_Containing some further miscellaneous Reflections on the Moorish
Character, and Manners. — Observations concerning the Great Desert,
its Animals, wild and domestic, &c. &c._
The Moors of this part of Africa, are divided into many separate
tribes; of which the most formidable, according to what was reported
to me, are those of Trasart and Il Braken, which inhabit the
northern bank of the Senegal river. The tribes of Gedumah, Jafnoo,
and Ludamar, though not so numerous as the former, are nevertheless
very powerful and warlike; and are each governed by a chief, or king,
who exercises absolute jurisdiction over his own horde, without
acknowledging allegiance to a common sovereign. In time of peace,
the employment of the people is pasturage. The Moors, indeed, subsist
chiefly on the flesh of their cattle; and are always in the extreme
of either gluttony or abstinence. In consequence of the frequent and
severe fasts which their religion enjoins, and the toilsome journies,
which they sometimes undertake across the Desert, they are enabled to
bear both hunger and thirst, with surprising fortitude, but whenever
opportunities occur of satisfying their appetite, they generally devour
more at one meal, than would serve an European for three. They pay but
little attention to agriculture; purchasing their corn, cotton-cloth,
and other necessaries, from the Negroes, in exchange for salt, which
they dig from the pits in the Great Desert.
The natural barrenness of the country is such, that it furnishes but
few materials for manufacture. The Moors, however, contrive to weave
a strong cloth, with which they cover their tents: the thread is spun
by their women, from the hair of goats; and they prepare the hides
of their cattle, so as to furnish saddles, bridles, pouches, and
other articles of leather. They are likewise sufficiently skilful,
to convert the native iron, which they procure from the Negroes,
into spears and knives, and also into pots for boiling their food;
but their sabres and other weapons, as well as their fire-arms and
ammunition, they purchase from the Europeans, in exchange for the Negro
slaves which they obtain in their predatory excursions. Their chief
commerce of this kind is with the French traders, on the Senegal river.
The Moors are rigid Mahomedans, and possess, with the bigotry and
superstition, all the intolerance, of their sect. They have no
mosques at Benowm, but perform their devotions in a sort of open
shed, or inclosure made of mats. The priest is, at the same time,
schoolmaster to the juniors. His pupils assemble every evening before
his tent; where, by the light of a large fire, made of brush-wood
and cows’ dung, they are taught a few sentences from the Koran,
and are initiated into the principles of their creed. Their alphabet
differs but little from that in Richardson’s Arabic Grammar. They
always write with the vowel points. Their priests even affect to know
something of foreign literature. The priest of Benowm assured me, that
he could read the writings of the Christians: he shewed me a number of
barbarous characters, which he asserted were the Roman alphabet; and he
produced another specimen, equally unintelligible, which he declared
to be the _Kallam il Indi_, or Persian. His library consisted of nine
volumes in quarto; most of them, I believe, were books of religion;
for the name of Mahomet appeared, in red letters, in almost every
page of each. His scholars wrote their lessons upon thin boards;
paper being too expensive for general use. The boys were diligent
enough, and appeared to possess a considerable share of emulation;
carrying their boards slung over their shoulders, when about their
common employments. When a boy has committed to memory a few of their
prayers, and can read and write certain parts of the Koran, he is
reckoned sufficiently instructed; and, with this slender stock of
learning, commences his career of life. Proud of his acquirements,
he surveys with contempt the unlettered Negro; and embraces every
opportunity of displaying his superiority over such of his countrymen,
as are not distinguished by the same accomplishments.
The education of the girls is neglected altogether: mental
accomplishments are but little attended to by the women; nor is
the want of them considered by the men, as a defect in the female
character. They are regarded, I believe, as an inferior species
of animals; and seem to be brought up for no other purpose, than
that of administering to the sensual pleasures of their imperious
masters. Voluptuousness is, therefore, considered as their chief
accomplishment, and slavish submission as their indispensable duty.
