Chapter III

Sakkut — Desert vegetation — Arab village — A one-eyed Venus — Dates at Derr Hamed — Nubian faith in European medicine — Ruined temple — Gazelles — Lost in the desert — Flowers and birds — School.

Our sixth day was the most cloudy we had had since leaving Cairo. On, however, we proceeded; on our way observing some fine scenery—a remarkable feature of which appeared in the shape of rocks, formed of grotesque masses of black stones, having a bloom upon them like that of a ripe plum, which had a very curious effect.

We had entered the country Sakkut. After a march of about five hours, we came to a tract of desert of the most legitimate desert character, being a flat expanse of white sand, mixed with pebbles, some of which were pretty, dark-red and green stones, mixed with agates in abundance.

Nevertheless, there exists some vegetation. I noticed three sorts of herbage: a grass, apparently always dried up by heat; a solitary plant about five inches high, of a rich green, and bearing a small blue or yellow flower; and a dwarf creeper light as hair, yet easily distinguished by a good-sized yellow blossom. The camels can eat the first, do eat the second, but very much prefer the third, to which they hasten long before it becomes visible to the keenest human sight.

Our encampment was in a grove of palms, through which the wind rather shouted than “whispered,” as it happened to be blowing something like a gale. A small village is between us and the river, consisting of three sheds made of straw and palm-leaves, interwoven with the trunks of the trees. The inhabitants consist of a tolerably large family, of whom one young lady was pretty for a Nubian girl, with beautifully rounded limbs, fine shape, and an intelligent face. Having sufficiently admired her, I was informed that she lacked an eye; a deficiency I had not been able to discover in the doubtful twilight. My estimate of her attractions fell prodigiously on gaining this intelligence, for, however great an enthusiast in the beautiful I may be—especially as regards the female face divine—I agree with Captain Absolute in thinking that, though “one eye may be very agreeable, yet, as the prejudice has always run in favour of two, I should not like to affect a singularity in that article.”

Again over a sandy plain, and along the side of the river, passing the largest island in the Nile—Say Island. It is several miles in length, is covered with thick palm-groves, and boasts of considerable cultivation, which appears also on the banks; a sight we have seen for the first time since leaving Wady Halfa, the river having been too rapid, and the shore too rocky to admit of irrigation. Signs of an increasing population also made themselves manifest—a refreshing contrast to the solitude of the desert—every palm grove having given forth its dozen of swarthy gazers, its beautifully-shaped girls, its fine men, and its droll-looking children.

At Derr Hamed, a large village, we bought some dates, which are famous here, and made a closer acquaintance with the people. One of the women entered our tent in their naturally graceful way, and presented my mother with a basket full of the best dates, like those that are sold in England, moist and sticky, but unlike those that are eaten in such numbers here, which are left to dry on the trees; they become hard and dry, yet, without being so sugary as the others, are better flavoured. The former, when ripe, are placed in jars, and when a friend or stranger enters the house of a Nubian, he is offered a dozen of them.

We wanted this woman to accept a knife, but she preferred piastres, which she afterwards got Daireh to change for copper. My father, having been seen securing a beetle with a pin, was soon surrounded with petitioners for this small article of luxury, which he presently distributed in considerable numbers for the purpose, as was alleged, of fastening up innumerable rents.

As we mounted to pursue our journey, an old man brought his daughter for medicine. The faith of these people in the Cawaghi’s power is very great.

Our next encampment was in a large village, almost a town, called Sudrenzu, where we shot three dozen doves; they were flying about the place in swarms. Here an infant, in an almost hopeless state, was brought in to us, and some medicine having been given, the father presently presented himself with a basket of dates, as backsheesh for the doctor. This was declined, but we gladly purchased some milk of him—fresh bread and milk being our greatest luxuries in the desert.

The camp is in a square field of sand, by the side of the village, with rice, cotton, wheat, and castor-oil fields between us and the grove of dates that border the river, which here is as smooth, as wide, and as monotonous as in Lower Egypt. If the least picturesque of our encampments, it is undoubtedly the most interesting. A crowd of notables, two of them wearing tarbooshes, came to see us; and then followed throngs of shiny, black children, some carrying younger ones, but all very graceful, except in their remarkable little bread-baskets, which are unnaturally distended with durra-corn. They were merry as crickets, followed us when we went shooting, and were never so happy as when they could make themselves of the slightest possible use to any of us.

