Chapter IV (2)

Belford now began to contrive the coach in question, and out of an old Shiblia and some boxes, he made a body, six feet in length, three in breadth, and four in height. This he covered over like a higgler’s cart, with an arched top, having a door open behind, by which a person could easily get in; but Mukni finding he could squeeze himself into a smaller compass, had it reduced in such a way, as to render it necessary for him to be pushed in and shot out like a sack of coals. The body being completed, and springs being out of the question, it was mounted on two strong poles, which did duty as shafts; and to these were fixed two wheels from one of the field-pieces, so that the carriage stood at about three feet from the ground. The Sultan never for a moment quitted the place where Belford was at work, and was all delight at the progress which he made. Numbers of people came to see it, and many asked if that was the kind of vehicle in which our King and his wives used to ride. I was frequently puzzled how to answer; for to say the truth, though Belford, considering his want of materials, had done wonders, it very much resembled one of those little market carts which are dragged about London by donkies. It soon, however, lost that appearance, by being covered with a splendid hood of scarlet cloth, and having a bed laid inside of it. The shafts, body, and wheels were painted green, though not very durably. The Sultan had some verdigris, which he had brought from Tripoli; part of this was mixed with olive oil, which, not drying, was scraped off, but the rest being prepared with vinegar, formed a wash which answered his fondest expectations. The carriage was now as gaudy as the Sultan could wish, and he was the sole and happy possessor of it; but a serious inconvenience soon presented itself: the coach was not large enough to allow of a place for a driver, and his horses were too spirited to be trusted alone with such a small state-carriage. After devising many plans to remedy the defect, we found we had but one expedient left, which was to convert the vehicle into a gig. Accordingly, a jack of all trades, who was a very ingenious fellow, made, by my directions, a set of harness tolerably well, except that the little pad on the horse’s back weighed above fifty pounds. This, however, was soon reduced; but when the animal was put into the shafts, we discovered that the carriage was so low as to form an angle of at least twenty-five degrees with the ground. The Sultan’s head would consequently be about a foot lower than his feet; but as he intended at any rate sitting with his face to the horse, he thought nothing of this inconvenience.

His Majesty indulged himself with many rides in the space near the Castle, and in one instance through the town, the coach being drawn by slaves. He, however, at last determined to venture a ride into the country with the horse to draw him. The animal being put into the vehicle, and led slowly through one little gate to where Mukni stood, made an attempt to run through another to his stable; the man who led him being frightened, suffered him to set off at full speed. The gate brought him up, one of the wheels knocking down the gate-post and part of the wall, but the carriage itself remained undamaged. This proof of its great strength quite charmed every one, and it was at last decided that a large saddle should be put on the horse, and that Baba Ismael, the Turkish cannoneer, should ride him, and direct the whole machine. Mukni, by way of showing his approbation of Belford’s talents, gave him seven dollars, which he brought home to us in triumph, and which really saved us when on the very brink of starvation. This piece of good luck was soon followed by another, for within a day or two afterwards I managed to sell a saddle for eight dollars to a Tibboo.

Mr. Ritchie again got a little better by the middle of the month, but continued so very silent and low spirited, that we feared he would soon relapse.

Some Kafflés of the Tibboo now came in with slaves, and our horses having got a little more into condition, owing to the great cheapness of the dates at harvest time, we made many attempts to sell them. From my having sent a bill to the Consul, we soon expected money, and Mr. Ritchie empowered me, in the meantime, to dispose of one of our horses. Accordingly, after a good deal of manœuvring, I succeeded in getting the Tibboo to come and examine them, the Sultan having given us leave to sell them if we could. I often drenched the horses with water when they were not thirsty to increase their size, and to improve their appearance, and at length sold a grey horse, given by the Bashaw to Mr. Ritchie, for seventy dollars, twenty of which, with a negress, valued at thirty-two, were paid us on taking the animal away; the remainder was to be given us when the man had sold his slaves. We sent the girl, who was a native of Mandra in Bornou, and about thirteen years of age, to Hadje Mahmoud’s daughters, until she was able to cook for us. Mr. Ritchie was witness with Belford to my liberating her in due form from slavery; but as we were much in want of a servant, it was settled that she was not to return to her native country, my ticket of freedom being only to prevent all chance of her being sold.

