Travels and discoveries in North and Central Africa, Vol. 3 (of 5)

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CHAP. LII.

HOME-JOURNEY TO KÚKAWA. — DEATH OF MR. OVERWEG.

August 10th.Although I had once cherished the idea of penetrating towards the upper course of the Nile, I was glad when I turned my face westward, as I had since convinced myself that such an enterprise was not possible under the present circumstances. I had been so many times deceived by the promise of my final departure, that when in the morning of that day a messenger from the zérma arrived with the news that I might get ready my luggage, I did not believe him, and would not stir till Zérma himself made his appearance and confirmed the news, assuring me that I should find the letter of the sultan, with regard to my security on a future visit, with Máina Sabún.

In consequence I ordered my servants to get my luggage ready; but before I started I received a visit from a large number of courtiers, with an agíd at their head, in order to bid me farewell, and also to entreat me for the last time to sell to the sultan my fine “kerí-sassarándi” (horse). But this I was obliged to refuse, stating that I wanted my horse for myself, and that I had not come to their country as a merchant, but as a messenger. It had always been a subject of great annoyance to them that I refused to sell my horse, as all the people who visit this country from the other side of Bórnu are in the habit of bringing horses with them expressly for sale. They revenged themselves, therefore, by giving me another nick-name, as an ambitious and overbearing man,—“dérbaki ngólo.” But I would not have parted with the companion of my toils and dangers for all the treasures in the world, although it had its faults, and was certainly not then in the best condition. I had some foreboding that it might still be a useful companion on many an excursion; and it was in reality still to carry me for more than two years, and was to excite the envy both of my friends and enemies in Timbúktu as it had done here.

Having received the letter of the sultan, with the contents of which I could not but express myself highly satisfied[61], I set fairly out on my journey; and my heart bounded with delight when, gaining the western gate, I entered the open country, and once more found myself at liberty.

The whole country was adorned with the most beautiful verdure, the richest pasture-grounds and fine corn-fields alternately succeeding each other; but as for the crop, the height which it had attained in the different fields varied greatly,—it being in one field as high as five feet, and the seed just coming out, while in another field, close by, the young crop was only shooting out of the ground. This was in consequence of no rain having fallen in the beginning of the season for nearly a month, a circumstance which had deterred many people from confiding their seed to the ground. Further on, there was much cultivation of beans.

Having now no necessity for laying down the path, with which I was sufficiently acquainted, I could surrender myself entirely to the general impression of the landscape, the whole aspect of the country being greatly changed. Beyond the Felláta village which I have mentioned on my outward journey, we had to cross an extensive sheet of water, and the ground was often very difficult to pass with my camel; so that we were full of anxiety with regard to the swampy country of Logón. Indeed the people who met us on the road did not fail to warn us that this was not the right animal for this season of the year; and there is no doubt that pack-oxen, on account of their sure-footedness, have a great advantage in travelling during this part of the year, though they are difficult to get across the rivers.

We arrived at the well-known village of Bákadá just in time to escape a heavy tempest, which continued with slight interruption the whole of the afternoon; but not finding my former host at home, I took possession of his hut on my own responsibility, and I afterwards calmed the anger of my good old friend, whose hospitality was so often claimed by all the passers-by on this great highroad, by presenting him with two fine white shirts. In fact I sympathized with him very heartily, seeing that the whole host of people who had attached themselves to my troop importuned him for shelter during our stay here the following day, although I might have expected that he would have extended his hospitality to myself for a day longer, as we were to part for ever, and as it was against my wish that I was delayed here. But such is the character of the Bagírmi people in their present reduced political and moral condition.

My companions were not yet quite ready. It rained the greater part of the following night; I had some trouble in making my people stir in the morning, and was really obliged to employ force in order to get our troop once more in motion. A European can form no idea how the energy of a traveller is paralyzed in these regions by the laziness of the natives.

At length we were on our road, and after a moderate march took up our quarters in Kólle-kólle. The quantity of rain which had fallen gave the country a very rich and exuberant appearance. Everywhere on the fields the long black worm called “halwési,” which causes so much damage to the crops, was seen in extraordinary numbers. It was scarcely possible to recognize the villages, the whole appearance of which, from every side, we had been well acquainted with during the dry season, the tall crops now concealing the cottages entirely from view. The following day we reached Kókoroché, having fortunately crossed a very difficult bog without any accident. The whole forest-region, which did not contain a drop of water on my out-journey, was now converted into a continuous line of swamps; and the whole surface was thickly covered with verdure. It is during this season that the Shúwa Arabs form here their temporary encampments.

In Kókoroché also we had another day’s delay, till the messenger of the sultan arrived who was to protect me against any further intrigues of the ferrymen, whom I regarded with more suspicion than any policeman or constable in Europe. Meanwhile also the wife of Gréma ʿAbdú, who all this time had been staying with her father-in-law in Mústafají, joined us, and all further delay seemed to be at an end. Certainly such a visit of a married woman to her father’s house cannot but contribute to give to Europeans a higher opinion of African domestic life. Indeed people in Europe have little conception how cheerfully man and wife in these regions live together; and it was this amiable feature in his character which reconciled me in some degree to my companion, whom in other respects I greatly disliked.

August 13th.There had been a great deal of rain in the afternoon of the preceding day; and a heavy shower which came on in the morning, and lasted full two hours, delayed our departure considerably. The distance which separated us from the river was not great; but the latter part of the journey was so bad that my camel threw off its load no less than six times, so that my servants were almost in despair, and did not join me till several hours after my arrival in the town of Ásu, and when I had made myself already comfortable in an excellent hut, built of clay, neatly polished, but from which I felt sorry to have driven away two spinsters, who had been its tenants.

Having rested awhile, I went to obtain a sight of the river. Its magnitude had already surprised me, when I first saw it on coming from Logón, and it had delighted me as often as I looked down upon it from the village of Mélé; but it was now greatly increased in size, forming a broad sheet of water not less than one thousand yards across, and dotted with several little islands, while the high and gradually-shelving shore on this side was clothed with rich crops of Egyptian corn or masr (Zea Maïs). Several small canoes, or rather boats, were lying on the shore; but I looked in vain for one large enough to carry my camel, as I was really afraid to trust it to the stream. However, I was glad to observe that the current was not very strong; and it did not seem to me to flow faster than from about two and a half to three English miles an hour. Unfortunately, to-day also the weather was very wet, so that strolling about was not so pleasant as it would otherwise have been.

