Narrative of a Mission to Central Africa Performed in the Years 1850-51 Volume I Part 7

Hateetah, therefore, had come, accompanied by two sons of Shafou, the nominal Sultan of all the Tuaricks of Ghat. Wataitee, the elder of the two, is very plausible, and undertakes to accompany us as far as Aheer.

It is to be observed, that the Tuaricks of this place have hitherto never ventured to come to Mourzuk; and it is considered wonderful that they have come for the first time at the summons of infidels.

My first plan was, to proceed by the direct route to Aroukeen with the Germans and the Tanelk.u.ms, and from this place make an indispensable expedition to Ghat. But circ.u.mstances compel me to march direct to that place by the common road. Our escort is to cost us dear, but it will ensure our safety. These Ghat Tuaricks, however great they may talk in their own country, are really very poor; they subsist almost entirely on the custom-dues levied on caravans. Wataitee himself said, "I am the son of the Sultan, it is true; but I have nothing. If I stay in my country, I do not feel my necessities much; but if I must escort you to Aheer, then I must be well-clothed and fed, or else the people will say, 'Behold the son of Shafou, how poor and miserable he is!'" Besides paying about two hundred Spanish dollars for the escort, I have had to feed all the people, and furnish them with tents. They had led me to expect much more reasonable treatment; but there is no help, and I feel that I am not yet at the end of my troubles of this description. With these prefatory remarks, I enter upon an account of my departure from Mourzuk for the oasis of Ghat.

CHAPTER VIII.

Wars in the Interior--Antic.i.p.ated Disputes--Mr. Boro of Aghadez--Our Treatment at Mourzuk--Mustapha Bey--Start for Ghat--Row with the Escort--Fine Weather--Leave Tesaoua--Sharaba--Travelling in the Heat--Hateetah and the Germans--The Camels--Snakes--Journey continued--Nature of the Country--Complete Desert--Rain--Overtake the Caravan--Interview with Boro--Pool of Ailouah--The Tanelk.u.ms--Halt--Birds--Bir Engleez--Wind in the Desert--Begging Escort--Brilliant Heavens--News from Ghat--The Pilgrims again--Bas-relief of Talazaghe--Moved over the Desert--Mountains--Extraordinary Pa.s.s--Central Table-land of Fezzan.

Hateetah has brought stirring intelligence: the Sultan of Bornou is at war with his brother. Ten thousand Tuaricks of Aheer have gone against the Walad Suleiman; and, taking advantage of the opportunity, the Tuaricks of Timbuctoo are marching from the other direction to fall upon their brethren of Aheer. Quarrels of kites and crows!--Yes, to those at a distance; but it is too much to hope that our caravan will prove a lark's nest in some Saharan battle-field. We must pray that a general peace shall be proclaimed in Central Africa during our march across the desert.

However, we must not be frightened by rumours, and, indeed, are not. We pa.s.s from discussion of this warlike intelligence to bargain with Hateetah, who, as I have hinted, seems inclined to play the Jew, or rather--to speak in character--the Tibboo with us. It will cost a large sum to pa.s.s through Ghat, and obtain an escort to Aheer. As a consolation, we learn that we are to be persecuted by Boro Sakontaroua, sheikh of Aghadez, who is displeased that he has received no presents from us. It would appear that the letters of Ha.s.san Pasha rather compromised us to employ him as our escort; but I am not responsible for this, having never deviated from the original plan of procuring an escort from Ghat. Indeed, I wrote to that effect immediately on my arrival in Tripoli; and it would not do, after keeping my friends in the oasis in a turmoil all this while, to disappoint them. The desert has its etiquette as well as the drawing-room, and infringements might be rather more dangerous here.

The new acting Pasha has made the Tuaricks a present of some burnouses.

This, whilst lessening perhaps the comparative value of what we have given, at any rate lays the chief under some obligations to the Turks, and a.s.sists in making up a good round sum in payment for the trouble of coming all the way from Ghat to Mourzuk to escort us.

