Part 28
At the head of the troop, as having supplied the place of his master during his absence, in his character of lieutenant-governor, rode the kadamánge, surrounded by a troop of horsemen. Then followed the bárma, behind whom was carried a long spear of peculiar make, which in the history of this country forms a very conspicuous object, being meant originally to represent an idol, which is said to have been transplanted from the parent state Kénga Matáya, and evidently bore a great resemblance to the “féte” of the Marghí and Músgu. Just in front of the sultan rode the fácha, or commander-in-chief, who is the second person in the kingdom, similar to the keghámma in the old empire of Bórnu, and who in former times possessed extraordinary power. The sultan himself wore a yellow bernús, and was mounted upon a grey charger, the excellence of which was scarcely to be distinguished, it being dressed in war-cloth, or líbbedí, of various-coloured stripes, such as I have described on my expedition to Músgu. Even the head of the sultan himself was scarcely to be seen, not only on account of the horsemen riding in front and around him, but more particularly owing to two umbrellas, the one of green and the other of red colour, which a couple of slaves carried on each side of him.
Six slaves, their right arm clad in iron, were fanning him with ostrich feathers attached to long poles; and round about him rode five chieftains, while on his right were seen the ghelétma and other principal men of the country. This whole group round the prince formed such a motley array, that it was impossible to distinguish all the
## particular features with accuracy; but, as far as I was able to make out
from the description of the natives, there were about thirty individuals clad in bernúses, while the others wore nothing but black or blue- coloured shirts, and had their heads mostly uncovered. Close behind this group followed the war-camel, upon which was mounted the drummer, “kodgánga,” who was exerting his skill upon two kettle-drums which were fastened on each side of the animal; and near him rode three musicians, two of whom carried a bukí, “kája,” or small horn, and the third a jójo or “zózo,” a sort of double derabúka.
However grotesque the appearance of the royal cavalcade, that part of the procession which followed was more characteristic of the barbaric magnificence, and whole manner of living, of these African courts. It consisted of a long uniform train of forty-five favourite female slaves, or concubines, “habbabát,” of the sultan, mounted on horseback, and dressed from top to toe in black native cloth, each having a slave on either side. The procession terminated in a train of eleven camels carrying the luggage. The number of the infantry or “malajá” was also limited, as most of them had returned to their respective homes. But, on the other hand, almost all the people of the town had come out to see the victorious army on their return.
This day, however, the sultan did not enter the capital, but, in conformity with the sacred custom of the kings of this country on their return from an expedition, was obliged to encamp among the ruins of the oldest quarter on the west side of the town; and it was not until Sunday the 4th day of July, about noon, that he made his solemn entry. This time, however, the “habbabát” did not form part of the procession, having entered the town early in the morning; but their absence was atoned for by the presence of a greater number of horsemen, and behind the drummer on camel’s back followed an interesting warlike train, consisting of fifteen fiery chargers, all clad in líbbedí, and better adapted, it would seem, to the serious game of Mars, than the train of lovely damsels.
On this occasion, the bánga led in his triumphant procession seven pagan chiefs, amongst whom that of Gógomi was the most conspicuous person, and the greatest ornament of the triumph, being not less remarkable for his tall, stately figure than on account of his having been the ruler of a considerable pagan state, with a capital in an almost inaccessible position. He excited the interest of the savage and witty Bagírmi people, by submitting with a great deal of good humour to his fate, which was certainly not very enviable, as it is the custom in this country either to kill or to emasculate these princely prisoners, after having conducted them for some time through all the court-yards of the palace, while allowing the wives and female slaves of the sultan to indulge their capricious and wanton dispositions in all sorts of fun with them. The horrible custom of castration is perhaps in no country of Central Negroland practised to such an extent as in Bagírmi.
The booty in slaves did not seem to have been very considerable, although the prince had been absent from home for six months; and the whole share of the sultan himself seemed to consist of about four hundred individuals. The sultan passed slowly through the town, along the principal road from the western gate, and, proceeding along the “déndal,” or “bokó,” entered his palace amid the acclamations of the people and the clapping of hands (the “kabéllo” or “tófaji,” as it is here called) of the women.
[Illustration: Drawn by J. M. Bernatz, from a Sketch by Dr. Barth.