We economised, as well as we could, our small allowance of money, which, however, soon became much reduced, as we had incurred many debts, which we now punctually paid. We laid in a stock of corn, which for a time afforded us a secure resource. Within the last two or three months we frequently had passed a whole day without food.

Belford and I fell ill about this period, and were both confined to our beds; he with a bilious fever, and I with severe pains in my back and head, which frequently caused delirium. I had repeated attacks of ague and fever (called Hemma by the natives) from the beginning of August, generally about three times a week, and sometimes more frequently, which had much weakened me, and brought on a decided liver complaint, as well as an affection of the spleen. Fortunately, however, my spirits were good, or I must have sunk under so many attacks. In this month about twenty Tripoli merchants died from the effects of climate, bad water, and the want of nourishing food; even many of the natives were very ill, and it was quite rare to see a healthy looking person. I remained a week in bed, and arose from it quite a skeleton; Belford was still in a very dangerous state.

_Drawn from Life by G. F. Lyon._

_On Stone by M. Gauci._

NEGRESSES OF SOUDAN.

_London. Published by J. Murray Albemarle St. Feb.1.1821._

_C. Hullmandel’s Lithography._]

One night, as we were all sitting pensively on our mat, our friend Yussuf, the Mamluke, came in, and addressing Mr. Ritchie, said,

“Yussuf, you and Saïd are my friends; Mukni has behaved to you as he has done to us, and hopes you may die that he may secure to himself all your goods. You seem very melancholy, and never speak; answer me one question, do you want money?” Mr. Ritchie having acknowledged that he did, Yussuf rejoined, “I do not myself possess any, but I will go and borrow some for you: how much do you require?” Twenty dollars being the sum named by Mr. Ritchie, our kind friend went out, and soon after returned, bringing us thirty! an act of generosity so unlooked for, that we were wholly incapable of thanking him as he deserved. This seasonable supply enabled us to buy good food, and to make some amends for our late privations. We soon became in better health, and Mr. Ritchie’s spirits began to brighten up.

Belford, on his recovery, assisted me to make a little flag-staff with a topmast, on which we placed rigging and a small vane instead of colours, Mr. Ritchie not wishing to hoist our little union jack. This contrivance brought us many visitors, who were much entertained at seeing the vane turn round; but the greatest part of them hinted pretty plainly, that we must be fools for wishing to see what quarter the wind came from, which they could not possibly imagine to be of the least consequence to us. At this season, Scorpions were very numerous in all the houses, and I think more particularly so in ours. I had acquired, at Tripoli, a knack of catching without receiving harm from them, and in consequence had the credit of possessing a charm against them; however, I once received a very severe sting. When going to sit down on our mat, I inadvertently put my hand, it being dark, on a small scorpion, which instantly stung me. Aware of what it was, I procured a light, and hastened with a lancet, to cut to the bone and to suck out the blood: Mr. Ritchie then burnt a deep hole with caustic. The pain remained very acute for some time, and my right side felt rather paralysed; but, owing to the precautions which I had taken, I passed a good night, and the next morning found no inconvenience except a little swelling, and the usual soreness attendant on a burn. Many instances are known of children dying of the sting in three days.

There is a little reptile found in the sand here, called Aselis; it somewhat resembles a lizard in form, and has the power, when alarmed, of instantly burying itself in the sand. If one is thrown down from the hand, it sinks so perpendicularly on the spot where it falls, that it can immediately be found again. These little creatures are eagerly bought by the girls and married women, for the purpose of ascertaining how many children they shall have. By stretching them, the spine will immediately crack, and the women most religiously believe, that for every sound they shall bear a child.

