The dwelling-places, in Kordofan, are
called “tukkoli,” and are of extremely simple construction. The
house is generally ten to twelve feet in diameter, and of a
circular form; it has but one single entrance, which answers the
purpose of door, window, and chimney, and is just large enough for
a man to creep in whilst stooping. One house is as like the other
as one egg is like its fellow, for there is no scope for
architectural display; as the residences of the negroes are built
on the same plan at the present day, and formed of the same
materials they were centuries ago. A certain number of wooden poles
are stuck into the ground, in a circular form, according to the
dimensions required, and, being bent inwards, form a fork above. A
second series, exactly similar to the first, is added, and the ends
are bound together in a point, so that the second layer has the
shape of a sugar loaf, and constitutes the roof. The whole fabric
is then combined with a kind of basket-work and covered with dokn[16]
straw. The apex of the roof forms a basket, which serves as a nest
for the black stork, which generally returns in the months of May
and July from its migrations, and hatches its young in the nests it
finds ready formed. If no stork happen to build on one or the other
of these “tukkoli,” three or four ostrich’s eggs are placed, by way
of ornament, on a pole erected perpendicularly on the top of the
roof.
Simple as is the construction of these houses, they may be said,
on an average, to be very firmly built, so that a drop of water
seldom penetrates during the heaviest shower in the rainy season,
and they afford, at least, a dry place of shelter. From two to five
of these tukkoli are generally built for one family, and the whole
homestead is then hedged in with a fence of thorn; an opening is
left in this hedge for the gate, represented by a bush of thorn,
which is taken away and replaced after entrance or egress from the
enclosure. This is not done from any apprehension of thieves or of
any other intrusion, but to keep the hungry camels, who would
devour the house, in a short time, down to the very framework, at a
respectful distance. These thorn fences are a great inconvenience,
and even dangerous to strangers, for, if they do not exactly shed
blood, they will seldom enter them or quit them without leaving a
portion of their
dress thereunto attached. The expense of building a house of this
description is very trifling; the poorest people, therefore, are
able to erect their own tukkoli. Wood may be cut in the forests
without any charge being made for it; certainly those who do not
happen to grow corn, and consequently have no straw, are obliged to
buy this material. The expense, however, rarely exceeds from five
to ten piasters, (less than three shillings;) for which sum, a
sufficient quantity may be bought to keep out every drop of water
during the severest shower. Labourers are not paid, for each man
assists his neighbour gratuitously. These houses present another
and very desirable advantage, putting aside the consideration that
the material costs a mere trifle and the building but little
trouble; for every man can have his house carried away, by ten or
twelve men, in two divisions, and quickly again erected in a
different place, if the site did not please him, or a disagreeable
neighbour rendered his prior residence unpleasant to him. If fire
break out in a village, no attempt is made to extinguish it, as it
would be labour in vain, but the houses nearest to the seat of
conflagration are conveyed out of the reach of danger, and a limit
is thus put to the raging element. Whole villages are sometimes
carried away, when an insect happens to infest the neighbourhood,
and renders residence in a certain district insupportable. The
animal is the ricinus,[17] called there “kurat;” it harbours in
the sand, whence it issues, in astonishing numbers, to attack those
who may happen to sit down on the sand naked, as the negroes do.
This little animal then immediately approaches and bites most
severely. The camels stand in great awe of it, immediately take
flight, and cannot be made to stop in a place where it is to be met
with. The sting of this insect is only to be avoided by sitting on
straw mats, for they seldom creep upon these.
Every family possesses an additional hut, (called “moraka,”) in
which the flour necessary for the consumption of the house is
ground. This operation is performed in a hollow stone, a species of
rude mortar, which is fixed into the ground, whilst a girl,
generally a slave, reduces the grain (dokn) with another
cylindrical stone to a powder. In a family consisting of eight
persons, one girl would be occupied throughout the whole year in
grinding the necessary quantity of corn. This simple labour
requires great exertion, and is only to be performed by girls who
have attained their fourteenth year, younger children being unequal
to the task. Even grown persons suffer considerably in this
occupation, for it requires no slight exertion to roll a heavy
stone all day long backwards and forwards in the heat of these huts; the poor creatures
thus employed are generally bathed in perspiration, and yet they
may be heard singing all day long. Their songs are certainly merely
expressive of their desire to escape, or of longing after their
homes. The chaunts are very peculiar, and, with few exceptions, the
impromptu pouring-forth of the feelings of the singer, according to
the custom prevalent over nearly the whole of the East.
Few songs are to be met with which the one learns of the other;
for each individual sings exactly what he thinks, without any
regard to metre or time. For their dances the natives have a few
peculiar melodies, which, however, are frequently altered by
variations of their own composition. The young female slaves are
heard to sing chiefly in a minor key, and their notes are scarcely
audible in the next hut: the song will frequently run in the
following strain: “The sun is concealing itself behind the hills,
come people to the joyous dance; the cows are milked, the work is
done, light the fire; my lover comes to fetch me home, &c.” A
tear may be seen to flow from the eye of many a girl as she thinks
of her native hills, over these songs; time, however, is capable of
assuaging the grief of these poor creatures, and after the lapse of
two or three years but few of them devote a thought to their native
country. In Egypt I have often conversed with both male and female
slaves who scarcely remembered their fatherland, which they the
more easily forget,
as they meet with treatment in captivity they could not have
experienced under the paternal roof; they subsequently adopt the
customs and habits of the people with whom they are forced to live,
and frequently laugh at the simple customs of their own
country.
In the houses of the married there is a small elevation, of
about one foot and a half in height, in which an earthern pot is
immured up to its embouchure: this is called “tirankul,” and
is for the purpose of fumigating the person. Wood cut into thin
shavings, named “klet” and “telch,” is placed in the pot, and
ignited, whereupon the person performs the fumigation. This smoke
is very tonic in its operation, and so astringent that it
corrugates the skin. The shirts are also fumigated with sandal-wood
over this pot.
The influential and more opulent inhabitants of the village,
e. g. the sheikhs or the djelabis, possess, in addition to
the houses we have already described, a hut built in a quadrangular
form and called “rakuba:” they are more spacious than the common
dwellings, and are furnished with two entrances to admit of a freer
circulation of air, but are not tenantable during the rainy season
on account of the extreme lightness with which they are
constructed. This description of public building serves the purpose
of a place of abode for travellers, and is certainly preferable to
the dark and hot tukkoli, which are built rather for the rainy
season than for the dry and hot weather, during which period the people
live more in the open air. In Bari and Lobeid, where many Turks and
Dongolavi reside who look more to comfort, several spacious
residences are to be met with, constructed on the principle of
those observed in all Egyptian towns. The houses at Bari are more
substantially built than those at Lobeid, which are, literally
speaking, made of sand. An European architect would be much puzzled
to erect a house of this description, if he were shown the material
only. It consists of wood and sand; but as the swallows build their
nests with very slight material, which, however, in time becomes as
firm as stone, in like manner houses are constructed at Lobeid
which, although they will not last for ever, resist the
inclemencies of the weather for a great length of time, and afford
the occupant a secure place of shelter.
In several parts of the East I have had frequent opportunities
of observing that they build very neat dwellings as it were of
nothing. Houses, two stories in height, are frequently erected from
the ground in five or six weeks. The walls are represented by a
thick framework of wood, lined with a few bricks. A coating of
mortar covers the whole, and thus a house bears all the appearance
of being built of stone, and does not easily fall, especially where
they are not detached, but form streets, and the one, therefore,
supports the other. In Kordofan, on the other hand, each man builds
an isolated hut, and
every species of building material, excepting wood, is wanting; the
construction, therefore, is completely that of a swallow’s nest.
