Travels in Kordofan

CHAPTER XI.
TRIBES BORDERING ON KORDOFAN, SHILLUK, NUBA, TAKALE, ETC.

In many books of travels and geography the Shilluks are described as cannibals, but this report is erroneous, and all intelligence which I have been able to collect from the Djelabi on this point agrees in proving this assertion to be utterly false, for they have never even heard the slightest rumour corroborative of this absurd report. On my flight from Kordofan, I heard on my arrival at Tara, on the White River, that an European was residing at the chief town of the Shilluk, with a strong escort, to catch eight hippopotami for Mehemed Ali, and to prepare their skins, to stuff them, in fact, as specimens for a museum. I immediately set out on my journey from Tara, and after a long march of two tedious days on a camel, reached the scene of action, where I certainly found the hippopotamus hunters; but the European, whose name was Bartolo, had left a few days before my arrival, for Khartoom, on the eastern shore. During my sojourn among the Shilluks, I assisted at a hippopotamus hunt; five had been already killed, but they were so carelessly dissected, that I felt sure they would not keep for any length of time; in fact, they very soon spoiled, and are now lying quite useless at Cairo. On this occasion, I had an opportunity of becoming more intimately acquainted with the Shilluks, as far in fact as my residence among them would permit it. I found that they are in their own country, quite as idle as they are in captivity abroad; they may be seen loitering about, but never by any chance at work. During the hot season they do not sleep in their huts, but in the open air, old and young congregating together like a herd of cattle. The Shilluks walk about in a state of complete nudity, and only when they are married cover their loins with a strip of cotton-stuff. The majority of them wear merely a piece of calico of the size of a hand to cover their nakedness. Their women are very ill-used. The cause of this ill-treatment is, generally, superstition: thus, if the husband whilst hunting miss his aim with his spear, or tread a thorn into his foot, his wife must bear the blame; he accuses her of having at the moment of his disaster, been unfaithful, and there is no help for her, she must undergo chastisement. If the adultery be proved, and a complaint be made to the Sheikh, she receives three strokes on the head with a crooked stick, one in the centre and one at either side of the head, such unmerciful blows indeed, that the blood instantly gushes forth. These punishments are of very frequent occurrence, for adultery is not uncommon among the Shilluks.[44]

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The products they obtain from the ground may be regarded as a mere nothing. They cultivate as much dokn as they believe sufficient to last from one harvest to the next. On the possibility of a failure of the harvest, they never bestow a thought, nor do they pay any consideration to other contingencies, by laying in stores. Their cattle is said to be numerous in some few places, but is reared without the slightest care or attendance. They have no salt in their own country, and are obliged, therefore, to obtain it from Sennaar or Kordofan; but the greater portion of the inhabitants have never tasted this condiment. All other necessaries, which they might produce with little trouble themselves, they obtain by barter from their neighbours, giving articles in exchange which nature brings forth without the assistance of art. This tribe is, taken all in all, the very ne plus ultra of idleness and stupidity, and they differ but immaterially from animals. They are consequently not as dangerous to travellers as other tribes, who are always on the alert for prey, and but few robbers by profession live among their hills; the other Shilluks, moreover, always warn the Djelabi travelling through their country not to approach the infested neighbourhoods. Their chief wealth consists in ivory, which they likewise obtain in certain parts of their dominions without the slightest trouble. They arrange the teeth in rows, forming a fence round their huts, and barter them away to the Djelabi when they come into their parts. There are many elephants in the country wandering about in herds of several hundreds each; they are, however, met with singly, during the greater portion of the year. It is only at a certain period—generally before the rain sets in—that they collect together in herds, and then they cross the White Nile in the direction of Fazoglo. An old female elephant is always the leader, and determines on the spot for crossing the stream. This movement is effected with a fearful noise, as may be easily imagined when so large a number of these moving mountains are known to be swimming in the river at the same time. They draw up a quantity of water in their proboscis, and spurt it forth again like a fountain, thus appearing to convert a large extent of the water in which they carry on their pranks into a sort of whirlpool. Notwithstanding their immense weight they swim with incredible facility, and I have been assured that when these animals cross the river singly, the water remains frequently undisturbed, so that the unwieldy mass appears to be moved by some invisible power. Whilst on their journey, the emigrants observe the strictest order; their leader, a female, turns frequently round and raises a cry if an elephant stray, to recall him to the ranks again. A herd frequently takes its route directly through a village, without doing the slightest injury to the huts, or to the inhabitants; singly they never do any harm. Several of these elephants always remain behind their companions; for they feel a presentiment of their approaching end, and then choose a solitary valley in the neighbourhood of the river, where they patiently await their death, which generally takes place before the large herds return from their migrations. No one ever disturbs them, for death generally overtakes them in a short time, and then they fall a certain prey to the negroes. Hunting expeditions are, indeed, occasionally instituted against these animals, but only whilst they are to be met with singly, and dispersed over the country; for when they have collected together in herd it would be attended with great danger to attack them. Ivory is the only commodity of trade in these regions.

Beside ivory, a small quantity of gold-dust is to be met with, among some few of the Shilluks, and yet more among the Jenky; they fetch it from the mountains of the Blue River, but these simple people do not know its real value, and trouble themselves very little about looking after it. The Djelabi transact the most business with them. The present Sultan of the Shilluks is named Denap; his wealth consists in elephants’ tusks. I was told by several Djelabi that there existed an animal in the country of the Shilluks, totally unknown in Kordofan and Sennaar. The natives call it denk; it is said to be rather larger than a rat, of an ash-grey colour, and to resemble a monkey in shape; the fore and hind paws, they say, are like the hands and feet of man; the tail is very short. This animal feeds on gum, climbs the trees, but cannot jump from branch to branch like the monkey. There are no camels in the country, on account of that destructive fly called here Yohara.

