The currency of the country is that of Egypt, a piaster being equal to three-pence-halfpenny English. The Maria Theresia dollar, column-dollars, and five franc pieces, of which there are three varieties, are taken at an estimate of twenty piasters each, although they virtually differ in value. The dollars, however, when in request for purchases in Darfour, are paid with twenty-two, twenty-three, and even twenty-four piasters; in examining them, the natives do not look to the seven points in the clasp, or the nine points in the diadem, nor to the letters “S. F.” as is the case in Abyssinia. No copper circulates, and very few silver piasters, so that, indeed, in purchasing single piasters, one piaster, agio, is paid for nine pieces. In addition to this coin, there is a small coin of iron, named hashias, in circulation, struck during the reign of the sultan of Darfûr, which has continued in currency since that period: it is a small piece of iron, from two to three inches in length, and of the form of an obtuse bibrachial anchor. 150 of these pieces were formerly considered equivalent to one dollar; they subsequently fell in value to 250, and their present currency is 800 to the dollar, or one para each. The weight is the same as in Egypt, viz. 1 cantaro, equal to 100, or to 112 rottoli, or to forty-four oock’ckah’s. The rottolo is = 144 oz., the oock’ckah equal to 400 dir’hems. Forty-four oock’ckahs constitute about one hundred weight. The measure for corn is the ardeb of twenty-four mith, two ardebs are equivalent to three stajo of Trieste.
Common cottons will pass from hand to hand as currency, and in small dealings half a gourd of dockn, or two handfulls may be substituted for cash. The yard-measure in use among the natives, is the distance from the elbow to the index-finger, adding four finger breadths.
Many travellers who have visited the East, and more especially Egypt, justly mention the humanity with which slaves are treated in these countries, but few persons are probably acquainted with the inhuman manner in which these miserable beings are led into captivity. The treatment they meet with among the Turks, Arabs, and other eastern nations, certainly is an indemnification, although a very frail one, for the loss of their liberty; but unfortunately only a small number of these poor wretches live to enjoy even this slight benefit, for more than one half of them fall victims to barbarous and cruel treatment before they reach the place of their destination. The Viceroy of Egypt institutes annually, once or twice in the course of the year, an actual hunt in the mountains of Nuba, and in the bordering countries, and seizes upon a certain number of the negroes by stratagem or force, in order either to pay the arrears due to his troops in Kordofan with these unfortunate men, instead of with ready money, or to increase his revenue by the sale of his fellow creatures. I must leave it to the kind judgment of my readers whether an apology for such a proceeding is to be found, and abstain myself from any observation on the subject, as the object of my sketch is simply to give a correct description of the slave-hunts as conducted by Mehemed Ali. Several European journals have stated that these marauding expeditions were put an end to by command of the viceroy on the occasion of his visit to Sennaar, but I can assure the reader that the order was “vox et præterea nihil,” and that these robberies take place as before even at the present day. No pen can describe the acts of deliberate cruelty perpetrated on these occasions, revolting atrocities which I am sure that Mehemed Ali, were he acquainted with the particulars, would visit on the heads of his officers, notwithstanding that they are committed in his interest and in his service; unfortunately, however, the distance of this ill-fated province is too great from the seat of justice for the cries of the afflicted to reach his ear, and those whose duty it would be to report these inhuman deeds, are too deeply criminated themselves. The burden of this sanguinary fate falls most heavily upon the miserable inhabitants of the Nuba mountains. In the year 1825, four years, therefore, after the conquest, the number of slaves which had been led away into captivity was estimated at forty thousand; and in the year 1839 the total number amounted at least to two hundred thousand, without reckoning the thousands stolen by the Bakkara and bought by the Djelabi. As soon as the rainy season is concluded, the arrangements for the marauding excursion called gasua[87] are made, and the necessary number of camels are pressed into service. Of the multitude of animals required an estimate may be formed, by considering that every infantry soldier is provided with a camel to mount, and that their total amount is nearly doubled by those employed in the transport of arms, ammunition, tents, and other military stores. The outfit of the expedition causes the commanding officer, however, not the least care, for everything being considered in the countries subject to Egypt as property of the government, he experiences very little trouble in obtaining his supplies. The soldiers steal whatever they can find, and thus in a few days the most necessary articles are furnished. To provisions very little attention is paid, for the harvest terminates with the rainy season, and the soldiers well know by many years experience where to find the supplies of the poor negroes, gained absolutely by the sweat of their brow, but vainly hidden from the rapacious hands of these avaricious barbarians. The province of Dar Hammer is more especially oppressed for the purpose of obtaining camels; but as the majority consists of young animals which have never borne a weight upon their backs, and must therefore be taught to bend to receive their load or for the convenience of their rider, each soldier is provided with his camel ten to fourteen days before the march, during which interval they are daily exercised in the morning and afternoon. It is really a very imposing sight to behold these hundreds of camels collected together on one spot, where the obstinate animals are being broken in to kneel down. A well-taught camel always exhibits evident signs of displeasure and utters a piercing cry whenever it bends down; imagine therefore in addition, an immense number of wild unbroken beasts who are frequently obliged to be pulled down on their knees by ropes, and you will be able to form a slight idea of the exercising ground. It frequently happens that a clumsy rider is thrown in mounting, or rather as the animal rises, and receives a severe injury. But even on this occasion we have proof that the animal must succumb to the will of man, for in the course of a few days the same beasts we had seen so refractory and dull before, obey their riders at a mere wink. The complement of the brigade employed in a slave-hunt consists ordinarily of from one thousand to two thousand men regular troops of infantry; from four hundred to eight hundred Mogghrebeen armed with guns and pistols; from three hundred to one thousand native troops on foot, with shields and spears, each man carrying from three to five javelins in a small leathern quiver attached to his shoulder by a cord; and from three hundred to five hundred natives mounted on dromedaries, armed with shield and spear. The dromedary riders present a very military appearance; they are quite naked, with the exception of a small piece of calico round their loins, and exhibit an alacrity which is almost incredible; they also exercise for a certain time before the march, and their shouts in a charge, which is always made in a body and at the full speed of the dromedary, the whistling of their lances in the air, whilst their shaggy locks float in the wind, and the oblong shields covering their entire bodies, give the riders a very fearful appearance, sufficient to overawe the most courageous man. I was always present at their manœuvres, and can assure my readers, that it took a long time before I accustomed myself to the sight of these men without feeling a secret horror, although I lived among them, and had absolutely nothing to fear. At these moments these people appear as if deranged, and it is very difficult to recognise those with whom you may be well acquainted, they so distort their features in their shout.