The Moors have singular ideas of feminine perfection. The gracefulness
of figure and motion, and a countenance enlivened by expression,
are by no means essential points in their standard: with them,
corpulence and beauty appear to be terms nearly synonymous. A woman,
of even moderate pretensions, must be one who cannot walk without a
slave under each arm, to support her; and a perfect beauty is a load
for a camel. In consequence of this prevalent taste for unwieldiness
of bulk, the Moorish ladies take great pains to acquire it early in
life; and for this purpose, many of the young girls are compelled,
by their mothers, to devour a great quantity of kouskous, and drink
a large bowl of camels’ milk every morning. It is of no importance,
whether the girl has an appetite or not; the kouskous and milk must be
swallowed; and obedience is frequently enforced by blows. I have seen
a poor girl sit crying, with the bowl at her lips, for more than an
hour; and her mother, with a stick in her hand, watching her all the
while, and using the stick without mercy, whenever she observed that
her daughter was not swallowing. This singular practice, instead of
producing indigestion and disease, soon covers the young lady with that
degree of plumpness, which, in the eye of a Moor, is perfection itself.
As the Moors purchase all their clothing from the Negroes, the women
are forced to be very economical in the article of dress. In general,
they content themselves with a broad piece of cotton cloth, which is
wrapped round the middle, and hangs down like a petticoat, almost to
the ground: to the upper part of this, are sewed two square pieces,
one before, and the other behind, which are fastened together over
the shoulders. The head-dress, is commonly a bandage of cotton cloth,
with some parts of it broader than others, which serve to conceal
the face when they walk in the sun; frequently, however, when they
go abroad, they veil themselves from head to foot.
The employment of the women varies, according to their degrees of
opulence. Queen Fatima, and a few others of high rank, like the
great ladies in some parts of Europe, pass their time chiefly
in conversing with their visitors, performing their devotions;
or admiring their charms in a looking-glass. The women of inferior
class, employ themselves in different domestic duties. They are very
vain, and talkative; and when any thing puts them out of humour,
they commonly vent their anger upon their female slaves, over whom
they rule with severe and despotic authority; which leads me to
observe, that the condition of these poor captives is deplorably
wretched. At daybreak, they are compelled to fetch water from the
wells, in large skins, called _girbas_; and as soon as they have
brought water enough to serve the family for the day, as well as
the horses (for the Moors seldom give their horses the trouble of
going to the wells), they are then employed in pounding the corn,
and dressing the victuals. This being always done in the open air,
the slaves are exposed to the combined heat of the sun, the sand,
and the fire. In the intervals, it is their business to sweep the
tent, churn the milk, and perform other domestic offices. With all
this they are badly fed, and oftentimes cruelly punished.
The men’s dress, among the Moors of Ludamar, differs but little
from that of the Negroes (which has been already described,) except
that they have all adopted that characteristic of the Mahomedan
sect, the _turban_; which is here universally made of white cotton
cloth. Such of the Moors as have long beards, display them with a
mixture of pride and satisfaction, as denoting an Arab ancestry. Of
this number was Ali himself; but among the generality of the people,
the hair is short and bushy, and universally black. And here I may
be permitted to observe, that if any one circumstance excited among
them favourable thoughts towards my own person, it was my beard;
which was now grown to an enormous length, and was always beheld with
approbation or envy. I believe in my conscience, they thought it too
good a beard for a Christian.
The only diseases which I observed to prevail among the Moors, were the
intermittent fever, and dysentery: for the cure of which, nostrums are
sometimes administered by their old women; but, in general, nature is
left to her own operations. Mention was made to me of the small-pox,
as being sometimes very destructive; but it had not, to my knowledge,
made its appearance in Ludamar, while I was in captivity. That it
prevails, however, among some tribes of the Moors, and that it is
frequently conveyed by them to the Negroes in the southern states,
I was assured, on the authority of Dr. Laidley; who also informed me,
that the Negroes on the Gambia practise inoculation.