Ásu was formerly a walled town; but the walls at present exhibit the same signs of decay which characterize the whole country. However, the inhabitants, to whom the ferry is a constant source of profit, seemed to be tolerably at their ease. It is this village (which formerly appears to have been of much greater importance) after which the river is sometimes called the river of Ásu; but it ought never to be called the river Ásu. Here also there is an officer or inspector of the ferry, with the title of kashélla[62], the same as in the village of Mélé.

Saturday, August 14th.We had first to follow the bank of the stream for a little more than a mile lower down, in order to reach the flat sandy beach which I have mentioned above. At length, after a good deal of delay, the boats were brought, and the passage began. Our horses went first, three or four swimming alongside each boat; but it was a difficult affair for the men who were sitting in the boats to manage them, and notwithstanding all their exertions, and all the cries of those who were standing on the bank, several of them were washed away from the boats, and carried a considerable distance down the river by the current: one, a fine black horse, was drowned. It was the very latest period when the river is passable for horses; for during the whole of the month of September, the people assured me that the passage was never attempted. I myself succeeded in crossing the river, with my horse and luggage, without any accident; and having fired a shot, in order to express my satisfaction at having safely escaped from the hands of the superstitious Bagírmi people, I pursued my march without delay, for I was afraid of exposing my horse to the pernicious stings of the “tsetse” fly, which, as I have observed before, proves extremely dangerous to the animal, but which fortunately infests only the very banks of this river, for I have observed it nowhere else. It is a large yellow species.

I had now entered again upon the territory of my friend Yúsuf the prince of Logón, and could, without any danger of molestation, freely move about. The weather was very wet; and I twice took refuge in small villages, which were situated in the midst of rich corn-fields, in order to escape a heavy shower. The whole district is called Mókoró, and comprises, besides several villages of lógodé Logón, or people of Logon, ten hamlets of Shúwa, in one of which we took up our quarters. These Shúwa, however, are not distinguished for hospitality; and it required a great deal of negotiation before I was allowed to make myself comfortable in one of these huts, which are very spacious indeed for these countries, being from 50 to 60 feet in diameter: they have besides a very remarkable peculiarity, being furnished with a large bed-room, if I may say so, which occupies the middle of the hut, and consists of a room raised about three feet from the ground, twenty feet long by six to eight feet wide, and the same in height, separated into several compartments, and encompassed all round with mattings of latticework made of fine reeds, in which branch of industry, as I have before observed, the people of Logón are very clever. The matting is of dark colour; but upon my inquiring how they dyed it, I was not a little surprised to hear that it is done by dipping it into the black argillaceous soil. In this secluded room, which is called “ghurára,” these people protect themselves against the innumerable swarms of mosquitoes which infest these low swampy regions during the night.

Of course, I could not have any pretensions to this distinguished place, which is reserved for the different members of the family; and I took my station upon a raised platform of clay at the side of the entrance, where I was a little annoyed by the mosquitoes, although, the door having been shut at an early hour, and some cattle inside the hut attracting the attention of this cruel insect in a stronger degree, the numbers were supportable. In other respects I was well treated, the landlord being a wealthy man, of the name of Ádim, and his wife being even a princess or méram of Logón; she was a talkative and cheerful person. They regaled me with a small pancake soon after my arrival, and a dish of rice and milk in the evening. It was extremely interesting to witness the singular kind of living of these people, and to hear them talk their peculiar style of Arabic, which has not yet lost that profusion of vowels which originally characterized this language; but its purity has been greatly impaired by other peculiarities. They have some remarkable customs which connect them with their brethren in the East,—especially the law of retaliation, or e’ dhíye[63] and the infibulatio of the young girls. These Arabs belong to the large tribe of the Sálamát.

Sunday, August 15th.After a march of about eight miles, through a country partly cultivated with Negro millet, partly forming an extensive swampy plain, we reached the river of Logón. On account of the great rising of the river, we had been obliged to follow, this time, an entirely different path from the one we had pursued on our outward journey. The scenery was greatly changed; and the little hollow which we had formerly crossed close behind our landing-place had now become a navigable branch of the river, on which several boats of considerable size were seen plying to and fro. The whole river now presented a very extensive sheet of water, unbroken by any sandbanks or islands, which, while it certainly was exceeded in breadth by the river Shárí, surpassed it in its turn in swiftness, the current being evidently more than three and a half miles an hour.

The town of Logón with its palm-trees, of three different varieties, towering over the clay walls, invited me to its hospitable quarters; and as I was extremely anxious to reach Kúkawa without any further delay, I immediately crossed over (after having made a small sketch, which is represented in the accompanying plate), in order that I might be able to pursue my journey the following day; but upon paying a visit to the keghámma, I had great difficulty in persuading him to allow me to proceed, and at first he peremptorily refused to comply with my wish, saying that it would be dishonourable for his master to allow me to leave him empty-handed. But I chose rather to forego the opportunity of taking final leave of the prince Yúsuf, although I could not but feel sorry at not being able to wait till my hospitable host had prepared a few tobes for me, as specimens of the native manufacture.

It rained during the night and the following morning, and we had a difficult march through the deep swampy grounds of Logón; but we proceeded onwards till three o’clock in the afternoon, when we made a halt about three quarters of a mile beyond Úlluf or Húlluf, the town before mentioned, the magic arts of whose people frightened my companions also this time, and prevented them from seeking shelter there. However, even in the village where we stopped we were badly received at first; and it was only by force that my companions could procure quarters, till I succeeded gradually in opening friendly relations with the man who had become my host so much against his will. I even, with the aid of a few of the large beads called nejúm, succeeded in buying fowls, milk, and corn, so that we were pretty much at our ease. The neighbourhood is said to be greatly infested with thieves; and we therefore took all necessary precautions.