At a distance of about twenty or thirty hours’ march southward and to the south-east of Lobeid, the free negroes live, who are in part tributary to Kordofan; the tribute, however, is always levied by force from these tribes. They resemble each other perfectly in stature and features, but converse in different languages—thus, in one day’s march, many different dialects and languages may be heard spoken: it would appear, however, that the language of the Takale, Kodero, and Schabun are of the same root. The largest tribe with which I am acquainted calls itself Nuba, and occupies a large extent of the mountainous tract. The Nuba are republicans, and recognise no superior authority beyond their particular sheikh, who, however, plays a passive part only, for his jurisdiction does not extend beyond the confines of one village. Even one of these chiefs, if obnoxious to the greater number, is immediately deprived of his dignity, and superseded by another sheikh, elected by a majority of votes. It is for this same reason, that a magistrate of this description dare not enforce his decisions: thus the opinion of the multitude prevails. It has frequently happened that a sheikh, who had acquired authority among this tribe by his personal advantages, or by his wealth, has at last had the intention of usurping the authority of sultan or monarch of all the Nuba; but this attempt has never yet succeeded, for the unfortunate usurper was immediately put to death as soon as the Nuba negroes had the slightest suspicion of this project. Their sheikhs, therefore, are mere ciphers, only to be tolerated as long as they do not interfere with the freedom and privileges of the subject.

All the negro tribes inhabiting the country, extending to about the tenth degree of latitude, are easily to be distinguished from each other, some by their ear-rings and nose-rings, some again by the loss of the lower incisor teeth, others by a hole in the under lip, into which they insert the tooth of some animal, which adheres in the aperture; others, again, are tattooed about the face. These negroes have all perfectly woolly hair, which covers the head but sparingly; thick everted lips, and small compressed noses. Many of them are less black than the negroes inhabiting the southern regions, have not the high projecting cheek-bones, and are, on an average, a well-made race of men. The girls have fine breasts, convex from below upwards, and superiorly rather concave.

These Nuba reside in villages, which they build chiefly in the most inaccessible parts of the mountains, and put in the best possible state of defence. Their dwellings are made of straw, hedged in with thorns, and some of the houses are built of stone. I must, however, observe, that those tribes which are under monarchic government live more peaceably than the republicans, who frequently go to war for trifles, when the stronger tribes make prisoners of the weaker, and sell them as slaves.

The climate of these districts is far more healthy than that of Kordofan. The dress of the natives is very simple. Only the grown-up people wear a piece of cotton stuff; the majority wear only a strip about as broad as the hand, passing a cord round their hips, with which they fasten it to the abdomen and back. In addition to this simple hip-cloth, they decorate themselves with ear-rings of brass or iron wire, and the women wear necklaces of Bohemian and Venetian glass beads. Some of the men wear a ribbon, about an ell in length, round their loins.[45] This ornament costs immense patience and no less trouble in its manufacture: it consists of a number of small buttons of about the size of a shirt-button, made of the shell of the ostrich’s egg, with a perforation in the centre, through which a string is passed, connecting them together. I took the trouble of counting the single buttons of one of these ribbons in my possession, and found a total number of six thousand eight hundred and sixty. Above and below they are frequently ornamented with small iron pins and glass beads. If we consider that these men possess no sharp cutting instruments to facilitate their labour, we may readily understand that great patience is required in the manufacture of one of these girdles. On some of the hills of the Nuba mountains the women dye their hair of a red colour, by reducing a species of red sandstone to a fine powder, which they mix with butter, and thus form a pomatum, with which they anoint their curls; it generally remains for a few days adherent to the hair, and gives them no very pleasing appearance. Incisions are made into the cheeks, arms, breasts, and bodies of the girls, by way of ornament. The household furniture of the Nuba negroes is very mean; it consists merely of a few pots, for water, for merissa and for cooking; and of a few drinking cups, made of gourds: the latter filled with water, serve the women in lieu of mirrors, which the girls frequently resort to during the day.

The arms of the men, which they always carry about them, and scarcely ever lay aside, are a shield, spears with iron or wooden points, the latter always poisoned; a small double-edged knife; and a kind of scythe, consisting of a cutting blade, which is at first straight, but then cordiform in its curve, and about two feet in length. This weapon they denominate a Turbatsch, and use it in battle for warding off sabre-cuts, and throw it also at the feet of the enemy in an attack.

Their favourite occupation is tobacco smoking: they are, indeed, never to be met during the whole day without a pipe in their mouths. The young girls seldom smoke, but the old women never put their pipes aside for one moment; and when several of them squat down together, and form, as in other places, a clique for scandal, you might imagine yourself to be in a chimney. The bowls of the tobacco-pipes of these Nuba negroes are made of clay or wood, and they give them a very pleasing appearance. The pipe is manufactured of wood, and is of about the thickness of a finger—into this they insert a thin iron tube, three inches in length, which serves the purpose of a mouth-piece. They grow their own tobacco—it resembles that of Kordofan, has a small leaf, and thick stalk. It is very probable that the negroes have smoked from time immemorial, and that tobacco, therefore, does not come originally from America alone.