M. & N. Hanhart, lith. et impt.
MÁS-EÑA.
return of the Sultan from the expedition.July 4th. 1852.]
Although I had not yet paid my compliments to the bánga, he sent two messengers in the afternoon to bid me welcome. These messengers were the brother and son of one of the chief men of the country, with the title or name “Máina Beládemí,” who was a sort of consul of Bórnu, and was represented to me by all the people as one of the most intelligent men in the country. However, he had returned in a bad state of health, and, unfortunately for me, succumbed in a few days.
I informed the messengers of the prince how badly I had been treated, when they assured me that the sultan did not know anything about it, and that as soon as he had received the news of my arrival he had forwarded orders to the lieutenant-governor to provide me with a milch-cow. The messengers then went away, and soon returned with a sheep, some butter, and a large supply of kréb, the seed of a sort of grass of which I have spoken on former occasions.
The next morning I went to pay a visit to Máina, being accompanied by my old runaway guide Gréma ʿAbdú, who, after having left me to my own fate in Bákadá had gone to join the sultan in the expedition. However, the place where the sick man was lying was so dark that, convinced as I was of the seriousness of his illness, I found a pretext for not giving him any medicine; and this was very lucky for me, as his death, which took place a few days afterwards, would certainly have been attributed by these savage people to my remedies.
The same evening I was informed that an express messenger had come from Kúkawa with despatches for me, the caravan from Fezzán having at length arrived. But having been repeatedly disappointed by similar reports, I did not give myself up to vain expectation, and passed a very tranquil night.
Thus arrived the 6th of July, one of the most lucky days of my life; for having been more than a year without any means whatever, and struggling with my fate, in the endeavour to do as much as possible before I returned home, I suddenly found myself authorized to carry out the objects of this expedition on a more extensive scale, and found sufficient means placed at my disposal for attaining that object. The messenger, however, managed his business very cleverly; for having two large parcels of letters for me, one only containing despatches from the Foreign Office, and the other containing a large amount of private correspondence, he brought me first the former, which had been very carefully packed up in Kúkawa, in a long strip of fine cotton (gábagá), and then sewn in red and yellow leather, without saying a word about the other parcel; but when I had read at my leisure the despatches which honoured me with the confidence of Her Britannic Majesty’s government, and had rewarded his zeal with a new shirt, he went away, and soon returned with the second parcel, and a packet containing ten túrkedí, native cotton cloth, from Kanó, which at Mr. Overweg’s request the vizier of Bórnu had sent me, and three of which I immediately presented to the messenger and his two companions.
The number of private letters from England, as well as from Germany, was very considerable; and all of them contained the acknowledgment of what I had done, the greatest recompense which a traveller in these regions can ever aspire to. No doubt the responsibility also thus thrown upon me was very great, and the conclusion at which I had arrived from former experience, that I should not be able to fulfil the many exaggerated expectations which were entertained of my future proceedings, was oppressive; for, in almost all the letters from private individuals, there was expressed the persuasion that I and my companion should be able, without any great exertion, and in a short space of time, to cross the whole of the unknown region of equatorial Africa, and reach the south-eastern coast,—an undertaking the idea of which certainly I myself had originated, but which, I had become convinced in the course of my travels, was utterly impossible, except at the sacrifice of a great number of years, for which I found the state of my health entirely insufficient, besides a body of trustworthy and sincerely attached men, and a considerable supply of means. Moreover I found, to my surprise and regret, that the sum of 800_l._ placed at my disposal by Lord Palmerston remained a dead letter, none of the money having been forwarded from Tripoli,—a sum of about fifteen hundred dollars, which had been previously sent, being regarded as sufficient.
In this perplexity, produced by nothing but goodwill and a superabundance of friendly feeling, I was delighted to find that Her Majesty’s government, and Lord Palmerston in particular[45], held out a more practicable project by inviting me to endeavour to reach Timbúktu. To this plan, therefore, I turned my full attention, and in my imagination dwelt with delight upon the thought of succeeding in the field of the glorious career of Mungo Park.
For the present, however, I was still in Bagírmi, that is to say, in a country where, under the veil of Islám, a greater amount of superstitious ideas prevail than in many of the pagan countries; and I was revelling in the midst of my literary treasures, which had just carried me back to the political and scientific domains of Europe, and all the letters from those distant regions were lying scattered on my simple couch, when all of a sudden one of my servants came running into my room, and hastily informed me that a numerous _cortége_ of messengers had just arrived from court.