The following day I made Áfadé, passing by Kala, where I was surprised to find the swamp at present of much smaller dimensions than on my former journey, although the season was so far advanced. This is a very remarkable phenomenon, which receives its explanation from the circumstance that these swamps are fed by the inundations of the river, which, notwithstanding the rainy season, continue to recede till the river is again full, and once more inundates the country, in the month of September. The latter part of the road to Áfadé was very swampy, almost the whole of that bleak kabé tract being under water. Here my companions endeavoured by all sorts of intrigues to detain me for a day or two, but, notwithstanding the hospitable treatment which I received from the governor of the place, I was too anxious to reach Kúkawa; and, ordering my servants to follow me as speedily as possible, I pursued my march the following morning without delay. But the roads were excessively bad, and we were obliged to take quite a different direction from the one by which we came, following a more northerly one in order to avoid the impassable swamps of the town of Rén, and the very difficult road of Ngála.

Having passed several larger or smaller villages, and innumerable swamps, we halted for the night, after a march of eleven hours, in a village inhabited by Shúwa and Felláta, and called Wángara, a name which is rather remarkable; but it required a long negotiation in order to obtain quarters, as these people, who rely upon the strongholds afforded them by the swampy neighbourhood of the lake, are of a very independent character. But having once made their acquaintance, we were hospitably treated. The bíllama of the village was a Tynjurawi, who had emigrated to this place from Móndo; but he did not understand the peculiar idiom of his tribe.

During my next day’s march, I led rather an amphibious life, being almost as much in the water as on the dry ground; for, besides being drenched by a heavy rain, which lasted the greater part of the day, I had to pass three considerable rivulets without the aid of a boat, and had twice to strip myself and swim my horse across, tying clothes and saddle on my head. The first rivulet we had to cross was the Múlu, about seven hundred yards beyond the small town called Legári, which belongs to Kashélla Belál; the second was probably the Mbulú, and identical with the river called Gumbalaram by Major Denham, beyond the village of Dágala, which lies on a small eminence. At the Múlu we had enjoyed the assistance of the inhabitants of Legári; but here I and my mʿallem, with whom I had vigorously pushed on in advance, were left to our own resources, and the strong current of the rivulet, which was encompassed by steep banks about eight feet high, frightened my companion not a little, till I stripped first, and, relying upon my experience as a swimmer, led the way. While endeavouring to cross over, we were fortunate enough to meet with a fisherman, who was floating about the river on a simple yoke of large gourds, such as I have described on a former occasion; and with his assistance we succeeded in getting our horses and clothes across without any accident. While engaged in this arduous business, we were joined by Gréma ʿAbdú, who, seeing that I was obstinate, and ashamed at not arriving in the capital together with us, had at length left his wife and slaves behind, and endeavoured to keep up with us. We then continued our march through this swampy country, the rain falling in torrents, and near the village Hokkum reached the third rivulet, which however, notwithstanding its rapidity, we were able to cross without dismounting, the water just reaching up to our saddles.

At length we left behind us the black argillaceous soil which constitutes the whole of this alluvial plain, and which at the present season was converted into one continuous swamp, fine sandy soil succeeding to it near the village of Gujári, so that from thence we pursued our march more cheerfully; and having taken a small luncheon in the village Débuwa, we did not halt until we reached the village of Bogheówa, situated about a mile N.E. from Yédi. Here we were well lodged and hospitably treated, and were busy till late at night drying our wet clothes.

Friday, August 20th.We had now only one long day’s march to Kúkawa; and, reaching the town of Ngórnu after six hours’ ride, I had great trouble in dragging on my horsemen, who being quite exhausted, wanted to make themselves comfortable with their friends, for the Bórnu men of the present day are not accustomed to much fatigue. Indeed both my companions were so utterly prostrated, in mind and body, that, strange to say, they lost their road close to the capital, although certainly the high corn-fields gave the country a totally different appearance. The great pond of Kaine was now larger than I had ever seen it, and flooded the path to a great extent.

Having sent on a man in advance, in order to announce my arrival to the vizier and Mr. Overweg, I made a short halt near one of the many pools of stagnant water; and we were just about to remount when my friend came galloping up. We were both extremely glad to see each other again, having been separated from one another longer than on any former occasion; and they had received in Kúkawa very alarming news about my reception in Bagírmi. Mr. Overweg had made, meanwhile, a very interesting trip into the south-western mountainous districts of Bórnu; he had returned from thence about two months previously; and I was surprised to find that, notwithstanding the long repose which he had enjoyed, he looked more weak and exhausted than I had ever seen him. But he informed me that since his return he had been very ailing, and that even at present he did not feel quite recovered. He gave me a very lively and encouraging description of the means which had been placed at my disposal; and with the most spirited projects for the future we entered the town. Here I once more found myself in my old quarters, with luxuries at my command which during the last six months had become almost strange to me,—such as coffee with sugar, and tea with milk and sugar.

It was very fortunate that I had not arrived half a day later; for the caravan as well as the courier had gone, and not less than four days had passed since the departure of the latter, so that the people declared that it was not possible to send my letters after him. But the vizier, upon whom I called early the next morning, and who received me with great kindness, gave me three horsemen, who, he said, would overtake the courier; and as I had fortunately answered my letters and despatches in Bagírmi, I had only to make up my parcel: but the horsemen did not overtake the courier till he had got forty miles beyond Ngégimi, in the very heart of the desert. My servants did not arrive until the evening of the following day; and they were in rather a sorry plight, having had great difficulty with my camel and luggage.

Monday, August 23rd.We had a very important private audience with the sheikh, when, after the usual compliments were passed, I endeavoured to give him a clear description of the present relations of the expedition; for, when he expressed his wish that I might be appointed by Her Majesty as a consul, I declared to him that that could not be, but that it was my business to explore unknown countries, to open intercourse with them, and afterwards to return to my native country; that it was the most ardent desire of Her Majesty’s government to enter into the most friendly relations with Bórnu, but that our scientific mission extended far beyond that country. And I further explained to him that Government, in their last despatches, had expressed their wish that if we should ascertain the impossibility of penetrating in a southerly or easterly direction, we might turn westward and endeavour to reach Timbúktu.