By the way, Mr. Boro of Aghadez has been fetched back from his encampment at Tesaoua by a man on horseback. The business was of some consequence, according to the notions of these people. He had sold a female slave, and the poor woman was now found to be _enceinte_ by Boro's son, with whom she had been living as concubine. The law soon despatched the affair, and compelled the Sheikh to restore the purchase-money and take back his slave.

A last observation on Mourzuk, before leaving it behind in this Saharan navigation. All the Ottoman authorities have treated us with attention and respect. Mr. Gagliuffi has been hospitable, and the people generally have proved courteous in their behaviour. It is rare to remain so long in a place and have so few causes of complaint. Justice, however, compels me to say, that the British Consul sometimes remembered too vividly that he was also a merchant, and a Levantine merchant to boot. I am afraid he is not quite satisfied even with the profits he has already made out of the expedition. Is it possible, however, for Easterns, or people who live in the East, to look upon a Government as anything but a milch cow? Mustapha Bey, who took a very affectionate leave of me, is now engaged in examining a tremendous case of peculation--something like a defalcation of two thousand mahboubs. He is quite bewildered for the time. The Greek doctor came to see us off; but we started in a little confusion, for Mr. Yusuf Moknee was drunk, as he was nearly all the time of our stay at Mourzuk.

I left Mourzuk on the 25th of June, late in the evening, and proceeding until midnight, stopped at a little cl.u.s.ter of palms, with two or three inhabitants, called Thurgan. Then rising at daylight, and starting at once, I pa.s.sed Om-el-Hamam, and reached Tesaoua about nine in the evening. I found that the Germans and the Tanelk.u.ms had gone on in advance some days, but not so fast that we could not hope to overtake them. The hurry and bustle attendant on the preparations for starting has rendered me rather indisposed; I was quite unwell on the 27th. Next day, however, I could receive Hateetah and the son of Shafou, and have a civil row with them. I had to ask them whether they would travel by night, and what they would agree to do if any one fell sick. To the first question they promptly answered "No, they would not;" but to the second, that in case any one was very ill indeed, they would wait a little for him, or travel in the night. I said that this was not exactly what I wanted, and that in case of sickness the expedition must be stopped. They recommended me to go to Ghat, and there remain twenty days until the great heat had pa.s.sed, allowing the Tanelk.u.ms to go on. This advice is worth reflection: but perhaps we may not suffer so much from the heat as I antic.i.p.ate. We came to a tolerable understanding, and it was at length agreed that we should start on the 29th.

The weather is now cool, the wind often blowing _round_ in the course of the day; it rarely blows _through_, as at sea. On the way from Mourzuk we had hot and cold blasts together; but now we are out in the desert, we find the climate much more temperate than in the city. I hope and pray that I shall be able to bear up against the heat.

What a magnificent sky we had last night!--never did I behold the stars in greater glory. The Scorpion was brilliant, if not fierce; and the constellation on his right shone splendidly. At about eight o'clock Jupiter was setting towards the horizon like a sun!

_29th._--We left Tesaoua at length, at three in the afternoon. The boat and our servants had gone on before with the Tuaricks, who prefer not travelling in the dark, if possible. We can often start after them in this way, and catch them up by pushing on some hours after sunset. Our course lay south this evening. The heavens, before the rising of the moon, had a most luminous appearance; Jupiter was seen only about an hour above the horizon, and the Milky Way was very conspicuous, but at eight o'clock described only a small segment in the heavens.

We reached Sharaba at eight, and halted. This is a sandy valley, with herbage for the camels; the water, not very good, is a few feet from the surface, and issues from some rocks. There are no date-palms about the well, as reported, but a few stunted ones are found a mile or two higher up. The surface of the desert is broken into small mounds, crowned with the ethel-tree.

Sunday, the 30th, was a cool day for the desert, yet sufficiently hot for me. We left Sharaba at a quarter past six in the morning, and made a good day of nine hours. These confounded Tuaricks will travel in the heat, and encamp in the cool. At three in the afternoon, just as the weather was becoming quite fresh and pleasant, we halted. The wind, occasionally strong, blew from the north-east, whilst our course lay south-west, across a broad valley. The sandy ground is covered with the tholukh-tree, which affords a grateful shade in the season. This valley is very broad here, only one side being visible at once to the eye.

