Narrative of a Mission to Central Africa Performed in the Years 1850-51 Volume Ii Part 16

I pa.s.sed the slave-market, and was greatly shocked to see a poor old woman for sale amongst the rest of human beings. She was offered for six thousand wadas, about ten s.h.i.+llings in English money. It is quite impossible to conjecture of what use such a poor old creature can be.

The Shereef Kebir made a present of a little boy to Sad of Haj Bes.h.i.+r this evening. The poor little fellow looked very pitiful. He was stolen from Daura. He has only one cheek marked with the shonshona, because his mother lost all the children which she bare before him; and the custom is, when a mother thus loses her children, to scarify only one cheek.

The mode of supplying the slave-markets of the north and south is truly nefarious, and perhaps surpa.s.ses all the wickedness of the Tuaricks. The Sarkee of Zinder wants gour-nuts, and has no money to purchase them; he sends his servants or officers to a neighbouring village, and they steal in open day two or three families of people, and bring them to the Sarkee. These poor wretches are immediately exchanged for the gour-nuts.

A boy steals some trifling articles--a few needles; he is forthwith sold in the souk; and not only he, but "if the Sarkee wants money," his father and mother, brothers and sisters: and "if the Sarkee is very much pressed for money," his familiars search for the brothers of the father, and all their relations. Indeed, crime is a lucrative source of supply for the prince, and what his vengeance spares from the executioner is sold into foreign slavery.

In the approaching razzia, the Sarkee is expected to take the common route of Daura, and carry off the villagers subjected to the Sheikh; for, contrary to the opinion of the Shereef Kebir, the Sarkee will not attack the Kohlans, who are the subjects of the Fullan, but the _bona fide_ subjects of the Sheikh. He will probably bring back one thousand slaves or captives. He will send two hundred to the Sheikh, with such a message as this:--"I have eaten up the Kafers of Daura; here is your offering of two hundred Kafers." Should the Sheikh receive a remonstrance from the Bornou governor of Daura, that the Sarkee of Zinder has come upon him and carried off Muslims, his subjects, he will shut his ears. In all these razzias the lesser chiefs act an important part, and each gets a share. A chief who fights under the Sarkee captures fifty slaves, and gives up to the Sarkee twenty-five or thirty, keeping the rest for himself and people.

If a single undistinguished man captures five, the Sarkee gets two of the five; another captures two, the Sarkee gets one, and the captor one.

So all have a common interest in these nefarious razzias, and all start off with the utmost glee to capture their neighbours, their brethren, and to sell them into bondage. The Sarkee of Zinder will take with him about five thousand cavalry and thirty thousand foot (bowmen), drawn from these portions of the provinces against which the razzia is not now directed.

CHAPTER XIV.

Family of the Sarkee--Converted Jew--Hard Dealings--How to get rid of a Wife--Route to Tesaoua--Influence of Slavery--Prices of Aloes and Silk--Medicine for a Merchant--Departure of the Sarkee for the Razzia--Encampment--Mode of Fighting--Produce of Razzias--Story of the Tibboo--Sheikh Lousou--Gumel--Superst.i.tions--Matting--Visit of Ladies--The Jew--Incendiaries--Hazna--Legend of Zinder Well--Kohul--Cousin of the Sheikh--Female Sheikh--State of the Country--Salutations.

_Jan. 24th._--The thermometer stood last night at 74 after dark. This morning it is, as usual, about 56. The weather is still hazy; but the town is remarkably healthy, and there are very few cases of fever at the present time. Zinder, by the people, is said to be always cool.

His highness the Sarkee of Zinder is a prince of true African and Asiatic calibre. He has three hundred wives, one hundred sons, and fifty daughters; but his women are not prisoners in a harem. His wives and daughters are seen about the streets walking alone, and the daughters are given in marriage to the grandees of the court. His wives, likewise, are often found with paramours outside the palace.