This statement seemed to gratify him extremely, as he was afraid of nothing more than that we might go to Wádáy, and enter into friendly relations with the sultan of that country. It is from this point of view that I am quite sure that the vizier at least had done nothing to ensure me a good reception in Bagírmi, if not the contrary. However, the sultan declared that, as he was greatly pleased at our desire to try our fortune in a westerly direction, he should not prevent us, even if we wanted to go to Wádáy, as it was stipulated expressly in the treaty that Her Britannic Majesty’s subjects might go wherever they pleased,—although it was not until a few days later that he actually signed the treaty, after numerous delays and evasions. I, however, expressed my wish that, before we left the country, circumstances might allow us to complete the survey and exploration of the Tsád, which was both our own wish and that of the British government. Our addresses and our presents having been received with equal affability, we took a hearty leave, and returned home. On the last day of August the sultan signed the treaty, expressing moreover the hope that, if merchants should actually visit the country in quest of other merchandise than slaves, the slave-trade might be gradually abolished.

I was now enabled to arrange all our money matters, which were in a very confused and desperate state; for, besides the large debt due to the merchant Mohammed e’ Sfáksi, we were indebted to the vizier alone for 500 Spanish dollars. Not being able to satisfy all our creditors with ready money, there having been sent only 1050 dollars in cash, I arranged with the merchant, giving him 200 dollars in cash, and a bill for 1500 dollars on Fezzán, while I paid all the smaller debts, as well as that of the vizier. Indeed we might now have been able to achieve a great deal, if it had been our destiny to remain together—for in the beginning almost all our efforts were paralyzed by the smallness of our means, which did not allow us to undertake anything on a large scale; but it was our destiny, that, when sufficient supplies had arrived, one of us should succumb.

I have already observed that, when on my return I met my companion before the gates of the capital, I was surprised at his exhausted appearance; and I was sorry to find that my first impression was confirmed by what I observed afterwards. As he himself was anxious for a little change of air, and as it was entirely in accordance with our object of exploring the lake, to observe the state of the komádugu at this season, while it was not possible at present to enter upon any great undertaking, we agreed that he should make a small trip to the lower part of the river; and he left accordingly for Ájiri on the 29th of August, in company with a small grandee or kókana, to whom the place belonged, a short distance westward from the district of Dúchi. I accompanied him about as far as the village of Dáwerghú; and we separated with a firm hope that the excursion would do him a great deal of good—and he really enjoyed extremely the rich vegetation of the komádugu, which at this time of the year, during the rising of the river, was in its full vigour. He learnt, by inquiry from the natives, the very interesting fact that the water in the komádugu, which during the dry season is limited to detached pools of stagnant water, begins to form a continuous stream of water eastward towards the Tsád on the 21st or 22nd July, and continues running for about seven months; that is to say, till about the middle of February. It begins to overflow its banks in the month of November. But, although my companion took great interest in the objects around him, he could not have felt very strong, as the notes which he wrote during this excursion are extremely short and unsatisfactory, while it would have been of importance if he had been able to lay down the course of the river with tolerable exactitude. Moreover, in his feeble condition, he committed the mistake of forcing his last day’s march in returning to Kúkawa, on the 13th September; and I was sorry to observe, when we supped together that evening, that his appetite greatly failed him.

Being fully aware of the unhealthiness of the climate during the month of September, we agreed by common consent to keep moving about as much as possible, and to take a ride every day to some distance. It was on this account that we arranged a visit to Dáwerghú on Sunday the 20th; but, unfortunately, some business which we had to transact prevented our setting out at an early hour in the morning, and, my friend’s head being that day rather affected, I proposed to him putting off our excursion till another day; but he thought that the fresh air might do him good. We therefore started in the heat of the day, although the sun was not very bright, while my companion did not neglect to protect his head as well as possible from the rays of the sun.

Having refreshed ourselves in the cool shade of a fine hájilíj, Mr. Overweg thought himself strong enough to go about shooting, and was so imprudent as to enter deep water in pursuit of some waterfowl, and to remain in his wet clothes all the day without saying a word; and I only became aware of this fact late in the evening, after we had returned to the town, when he dried his wet clothes at the fire.

Although he had been moving about the whole day, he was not able to enjoy our simple supper; but he did not complain. However, the next morning he felt so weak that he was unable to rise from his couch; and instead of taking a sudorific, which I most earnestly advised him to do, he was so obstinate as not to take any medicine at all, so that his illness increased with an alarming rapidity, and rather an alarming symptom appeared on the following day, when his speech became quite inarticulate and almost unintelligible. He then became aware himself of the dangerous state he was in. He informed me that in the town he should never recover, that it was absolutely necessary for him to get a change of air, and that he entertained the hope that, if I could take him to Máduwári, he might speedily regain his health in the house of our friend the kashélla Fúgo ʿAlí.

It was a difficult task to take my sick companion to the desired place, which is distant from Kúkawa more than eight miles; and though he began his journey on Thursday morning, he could not reach the desired place until the morning of Friday. Having made a present to our friend Fúgo ʿAlí, that he might be induced to take sufficient care of him, and having left the necessary orders, I returned to the town in order to finish my despatches; but the same evening one of the servants whom I had left with Mr. Overweg, came and informed me that he was much worse, and that they were unable to understand a single word he said. I mounted immediately, and found my friend in a most distressing condition, lying outside in the courtyard, as he had obstinately refused to sleep in the hut. He was bedewed with a cold perspiration, and had thrown off all his coverings. He did not recognize me, and would not allow me or any one else to cover him. Being seized with a terrible fit of delirium, and muttering unintelligible words, in which all the events of his life seemed to be confused, he jumped up repeatedly in a raging fit of madness, and rushed against the trees and into the fire, while four men were scarcely able to hold him.

At length, towards morning, he became more quiet, and remained tranquilly on his couch; and, not becoming aware that his strength was broken, and hoping that he might have passed the crisis, I thought I might return to the town. After asking him if he had any particular desire, he said that he had something to tell me; but it was impossible for me to understand him, and I can only fancy, from what happened, that, being aware that death was at hand, he wanted to recommend his family to me.

At an early hour on Sunday morning, Mr. Overweg’s chief servant came to me with the sad news that the state of my friend was very alarming, and that since I had left him he had not spoken a word, but was lying motionless. I mounted immediately on horseback; but before I reached the place, I was met by a brother of Fúgo ʿAlí, who, with tears in his eyes, told me that our friend was gone. With the dawn of day, while a few drops of rain were falling, after a short struggle, his soul had departed.