The reptiles are few, and consist of lizards, and small snakes, some of a venemous kind, called El Effa. Scorpions and spiders are also very numerous; one of the latter being of an immense size, and called Agrab el riahh عقرب الريح or scorpion of the wind, from its great swiftness in running; its bite is venomous, but not dangerously so. There is a large species of lizard called Warral, which is about thirty inches long from the nose to the tip of the tail; it is very fierce, and when it bites, never relinquishes its hold until it dies, or has its mouth forcibly opened. We had one which kept a piece of rope in its mouth for four or five days, and in that state died. A blow from the tail of this reptile, which it uses like a whip, is much dreaded, as the natives suppose, that a person so struck can never be the parent of a child. One of these having struck my horse on the nose, I was seriously told that he would be incapacitated from becoming the father of a foal.

Tobacco is very generally chewed by the women as well as the men; they use the Trona or Soda with it. Smoking is rather the amusement of a great man than of the lower class, the mild tobacco being very dear, and pipes not easily procured.

On the 28th October, during the time I was in bed, we had another grand rejoicing day, called Aid el Tagtāga, which is to welcome in the new year of the Hegira, 1235 years having now passed since the flight of Mohammed from Mecca to Medina. Mukni having given a couple of his cast off women to two of his slaves, one of whom was secretary and barber, and the other groom, we had gay doings in the little square before our Mosque. The first night the barber and secretary (who was the greatest man of the two) was seated in state on a carpet and mats placed on the ground, in the centre of the square, supported on each side by a friend, who, as well as himself, was covered with fine borrowed clothes, though the bridegroom, of course, shone most bright. He was very solemn and dignified, having a lighted candle and lamp placed on the ground before him. The men and women sung round him until near midnight, treating him with great respect. He held a fan in his hand, and occasionally bowed to the company. The bride was then brought from the castle, surrounded by a great concourse of women, who were vociferating in rapid succession, their cries of joy. She held a lighted candle in her hand, and had on a profusion of silver and bead ornaments: she was quite black and very handsome, and had borne three children by the Sultan, all of whom had died. The bridegroom did not deign to look at her, but suffered the procession to pass along to his house; when, after waiting about half an hour, he rose in a stately manner, and leaning his hands on the friends who walked on each side of him (in the manner of the Bashaw of Tripoli, and the Sultan of Fezzan), he slowly proceeded home; the dancers following him and singing songs of congratulation. The second night passed in much the same manner; and, on the following day, I saw the bridegroom, who had been a few hours before glittering in scarlet and gold, cleaning a horse in the street, with a ragged shirt on.

I had many opportunities of observing the Fighi and their scholars, sitting on the sand. The children are taught their letters by having them written on a flat board of a hard wood, brought from Bornou and Soudan, and repeating them after their master. When quite perfect in the alphabet, they are allowed to trace over the letters already made; they then learn to copy sentences, and to write such small words as are dictated to them. The board generally used is in this form:

The master often repeats verses from the Koran, in a loud voice, which the boys learn by saying them after him; and when they begin to read a little, he sings aloud, and all the scholars follow him from their books, as fast as they can. Practice at length renders them perfect; and in three or four years, their education is considered complete. Thus it is that many who can read the Koran with great rapidity, cannot peruse a line of any other book. Arithmetic is altogether out of the question.—For children who learn by the month, the general pay is about two Saa, or two quarts of corn, and by the year one dollar.

When the boy is considered to have finished his studies, the parents, if they can afford it, present the master with some clothes, or a few dollars; if poor, they give him something to eat, and the usual salutation of Alla iebārek, or God prosper you. On breaking up for the day, the master and all the scholars recite a prayer. The school hours are by no means regular, being only when the Fighi has nothing else to do. Mornings early, or late in the evenings, are the general times for study. The punishments are, beating with a stick on the hands or feet, and our good old English custom of whipping, which is not unfrequently practised. Their pens are reeds, their rubber sand.

While learning their tasks (and perhaps each boy has a different one), they all read aloud, so that the harmony of even a dozen boys may be easily imagined.

In the time of the native Sultans, it was the custom, on a fixed day, annually, for the boys who had completed their education, to assemble on horseback, in as fine clothes as their friends could procure for them, on the sands to the westward of the town. On an eminence, stood the Fighi, bearing in his hand a little flag rolled on a staff: the boys were stationed at some distance, and on his unfurling the flag, and planting it in the ground, all started at full speed. He who first arrived and seized it, was presented by the Sultan with a fine suit of clothes and some money, and rode round the town at the head of the others. These races have ceased since the arrival of Mukni, and parents complain that their sons have now no inducement to study.