As soon as the preparations are concluded, the expedition sets out upon its march. Two to four field-pieces accompany it, and it is provided with a sufficient supply of bread for eight days. The oxen, sheep, and other beasts for slaughter, which may be required, are seized on in Kordofan, although the province may have already paid its contribution. If they meet a herd at pasture or at a well, the cattle is stolen; no one asks whether it belong to one person or to several, the contribution is not effected in shares; whoever meets with the loss must bear it with patience; no objection, no remonstrance is of avail; no complaint is ever listened to, for the governor is present in person.
On the arrival of the forces at the nearest hills of the Nubas, the natives are challenged to contribute a stipulated number of slaves. This demand is generally acceded to willingly, because the poor creatures know they are too close to the confines of Kordofan, and that they would expose themselves to a far more obdurate fate if they offered resistance. If then the slaves are voluntarily contributed, that hill is spared. But about this time a scarcity of bread generally begins to be felt; the troops, therefore, are not content with slaves alone but must be provided with grain, nor do they ever for one moment consider whether the harvest has been successful, or the reverse with these poor people; but whatever their wants may be, they must be supplied either spontaneously, or by force; and on these occasions the soldiers show vast experience in detecting the hidden stores of the unfortunate natives, whom they frequently leave barely enough bread for the ensuing day. The march is now continued to the next hill. The skirmishers already consider themselves on hostile ground, and they halt in the vicinity of that hill they intend to storm on the next day, or if time admit it, on that very day. Before the actual charge takes place, they endeavour to arrange the affair amicably, and dispatch a herald to the sheikh of the hill, commanding him to descend into camp, and bring the number of slaves ordered by the commanding officer with him. If he have already come to an understanding with his subjects, or feel his inequality to the Turkish troops, and will not offer resistance, the stipulated number of slaves is furnished, and the claim is thus cancelled, in order to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. Then comes the conscription. The slaves are generally volunteers, who sacrifice themselves, or who to free their brethren from a hard fate subject themselves to a yet more painful lot. Scenes may at these times be witnessed that would rend the heart of a man of feeling. Who is ever willing to quit his home, to separate himself for ever from his parents, his blood-relations, and friends? who leaves the roof willingly that has covered him from the day of his birth, under which he has passed happy hours in the circle of those that are dear to him? Who can boldly face a frightful future, entailing permanent captivity, promising nothing but misery, cruel treatment, and, what becomes even desirable, pallid death? Yet the necessity is there—some one must be victimized, some one must volunteer to sacrifice his liberty; and for this privilege the father will contend with the son, and the brother with the brother, for each man is anxious to save the other at the expense of his own life. Overpowering, indeed, must be the knowledge that they are about to fall into the hands of the heartless Turks, where nothing but misery and torture awaits them, to which they must ultimately succumb; but yet more heart-rending must be the feeling of leaving all that is nearest and dearest to them, for ever; this must be wretchedness, indeed. In sorrow and tears they part—press the last kiss on the cheek of their relations, and descend into the camp of their heartless and ruthless tormentors; nay, they are even frequently torn by force from the arms of their friends. The sheikh generally receives a present of a dress in remuneration for the readiness with which he has performed his services. Very few hills, however, submit to the voice of power thus tacitly on a mere challenge; for the majority of the villages, advantageously situated on steep declivities or inaccessible heights, and only to be scaled with the utmost difficulty, defend themselves most sturdily, and fight for their liberty with a courage, perseverance, and resolution equalled by few instances we find recorded in history. A very small portion of the negroes only fly before the approach of their persecutors, although they might save themselves with all their property, by a retreat into the neighbouring hills, for they always receive timely intimation of the advance of the enemy; but they look upon escape by flight as disgraceful, and prefer death in the struggle for their freedom. If, therefore, the sheikh will not listen to the claim made upon him, the village must stand a storm. The cavalry and lance-bearers surround the whole hill, whilst the infantry endeavour to scale the heights. In former days, the villages and places where the negroes were congregated together, were cannonaded, but with the inefficiency of the Egyptian artillery scarcely one shot ever took effect; and thus the negroes paid no attention to this prelude, but it appeared on the contrary rather to encourage them to a more obstinate resistance.
The roaring of the cannon certainly caused them at first more alarm than the effect, but they subsequently became accustomed to the noise, and totally disregarded it. Every access to the hill is barricaded with stones and other impediments, and the village supplied with water for two days, for few hills can boast of springs, the water, therefore, must be fetched from the foot of the hill. All the cattle and other property is carried up into the fortified height, in short, every arrangement is made for an obstinate defence. The men, armed with spears, occupy every point of importance, while the women even do not remain idle spectators, but either participate in the fight, or encourage their husbands by their lamentations and war-cry, and hand them their arms; in fact, every one is in activity except the aged and infirm. The points of their wooden arrows are dipped into poison which stands in an earthen vessel beside them. It is the juice of a plant, and appears white like curdled milk, but of what plant it may be the juice I could never learn, for this is a secret imparted only to a few persons in the village. I am told that there are many hills where this secret is totally unknown. As soon as the officer gives the word of command to attack, the infantry beat to arms and storm the hill. Thousands of spears, large stones, and immense beams of wood are instantly hurled at the storming party, every stone is an ambush to a wary negro, who either throws his poisoned dart at the enemy, or, waiting his opportunity, thrusts his spear into the body of his unsuspecting foe on his approach. The soldiers, who experience the greatest difficulty in scaling the steep acclivities, are obliged to sling their muskets to their backs to facilitate their ascent with their hands, and frequently fall victims before they have even seen the enemy. But nothing deters these marauders when bent on prey, goaded on by cupidity and the desire of revenge they heed no impediment, not even death itself; over the dead body of his fallen comrade the successor marches with impetuosity, his mind totally engrossed by ideas of plunder and murder; and thus the village is at last captured in spite of the most resolute defence. But now, indeed, is vengeance terrific: neither aged men nor the infirm, neither helpless women and children, nor, indeed, the babe unborn are spared; every hut is plundered, the property of the unfortunate besieged either pillaged or destroyed, and whosoever falls into the hands of the destroyer with his life is carried down into the camp as captive. When the negroes see that resistance is no longer of avail, they frequently prefer suicide, unless prevented, to slavery; and thus it often occurs that a father rips up the abdomen of his wife, then of his children, and lastly murders himself, to avoid falling alive into the hands of the enemy. Others endeavour to escape captivity by secreting themselves in caverns, where they pass many days without food; they there lie upon their backs, and will remain in this position sometimes for an entire week. I have been informed that a man can very well bear the whole of the eight days without nourishment, if he have only surmounted the difficulty of the first three days. But even in this covert they are not safe, as the monsters either hunt them up or destroy them in their places of refuge; for the soldiers light fires with pitch, sulphur, and other combustibles before the entrance, and endeavour to drive the irritating fumes into the caves, when the poor wretches are forced to creep out and deliver themselves to their enemies, or perish by suffocation in the smoke. After every means have been resorted to for gaining possession of the living, the unfortunate beings are escorted to the camp, the houses are plundered, and the cattle is driven away, and a detachment of several hundred soldiers then examines the hill in every direction to pillage the hidden grain, in order that the survivors who may have been fortunate enough to save their lives by flight, or by secreting themselves in inaccessible caverns, may not find anything on their return wherewith to maintain their dearly purchased existence.