In the afternoon I laid him in his grave, which was dug in the shade of a fine hájilíj, and well protected from the beasts of prey. Thus died my sole friend and companion, in the thirtieth year of his age, and in the prime of his youth. It was not reserved for him to finish his travels, and to return home in safety; but he met a most honourable death, as a martyr to science; and it is a remarkable fact that he found himself a grave on the very borders of that lake by the navigation of which he has rendered his name celebrated for ever. It was certainly a presentiment of his approaching death which actuated him in his ardent desire to be removed to this place, where he died hard by the boat in which he had made his voyage. Many of the inhabitants of the place, who had known him well during his repeated visits to the village, bitterly lamented his death; and no doubt the “tabíb,” as he was called, will be long remembered by them.

Dejected, and full of sad reflections on my lonely situation, I returned into the town in the evening; but our dwelling, which during my stay in Bagírmi my companion had greatly improved, and embellished by white-washing it with a kind of gypsum, of which he found a layer in our courtyard, now appeared to me desolate and melancholy in the extreme. While, therefore, originally it had been my plan to make another trial along the eastern shores of the Tsád, any longer stay in this place had now become so intolerable to me, that I determined to set out as soon as possible on my journey towards the Niger—to new countries and new people.

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APPENDIX.

APPENDIX I.

ACCOUNT OF THE EASTERN PARTS OF KÁNEM, FROM NATIVE INFORMATION.

In attempting to give a description of those parts of Kánem which I have not visited myself, I must express my regret that, when in that country, I had no knowledge of the manuscript history of the expeditions of Edrís Alawóma into the same region, as, with the assistance of the rich supply of the important historical as well as geographical data contained in that work, I should have been enabled to give a far more interesting description of the country, and even perhaps to identify the sites of many of its former remarkable places.

The former capital of Kánem, as has been seen, was Njímí, or Njímiye, a place whose approximate situation will be pointed out hereafter; the present capital, if we may still employ this title in such a country as Kánem is at the present time, is Máwó[64], or rather Mʿawó, a place which already in the time of Edrís Alawóma was of great importance.

This town, which it was our ardent desire to visit, and which we most probably should have reached if the Welád Slimán had undertaken that expedition, on which we accompanied them, with the whole of their little troop, instead of allowing half of it to go to Kúkawa, seems to be situated about 20 miles S.S.E. from Hénderi Síggesi, and is at present only thinly inhabited, its population probably not exceeding 3000 or 4000, though the circuit of the town is said to be still of considerable magnitude. It is surrounded with a wall, and is adorned with a great many date-trees. It is the residence of a khalífa, whose power is of the most precarious and uncertain condition, as its existence depends entirely on the relative supremacy of either Wádáy or Bórnu. The consequence is, that there are generally two khalífas—one actually in power, and the other watching to expel him at the first opportunity, with the assistance of one of the patronising powers—Mohammed Sáleh, the father of the celebrated king of Wádáy ʿAbd el Kerím Sabún, having succeeded to the pretensions which the Bulála, the princes of the provinces of Fittrí and Kúka (then swallowed by the empire of Wádáy), possessed by conquest over the kingdom of Kánem.

But, to return to Mʿawó, there is a market held in the town every Wednesday; but, on account of the very insecure state of the country, it cannot possibly be now of any great importance. The inhabitants seem to belong to a peculiar race; for the Tedá Gurʿaán call them by the name of Beránema, the origin and meaning of which I was not able to make out with certainty, but which may seem to have some connection with the name Bórnu, although it can scarcely have any relation to the name Beráuni, given to the Tedá themselves by the Kél-owí and other foreigners.

Between Mʿawó and Hénderi Síggesi there appear to be several favoured valleys, where the date-tree grows in more or less abundance. The most famous are the large valley called Kárafu, or Kárfu, a few miles from Mʿawó, under the authority of Keghámma Gúrde, who succeeded to Keghámma Síntal; on the west side of Kárfu, at a short distance from it, Yégi; and not far from it the valley Badánga, stated to be very rich in date-trees, and Kédalá, belonging to the chief Chéfandé[65]; then the valleys Hamáji (belonging to Fúgo?), Gáltará, and Mápal.

The valley of Mápal is said to form the limit of the date-tree in that direction. On the west side of Mʿawó is likewise an inhabited place called Kajídi, but without date-trees.

The upper part of the valley Gésgi, which is said to stretch from south to north, is called Télerí-Chemó, and is the dwelling-place of the Shírí, to whom belong the Fugábú (or, as the name is often pronounced, Fógubó[66]) Shírí, who are the inveterate enemies of the Woghda, the inhabitants of Gésgi. In this neighbourhood is also a valley called Líllowa.

North from Mʿawó, at no great distance from Aláli, towards the east, is the place Kulákulá, inhabited likewise by Kánembú. How Beráda, a place stated to be also on the north side of Mʿawó, and to be inhabited by a tribe called Kemálla, who are under the authority of a keghámma, is situated in relation to these places, I am unable to say. In various valleys on the same side of Mʿawó are also stated to be the dwelling-places of the Médelé, a nomadic tribe who possess a great many herds and flocks. In this neighbourhood is also the valley called Gúmsa, inhabited by a Tebu tribe called Gúmsuwa, and who seem to be different from the Gúmsu mentioned further on.

E.N.E. from Mʿawó are the inhabited places Kámmegrí and Jugó, inhabited by a peculiar tribe called el Mʿallemín by the Arabs. What their indigenous name is I did not learn; they are most probably identical with the tribe called Haddáda, whose original name is Búngu.

The dwelling-places of the Shitáti are very numerous, and at a greater distance west from Mʿawó: several of them, indeed, we visited, such as Yégil, Aghó (formerly an important place, of great antiquity), Arnánko, Burkadrússo, Bóró. Besides these, the following are the most renowned places of their temporary residence: Bérindé, Línkero, Kínti, Hedérke, Din, Géringé, Tyíro, Kúlla, Laríska, two different places called Núnku, Kaú or Kó, Líshegó, Kélemrí, Delé, Tawáder, Géno, Lérgeji, Yíggela, Maina, Yíggu, Yakúlge, Bágalé[67], Búni, Chánga, Nduró, Lódoré, two places with the name Kiyála (with one of which we shall soon become acquainted as Gharni Kiyála), Bólleli, Kúttuwa, My, Kájiró, Áddufó, Yeró.