All the houses are infested by multitudes of small ants, which destroyed all the animals we preserved, and even penetrated into our boxes; their bite was very painful, and they were fond of coming into our blankets.

One singularity I must remark of Fezzan, which is that fleas are unknown there, and those of the inhabitants who have not been on the sea coast cannot imagine what they are like. Bugs are very numerous, and it is extraordinary that they are called by the same name as with us. There is a species of them which is found in the sands, where kafflés are in the habit of stopping; they bite very sharply, and fix in numbers round the coronet of a horse: the animals thus tormented often become so outrageous as to break their tethers.

The revenues of the Sultan of Fezzan arise from slaves, merchandise, and dates. For every slave, great or small, he receives, on their entering his kingdom, two Spanish dollars. In some years the number of slaves amounts to 4000. For a camel’s load of oil or butter, seven dollars; a load of beads, copper, or hardware, four dollars; and of clothing, three dollars. All Arabs who buy dates pay a dollar duty on each load (equal at times to the price of the article) before they are allowed to remove it. Above 3000 loads are sold to them annually. Date trees, except those of the Kadi and Mamlukes, are taxed at the rate of one dollar for every 200: by this duty, in the neighbourhood of Morzouk, or more properly, in the few immediately neighbouring villages, the Sultan receives yearly 10,000 dollars. Of all sheep or goats he is entitled to a fifth. On the sale of every slave, he has, in addition to the head money, a dollar and a half, which, at the rate of 4000, gives another 6000 dollars. The trees, which are his private property, produce about 6000 camels’ loads of dates, each load 400 pounds weight, and which may be worth, at a low estimate, 18,000 dollars. Every garden pays a tenth of the corn produced; presents of slaves are frequently made, and fines levied; each town pays a certain sum, which is small, but as the towns are numerous, may be averaged to produce 4000 dollars. Add to this, his annual excursions for slaves, sometimes bringing 1000 or 1500, of which one-fourth are his, as well as the same proportion of camels. He alone can sell horses; which he buys for five or six dollars, when half starved, from the Arabs, who come to trade and cannot maintain them; and makes a great profit by obtaining slaves in exchange for them. All his people are fed by the public, and he has no money to pay but to the Bashaw, which, until the recent quarrel, was 15,000 dollars per annum. I have enumerated his general income, but there are various other ways in which he extorts money. If a man dies childless, the Sultan inherits great part of his property; and if he thinks it necessary to kill a man, he becomes his entire heir! All his people are on an allowance from him, out of what he takes from others, at about the rate of two Kail, or above two gallons, of corn, and four of dates, per month. His negresses are also allowanced in corn, dates, oil, &c. according to their size and age.

In company with Mohammed the Mamluke, I rode to Tessouwa, an inconsiderable town about twenty miles west of Morzouk. It has the remains of an old Arab castle, built of mud. The palms are not numerous, and the inhabitants amount to about 300. It is divided from Morzouk by a plain of sand.

On the 8th of November, 1819, Mr. Ritchie being again attacked by illness, I much wished him to allow of my selling some of our powder to procure him a few comforts; but to this he would not consent. On the 9th I also fell ill, and was confined to my bed; and Belford, though himself an invalid, attended on us both. Our man servant was of no use to us whatever; but, on the contrary, presuming on our poverty, did exactly as he pleased. Our little girl, however, assisted in nursing us. After lying in a torpid state for three or four days, without taking any nourishment or even speaking to us, Mr. Ritchie became worse, and at last delirious, as in his former illnesses. In the interval, my disorder having abated, I was enabled to rally a little, and to attend my poor suffering companion.

