine was, that we should kill
our thirty-five asses, which required a daily supply of, at least,
fifteen water skins, that we should load the camels to the utmost of
their strength with water, and strike out a straight way through the
desert towards Berber, without touching at Shigre; in this manner we
might perform the journey in five forced marches. But the Arabs can
seldom be brought to take manly resolutions, upon such occasions,
generally consoling themselves with the hope of Allah Kerim, or
God’s bounty; so that the result of our deliberation was, that
we should follow the usual track. We repaired our water skins and
our sandals, refreshed ourselves with bathing in the cool wells,
and then set out. It was not without great apprehension that I
departed from this place. Our camels and asses carried water for
three or four days only, and I saw no possibility of escaping from
the dreadful effects of a want of water. In order to keep my ass
in good spirits, I took off the two small water skins with which I
had hitherto loaded him, and paid one of the Ababdes four dollars to
carry four small water skins as far as Berber; for I thought that if
the ass could carry me, I might bear thirst for two days at least,
but that if he should break down, I should certainly not be able to
walk one whole day without water in this hot season of the year. This
evening, for about one hour, we passed along the valley, and then
for two hours across a stony country (direction S. by E.), when we
stopped for the night in a narrow valley. I was overcome by fatigue,
my eyes had for several days been sore, and my reflections on our
melancholy situation kept me long awake. A camel overloaded with
water fell down this evening and broke its leg, by which accident
several water skins were burst. The camel was killed in the legal
way, by turning its head towards Mekka, and cutting its throat. Some
of our people remained behind, and overtook us at night with some
choice morsels of flesh, which they had cut from the carcass.
_15th March._ We set out before day break, were about one hour and
a half in crossing over a rocky district, and then reached a wide
sandy plain, called Gob el Kheyl (قُب الخيل), which has many
insulated granite rocks, similar in shape to those described on the
6th. After four hours march we halted at the entrance of Wady Tarfawy
(وادي طَرفاوي), so called from the Tarfa or tamarisk
tree, that grows there. The ground was covered also with the fine
Senna shrub, the verdure of which was quite a novel sight. The
pulse or fruit of the Senna had now come to its full maturity,
and supplied food to swarms of locusts. Many thorny tamarisks,
and a few Doum trees, also, grow here, and render the valley the
most pleasant of the whole route.
In general, I found the dreaded Nubian deserts, as far as Shigre at
least, of much less dreary appearance than the great Syrian desert,
and still less so than the desert of Suez and Tyh. We seldom passed
a day without meeting with trees and water, as far at least as
Shigre; they are much more frequent than on the caravan route from
Aleppo to Bagdad, or from Damascus to Medina. The flatness of the
Syrian desert may appear less horrid than the barren shaggy rocks
of the Nubian desert; but the latter has at least the advantage
of variety. As we arrived very early at our halting place in
the Wady Tarfawy, the camels were sent to a side valley, at the
distance of more than one hour and a half, to get some water from
a pool, the slight brackish taste of which makes it probable that,
besides the rain water collected in it, there is a spring at the
bottom. They returned soon after mid-day. Another camel, which
was pronounced unable to continue the journey, was killed to day,
and many of the eagles, called Quakham, quickly assembled to have
their share of the meat. Our Ababde guides had a quarrel to day
with the men from Daraou, from whom they endeavoured to extort some
additional payment. I was not sorry to see this dispute, hoping that
it might lead to a greater cordiality between me and the Ababde,
who might perhaps join their interests with mine against the common
adversary. The caravan set out again about four P. M. At the moment
of departure, the Arab who carried my water, brought me the largest
of the four skins, and told me that his camel was unable to carry it
any further. Before I had arranged two smaller skins, had filled
them with the water of the large one, had tied ropes to them,
and had loaded them upon my ass, the caravan had gained a great
distance ahead, so that following their footsteps in the sand, I
could not rejoin them till late after sunset. It is in such cases
that the want of a servant or companion is chiefly felt; for slave
traders show no sort of compassion for the embarrassments of their
fellow creatures. We marched this evening about six hours, over stony
ground, and encamped late at night in Wady Kowa, (وادي كوع),
a valley full of pasturage. The direction during the day was S. by E.
_16th March._ After a few hours rest we again started. Our road lay
over a sandy flat. High mountains appeared far in the east. At the
end of three hours we halted in Wady Safyha (وادي صَفيحه),
which cannot properly be called a valley, being a strip of lower
land, running across the plain, where the rain water collects,
and produces some trees and shrubs. Such spots in the Arabian
deserts are called Ghadyr (غدير). After mid-day we continued
over the plain. During the whole day’s march we were surrounded
on all sides by lakes of mirage, called by the Arabs Serab. Its
colour was of the purest azure, and so clear that the shadows of
the mountains which bordered the horizon were reflected on it with
the greatest precision, and the delusion of its being a sheet of
water was thus rendered still more perfect. I had often seen the
mirage in Syria and Egypt, but always found it of a whitish colour,
rather resembling a morning mist, seldom lying steady on the plain,
but in continual vibration; but here it was very different, and had
the most perfect resemblance to water. The great dryness of the air
and earth in this desert may be the cause of the difference. The
appearance of water approached also much nearer, than in Syria
and Egypt, being often not more than two hundred paces from us,
whereas I had never seen it before at a distance of less than half a
mile. There were at one time about a dozen of these false lakes round
us, each separated from the other, and for the most part in the low
grounds. After about eight hours march we stopped at Wady Om Doum
(وادي اُم دوم). The name indicates the existence of Doum
trees, but I could see no trees of any kind. I have observed that
the vallies south of Omgat run generally from east to west, while
those to the north of that place were parallel to our route. Our
direction was still S. by E.