The food of the Nuba negroes is far better than that of the natives of Kordofan, for on many of the hills there is an abundance of oxen, goats, sheep, pigs, fowls, butter, and honey. Amongst their favourite dishes rats must be classed, which are considered a great delicacy on several of the hills. The species eaten is the field rat, and has not the same disgusting appearance as that of Europe. It is roasted here on a spit in its skin, and is subsequently flayed. Besides the above-mentioned animals, game, which is met with in abundance on their hills, serves as an article of food, and they are very expert in catching young giraffes, ostriches, hares, and various kinds of antelopes, in snares, for their own consumption. Bread forms one of their chief wants, they, therefore, pay great attention to agriculture. It frequently happens that a drought destroys the harvest, or that it is eaten up by the locusts, so common in these regions, or, what is more likely still, that it falls a prey to the predatory Turks, when a great dearth of bread, which is of the most frightful consequence, is generally the result; instances are then known of parents selling their children for a few handfulls of dockn. I myself saw a girl whom a Djelabi had bought for fifty handfulls of grain. A brother will, on these occasions, sell his sister to obtain a little flour, and thus to supply himself and his people with bread for a few days. One Djelabi received eight oxen for a camel-load of dockn, consisting of about three cantars; and another merchant bought eight children at the same price. In these calamitous times, the price of a man, therefore, is equal to that of a beast. It is very astonishing that a famine should ever exist with the abundance of animal food they possess; but it is nevertheless certain that, during scarcity of corn, these negroes will despise every other food, and rather suffer every species of misery. Whenever this famine exists, the consequences are always very fearful; for the Nuba negroes then sally forth in quest of prey into the neighbouring villages, where they plunder and steal everything they can lay their hands upon. These depredations give rise to many quarrels, which always lead to a war, and the conflict lasts until the weaker party is overcome, when they are all sold by the conquerors as slaves.

The chief exports of the Nuba consist in gum, ostrich feathers, tamarinds, honey, and slaves, with all of which they carry on a trade by barter. No one troubles himself about the gum since Mehemed Ali has monopolized the trade, for the freight to Kordofan would cost double the amount which he pays for it; hence thousands of cantari of gum, which might afford a maintenance to as many hundreds of families, are annually allowed to rot. The Nuba negroes do not know the value of money, and always accept such goods as they reckon among their wants for their commodities. The Djelabi generally import cottons, brass, and iron wire, glass beads, counters, &c., and exchange them for the articles above specified. The barter among themselves consists in tobacco, salt, and small shells. In the neighbourhood of Schabun the negroes collect gold, which they find in the mountain torrents, and keep in the quills of large birds of prey; but they attach no great importance to this metal, for they do not know its value. The Dongolavi only, who have immigrated into these regions, since time immemorial, for the purpose of trading, and have become residents there, draw considerable profit from that source. This gold is met with in commerce in Kordofan in quills; it is frequently preferred to ready money, and is also cast into rings. It would appear that the negroes at Shabun possess no fireproof crucibles to melt the metal, as is the case with the other negroes and Galla tribes. The Dongolavis have in several places intermarried with negro girls, whence a mixed language, as I am told, has originated: they, however, preserve the characteristics of the father, and a Dongolavi, although born of a negro mother, may be immediately recognized.

The Nuba negroes are for the most part heathens, and only very few of them profess the Mahommedan faith. Their ideas of religion, in general, are very limited, and they observe scarcely any ceremonies of worship. They believe, indeed, in a superior being, but it ranks below the moon, and hence it comes that the end of the lunar month is especially kept holy. Many of them again imagine that the sun, which produces the rain, is the superior being, because nothing can grow without rain. They can accurately determine the period when the rainy season will begin, and count from the commencement of each month. They are not idolators, but are by no means free from superstition, for before entering upon any undertaking or business, they wait for certain omina, according to which they regulate their actions. If, for example, an owl perch upon a house in the night and utter its melancholy note, they consider it a certain sign that one of the inhabitants will shortly die. A raven makes a still stronger impression upon these simple beings; should it, as of course frequently occurs, happen to fly into a village and settle on a tree or house, the whole place is then in consternation, all cheerfulness disappears, song and music cease to be heard, and even dancing is put a stop to on this woful day, for the arrival of a raven is a sure sign to them, that the Turks are coming to plunder them, or even to carry them off as slaves. They believe firmly in ghosts. On some of the hills they celebrate the anniversary of their dead, and indeed, at a certain time, annually. A large fire is on this occasion kindled in an open space, in the evening, whence every man takes a burning branch in his hand as a torch, and thus the procession moves first to the place of burial, and then to those houses in which some person had died during the preceding year. A song is now commenced in honour of the dead, at the conclusion of which, they toss their burning branches into the air, much after the same fashion in which midsummer is celebrated in certain countries of Europe.[46] A festival is kept when the first rain falls, and again at the termination of the harvest. To celebrate the latter feast, everything the house affords which could enliven the festive scene is contributed, and merissa, of course, flows in abundance. Their favourite amusements are singing and dancing, every one who is in any way capable of exercise, dances, both men and women, and frequently even the aged and infirm, join in; no day in fact passes, on which the whole population of the village do not collect in an open space after sunset and pass their time in dancing. The accompaniment consists in singing, in beating time with their hands to the sounds of a drum, and the tones of a fife are frequently also added. The young girls more especially may be heard singing all day long, for they never perform any office be it ever so trivial, without the accompaniment of the voice. As soon as the sun disappears behind the hills, large fires are lighted in all the villages, and dancing begins; whilst songs are re-echoed from hill to hill, producing the effect of a kind of vocal response or salutation.