The experience of many years has made the troops employed in these expeditions gradually wiser; in former times one-third of the number at least, and on some occasions even one half of them lost their lives in these attacks, at present they confine themselves to a simple blockade, and storm merely in extreme cases. Very few hills are, as I before said, provided with springs, when, therefore, all communication is impeded, the poor negroes are forced to surrender, but not before they have suffered the most horrible tortures; for they never provide themselves with a supply of water for longer than two days, partly from want of vessels or reservoirs, partly because they do not expect to be besieged for a longer period, thus the scarcity of water is generally felt on the third day of the blockade. Nothing can be more frightful than the position of these unhappy men at this time. The fear of falling into the hands of the Turks on the one hand, and the certainty of death from thirst on the other, drives the poor wretches to the very verge of despair. This scarcity is immediately known in camp, for the screams of the children and the groans of the cattle betray the melancholy position of the village. The cattle runs about as if wild, and on the third day becomes so dangerous that the negroes are obliged to slay it. The human being struggles in despair with death, to find a mode of escape, but, alas! in vain: the blood-thirsty huntsmen have surrounded their game too securely, thus not one soul can escape with his life. Many of the unhappy victims prefer death for themselves and their families to captivity, whilst others endeavour to conceal themselves in caverns, and thus to spare themselves the awful miseries of slavery. The remainder call a meeting to concert upon the surrender of their village and their children. The calamity makes not the slightest impression upon their persecutors, who remain quiet beholders of all these horrors, impatiently awaiting the moment when they shall receive their victims. The scarcity of water does not apply to all the hills without exception, for several of them are well supplied with water, and are not so easily to be taken. In such cases force becomes necessary, but it frequently happens that populous villages or such as are favoured by the ground, are able to repel the storming party several times with considerable carnage, so that the expedition frequently will not venture on an attack for fear of heavy losses, as was the case with Mount “Deyer,”[88] situated at a distance of two day’s march from Lobeid, which was thrice attacked without success, and where the troops suffered severely. But even in such cases they know how to ensure the certain fall of their victims by demoniacal deceit. Thus, after Kurshid Pasha, governor of the Belled-Soodan, had made several fruitless attempts at storming a hill in the country of the Shilluks, in which he had been, moreover, always repulsed with considerable carnage, and at last had made up his mind that every further attack would be in vain, and his loss too frightful, he thought of the following ruse, which would never have succeeded with any other people than this good-natured tribe; in this case, however, it proved successful. He encamped himself, namely, at the foot of the hill, without surrounding it, where he quietly remained for several days; he then despatched one of his soldiers into the village with the request to the inhabitants to send down four hundred dishes of food to his people in camp, and assured them at the same time that they need be under no further apprehension about him, as he would not make another attack on their village, but would march his troops off immediately on receipt of the provisions. The good-natured negroes, suspecting no harm, forgot all animosity towards their enemy in consideration of their pretended unfortunate position, and instantly shewed their readiness to accede to the request, by furnishing the provisions required. The articles of food were duly prepared, and four hundred grown persons carried the number of dishes demanded down into the camp of their persecutors. How were they, however, now deceived! for no sooner had they placed the dishes on the ground at the order of Kurshid-Pasha, than they were, on a signal he gave, surrounded on all sides and made prisoners, without the necessity of pulling a trigger, or without the possibility of their offering resistance.
The inhabitants of those hills which may have been forced into a surrender by cutting off their supplies, and more especially by depriving them of water, are compelled to deliver themselves up as captives in the camp, as soon as they have capitulated; but the condition of those who have defended themselves, or stood the blockade for some time, is far more dreadful. Worn out with the fatigues of the conflict, or totally exhausted by the want of water, they can scarcely stand, and are literally speaking, dragged down into camp, where they are certainly regaled with the absolute necessaries of life, but are allowed only a short time to recover themselves. The Turks have, indeed, sufficient compassion to send the necessary quantity of water up to those poor wretches on the hill, who are too weak even to be brought down; they are obliged to pour water over their heads first, and to allow them to drink only in small quantities, and gradually, for indulgence would prove fatal to them.
The greatest sufferings are not yet surmounted, and many of these unhappy men would prefer death inflicted by their own hands to the dreadful fate which awaits them, if they were acquainted with their lot beforehand. They now have to suffer every description of ill-treatment from their tormentors; blows with the butt-end of the musket, bayonet wounds, and stripes with the whip, are the ordinary modes of encouragement adopted to arouse the energies of those miserable beings, who, exhausted by physical or moral suffering, may happen to sink. Pity is unheard of in these transports; and as personal interest is not engaged for the preservation of one of those unhappy wretches, or to prove it an advantage, the only consideration is to render their escape impossible. The Djelabi treat their slaves with more humanity, because their personal interests are implicated, for each slave may be considered a capital to them, and they, consequently, do all in their power to preserve life, at least, and thus to avert a loss. The Turks, on the other hand, who have no considerations of this description to attend to, treat their prisoners far worse than they would beasts. As soon as they have collected from three to six hundred, or perhaps a thousand slaves, the convoy is sent with an escort of native troops, and of about fifty men, regulars, under the command of an officer to Lobeid.
To prevent flight, a Sheba is hung round the neck of the full-grown slaves; it consists of a young tree about six or eight feet in length, and two inches in thickness, forming a fork in front; this is bound round the neck of the victim so that the stem of the tree presents anteriorly, the fork is closed at the back of the neck by a cross-bar, and fastened in situ by straps cut from a raw hide; thus the slave, in order to be able to walk, is forced to take the tree in his hands, and carry it before him. No individual could, however, bear this position for any length of time; to relieve each other, therefore, the man in front takes the log of his successor on his shoulder, and this measure is repeated in succession. It amounts to an impossibility to withdraw the head, but the whole neck is always excoriated, an injury leading often to inflammatory action, which occasionally terminates in death. Boys from ten to fifteen years of age, who could not carry the sheba, are hand-cuffed together by wooden manacles. The instruments are applied to the right hand of the one and the left of the other, above the wrists, where they are fastened by straps; they are somewhat excavated to admit the hand, but generally fit so closely that the skin is excoriated, and malignant ulcers are the result; but even if the hand were to mortify, or drop off, no alleviation of the sufferings of the individual would ensue, for the fetters are not taken off before the arrival of the convoy at Lobeid. Some of the boys are fastened together in couples by straps applied round the upper part of their arms. It may, therefore, easily be imagined how difficult progression is rendered to these poor sufferers, and what tortures they have to endure on this march. In addition to these trials, they have to bear with most miserable fare, and further ill-treatment, should their strength fail them, or should they become too weak to proceed. Children under the age before-mentioned, women, and old men, are marched singly, and unfettered. Many a mother carries her infant, born but a few days before, at her breast, and must even take two or three of her children, who may be too young or too weak to walk alone, in her arms, or on her back. Old and infirm men who can scarcely creep along with the aid of a stick, the sick, and the wounded, are taken in the middle, between their daughters, wives, or relations, and thus slowly dragged onwards, or even carried by turns. If one of these unfortunate beings happen to remain behind the ranks, he is immediately stimulated to increased activity by blows with the butt-end of the musket, or flogged on with the whip. Should even this encouragement fail, and when several of these poor wretches cannot possibly proceed any further, ten or twenty of them are bound by the hand with a rope, the one end of which is attached to the saddle-bow of a camel, and thus those who are half dead are dragged onwards; even if one of them happen to sink no mercy is shown, but the fallen man is trailed along the ground and not liberated, even should he breathe his last, before his arrival at the stated place of rest. Before the caravan halts there is no idea of offering any refreshment whatever in the way of food to the exhausted; the heartless Turk feels no compassion, knows no pity; even if a drop of water might revive a weary wretch, none is given him—no, he may perish from want.