The administration of criminal justice, as far as I had opportunities
of observing, was prompt and decisive. For, although civil rights
were but little regarded in Ludamar, it was necessary, when crimes
were committed, that examples should sometimes be made. On such
occasions, the offender was brought before Ali, who pronounced, of
his sole authority, what judgment he thought proper. But I understood
that capital punishment was seldom or never inflicted, except on
the Negroes.
Although the wealth of the Moors consists chiefly in their numerous
herds of cattle; yet, as the pastoral life does not afford full
employment, the majority of the people are perfectly idle, and spend
the day in trifling conversation about their horses, or in laying
schemes of depredation on the Negro villages.
The usual place of rendezvous for the indolent, is the King’s tent;
where great liberty of speech seems to be exercised by the company
towards each other; while in speaking of their chief, they express but
one opinion. In praise of their sovereign, they are unanimous. Songs
are composed in his honour, which the company frequently sing in
concert; but they are so loaded with gross adulation, that no man
but a Moorish despot, could hear them without blushing. The king is
distinguished by the fineness of his dress; which is composed of blue
cotton cloth, brought from Tombuctoo, or white linen or muslin from
Morocco. He has likewise a larger tent than any other person, with a
white cloth over it: but, in his usual intercourse with his subjects,
all distinctions of rank are frequently forgotten. He sometimes eats
out of the same bowl with his camel driver, and reposes himself, during
the heat of the day, upon the same bed. The expences of his government
and household are defrayed by a tax upon his Negro subjects, which
is paid by every householder, either in corn, cloth, or gold dust;
a tax upon the different Moorish Korrees, or watering-places, which
is commonly levied in cattle; and a tax upon all merchandize which
passes through the kingdom, and is generally collected in kind. But
a considerable part of the king’s revenue arises from the plunder
of individuals. The Negro inhabitants of Ludamar, and the travelling
merchants, are afraid of appearing rich; for Ali, who has spies
stationed in the different towns, to give him information concerning
the wealth of his subjects, frequently invents some frivolous plea
for seizing their property, and reducing the opulent to a level with
their fellow citizens.
Of the number of Ali’s Moorish subjects, I had no means of forming
a correct estimate. The military strength of Ludamar consists in
cavalry. They are well mounted, and appear to be very expert in
skirmishing and attacking by surprise. Every soldier furnishes his
own horse, and finds his accoutrements, consisting of a large sabre,
a double barrelled gun, a small red leather bag for holding his
balls, and a powder horn slung over the shoulder. He has no pay, nor
any remuneration but what arises from plunder. This body is not very
numerous; for when Ali made war upon Bambarra, I was informed that his
whole force did not exceed two thousand cavalry. They constitute,
however, by what I could learn, but a very small proportion of
his Moorish subjects. The horses are very beautiful, and so highly
esteemed, that the Negro princes will sometimes give from twelve to
fourteen slaves for one horse.
Ludamar has for its northern boundary, the Great Desert of Sahara. From
the best inquiries I could make, this vast ocean of sand, which
occupies so large a space in Northern Africa, may be pronounced
almost destitute of inhabitants; except where the scanty vegetation
which appears in certain spots, affords pasturage for the flocks of
a few miserable Arabs, who wander from one well to another. In other
places, where the supply of water and pasturage is more abundant,
small parties of the Moors have taken up their residence. Here they
live, in independent poverty, secure from the tyrannical government of
Barbary. But the greater part of the Desert, being totally destitute of
water, is seldom visited by any human being; unless where the trading
caravans trace out their toilsome and dangerous route across it. In
some parts of this extensive waste, the ground is covered with low
stunted shrubs, which serve as landmarks for the caravans, and furnish
the camels with a scanty forage. In other parts, the disconsolate
wanderer, wherever he turns, sees nothing around him but a vast
interminable expanse of sand and sky; a gloomy and barren void, where
the eye finds no particular object to rest upon, and the mind is filled
with painful apprehensions of perishing with thirst. “Surrounded by
this dreary solitude, the traveller sees the dead bodies of birds,
that the violence of the wind has brought from happier regions;
and, as he ruminates on the fearful length of his remaining passage,
listens with horror to the voice of the driving blast; the only sound
that interrupts the awful repose of the Desert.”[12]
The few wild animals which inhabit these melancholy regions, are
the antelope and the ostrich; their swiftness of foot enabling them
to reach the distant watering-places. On the skirts of the Desert,
where water is more plentiful, are found lions, panthers, elephants,
and wild boars.