These Nuba are of a more amiable disposition than might be expected of a people in a state of semi-barbarity, and if they be only convinced that a traveller has no intention of doing them harm, he may make sure of the most hospitable reception, notwithstanding the ill-treatment and oppression they occasionally suffer from the neighbouring Turks, which has imbued them with an almost incontrovertible hatred towards all white men. The slave merchants greatly contribute to keep up this aversion by assuring the negroes, that all the captives who fall into the hands of the white men are fattened in their country for slaughter. When the Djelabi have reached Kordofan and set out on their journey to Cairo, they make the poor slaves understand that those white men who, like the Arabs and Turks, profess the true faith, do not eat the flesh of the negroes; but that the Giaours, or unbelievers, by which denomination they distinguish the Franks, follow that barbarous custom. This will account for the circumstance of slaves so frequently beginning to cry when purchased by a Frank at Cairo, they are, in fact, seized with the fear of being led to the shambles. A Nuba negro, who spoke Arabic well, said to me once very coolly: “We black men are far better than you white men, for when our children come into your country you slaughter them; we could do the same with you, but we are charitable and do not act thus, therefore we are better than you.” With kindness every thing may be obtained from these children of nature, whilst harshness and severity produce the opposite effect; for as soon as they perceive that force is about to be employed, they become passionate and malicious and obstinate to a degree, for they are children of freedom, and will rather forfeit their lives than tolerate coercion. In requiring a service of them it is necessary to make considerate representations to them, and to use the utmost caution to keep them in a good humour, for in the contrary case evil consequences are alone to be expected; they will, indeed, rather suffer death than allow themselves to be forced by ill-treatment to the performance of even the most trivial office.

Polygamy is not a general custom, each man takes to himself only one or two women; the sheikhs alone have several wives. When a man is about to lead a girl away as his wife, he treats first with the father concerning the price at which he will deliver her up. The amount of course varies much, and depends on the youth, beauty, and other advantageous qualifications of the chosen bride. The dowry consists generally in a certain number of cows, goats, or sheep, which become the personal property of the newly-married woman. As soon as the agreement and business transactions are settled, the bridegroom proceeds, accompanied by all the young men in the village, to the hut of his selected wife, who is delivered by the mother and nearest relations, with some simple ceremonies, to the bridegroom; and he now leads her with song, drums, and fifes, into his own hut, where a feast is prepared for all his guests. In conclusion there is a ball at which all assist, and thus the marriage festivities terminate. In their family circles these negroes live very peaceably, and if a case ever occur that a husband for any reason separate from his wife, she goes back to her parents, keeps her marriage portion, and takes every thing she has received from her husband away with her.

Their agricultural pursuits are very profitable to them, and require very little labour, as the soil is uncommonly fertile; hence their occupations in the fields during the time of sowing and of the harvest are terminated in an incredibly short space of time, and they have nothing to do but to rake up the weeds with the hasseiaseh, in the intermediate space between the two former seasons. After the first fall of rain they hasten to the fields and plant the dockn; this is done in the same manner as in Kordofan, and will be explained hereafter in the twelfth chapter. Tobacco is largely cultivated, for they are inordinately addicted to smoking. When the plant has arrived at its full growth the leaves are gathered and dried, and after having been subjected to a process of damping, are formed into the shape of a cake. When the negroes are about to smoke they break off a piece of the size required, rub it to powder between their hands, and fill their pipes. Their tobacco is very potent, so that an European is, in fact, obliged to soak it in water for twenty-four hours before he can use it to render it more mild; and even then he will find it too acrid, and it almost amounts to an impossibility to smoke two of their short pipes successively. They barter away this product. The whole of their husbandry is comprised in the cultivation of these two articles, and in the interval between the sowing season and the harvest their occupation consists merely in rearing cattle, in hunting, and throwing spears.

The business attended with the greatest trouble to them is the collection of honey, for though they are in a state of nudity and totally uncovered, they use no means of defence against the sting of the angry bees. In taking a hive, therefore, they must endeavour to drive the bees away as far as this is practicable with branches of trees, before they can get at their produce; but notwithstanding these and other precautionary measures, the little animals, infuriated at the invasion of their peaceful dwellings, generally beset the uninvited guest in swarms, and vent the whole force of their anger on him; the intruder has no alternative but to throw himself on the ground and writhe in the sand, but the effects of the punishment inflicted are always severely felt for several hours afterwards.

The military exercise of the Nubas consists chiefly in throwing spears, and covering the body with the shield in defence. For this practice they make use of the stalks of the dockn, which they throw at each other with much accuracy, seldom or never missing their aim; but they are, on the other hand, so well versed in the use of their shields that they generally ward off the missile and receive the blow on it, or rolling themselves almost into the form of a ball, cover the whole body with their shields. Their attacks are always attended with a frightful noise, augmented by the shrieks of the women in the back ground, and follow with such rapidity that the party attacked has but little time for consideration, or for placing himself on his guard. If the first shock, however, be well sustained, and a bold front be offered, they retreat as rapidly as they advanced, and do not so soon again venture on a second charge, but confine themselves to skirmishing. Their battles amongst each other are always terrific, nor do they terminate until the one or other party is brought to subjection, whereupon the prisoners are all sold as slaves. But these Nuba negroes have, in addition to their own tribes, two classes of far more dreaded enemies, namely, the Turks and the Bakkara; the former take them away by force as slaves, and the latter by stratagem; they are, therefore, continually prepared for an attack, and keep up their watchfires all night long, to avoid being thrown into confusion during darkness.