I had scarcely time to conceal my treasure under my mat when the courtiers arrived; and in a few moments my room was filled with black people and black tobes. The messengers who had brought me the letters, had likewise been the bearers of a letter addressed by the ruler of Bórnu to the bánga of Bagírmi, who in a certain respect was tributary to him, requesting him to allow me to return without delay to his country, in the company of the messengers. There were some twenty persons, besides the lieutenant-governor or kadamánge, and the two relations of Máina; and the manner in which they behaved was so remarkable, that I was almost afraid lest I should be made prisoner a second time. There could be no doubt that they had heard of the large correspondence which I had received. But there had been moreover a great deal of suspicion, from my first arrival, that I was a Turkish spy. There was even a pilgrim who, from his scanty stock of geographical and ethnological knowledge, endeavoured to persuade the people that I was an “Arnaut,” who, he said, were the only people in the world that wore stockings. Be this as it may, the courtiers were afraid of coming forward abruptly with the real object of their visit, and at first pretended they wished to see the presents that I had brought for the sultan. These consisted of a caftan of red cloth, of good quality, which I had bought in Tripoli for nine dollars; a repeater watch, from Nuremberg, bought for ten dollars, with a twisted silk guard of Tripolitan workmanship; a shawl, with silk border; an English knife and pair of scissors; cloves, and a few other things. The watch, of course, created the greatest astonishment, as it was in good repair at the time, although it was a pity that we had not been provided with good English manufactures, but had been left to pick up what articles we might think suitable to our purpose.
Having also asked to see my telescope, which of course could only increase their surprise and astonishment, they then, after a great deal of beckoning and whispering among each other, which made me feel rather uneasy, requested to see the book in which I wrote down everything I saw and heard. Without hesitation I took out my memorandum-book and showed it to them; but I had first to assert its identity. In order to allay their suspicions, I spontaneously read to them several passages from it which referred to the geography and ethnography of the country; and I succeeded in making them laugh and become merry, so that they even added some names where my lists were deficient. They then begged me to allow them to take the book to the sultan; and I granted their request without hesitation.
This frankness of mine completely baffled the intrigues of my enemies, and allayed the suspicions of the natives; for they felt sure that, if I had any evil intention in writing down an account of the country, I should endeavour to do all in my power to conceal what I had written.
Thus they departed, carrying with them my journal; and I was informed afterwards that the sultan had then sent for all the learned men in the town, in order to hear their opinion upon my book. And it was perhaps fortunate for me that the principal among them was my friend Sámbo, who, being well acquainted with my scientific pursuits, represented my notes as a very innocent and merely scientific matter. My journal, which no one was able to read, was consequently returned to me uninjured. In the afternoon my friend Sámbo called upon me, and related to me the whole story: he also informed me that the only reason why I had not obtained an audience with the sultan this day was the above-mentioned letter of the sheikh of Bórnu, which had in a certain degree offended their feelings of independence; and in fact I did not obtain an audience until the 8th.
[Sidenote: July 8th.]
I had just sent word to Sámbo, begging him to hasten my departure, and had received a visit from some friends of mine, when Gréma ʿAbdú came, with a servant of the sultan, in order to conduct me into his presence, whereupon I sent to Sámbo, as well as to my host Bú-Bakr of Bákadá, who was just then present in the town, inviting them to accompany me to the prince. On arriving at the palace, I was led into an inner courtyard, marked _d_ in the ground-plan, where the courtiers were sitting on either side of a door which led into an inner apartment, the opening or doorway of which was covered by a “kasár” or, as it is called here, “párpara,” made of a fine species of reed, as I have mentioned in my description of the capital of Logón. In front of the door, between the two lines of the courtiers, I was desired to sit down, together with my companions.