The Tuaricks are growing civil enough, and companionable. Luckily Hateetah and the son of Shafou do not drink coffee or tea--a saving.

Hateetah, however, is always begging; he says he will go to Aheer, and appears to consider his escort indispensable. According to him, the Germans, who are pushing on ahead, run great danger. Yusuf tells me that he is, in reality, extremely angry with my companions for proceeding alone. He wishes, perhaps, to get a present from them too; and swears that he knows n.o.body but Yakob (my desert name). They are not English, he says, but French. Besides, they have got twenty camel-loads of goods, which he will seize if they do not pay him something. Of course this is all harmless bl.u.s.ter, and means nothing. He confesses that, being on Fezzanee ground, he has really no claim upon caravans at all; but he is a greedy old rascal, and would take any advantage he could. The same gentleman says that Sakonteroua is only a chicken in his own country--quite powerless; if this be the case, his enmity is not of so much consequence as I feared.

The camels of the Tuaricks usually go well, and make good hours, because they are not allowed to eat on the road. They all march in strings, one being tied behind the other; each string is led on by servants or slaves. Thus, when once loaded, there is little difficulty on the way.

When seen at a distance, they resemble a moving ma.s.s of troops, especially when the mirage multiplies their long files. _Our_ camels, however, being all Arab camels, cannot be made to go in strings, and are always staring about for something whereon to browse.

I begin to feel better in health. If we could but encamp for three or four hours during the heat of the day, I have no doubt I should get on well enough. There was talk of serpents to-day; I saw none on this route, however. People at Mourzuk are occasionally bitten by lefas and scorpions, and death ensues often. Ammonia has been tried with success as a cure.

_July 1st._--We were astir at the encampment a little after daybreak: but it takes usually two hours to get off, although we have but seven camels. I hope our people will be quicker after a little more practice.

The heat was very troublesome; and nothing could keep the Tuaricks from going on all through the day, for ten hours and a quarter, without stopping. Our course was along the broad wady, which resembles an immense plain. On the surface of its sandy bed are scattered pebbles and blocks of sandstone and limestone, but the former chiefly. There was nothing to please the eye but the delicate tints of the line of sand-hills on the left--a faint yellow, at times mingling with the sky when very luminous; and the round tholukh-trees, scattered like black spots on the light sand of the valley. A little mirage figured a dark, black lake, which, however, sparkled with light under the trees. Few animals were seen: a young camel, left to graze in the valley, followed us most cheerfully this morning.

We pa.s.sed two or three wells in the course of the day, at a place called Kouwana, with water near the surface, and obtained some by sc.r.a.ping out the sand; we did not, however, take any up, because it was not very good. Caravans seldom use these wells. No doubt there is water to be found everywhere throughout the wady, which by a little care might be turned into an oasis. Perhaps it was one in old times. There is now no encouragement to cultivate any stubborn ground.

_July 2._--Two hours in getting off again! We started at six and went on until past five in the afternoon, following a south-west course along the same wady, with the same low line of sand-hills on our left, and sand and the low edge of the plateau, which the people say extends many days' journey, on our left. This valley is so shallow that it might almost be considered as part of the plateau, and is, in fact, nearly on a level with it; the temperature tells us we are on very high land. It is cool for this season, and the Tuaricks even complain of chilliness at night. Sometimes I am disposed to think the hot weather is pa.s.sed, but we must take into account the strong breeze blowing from the north-east.

The broad bed of the valley is covered with pebbles of sandstone, between which glanced a few, very few, lizards. Rarely did any living thing cheer our eyes as we moved along this dismal track. Now and then gazelles, in threes and fours, went scouring away far out of reach. One or two small birds fluttered from stone to stone; and some crows cawed at us from a distance. This is true Fezzan scenery. The mirage and all its illusions cloaked the plain in various directions, as if seeking to hide its dull uniformity.

