were discovered in the bushes near the stream, and so long as it was
uncertain whether or not they were accompanied by a greater number, my
companions were in a state of fright; but as soon as it was ascertained
that the black strangers were but few, they wanted to rush upon and
capture them as slaves; but Ibrahíma, with a dignified air, cried out,
“imána, imána,” intimating that the tribe was paying tribute to his
master the governor of Yóla; and whether it was true or not, certainly
he did well to keep these vagabonds from preying upon other people while
their own safety was in danger.
At a quarter past eleven o’clock we reached the outskirts of Kófa, a
village, which had been ransacked and destroyed entirely by Kashélla
ʿAli,—the very act which had given rise to the complaints on the side of
the governor of Ádamáwa, who claimed the supremacy over this place.
Several huts had been already built up again very neatly of bongo; for
this had now become the general mode of architecture, giving proof of
our advancing into the heart of the tropical climes. And as the
dwellings were again rising, so the inhabitants were likewise returning
to their hearths.
A most interesting and cheerful incident in these unfortunate and
distracted lands, where the traveller has every day to observe domestic
happiness trodden under foot, children torn from the breasts of their
mothers, and wives from the embraces of their husbands, was here
exhibited before us. Among the people recovered from slavery by
Ibrahíma’s exertions was a young girl, a native of this village, who, as
soon as she recognised the place from which she had been torn, began to
run as if bewildered, making the circuit of all the huts. But the people
were not all so fortunate as to see again those whom they had lost;
there were many sorrowful countenances among those who inquired in vain
for their sons or daughters. However, I was pleased to find that Bíllama
was saluted in a friendly way by the few inhabitants of the place,
proving, as I thought, that, when governor of this southernmost district
of Bórnu, he had not behaved so cruelly.
The country hereabouts showed a far more advanced state of vegetation
than that from whence we had come, the young succulent grass reaching to
the height of a foot and a half, while the corn (dáwa, or holcus) in one
field measured already thirty inches in height. The fresh meadow grounds
were interspersed with flowers; and a beautiful specimen of the
“kangel,” measuring eight inches in diameter, was brought to me by
Bíllama, being the only specimen which I have ever observed of this
peculiar flower. Mr. Vogel, however, told me afterwards that he had
occasionally observed it in Mándará (Wándalá).
Having dismounted under a tamarind-tree for the hot hours of the day,
Bíllama, with the assistance of my old Mʿallem, gave me a list of some
of the larger places in the Marghí country.[102] W.S.W. from the Marghí
live the Bábur or Bábir, scattered in small hamlets over a mountainous
basaltic district, with the exception of their principal seat Biyú[103],
which is called after the name, or probably rather the title, of their
chief. This place is said to be as far from Kófa as Kúkawa is from the
same place, and is reported to be of large size. The Bábur have in
certain respects preserved their independence, while in others, like the
Marghí, they have begun to yield to the overwhelming influence of their
Mohammedan neighbours. But the Marghí claim superiority over their
kinsmen in point of personal courage; for of their relationship there
can be no doubt.
When the sun began to decline, we pursued our march, in order to reach
Laháula, where we were to pass the night. The unsafe state of the
country through which we were passing was well indicated by the
circumstance that even the circumspect Ibrahíma mounted the poor mare
given to him by Sheikh ʿOmár, which he had spared till now. He moreover
exchanged his bow for a spear. A thick tempest was gathering on the
Wándalá mountains, while our motley troop wound along the narrow
path,—at times through forest or underwood, at others through fine
cornfields; but the country afforded a wilder and more varied aspect
after we had crossed a little watercourse,—rocks projecting on all
sides, sandstone and granite being intermixed, while in front of us a
little rocky ridge, thickly overgrown with trees and bushes, stretched
out, and seemed to hem in our passage. Suddenly, however, a deep recess
was seen opening in the ridge, and a village appeared, lying most
picturesquely in the natural amphitheatre thus formed by the rocks and
trees protruding everywhere from among the granite blocks, and giving a
pleasant variety to the whole picture.