Leaving our encampment at dawn, we soon reached a ruin consisting of the fragments of a temple: one column alone remained standing among heaps of stone and disfigured sphinxes. We proceeded on for a couple of hours, and then came upon the remains of the very fine temple of Samneh the pylon half entire, the propylon only partly destroyed, and two or three fragments of marble sphinxes scattered about. Seven columns remain standing; others are lying imperfect on the ground. It must have been a very fine edifice—second only to Carnac.

The road from this temple led direct to the desert, over a large tract of country, resembling the gravel roads of a gentleman’s park in England.

We unsuccessfully followed a covey of partridges, and then observing something in motion, gave chase, and suddenly came upon ten gazelles, of which animals we had previously been allowed to see nothing but their traces. They started off at a great pace, and we followed for about half an hour. My brother fired at two hundred yards. They scampered off, taking prodigious leaps, and were soon three miles off, leaving us _planté là_ without ammunition, water, or compass. Eager sportsmen as we were, we found ourselves obliged to give up the chase, and endeavoured to return; but, not knowing the proper direction, shortly lost ourselves, and began to experience uncomfortable misgivings respecting the result of our adventure. Having a decided dislike to add to the collection of beautifully bleached skeletons the desert contained, we renewed our endeavours to recover our lost track, and by great good fortune at last succeeded in finding it, then gained sight of our encampment, and in a few minutes had the further satisfaction of beholding our Bedouins—taking our alarming absence in a philosophical way, worthy of their race, by helping themselves to our pipes, tobacco, and water.

These gazelles were very beautiful, of a rich brown colour, with white streaks, and were quite as large as English deer. As some compensation for our disappointment in suffering them to escape, we afterwards shot six brace of partridges out of five coveys; this made the day decidedly the gamest day we had had.

We resumed our journey, the road leading between the river and the desert, on a smooth, gravelly soil. Now and then we discovered several new blossoms, some very large convolvuluses, and some exquisite creepers; we had not seen so many flowers before. We also met with various new and beautiful birds, among others a red and a sky-blue one, many varieties of small flower-birds, finches, and a few of larger size. We only saw one covey of partridges, a brace of which I brought down.

Having arrived at our tents at Hafir, and dined, we sallied forth to witness a marriage-feast; the conviviality, the music and dancing, that formed part of it, having been heard in our encampment too distinctly to be resisted. It appeared, however, as if the revellers did not desire our company, for, before our lamp had well made itself visible, the sounds were hushed, and when we reached the place, all the party had fled.

We then proceeded to the school, where we heard passages from the Koran repeated in grand style. We visited the Dervish, who received us very hospitably, immediately preparing some coffee. He informed us that the inhabitants of Hafir were innumerable; that he had two thousand under his charge, all of whom could read and write the Koran.

It was a curious scene—a mud-room, with one large window, filled with the faces of the pupils; the flickering light of the fire illumining in a singularly striking manner the fine face and long grey beard of the Patriarch, and crowds of natives were picturesquely grouped about. He told us that taxation had increased since Ibrahim’s time, as the Dongola Government taxed them as much as they could, aware that Cairo was too far off for complaints. The instant we left, the lessons were resumed; and I can almost fancy that I still hear the hum of the boys repeating their tasks.

The next morning, we suddenly came upon a large covey of partridges, basking in one of the many deserted buildings, which, all along the road from Hafir and Dongola, direct attention to the wealth to civilization that existed in the country before the Government had driven away the most respectable inhabitants by the intolerable weight of its taxation.

A decided attack of opthalmia made it necessary that my eyes should be bandaged, and my camel led. Many new birds were seen by our party, singing on the trees; among the most beautiful, were one of sky-blue plumage, a bright-red one, with a white beak, and one that was dark-red and black. The flowers also became more numerous; among the novelties were a sweet-scented jasmine, and some more fine convolvuluses.

In my condition, the day seemed unusually long; my satisfaction may therefore be imagined on at last arriving at our tents at Dongola. We had made a journey of eleven days across the desert, and had ridden eighty-one hours.