When a man has fixed upon the plot of ground on which he intends to
construct his house, the earth is excavated to the depth of half a
foot; and as much of the sand dug out as is necessary for the
building, is mixed with water in a well, at two or three paces
distant from the site of the building. The foundation is now
erected to a height of about two feet, and the labour is remitted
for two or three days, to allow the wall of sand to acquire the
proper firmness. This latter proceeding is the more essential as
the whole fabric would tumble to pieces before it had attained its
necessary height, unless this precaution were adopted. When the
destined elevation is completed, and the wall is thoroughly dry,
thin rafters are laid horizontally across it to form the skeleton
of the roof. Mats of straw are now placed upon the rafters, and
covered with a thin layer of sand, which is then wetted; small
pebbles of quartz are now strewn over this bed, and the whole mass
is firmly beaten together. A fabric of this nature is not unlike
papier maché, and, like the latter, would become perfectly
saturated with the first rain, and fall to pieces, if they did not
take the precaution of covering the whole with a coating of
cow-dung, which effectually keeps out water, and thus prevents the
occurrence of such a calamity. It will be easily conceived that a
house of this kind diffuses no very agreeable odour during
the first few days
after erection, and that its colour is by no means the most
pleasing. In the rainy season this plastering has to be repeated
several times, and yet the rain frequently penetrates. I have lived
in one of these houses, and derived the greatest benefit from my
umbrella both by day and by night.
Most places are provided with draw-wells, but the water is on
the average very bad. The wells are situated at a short distance
from some of their places of residence, and the tributary springs
frequently dry up, as was the case in the year 1839, when many
villages suffered from want of water. In several localities, where
this element was formerly found at a depth of ten feet, it is now
necessary to dig to a depth of twenty feet before it can be
reached. About fifteen years ago water was found at twenty feet
below the level of the ground at Lobeid; at present fifty feet must
be penetrated before arriving at it. During the rainy season water
is, indeed, never wanting; but the rains do not last long, and that
which remains in the ponds either quickly evaporates, or becomes in
a short time so deteriorated that it could not be drank without
producing fatal consequences.
The arrangements in the interior of the tukkoli are as simple as
the huts themselves. In addition to an “angareb” (a bedstead or
frame, with straps fastened across it), a leathern shield, and a
few spears, the furniture consists of the following objects:—a pot,
called “burma,” for water; a second for boiling, and a third for “merissa” (a
species of beer); further a flat earthern dish “doka” for baking
bread; some few gourds for drinking; a wooden platter named “gedda”
for the boiled food; and a dish of straw plaited from the leaves of
the Doum palm, called “tabake.” Milk is kept in a basket formed of
rushes so densely interlaced that no fluid can percolate: to render
them thus impermeable they are steeped in boiling water immediately
after they are plaited. Provisions and other articles of domestic
economy are hung against the walls, to keep them from the mice and
white ants; these insects are a thorough plague in the country, and
nothing is safe from them; they will even gnaw and undermine the
wood-work of a house, and cause the whole fabric to fall to pieces.
Their habitation is the sand, especially where it is rather damp;
everything in fact that is placed on the ground is in danger of
being eaten up by them; chests and trunks should, therefore, be
placed upon stones, for they do not creep up these: the open air is
also fatal to the white ant. When they have gnawed anything to
pieces they leave a moisture mixed with sand, which becoming hard
forms an incrustation; and beneath this they carry on their work of
destruction. This covering is not intended to defend them from
other insects inimical to them, and likely to disturb them in their
work, but to guard themselves against the access of the air, which,
as I before mentioned, they cannot bear. I took all possible
pains to learn
something more of the habits of these animals, to find out where
they live and in what numbers they congregate. I have often dug to
a depth of one foot or two feet in the sand without meeting with
one single ant; and yet, if I placed a wooden chest on the ground,
where I had just been digging, I found in a short time the spot
covered with hundreds of these insects.
The interior of some of the tukkoli is decorated with beautiful
coloured straw mats; the angareb is also covered with variegated
matting, and serves, at the same time, as a couch. Two or three
ropes are drawn across the middle of the hut, to which ribbons, two
fingers in breadth, plaited of rushes, and spreading out
inferiorly, are attached; by these ligatures blue porcelain plates,
of English manufacture, are suspended, to contain food and preserve
it from the insects. A second cord is passed round the hut, to
which black glass bottles are hung, ornamented with gold paper;
part of these are empty, others again are filled with perfumery and
cosmetics belonging to the women, as grease, palm-oil, oil of
cloves, shebe,[18] telka,[19] etc. The walls are
decorated with a shield, a two-edged sword, and a few spears.
Before the tukkoli, a hollow cylinder made of cow-dung is
frequently met with, it is placed on stones, and is hermetically
closed with a lid. In this vessel the inhabitants keep their corn,
but a majority of them bury their stores under-ground. For this
purpose they dig a
pit, and line it internally with straw-matting; the corn is then
thrown in and covered with straw-mats; sand is now shot over the
whole, and the ground is levelled. Cabinets d’aisance are not known
to the natives; in these matters they imitate the cats. There are
no stalls or stables for the domestic animals; the cattle is penned
together in an enclosure of thorn, in the vicinity of the tukkoli.
The fence is exceedingly dense, intended to keep out the wild
beasts at night; and yet it frequently happens that a lion, or
hyæna, when urged by hunger, will effect an entry through the
thickest hedge, and carry away a sheep, a goat, or a calf.
The habits of the people are very simple, and their labour is
restricted to the most necessary employments. As soon as the day
begins to dawn old and young rise from their couches, and after
washing their faces, hands, and feet, in accordance with their
religion, proceed to work; the occupation of the majority, however,
consists in again retiring to the angareb. It is worthy of remark
that no one sleeps on the bare ground, and that the meanest slave
is provided with a mat to lie upon. In the houses of the more
respectable natives, one or two angarebs are always found on which
they sleep, while the lower orders are provided with straw-mats,
for no human being could endure lying on the mere ground for any
length of time; for the vermin harbouring in the sand would nearly
eat him up. The bed of a slave is certainly not of eiderdown, and
many Europeans, rising in the morning from a couch of this description, would consider
they had undergone a severe punishment; for these straw, or rather
cane-mats, are plaited from a species of reed, the stalks of which
are as thick as the little finger, and each particular reed is so
far apart in the texture, that their entire number may be counted
in the morning on the body of the slave. I have often asked these
poor wretches how they could possibly sleep on a bed of torture of
this kind, but they have always assured me, laughing, that they
could rest better there than on the bare ground. As a general rule
no one places any pillow under his head, not even as much as a
stone; but the natives cover themselves with a shirt, if indeed
they have one; in this garment they envelope the whole head, and if
any one, in fact, neglect covering his head at night, he will
experience a sensation of heaviness and indisposition in the
morning, which will continue during the whole day. Breakfast is not
customary in this country. Although the coffee from Abyssinia, and
even from Yemen, which stands in commercial connexion with
Kordofan, is very cheap, this beverage is but little known and is
only drank by some few djelabi and the Turkish residents of
Kordofan; with the exception of one coffee-house at Lobeid, there
is no establishment of the kind in the whole province, and this
single café is frequented by the Turks solely, and not by
the natives. Among the most respectable Dongolavi, however, some
few may be occasionally found who do not abstain altogether from this beverage.