Being rather puzzled to whom to address myself, as no one was to be seen who was in any way distinguished from the rest of the people, all the courtiers being simply dressed in the most uniform style, in black, or rather blue tobes, and all being bare-headed, I asked aloud, before beginning my address, whether the sultan ʿAbd el Káder was present; and an audible voice answered from behind the screen, that he was present. Being then sure that it was the sultan whom I addressed, although I should have liked better to have seen him face to face, I paid him my respects and presented the compliments of Her Britannic Majesty’s government, which, being one of the chief European powers, was very desirous of making acquaintance with all the princes of the earth, and of Negroland also, in order that their subjects, being the first traders in the world, might extend their commerce in every direction. I told him that we had friendship and treaties with almost all the nations of the earth, and that I myself was come in order to make friendship with them; for although they did not possess many articles of trade to offer, especially as we abhorred the slave-trade, yet we were able to appreciate their ivory, and even if they had nothing to trade with, we wanted to be on good terms with all princes. I told him, moreover, that we were the best of friends with the sultan of Stambúl, and that all who were acquainted with us knew very well that we were excellent people, trustworthy, and full of religious feelings, who had no other aim but the welfare of mankind, universal intercourse, and peaceable interchange of goods. I protested that we did not take notes of the countries which we visited with any bad purpose, but merely in order to be well acquainted with their government, manners, and customs, and to be fully aware what articles we might buy from, and what articles we might sell to them. Thus already “Ráís Khalíl” (Major Denham) had formed, I said, the design of paying his compliments to his (the sultan’s) father, but that the hostile relations which prevailed at that time between Bagírmi and Bórnu had prevented him from executing his plan, when he had reached Logón, and that, from the same motives, I had now come for no other purpose than the benefit of his country; but that, nevertheless, notwithstanding my best intentions, I had been illtreated by his own people, as they had not been acquainted with my real character. I stated that it had been my ardent desire to join him on the expedition, in order to see him in the full exercise of his power, but that his people had not allowed me to carry out my design.
The whole of my speech, which I made in Arabic, was translated, phrase for phrase, by my blind friend Sámbo, who occasionally gave me a hint when he thought I spoke in too strong terms. The parcel containing my presents was then brought forward, and placed before me, in order that I might open it myself and explain the use of each article.
While exhibiting the various articles, I did not neglect to make the watch strike repeatedly, which created the greatest astonishment and surprise among the spectators, who had never seen or heard anything like it. I then added, in conclusion, that it was my sincere wish, after having remained in this country nearly four months, confined and watched like a prisoner, to return to Kúkawa without any further delay, as I had a great deal of business there, and at the present moment was entirely destitute of means; but that if he would guarantee me full security, and if circumstances should permit, I myself, or my companion, would return at a later period. Such a security having been promised to me, and the whole of my speech having been approved of, I went away.
I had scarcely returned to my quarters when the two relations of Máina Beládemí, Máina Kánadí and Sabún, called upon me, with a very mysterious countenance, and, after some circumlocution, made known the grave errand upon which they had been sent, which was to ask whether I had not a cannon with me; and when I expressed my astonishment at their thinking I was supplied with such an article, while my whole luggage was carried on the back of one weak she-camel, they stated that the sultan was at least anxious to know whether I was not able to manufacture one myself. Having professed my inability to do so, they went away, but returned the next day, with many compliments from their master, who, they said, was anxious that I should accept from his hands a handsome female slave, of whose charms they gave a very eloquent description, and that it was also his intention to furnish me with a camel, and provide me with two horsemen who should escort me back to Bórnu. I told them that, although sensible of my solitary situation, I could not accept such a thing as a slave from the sultan, and that I did not care about anything else but permission to depart, except that I should feel obliged to him if he would give me a few specimens of their manufactures. They then promised that the next day I should have another audience with the sultan; and they kept their word.
This time also I was only able to address the sultan without seeing him, when I repeated my request that he would allow me to depart without any further delay, as I had most urgent business in Kúkawa; but I received the answer that, although the road was open to me, the sultan, as the powerful ruler of a mighty kingdom, could not allow me to depart empty- handed. I then, in order to further my request, presented him with a small telescope, in the use of which I instructed his people. Having returned to my quarters, I assured my friends, who came to inform me that it was the sultan’s intention to make me a splendid present in return for those I had given him, that I did not care for anything except a speedy return to Bórnu, as there was no prospect that I should be allowed to penetrate further eastward. But all my protests proved useless, as these people were too little acquainted with the European character, and there were too many individuals who, if I myself did not care about getting anything, were anxious to obtain something for themselves; I was therefore obliged to abandon myself to patience and resignation.