I now proceed southwards from Mʿawó towards the south-eastern border of Lake Tsád, the interior basin of which being tolerably well-established by Mr. Overweg’s navigation, its outline can be laid down according to these data with a great deal of approximative accuracy, though it is certainly much to be regretted that we did not succeed in reaching this district ourselves, and deciding the principal points by ocular demonstration.

I. Itinerary from Mʿawó to Tághghel, directly south.

1st day. Róyendú, a place inhabited by a peculiar tribe of Tedá or Tebu, called Vgýgim.

2nd. Belángara, a place inhabited by the Díbberi, who speak the Kanúri language[68], and are said to be the original tribe of the Fugábú. Arrive before the heat of the day.

3rd. Ghalá, a considerable village of huts inhabited by the Kúbberi, or Kobber, who speak the Kanúri language.

4th. Jékeré, a place at present inconsiderable, but once of large size, inhabited by the Kánku, (identical with the Kúnkuná?) a tribe or section of the Kánembú.

5th. Arrive, before the heat is great, at the well Lefádu, without inhabitants, make a short halt, and reach Mailo, a place with a lake full of fish, and inhabited by a peculiar tribe called Haddáda or Búngu, who are said to speak the Kanúri language, but go almost naked, being only clothed with a leather wrapper round their loins, and are armed with bows and arrows and the góliyó. They are very expert bowmen, and, when attacked, withdraw into the dense forests of their district (to which seems to apply the general name of Bárí), and know well how to defend their independence in politics as well as in religion—for they are pagans. To them belong the famous clan called, at least by the Welád Slimán, Dwárda Hájra. A celebrated town of the Haddáda is Dímári, the residence of Malá Díma. In Bárí there is a market held every Thursday, as it seems, in that part of it which is nearest to Mʿawó. In 1853 the Welád Slimán made a strict alliance with the Haddáda, and in consequence defeated, in their woody district, the officer of Wádáy, called Agíd el Bahr.

For the general outlines of this little-known region, the following itinerary from Kúsuri to Mʿawó, according to the Kánemma chief Ámsakay, is of great importance:—

1st day. Sleep in the wilderness.

2nd. Sleep near Káú Abúddala, a rocky eminence near the lake (see Denham, vol. i. p. 261.). Two routes, connecting this important spot with Abú-Gher and Mélé, will be given in another place.

3rd. Yámanúk Kaléma, a large, open, straggling village, apparently named from the warlike chief Ámanúk or Yámanúk, well known from Denham’s narrative.

4th. Bárí, a large place or district formerly under the authority of the sheikh of Bórnu, near the shore of the lake.

5th. Dímári, a considerable place belonging to Díma, called by Ámsakay a vice-governor of Kánem.

6th. Gúmsu, a place situated in a valley rich in date-trees, inhabited by Kánembú and Shúwa.

7th. Mandó, or Mondó, a large market-place, formerly under the khalífa of Bórnu.

8th. Mʿawó.

6th. Tághghel, a place situated on the border of the lagoon, and inhabited by the Kajídi, who cultivate a good deal of corn, and have large herds of camels. Arrive before the heat of the day. If agreeable, you can go on from Jékeré without stopping, and reach Tághghel the same day at sunset.

N.B.—The direction of all the wádiyán, or valleys, which you cross on this route, is from west to east.

II.—From Berí to Tághghel, going along the border of the lake.

 1st day. Kólogó.

 2nd. Késkawa, inhabited by the Kúbberi, with much cultivation of corn, principally “masr” (Zea Maïs), besides beans; much cattle. There was formerly also a village or district Késkawa on the southern shore of the lake, one day from Ngála.

 3rd. Kóskodó.

 4th. Talgín, a considerable open village. At no great distance from this place is a valley with date-trees. A man on foot can easily reach Talgín in two days from Berí, sleeping in Késkawa. From Talgín the direct road leads to Mʿawó in three days:—

1st. Mánigá, a place inhabited by Tebu and Kánembú, and situated, as it seems, on a creek of the lake.

2nd. A village inhabited by Tebu, under the authority of Kashélla Bacha, with a market of some importance, where a great many dates are sold.

3rd. Reach Mʿawó at sunset, after having passed the heat in an open valley-plain with date-trees.

 5th. Vuli, or Fúli. From here another route leads to Mʿawó.

 6th. Kúnunú.

 7th. Kánaná.

 8th. Forrom, a place on terra firma, not to be confounded with the island of the same name.

 9th. Ngíllewá.

10th. Medí.

11th. Tághghel.

I will here only just mention that Tághghel cannot be identical with Denham’s Tangalia, because the latter was situate about one day’s journey south (see Denham, vol. i. p. 265.[69]), or rather S.W. from the Bahr el Ghazál, and Tághghel lies a day and a half to the north of it.

III.—The Bahr el Ghazál, called “burrum” by the Kánembú, and “féde” by the Tebu Gurʿaán.

All the accounts which I received with regard to this much talked-of valley, which it had been our ardent desire to visit, agreed in the very remarkable statement, that its inclination was not from the desert towards the lake, but from the lake towards the desert. All my informants stated that it is now dry, but that less than a hundred years ago it formed the bed of a river or channel opening a communication by water between the Tsád and Búrgu. Indeed some people asserted that there was still living a very old man who, in his early youth, had made this journey by water. The spot where this very large wádí, now dry and densely clothed with trees, joins the Tsád, is near the south side of a place called ʿAlimarí, distant one day and a half from Tághghel, in a southerly direction. Start from Tághghel, sleep at Kirchímma, before noon arrive at ʿAlimarí. But at present this connection between the lake and the valley is said to be blocked up by sandhills near a spot called Súggera, or Mezrák, by the Arabs, which prevents the water of the lake, even in its highest state, from entering into the Burrum. However, more inward, another basin is here formed, which is occasionally called Hédebá.

From ʿAlimarí to Moító.

1st day. Kedáda, a large place, entirely inhabited by runaway slaves, who have asserted their liberty.

2nd. Kédigi, inhabited by La Sálʿa, or el Asʿale’ Arabs.

3rd. Moíto (see Appendix VIII.)

ʿAlimarí to Kárnak Lógone, two and a half days.

Though a few of my informants were of opinion that there was a branch-wádí uniting the Bahr el Ghazál with Lake Fittrí, nevertheless most of them stated uniformly that they have no connection whatever, but that several independent valleys intervene between them. This statement is borne out by many circumstances.