Of domestic animals, the only one that can endure the fatigue of
crossing the Desert, is the camel. By the particular conformation of
the stomach, he is enabled to carry a supply of water sufficient for
ten or twelve days; his broad and yielding foot, is well adapted for
a sandy country; and by a singular motion of his upper lip, he picks
the smallest leaves from the thorny shrubs of the Desert as he passes
along. The camel is, therefore, the only beast of burden employed
by the trading caravans, which traverse the Desert in different
directions, from Barbary to Nigritia. As this useful and docile
creature has been sufficiently described by systematical writers,
it is unnecessary for me to enlarge upon his properties. I shall
only add, that his flesh, though to my own taste dry and unsavoury,
is preferred by the Moors to any other; and that the milk of the female
is in universal esteem, and is indeed sweet, pleasant, and nutritive.
I have observed that the Moors, in their complexion, resemble the
Mulattoes of the West Indies; but they have something unpleasant in
their aspect, which the Mulattoes have not. I fancied that I discovered
in the features of most of them, a disposition towards cruelty,
and low cunning; and I could never contemplate their physiognomy,
without feeling sensible uneasiness. From the staring wildness of
their eyes, a stranger would immediately set them down as a nation
of lunatics. The treachery and malevolence of their character,
are manifested in their plundering excursions against the Negro
villages. Oftentimes, without the smallest provocation, and sometimes,
under the fairest professions of friendship, they will suddenly seize
upon the Negroes’ cattle, and even on the inhabitants themselves. The
Negroes very seldom retaliate. The enterprizing boldness of the Moors,
their knowledge of the country, and, above all, the superior fleetness
of their horses, make them such formidable enemies, that the petty
Negro states which border upon the Desert, are in continual terror
while the Moorish tribes are in the vicinity, and are too much awed
to think of resistance.
Like the roving Arabs, the Moors frequently remove from one place to
another; according to the season of the year, or the convenience of
pasturage. In the month of February, when the heat of the sun scorches
up every sort of vegetation in the Desert, they strike their tents, and
approach the Negro country to the south; where they reside until the
rains commence, in the month of July. At this time, having purchased
corn, and other necessaries from the Negroes, in exchange for salt,
they again depart to the northward, and continue in the Desert until
the rains are over, and that part of the country becomes burnt up
and barren.
This wandering and restless way of life, while it inures them to
hardships, strengthens, at the same time, the bonds of their little
society, and creates in them an aversion towards strangers, which is
almost insurmountable. Cut off from all intercourse with civilized
nations, and boasting an advantage over the Negroes, by possessing,
though in a very limited degree, the knowledge of letters, they are
at once the vainest and proudest, and, perhaps, the most bigotted,
ferocious, and intolerant of all the nations on the earth: combining
in their character, the blind superstition of the Negro, with the
savage cruelty and treachery of the Arab.
It is probable that many of them had never beheld a white man,
before my arrival at Benowm: but they had all been taught to regard
the Christian name with inconceivable abhorrence, and to consider
it nearly as lawful to murder a European, as it would be to kill
a dog. The melancholy fate of Major Houghton, and the treatment I
experienced during my confinement among them, will, I trust, serve
as a warning to future travellers to avoid this inhospitable district.
The reader may probably have expected from me a more detailed and
copious account of the manners, customs, superstitions, and prejudices,
of this secluded and singular people; but it must not be forgotten,
that the wretchedness of my situation among them, afforded me but few
opportunities of collecting information. Some particulars, however,
might be added in this place; but being equally applicable to the
Negroes to the southward, they will appear in a subsequent page.
[Footnote 12: Proceedings of the African Association, Part I.]