If a foreigner visit an influential person in the morning a pipe
and merissa are offered him, and a dish, reckoned a great delicacy,
which requires, however, a stomach differently constituted to that
of an European to digest it. I, on one occasion, had the honour of
being treated with this dish. I was one day invited by a djelabi at
Denaglé to breakfast. Having arrived at the appointed time, I was
conducted to a seat on an angareb covered with beautiful carpets,
and a pipe and merissa were handed to me. When I observed that no
fire was lighted in the fire-place and that no other preparations
were being made, I asked, without further ceremony, where the
breakfast was, for I knew very well that simple merissa would not
be considered sufficient to offer me, and I had not time to remain
longer. The djelabi told me that it would be ready immediately, and
pointed to a sheep which was running about in the court, adding,
that he would not have it slaughtered until I had arrived. I
replied, “It will soon be midday and I have other business to
attend to, and cannot wait until the meat is roasted or boiled,
especially as you have not even prepared a fire.” My host assured
me that the breakfast would be ready immediately, and that I should
have ample time to attend to my business. My curiosity was now
excited to the utmost to know with what kind of breakfast he
intended to honour me, and I kept my eyes continually on the sheep,
which was to be sacrificed in honour of my visit; judge, however, of my
embarrassment when a slave, on a signal from his master, quickly
decapitated the sheep, and without waiting to flay the animal,
ripped up its abdomen, took out the stomach, cleaned it, cut it
into small pieces, and laying them on a wooden dish, squeezed the
gallbladder of the animal, as we might a lemon, on the fragments,
and lastly, strewed a considerable quantity of cayenne pepper over
the whole mess. This being done, and, indeed, in an incredibly
short space of time, I was pressed to help myself quickly, before
the dish became cool; I sighed, however, and thanking my host,
begged to be excused, assuring him at the same time that an
European stomach could not possibly bear this very exquisite dish,
and that I would, therefore, content myself with looking on. He
smiled piteously at my fastidiousness, and showed evident symptoms
of relishing the delicacy. I afterwards frequently observed that
this is a very favourite dish, and was tempted, rather to satisfy
my curiosity than my appetite, to partake of it; and really the
flavour is not very disagreeable, for the gall in combination with
the cayenne takes away the odour and taste of the raw paunch,
nevertheless I could never eat a sufficient quantity of it to
satisfy the demands of hunger. Not only in Kordofan, but in
Sennaar, and Abyssinia, also, this dish is considered, as I have
before observed, a great delicacy.
The duties the inhabitants have to perform during the day require very little
trouble, and in no country have I seen as much indolence as in
Kordofan. Every man, be his means ever so small, endeavours to
purchase a slave, and this poor wretch must then do all the work,
in order that his master may lie all day long in the shade,
indulging in idleness. The natives never perform any more labour
than is absolutely necessary, and thus much only when it is
urgently required. Those who attend to agriculture have very little
trouble or care in their employment; for they have nothing to do
but to sow the seed at a certain season, and to carry the harvest
in three months’ time. Very few persons occupy themselves with
handicraft. The houses are repaired, or renovated, at the utmost
every three or five years; thus no one has anything to do, and the
natives are consequently seen lying about sleeping all the day
long. The women attend, indeed, to the domestic duties, but these
are inconsiderable, and if their means will permit it, they pass
the greater part of the day on the angareb. The men have no
amusements; only very few of the Dongolavi smoke tobacco, but the
negro tribes indulge the more in this habit. They take little or no
interest in the dances of the women, and when they are tired of
lying down, and have slept to their hearts’ content, a few
neighbours congregate; and after greetings and mutual inquiries
into the state of their health,—a ceremony which generally occupies
a quarter of an hour,—the conversation at the most turns upon the
governor and the
casheffs, or they talk of their sick camels or asses. Politics in
general are a very small trouble to them; the taxes, however, which
they are forced to pay several times in the year, cause them a few
days of great uneasiness. On these occasions they consult together
how they may best collect them; and if the harvest was successful,
and merissa consequently plentiful, many a bitter hour is drowned
with this liquor. Their conversation becomes then more animated,
they console themselves with providence, and the rhababa, a lyre
with five strings, entirely dissipates their cares. This instrument
is their chief amusement, they will listen for hours to its
monotonous notes, and it forms a frequent accompaniment to the
voice; but story tellers who relate tales from the Arabian Nights
are not to be met with among them as in Egypt. However noisy their
amusements may become, or whatever the effects of the merissa may
be, they seldom or never proceed to quarrels. Swearing and abusive
language is scarcely ever heard among them as it is among the
Arabs, and if, as a very rare occurrence, a quarrel ever arise, it
is immediately arranged by the elders present. They never fall to
blows, although they may, perhaps, occasionally pull each other
about by the shirts. They are hospitable, and every one who
casually passes by whilst they are amusing themselves is considered
their guest, and must participate in the amusements.
Among the Dongolavi, I found a very singular custom prevalent for settling
their affairs of honour, as they are termed; these are, generally,
disputes arising from love, or jealousy, at which the young
unmarried men have taken mortal offence; the married, who certainly
have better cause for duelling, never proceed to such extremities;
they are far more tolerant on the like occasions, and not very
particular about such trifling affairs. The young men, on the other
hand, take these things far more to heart; when, therefore, the
friends have not been able to adjust the quarrel, a formal
challenge is sent. The duel takes place in an open space, in
presence of all their friends and comrades, who act as seconds, or
rather as umpires. An angareb is placed in the middle of the field
of battle: the two combatants strip, and, binding their shirts
round their loins, each man places his foot close to the edge of
the couch, the breadth of which simply separates them from each
other. A whip, made of one solid thong of the hide of the
hippopotamus, is handed to each, and attempts to reconcile them are
again resumed. If both parties, however, prove obstinate, or their
sense of honour be too deeply implicated, for either to yield, the
signal of battle is at last given. He who is entitled to the first
blow, now inflicts a severe lash on the body of his adversary, who
instantly returns the compliment, and thus the conflict is kept up,
blow for blow, with great regularity. The head must not be struck.
The manner in which they lacerate each other is perfectly frightful; for the blows
are dealt with the utmost severity, and the weapon is sufficiently
formidable to cause an immense ecchymosis with the very first
stripe,—with the third or fourth blow the blood begins to flow most
copiously. Not the slightest expression of pain is uttered by
either party, and the umpires remain cool spectators of the scene.
Thus the duellists persevere with their barbarous cruelty, until
the one or the other, overcome with pain, or exhausted with
fatigue, throws down his whip, whereupon the victor does the same,
and both shake hands, in sign of mutual satisfaction. Their
comrades now rend the air with their exclamations of joy, and
congratulate them on their reconciliation; their lacerated backs
are washed with water, and the affair terminates with a copious
libation of merissa, sundry jugs of which had been provided
beforehand for the occasion.
Similar causes sometimes give rise to another species of duel,
far more dangerous in its consequences than the latter, for it
frequently terminates with an injury, the effects of which are felt
during life, or even with the loss of the use of a limb. The
combatants, on this occasion, are also divided by an angareb; but,
in dealing out their alternate blows, they pay no attention to the
part they fall upon, whether the face, or any other sensitive
portion of the body, and thus severe injuries are always the
result. These duels are, however, rare, and mortal quarrels are
generally fought out in the manner above described. The girl, who had
been the cause of all this broil and warfare, is not drawn into the
affair, but is generally considered innocent, or pitied as
seduced.
As a general rule, the women are far more industrious than the
men; for, besides attending to their domestic occupations, they
employ themselves more especially with plaiting straw-mats, making
baskets to hold milk, and funnels for filtering merissa. They
perform, moreover, other business, which should more properly be
considered as the duty of the men. I have even seen them tanning
leather, whilst their husbands were quietly looking on, smoking
their pipes, and indulging in idleness.