Their fires even are frequently a source of annoyance and trouble to them, for as they possess no means of generating this element, they must be very careful never to allow it to go out. In cases of this disastrous occurrence, or when engaged in hunting, or in other occupations, at a great distance from their villages, they resort to the following primitive method for striking a light. They take two dry pieces of wood, in the one of which they cut a hole with a knife, or sharp-pointed stone, barely large enough to admit the other; they then lay the former on the ground, holding it firmly in that position with their feet, fit the second piece into the perforation, and rub the two together with extraordinary rapidity, throwing a few grains of sand occasionally into the hole to augment the friction. This is a labour demanding great exertion, and two persons are always necessary for its performance. A handfull of dry grass, or an old piece of cotton rag, is placed beneath the wood to catch the sparks, and glows as soon as the wood is converted into coal. Dried grass and sticks are now added, when the combustible materials are fanned into a living flame. In Kordofan the same custom prevails. If all the fires be extinguished in a small village during the rainy season, the inhabitants are indeed put to the greatest embarrassment, especially where the distance to the nearest village is great, because all the grass and wood is then very wet. A Shilluk told me that in his village, which was situated at a distance of ten hours’ march from any other inhabited spot, they were once not able to produce a fire during twenty days. The inhabitants had made frequent attempts to transport a burning branch from the nearest locality, and had lighted more than fifty fires in the intervening space, in order to bring it gradually into their own village; but the showers had, on four different occasions, frustrated their endeavours when they were on the point of succeeding. Soft wood is useless for procuring a light, and there was no hard wood in that neighbourhood. I was myself once put to a very great inconvenience whilst at Lobeid for want of a flint, for there was not one to be purchased in the bazaar at any price; my servant, however, soon invented a remedy: he went up to a soldier, a Shilluk of course, and bought the flint of his musket, which he unscrewed whilst on duty, and delivered at the high price of four-pence halfpenny.

The dominions of Takele are situated at a distance of about five days’ journey to the south-east of Kordofan; they are governed by a sultan, who is an absolute monarch, and has his residence at Tassin.

This sultan, and the greater part of his subjects, are of the Mahommedan persuasion. In former times, when Kordofan and all these realms were subject to Darfour, Takele paid tribute to that government, and even after Mehemed Ali had taken possession of Kordofan, sword in hand, the fine was annually paid, it being taken for granted that the conquerors should enjoy the same rights as the former administration. But when the Turks, not contented with the tribute, subsequently sought to put their golden rule of raising the taxation into practice, looking upon everything in the country as their own property, the Sultan of Takele refused to submit, and opposed their claims in person with an armed force. Mehemed Ali undertook three ineffective campaigns against this country, and was at last obliged to give up the project, after having lost more than half of the forces employed in the expedition. Takele possesses many irregular troops, which proved very galling to the Egyptians; for they always took the unsuspecting Turks by surprise, and, after having put them to the rout, fled again into their hills, where the former dare not venture to pursue them. The commander-in-chief of the Egyptian forces revenged himself by destroying all the crops which happened to be standing at the time, by fire, and thus the war terminated; for when the Turks saw that nothing was to be gained by plunder they retreated, and no attack has since that period been made upon Takele.

The Djelabi, from Lobeid and Bara, are allowed to carry on their trade with the country without interruption, as are also those of Takele with Kordofan; for several Dongolavi from Kordofan have settled in this country, as it affords them many advantages. Takele is hilly in its whole extent, and is said to be traversed by a chain of mountains, two full days’ journey in length, considered there as one hill. The natives of Takele, in forming an estimate of the magnitude of their dominions, generally reckon by the number of hills which are inhabited; thus they say that Takele has ninety-nine inhabited hills, and that the Nubas have one hill more, and reckon one hundred; hence we may conclude that Nuba is larger than Takele. These numerals, however, must not be taken literally, for they denote every large number, if it exceed thirty, by the term ninety-nine; and say (e. g.), instead of forty or eighty sheep, ninety-nine heads of cattle. I have myself met with negroes from distant parts, whose whole knowledge of arithmetic was limited to “five,” named after the five fingers; thus the thumb was one, the forefinger two, the middle-finger three, and so forth. A question put to men of this limited knowledge, entailing a definite number, is an affair attended with great difficulty, and it is indeed impossible to obtain a satisfactory answer.

The natives of this country are far more industrious than those of Kordofan, and pay much greater attention to agriculture, and the cultivation of cotton, than their neighbours; they also manufacture the cotton themselves into stuffs, and produce other articles of commerce. They have few, but very beautiful horses; and a man must be a bold as well as an excellent rider to keep his seat on these spirited animals, which the natives prize very highly, for they will not readily part with them. In fact, an opportunity only offers itself of purchasing one of their horses when, in a depredatory invasion by the Bakkara, or in a conflict with their neighbours, a man of Takele has been killed, and his horse becomes the booty of the conqueror. I believe that the pedigree of these horses must be sought in Darfour. These negroes hunt elephants, and carry on a trade in ivory with Kordofan. In those parts of the country where there are no horses the elephants are caught in pits, but where the inhabitants possess horses the following plan is pursued:—Two men, mounted on horseback, go hunting together, and generally pick out a full-sized elephant, because the larger animals prove the more profitable. When they have discovered an elephant, one man rides at a distance of about a hundred paces in front of him, so that he keeps in full view of the beast. The other rider approaches to within a hundred paces of the animal from behind, dismounts from his horse,—for he is sure that it will stand quietly,—stealthily approaches it from the rear, and with one cut with a sharp sabre, severs the back sinews of its heel-joint. Infuriated to the utmost by the violent pain, and seeing the rider before it, the animal rushes instantly in pursuit of him, whilst the man who inflicted the wound gains time to vault upon his horse, and make off. The elephant cannot follow the rider far, partly because the latter has the advantage of a start,—and the horse is, moreover, fleeter than the elephant,—partly because he is, in a certain measure, lamed; thus he ultimately treads off his foot, and sinks exhausted with the loss of blood, an easy prey to the huntsman.

