Chapter I: Front Matter

Transcriber’s Note: The author's variable spelling has been preserved, except in cases where it could be nothing other than a printing error.

Yours very truly

Josiah Williams.]

LIFE IN THE SOUDAN:
ADVENTURES AMONGST THE TRIBES, AND TRAVELS
IN EGYPT, IN 1881 AND 1882.

BY
DR. JOSIAH WILLIAMS, F.R.G.S.
(_Surgeon-Major, Imperial Ottoman Army, 1876-1877_).

ILLUSTRATED.

LONDON:
REMINGTON & CO., PUBLISHERS,
HENRIETTA STREET, COVENT GARDEN.
1884.

[_All Rights Reserved._]

To
SIR SAMUEL WHITE BAKER, F.R.G.S.,
I DEDICATE, WITH HIS PERMISSION,
THIS BOOK,
CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OF
TRAVELS IN THE SOUDAN
AND EXPLORATION IN THE
BASÉ OR KUNAMA COUNTRY IN 1882.

ILLUSTRATIONS.

THE AUTHOR _Frontispiece._

SOUÂKIN 97

HADENDOWAH ARAB CAMEL-MEN 128

KASSALA MOUNTAIN 160

THE AUTHOR ATTENDING TO ARAB AILMENTS 248

MOUNTAIN PASS NEAR SANHÎT 304

THE CAUSEWAY AT MASSAWAH 312

CONTENTS.

PAGE

CHAPTER I.

Leave England for Paris—Drugs and Clothing Required—A “Sleeby”
German—Turin 5-12

CHAPTER II.

Milan—The Cathedral—Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele—Piazza
d’Armi—Palazzo de Brera—Lake of Como—Bologna—Its Ancient
History—Leaning Towers—The Certosa—Teatro Communale—Brindisi 13-23

CHAPTER III.

P. and O. Steamer _Tanjore_—Arrival of the Mail and
Passengers—Ancient Brindisi—Brindisi to Alexandria—Alexandria
Past and Present—Its Trade 24-37

CHAPTER IV.

The Fertilizing Rivers of Egypt—Leave Alexandria—Incidents
_en route_—Shepheard’s Hotel—Ancient and Modern Cairo—The
Donkey-boys—Arab Patients—Dancing Dervishes—The House where
Joseph, Mary, and the Infant Saviour Lived in Old Cairo—The
Boulac Museum—The Petrified Forest—Mokattam Hills—Tombs of the
Caliphs and Citadel—Cairo by Sunset 38-66

CHAPTER V.

A Young American at Shepheard’s Hotel—Drive to the Pyramids
of Gizeh—Ascent and Exploration of the Pyramid of Cheops—The
Sphinx 67-80

CHAPTER VI.

Heliopolis—The Shoubra
Road—Bedrashyn—Mitrahenny—Memphis—Sakhara—Apis
Mausoleum—Worship of the Bull Apis—Tomb of King Phta—Meet
the Khedive—Engage Servants for the Soudan 81-91

CHAPTER VII.

The Land of Goshen—Ancient Canals—Suez—Howling
Dervishes—Eclipse of the Moon and Strange Behaviour of
Natives—Leave Suez—Where the Israelites Crossed the Red
Sea—Pass Mount Sinai—Coral Reefs Abundant 92-97

CHAPTER VIII.

Arrival at Souâkin—The Soudan—Bedouin Arab Prisoners in
the Square, Not “on the Square”—Ivory—Engage Camels—Sheik
Moussa—Souâkin Slaves—Tragic End of a Doctor—Hadendowah
Arabs—An Ill-fated Missionary Enterprise 98-110

CHAPTER IX.

The Start Across the Desert—My Camel Serves me a Scurvy
Trick—The Camel, its Habits and Training 111-118

CHAPTER X.

Our First Camp—Torrents of Rain—Jules Bardet—Camel-drivers
Behave Badly—Suleiman in Trouble—Camel-drivers get
Upset—The Desert—Two of Us Lose our Way—Jules Suffers from
Dysentery—Sand-storm—A Pilgrim Dies on the Road; Another in the
Camp—Jules’ Illness—Camp Split Up—Lose Our Way—Encamp Several
Days in the Desert—Arab Huts—The Mirage—A Lion 119-143

CHAPTER XI.

Arrive at Kassala—Description of Kassala—We buy Camels
and Horses—The Mudir gives a Dinner—Jules’ Death and
Burial—Hyænas—Arab Patients—Mahoom’s History—Demetrius
Mosconas on Slavery—Menagerie at Kassala 144-153

CHAPTER XII.

Camels from the Atbara—The Mudir—Gordon Pasha’s Character in
the Soudan—Fertility of the Soudan 154-159

CHAPTER XIII.

Leave Kassala—Character of the Country—Meet Beni-Amir Arabs
on the River-bed—The Baobob Tree 160-164

CHAPTER XIV.

Encamp at Heikota—Sheik Ahmed—Herr Schumann and His Zareeba—We
Make a Zareeba—The Mahdi—Excitement in the Village—Horrible
Tragedy—Sheik Ahmed Dines with us—The Magic Lantern—Lions
Visit Us 165-177

CHAPTER XV.

Patients at Heikota—Leave Heikota—Game in the Basé Country—See
our First Lion—A Lion Interviews the Author—typo Tetél, Nellut,
and other Game Killed on the March 178-183

CHAPTER XVI.