This was Laháula; but we had some difficulty in getting into it, the
entrance to the amphitheatre being closed by a strong stockade, which
left only a very narrow passage along the cliffs on the eastern side,
not nearly large enough for camels; and while our troop, pushing forward
in vain, fell into great confusion, the storm came on, and the rain
poured down upon us in torrents. Fortunately, the shower, although
heavy, did not last long, and we succeeded at length in getting in, and
soon reached the first huts of the village; but our reception was not
propitious. The first person who came to meet us was a mother, roused by
the hope of seeing her son return as a free man from Kúkawa, where he
had been carried into slavery, and filling the whole village with her
lamentations and curses of the Kanúri, when she heard that her beloved
had not come back, and that she should never see him again. This of
course made a bad impression upon the inhabitants, and while ʿAshi,
their chief, a man who after an unsuccessful struggle with my companion
Bíllama, when governor of these districts, had submitted to the sheikh,
received us with kindness and benevolence, his son, in whose recently
and neatly built hut the old man wished to lodge me, raised a frightful
alarm, and at length, snatching up his weapon, ran off with the wildest
threats. I therefore thought it best not to make use of the hut unless
forced by another storm, and notwithstanding the humidity, I took up my
quarters under a shed before the hut, spreading my carpet and
jirbíye—woollen blanket from Jirbi—over a coarse mat of reed, as
unfortunately at that time I had no sort of couch with me.
There was an object of very great interest in our courtyard. It was a
large pole about nine feet high above the ground, with a small cross
pole which sustained an earthern pot of middling size. This was a
“sáfi,” a sort of fetish, a symbolic representation, as it seems, of
their god “féte,” the sun. It was a pity that we were not placed in a
more comfortable position, so as to be enabled to make further inquiries
with regard to this subject.
ʿAshi was kind enough to send me a large bowl of honey-water, but I was
the only one of the caravan who received the least proof of hospitality;
and I made myself quite comfortable, though we thought it best to look
well after our firearms. During the night we were alarmed by a great
noise, proceeding from the frightful shrieks of a man; and, on inquiry,
we found that he had been disturbed in his sleep by a hyæna catching
hold of one of his legs. Ibrahíma informed us the next morning, that a
very large party among the inhabitants had entertained the design of
falling during the night upon our troop and plundering us; and that
nothing but the earnest representations of ʿAshi had restrained them
from carrying out their intention,—the old man showing them how
imprudent it would be, by one and the same act to draw upon themselves
the vengeance of their two overwhelming neighbours, the sheikh of Bórnu
in the north, and the governor of Fúmbiná in the south. Altogether the
night was not very tranquil; and a storm breaking out at some distance,
I crept into the hut, but there was no rain, only thunder and lightning.
All the huts here are provided with a serír, or diggel, made of
branches, upon which a coarse mat of reeds is spread.
The village seems not to be very large, containing certainly not more
than about five hundred single huts, but the situation is very
advantageous, enabling the inhabitants in an instant to retire upon the
natural fortress of blocks overhead. They possess scarcely a single cow,
but seem to prepare a great deal of vegetable butter. At least large
heaps of the chestnut-like kernels of the _Bassia Parkii_ were lying
about in the courtyards. They have also a great deal of excellent honey.
[Sidenote: Tuesday, June 10th.]
Leaving our quarters early, and emerging from the rocky recess by the
same opening through which we had entered it the preceding evening, we
halted a short time in order that the whole caravan might form closely
together, for we had now the most dangerous day’s march before us, where
stragglers are generally slain or carried into slavery by lurking
enemies. Our whole troop was not very numerous, consisting of five
horsemen and about twenty-five armed men on foot, with three camels, six
sumpter oxen, and three asses, our strength consisting entirely in my
four muskets and four pairs of pistols.