As fire-arms are not yet known in this country, the natives slay lions in the following manner:—They trace out the lair where one of these animals generally takes its noonday repose; but the nature of the ground must be such, that the tree under which it sleeps is isolated, or at least somewhat distant from the other trees. If the ground be advantageous, the negro betakes himself to the scene of action four hours before mid-day, and climbs the tree opposite to that under which the animal takes its nap. During this time he knows the lion to be out in search of prey, and is sure that he will return to indulge in his siesta when the heat increases, between ten and eleven o’clock. The lion does not trouble himself about the business of the man on the tree, even if he should happen to see him; and his adversary remains perfectly quiet till between twelve and one. The huntsman is furnished with a sackfull of small stones, and a few sharp spears. When the sand on the ground is burning hot, so that animals even cannot walk about, the hunter begins to pelt the lion with stones, always aiming at his head, and the negroes are very expert marksmen. The proud king of the beasts utterly disregards the first three or four stones, and does not consider it even worth his while to rise; but the blows upon his head thickening, and being, perhaps, hit in the eye, the audacity appears too great to be borne with patience, and he sets up a frightful roar as a signal of revenge. With one leap he is at the foot of the tree on which the disturber of his rest is perched, but receives a lance in his body; his roar now becomes more terrific, not that the wound is so irritating to him at this moment as the burning sand painful to his feet, and he retires once more to his lair. Another stone hits him, he becomes furious, makes a second charge at the tree, and is welcomed by one, two, or more spears. He now takes to flight, yelling and howling with pain; but the loss of blood soon exhausts his strength, and the huntsman, who keeps him in sight from the tree, has, in a very short time, the pleasure of seeing the royal beast stretch its carcase on the plains.

The inhabitants of Takele are a well made race of men, and all those I met with were of very pleasing countenance. Their dress is like that of the other negroes, the more opulent only wearing white and blue shirts. Their habits and customs are said to be the same as those among the Nuba, some few Mahommedans merely forming the exception. The sultan is reported to be an exceedingly good man, and all those who have the honour of his acquaintance speak highly in his favour; he is, indeed, almost adored by his subjects, none of which approach him, otherwise than kneeling, and murmuring a prayer into their hands, nor do they venture to rise, or to sit down, before the sultan has given them permission. The divan, in which he holds his audience, is a large saloon built of stone, decorated with swords, spears, and other warlike trophies, eighteen, or twenty, of his body-guard are always present, they sit, armed with spears, cross-legged, in the centre of the saloon, and form a kind of living fence. The sultan proceeds every morning, with sunrise, immediately after prayers, into the divan, hears all causes himself, and issues his decision immediately. He is fond of hunting, and of his women, three hundred of which he is said to keep in his harem, a stone building, situate on the summit of a rock at Tassin, very difficult of access, which has, moreover, only one approach. The brother of the Sultan of Takele, whom a Djelabi of my acquaintance brought to my house at Lobeid, wore merely a blue shirt, and sandals, and not even a Táckeyeéh[47] on his head.

It was formerly my intention to undertake a journey into Takele, as no European has ever yet set foot into that country. This was the chief reason why I sought the acquaintance of the Prince of Takele, who came every year to Lobeid. He visited me daily during his sojourn in the capital, gave me every information respecting his country, and assured me that his brother, the sultan, would with pleasure receive me in his states, where I should have nothing to fear, as it was his most ardent wish to make the acquaintance of a Frank. The governor, and Turkish officers, however, dissuaded me from my project, assuring me that I should be exposed to all manner of dangers, as the Turks are hated in Takele, and every white man, without distinction, is considered an Osmanlee. Hence, I was necessitated to relinquish my plan, and to confine myself to the information I received from this prince, and the Djelabis, who had travelled in the country. I have since, however, convinced myself that these apprehensions, created by the officiousness of others, were totally unfounded, and that an European might visit Takele without any danger, through the intermediation of the brother of the sultan, or a Djelabi, by merely previously forwarding, through one of the opportunities named, a small present to the sultan, who would then send an escort to the borders, under which the journey might be continued with safety. Above all things, however, it would be necessary to make the acquaintance of one or the other of the persons mentioned, that they might become security that the traveller was a Frank, and not a Turkish spy. The prince, above mentioned, assured me that his brother was very anxious to receive an European visitor, for the express object of learning something from him, and, more especially, to receive instruction in tactics. This offer would be very acceptable to many military men; for I am convinced that the Sultan of Takele would treat an instructor of this description very well, who would, moreover, have the opportunity of collecting authentic information respecting the country, and, probably, also concerning the neighbouring states. The prince, who very frequently visited me, endeavoured to persuade me in every possible way to travel with him to Takele; and I had already overcome all fears, and was about to venture on the journey, when I was forced by circumstances to alter my plans. I made the chief a present of a tarboósh[48] some time before his departure, which he wore all the time he passed at Lobeid; but on the day of his departure he brought it back to me, begging me to keep it for him until he returned, as he dare not wear it in Takele, because his brother, the sultan, had none.

At the head of the irregular troops is a general, or seraskeer, as the Turks call him, who is, indeed, chosen by the sultan, but obliged to distinguish himself, in accordance with the custom of the country, by some feat of bravery, to prove himself worthy of the dignity of that office. This feat is generally an incursion into one or the other of the neighbouring states, or some other proof of personal valour and intrepidity. The ordeal, however, does not always turn out to the advantage of the aspirant, for, in the year 1838, the commander-in-chief of the troops of Takele, who was already elected, fell a victim to his feat of heroism. He crossed the borders with about a hundred men armed with spears, and attacked the nearest Bakkara tribe, and was to put his heroism to the test on a Mogghrebeen who happened to be present. The general, armed with a broadsword, charged the Mogghrebeen on horseback, waved his sabre in the air, and thought, with one single blow, to put an end to the poor native of the desert; but the latter, although on foot and armed merely with a pistol, cleverly avoided the impending blow, and laid the valorous general prostrate with a pistol-ball. The invading party, seeing their leader slain, immediately took to flight, and the Bedouins became the possessors of the horse and arms of the defunct general. A slight idea may thus be formed of the state of the army of Takele.