When the caravan reaches the place of rest, those who have been dragged along are liberated; whilst the dead and the exhausted are thrown without mercy on the sand, and the latter left to their fate. No prayers, no entreaties can soften the obdurate hearts of their torturers. They do not even allow a wife to take leave of her husband, or a child to press the parting kiss upon the lips of its expiring parent. No one is permitted to approach these unfortunate wretches,—they are given over to their fate. Not even as much as a piece of bread, or a drop of water is left behind for them. The discarded wretch is given up to his doom to linger out his existence, add to which the misery of the full consciousness of certain death. In six or fourteen days, the transport reaches Lobeid, and it is no wonder, considering the inhuman treatment the captives have had to endure, that on its arrival more than one-tenth of the number is found wanting. No notice, however, is taken of this frightful loss on the road, for it is government property, and personal interest is not concerned.
In Lobeid the slaves remain together until all the transports arrive, and then the distribution takes place. The men best adapted for the purpose are drafted into the regiments as recruits, and the remainder of the full-grown slaves are delivered over to the troops, quartered in Kordofan, in liquidation of their arrears of pay, at an estimate of three hundred piasters a head; younger slaves are valued at various prices. The soldiers are compelled to re-sell them to the merchants for ready money, or for money’s worth; sometimes the slave dies of over-fatigue, or excess of torture, or does not realize the full sum on account of his age or infirmities, and then the soldier suffers the loss, who, moreover, generally receives but half his pay, although he has had to wait for several months, or more frequently a whole twelvemonth for this portion of his arrears.
It is not an uncommon occurrence for a son to find his own father, or a father his son, assigned to him, or for a brother to become the possessor of his brother; but he is forced in defiance of the feelings of nature to sell him, in order to share the proceeds with a comrade who is co-proprietor of the slave with him. Officers and privates are obliged to receive these slaves at a certain valuation in lieu of money, and generally sell them at a loss to the Djelabi. The remainder is disposed of by public auction, in the market-place, to the highest bidder.
Towards the end of the year 1838 the Viceroy commanded the province of Kordofan to contribute five thousand slaves. The corps under orders for this purpose, consisting of two thousand four hundred infantry, seven hundred and fifty Mogghrebeen (Bedouin horsemen), two hundred men irregular cavalry, three hundred dromedary riders, and twelve hundred natives armed with spear and shield, and attended by three guns, set out upon the march towards the close of the month of November 1838. On this occasion every two men of infantry were furnished with one camel, as they could not collect the complement very soon, and an immense number was, moreover, required for the transport of the baggage, water, tents, etc., for the troops. Provisions and forage for the cattle, both for service and for slaughter, were only added to the transport sufficient for a few days, for they hoped to be able to obtain the necessary supply in a short time by plunder and pillage. A hill, one of the nearest on the borders of the free Nuba, which had already suffered by the troops of Mehemed Ali, and by the marauding Bakkara, and, was in consequence greatly depopulated, was the first challenged to surrender. The sheikh instantly came into camp and delivered himself with all his subjects, consisting of one hundred and ninety-six souls, into the hands of the Turks; he received his liberty and a present of a dress, but the sheba was put on the young men, and the whole number forwarded on the next day to Lobeid. This sheikh himself told me that when the Turks first entered his village eighteen years before, the population consisted of three thousand souls, but the annual contribution of slaves, augmented by the insatiable Turks to ten times the number, had reduced them to one hundred and ninety-six souls. The prisoners of this hill were treated with some humanity, and not one instance of suicide took place among them, for they had seen the futility of resistance, and voluntarily surrendered to their dismal fate. The troops, however, were now in want of bread, and as they found but a very slight supply of dockn among this impoverished people, they were necessitated to advance. The next hill was attacked, but how were the soldiers disappointed in their expectations when they found the place evacuated! The inhabitants, apprized of the approach of the corps, had fled, taking all their property and cattle away with them, and had left nothing but the empty huts, which were instantly fired and burnt to the ground. And now the march was continued to the third hill. The inhabitants of this village had formed the firm resolution of defending their freedom to the uttermost; and, determined to suffer death rather than the horror of Turkish captivity, had prepared for a most obstinate resistance. The hill was charged, but the troops were several times repulsed; the attacks, however, were renewed, and the village was ultimately taken by storm. The scene which now presented itself to view was frightful in the extreme. Of five hundred souls who had been the peaceful inhabitants of the village, one hundred and eighty-eight only were found living. Every hut was filled with the bodies of the aged and the young indiscriminately, for those who had not fallen by the sword in battle, had put themselves to death to elude the dreadful fate of captivity. The prisoners were led away; and the place was given up to the soldiery for plunder, but the dead were left disinterred. What a fearful scene for the few who were fortunate enough to escape the carnage by flight! Nothing but the dead bodies of their friends and the ashes of their homes met their eye on their return!