It was a very fine morning, and after the last night’s storm the whole
country teemed with freshness and life. Moreover, it was of a varied
nature, the ground consisting, at times, of bare granite, with large
blocks of quartz, at others covered with black vegetable soil, with
ironstone here and there, and torn by numerous small periodical
watercourses descending from the rocky chain on our right, and carrying
the moisture of the whole region towards the river, which still flowed
on the left of our track; while granite-blocks and small ridges
projected everywhere, the whole clothed with forest more or less dense,
and with a great variety of foliage. Having kept on through this kind of
country for about two miles and a half, we reached the deserted
“ngáufate,” or encampment of Bú-Bakr, a brother of Mohammed Lowel, the
governor of Ádamáwa, who had last year made an expedition into these
districts, and stationing his army on this spot, had overrun the country
in all directions. The encampment consisted of small round huts made of
branches and grass, such as the guro caravan generally erects daily on
its “zango” or halting-place. Here we began to quicken our pace, as we
were now at the shortest distance from the seats of the Báza, a powerful
and independent pagan tribe, with a language, or probably dialect, of
their own, and peculiar customs, who live at the foot of the eastern
mountain-chain, while we left on our right Kibák and some other Marghí
villages. In order to lessen a little the fatigue of the march, my
attentive companion Bíllama brought me a handful of “gaude,” a yellow
fruit of the size of an apricot, with a very thick peel, and, instead of
a rich pulp, five large kernels filling almost the whole interior, but
covered with a thin pulp of a very agreeable taste, something like the
gonda.
At half-past nine, when the forest was tolerably clear, we obtained a
view of a saddle mount at some distance on our right, on the other side
of which, as I was informed, the village Womde is situated: further
westward lies Úgu, and, at a still greater distance, Gáya. Meanwhile we
pushed on with such haste—the old Mʿallem and Bú-Sʿad, on horseback,
driving my two weak camels before them as fast as they could—that the
line of our troop became entirely broken; the fatáki, or tugúrchi, with
their pack-oxen, and several of the dangarúnfu—namely the little
tradesmen who carry their small parcels of merchandise on the
head—remaining a great distance behind; but although I wished several
times to halt, I could not persuade my companions to do so; and all that
I was able to do for the safety of the poor people who had trusted
themselves to my protection, was to send Bíllama to the rear with orders
to bring up the stragglers. I shall never forget the euphonious words of
the old mʿallem with which he, though usually so humane, parried my
entreaties to give the people time to come up; mixing Háusa with Kanúri,
he kept exclaiming, “awennan karága babu dádi” (“This is by no means a
pleasant forest”), while he continued beating my poor camels with his
large shield of antelope’s hide. At length, having entered a very dense
thicket, where there was a pond of water, we halted for a quarter of an
hour, when Bíllama came up with the rear, bringing me, at the same time,
a splendid little gonda fruit, which he knew I was particularly fond of.
Continuing then our march with our wonted expedition, we reached a
little before one o’clock cultivated fields, where the slaves—“field-
hands,” as an American would say—of the people of Úba were just resting
from their labour in the shade of the trees. As the slaves of
Mohammedans, they all wore the leathern apron. Here we began to ascend,
having a small rocky eminence on our right, and a more considerable one
on our left, while in the distance, to the west, various mountain groups
became visible. This line of elevation might seem to form the water
partition between the basin of the Tsád and that of the Great River of
Western Africa, but I am not sure of it, as I did not become distinctly
aware of the relation of the rivulet of Múbi to that of Báza.
Be this as it may, this point of the route probably attains an elevation
of about 2,000 feet, supposing that we had ascended about 800 feet from
Ujé, the elevation of which is 1,200 feet above the level of the sea.
Having then crossed, with some difficulty, on the part of the camels, a
rugged defile, enclosed by large granite blocks, we began to descend
considerably, while Mohámmedu drew my attention to the tree called
“bijáge” in Fulfúlde, which grows between the granite blocks, and from
which the people of Fúmbiná prepare the poison for their arrows. However
I was not near enough to give even the most general account of it; it
seemed to be a bush of from ten to twelve feet in height, with tolerably
large leaves of an olive colour.
Emerging from this rocky passage, we began gradually to overlook the
large valley stretching out to the foot of the opposite mountain chain,
which seemed from this place to be uninterrupted. Its general elevation
appeared to be about 800 feet above the bottom of the valley. We then
again entered upon cultivated ground, and turning round the spur of the
rocky chain on our right, on the top of which we observed the huts of
the pagans, we reached the wall of Úba at two o’clock in the afternoon.
