_Various Occurrences during the Author’s Confinement at Benowm —
is visited by some Moorish Ladies. — A Funeral and Wedding. — The
Author receives an extraordinary Present from the Bride. — Other
Circumstances illustrative of the Moorish Character and Manners._
The Moors, though very indolent themselves, are rigid taskmasters,
and keep every person under them in full employment. My boy Demba was
sent to the woods to collect withered grass for Ali’s horses; and
after a variety of projects concerning myself, they at last found out
an employment for me: this was no other than the respectable office
of _barber_. I was to make my first exhibition in this capacity in
the royal presence, and to be honoured with the task of shaving the
head of the young prince of Ludamar. I accordingly seated myself
upon the sand, and the boy, with some hesitation, sat down beside
me. A small razor, about three inches long, was put into my hand,
and I was ordered to proceed; but whether from my own want of skill,
or the improper shape of the instrument, I unfortunately made a
slight incision in the boy’s head, at the very commencement of the
operation; and the King observing the awkward manner in which I held
the razor, concluded that his son’s head was in very improper hands,
and ordered me to resign the razor, and walk out of the tent. This I
considered as a very fortunate circumstance; for I had laid it down
as a rule, to make myself as useless and insignificant as possible,
as the only means of recovering my liberty.
March 18. Four Moors arrived from Jarra with Johnson my interpreter,
having seized him before he had received any intimation of my
confinement; and bringing with them a bundle of clothes that I had
left at Daman Jumma’s house, for my use in case I should return
by the way of Jarra. Johnson was led into Ali’s tent and examined;
the bundle was opened, and I was sent for, to explain the use of the
different articles. I was happy, however, to find that Johnson had
committed my papers to the charge of one of Daman’s wives. When I
had satisfied Ali’s curiosity respecting the different articles of
apparel, the bundle was again tied up, and put into a large cow-skin
bag, that stood in a corner of the tent. The same evening Ali sent
three of his people to inform me, that there were many thieves in the
neighbourhood, and that to prevent the rest of my things from being
stolen, it was necessary to convey them all into his tent. My clothes,
instruments, and every thing that belonged to me, were accordingly
carried away; and though the heat and dust made clean linen very
necessary and refreshing, I could not procure a single shirt out
of the small stock I had brought along with me. Ali was however
disappointed, by not finding among my effects the quantity of gold
and amber that he expected; but to make sure of every thing, he sent
the same people, on the morning following, to examine whether I had
any thing concealed about my person. They, with their usual rudeness,
searched every part of my apparel, and stripped me of all my gold,
amber, my watch, and one of my pocket compasses; I had fortunately,
in the night, buried the other compass in the sand; and this, with
the clothes I had on, was all that the tyranny of Ali had now left me.
The gold and amber were highly gratifying to Moorish avarice, but the
pocket compass soon became an object of superstitious curiosity. Ali
was very desirous to be informed, why that small piece of iron,
the needle, always pointed to the Great Desert; and I found myself
somewhat puzzled to answer the question. To have pleaded my ignorance,
would have created a suspicion that I wished to conceal the real truth
from him; I therefore told him, that my mother resided far beyond the
sands of Zaharra, and that whilst she was alive the piece of iron
would always point that way, and serve as a guide to conduct me to
her, and that if she was dead it would point to her grave. Ali now
looked at the compass with redoubled amazement; turned it round and
round repeatedly; but observing that it always pointed the same way,
he took it up with great caution and returned it to me, manifesting
that he thought there was something of magic in it, and that he was
afraid of keeping so dangerous an instrument in his possession.
March 20th. This morning a council of chief men was held in Ali’s
tent respecting me: their decisions, though they were all unfavourable
to me, were differently related by different persons. Some said that
they intended to put me to death; others that I was only to lose my
right hand; but the most probable account was that which I received
from Ali’s own son, a boy about nine years of age, who came to
me in the evening, and, with much concern, informed me that his
uncle had persuaded his father to put out my eyes, which they said
resembled those of a cat, and that all the Bushreens had approved of
this measure. His father however, he said, would not put the sentence
into execution until Fatima the queen, who was at present in the north,
had seen me.