In order to recruit the troops, a camp was now formed, and a detachment sent out in search of forage. An encampment of this description, which is always erected on the plains, consists of an irregular quadrangle, surrounded by a hedge of thorns or bushes, or sometimes even by a stone fence, in which the regular infantry, the guns, and baggage are enclosed, whilst the cavalry and spear-bearers encamp without the enclosure. Of setting outposts, or of other judicious military movements they have no idea, but confine themselves merely to preparations for defence in case of a surprise, as the negroes frequently venture by night on an attack, which might prove very destructive to the troops, considering their carelessness. Generally speaking a camp is soon broken up, and this was the case on the present occasion; for no sooner had the soldiers recovered somewhat from their fatigues, and furnished a scanty supply of provisions, than the tents were struck, and the march commanded for the next hill destined for attack. The cavalry was sent about two miles in advance to surround the hill. On its arrival, however, in the vicinity of the village, it was suddenly surprised by the inhabitants, who had received intelligence of the movements, of the troops and was attacked with vigour. The negroes in a very large body, and only armed with spears and shields, broke with impetuosity from their covert, and with a fearful war-cry, augmented by the shouts of the women accompanying them, (resembling the Lu, lu, lu! of the Arab women,) threw themselves headlong upon the enemy. Surprised by this sudden movement, yet too discreet to sustain the attack of the negroes, the cavalry turned and took to flight. One of the Bedouin chiefs, who was mounted on a restive horse, and could not keep up with his troop, was surrounded; he seized his gun to discharge it at the first man who might attack him, but it refused fire, and before he could make use of his pistols and sabre, or put himself in any other way on his defence, he was torn off his horse and instantly slain. None of his corps made the slightest attempt to save their officer, for each man was intent on his own escape. This flight must not be ascribed to cowardice on the part of the Bedouins; for they generally fight well, provided their interest is not at stake. By fraud, or promises destined never to be fulfilled, these nomadic people are enticed away from their native plains and employed in these frightful slave-hunts. With the exception of very trifling pay, they can expect nothing beyond what they may be able to gain themselves by robbery and plunder; if by any chance, and without fault on their part, they happen to lose a horse,—which is their personal property—even on actual service, they cannot reckon upon any indemnification from the government; for should they not have the means of purchasing a fresh animal, they are indeed mounted by the government, but the price of the horse is deducted from their pay, which is always on the very lowest scale, and thus they have to serve for several years gratuitously. Their sheikh, or commanding officer, told me this himself, and assured me that his Bedouins, (erroneously termed Mogghrebeen) would act very unwisely in risking their horses on an attack whence nothing was to be gained; for the negroes, in encountering cavalry, are well aware of the advantage of injuring the horse rather than the rider, as the latter falls a certain victim to them when the animal is slain. After the cavalry had again formed in the rear of the infantry, the officer in command ordered a charge by the foot for the following day. If the attack had succeeded, the carnage would, indeed, have been terrific, for the troops were all eager to revenge the death of the Bedouin sheikh. But it was differently recorded in the book of fate. With the first dawn of morning the infantry were put in marching order for the ensuing storm, and the cavalry placed in reserve. The advance was now made, on the word of command, with the utmost caution, a few cannon balls having been first sent into the village without effect. All remained perfectly quiet, until the advanceguard of the storming party had reached the foot of the hill and prepared for action, when the negroes suddenly broke forth endeavouring to surround the enemy. The position of the Egyptians became now very critical, for bent upon the capture of this hill, they had overlooked two other villages flanking the one attacked, which were densely populated by negroes, who joined the besieged, and threw themselves with the whole strength of their united forces upon the troops. Not one man would have escaped, for enclosed in a narrow valley, and surrounded by hills, the infantry could scarcely move, and no assistance could be expected from the cavalry. The whole brigade, in fact, would have been lost, as the negroes gathered like a black cloud upon the hills, and poured down by hundreds upon the enemy; no troops could withstand their attack, for they rushed into battle with unparalleled frenzy, regardless of shot or bayonet, and used their spears with great dexterity. The commander of the Egyptian forces, however, betimes recognized the danger threatening his troops, and ordered a retreat; when the whole body fled in wild confusion from the vale of death. The cavalry was not behindhand in this movement, and thus the brigade never halted until it was fairly out of the dominions of the foe. Of a renewal of the attack there was now no idea; for nothing in the world can induce these heroes to repeat an advance where they have once been beaten. They know further that the negroes become almost invincible with success; while the musket and bayonet afford but slight advantage over the weapons of the blacks, for the wild inhabitants of the hills rush blindly to the charge, heedless of every wound. I myself had opportunities of convincing myself of the intrepidity of these men.
After the troops had again collected, order was once more restored, and the march was continued; in the course of a few days several hills were taken, and the prisoners duly forwarded to Lobeid. The expedition now moved in a southern direction from the Nuba mountains, towards a country inhabited by a different race of men. The tribe now attacked differs from the natives of Nuba, both in language and manners; they are easily recognized by the number of brass ear-rings, which they do not pass through the appendix of the ear, but wear in the upper part of the cartilage, by which means the whole ear is distorted, so that the superior portion covers the meatus. Almost all the men wear the tooth of some animal, one inch and a half to two inches in length, above their chin; it is passed through a hole in the under lip when they are very young, and acquires a firm adhesion with the integument. In their habits they differ but little from the other negro tribes, but it is rather remarkable that they do not, like the negroes, Turks, or Arabs, convey food to their mouths with their fingers, but make use of a shell, or piece of wood, shaped like a spoon, for this purpose. The dwelling place of this tribe was very advantageously situated on the summit of a hill, and very difficult of access; the commanding officer, therefore, on hearing that it was not supplied with water, to avoid a loss, decided upon surrounding the hill, and forcing the negroes by thirst to surrender. The siege lasted eight days, and the poor creatures, who felt themselves too weak for a sortie, had not a drop of water left on the fourth day, as was subsequently heard. The cattle was slain in the early part of the blockade to diminish the consumption of water; on the sixth day, several children and old people had perished of thirst; and on the seventh day the mortality became so frightful, that they determined to surrender. Several of them advised a sally, but exhausted as they were, they saw the futility of this movement; and when, on the eighth day, hundreds had fallen in the most fearful torments of unsatisfied thirst, and many of the negroes, in the horrors of despair, had put an end to their miseries by ripping open their abdomina with their double-edged knives, the small body of survivors delivered itself up to the enemy. Of more than two thousand souls, one thousand and forty-nine were only found living, the rest had all perished by thirst, or had committed suicide. On entering the village, the huts were seen filled with the dead, and the few unfortunate survivors were so exhausted by fatigue, and overpowered by thirst, that they could scarcely stand upon their feet; yet with blows with the butt-end of the musket, or with the whip, these poor wretches were driven from the huts, dragged into camp, with every description of cruelty, and thence despatched for Lobeid, on which march more than one hundred and fifty souls perished from ill-usage.
On the fourth day of the march of this transport, after the caravan had halted, and whilst the prisoners were forming detachments to take up their quarters for the night, it so happened that an aged woman, worn out with the fatigues of the long march, or overcome by the mental sufferings she had endured, was incapable of reaching the spot assigned to her with sufficient alacrity, and a barbarous Turk dealt her a blow with the butt end of his musket, which laid her nearly lifeless on the sand. Her son, who witnessed this gratuitous act of cruelty, no longer master of his feelings, rushed with fury towards the soldier, struck him a blow with the sheba round his neck, and felled him to the ground. This was the signal for attack; all the slaves, who bore a sheba, threw themselves upon the troops, and knocked them down, before they could take to their arms, or fix their bayonets; thus fifty-six negroes took to flight during the confusion in the camp, and aided by the darkness of night, succeeded in effecting their escape. The natives, attached to this transport, remained quiet spectators of the fray, a proof of the interest they feel in these sanguinary hunts.