However, this desolate region has really been of late visited by rain, as we had been told. We encamped towards evening near a great standing pool, which, if the weather remain moderate, will supply the caravans for months to come. A shower is a vulgar occurrence in Europe, received by most men, except agriculturists, as an annoyance. In the desert it has all the value of a heaven-sent gift. It is shed not periodically; but at intervals of time and place suddenly descends in copious drenchings. We often came upon spots which had been ploughed up as by a torrent from the skies; and few rocks in the Sahara are without water-marks. The rain-water at our camping-ground has an excellent flavour, and I drank of it eagerly.

Round this pool we at length found the caravan waiting for us to come up. The Germans and all others were well, except the Sfaxee, troubled with a little fever. Mourzuk is a bad place to break down the health and spirits, and those that became faint-hearted there would probably have persevered had they got out into the bracing air of the desert. The Tuaricks are very quiet. I sent word to Hateetah that it was impossible for him to take presents from the Germans, as it was contrary to the orders of Government. Shafou's son is very mild and circ.u.mspect.

Here also was Mohammed Boro, and although I had written strongly to Tripoli about him, I considered it advisable after all, immediately on arriving, to try and make friends with him. So I paid him a visit, and told him that when the Tuaricks had conducted us to Aheer we should, of course, place ourselves under his protection, that we might proceed to Sakkatou. I sent him, also, some hamsah and dates. This gladdened him much, for he is very short of provisions, and has many servants with him; amongst the rest, two or three female slaves, one of whom, a fat, buxom girl, must require prodigious nourishment.

When the pool of Ailouah is not filled by rain-water, recourse is had to a well near at hand, which supplies sufficient quant.i.ties. How important are wells in the desert, and how one learns to mark their existence!

The valley which we have been traversing three days from Sharaba to Ailouah is called Barjouj, and is remarkable for the tholukh-trees, which are scattered here and there throughout its whole extent. We are now seven days from Ghat, and, about the same distance from Aroukeen; but the Tanelk.u.ms, who go slowly, make thirteen days between this and Aroukeen. They go direct, as we intended to do, without touching at Ghat. Our movements are not exactly free, but we must not seem to notice this circ.u.mstance; and if they insist on our taking the route by the capital, in order to have an opportunity of increased plunder, must give in with as good grace as possible.

The 2d and 3d of July we stopped at Ailouah. Hateetah came to my tent the first day with a long face, and said, as I foresaw, that we must all go to Ghat, and abide the pleasure of the Tuaricks; also that we must wait for the return of a caravan from Aheer. I protested against this latter pretence, and he got up and went off in a pet. Next morning I sent word to his tent that I could not stay at Ghat an indefinite period; that my means would not allow me; and, therefore, that we must still protest against this arrangement. He answered, that he would a.s.semble all the notables of Ghat and ask their counsel. To this I could have no objection, and we are friends again. But I keep as far from the Tuaricks as I can, and do not visit them. I find this to be the best policy. We feed them every night, and they are apparently contented. The weather continues cool, the wind being always partly from the north.

Many birds, crows and others, pretty large, were seen about the wells of Ailouah; and a rival sportsman to Dr. Overweg appeared in the person of Mohammed et-Tunisee. He shot three small fowls of Carthage, one of which he gave me, I promising him a little powder in return when we came to Ghat. We noticed a small black bird with a white throat. But all through this desert we listen in vain for some songster. There is no reason for merriment in these dismal solitudes.

Our people have dug a well, which the Tanelk.u.ms promise to call "Bir Engleez,"--the English Well. Good water was found easily, near the surface at this station.

_4th._--We started late, and made only a short day; but herbage for the camels is only found hereabouts. Our course was, as usual, south-west over an undulating plateau, with an horizon now near, now distant. The surface of the ground was for the most part blackened sand, stone pebbles, and some blocks of very bad stone. The weather continues, fresh and pleasant. We did not feel the heat until some time after noon; and as we halted early at Ghamoud, suffered nothing. The wind--which we notice as if on ship-board--now comes always from the east, generally with a point north. It seems to be a sort of trade-wind throughout this portion of the desert. I begin now to read on the camel's back, and find this a pleasing relief from the jog-trot monotony of the movement. I am anxious to read the whole of the Bible in Hebrew on the camel's back.