The women are, generally speaking, regarded as servants. Their
degradation is yet greater, if they should unfortunately happen not
to have children. In this case they are quite despised by their
lords, if they were ever so fond of them before, and the husband
indemnifies himself with a female slave. Should this woman bear him
a child, which is generally the case, she is immediately raised to
the rank of his wife, and his former spouse is either sent away, or
totally neglected. Among the more opulent natives, the custom
prevails of making the wife a small allowance after the birth of
the second child, and giving her a separate hut as a place of
residence; for they grow old very rapidly, and a woman in her
twenty-fourth year is considered passée. Hence it is that
many women may be seen running about as if deranged to consult their
Sheikhs,[20] or fortune-tellers. The information these
impostors give is, of course, always agreeable to the desires of
the client, but is, generally speaking, utterly false.
The women of Kordofan are very merry; they may be heard singing, or laughing, all day
long; and chaunt over their work, either singly, or in company. As
soon as the labours of the day are ended, the girls and neighbours
congregate together, and dancing commences, an amusement generally
kept up till past midnight. They are, in fact, passionately
addicted to this recreation. If they have even been employed during
the whole day with the most onerous labour, sufficient to fatigue a
strong man, all symptoms of weariness immediately disappear when
the wood-fires are lighted before the huts in the evening, and the
sound of the Dar’abook’keh[21] is heard. This is, in
fact, the signal for old and young to leave their houses, and
hasten to the scene of amusement, where the men, with their wives,
lay themselves down in a circle, and become spectators, or, joining
in the song, beat the time with their hands, while the girls now
make their appearance, and singly begin the dance.
This dance is very simple in its nature, requires, however,
great muscular exertion, and would prove a very difficult task for
some of our fair countrywomen. The black beauties commence their
evolutions by moving slowly, but frequently, in a small space.
Whilst beating time with their feet, they throw their heads back at
measured intervals, and draw their shoulders up; so that they
frequently even bend their bodies backwards until their heads touch
the ground. This is done with so much muscular effort, that it is scarcely possible to
believe a girl of slender build could possess sufficient power of
muscle. The movements are, at first, all very slow, but gradually
increase in rapidity, and become, at last, so frequent and quick,
that you could almost imagine yourself looking at an automaton
moving on springs and wires, and not on a human being. When a girl
has nearly danced herself to death, she modestly retires to the
background, and a second takes her place. If one of them
particularly distinguish herself, and the company wish to pay her a
very great compliment, she is desired to stand forth, and a sword
is flourished several times over her head. During this ceremony,
the music is silenced, but becomes the more noisy afterwards, and
is intended as a kind of musical honour to the danseuse.
This compliment is generally paid her by her admirer or by a
stranger present. The natives are always delighted if a stranger
will attend their dances, offer him the best place, and treat him
with abundance of merissa. Married women, and those more advanced
in age, scarcely ever dance; they are mere spectators, or pass the
time in a different manner, more agreeably to themselves; they
form, namely, comme chez nous, very polite côteries
for scandal, where the neighbour who happens to be brought on the
tapis is by no means spared, for they leave no hair of his
head untouched. The married women, again, are those who pay the
least attention to the seventh commandment, a crime which is considered very heinous
according to the Mahommedan laws; the girls, on the other hand, are
far more moral. In some parts of Kordofan, the men consider it a
great honour if their wives have several admirers, but the
difference exists, in this country, that the ladies court the
men.
The dress of both men and women is very simple, for only the
Dongolavi, the wealthiest of all the tribes, wear long shirts with
wide sleeves, and a táckeéyeh,[22] or small white cap, with a
white shawl on their heads, like the turban of the Turks; red caps
are but rarely seen, nor is the táckeéyeh white longer than one
day, for it soon becomes, with dirt and grease, as black as the
owner. All the other tribes are nearly naked; they bind simply a
cotton cloth round their loins, throwing one end of it over one
shoulder; they wear no covering to their heads, but let their hair
grow as long as they please, or braid it in from ten to sixteen
plaits, which, however, never reach their backs. Every man carries
a double-edged dagger in a sheath on his left arm, and a few charms
sewn up in red leather, which the fakéers write and sell to them.
On journeys, they wear long double-edged swords, in leathern
sheaths, suspended by a short strap from the left shoulder; the
hilts of these sabres have no guards, and are merely covered with
leather. The sheikhs, however, bear swords with massive silver hilts, terminating
in a knob as large as a hen’s egg of the same metal; some of them
ornament the sheaths with agates, or imitations of precious stones
in glass. The men carry large oval shields on their backs made of
the skin of the antelope, when on a march. They also carry a number
of spears, or javelins, contained in a rude leathern quiver hanging
from their shoulders. Short tours are performed on asses; longer
journeys on camels or dromedaries. The peasants who possess no
camels travel short distances on oxen.
The dress of the women does not differ from that of the men of
the lower orders, for they also wear a large cotton cloth bound
round their loins, part of which is thrown over one shoulder. When
they walk out they sometimes cover their heads with this cloth,
but, whilst at work, they wind the whole of it round their loins.
These melayeh, as they are termed, are at first white, then proceed
through various gradations of colour, until they lastly become
black, for they are seldom washed. In washing they make use of the
bark of a tree called Egelit, instead of soap, and spread the linen
on a piece of tanned leather, which is laid in a deep hole in the
sand. The melayeh of the Dongolavi is washed with soap, and is
generally decorated with a broad red border. It is also adjusted
with a certain degree of care, in order to give their dress a more
picturesque appearance. The women wear no covering on their heads,
but roll their hair
into curls, smearing them well with butter or oil made of
sim-sim.[23] They anoint the skin of the whole body with a
pomatum prepared of spikenard,[24] mahleb,[25]
and tuffer;[26] these ingredients, rubbed down upon a stone,
are called “telka.” The oils and butter give the hair a certain
gloss, as long as it is free from dust; but the pomatum on the head
soon becomes rancid, when it is impossible to remain long in
proximity of one of these beauties, without offence to the
olfactory nerves. Their eyelids are covered with powdered
antimony.[27] Women who pride themselves on their head-dress,
and do not wish to discompose their curls, make use of a small
wooden bench, about a span in height, and hollowed out above, so as
to admit the neck, as a pillow when they lie down to sleep, in
order to avoid pressing their curls. It is the most incommodious
pillow in the world, but the women, to gratify vanity, accustom
themselves to it, as the slave becomes inured to his fetters, and
sleep very well, notwithstanding the uncomfortable position they
are obliged to adopt. An idea may be formed of the hardship they
have at first to undergo, in considering that this position does not admit
of the slightest change during sleep; but as our belles willingly
allow their ribs to be uncomfortably compressed by a tight corset
to appear with a small waist, thus the women of Kordofan
voluntarily submit to this torture to preserve their head-dress.