The body of the expedition had, in the meantime, continued its march and taken another hill by storm,—but not without loss. This village was situated on a steep declivity, accessible only on the one side, and so well supplied with water that a blockade was out of the question. A storm was, therefore, commanded. On both sides, the men fought with desperate bravery. The storming party purchased dearly with their blood every inch of ground they advanced. The negroes had barricaded every accessible spot; each tree and every stone formed an ambush whence they rushed forth upon their enemies, who were scaling the heights under severe difficulties. The muskets were of no avail, for the soldiers were forced to creep upon their hands and feet and could not use their arms; thus, many were stabbed by the spears of the natives, before they could rise on their feet, and, in their fall, tore several of their advancing comrades down with them into the precipice and ravines below. The cannonade employed against the village was ineffective, and forced to be silenced to avoid injuring their own men. The struggle was fearful, and the event for some time doubtful, the soldiers, however, at last succeeded in obtaining a footing on the heights, and were able to employ their arms; the bayonet now decided the victory in their favour, and the village was soon taken, in spite of the most obstinate resistance on the part of the negroes. The havoc became frightful: everyone who offered the slightest resistance was cut down, children, women, and old men were put to the bayonet, the huts were fired, and the whole place was pillaged; in short, every species of cruelty was perpetrated on these ill-fated victims. Those who fell into the hands of the victorious enemy were immediately dragged down into the camp; whilst those who endeavoured to escape, by concealing themselves in caverns and ravines, were either hunted out by fire and smoke, or suffocated in their place of shelter; every description of atrocity was practised, nor did the carnage cease until the very last man of this ill-starred tribe was exterminated or led away in captivity. All the inconsiderable property of the natives which the troops could not carry away with them as plunder was destroyed, and the whole village sacked and levelled with the ground. These were not all the sufferings which fell to the lot of these unfortunate men, for severer tortures awaited them during their march to Kordofan. I was unfortunately, during some few days, an eye-witness of the misery these poor prisoners endured. No pen can describe the cruelties these miserable men were made to suffer, in addition to the mental torment consequent on their loss of freedom; for laden with the heavy sheba round their necks, or bound together with tight straps or handcuffs, the poor negroes were driven on like cattle, but treated with far less care or forbearance. The greater number of them, covered with the wounds they had received in battle, or excoriated by the sheba, or the straps, and handcuffs, were put to yet severer trials on the road, and, if too exhausted to keep pace with the transport, the most cruel punishment awaited them; the piercing cry of complaint of these unfortunate beings, and the tears and sobs of the children who had either lost their parents in the capture of the village, or were too tired to follow their exhausted mothers, would have melted a heart of stone to pity. On these ruthless executioners, however, even this scene of misery produces no effect; they march with unconcern by the side of the prisoners, and are only anxious to further the progress of the convoy, by urging on those who may be so weak that they cannot follow the rest with blows and stripes. As they dragged everyone away with them whom they found living, there was, of course, a large number of lame, blind, and old men, and persons afflicted with other infirmities, among the complement of slaves, who were sure to perish on the road, or who would be of no value on their arrival in Lobeid. But, even this circumstance was not deemed worthy of consideration; without mercy all were driven from their homes, and delivered up to their fate; for the sole object is, to furnish the number of slaves demanded by the government. Every morning, at about ten o’clock, a halt was ordered, whereupon the prisoners were formed according to their age into divisions, to receive their rations, consisting of boiled dokn. Salt was out of the question, and the dokn so hard that the full-grown men experienced difficulty in masticating it. Children, who are too weak in the jaw to reduce the grain, swallow it as they would pills, and are frequently put to the most excruciating agony in consequence; for, not being able to digest the food, their bodies swell, and they suffer from flatulence and spasm. I have seen mothers chewing the victuals for their children, and then offering it to them. In forming these detachments according to age, children who anxiously cling to their parents are torn by force from their arms, that they may eat alone. The condition of sick and wounded was not considered; their wounds were not even dressed, and they received the same allowance; many of them threw themselves on the sand, and, refusing all food, preferred to rest their weary limbs. When one of these poor wretches was so debilitated that it became a matter of doubt whether he could be dragged on any further, or when he was drawing his last breath, he was thrown, like a piece of wood, aside, either to languish in despair, or to be torn to pieces by the wild beasts. Bread is unheard of on these marches, although they have every convenience for baking; this would be too great a luxury, however, for the poor slaves, who must content themselves with food not even good enough for cattle.
As soon as the signal for the march was given, the slaves were forced to join their detachments, and, in case of delay for one minute only, the whip and butt-end of the musket were again at work. Old men and infirm women, bent down with the weight of years and care, who could scarcely creep along, suffered like treatment, and when too weak to move on were left to perish on the sand. Children were not allowed to take leave of their nearest relatives; a tear and a look of sorrow was the only tribute they could pay to the unfortunate beings delivered over to their doom. To prevent a father or a mother from perishing in this miserable manner, their wives or daughters, who were unfettered, would take one of these wretches between two of them, who, passing his arms round the neck of both, was thus dragged on, or even at times carried. Children above six years of age, or even at the age of four, were forced to walk; they also generally succumb to the fatigues of the march, and are then carried by their mothers or sisters. I have seen a mother with an infant on one arm, and a child of two years of age on the other, at last charge herself with a grown boy on her back, until she sank herself exhausted under this triple load.
The officers commanding on these expeditions are more especially to blame for the cruelty of the troops, for, riding at a distance in front, or in the rear of the transport, they do not trouble themselves about the condition of their prisoners, but leave them entirely to the mercy of a ruthless soldiery. If an officer of more feeling should happen to be in command, the circumstance is instantly known by the diminished mortality on the road. I once met with one of them who feelingly attended to the children and the sick; who ordered them to be mounted on the beasts of burden when too weak to proceed, and I saw him even take one or even two of the children on his own horse. This man may lay his head on his pillow in peace, free from the reproach of having augmented the sufferings of his unfortunate fellow-creatures, whilst many of his comrades must quail under the pangs of a guilty conscience for the fearful death of hundreds of human beings.