The eastern quarter of this town, the northernmost Púllo settlement in
Ádamáwa on this side, consisting of a few huts scattered over a wide
space, has quite the character of a new and cheerless colony in Algeria;
the earthen wall is low, and strengthened with a light double fence of
thorn bushes. The western quarter, however, is more thickly and
comfortably inhabited; and each cluster of huts, which all consist of
bongo, or rather búkka bongo, “jwarubokáru,” is surrounded with a little
cornfield. It was pleasant to observe how the fences of mats,
surrounding the yards, had been strengthened and enlivened by young
living trees of a graceful slender appearance, instead of dull stalks,
giving to the whole a much more cheerful character than is generally the
case with the villages in other parts of Negroland, particularly in
Bórnu Proper, and promising in a short time to afford some cool shade,
which is rather wanting in the place.[104]
Passing the mosque, the “judírde,” a spacious quadrangular building,
consisting entirely of halls built of mats and stalks, which must be
delightfully cool in the dry season, but extremely damp during the
rains, and including a large open space, we reached the lamórde (the
house of the governor, or lámido); it lies on one side of a small
square, or “belbel.” Bíllama and Bú-Sʿad having here fired a couple of
rounds, we were soon shown into our quarters. These were of rather an
indifferent description, but lying at the northern border of the
inhabited quarter, and not far from the foot of the rocky ridge, they
had the advantage of allowing us freedom of movement.
[Footnote 101: From Íssege to Sugúr there seem to be two roads, the
shortest of which is a good day and a half’s march, passing the night in
a place called Shámbela, or Chámbela, first going E. then more S.; the
other road following a general direction S.E., and going in shorter
stations, first to Gulúg, a pagan settlement, which I shall soon have to
mention, situated on the offshoots of the mountain-range, then keeping
on the mountains to Magár, which seems to be the highest point of
elevation, and from hence to Sugúr. Sugúr is said to be fortified by
nature, there being only four entrances between the rocky ridges which
surround it. The prince of Sugúr overawes all the petty neighbouring
chiefs; and he is said to possess a great many idols, small round
stones, to which the people sacrifice fowls of red, black, and white
colour, and sheep with a red line on the back. The road from Sugúr to
Morá is very difficult to lay down from hearsay, with any approach to
truth. It is said first to cross a very difficult passage or defile
called Lámaja, beyond a mountain of great elevation inhabited by naked
pagans. From hence, in another moderate march, it leads to Madágelé, in
the territory of Ardon Jídda, of whom I shall have to speak in the
progress of my narrative. From here it leads to Dísa, joins there the
road coming from Ujé, and the next day reaches Morá. This evidently
seems to be a circuitous way, but may depend on the mountainous
character or the unsafe state of the country. Karáwá, the capital of
Wándalá, is said to lie about fifteen miles west from Morá, at the foot
of a large mountain mass called Wélle, inhabited by pagans.]
[Footnote 102: Kóbchi[a], the principal place of the country, Molghoy,
Íssege, Kuyúm, situate upon the longer western road from Úba to Íssege,
one day’s march from the latter; Músa about one day from Kuyúm, Dille,
Womde, Laháula (the place I was soon to visit), Cherári, Sháwa, Modé,
Kirbet, Kibák, Nsúda, Kóradé, all towards the west and south-west: more
eastward there are Móda, Gorám, Lúgu, Chámbelá (the village I mentioned
above), Gulób, Jú.]
[Footnote a: This place is already mentioned in the history of Edrís
Alawóma, where it is written Kofchi, _f_, _b_, and _p_, being frequently
interchanged in these languages. The name seems to be the royal title,
although the general name for chief or prince in the Marghí language is
“ibthá.”]
[Footnote 103: Mr. Overweg, in the unfinished journal of his excursion
to Fíka, a place interesting in other respects as well as on account of
its date-grove, mentions four principal places of the Bábir, viz. Kogo,
or Koger, Fadem, Multa, and Gim. He also mentions, as the three most
powerful chiefs in the country, Mai Mári residing in Fadem, Mai Doigí
(who died some time ago) in Iíra, and Mai Ali, who resides in Koger.
After all, Mai Mári seems to be the chief man, and Fadem to be identical
with Biyú.]