The toilette of these children of nature requires, moreover, a much
longer time than that of our European ladies, for the number of
curls which are matted together with oil and grease and dust, until
they form one dense mass, demand considerable time for their
dressing. As they have no combs, scissors, pincers, hair-pins, or
other implements of coiffure, one simple wooden peg answers
the purpose of all these instruments, and we may easily imagine
that a great deal of time is spent in arranging the hundreds of
curls of their woolly hair. The women wear rings in their noses and
ears, mostly of silver and brass, for those of gold have totally
disappeared, or have become, at least, very rare. Several of them,
indeed, wear bracelets and rings of silver round their ankles, the
latter decorated with small pieces of coral or small bells. The
greater part of the bracelets worn are of horn or of ivory,
frequently two inches in breadth, and the anklets are mostly of
copper, sometimes even as much as one pound in weight. Round their
necks and heads the women wind strings of beads of Bohemian glass;
the favourite colour is dark blue. Some of the ladies hang small
round plates of gold,
an inch in diameter, on their foreheads, or small round pieces of
amber of the same size. On their fingers they wear silver rings set
with cornelians. They are, in fact, fond of anything that shines or
glitters, and has a bright or gaudy colour, and it is no easy
matter, at times, to abstain from laughter, on beholding one of
these black beauties in full dress. I have, frequently, on the
other hand, met with others who dressed themselves with peculiar
taste, so that they really presented an agreeable appearance. Women
who are not wealthy wear small pearls, or small red berries, or a
charm sewn up in red leather on their foreheads. On their arms they
carry ivory or horn bracelets; round their ankles copper rings or a
large milk-white glass bead; round their necks they hang strings of
blue glass beads, and in their noses and ears rings of brass. The
unmarried or girls walk about naked, and bind only round their
loins a fringed leathern belt, from which several hundred small
thin straps depend. This girth is called “rahat,” and is frequently
decorated with agates. They are, also, very fond of ornament, and
adorn their heads and necks with glass beads. The boys run about in
a perfect state of nudity up to their twelfth year. The men anoint
their bodies, like the women, with oil, butter, and other greasy
substances, not so much for the purpose of giving the skin a glossy
appearance, as to preserve it from cracking, to which inconvenience
it would be very liable, as they walk about uncovered, exposing
themselves to a scorching heat. The covering to the feet consists
of sandals of undressed leather bound with straps; the Dongolavi,
however, wear sandals of tanned leather, decorated with coloured
straps. On journeys, some of the natives wear sheepskin, after the
same fashion as the miners[28] of Germany a leather
behind them, to avoid sitting down naked on the burning ground.
Slaves are met with in nearly every house: the female portion is
employed in domestic work, the male in agricultural labour; they
receive once a year, at the feast of the great Baëram, a piece of
cotton stuff; which wound round their loins constitutes their whole
clothing. They are treated very well, and, in most families,
partake of the same fare as their masters. The badge of servitude
is, however, not wanting; for the male slaves are generally bound
in fetters, applied to their legs, to prevent them from running
away. I never saw one of these beings illtreated by his master for doing too
little work; it is only when they make an attempt to run away, that
they are beaten. The female slaves run at liberty, and unfettered;
they are also treated with more lenity, especially if they should
happen to be young and pretty, or when the master admits them to
the rights of a wife. The children, born by these slaves, are the
property of the owner, who may sell them; this is, however, no
longer the case in Egypt, where all natural children are treated
like Egyptians. These poor creatures have equal cause to complain
of their masters, as some slave-proprietors make this a branch of
commerce; thus they are mostly mustered after a few years, and sold
to slave-merchants, who take them down to Grand Cairo. Europeans
must be very careful in purchasing female slaves, and ought
especially to be on their guard against those who speak Arabic
well, for many of them are acquainted with all kinds of tricks.
Many slaves, on the other hand, are not to be purchased from their
proprietors, especially if they are well taught; and only when they
have not adopted the faith of Islam, and die, are they treated like
cattle. These children of nature frequently behave in the most
singular manner when they take an object that is unknown to them
into their hands; it would, indeed, make any man laugh heartily to
see how awkwardly they comport themselves. A very comical instance
of the kind occurred to me: a girl, who was suffering from head-ache, begged a cloth
of me to bind round her head, and I lent her my flag,[29]
as I had nothing else at hand. I visited her on the next day,
thinking to find her ill at home, but was told that she was much
better, and had gone out. My astonishment at meeting the handsome
girl, in company with several of her friends, on the market-place,
decked out with my flag in the form of a woman’s frock, may be
easily imagined; and my laughter was greatly increased, at
observing the double-headed eagle expanded in full glory over the
centre of her body. Several Turks, who were present, were likewise
attacked with fits of laughter; but the belle, and her
friends, found this decoration so pretty, that I was besieged with
entreaties to present them also with like fantasias; and I
was obliged to use all possible means to persuade them, and make
them understand, that I possessed no more articles of ornament of
this description, and that I must even take this one back. The
handsome girls were, as may be supposed, by no means pleased with
this measure, for I had a great deal of trouble in getting my flag
back to hoist it in its place in proper time.
The food consists chiefly of dokn bread, assida, and woika. The dokn, having been
ground on a stone to flour, is put into an earthen pot, and
converted, by means of water, into a thin paste. A fire is now
lighted under an earthen-dish (or under an iron-plate, called
doga), which stands on three stones; when the dish is heated, it is
greased with butter, and the paste is spread upon it in the shape
and size of an ordinary cake. The one side being baked, the bread
is turned, and the dish again greased with butter. These cakes are
about the thickness of a finger, and for Europeans very
indigestible; they distend the stomach, indeed, awfully; an effect
produced by the corn, partly because the husks are not separated
from the flour, partly because the bread is not well baked. Those
who are more wealthy, consume a better kind of bread, which has
also a more pleasant flavour; the flour is purified, and the paste
more fluid; it is spread upon the dish by means of a small brush,
but otherwise prepared in the same manner as the former variety.
Much time is required to bake the necessary quantity for the
consumption of the house. More than one hour is spent in making
bread enough of the latter description to serve two persons at
dinner. Fresh bread must, therefore, be prepared every day; and it
is always made by the women; for, as there is no mill in Kordofan,
every one is obliged to grind the quantity of flour necessary for
his consumption daily. This is done, as I have already observed, by
female slaves.
The assida and
woika are the common dishes of the natives of Kordofan. The former
consists of flour, boiled after the fashion of the Italian
polenta[30]; but there is a considerable difference in the
mode of preparing this mess; for the poorer class use the flour in
its natural state, whereas the wealthy natives have it several
times washed in water, a process rendering it much whiter and
purer. Woika is prepared in the following manner:—The natives take
pieces of beef, dried in the sun, cut for the purpose into long
slips, of the thickness of a finger, which form in every family a
part of the household stores. This is reduced with dried
bamié[31] to a coarse powder in a wooden mortar. Some
onions are now burnt with butter in an earthen-pot, over which
water is poured. When the stock boils, one person stirs it up,
whilst another gradually adds the pounded meat and bamié, until it
forms a thick mass. This ragout, or currie, is then poured into the
assida before described, and served up; it has a pleasant flavour,
is very nutritious, and far more wholesome than any other kind of
animal food. A great deal of meat is consumed; for it is very
cheap, and nearly every one keeps goats and sheep. The Turks,
indeed, do not eat the beef, nor is it to be recommended to
Europeans, for it is very indigestible, and of ill flavour. The oock’ckah,[32]
of two pounds and three quarters, does not cost more than twenty
paras (twopence); and it is sold in the market-place of Lobeid
without the bones. In the country, it is retailed at half this
amount; and the price of the piece bargained for is fixed, without
weighing it, by judging by the eye alone. There is no deficiency of
fowls, pigeons, and various species of gazelles; these, however,
are luxuries which are only to be met with in the houses of the
wealthy, and on festive occasions. Every family dines at midday;
the men are first served; and when they have finished their meal,
the women and children sit down. A straw-mat is spread upon the
sand, in the centre of which a wooden dish is placed, containing
assida and woika; while the necessary bread is served up on a flat
straw-dish. Every one present in the hut, the family as well as
strangers, for no invitation is required, sit down, with their legs
bent under them, on the straw-mat round the dish; and, on being
invited by the master of the house with the word, Bishmillah (in
the name of God) to help themselves, all plunge their hands at the
same time into the dish. Each person now takes as much as he can
hold in his five fingers, and conveys it to his mouth. The bread is
generally eaten at the same time; and thus they proceed, taking one
handful after the other, until the dish is emptied of the last
morsel. If a stranger cease to eat first, the master of the house
invites him to continue, not as a matter of ceremonious courtesy,
but in true kindness. During dinner little is spoken, for each
individual endeavours above all things to satisfy hunger. In the
villages, curds and bread are served up in the dish at meals. The
poorer class have not always assida, but the woika alone, and bread
and milk. When the contents of a dish are coming to an end, one man
rises after the other. The master of the house receives no thanks,
nor does he, indeed, expect them; for it is regarded as an
understood thing, that every one must be satisfied who happens to
be present at the time of the meals. They wash their hands before,
and after eating, and the same ablution is performed in the evening
at sun-set.