An hour before sunset a halt was again ordered, and rations of boiled dokn were once more served. But in the night the misery of the slaves reached its very climax. In the month of January, when the changes of temperature are ordinarily very perceptible, and the thermometer generally falls below 4° Reaumur (41° Fahrenheit), the cold is felt as severely as when at 4° or 5° below 0° of Reaumur (23° to 20, 75° Fahrenheit), in the northern parts of Germany. Imagine, now, the poor negroes in a state of absolute nudity, without the means of covering themselves, and debilitated by hunger and fatigue, when some idea may be formed of the sufferings they had to endure; fires were certainly lighted, but the scanty supply of wood rendered it impossible to defend these poor wretches from the effects of cold. The shrieks and sobs of the children, the cries of the wounded, and the groans of the sick, were perfectly horrifying, and in the morning an infant was once found dead and stiff with the cold at its mother’s breast. It is true that the negroes have no covering in their own villages beyond a girdle or a piece of linen passed round their loins, but then they lie at night in their huts, or cover themselves with the skins of animals, none of which they can find on their march. Those who wore the sheba could not sleep at night for pain, as it so severely compresses the neck that it impedes every movement, and thus not one man was free from suffering. A woman far advanced in pregnancy was delivered in the night without assistance. I gave the poor mother a shirt, in which she wrapped her infant, and thus safely carried it to Lobeid, and in compassion for her weak state I lent her my ass to ride. I am unequal to the task of narrating all the horrors I witnessed during the few days I attached myself to the convoy; no words are sufficiently expressive to describe the sufferings of the slaves, and no tongue can tell the painful sensations of a man of feeling who witnesses these atrocities. I did all in my power, with entreaties and presents, to make the troops, and the irregular natives forming the escort, more compassionate, and thus many a man was induced to take a child who could not move its jaded feet along the burning sand upon his back, or to relieve a mother exhausted by its weight, and carry it during the whole of the day. Unfortunately, however, I was not able to put a stop to all acts of cruelty, and was forced on one occasion to see an unfeeling soldier fell a man to the ground with the butt-end of his musket because unable to keep pace with the rest: his feet, in fact, refused their office: he had been wounded in that part during the siege, the wound had inflamed, and the pain had quite overpowered him. I lost all command of my feelings on witnessing this brutal act, drew my sword, and should have cut down the inhuman barbarian, if my servant had not seized my arm and wrested my sword and pistols from my hand; nor did he return my arms to me before he saw that my passion had cooled. On the eighth day the expedition arrived at Lobeid. The distribution, described in the former chapter, now took place, and this is, properly speaking, the chief cause of the harsh and merciless behaviour of the soldiery towards the slaves; for they know, that they will be compelled to receive them in liquidation of their arrears of pay, at a value far above the price they will obtain from the slave-merchants; that the slaves, moreover, frequently die before they can dispose of them, in which case the loss falls upon them, and they must serve the government for months gratuitously. Hence they do all in their power to rid themselves of the old and infirm slaves before they reach Lobeid, in order to avoid the inconvenience of being forced to take one of these men in lieu of their pay. If the payment of the troops in the Belled-Soodan were effected in cash, as it is in the other provinces, I am convinced that the unfortunate slaves would meet with more humane treatment. But thanks to the noble Queen Victoria of England, whose eye of compassion has penetrated into these distant realms, and cheered the hearts of the dejected and oppressed inhabitants,—at whose earnest representations, in fine, these slave-hunts have been put an end to by Mehemed Ali himself,—thousands of these poor negroes, who from year to year trembled under the fear of a similar fate, may now live in peace and tranquillity; and the prayers of the emancipated, offered up to the throne of the Almightly for this truly great monarch cannot fail to reward her humanity by a prosperous and happy reign. According to reports from Kordofan, no expedition for kidnapping slaves was ordered in the year 1839, and the troops were paid in cash; but those, unfortunately, of 1840 and 1841 sound very differently, for Mehemed Ali, in spite of his solemn promise to put an end to all further slave-hunts, had again commenced these revolting expeditions.
During my residence in Kordofan, I enjoyed the opportunity of coming in contact with persons who had travelled over the greater part of the South-east and South-west of Africa, and who were able to give me information on many points hitherto subjected to doubt. These were in part Djelabi (merchants), in part Takruri (pilgrims). My chief object in making these inquiries, was to obtain an authentic account of the course of the White Nile, but I was unable to gain satisfactory information for a length of time, and nearly despaired of ever arriving at my end; for the men who travelled in the countries through which this river flows, were partly too deeply engaged in their own business to attend to matters of little or no importance to them, or were such from whose statements no certain conclusions could be deduced. At last, however, I became acquainted with a negro from Runga, who had spent three years of his life in Europe, and then returned to his native country. A lengthened intercourse with this man convinced me that he had enjoyed the opportunity of learning more than his countrymen, and had profited by it, and was, moreover, not addicted to falsehood, as the natives are, almost without exception. He had visited his fatherland after three years of absence, and had made various journeys into other countries. I thought, therefore, that he would be the best man to apply to for information on the course of the White Nile; I found him both intelligent and willing, and obtained the following description, which appears to me most worthy of credence:—
The Bahr-Abiad, or White Nile, flows through Runga, a country situated to the south of Darfour, to which kingdom it is tributary. The river is said to be very broad, but by no means deep, and even fordable by men or cattle. During the dry season, it is not navigable throughout, for in certain spots there is not enough water to float a boat, and the natives are only in few places provided with rafts. From Runga its course is directed towards Bakkara, then towards the country of the Jenky, Dynke, or Denkani, where it is said to receive a tributary stream, of whose course I could obtain no further information. After flowing through the country of the Jenky and Shilluks, the Bahr-Abiad is said to enter Sennaar, where it unites with the Blue Nile, near Khartoom. As I was more anxious to know the course of the river before it reaches Runga, my friend, the negro, introduced me to several of his acquaintances, natives of those countries, which are watered by this stream, and from this source I learnt that it flows through Binga, Wuanga, Gulla, and Banda. I conversed with two or three persons on this subject, two of them natives of Bornu, and the third a native of Binga, who had resided during five years in the former state, and they all coincided in that statement, that a river flows through the country, named in their language the Gazelle-stream, because its water is as pure and transparent as that of springs. They could not tell me its source; but all agreed that it takes its course towards Banda, where it is named the White River, from the colour it assumes, dependent on the nature of the soil through which it flows. I also received intelligence of certain Egyptian antiquities, standing in the desert, between Kordofan and Darfour, at Cab-Belull,[90] a place situated at a distance of two days’ march from Caccie, on the borders of Kordofan. Doum-palms grow by the side of the ruins, and in the dry season water is to be found at a distance of eight miles from the spot. This place is very little known in Kordofan even, for no road passes through the neighbourhood. My informant was a Djelabi (merchant), who, on his return from Darfour, had been compelled to make a considerable circuit to avoid a horde of robbers, and had encamped at Cab-Belull. His camel-drivers, who were Kubbabeesh, were acquainted with this spot, and had frequently, on their former journeys, driven their beasts to this place for pasture. I conclude the ruins to be Egyptian antiquities, as the merchant compared them with those at Luxor, with which he was also acquainted. They are said to consist of large portals, and high walls; some few colossal figures in stone are also reported to be there met with, but the greater part of them is buried in the sands. The Djelabi brought a few camel-drivers to me, who had a knowledge of that neighbourhood, for I had made up my mind to visit the place, but unforeseen circumstances subsequently prevented me from carrying this design into effect.