March 21st. Anxious to know my destiny, I went to the king early in
the morning; and as a number of Bushreens were assembled, I thought
this a favourable opportunity of discovering their intentions. I
therefore began by begging his permission to return to Jarra; which
was flatly refused: his wife, he said, had not yet seen me, and I must
stay until she came to Benowm, after which I should be at liberty
to depart; and that my horse, which had been taken away from me the
day after I arrived, should be again restored to me. Unsatisfactory
as this answer was, I was forced to appear pleased; and as there
was little hopes of making my escape, at this season of the year,
on account of the excessive heat, and the total want of water in the
woods, I resolved to wait patiently until the rains had set in, or
until some more favourable opportunity should present itself;—but
_hope deferred maketh the heart sick_. This tedious procrastination
from day to day, and the thoughts of travelling through the Negro
kingdoms in the rainy season, which was now fast approaching, made
me very melancholy; and having passed a restless night, I found
myself attacked, in the morning, by a smart fever. I had wrapped
myself close up in my cloak, with a view to induce perspiration,
and was asleep when a party of Moors entered the hut, and with their
usual rudeness pulled the cloak from me. I made signs to them that
I was sick, and wished much to sleep; but I solicited in vain:
my distress was matter of sport to them, and they endeavoured
to heighten it, by every means in their power. This studied and
degrading insolence, to which I was constantly exposed, was one of
the bitterest ingredients in the cup of captivity; and often made
life itself a burthen to me. In those distressing moments I have
frequently envied the situation of the slave; who, amidst all his
calamities, could still possess the enjoyment of his own thoughts;
a happiness to which I had, for some time, been a stranger. Wearied
out with such continual insults, and perhaps a little peevish from
the fever, I trembled lest my passion might unawares overleap the
bounds of prudence, and spur me to some sudden act of resentment,
when death must be the inevitable consequence. In this perplexity,
I left my hut, and walked to some shady trees at a little distance
from the camp, where I lay down. But even here, persecution followed
me; and solitude was thought too great an indulgence for a distressed
Christian. Ali’s son, with a number of horsemen, came galloping to
the place, and ordered me to rise and follow them. I begged they would
allow me to remain where I was, if it was only for a few hours; but
they paid little attention to what I said; and after a few threatening
words, one of them pulled out a pistol from a leather bag, that was
fastened to the pummel of his saddle, and presenting it towards me,
snapped it twice. He did this with so much indifference, that I really
doubted whether the pistol was loaded; he cocked it a third time, and
was striking the flint with a piece of steel, when I begged them to
desist, and returned with them to the camp. When we entered Ali’s
tent, we found him much out of humour. He called for the Moor’s
pistol, and amused himself for some time with opening and shutting
the pan; at length, taking up his powder horn, he fresh primed it;
and turning round to me with a menacing look, said something in
Arabic, which I did not understand. I desired my boy, who was sitting
before the tent, to inquire what offence I had committed; when I was
informed that having gone out of the camp without Ali’s permission,
they suspected that I had some design of making my escape; and that,
in future, if I was seen without the skirts of the camp, orders had
been given that I should be shot by the first person that observed me.
In the afternoon the horizon, to the eastward, was thick and hazy,
and the Moors prognosticated a sand wind; which accordingly commenced
on the morning following, and lasted, with slight intermissions,
for two days. The force of the wind was not in itself very great: it
was what a seaman would have denominated a _stiff breeze_; but the
quantity of sand and dust carried before it, was such as to darken
the whole atmosphere. It swept along from east to west, in a thick
and constant stream, and the air was at times so dark and full of
sand, that it was difficult to discern the neighbouring tents. As the
Moors always dress their victuals in the open air, this sand fell in
great plenty amongst the kouskous: it readily adhered to the skin,
when moistened by perspiration, and formed a cheap and universal hair
powder. The Moors wrap a cloth round their face, to prevent them from
inhaling the sand, and always turn their backs to the wind when they
look up, to prevent the sand falling into their eyes.
About this time, all the women of the camp had their feet, and the
ends of their fingers, stained of a dark saffron colour. I could
never ascertain whether this was done from motives of religion, or
by way of ornament. The curiosity of the Moorish ladies had been very
troublesome to me ever since my arrival at Benowm; and on the evening
of the 25th (whether from the instigation of others, or impelled by
their own ungovernable curiosity, or merely out of frolic, I cannot
affirm) a party of them came into my hut, and gave me plainly to
understand that the object of their visit was to ascertain, by actual
inspection, whether the rite of circumcision extended to the Nazarenes,
(Christians,) as well as to the followers of Mahomet. The reader will
easily judge of my surprise at this unexpected declaration; and in
order to avoid the proposed scrutiny, I thought it best to treat the
business jocularly. I observed to them, that it was not customary
in my country to give ocular demonstration in such cases, before so
many beautiful women; but that if all of them would retire, except the
young lady to whom I pointed, (selecting the youngest and handsomest),
I would satisfy her curiosity. The ladies enjoyed the jest; and
went away laughing heartily; and the young damsel herself to whom I
had given the preference, (though she did not avail herself of the
privilege of inspection), seemed no way displeased at the compliment;
for she soon afterwards sent me some meal and milk for my supper.
March 28th. This morning a large herd of cattle arrived from the
eastward; and one of the drivers, to whom Ali had lent my horse,
came into my hut with the leg of an antelope as a present, and told
me that my horse was standing before Ali’s tent. In a little time
Ali sent one of his slaves to inform me, that, in the afternoon,
I must be in readiness to ride out with him, as he intended to shew
me to some of his women.