_17th March._ We set out at daylight and approached the high
mountains of Shigre, which we had had in view the whole of the
preceding day. After two hours march, we entered among these
mountains, and then turning east, came to a fine Wady full of Doum
trees, and bordered on either side by steep, and almost inaccessible
cliffs. In following the windings of the valley, we arrived, after
four hours march, near the water of Shigre, (شِقر) where we
encamped. The surrounding mountains are all of granite, and consist
of blocks of various sizes, heaped upon one another in the wildest
disorder. Near the opening of the mountain, where the water is found,
at some distance below the highest summit, I found the rock to be
porphyry of a light reddish colour, close grained, with small veins
of feldspath, much resembling the porphyry I saw last year, in Wady
Lamoule, beyond the Second Cataract of the Nile. The approach to
the spring is somewhat difficult, being at the extremity of a very
narrow passage, in a cavern or cleft of the rock, where, besides
the spring, there is also a collection of rain water. The water
is excellent, and very cool, but unfortunately not very copious;
at least, we found only a small supply. Some pigeons were flying
about the spring. The well of Shigre is famous throughout this
desert. The Bisharein frequently encamp in the neighbouring Wadys,
and one of their principal Shikhs or Saints is buried near the
well. Travellers often make pious offerings at the tomb, and if
any Bedouins happen to be encamped in the neighbourhood, some sheep
are purchased from them, and killed in honour of the Saint. One of
our party found behind a rock, near the tomb, an empty chest, of
Egyptian workmanship, quite new, which had probably been deposited
there by some trader, whose camel could not carry it further,
and who expected to take it up again on his return. The Ababde
guides claimed it of the person who found it, alleging that they
are the masters of the desert, and that all treasures found in it
belong to them. We encamped at about half a mile from the well,
and our first care was to fill our water skins. The Ababde kindly
permitted the Fellah traders to fill their skins first, but the
latter abused the permission, by watering likewise their camels;
so that after they had retired from the well, very little water was
left in it. The Ababde then declared that they should be obliged to
stop here until the well should fill again. We remained therefore
the whole night, the Ababde sleeping at the mouth of the cavern,
to prevent any body from stealing water during the night.
On the morning of the _18th March_, about twenty skins were filled,
but the Ababde were not yet satisfied, and the merchants, rather than
protract their stay, and see their store of water diminished by the
hourly waste, preferred ceding some of their skins to the guides,
upon the condition of departing immediately. After much patience
and labour, I had succeeded in filling two large skins, and having
still some water left, I should thus have been at least as well
provided as any other individual in the caravan but I was not to
be so fortunate. Having taken one of the skins upon my shoulder to
the camp, I had left the other near the well, with the intention
of coming back with the ass to take it away. When I returned, I
found it empty. My Daraou friends had poured its contents into one
of their own skins; and although they excused themselves by saying
it was done by mistake, I could not by any means prevail upon them
to refill it; indeed the water, now left in the well was rendered so
muddy by the blueish clay which covers the bottom, that it was quite
unserviceable. It was in vain that I offered two dollars for a full
skin. My companions only laughed at me, saying that the price was
indeed enormous, but that no one would part with his provision of
water, and that they had never been in the habit of doing so. I was
thus obliged to retreat from the well with the melancholy reflection
that my stock of water was at the utmost sufficient for myself and
ass for two days. It may here be remarked that it is of little use
in travelling through deserts, to have a very large stock of water;
for if the other travellers are in want of water they will take it
by force; the rule being that water and bread are common to all,
that is to say, that the stronger takes it from the weaker. The
eastern Arabs allow the poor traveller to partake of their stock of
water even when it is scarce, but the Africans are not so liberal,
and all that an individual can do among them, is to lay in such a
stock of water as will last as long as that of the great merchants;
for he will find no supply from others, while he must give up all
he can spare, and sometimes, even his whole stock, to meet the
necessities of his more powerful companions. I searched about the
well for some traces of ancient works, in the supposition that the
place was as well known and frequented in the time when the trade
of Meroe flourished as it is at present. But I could find nothing,
although the situation is well suited to the construction of a
fortress. The road leading up to the cavern which contains the
well is almost blocked up by large masses of stones. And near it
is another source, which has lately been entirely choaked up by
the falling down of a projection of the mountain.