We Arrive at the Basé or Kunama Country—The Village of
Sarcella—Murder of Mr. Powell and Party—My Camel and I
Unceremoniously Part Company—The First Basé We See—Encamp at
Koolookoo—Our First Interview with Basé—They make “Aman” with
Us—Their Appearance—Description of Koolookoo and the Basé
People—Their Habits and Customs 184-200

CHAPTER XVII.

We leave Koolookoo, Accompanied by a Number of the Basé—The
Magic Lantern—See Buffalo and Giraffe for the First Time—Two
Buffalos Killed—A Basé Feast—Curious Basé Dance—They Dry their
Meat on Lines in the Sun—A Wounded Buffalo—Hoodoo, Chief Sheik
of the Basé, Visits Us—A Column of Sand—A Leper—The Basé
Squabble over the Meat—We Arrive at Abyssinia 201-214

CHAPTER XVIII.

The Dembelas Attack Us, Mahomet Wounded, Narrow Escape of two
of our Party—Activity in Camp, We Make a Zareeba and Fire
the Country—Hold a Council of War—Our Silent and Dangerous
Ride—Hoodoo’s Sagacity—Arrival in Camp of Mahomet, Wounded—We
Retreat—Mahomet’s Death and Burial 215-229

CHAPTER XIX.

Messrs. James and Phillipps Start on a Visit to
Rasalulu—Curious Way of Shaving Children’s Heads—A Disgusting
Basé—The Camel-drivers become Mutinous—Intended Attack
by Basé—We Fire the Country and Make a Zareeba—Encamp at
Wo-amma—Trouble Again with Camel-men—Lions Disturb Us—Arrival
at Heikota—A Tale of Blood and Slavery 230-243

CHAPTER XX.

Patients Arrive from all Parts—Rough Journeys—Arrive at the
Hamran Settite—Mahomet Sali Deceives us—Crocodiles, Turtle,
and Fish—We Move on to Boorkattan, in Abyssinia—Next Day we
Move off as Abyssinians Approach—We Catch Enormous Quantities
of Fish with the Net—Narrow Escape from a Wounded Buffalo—The
Coorbatch Administered—Scorpions and Snakes—Hamrans Visit
Us—Hamran mode of Hunting and Snaring—Hamran and Basé—The
Hamrans Threaten to Fire on Us—Again Return to the Hamran
Settite—Encamp at Omhagger 244-263

CHAPTER XXI.

A Boa-constrictor Visits Us—The Burton Boat—Moussa’s Behaviour
Entails a Thrashing and His Discharge—Great Heat—A Fine
Hippopotamus Killed—Hamran Feast—The White Ants—Another
Hippopotamus Killed—Mahomet Sali Brings Supplies—Native
Music in the Night—Delicate Hints Conveyed to the
Performer—A Remarkably Fine Nellut Shot—Arab and Egyptian
Taxation—Baboons—A Hamran Story—Ali Stung by a Scorpion—On
the March Once More—Rough Journeys 264-278

CHAPTER XXII.

Encamp at Lakatakoora Without the Caravan—Description of
Village—Basé Ladies Visit Me ere I Get Out of Bed—They Receive
Presents and are very Amusing—Enormous Numbers of Doves and
Sand-grouse—Aboosalal to Sogoda—Boa-constrictor Killed—An
Unpleasant Journey, We all Get Separated—Arrive at Heikota
Again 279-284

CHAPTER XXIII.

An Abyssinian Improvisatore and His Little Slave—Prepare for a
March to Massawa—A Strange Basé Breakfast—Patients—Arrive at
Toodloak—Beni-Amirs Encamped on the Gash—Lions and Leopards
are Shot—Our Monkeys in Camp—Baboon Mode of Attacking
Leopards—Crafty Baboons—Lions Abound—Hyæna Method of Attacking
a Lion—Hyæna Interviews Mr. Colvin—Arrival at Amadeb—Departure
from Amadeb—Bareas Attempt an Attack on the Caravan—Beni-Amirs
Watering their Flocks and Herds—We Meet with a young
Elephant—Leopard and Hyæna Shot at Khor-Baraker 285-297

CHAPTER XXIV.

A Lion Near the Camp—The Monks of Chardamba—We Meet Ali Dheen
Pasha, Governor-General of the Soudan—Arrival at Keren, or
Sanhît—The Priests at Keren—Account of Keren—Merissa—Dra, a
Domestic Slave, Made Free—Descent from Sanhît to the Anseba
Valley—The Birds There—Along the River-bed of the Labak—A Big
March—Massawa—Farewell to Camels—Massawa to Souâkin—Take in
Cargo—Farewell to the Soudan—Arrival at Suez 298-314

CHAPTER XXV.

Suez to Cairo—Alexandria—On Board the _Mongolia_—Passengers
on Board—Hibernian Humour—Venice—The Piazza of St. Mark—The
Campanile—The Piazetta—The Zecca, or Mint—The Palace of the
Doges—St. Mark’s—The Arsenal 315-330

CHAPTER XXVI.

We Hear of the Murder of Lord Frederick Cavendish and Mr.
Burke—A Grand Serenade on the Grand Canal—My Journey from
Venice to England 331-338