About four o’clock, Ali, with six of his courtiers, came riding
to my hut, and told me to follow them. I readily complied. But here
a new difficulty occurred: the Moors, accustomed to a loose and easy
dress, could not reconcile themselves to the appearance of my _nankeen
breeches_, which they said were not only inelegant, but, on account
of their tightness, very indecent; and as this was a visit to ladies,
Ali ordered my boy to bring out the loose cloak which I had always
worn since my arrival at Benowm, and told me to wrap it close round
me. We visited the tents of four different ladies, at every one
of which I was presented with a bowl of milk and water. All these
ladies were remarkably corpulent, which is considered here as the
highest mark of beauty. They were very inquisitive, and examined my
hair and skin with great attention; but affected to consider me as
a sort of inferior being to themselves, and would knit their brows,
and seem to shudder, when they looked at the whiteness of my skin. In
the course of this evening’s excursion, my dress and appearance
afforded infinite mirth to the company, who galloped round me as if
they were baiting a wild animal; twirling their muskets round their
heads, and exhibiting various feats of activity and horsemanship,
seemingly to display their superior prowess over a miserable captive.
The Moors are certainly very good horsemen. They ride without fear;
their saddles, being high before and behind, afford them a very secure
seat; and if they chance to fall, the whole country is so soft and
sandy, that they are very seldom hurt. Their greatest pride, and one
of their principal amusements, is to put the horse to his full speed,
and then stop him with a sudden jerk, so as frequently to bring him
down upon his haunches. Ali always rode upon a milk-white horse,
with its tail dyed red. He never walked, unless when he went to say
his prayers; and even in the night, two or three horses were always
kept ready saddled, at a little distance from his own tent. The Moors
set a very high value upon their horses; for it is by their superior
fleetness that they are enabled to make so many predatory excursions
into the Negro countries. They feed them three or four times a day,
and generally give them a large quantity of sweet milk in the evening,
which the horses appear to relish very much.
April 3d. This forenoon a child, which had been some time sickly, died
in the next tent; and the mother and relations immediately began the
death howl. They were joined by a number of female visitors, who came
on purpose to assist at this melancholy concert. I had no opportunity
of seeing the burial, which is generally performed secretly, in the
dusk of the evening, and frequently at only a few yards distance
from the tent. Over the grave, they plant one particular shrub;
and no stranger is allowed to pluck a leaf, or even to touch it;
so great a veneration have they for the dead.
April 7th. About four o’clock in the afternoon, a whirlwind passed
through the camp, with such violence that it overturned three tents,
and blew down one side of my hut. These whirlwinds come from the
Great Desert, and, at this season of the year, are so common, that I
have seen five or six of them at one time. They carry up quantities
of sand to an amazing height, which resemble, at a distance, so many
moving pillars of smoke.
The scorching heat of the sun, upon a dry and sandy country, makes
the air insufferably hot. Ali having robbed me of my thermometer,
I had no means of forming a comparative judgment; but in the middle
of the day, when the beams of the vertical sun are seconded by the
scorching wind from the Desert, the ground is frequently heated to such
a degree, as not to be borne by the naked foot; even the Negro slaves,
will not run from one tent to another, without their sandals. At this
time of the day, the Moors lie stretched at length in their tents,
either asleep, or unwilling to move; and I have often felt the wind
so hot, that I could not hold my hand in the current of air which
came through the crevices of my hut, without feeling sensible pain.
April 8th. This day the wind blew from the south-west, and in the
night there was a heavy shower of rain, accompanied with thunder
and lightning.
April 10th. In the evening the Tabala, or large drum, was beat,
to announce a wedding, which was held at one of the neighbouring
tents. A great number of people of both sexes assembled, but without
that mirth and hilarity which take place at a Negro wedding: here there
was neither singing, nor dancing; nor any other amusement that I could
perceive. A woman was beating the drum, and the other women joining at
times, like a chorus, by setting up a shrill scream; and at the same
time, moving their tongues from one side of the mouth to the other,
with great celerity. I was soon tired, and had returned into my hut,
where I was sitting almost asleep, when an old woman entered, with
a wooden bowl in her hand, and signified that she had brought me
a present from the bride. Before I could recover from the surprise
which this message created, the woman discharged the contents of the
bowl full in my face. Finding that it was the same sort of holy water,
with which, among the Hottentots, a priest is said to sprinkle a new
married couple, I began to suspect that the old lady was actuated by
mischief, or malice; but she gave me seriously to understand, that it
was a nuptial benediction from the bride’s own person; and which,
on such occasions, is always received by the young unmarried Moors
as a mark of distinguished favour. This being the case, I wiped my
face, and sent my acknowledgments to the lady. The wedding drum
continued to beat, and the women to sing, or rather whistle, all
night. About nine in the morning, the bride was brought in state from
her mother’s tent, attended by a number of women, who carried her
tent, (a present from the husband) some bearing up the poles, others
holding by the strings; and in this manner they marched, whistling as
formerly, until they came to the place appointed for her residence,
where they pitched the tent. The husband followed, with a number
of men leading four bullocks, which they tied to the tent strings;
and having killed another, and distributed the beef among the people,
the ceremony was concluded.