[Footnote 104: The nature of these trees may be seen from the fence of
the yard in the view of Demsa.]
CHAP. XXXIV.
ÁDAMÁWA. MOHAMMEDAN SETTLEMENTS IN THE HEART OF
CENTRAL-AFRICA.
We had now reached the border of Ádamáwa, the country after which I had
been panting so long, and of which I had heard so many interesting
accounts, a Mohammedan kingdom engrafted upon a mixed stock of pagan
tribes,—the conquest of the valorous and fanatic Púllo chieftain, Ádama,
over the great pagan kingdom of Fúmbiná.
I was musing over the fate of the native races of this country, when the
governor, with a numerous suite, came to pay me a visit. Neither he nor
any of his companions were dressed with any degree of elegance, or even
cleanliness. I had endeavoured in vain to obtain information from my
companions as to the period when the Fúlbe had begun to emigrate into
this country; but they were unable to give me any other answer, than
that they had been settled in the country from very ancient times, and
that not only the fathers but even the grandfathers of the present
generation had inhabited the same region as cattle-breeders,
“berroróji.” Neither the governor nor any of his people were able to
give me more precise information, so that I was obliged to set my hopes
upon the capital, where I was more likely to find a man versed in the
history of his tribe. I then communicated to my visitor my wish to
ascend the ridge, which overlooks the place, and on the top of which,
according to Mohámmedu, a spring bubbled up between the rocks. The
governor advised me to defer the excursion till the morrow, but as the
weather was fine at the time, and as at this season it was very doubtful
whether it would be so the next morning, I expressed a wish to obtain at
once a view at least over the opposite mountain-chain. He then told me
that I might do as I liked, and followed me with his whole suite. The
ridge, on this side at least, consisted entirely of enormous blocks of
granite heaped one upon the other in wild confusion, and making the
ascent extremely difficult, nay, impossible, without ropes, so that,
with the utmost trouble, we reached the height of a little more than a
hundred feet, which gave me, however, an advantageous position for
obtaining a view over the broad valley and the mountain range beyond, of
which, on my return journey, I made a sketch, which is represented in
the following woodcut.
Some of the governor’s people, however, were very agile in climbing
these blocks, and they need to be so if they wish to subject the native
inhabitants, who, when pursued, retire to these natural strongholds,
which are scattered over nearly the whole of this country.
[Illustration]
We had scarcely returned to our quarters, when a storm broke out, but it
was not accompanied with a great quantity of rain. Our cheer was
indifferent; and we passed our evening in rather a dull manner.
[Sidenote: Wednesday, June 11th.]
Seeing that the weather was gloomy, and being afraid of the fatigue
connected with the ascent of the ridge even along a more easy path, as I
was well aware how much my constitution had been weakened, I preferred
going on, and gave orders for starting. On leaving the western gate of
the town, which is formed of very large trunks of trees, we entered on a
tract of corn-fields in a very promising condition, while at the same
time a number of young jet black slave girls, well fed, and all neatly
dressed in long aprons of white clean gábagá, and having their necks
adorned with strings of glass beads, were marched out to their daily
labour in the field.
The town formerly extended much further in this direction, till it was
ransacked and plundered by Ramadhán, a slave and officer of the sheikh
Mohammed el Kánemi. Before the Fúlbe occupied these regions, the slave-
hunting expeditions of the people of Bórnu often extended into the very
heart of Ádamáwa. The Fúlbe certainly are always making steps towards
subjugating the country, but they have still a great deal to do before
they can regard themselves as the undisturbed possessors of the soil.
Even here, at no great distance beyond the little range which we had on
our right, an independent tribe called Gílle still maintains itself, and
on my return journey I shall have to relate an unsuccessful expedition
of the governor of Úba against the Kilba-gáya.
Our camels, “gelóba,” began now to be objects of the greatest curiosity
and wonder to the natives; for it happens but rarely that this animal is
brought into the country, as it will not bear the climate for any length
of time. This is certainly a circumstance not to be lost sight of by
those who contemplate trade and intercourse with the equatorial regions;
but of course the European, with his energy and enterprise, might easily
succeed in acclimatizing the camel by preparing himself for great losses
in the beginning.