I went to see a Jew who has been some time resident in Zinder. This Jew is one of those three who came to Mourzuk with Abd-el-Galeel, and after his death turned Muslims, and came up to Soudan and Bornou. He is called Ibrahim. The one now in Tesaoua, and who is going with Overweg to Maradee, is Mousa; and the other is called Isaac. The Moors put no faith in the conversion of these Jews: they say, "These men are always Jews in their hearts; they turned Muslims on speculation." It is certain that they got handsome presents at Mourzuk from the credulous believers. Of others, the Moors say they became Muslims to prevent the Tuaricks from killing them. I asked Ibrahim how he pa.s.sed the Tuarick countries, and was informed that the Ghatees treated him the worst. They swore he was not a Muslim, but still a Jew, and demanded one hundred dollars from him to pa.s.s. He got off with fifty; whilst to the Aheer people he paid about twenty dollars. A Christian or a Jew must never think he will be able to save his money, or, much less, his credit, by apostatising, for these Tuaricks will always swear his conversion is sham, however real it may be. He will always have to pay the same money, whether he keep his religion or sell it for the chance of saving his worthless gold and silver.

All these Jews, however, seem to have thriven in their apostasy. Ibrahim of Zinder is worth about six or seven thousand dollars, and, besides being a working-jeweller, is a merchant. I tried to exchange some of my imitation rings for his silver ones, but it was useless. He had the conscience to demand thirty of my nicely-made rings for one of his trumpery, ill-made silver ones--silver with a very bad alloy. Then he wanted a pretty cotton-print handkerchief for a miserable silver bead.

With such people it is impossible to strike a bargain. These Barbary Jews are the hardest and most tricky dealers in the world. Ibrahim has been laid up with a bad leg for five months, and intends going to Kuka when he gets better. He wanted me to sell him some mastic, but I refused. He said he wished to have one jolly day, but the fellow is almost a skeleton with his ulcerous leg.

The Shereef Saghir is quite a character. He has been over the greater part of the world, and along the Indian coast--has seen the English in India, and the Christians in many ways and manners; and so is free from all sort of fanaticism. He wants now to return with me to England. He says--Soudan is _batal_ (worthless), and that if he take his wife, the daughter of the Sarkee of Zinder, with him to the north coast, he will sell her, and so finish his connexion with the negroes! I forgot to mention that Ibrahim has brought with him a Muslim wife from Mourzuk, and has now two or three black wives, and several children.

From the courier who came from Dr. Overweg I have obtained the following account of the route from Zinder to Tesaoua:

From Zinder direct west to Tus, 1 hour; village: to Termini, 5 hours; village: to Dambidda, 1 hour; a large village: to Babul, 5 hours; village: to Gumda, 4 hours; village: to Kurnaua, 4 hours; village: to Garagumsa, 5 hours; village: to Shabari, 7 hours; village: to Maizirgi, 1 hour; large village: to Tesaoua, 5 hours.

Along this route there is abundance of herbage and trees, but no running water or wadys. There are wells of great depth. The distances between the various villages being in all, when summed up, thirty-eight hours, we must consider the whole length of the route three long and four short days' journey, as the caravans generally arrive on the fourth day.

Slavery is the curse of all these countries. My Soudan servant, Amankee, would not come with me to Zinder, on account of his longing desire to see his mother and brother and sisters; and yet, although these feelings are deep in the bosoms of all the blacks, they can see their neighbours torn away from their houses and carried off in irons with the greatest indifference. The slaves of the Sarkee of Zinder are double-ironed, like convicts, and in this condition jump through the streets, for they cannot walk. The backs of these poor slaves are all ulcerated with the strokes of the whip.

I received a visit this morning from the Jew Ibrahim. After a good deal of wrangling I exchanged three handkerchiefs for three beads of silver, but one of the beads I made him a present of. I was much surprised to hear from him that the aloe wood, _aoud el-Komari_, sold in Bornou for its equal weight in silver. He also stated that twelve rubtas of raw silk sold for one real in Mourzuk and Zinder, whilst fifteen could be purchased in Kauou for the same money. What will become of the goods of the Germans?

En-Noor's wife, Fatia, sent this morning for medicine to enable her to bring forth a child. I maliciously recommended to her a younger husband.