During the dinner, water is only handed round in gourds to
drink; when the meal is over the merissa is served up. This
description of beer is met with in all the villages of Kordofan
with but few exceptions; and even among the nomadic tribes, it is
seldom missing, except, indeed, when the harvest has been
particularly unsuccessful. Merissa is brewed in the following
manner:—the dokn forms the chief basis: it is allowed to germinate
first, as the barley in Germany, dried in the sun, and then bruised
between stones. Cakes of bread are now made, placed in a pot and
covered with water, and when this liquor has sufficiently
fermented,—a process requiring two days,—it is filtered through a
sieve formed of rushes. This merissa must be drunk immediately, for
with the third day it begins to turn acid, a result which is not to
be wondered at considering the intense heat of the climate, for
they have no cellars in which they could preserve it for any length
of time. The same merissa repeatedly filtered until it has become
clearer is called bill-bill; but bill-bill
prepared with sugar, nutmeg, cloves, and other optional drugs forms
sansugot. The latter beverage is made in various ways. It
is an agreeable drink and very cooling. As a rule it is far more
conducive to health to drink a larger quantity of merissa than of
water in this climate, and I advise travellers in particular to
observe this prescription, the more so as I found by experience
that, as soon as I discontinued water, and commenced drinking
merissa and brandy, the fever and dysentery, of which I could not
get rid before, left me. I have also known natives, who, confining
themselves to merissa, never drank one drop of water throughout the
year, and these men were, without exception, the healthiest;
whereas the water-drinkers were always attacked with fever during
the rainy season.
In those districts, where the inhabitants occupy themselves with
agriculture, as at the foot of Mount Kordofan, merissa flows in
great abundance, and the greater part of the men are, consequently,
in a state of intoxication all the year round, for they never
take the vessel
containing it from their mouths from early in the morning until
late at night. In Lobeid, and in many villages, there are houses
for the sale of merissa, where this beverage is served by very
pretty girls, who are also excellent dancers, and thus attract many
guests. They are, moreover, so very acute that you might believe
them to have been brought up, or at least to have received a
lesson, in one of the capitals of Europe. Mehemed Ali, a few years
ago, put down public prostitution in Egypt, and some of the
refugees found an asylum in Kordofan and Sennaar. When the governor
or other Turks give a fête, they always engage some of these
able performers to amuse their guests. They come accompanied by a
clown, and besides their original dances give plastic
representations which, be they ever so trifling or even offensive
against the mahommedan law, afford much pleasure. I saw travesties
of this kind performed in presence of the governor, in which the
government and its respective functionaries were faithfully
portrayed, and affairs were represented such as too frequently
occur in reality; but no offence is ever taken at these plays,
they, on the contrary, only increase the laughter of those who feel
themselves hit.
Brandy is distilled at Lobeid only, from dates imported from
Dongola: the natives are very fond of it, but it is too expensive
an enjoyment for them to indulge in to intoxication, or to drink
instead of merissa; for the bottle costs nine piasters or
fifty-four cruitzers
(equal to about two shillings and sixpence). The wealthy
inhabitants, therefore, and the Turkish officers only drink brandy.
Festivals like those kept in Egypt are not known in Kordofan, for
the natives in general are not sufficiently wealthy to spend large
sums on the like amusements, and it is not, moreover, customary to
give feasts at marriages, circumcisions, and other occasions of
this kind. If a man be about to marry, he goes straightways to the
father of the bride he has selected, and before exchanging a word
with her concludes the contract, determining the allowance he
proposes to make to his future wife.
The marriage portion consists either in money, oxen, sheep,
goats, or other articles of domestic economy, and is at the same
time the property of the woman, although she may be shortly
divorced from her husband. Marriages are contracted with very
little ceremony, for as soon as the bridegroom has agreed with the
father of the bride on the bargain, he takes the woman of his
choice home, hews the rahat, or fringed virginal girdle with a
knife in innumerable pieces, covers her with a melayeh as a sign
that she is now his wife, and the ceremony thus terminates. The
nearest neighbours are at the most invited to a dinner; merissa is
served up, and the whole affair is concluded with the customary
dances. If the bride belong to one of the tribes who practise
circumcision, she is certainly forced to subject herself to a fresh
operation twenty days
before her marriage. When a woman is ill-treated by her husband, or
there exists any other cogent reason, she requests to be divorced
from him, and the separation is effected without the slightest
difficulty. She takes her marriage portion, and if there be
children, the girls away with her, whilst the boys remain with the
father. A separation is, however, frequently insisted upon without
any good cause, for if the husband does not make his wife a
sufficient allowance of telka,[33] she may sue for a divorce.
Many men separate from their wives when they begin to age, as they
generally do after the birth of the second child, and marry a
second time with a young girl. To these cast-off wives a tukkoli is
then accorded, and a maintenance sufficient to keep them,
consisting generally of twenty paras, little more than three
halfpence daily. The rich of course are only able to follow this
custom, one man, however, scarcely ever has more than two wives in
lawful wedlock; but every one keeps a number of female slaves as
concubines, especially when his wives begin to grow old. They do
not pay much attention to those clauses in matrimony, prescribed by
the mahommedan religion, and to which the Moslemins rigidly adhere. The birth of a
child is attended with little or no festivity, and the husband pays
but slight attention to his wife during this critical period, for
every one knows that labours are mostly natural, and terminate
quickly and successfully. A midwife and an elderly relation at the
utmost are present in the hut with the parturient woman, and when
the child is born, a drink, consisting of soda, dried dates, and
milk, which is very cooling, or water only, is offered to the
mother. On the second, frequently even on the first day, the woman
leaves her bed and goes about her ordinary occupations. Parents are
very fond of their children, and are never known to beat them for
any error they may have committed. The care and education of the
young is left entirely to the mother; until they have attained a
more mature age, the father troubles himself but little about his
children. When a mother weans her child—children at the breast are,
however, frequently fed with bread soaked in water—and it has
attained the age of one year, it may be seen with an onion in its
little hands, gnawing it with as much pleasure as our European
children evince in sucking preparations of sugar. Wild fruits are
also given to them, and yet the children are for the most part
healthy and strong, with this one exception, that they all, up to a
certain age, have protuberant abdomina, a consequence of feeding
them on bread, which causes distention even in grown-up persons.
Whilst the children are very young, they are laid in cradles, or
rather hammocks, consisting of a cotton cloth, attached with cords
by its four ends to a beam.