Our friends the lizards were still glancing along the ground in the bright sunshine, but in diminished numbers.

Hateetah is always begging, and now asks for burnouses for the Ghat Sheikhs, Khanouhen, Jabour, Berka, and his brother. He still pretends that the Germans must give him a present, and that he knows no one but the English. In compliment, and to soothe him, I said, "You must dress in all your fine clothes at Ghat." This awakened his vanity, and he seemed delighted with the idea. His reply was, "You also must one day dress in all your best clothes--one day--only one day." I replied, "I have no fine clothes;" at which he seemed puzzled. Turning the conversation, he said I must change all his Tunisian piastres into dollars; which I shall certainly not do. This Consul of the English is a tremendously grasping fellow.

The Tanelk.u.ms all give the son of Shafou a good character. We parted with them this morning. They take some loads of dates for us, and have gone to Aroukeen, where they will wait for us six days, and then leave us; that is, if we do not come up. They will be twelve days, they say, on their journey. We go by a different route to Ghat, and shall see but not enter Serdalous. This place is now thickly inhabited by Tuaricks, and Hateetah does not wish to come in contact with them, for fear of exciting their curiosity and cupidity. So he is a knowing old dog after all. Our Tuaricks are displeased that the Germans have encamped so far from us this evening. The ground is a narrow slip of wady stretching east and west, almost on a level with the plateau. There is a little hasheesh (gra.s.s), with two or three young tholukh-trees. Venus shone with uncommon splendour this evening, eclipsing all the majesty of Jupiter. We are looking out for the Southern Cross, and think we see it just emerging above the horizon ahead. In the day, the heavens have of late been hazy.

They tell us, that on leaving Ghat we shall _descend_ to Soudan; yet we can not have reached very high ground. We may soon likewise expect to feel the influence of the Soudan rains, and find the atmosphere much cooler in consequence. How the days are shortening now, and how grateful darkness gradually expands its dominions over this arid, scorching waste, as we move south!

On Friday the 5th we only advanced two hours, to a place called Talazaghee,--a small picturesque wady, where, during the season of rain, there are always two or three pools of good water; there is also now a little herbage for the camels. During our ride we met a small slave caravan, and learned the important intelligence that there are several people of the Sultan En-Noor of Aheer at present at Ghat with slaves.

This will be useful to us. I wrote to my wife and others by this opportunity, and trust the missives will reach their destination. The weather is cool and pleasant to-day; and we are led to hope that the great heat of summer is already past. The wind followed exactly behind us as we pursued our south-west course. On arriving we found, rather to our surprise, the pilgrim caravan, and our old friend Abd-el-Kader. They have been some time reposing in Wady Gharby collecting provisions, and, I imagine, pa.s.sing their leisure hours with the Fezzanee ladies, which they could not very well do in Mourzuk. The morality of these people is easy enough, and no doubt the pilgrimage covers a mult.i.tude of sins.

Talazaghee is remarkable for some bas-reliefs cut on the naked sandstone rocks of the wady, in a very peculiar style; the princ.i.p.al tableau, if I may so call it, about four feet by three in size, is a battle between two persons, one having a bird's head, and the other a bullock's, with a bullock between them taking part in the fray. Each person is holding a shield or bow. The sculptures are mere outline, but deeply graved and well shaped. There are several other tableaux, representing animals, but chiefly bullocks. This would seem to intimate, that in the days when these forms of animals were chiselled bullocks were the animals employed for the transport of men and merchandise over the desert. No camels occur, as in other tablets. These sculptures are very properly said by our escort to be neither Arab nor Tuarick, but belong to the people that existed before these races. The princ.i.p.al tableau has a very Egyptian look about it; the oxen are well formed, and would do credit to a modern artist. There is one bas-relief figure of an ox with its neck in a circle, as if representing some of the games of the Circus. The other animals most distinctly seen are ostriches; the rocks around are, besides, covered with Tuarick characters, but nothing interesting.