A Tibboo has continued to pester me to death for a medicine to make him profit in his mercantile transactions. To get rid of him, being in a merry mood, I scribbled over a piece of paper, and he swallowed it. A great number of people come for medicines who are not sick. I generally content myself with a bare refusal, explaining that there is no necessity; but there is nothing so difficult as to convince a man that he is well when once he has persuaded himself of the contrary.

The Sarkee went out this morning to his razzia and does not return for some days, so I shall not be able to take leave of his highness. The gossips persist in saying that he is dreadfully in want of money, and must go out to bring in some slaves to pay his debts. He was attended by about one thousand cavalry, and a good number of maharees. He is gone southwards. They report that he is indeed gone to Daura, but nothing is known positively as to whether he will capture the Sheikh's subjects or those of the Fellatahs. The Sarkee, on a former occasion, captured a great many people belonging to Germal, one of the Sheikh's provinces, and an order was forthwith sent to him to restore them to their homes and lands. He was compelled to comply. Besides slaves, the Sarkee will bring in bullocks and horses; but the sheep taken are eaten by the troops of the razzia. His highness is expected to gather an army of 2000 horse, and 10,000 on foot, besides camels for provisions and water, when completed. The plan and route of the expedition are kept a profound secret, so that the army will fall upon the unsuspecting population by surprise.

After about three or four hours' ride the Sarkee usually encamps, and a souk, or market, is opened at the camp for provisions. "There are no women with the _yaki_ (or army of razzia), the men cook and do all the work," says my informant. At night the Sultan calls round him his chosen troops, and distributes gour-nuts, and makes presents of provisions. He then sleeps a few hours, and probably starts at midnight, or as soon as the moon rises. A slave, a soldier of the Sarkee, who has been to a hundred razzias, tells me, that three years ago this Sarkee went to attack him of Daura in his capital. On arriving before the town the army of Zinder set fire to all the ghaseb stubble and the garden-trees around it. This done, they commenced a regular battle with the besieged. The fight continued till night, when the Sarkee of Daura fled. The Zinder people carried off a large booty: the share of the Sultan alone was nine hundred.

This freebooting prince does not fight himself, but sits down at a distance from his troops and overlooks their conduct and manoeuvres; his generals command and lead on the attack, whilst a body-guard surrounds the sacred person of the monarch. On the occasion referred to, this body-guard was covered with mattra.s.s-stuffing to s.h.i.+eld off the terrible arrows of the Daura people. The greater part of the troops of Zinder have only a spear; a few have s.h.i.+elds and swords, but none have muskets.

All the Daura people have bows and arrows. There are numbers of petty traders here waiting for the booty of this razzia, and some of the creditors of the Sarkee went this morning to wish him G.o.d speed. I am glad I did not go out to see him start on such a nefarious expedition.

It appears, however, that we are not to leave for Kuka until the return of the army. They intimate that a portion of the spoil will be sent with us to the great Sheikh of Bornou: so that after all, however unwilling, we shall seem to countenance this b.l.o.o.d.y work.

_26th, Sunday._--We have still to remain here another week at least, so I must make what use I can of the time of this delay, caused by the nefarious razzia, now in course of operation. In the extravagant manner that this government of Zinder conducts its affairs, it can only support itself by periodical expeditions of this kind. There is one Fez merchant here, to whom the Sarkee owes four millions of wadas, or about two thousand reals of Fezzan; and other creditors claim in a like proportion. Now, indeed, we begin to understand how the slave-markets of quasi-civilised countries are supplied by the surplus produce of these expeditions.

The route from Aghadez to the country of Sidi Hashem, now governed by his son, is three days' journey, and from the country of Sidi Hashem to Wadnoun, three days: there is also a route of five days, a little more direct; and the route direct from Aghadez to Wadnoun is four days'

journey.

The story of the Tibboo is going the round of the town, and becoming the daily gossip. This story has now a.s.sumed a substantial historical shape.