Circumcision is generally performed according to the custom of
the Moslems, between the fourth and sixth year. I also met with
some few tribes, where circumcision of the female was practised;
this, however, is a popular custom, totally unconnected with
religious rites, and is probably intended to prove to the
bridegroom, who is about to marry, that the girl is a virgin,—a
circumstance to which these tribes attach much importance. The
Turks, and others, have a peculiar ceremony on the occasion of
their marriage festivals, by which the bridegroom, on the day of
his marriage, convinces himself of the virginity of his bride; but
this test is liable to fallacy, which is not possible with
circumcision. The operation of circumcision[34]
is performed on girls when they are five, or, at the utmost, seven
years of age, and is attended with festivities, for which no
expense is shunned; it constitutes, indeed, a festival, against
which the poorer people begin to save money a year before it takes
place, that nothing may be wanting to add to its celebration. From
four to eight days before the period of circumcision they dance and
sing all day long until late at night; but on the actual day of the
operation, the dancing and singing is kept up during the whole
night. Professional performers are hired for the occasion, merissa
is distributed, in short, everything is done to afford amusement to
the poor victim, and to induce her to forget the bitter moment
which awaits her. When the important hour arrives, all the men are
turned out of the hut; but the mother, and a few women, remain with
the girl, partly to hold her during the operation, partly to
encourage her to bear it with fortitude. The patient is now
stretched upon an angareb, and the women surrounding her grasp her
feet, arms, head, and body firmly, so that she cannot move; an
elderly matron then approaches with a common razor, and performs
the operation. At this moment, both those within the hut, and those
without, become merry to ecstacy; they applaud until their hands
burn with clapping; the dara’book’keh is beaten until the skin is
ready to burst; and the singers exert their voices to the utmost,
with deafening eagerness, in order to drown the cries of pain of
the little sufferer, which, nevertheless, penetrate through all
this noise. The incision is performed from below upwards, and
removes the external organs of the girl. Hæmorrhage is stopped with
butter, the bark of a tree, beaten into fine fibre, is laid into
the wound, instead of lint, and a piece of wood, about the size of
a quill, is inserted, to prevent its edges from adhering together.
The great toe of each foot is then firmly tied together, and in
this extended position the little patient has to lie for twenty long
days on an angareb. During this period, very little is given her to
drink, and she is lifted out of bed, at the most twice, daily. The
wound generally heals successfully; but it frequently happens that
a girl has to undergo a second operation two years after the first,
or a little later, for they marry in this country at an early
age.
When the bridegroom has concluded the marriage contract with the
father,[35] (...) The second operation is now performed,
which the girl bears with more patience, as she enters on a married
life immediately after she has recovered from her sufferings.
Twenty days are on this occasion required for the cure; whereupon
the bridegroom, as I before mentioned, hues the rahat of the girl
into pieces, and dresses his bride with the melayéh.
Another operation, which is quite as painful, and infinitely
more revolting, is performed on the young male slaves, who are
intended for the guards of the harems of the Turks, and other
moslems. A sheikh at Lobeid, named Sultan Tehmé,[36]
performs this operation. Boys of eight, or nine years of age, are
generally brought to him for mutilation. The operation is performed
in his court, where the poor victim is stretched upon the ground
like a head of cattle. Sacks, filled with sand, are laid upon his
feet and chest, which are so heavy that the poor boy can scarcely
breathe beneath their weight. With one incision, with a common
razor, the organs of generation of the unfortunate being are
removed; hæmorrhage is arrested with melted butter, and the bark of
a tree, beaten into fibre, is then laid as dressing on the wound,
while a piece of lead, of the size of a quill, is inserted into the
urethra, to keep that necessary passage open. The patient remains
twenty days under treatment, at the expiration of which term, he is
returned to his master. More than one half of these unfortunate
boys die under the operation, or during their march to Egypt, for
very few of them ever reach the place of their destination. The
price of these eunuchs is, consequently, generally double that of a
common slave. The operator receives ten reals, at fifteen piasters,
for each operation. Two boys are also frequently given to the
mutilator, the one of which must be returned to the owner, whilst
he keeps the other in lieu of payment. Castrates are, indeed, made
in Sennaar, and Upper Egypt; but those of Lobeid are in greater
request.
The death of a native is immediately made known by the cry of
“Lu, lu, lu, lu!” which the women set up, bringing the notes out
separately at certain intervals, and resting upon them with their
voice. Not only the mourners, but all the women, who happen to be
present at the time, join in the dismal dirge. This lamentation is
continued until
sun-set, and repeated on the following day. The corpse is then
washed, wrapped in a white cotton cloth, if his means were adequate
to the expense, and is carried on a stretcher to the place of
sepulture, and there interred. His widows mourn always in company
with their female friends, until their grief is allayed,—a result
which requires a few days only, especially if they be young, and
pretty, and wish to marry again. This mode of mourning is not only
customary where the deceased was a grown-up person; but if a child,
a few days old, die, it is honoured with the same ceremony during a
few days. The negro women are very susceptible, both to pain and
pleasure; and I have frequently, on these occasions, seen them
writhing, as if beside themselves, in the sand, biting their arms,
until the blood flowed in sincere grief, and not for outward
show.
There are certain districts in Kordofan, the agricultural
population of which inhabit two different villages in the year; for
even in several of the most fertile tracts of land, water is at
times entirely wanting, more especially during the dry season.
Whole villages, therefore, are frequently necessitated to reinstate
themselves in localities a few miles distant from their former
place of residence, where they find wells. The whole of their
domestic utensils will not overload an ox, hence an emigration of
this nature is quickly effected, and without much difficulty. Those
tribes who occupy themselves with the tillage of land, possess but
few horses or camels,
but a more considerable number of oxen, sheep, and goats. The oxen
are broken in for riding and carrying loads. In some villages the
herds of horned cattle are very considerable. When the herds of a
village are driven out, the drover either rides before or after
them on an ox; each animal has its peculiar name, by which the
herdsman recalls it, if it stray to either side or remain behind
the drove. The animals quickly hear his voice, understand it well,
and are very obedient to his command. If a head of cattle stray too
far from the herd, and do not hear his call, he rides after it, and
brings it back without any difficulty. These herdsmen ride very
well, and it is a matter of astonishment to see them going along at
full gallop on a very young ox. They ride on the bare back of the
animal, with a cord passed through the nose of the beast, answering
the purpose of a bit. In many villages in isolated situations, far
distant from other habitations, where the cattle, therefore, cannot
easily stray and become mixed with other herds, there are no
drovers, but when the cows have been milked in the morning the
enclosures are opened, and the whole herd is let out. They all
proceed straightways to a well, where they are watered in troughs,
hollowed out of the trunks of trees, and when they have finished
drinking and are all collected together, an old ox taking the lead,
shows them the way and the whole drove follows him. It is
astonishing how accurately they follow their leader, who frequently
conducts them to a
pasture situated at a distance of two hours’ march from the
village, and brings them all safely back again. The most remarkable
part of the affair, however, is that they always re-assemble at the
well punctually at half an hour before sunset, whether they have
been one mile or eight miles distant. I observed this fact at the
village of Ledet, where I met the cattle at a distance of eight
miles from the huts, and, to my great astonishment, saw no
herdsman. On my arrival in the village I asked what this meant, and
was told that it had been the custom from time immemorial, to allow
the cattle to go unattended to pasture in this village, as it is in
many others; and that an animal very rarely strayed. In order to be
the better able to look after a beast which might possibly be lost,
a circumstance, however, of very rare occurrence, it is only
necessary to observe the direction the herd takes in wandering out
in the morning. I was told that, a few months before my arrival, a
cow belonging to this place was missing when the herd returned. As
the animal did not come back in the night, the owner mounted a
camel with the first dawn of day, provided himself with a supply of
bread and water sufficient for four days, and rode out in the
direction the cattle had taken on the former day. Having arrived at
the place of pasture he traversed it in all directions, until he
came upon the track of a camel and a cow, which he followed up
during two whole days, until it brought him to an encampment of the
Kubbabeesh, where he
found his lost cow alive; nor did he experience the slightest
difficulty about its restitution. The cows are milked throughout
the country twice daily, once in the morning at sunrise, and again
in the evening, but they yield very little milk, which in an hour’s
time turns sour and thick. The baskets made of rushes, into which
the cows are milked, can never be washed thoroughly clean, and are
probably the chief cause of the deterioration of the milk; it is
consequently impossible to keep it for any length of time. Butter
is quickly made, and without any difficulty. As soon as the
necessary quantity of milk is obtained it is put into leathern
bags, which are fastened to a piece of wood, and shaken about for
some time until the butter is ready. A small yellow fruit is
sometimes added to the milk, and greatly accelerates the
butyration.