After he had somewhat recovered his intellect, he appeared very anxious to know whether any letters had arrived, announcing to us a further allowance of money from Government; but when I, unfortunately, was obliged to reply in the negative, he avoided all comment on the subject. He would not drink any tea, of which we still had some remaining; but preferred vinegar and water, our only acid, which he drank in great quantities. Being entirely free from pain, he flattered himself that he should, in a day or two, recover, particularly as he was not at all emaciated, but rather stouter than he had been for some months previous to his illness. One day (the 17th) he appeared so far recovered as to be able to get up and be dressed. We placed him on the mat in the centre of the room, when he seemed much refreshed, and thanked us for the trouble we had taken; he then expressed a wish to have a little coffee, which, for a time, I was unwilling to give him, fearing it might injure him: he was, however, so earnest in his request, that I was obliged at last to comply with it. As he complained of the closeness of his room, and appeared determined on lying that night on the mat, we made his bed on it; and I laid myself down by him. In the afternoon he examined his tongue in the glass, and appeared a good deal alarmed at its colour; but presently said, “I was frightened at the blackness of my tongue, but now recollect I have been drinking coffee; had I observed that appearance without knowing the cause, I should have said I had a bilious fever, and should bid you good bye.” In the evening one or two of the Mamlukes came in; he spoke to them for a little while, and soon after fell asleep. I remained awake the greater part of the night, during which he slept soundly; but in the morning I found he had crept from his bed, and was lying uncovered, and in a state of delirium, on the cold sand. We immediately put him to bed in his own room, and he appeared to rally again.

On the 20th we got a fowl, of which we made a little soup for him; and while he was taking it, a man came in, and told me a courier had arrived from Tripoli with letters. I went out, but returned, to my sad disappointment, empty-handed, the man having no despatches for us. The broth which Mr. Ritchie drank was the first nourishment he had taken for ten days, though we had used all our endeavours to prevail on him to eat. He said he felt much revived by it, and turned round to go to sleep. I placed my bed at the entrance of his room, and remained watching him. He seemed to breathe with difficulty; but as I had often observed this during his former maladies, I was not so much alarmed as I should otherwise have been. At about nine o’clock, Belford, on looking at him, exclaimed in a loud voice, “He is dying!” I begged him to be more cautious, lest he should be overheard, and immediately examined Mr. Ritchie, who appeared to me to be still in a sound sleep; I therefore lay down on my bed, and continued listening. At ten I rose again, and found him lying in an easy posture, and breathing more freely: five minutes, however, had scarcely elapsed before his respiration appeared entirely to cease; and on examination I found that he had actually expired, without a pang or groan, in the same position in which he had fallen asleep.

Belford and myself, in our weak state, looked at each other, expecting that in a few days it might probably be our lot to follow our lamented companion, whose sad remains we watched during the remainder of the night. And now, for the first time in all our distresses, my hopes did indeed fail me. At daylight I went out and informed our kind friends, Yussuf and Hadje Mahmoud, of our misfortunes; at which they were much affected, and offered us all the assistance in their power. Belford, as well as he was able, hastened to form a rough coffin out of our chests; and a sad and painful task it was. The washers of the dead came to us to perform their melancholy office, and Mr. Ritchie’s body was washed, perfumed, and rubbed with camphor; and I procured some white linen, with which the grave-clothes were made. During our preparations for the burial, the women, who are always hired to cry at the death of persons whose friends are able to pay them, proposed to perform that disgusting office in our house; but I would not allow it, and very unceremoniously shut the door against them. While I was out of sight, either our servant or some of our officious visitors stole several of our effects, and I clearly saw that we were now considered as lawful plunder. The coffin being completed, I hired men to carry it with ropes, but one of them having suddenly gone away, poor Belford was obliged to take his place; when, attended by our small party of Mamlukes, we proceeded at a quick pace to the grave, at about ten o’clock. The clay below the sand was white, which was considered as a good omen; and Belford and myself threw the first earth into the grave. During the night we had, unknown to the people, read our protestant burial service over the body; and now publicly recited the first chapter of the Koran, which the most serious Christian would consider as a beautiful and applicable prayer on such an occasion.

Having thus performed the last sad duties to our unfortunate friend, we returned home to pass a day of misery. It was necessary to distribute food to the poor who surrounded our door in great numbers, and we had no money even to purchase a morsel for ourselves; Yussuf’s kindness again having supplied our wants, and I succeeded in getting the house a little more quiet. Within an hour after the funeral had taken place, a courier arrived from Tripoli bringing a truly welcome letter, announcing that a further allowance of £1000 had been made by our Government towards the expense of the mission. Had this letter reached us a little sooner, many of our troubles and distresses would have been prevented.