Slaves are also exported from Takele, which these negroes capture in the wars with their neighbours, but they themselves are, in their turn, not spared, and suffer greatly, partly by the predatory Bakkara, partly by their own countrymen, who devise all manner of means to kidnap their children by force or stratagem, and to sell them to the slave merchants. I myself met with a girl, in the house of an European at Cairo, who had been stolen, together with her younger sister, from the paternal roof, in a manner which must cause the utmost astonishment at the subtlety and cunning of these uncivilized children of nature. This story may also serve as a proof of the manner in which these poor blacks are everywhere treated.

A slave, who had been stolen in Takele, bought by a Turk in Khartoom, and liberated on the death of his master, as is frequently the case, returned to his home. The sheikh of the place, a native of Abyssinia, who had come to settle in those parts at an early age, and had adopted the Mahommedan religion from love for a negro girl, received this slave hospitably into his house, and completely provided for him, for his parents were dead, and he had no other relations living. He remained, during several months, in the sheikh’s house, where he ingratiated himself, by his pleasing manners so much with all the inhabitants, but more especially with the children, that he was not treated like a stranger, but regarded as a member of the family. One day he was left alone with the children at home, the sheikh’s wife being called away to visit a sick friend in a hut that was rather distant, while the sheikh himself was at work in the fields. He amused the children, for some time, with a variety of games, then left them for a short interval, and, on his return, invited the eldest daughter, a girl of eleven years of age, and her sister, who was rather younger, to accompany him to fetch their mother. The children, not suspecting any harm, acceded, with delight, to his proposition, and left the house in his company. He immediately led them out of the village, pretending to show them a nearer way to the hut of their mother’s friend. On the road, he endeavoured to divert the attention of the girls, by relating stories, showing them flowers, and plucking fruit for them, in order that they might not observe that he was leading them on an unbeaten track. After several hours, passed with many consolatory assurances, they arrived in an open country, at a forest, where several men lay hidden among the bushes, and were feeding their horses. The ungrateful villain now again assured the children that he would soon conduct them to their parent in the company of all these men, and gave them some refreshments. When the night closed in, more horsemen arrived, and they all immediately set out on their march. The robber took the two girls on his horse, the youngest in front of him, and the eldest behind, again protesting that he would very soon bring them to their mother, who was already waiting for them. The whole night through they rode in the forest and to prevent the girls, who, overcome with fatigue, had fallen asleep, from slipping off his horse, he bound them both with a rope to his body. The younger girl still believed they were going to their home, but the elder began to scream and cry, and complained bitterly that she knew they had both been stolen and were to be sold as slaves. The barbarian now changed his conduct; he beat the poor girls about the head and face, and threatened to murder them, if they uttered another note. Thus they travelled on during four nights, for by day these Bakkara robbers—such they proved to be—were obliged to hide in the woods, or other desolate places, to avoid being seen and attacked by the natives. At last they reached an encampment of Egyptian troops. The kidnapper now led the two girls to the commanding officer, and made him a present of them, of course against a present of equal worth. The officer, moved to pity by the tears of these two children, endeavoured to pacify them, offered them refreshment, and asked them whence they came.

When they had told the Turk the name of their father and their place of residence, and at the same time related the manner in which this ungrateful wretch had stolen them from their paternal roof, he became enraged, and ordered the robber a bastinado of several hundred stripes. He quieted the sobs of the children, and promised to send them home again, and told them their father had arrived the day before in the camp, but hastened back home again, to seek them elsewhere, as he had not found them there. It so happened that the Egyptian officer was a friend of their father’s, who had done him a great service some few years before. He immediately summoned a subaltern into his presence, and put the two girls under his care, with orders to take them back to their father, and give him notice of his arrival at the borders. The subordinate mounted a camel, took charge of the girls, and delighted them with the assurance that they should reach the borders of Takele in two days, and that he would there find some safe opportunity of sending them to their parent; but how were they deceived on their arrival at Khartoom, after ten days, when they observed a town totally unknown to them, and when this second robber showed himself in his true colours! He hastened immediately to the blue Nile, and hired a boat for the remainder of his journey to Cairo; but he was here arrested and carried before the governor. On being questioned whence he came, and by whose authority he was escorting these slaves, he pretended to have received orders from the officer commanding the troops of the borders to convey the girls to Cairo. The governor demanded a proof in writing, but the corporal pretended to have lost his passport. This circumstance, and the assertion of the twice-stolen girls, corroborating the suspicion that he had kidnapped them, and deserted from the ranks, he received the punishment he richly deserved. The girls were now given in charge to a sergeant’s wife, and told they should be sent with the next transport back to their father’s friend, the commanding officer of the Egyptian troops on the borders, who would then see them forwarded to their parents; but this good fortune was not their fate. The sergeant, to whose care they were intrusted, happened to meet a Djelabi one evening in a certain house, he waked the girls out of their sleep at night, told them to prepare for their journey home, and led them to the banks of the blue Nile, where they were ferried across, and immediately mounted on a camel standing in readiness to receive them. Early the next day they were delivered over to a second slave-merchant, who sold them to a Turk at Cairo, of whom the European, at whose house I met the elder girl, had bought her. Thus we see, that a hard fate attends these poor blacks everywhere, and that slavery, without the possibility of escape, is almost their certain lot.

CHAPTER X.
RELIGION.