The facts are, as I have already intimated, that the Tibboo persecuted me to give him a medicine to enable him to trade with profit. I scribbled over a bit of paper, cut in the shape of a dollar, the number 10,000 dollars, and told him to swallow it, and afterwards to bring it me in the same state. The price for this was a fowl. He swallowed the paper, and went off to get the fowl. Not succeeding in the souk, he went to the Shereef Kebir, and requested him to give him a fowl for a sick person. The Shereef gave him what he asked, and the Tibboo brought it to me. This story since has been greatly embellished at the expense of the Tibboo, and affords infinite amus.e.m.e.nt to the Moorish and Arabic merchants of Zinder.

I have just noticed some sable ladies, with their hair all twisted into three or four great points--vain attempts at curls. The back parts are all covered with a paste of indigo. The hair is well dressed, and free from any woolly appearance.

Yesterday the Sheikh Lousou paid me a visit. I presented him with a loaf of sugar, and a cotton handkerchief. He received them with manifest pleasure, and promised to write a letter to the Queen, that, in the event of other English people or Europeans pa.s.sing through the Tuarick country of Aheer, he would render them all the protection in his power.

Lousou is esteemed by some persons as great a man as En-Noor in Zinder, but this estimation is exceedingly out of place. Lousou could give protection to European travellers and merchants, but not in an equal degree to En-Noor. As he is a younger man than En-Noor, however, it is desirable to secure his friends.h.i.+p, and, if possible, that of the Sarkee. Lousou wore the bag of camphor which I gave him, showing it to me with great satisfaction.

According to the information of a slave of the Sarkee, Gumel is a large Bornouese province, the capital of which is Tumbi: the Sultan's name is Dan-Tanoma. Gumel is one day and a-half from Zinder, but the capital is three days by horse and five days by camel travelling. Gumel has twelve great officers. Bundi is a large province of Bornou, the capital of which is Galadima: the Sultan's name is Kagami. Galadima is three days from Zinder. Aoud, a large place, is one day from Galadima. Alamaigo, also a large village or town, is half a day from Galadima. Meria, is three days from Galadima, and three from Zinder.

According to strict Muslims, it is a sin to write Jebel Mekka, "the mountain of Mekka." I have lately noticed several instances of superst.i.tion. A Moor of Fezzan, to whom I gave a small portion of camphor, showed me the paper and piece of cotton cloth in which he had wrapped it up, and swore that during the night the ginns, or evil spirits, had eaten it. Many other Moors asked me if it was possible to preserve camphor from the ginns? They said they knew a man who one evening locked up a piece of this substance in an iron box, and in the morning it was gone; the ginns had eaten it.

I went to see the manufacture of the matting which is used for making houses. There were thirty slaves at work, all belonging to one man; over these were three masters (also slaves), to keep them at their task. They certainly did not hurry themselves, and very few people hurry themselves in this country. These slaves were all Hazna, or pagans. The Sarkee of Zinder, besides Tuaricks, has many pagan subjects. Some of the blacks, I was surprised to see, had b.r.e.a.s.t.s as full and plump as many women. In other respects these pagans do not differ from their Muslim brethren.

The matting is woven thirty or forty feet long, and eight feet broad, and is used to enclose a cl.u.s.ter of huts. It is all doubly-woven. I gave each of them a small looking-gla.s.s, having nothing else to dispose of.

According to a Moor here, the land revenues of Zinder are divided into three portions; one of which goes to the Sarkee, one to the Sheikh, and one to the Bashaw. This is the new arrangement. The Sarkee makes up his accounts, or fills up his exchequer by razzias.

_27th._--The weather continues mild, but thick. The thermometer now stands at about 60 at sunrise. The people are mostly healthy. We do not hear of cases of fever, or any other periodical complaints. As soon as up, I received a visit from a number of old ladies, who came to see the Christian, and to bring him a bowl of milk. One of them had been the nurse of the Sultan of Zinder; so that I was bound to feel duly honoured by this attention.

Everybody now says the Sarkee will return in the course of five days, and besides slaves, will bring store of cattle and horses, the spoils of the poor people. I certainly never heard of a more iniquitous expedition, for it is believed he has gone against the pacific and loyal subjects of the Sheikh--not tribes or villages under another power.