I waited on the Sultan to announce to him Mr. Ritchie’s death, at which the hypocrite affected to be much grieved, though he must have been well aware that had his inclination equalled his power to serve us, he might have enabled us to procure the necessaries of life, and thus perhaps have averted, or at least tranquillized the last moments of Mr. Ritchie. I informed him of the additional allowance which I expected, begging him to lend me some money. He talked much of his regard for me, but dwelt a great deal on his poverty; and ended by saying, he might perhaps be able to furnish me with a _little_, which he expressed with particular emphasis, reminding me that I already owed him eight dollars. I was not then, I own, in the humour to remonstrate with such a wretch, and plainly told him I would never more ask for his assistance or friendship; and that according to his law, ingratitude, such as he had so cruelly shown to Mr. Ritchie and myself, was the highest and blackest crime a man could be guilty of, and would one day be visited on him.

On my return home, I found poor Belford greatly overcome by the efforts he had made, whilst I was equally so from the exertions of mind I had undergone. The consequence was, that a strong fever confined us both to our beds, at the mercy of any one who chose to pillage us. Before I took to mine, however, I contrived to write despatches to England, which I sent off by a courier.

During the whole day a constant succession of visitors came to pay their compliments of condolence, and I seriously thought that, with such an accession of evils, we should in a few days more be hurried to our graves. Yussuf and Hadje Mahmoud attended on us, as did our little girl, who was our principal nurse, and was very humane and careful. We lay ten days in this state, and during that time Yussuf, by my desire, sold about 100 lbs. of our powder, so that we now again obtained a little money; but we were too ill to enjoy any benefit which our riches might procure us. Mr. Ritchie’s horse, which had never recovered its flesh since coming from Tripoli, and which was very old, I sold, through the medium of Yussuf, for seventy dollars, to the Sultan. By the sale of many trifles, which the Sultan no longer made an objection to our disposing of, I cleared, after paying my debts, about 150 dollars, including the money for the horse and powder, and now determined, should I recover, on penetrating still farther to the southward of Morzouk, though incapable of making such progress as I wished, from not possessing sufficient funds for the purpose.

I found myself under the absolute necessity of soon returning to England to receive instructions for my further proceedings (supposing me still to be employed on the mission), for although money for the additional grant of £1000 could have been procured from Tripoli, much time must have elapsed before I could have obtained it; and even then, I must have gone in person for it. I had no one whom in my absence I could have left in charge of my goods at Morzouk, Belford being too sick and helpless either to keep guard over them, or to remain alone in that place. Added to this, £1000 was a sum by no means adequate to carry me through Africa; as it would be requisite to purchase merchandise totally different from that which had already been provided, and without which I could not have made my way. Belford, from his weak state, could not accompany me far, and to proceed alone would have been actual madness, until the necessary arrangements for my future operations, and regulations as to pecuniary matters had been fully understood and arranged. Under all these circumstances, therefore, and to my great regret, I could only resolve on a short progress into the Interior.

As soon as we recovered sufficient strength to get up stairs, I opened Mr. Ritchie’s sitting-room, where we found only a few scattered papers, an unfinished journal, and some letters. These I collected, and in Belford’s presence burnt all which were private; but every other document bearing Mr. Ritchie’s handwriting I carefully preserved. We were both much astonished at his having left so few memoranda, as we felt confident, that though for many months he had, from repeated illness, been unable to write, that at least, prior to his arrival in Morzouk, he must have made many notes, as well as composed a regular journal.

I knew that he had always trusted much to his singularly retentive memory, and was also aware that he expressed great impatience for the arrival of more cool weather, when he might, with less inconvenience, commit his ideas to paper; and these reasons might probably account for his having left so few mementos of the scientific mind with which he certainly was gifted. It is also to be regretted that Mr. Ritchie, during his illnesses, would never avail himself of my repeated offers to take down in writing any observations which he might have considered worthy of note; and from this unfortunate circumstance much, very much valuable information has been lost.