The Ababde chief of the caravan being acquainted with my misfortunes,
sent for me just as we were on the point of departure, and having
made some severe reflections upon the cruelty of the Egyptians
towards me, made me a present of a sufficient quantity of water
to fill one of the smaller skins. I was of course very sincere in
my protestations of thanks and of gratitude, although I well saw
that his anxiety for my welfare was not so great as his wish to
mortify the Egyptians. We left Shigre in the course of the morning;
it took us four hours to cross the chain of mountains, which bear
the name of Djebel Shigre (جِبال شِقر). They appeared to
me the highest points of Western Nubia, but their most elevated
summit is not more than eight hundred or one thousand feet above
the plain. All these mountains are of granite, and are every where
as wild in their shape as those about the well. After four hours
march, we issued from the mountains, and by a slight descent reached
a sandy plain, covered with sharp stones. Our road S. 1° W. At five
hours, passed Wady Kabkaba (وادي قَبقَبه); at seven hours,
passed Wady Zeynatyb (وادي زَينَاتيب). Trees are very
scarce in these Wadys, which are nothing but low grounds with some
shrubs. We marched until late at night, and halted in the plain,
after a day’s journey of about eleven hours. The country we
passed over, after quitting the mountains of Shigre, is one great
sandy flat, occasionally interrupted by gravelly ground, with small
pebbles of quartz. We likewise passed several districts of moving
sands. From Daraou as far as Shigre we had constantly followed a
broad beaten path, where it is almost impossible for any one who has
once performed the journey to go astray. The road seldom varies in
its direction, and the prominent features of the mountains on both
sides serve to the traveller as a guide at the few places where
the sandy ground prevents any lasting impression of the footsteps
of former caravans. From Shigre southward we found no beaten path,
and there being no longer any mountains in view, it requires the
eye and experience of a Bedouin to keep the caravan in a proper
direction, especially during the day time.
_19th March._ Our road was S. by W. over an immense plain, bordered
by low hills in the distant horizon. After about one hour we passed
Wady Dimoka-yb (a Bishary name) (وادي ديموكايب), full of
dry shrubs. The day was intensely hot. I thought I could perceive
a considerable alteration in the climate, to the south of Shigre,
it being much warmer than to the north of that place. Eight hours
and a half passed Wady Abou Daey (وادي ابو ضَيّ). All
these Wadys extend from east to west. Eleven hours arrived at the
wells of Nedjeym (ابيار النجيم); in approaching which,
we passed, long after sunset, by several tomb-stones, called Gobour
Adjouad el Arey-ab (قبور اجوَد الاريَاب); “the
bravest men of Are-ab lie buried here,” said one of our chiefs;
“their companions carry them from many days journies to this
spot, that they may repose in the cool neighbourhood of the wells,
and their deeds be remembered by those who pass here.” The Are-ab
are a tribe of Bisharein. We had already sent some men to the wells
early in the morning, to clear them of the sand, for notwithstanding
the report of the caravan travellers which we received at Nabeh, our
people still believed that some water might be procured here. But we
found them sitting with melancholy countenances near the well, where
they had been digging for several hours, without finding any thing
but wet sand. Even the Bedouins now became alarmed, and nothing was
left for us but to endeavour to reach the Nile by forced marches;
each of us had some water left, though not more than sufficient
for a single day. Nedjeym is a collection of three or four wells,
where the water oozes from the ground, and collects in sand pits of
twenty or thirty feet in depth. The winds often choak these pits with
sand, and almost every caravan that passes must be at the trouble
of digging them out. We only found one accessible, the others being
filled with sand to the brim. In times of dryness, such as occurred
this year, the wells are exhausted, but when the rains are not
deficient they produce excellent water, in sufficient quantity to
supply a caravan of middling size. The low insulated rocky hills
which surround the Nedjeym are composed of chlorite and petrosilex.
_20th March._ Some of our people continued at work at the well the
whole night, and at length by great assiduity filled the water
skins. We left the place soon after midnight. Issuing from the
hills which surround the wells, and diverging from the straight
road that leads to Berber, we took our route over a barren plain
covered with moving sands, in a S. S. W. direction. At four hours
we passed Wady Holhob (وادي حُلهُب). All the Wadys south
of Shigre empty themselves in large torrents into the Nile whenever
rain falls in the eastern chain. The ground now became gravelly,
covered with small black flints and petrosilex, a dark expanse of
waste much resembling some parts of the desert of Tyh. No mountains
or hills are any where seen. Here and there only small rocks of
granite, quartz or sienite interrupt the dreary uniformity of the
plain. Fortunately for us we had northerly winds, but we suffered
nevertheless considerably from the heat. We drank only twice to
day, and our asses were put upon half allowance. At eleven hours we
halted in a Wady. I had a quarrel to day with a man of Daraou, who
accused me of having opened his water skin in the night, in order to
give my ass some water; he called me by the most insulting names,
pelted me with stones, and seemed to have succeeded in persuading
the whole caravan that I was guilty.