There appears to be a wild caprice amongst the institutions; if such
they may be called, of all these tropical nations. In a neighbouring
state to that of Abyssinia, the king, when appointed to the regal
dignity, retires into an island, and is never again visible to the eyes
of men but once--when his ministers come to strangle him; for it may not
be that the proud monarch of Behr should die a natural death. No men,
with this fatal exception, are ever allowed even to set foot upon the
island, which is guarded by a band of Amazons. In another border
country, called Habeesh, the monarch is dignified with the title of
Tiger. He was formerly Malek of Shendy, when it was invaded by Ismael
Pasha, and was even then designated by this fierce cognomen. Ismael,
Mehemet Ali's second son, advanced through Nubia claiming tribute and
submission from all the tribes Nemmir (which signifies Tiger), the king
of Shendy, received him hospitably, as Mahmoud, our dragoman, informed
us, and, when he was seated in his tent, waited on him to learn his
pleasure. "My pleasure is," replied the invader, "that you forthwith
furnish me with slaves, cattle, and money, to the value of 100,000
dollars."--"Pooh!" said Nemmir, "you jest; all my country could not
produce what you require in one hundred moons."--"Ha! Wallah!" was the
young Pasha's reply, and he struck the Tiger across the face with his
pipe. If he had done so to his namesake of the jungle, the insult could
not have roused fiercer feelings of revenge, but the human animal did
not shew his wrath at once. "It is well," he replied; "let the Pasha
rest; _to-morrow he shall have nothing more to ask_." The Egyptian, and
the few Mameluke officers of his staff, were tranquilly smoking towards
evening, entertained by some dancing-girls, whom the Tiger had sent to
amuse them; when they observed that a huge pile of dried stalks of
Indian corn was rising rapidly round the tent. "What means this?"
inquired Ismael angrily; "am not I Pasha?"--"It is but forage for your
highness's horses," replied the Nubian; "for, were your troops once
arrived, the people would fear to approach the camp." Suddenly the space
is filled with smoke, the tent-curtains shrivel up in flames, and the
Pasha and his comrades find themselves encircled in what they well know
is their funeral pyre. Vainly the invader implores mercy, and assures
the Tiger of his warm regard for him and all his family; vainly he
endeavours to break through the fiery fence that girds him round; a
thousand spears bore him back into the flames, and the Tiger's
triumphant yell and bitter mockery mingle with his dying screams. The
Egyptians perished to a man. Nemmir escaped up the country, crowned with
savage glory, and married the daughter of a king, who soon left him his
successor, and the Tiger still defies the old Pasha's power. The latter,
however, took a terrible revenge upon his people: he burnt all the
inhabitants of the village nearest to the scene of his son's slaughter,
and cut off the right hands of five hundred men besides. So much for
African warfare.