The second Sheikh, who is yet living at Lobeid, is named Beduy: he is a pious man and anything but a hypocrite, hence he is beloved and enjoys the good opinion of all men. He settles disputes, and gives friendly advice to all who come to ask for it, knows no partiality, and in no instance receives a present. He lives very simply, his food consisting of nothing but Garat,[49] which he has ground to flour, and made into bread. He only eats meat once a year. I have visited him on various occasions, conversed with him on a variety of topics, and have had the opportunity of convincing myself that he is possessed of good sound sense, and has correct ideas on most subjects. As far as his religion is concerned, he is a rigid Mahommedan, and defends his opinions and articles of faith with the greatest zeal; but I never heard him speak with contempt of the Christian or of any other religion, as the Derweeshes frequently do; he merely pities those who are not as fortunate as himself in belonging to the true faith. In short, he is a Mahommedan missionary. He has made thousands of proselytes among the heathen negroes, for he strolls about during the greater part of the year in the mountains, endeavouring to disseminate el Islam. He also defends his faith according to the letter of the Koran, sword in hand, and has even lost a son in the fight for the good cause. The Fakeérs are very much afraid of him, and take great care not to play their pranks in his vicinity; he also feels a thorough contempt for them.

It is high time for the Missionary Societies of Europe to direct their attention to this part of Africa; if they delay much longer it will be too late, for when the negroes have once adopted the Koran, no power on earth can induce them to change their opinions. I have heard through several authentic sources that there are but few provinces in the interior of Africa where Mahommedanism has not already begun to gain a footing. The Djelabi are the people who have taken the conversion of the negroes on themselves, and have met with partial success; I must, however, observe, that if the propaganda, or protestant missionary societies, should decide upon sending missionaries into the country, they ought not to settle where the Koran predominates, for all their trouble would be wasted, and all their money spent in vain. Sennaar and Kordofan, are not fit provinces for this purpose, even if they intended to convert negroes from distant countries, who may be there bought for a trifle, and to send them back into their own country; for the converse with Mahommedans, and the acquirement of the Arabic language, would be sufficient causes of themselves to frustrate their endeavours. Nuba, Kodero, Shilluk, Runga, Kulla, &c.; these are the countries where something might yet be done, but “if it were done, when ’tis done, then ’twere well, it were done quickly,” or these, and many other states, will be lost to Christianity.

CHAPTER XI.
DISEASES.

As soon as the jiggers show themselves, the part inflamed is burnt with a red-hot iron, and a small opening made, when the worm immediately presents itself. The treatment is now the same as that of tapeworm: thus the natives seize the portion of the animal protruding through the opening, wind it carefully round a small piece of wood, and proceed in this manner until they have gradually extracted the whole. If it tear before it is entirely eradicated, the disease is reproduced. When attacked with small-pox, the natives rub their whole body with earth, or roll in the sand, until the pustules are broken, and the entire surface is covered with an incrustation, which they allow to remain adherent until the period of desiccation. A negro, who has suffered from small-pox, presents a very ridiculous appearance when the scabs fall off, for his body is speckled with white spots, which gradually become red, but resume, subsequently, the original black colour,—he is, in fact, for the time being, pie-bald. They suffer greatly with this disease, for they cannot keep themselves warm for want of clothing, or other covering, and are thus put to inconceivable torture. A great number of natives fall victims to this complaint, but the majority are cured. The form of disease presenting itself with abscesses about the neck, named durore, is indigenous to the country, and frequently shews itself during the rainy season; it is said by the natives to originate in colds. In the treatment of this affection, they open the abscesses with the potential cautery, and when the matter is discharged, dress the wound with an ointment prepared of butter and clay. Syphilis was totally unknown in these regions during the preceding century, and the natives have only been inoculated within recent years, through the intermediation of the Egyptian troops quartered in the province. It may be easily imagined what ravages this disease commits, as these simple people, unacquainted with its nature, frequently neglect it for a considerable time. They are certainly at present rather more enlightened on the subject, and resort to a few remedies, which, however, prove of slight avail, and, during the rainy season more especially, all endeavours to arrest its progress are in vain. The disorder assumes a very obstinate character in this country; for though cured in the dry season, it generally presents itself again at the period of the rain,—a circumstance very easily explained, if we consider that the cure, what with their inacquaintance with the nature of the disease, and defective treatment, is generally palliative, or temporary, and never radical; hence many of these patients remain cripples for life. They mostly employ in the treatment an earth, named traiba,[50] which has a purgative action. The lavements are administered in the following manner:—They take the thighbone of a fowl, and clearing away the marrow, fasten it to a portion of the intestines of a sheep, into which they pour a decoction of garra,[51] and then insert the pipe into the anus, compressing the gut until the whole of the contents pass into the abdomen. If to the want of medical men, and scarcity of remedies, we add the state of uncleanliness in which these people live, we may form some slight idea of the sufferings they endure in sickness. It is, in fact, impossible to form a conception of the misery to be met with in their hovels, which are sometimes crowded with patients; nursing and all attention is out of the question; every man is left to himself, hence many of course perish, who, with but slight care, might easily have been saved, but—Allah Kerim!

There are no prophylactics against all these diseases, and I know of no better advice to give to Europeans travelling in this country than to caution them against drinking new milk or water; the latter they should always boil, and ought moreover to be careful to keep themselves, and more especially their feet, warm during the rainy season; they should further use a large quantity of pepper with their food, and rather eat too little than too much. In cases of dysentery, for which rice and gum-water are generally prescribed in Egypt, the traveller should by all means avoid these same remedies, for he would only debilitate his digestive organs the more. For my own part I resorted latterly to the shells of the pomegranate steeped for a few hours in cold water, and found this remedy very successful. It is quite a mistake to imagine the use of spirituous liquors pernicious in tropical climates, for I convinced myself, but unfortunately too late, of the contrary. On my own personal experience I can assert that a moderate quantity of brandy (in defect of wine) or Merissa taken daily is an excellent prophylactic. All those natives, moreover, who possess the means of procuring it, enjoy health, and are not so easily attacked with fever or dysentery; it will of course be understood that every excess is hurtful.