I went to visit the renegade Jew Ibrahim. I had prescribed a regimen for him, to a.s.sist in the cure of his bad foot, but yet he had done nothing.

These kind of people are most eager to get prescriptions, but very lax in following them. Probably in secret they expect a magical cure, and have no confidence in any specific less expeditious than the waving of a wand. I repeated everything again to him, without expecting compliance.

It is, however, cheap to express condolence in this manner.

The streets are almost deserted; only a few beggars and poor people show themselves about. There was a fire last night in the market-place, said to be the work of an incendiary. The thieves here set fire to the huts, and profit in the confusion by carrying off the goods and chattels of the alarmed; as, indeed, they do in London and other cities of Europe.

The devices of roguery are marvellously monotonous.

In the forenoon I received a visit from the Iman of the mosque of Zinder. I asked about the Hazna, or pagans, thinking to get a little information; but I only learnt what I knew before, that the Hazna make their offerings, which consist, of milk and ghaseb, under trees. These Hazna are mostly peasants--little farmers; and, like Cain, they offer to their deity the fruits of the earth. The Iman said their deity was Eblis, or the Devil; an accusation commonly bandied between rival creeds. He informed me, also, that there are a good number of Hazna in both Zinder and the other towns and villages of the province. He despaired of their ever becoming Muslims, but added, "The great men amongst them must become Muslims by order of the Sheikh, whilst the poor people are left to do as they please, and so furnish a constant supply for the home and foreign slave-mart. It is not the interest of the Sarkee or the foreign merchants that they should become Muslims."

I have heard of the names of two other Tuarick tribes, viz. the Ezzaggeran, near Gouber, and the Daggera, near Minyo, belonging to the Tuarick country of Gurasu. These, apparently, are fractions of tribes.

I register the following legend, which seems to imply that Zinder, like many of the towns of this part of Africa, is of comparatively modern origin.

Twenty years ago there was a fine spring of water bubbling from under the largest granite rock of Zinder. It was this spring which first attracted a population to settle here. Suleiman, father of the present Sarkee, one day harangued the people, and told them, "This water is not necessary for us; the Sheikh of Bornou will hear of this prey, and come and take our country from us. Now let us fetch a fighi, who shall write a talisman; and we will put this talisman upon the mouth of the spring, and with it a large stone, and the water of the spring shall immediately dry." The people consented to this; the charm was written and thrown into the spring, and the stone was rolled on to its mouth; since which the spring has in reality ceased to flow.

The population of Zinder is now supplied with water from three wells, about half an hour distant from the spring, now dry. Upon the stone over this dried spring are several marks, like the footprints of camels and horses. Other people add, "the marks of a man when he kneels down to pray."

The Shereef Kebir says, that Lousou brought a piece of magnetic iron to him, which he sent to Haj Beghir in Kuka. Lousou reports that there is an abundance of magnetic iron in Aheer. Kohul is very cheap in the market of Zinder. In Kanou it can be had for ten reals (Fezzan) the cantar; and in Yakoba, whence it is brought, for three reals. There is a whole rock of kohul in Yakoba, the property of the Sultan. The Fellatahs rule Yakoba as well as Adamowa. They are still very powerful in all this part of Africa. Individual Fellatahs have as many as five thousand slaves, who work partly for their masters and partly for themselves.

I visited this evening Sidi Bou Beker Weled Haj Mohammed Sudani, cousin of the Sheikh of Bornou. He was surrounded with all the objects of Bornou luxury,--carpets, guns, pistols, swords, umbrellas, &c. &c. He was busy looking over a book containing an explanation of dreams, with a vastly-knowing malem. They both made pretensions to great learning. In other respects, the cousin of the Sheikh was very affable. He said, Bornou is the only good country hereabouts. All the rest are full of fever or bandits. "There were two English," he observed, "came to us (in Bornou), and were very well until they went to Soudan, where they died."

These persons were Oudney and Clapperton. I told him I must return by way of Wada, which he disapproved of. I added, that Abbas Pasha would write to Darfour and Wada, to give me protection. He then said, "Oh, if the Sheikh writes to Wada, you can go in safety."