I caused all the chests of merchandise to be removed into our large room, and with Belford’s assistance opened them, in order to ascertain their contents. They had been packed before my arrival in Tripoli, and Mr. Ritchie had determined that they should not be opened until we reached the Negro country. I found in them, amongst other things, about 600 lbs. of lead, one camel load of corks for preserving insects on, and two loads of brown paper for preparing plants. As these amounted in all to about five loads, which were not worth carrying back to Tripoli, I sent them, with two large chests of Arsenic bottles into Yussuf’s house, taking a proper receipt for them, so that any future traveller or myself might be enabled to receive them. I found that the other goods, including five cwt. of books and two chests of instruments, would load about eight camels: we therefore commenced taking a list of them, and putting them carefully away, when we were again attacked with fever, and confined to our beds, remaining with all our merchandise at the mercy of Arabs and natives.

I had at this time occasion to turn off our man, and the woman also who cooked for us, as I had strong reason to doubt their honesty. Yussuf lent us, in our distress, a fine intelligent boy called Barca, who, with our Negro girl, greatly assisted us.

The weather having become very cold, we had a fire made in a hole in the ground, round which we sat in the evenings with some of the friends who came to see us. On these occasions they told us many long stories; but Belford’s deafness prevented his being amused with them as I was. Religion was generally the subject of these tales, which, when related by the old Hadje, were usually prefaced thus: “When a man has been three times to the holy house, as I have been, he begins to know something, thank God!” He repeated many marvellous stories of the country of Sindi, or Persia, in which is the bed of the sun, and where grows a tree bearing a fruit resembling a coffin. This growing daily larger until ripe, at last bursts, and out of it a man drops to the ground, who cries “Wauk, wauk; in the name of the merciful God,” and instantly expires, sinking suddenly into the earth. He told me that in Paradise the prophets are permitted by God to ride on animals of extraordinary beauty, called Borāk, whose form is something like that of an antelope, and their swiftness such, that in the twinkling of an eye they can spring out of sight. All the prophets on the bare backs of these animals, but Allah, out of love for Sidina (our Lord) Mohammed, gave him a golden saddle, on which he parades before the faithful. Many more stories equally extraordinary are told and believed all over the country; and in Morzouk are a few copies of some of the Arabian Nights’ Entertainments, and the voyages of Sindèbad the Sailor, which are as fully accredited as the Koran itself.

Yussuf generally amused me by singing, and ridiculing the Arabs. The Tuarick were always subjects for his wit, and he related many curious anecdotes of them. One which, though greatly exaggerated, is much in character of these people, was of a man sent as a courier from Ghraat to Ghadāms, eighteen days’ journey, for which he received sufficient provision to support him the whole time, but which devouring at a meal, and girding his loins with a belt, he mounted his camel, and performed the journey without other sustenance! These people, however, really can abstain from food for three or four days without any apparent inconvenience.

On the 8th of December news arrived that the slave hunters had made but little booty, the people having been warned of their coming, and that they were on their return home. We also heard that the men of Waday had cut the throats of eighty-two white traders in Wara, the capital, and had determined to suffer no Moors to trade again in their country, but to kill them immediately on their entering it.

I now began a little to recover my health, and Belford, though still quite deaf, was without fever.

I remarked that our negress invariably used the letter P for F; she would say, for instance, Yussup instead of Yussuf, Patoo for Fatoo; and I found that this was general amongst the natives of Bornou and Baghermee. These people, as well as the natives of Fezzan, always pronounce _s_ as _sh_, and vice versâ. Another peculiarity which I have often observed is, that all the Fezzanners and slaves, in cutting onions or other vegetables, cut downwards on the forefinger of the left hand, and however sharp the knife may be, they seldom injure themselves.