We started late on the 6th, for the Tuaricks had allowed their camels to stray, and we waited some time for them: however, we were obliged, after all, to start without them, and having made five hours and a half halted. Our course had lain over the plateau, which about half way became broken up into valleys. One of these, called Anan Haghaneen, led us into the pleasant and picturesque wady of Mana Samatanee, where only in this part of the route can be found herbage for camels. There are also a few tholukh-trees. What a desolate region is all this, despite the little spots of vegetation! There are no signs of animal life, except traces of the wadan. For two days, they tell us, we are to have little or no water. Now and then we pa.s.s desert mosques,--square, or circular, or cross-shaped walls of stone, some with two entrances, built for the devotion of chance pa.s.sengers. The mountains on the east are called El Magheelaghen. To-day we carried my trunk with the money. Yusuf had previously given it in charge to a camel-driver, and the Tuaricks were always uneasy, asking to see if all were right. Europeans would probably have done the same under similar circ.u.mstances.

On the 7th we made a good day of about eleven hours, continuing during the first three in shallow wadys, down one of which we had a distant view of the plain of Serdalous, on the north-west. Then came the breaking up of the great plateau of Fezzan, and we entered a pa.s.s which leads down into the subjacent Sahara, and runs west with an inclination to the south. This is, perhaps, one of the most extraordinary natural features I have ever beheld. It seems to have been purposely cut out of the solid rock for the use of man, and reminds one at first of a railway excavation. As we advance it a.s.sumes the form of a cave, slightly open at top,--narrow, winding, and furnished with seats on either hand. A dim light comes from above. Only one part was difficult for the boat. Now and then the pa.s.s became quite a tunnel, but the concave roof is high enough for any camel to pa.s.s. On the sides, here and there, were Tuarick inscriptions; but there was nothing remarkable revealed by this admirable geological section. It was mostly sandstone for the upper strata, with narrow streaks of marl and chalk. Some slate was observed, and frequently our way lay over beds of red clay. An agreeable surprise awaited us occasionally, in the shape of little openings containing groups of the tholukh; but the general aspect of the pa.s.s was horrible and desolate, and we eagerly pushed on towards the end. There was nothing, apparently, to support life; but we found and caught a young fox: how the little wretch procured food was a mystery which our guides could not explain. However, life no doubt had its joys for him, and we let him loose in the plain below. I also picked up a dead bird, of a species common in the desert, with white head or cap, and white tail, except the upper feathers; all the rest, legs and bill, black. It is about the size of a lark, but has a head like a blackbird. We supposed the one found had died from want of water, though it may have been killed by the mother of the young fox.

On emerging from the pa.s.s at length we found a considerable change of level, and having advanced a little way turned back and obtained a splendid view of the walls of the plateau, which stretched on both sides above the plain, and thrust out lofty bluff promontories, as into the sea. The upper lines of some of them were perfectly straight, as if levelled by artificial means. We came to a solitary rock on the plain, containing excavations that seemed to be the work of men. Here, we were told, Dr. Oudney once stopped and breakfasted.

We have now a pretty correct idea of the great central table-land of Fezzan. It is an elevation, not quite clearly marked to the eye on some of its northern approaches, but dropping sheer to the plain at other parts. Mourzuk is situated in a sandy depression on its surface, which would probably be turned into a salt lake if there were sufficient rain.

The limits of the hollow, as of that of many others--Wady Atbah for example--are not noticed by the traveller. Whether he approaches or leaves Mourzuk, he seems still to be traversing a level plain, and only finds his mistake by noticing the change in the nature of the ground, the presence of marshes, of green vegetation, and of a heavy, stifling atmosphere.

CHAPTER IX.

Plain of Taeeta--Fezzan Boundary--Fossils--Tuarick Behaviour--Valley of Tabea--Observations--Fasting--Tuarick Habits--Scorpions and Locusts--Visitors--Heat--Roads--Hot Wind--Pa.s.s of Abulaghlagh--The Palace of Demons--Wheat hid in the Desert--Land of Demons--Kasar Janoon--A dear Camel--Visit to the Kasar--Perilous Adventure of Dr.

Barth.