The direction of the Burrum, for a considerable part of its course, is given by the route from Mʿawó to Yʿawó, the capital of the province Fittrí (according to my informants, due east).

1st day (short). Kálkalá, different from the place Kulákulá mentioned above.

2nd. Gújer. Pass here the heat; start again in the afternoon; sleep on the road. This whole district appears to have the general appellation of Sagóre, which I think cannot be different from Yagóre, the name of the country in which Mondó is situated.

3rd. Toróro, a well in the Burrum; before the kaila. A man on horseback is said to go in one day from Mʿawó to the wádí. Pass here the heat; start again at dhohor, and encamp at sunset, still in the wádí.

4th. Encamp at the beginning of the heat, still in the same wádí.

5th. In another (?) wádí.

6th. Shégeráye, a well with much water (and, according to other informants, in the Burrum).

7th. Hájiját.

8th. Encamp between the rocks in Wádí Fáli.

9th. Fittrí.

Itinerary from Yʿawó to Mʿawó, according to the Bulála Ibrahím.

1st day. Fáli, a rocky valley belonging to Bagírmi.

2nd. Aúni, a hamlet inhabited by Bagírmi people.

3rd. Búkko.

4th. Shégeráye, a valley inhabited by Tebu Gurʿaán.

5th. Bahr el Ghazál.

6th. Kedáda, a place inhabited by Týnjur. It is a question of some importance whether this Kedáda be identical with the Kedáda mentioned above.

7th. Mondó, a considerable place in the district Yagóre, and therefore sometimes called Mondó Yagóre, inhabited by Týnjur (about this curious race of people I shall have occasion to say more in another place), Wádáy people, and Arabs. In the same district of Yagóre lies also the place Bugárma, governed by the chief Kedl Adúmmo. Mondó is mentioned by Denham repeatedly under the form Mendoo or Kanem Mendoo, and was computed by him to be distant about ten hours’ ride from his station in the camp of the Dúggana.[70] Mondó is the residence of a governor formerly under the authority of Bórnu, but at present (at least in 1851) under that of Wádáy. The present governor is Fúgobo Bakr, or Ábakr (properly Ábú Bakr); and very often the agíd el bahr resides here.

8th. Yagúbberi (the name, probably, connected with that of the Kánembú tribe Kúbberi), inhabited by Týnjur.

9th. Mʿawó.

Here may be conveniently mentioned the stations along the celebrated Burrum, as given to us by the Welád Slimán, which, checked by the itineraries mentioned above, will give an approximate outline of the windings of the valley, as laid down in the map.

Beginning at ʿAlímarí, always keeping along the Burrum, the usual stations are the following:—

Gerén, Hebál, Shégeráye, Fajája, Múnarak, Shéddera, Toróri, Haradíbe, Gélemní, Hagéji, Tylb-bahr (Túl el bahr?), Chúwaru, Egé.

The situation of Egé is decided by an itinerary from Ngégimi to that place, which shall be given further on. But first I must mention one difficulty, which leaves a little uncertainty in the configuration of this part of the country. This difficulty regards the place Shégeráye, which in this piece of information is mentioned as a spot and well in the Burrum itself; while in the itineraries (p. 493.) it is indicated rather as a different valley; but it does not seem so difficult to account for this difference, the large valley apparently dividing repeatedly into several branches.

About the identity of Toróri there cannot be the least doubt, as the road from Mʿawó to this place leads by Kálkalá and Gújer.

Short Itinerary from Ngégimi to Egé.

Mayiját, bír Nefása, bír Sherífa, bír el Hósha, el Hamír, bír Hadúj, bír el ʿAtesh, bír ben Mússebí, bír Sali, Kéderi, Díra or Díri, Bírfo (I am not sure whether originally bír Fó), Egé.

Another Itinerary from Bír el Kurna to Egé, touching at Bír el ʿAtesh and Mússebí.

1st day. A long march; at sunset arrive at bír el ʿAtesh, north.

2nd. At dhohor encamp in the wilderness.

3rd. After four hours’ march arrive at bír ben Mússebí.

4th. About ʿaser (about half-past four o’clock, P.M.) encamp in the wilderness.

5th. After four or five hours’ march, arrive at bír el Borfó, which is already beyond the boundaries of Kánem. It is evident that this well is not identical with Bírfo.

6th. Encamp in a place with plenty of hád, but only few trees.

7th. At sunset arrive in Egé.

Egé is a very celebrated locality (one prominent spot of which is called Kukúrde) with the nomadic inhabitants of these regions, and is temporarily frequented by a variety of tribes, who visit it in order to water their camels from the famous wells (which are believed to promote the growth of the camel), and to collect the fruit of the siwák, or Capparis, which grows in very great abundance in this part of the valley, while higher up it seems to be more scanty. The strongest among these tribes in former times were the Bultu or Biltu, who will be mentioned presently in the list of the Tebu tribes, and had formerly the supremacy over the Nakássa, the Halál el debús (an Arab nickname, the proper name of the tribe not being known to me), both of whom frequent likewise Egé, and the Khiyát e’ ríh (another nickname). Besides the tribes above-mentioned, Egé is generally frequented by the Músu, the Sakérda, by that section of the Fugábú which is under the supremacy of Kédl Lawáti, and occasionally by the Welád Slimán. But Egé, of course, on account of its being resorted to by many tribes as a fine place for their herds of camels, is also a marked point for predatory expeditions.

From Egé the Burrum or Bahr el Ghazál seems to turn to the N.W., or at least to the N.N.W., going to Tangúr, a famous place two days from Egé. Tangúr (where the country seems to form a large basin) is generally regarded as the end of the Burrum; and a hypsometrical observation made here would immediately decide the question about the inclination of the Burrum, and show whether the very remarkable statement of the natives be correct or not. Some people contend that the wádí extends still further into Búrku, or Búrgu. North from Tangúr, a day or two’s march, is the famous place Báteli, not less celebrated than Egé for its fine breed of camels, generally of a dark-brown or a rather blackish colour, of which I myself had occasionally a specimen in my train, and Degírshim.

After having given this piece of information with regard to the south-east part of Kánem and the Burrum, I now proceed to give some itineraries from the quarters of which information has been obtained in this way, to the country of Búrku or Búrgu, about which Captain Lyons has given so many interesting details. I will only add that Dr. Overweg took down, from the mouth of a well-informed native, a very exact itinerary of the route from Múrzuk to this country, which, together with the other data and the information collected by Mr. Fresnel, goes far to establish its position with great approximative precision.