On the hills, in the neighbourhood of Banda, a race of people dwell, quite uncivilized in manner, warlike and predatory in habit: the enemy, and even the terror, of all the bordering negro tribes. They are of a white complexion, like the Arabs in Egypt, of regular feature, well-grown, and have large blue eyes. They are called by the negroes, Bandanianiam (Anthropophagi), and are said to be of Jewish extraction. The Sultan of Banda institutes hunts to kidnap the girls of this tribe, and Sultan Mohammed Fadel, of Darfour, has a few of them in his harem.
The realms of Darfour, one of the most extensive dominions of central Africa, and totally unknown in its interior, consist of the following countries, partly provinces of the kingdom, and partly tributaries to that throne: Darfur, Runga,[92] Shala, Gulla, Binga,[93] Bergu,[94] the latter was conquered by the Sultan of Darfour, in the year 1833, and includes the small provinces of Bachermi,[95] Kugo, and Niero; and further, the small, but independent states of Berti, Domurky, Birget, Gimmer, Fellata, Forga, and Bandala. Gimir, Sachaua, Bego, Yambusa, Dama, Masalit, and Midol, are small republics, which formerly had no superiors beyond a magistrate, or sheikh, in each village, who exerted no executive power, but was obeyed as the head of a family.
All these states were subjected to Darfour by force of arms. Their respective sultans inherit the right of throne as heretofore, but are now tributaries to that country; the contribution consists of ivory, rhinoceros’ horns, white copper, gold, and slaves. The seraskier, or general, who resides at Shata or Deleb, is forced to levy the tribute; and detachments of troops are continually on foot in the various districts, engaged in collecting the taxation, for which purpose they are always obliged to resort to coercive measures. The army consists of irregular troops armed with shield and spear, and some few with bows and arrows. The cavalry are provided with very hardy horses, and armed with double-edged sabres, which they obtain from Germany; they are, in part, clad like the old Numidian horse in shirts of mail, purchased at large sums in Arabia; so high, indeed, is the price of this armour, that it might be manufactured in Germany at one fourth of the cost. There are only about four hundred muskets, of various shapes and sizes, in the whole army; their balls they cast of copper. At El Fasher, the capital of Darfour, four iron cannons are mounted. Dar-Marra, a large hill, situated at a distance of two short days’ journey from El Fasher, is considered the fort of Darfour, and is believed to be impregnable, as it has a never-failing supply of water, and if besieged, might grow sufficient corn for the consumption of the garrison. The army of Darfour, has, at various times, ventured as far as Banda,[96] Wuanga, and Pegu, but was always beaten back with considerable loss. Mohammed Fadel, Sultan of Darfour, is the present despotic monarch reigning over all these countries; he is an exceedingly barbarous man, greatly dreaded by all his subjects, and has merely kept himself in power by his considerable irregular army. His younger brothers, Abumedina and Achmet, who are both beloved by the people, he, on that account, bitterly hates, and consequently treats them more harshly than slaves. When his oppressive cruelty became too severe to be endured, they determined, with the aid of a few trustworthy friends, to effect their escape to Kordofan, their flight was, however, discovered, and Sultan Fadel had them pursued; they were overtaken on the borders of Kordofan, and the youngest was, after some slight resistance, seized and carried before his brother Fadel, who instantly had his eyes put out. A fleet horse saved Abumedina, and he reached Kordofan, after having received a severe sabre wound across his head in his defence; he now placed himself under the protection of Mehemed Ali, who instantly made him a monthly allowance. On his last journey to the gold-mines of Fazoglo, in Sennaar, Mehemed Ali summoned Abumedina into his presence, and promised to place him on the throne of Darfour, as soon as his own affairs with the Porte were settled; for which kind office Abumedina is to pay an annual tribute to Egypt of a thousand horses, ivory, and white copper; the exact quantity of the latter articles was not determined, but he is to keep the Egyptian auxiliaries in his pay as long as he may deem their services necessary.
Should his wishes of rising to the throne of Darfûr be fulfilled, as he confidently hopes, Europeans would gain considerably by this change in the government, for it would open a new path into the unexplored portions of Central Africa; and much good may be, moreover, expected from his very excellent character. He has often told me himself, that he would receive an European, who would occupy himself with the civilization of his people, with open arms.[97]
The following short anecdote may serve as a proof of the kindness of his disposition, and of the nobleness of his character.
During my sojourn in Lobeid, I had the opportunity of an introduction to Abumedina: he received my visit with great kindness and attention, and I passed for a considerable time some hours daily in his company.[98] Among my effects there happened to be a gun in the form of a walking-stick, which Abumedina very much wished to possess, when he learned the use of it. At his request, but rather as a mark of my esteem, I gave it to him, with instructions as to the treatment of it, in loading, &c., and I more especially drew his attention to the quantity of powder necessary for the charge. A short time after this, Abumedina went out shooting, at his country-seat, and overcharged the gun, which of course burst and in the explosion very much shattered his left hand. His attendants laid the blame of this accident upon me, and requested the sultan to punish me for it. Apprehensive of the consequences, I fled, and concealed myself in the house of a fakeér, who was my friend, and from whom I had no treachery to fear. I there heard that the Divan at Lobeid had instituted proceedings at law against me, but that Abumedina had taken my defence upon himself, and torn the papers, saying, “Pallme is my friend! he cautioned me; he is innocent; it was the will of God.” After passing ten days in a dark and damp straw hut, in the greatest anxiety, I preferred continuing my flight, although I had nothing further to fear from Abumedina. I consequently proceeded straightway to the White Nile, and thence to Sennaar, whence I travelled over Berber, and the desert, to Egypt. By the time I had passed the first cataract, all my cares were dissipated, and I was walking one day on the banks of the Nile, at Sijuth, when I suddenly heard a negro calling me by my name, at a short distance from me. I turned round, and immediately recognized Abumedina’s eunuch. This rencontre appeared to me, at the moment, rather suspicious; I quickened my pace, therefore, towards my boat, to reach my arms, and defend myself, if necessary; nor could the eunuch induce me to follow him; but then came one of the Sultan’s mamelukes, in whom I could place more confidence; I consequently accompanied him to the boat belonging to the prince, where I was most cordially welcomed. The Sultan had all my luggage removed to his boat, and I travelled in his company to Cairo, where he waits for the twelve thousand men, which Mehemed Ali has promised to lend him, for the purpose of conquering Darfour,[99] as soon as circumstances will permit him to spare as many troops.
THE END.
London:
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