Mukni now received more enlivening news from Tripoli, and he began again to show himself. Orders came that all the traders of Augela, a town between Tripoli and Egypt, should be put in prison, and their slaves and goods taken on the Bashaw’s account, as he was at war with their countrymen, and had sent an army against them. Fourteen were accordingly confined under the Castle, and orders were sent to the southward to take up those who came from the Interior, and to the eastward to secure those coming from Egypt. There was one of these people who was much disliked by Mukni, and who, on hearing of the proceedings against his countrymen, escaped with nineteen negresses, his property. The Sultan sent after him, and having cut off his access to a watering-place, he was secured, almost dying from thirst. His life had been promised to him before he surrendered; but the next morning he was deliberately shot through the breast by those who had him in custody, and his head and property brought back to Morzouk. Had this man been aware of the treachery intended, he was of so powerful a form, and of such bravery, that his capture would have been very difficult. Previously to his being shot, he exclaimed, “Tell Mohammed el Mukni that he is a villain: Paradise is shut against him, and he will die by treachery. There is no God but God, and Mohammed is his Prophet.”

Our friend Yussuf brought to me a very old man, who had been to Ashantee, and who gave some very extraordinary and rather improbable accounts of the people there. He said that there were white traders at the coast whom he had himself seen. This I would not at first believe, until he related some distinct accounts of the habits of the people he met with, peculiar to Europeans.

In Morzouk there are sixteen Mosques, which are covered in, but some of them are very small; each has an Imaum, but the Kadi is their head, of which dignity he seems not a little proud. This man had never been beyond the boundaries of Fezzan, and could form no idea of any thing superior to mud houses and palms; he always fancied us great romancers when we told him of our country, and described it as being in the middle of the sea.

It may be necessary before I take leave of Morzouk, and indeed of Tripoli, to explain that our adoption of the Moorish costume was by no means a sufficient safeguard in either of those places, or in traversing the interior of Africa; for though it might, to a casual observer, blind suspicion, yet when we had occasion to remain for a time at any place, or to perform journeys in company with strangers, we found that it was absolutely requisite to conform to all the duties of the Mohammedan religion, as well as to assume their dress. To this precaution I attribute our having met with so little hindrance in our proceedings; for had we openly professed ourselves Christians, we might, in Fezzan, have experienced many serious interruptions; whilst farther in the interior, even our lives would have been in continual jeopardy. The circumstance of our having come from a Christian country, which we always acknowledged, frequently rendered us liable to suspicion; but by attending constantly at the established prayers, and occasionally acknowledging the divine mission of Mohammed, or, more properly, by repeating “There is no God but God, Mohammed is his Prophet,” we were enabled to overcome all doubts respecting our faith.

In attending the Mosque we found that it was not necessary for us to use any prayers addressed to, or in praise of, Mohammed; the three which are recited by day being in an under voice, and the morning and evening ones only being repeated aloud. These latter we easily avoided, and during the others we made use of what orisons we pleased, only taking particular care that our prostrations and outward observances should be at the proper times. The only prayer we ever recited audibly was the “Fatha,” or first chapter of the Koran, the sentiments of which are really beautiful.

I am confident that it would never be possible for any man to pass through Africa, unless in every respect he qualified himself to appear as a Mohammedan; and, should I myself return to that country, I would not be accompanied by any one who would refuse to observe these precautions. It is possible, that as far as Fezzan, a traveller might, by great good chance, escape detection; but the farther south he proceeded, the more bigoted would he find the people, and a cruel death would, in such case, inevitably terminate his journey.

Though the Mohammedans profess and appear to be strict in obeying the ordinances of the Koran, they most grossly violate one of its principal laws relating to Unbelievers. It is expressly said, that Moslems may take or destroy all those who do not believe in Islamism; but that they should first endeavour to instruct, and on their refusing to acknowledge the Koran, then make them slaves. The same law distinctly teaches that those who are already Moslems cannot be taken captive or sold. Nothing, however, is farther from the idea of a Mohammedan, than to instruct the Negroes; for, instead of endeavouring to convert them to his faith, he appropriates and sells them for his own advantage. This is sufficiently unjust, but the conduct of Mukni and his men is infinitely more so; for they seize on the inhabitants of whole towns where the only religion is that of the Koran, and where there are Mosques; and this without scruple or remorse. I have frequently pointed out the clause in the Koran, forbidding such injustice; but never could obtain a satisfactory reason for this violation of their religious tenets.

Of the various ceremonies incident to the faith of the Moslems, I shall make no mention, as they have already been so frequently touched on by other travellers.