From Egé to Yen or Beled el ʿOmiyán, the chief place in Búrku. N.N.E.

1st day. Taró or Tró, a valley with bitter water.

2nd. Karó; before the heat of the day.

3rd. Aúdánga, a well, with plenty of excellent brushwood.

4th. Tungúrki, before the heat of the day.

5th. Yaiyó el kebír, a well, with dúm-palms, and near to it Yaiyó elsghír. Yaiyó is nine days from Só, on the Búlma road, reaching Gíri in two days, Árraka in two more days, and from hence Só in five days.

8th. Yen, having entered the limits of Búrku on the 6th day, when you first come to the source called ʿAín Telékka. The neighbourhood of Yen is rich in herbage and palm-trees. The village in general consists of houses or cottages built of stone; but the number of the inhabitants fluctuates. Galákka is another of the principal places in Búrku. There are several chiefs of authority in the place, the most influential of whom seems to be Lénga or, with his title, Táwa Lénga. There is, besides Yówórde, another chief called Kálemé, and a third one called Bíddu, belonging to the tribe or family of the Bídduwa. As for the Kédl-Agré, the chief of the Búltu, he also occasionally resides here. In Téki, a locality fertilized by a large spring, another chief resides, belonging to the Tiyówa, and called Gehénni.

Yen is eleven days from ʿArádha, the seat of the Máhamíd, the position of which may be determined with great precision by the distance from Wára (see Appendix, No. VI.):—1st day, Wen; 3rd, Chirógia; 7th, Oshim; 11th, ʿArádha.

I will now say a word about the tribes and families of the Tebu and their present settlements, referring to my account of the history of the Bórnu kingdom (Vol. II. p. 275.), and to my journey homeward in 1855 for further particulars.

The Tebu, Tubu, or rather Tedá, I think myself still justified in considering, as I have stated on a former occasion[71], as nearly related to the Kanúri; and the historical relations between the two nations, which I have had occasion to elucidate above, serve to corroborate my opinion. The Arabs, especially the Welád Slimán, generally add to the name Tebu the word “Grʿaán” or “Gurʿaán,” which I think myself justified in referring to the district Goran, so often referred to by Leo Africanus, while Marmol writes it Gorhan. The Tebu themselves I never heard use the name, and forgot to ask the meaning of the word. I will here only add, that in their own language they call the Kanúri by the name of Túgubá, while they give to the Imóshagh, or Tawárek, the name of Yéburdé. I shall first mention those Tebu tribes who live in and near Kánem, and have already been mentioned occasionally, then proceed northwards, and from thence to the south-east.

The principal tribes settled in Kánem are the Woghda, the Dogórda, the Gádeá, the Yewórma[72], and the Fídda; in Lúmna, on the komádugu Wáúbe, the Éderé or Édurí; north of the komádugu, as far as Beduwáram, the Búlgudá, called by the Arabs and Bórnu people Dáza; near Beduwáram the Wándala, a tribe already mentioned by Captain Lyon, as well as by Major Denham[73]; near them the Aússa; about the well of Ághadem the Bolodúwa, called (by the Kanúri) ám Wadébe; along the Burrum, called “féde” by the Tebu, the Kárda, called generally Kréda, separated into several families, the principal of which are the Gelímma, the Grasón (this I think rather the name of a chief, all the names of tribes ending with a vowel), and Bukóshelé; the Shindakóra, with the chief Ábú Nakúr; the Sakerda, with Bakáikoré; the Médemá and the Nóreá, generally called Nwórmá[74]; in Egé and Báteli, the Músu, with their chief Wúdda; in Tongúr, the Nakássa, a section of whom are the Un, with the chief Máina; in Bilma, or Bulma (which probably is the right form), and the wádí Kawár, or rather “hénderi Tedá,” as it is called by the natives, the tribe of the Gésera or Gésedi.

In Tibésti (a general name which once seems to have had a wider range than it has at present) and Báteli:—the Temághera[75], as they are generally called, a very interesting tribe, of ancient historical importance (which I have already mentioned on a former occasion as probably having given the name to the province of Demágherim, and which in the time of Edrís Alawóma was settled in Ngurúti [written Ghugúti] in Kánem), with the chief Gurdé, who has succeeded to Tehárke; the Gonda or Gunda, whose old chief Taher Asar died some time ago (the same who wanted to write a letter to King George, in Denham’s time) in Bordé (the Berdai of Capt. Lyon), one of the principal localities in Tibésti, and in other places; the Árindá in Dírkemáwu, another locality of Tibésti, with the chief Kénemé. North from Tibésti, in the valley Tʿawó, the Abó, a name which has often, by Lyon and even by M. Overweg in the itinerary just mentioned, been mistaken for that of a place.

These latter tribes together, I think, form the group generally called Tebu Resháde, but with the indigenous appellation “Tedetú.”

In Ójánga or Wajánga[76], eastward from Tibésti, and north-eastward from Búrku in the direction of Kúffara, with Kebábo, which latter place, by the people of Búrgu, is called Tesser:—the tribe of the Wónya with the chief Onókke; the Matátena or Gúrin, to the south of them, in fertile valleys producing even figs.

In Búrku:—the Búltu, called by the Arabs by the nickname of Nejʿa el Keléb, with their powerful chief the kedl-Agré, and residing part of the year in Yen, but after the dates have been gathered, generally settled in the district called Keré Búrku, and at other seasons in Egé; under the authority of the kedl-Agré are also the Kírdidá in Kírdi[77], the Guruwá in Gur, and the Elbuwéda in Elbuwé; the Yenowá, with their chief Alánga, or rather Lénga, in Yen; the Dóza, with their chief Kálema in Búdda, a valley east of Yen; the Yerda in a locality of the same name about half a day’s march east from Yen, with the chief Yíle; the Téyewá in Téke, a favoured spot or valley at present under the authority of Gehénni, their former chief, Saháyi, the father of a numerous family, having died; in the large valley ʿArádha, on the borders of Wádáy, the Mohéde, formerly under ʿOthmán Beléde, who died some time ago, and, further on, the Zogháwa, a very numerous and powerful tribe.