In many villages a market is held once a week, when every
inhabitant must provide himself with supplies for the whole week,
as nothing is to be purchased on the intervening days; this rule
applies more especially to tobacco, an article of consumption which
ranks, with many natives, before food. As a proof of this assertion
I may, perhaps, be allowed to mention the following occurrence:—In
a village where a market is generally held every week, a fire broke
out and burnt the hut of an old man to the very ground. The
proprietor stood quietly looking on at a distance, and
consoled himself with
an exclamation of “Allah-Kerim” (God is merciful); he then
approached me, and I, expecting to hear a dismal tale, had a
trifling present in readiness for him, but greatly was I astonished
when he refused the present, and begged of me to give him merely a
handful of tobacco, as his whole supply was consumed in the
conflagration.
The natives of Kordofan are a very good tempered people, and the
traveller meets everywhere with a kind and hospitable reception. If
he arrive at midday, or in the evening in a village, he has only to
choose a hut, which the inhabitant immediately quits, leaving it
entirely at the disposal of his guest. The natives content
themselves, in the meantime, with being quartered on their next
neighbours, or they will pass the whole time, if the weather permit
it, in the open air. If he do not despise their fare, he will not
have a sous of outlay, neither for himself, his servant,
nor for his camels, who find their food close to the village. The
inhabitants perform all the services he may require willingly, and
without the slightest contradiction, and he will hear nothing of
the “backsheesh,” so troublesome among the Egyptians. The only
custom which the stranger will find a nuisance, are the visits with
which he is honoured in great numbers soon after his arrival. The
judge, and persons of influence in the village, enter the hut,
whilst the rest encamp around it in the open air. The ceremonies
commence with greetings, and then a hundred questions are asked,
as, whence he came?
where he is travelling to? what has befallen him on the road?
whether he have heard of any fresh war, and the like? in fact they
scarcely allow him time to breathe, and he has barely answered one
question before a hundred fresh inquiries are made. The servant has
to suffer more even than the master from their importunities; for
they endeavour to obtain all possible information indirectly from
him. They ask him who the stranger is? whether he is a person of
consideration? to which nation he belongs? and anything else, in
fact, they may deem worthy of knowing. If they hear that he is a
Frank, then the conflux becomes great indeed. All the sick persons
in the village are dragged into his presence, and he is entreated
to give advice and medicine. Protestations to the effect that he is
no medical man are of no use, for a Frank must be a hakkim, and the
stranger has no alternative left him, but to console them with the
hope of recovery through Providence, if he will not make use of
common domestic remedies. Should he have coffee and sugar served,
or at least a pipe of good tobacco, he will cause them a great
pleasure. Every man takes a few whiffs from the pipe and then hands
it to his neighbour, and thus it circulates among them. He must
not, however, imagine that, when the pipe is out and the coffee
finished, the natives will take their leave, for they become then,
on the contrary, more talkative as their bashfulness is dissipated
by his condescension. There is, in fine, no other way of getting
rid of these troublesome visitors than by pretending to be overcome
with sleep from weariness and fatigue. When they observe his eyes
to be shut they all rise, and leave the hut so quietly that they
are scarcely heard. Having got rid of the men the worst is not yet
over, for then come the women tormented with curiosity to see a
Frank. They assemble generally at some distance before the hut he
inhabits, and anxiously await the moment he may quit the house and
exhibit himself to them. At first they are afraid to approach, but
in a short time, or by presenting a piece of sugar to their
children, they become as familiar with him as if he had lived for
years among them. The villages situated on the road to Dongola or
Khartoom are very much plagued by the frequent marches of troops
through them, and especially with the frequent journeys of the
Turkish officers. The latter on arriving at a village, immediately
take possession of the best hut, leave the inhabitants no time to
take their few chattels away with them, but drive them out whip in
hand, and heap every species of abuse on the poor natives. All the
articles of food they require are demanded in an authoritative
tone, and if they be not immediately forthcoming they again resort
to the whip; and fowls, or pigeons, or any living thing that is not
willingly given, is shot down by the officer or his servants in the
streets before the houses. Payment is totally out of the question;
in all villages, therefore, exposed to the marches of the
Egyptians, very little poultry or other animals subservient as articles of food
are to be met with; for the inhabitants keep their stock and
provisions concealed. But no sooner do they hear that the traveller
is a Frank, than they bring him everything he asks for; their
demands are very moderate, and they frequently will not accept
anything in return. They are also very attentive in procuring
everything he may require for his journey onwards; whereas the
Turks frequently have, in this respect, to suffer a deficiency of
many things. The natives of Kordofan are altogether the best
tempered people in the world, if they are but treated with common
civility, and differ widely from their neighbours in Sennaar, who
although under the same government, situate under the same degree
of latitude, and for the most part of the same race, are of totally
different disposition.
The villages, more especially lying on the borders of the
country, form an exception to the former rule, and are not in the
best odour with the natives themselves. The traveller should, more
particularly, be on his guard at Haraza, on the road to Dongola;
Ledet, on the road to Khartoom; and Caccia on the road to Darfour;
the last mentioned village is of all the most formidable. In
travelling through Haraza, I myself took an active part in a scene
which might have proved of very evil consequences, if my servant
had not been able to intimidate the son of the sheikh with an
excusable falsehood. At this place it is necessary to take in a
supply of fresh
water, because none is to be met with until beyond Ketshmar,
situate at a distance of two short days’ journey from the former
village. Persons also travelling to Dongola must furnish themselves
with water, sufficient to last them to the rocky caverns in
Semmeria, in this village. The sheikh, who considers himself the
proprietor of all the wells, will not allow water to be drawn,
except he be paid for it; and the Djelabi are forced to give him
from one to five dollars for the permission of filling their
water-bags. When I wanted water, he demanded six dollars of me,
thinking a Frank ought, of course, to pay more. He was not prepared
for any contradiction, because he saw me travelling alone with my
servant; I, however, was acquainted with these arbitrary demands,
and had been, moreover, cautioned by others not to submit to his
extortions, as he has no right to sell the water for his own
benefit, which is the property of the government. I, consequently,
refused to pay the sum he demanded with decision; and after much
talking on the one side and the other, he at last ordered water to
be given me from a well, which was so putrid that the camels even
would not drink it. When my servant mentioned this circumstance to
me, I ordered him to pour the water immediately away, and demanded
good drinkable water of the sheikh, as I knew that there were pure
wells in the neighbourhood; he, however, would not draw me any
more, not even of the bad water. I was so irritated at the audacious conduct of this
man, that I drew my pistol from my belt, and, pointing it at his
breast, threatened to shoot him if he did not immediately give
orders to his people to furnish me with the quantity of water
necessary for my journey from the good wells. My servant begged of
me not to shoot; took the sheikh’s son aside, and whispered to him,
that I was not to be trusted, as I had, twelve days before, shot a
sheikh in Dongola for a similar resistance, and that I had a
perfect right, as a Frank, to slay any man who opposed himself to
my lawful demands. This ruse had the desired effect; and
the man, who had been before so obstinate, now humbly begged my
pardon, entreated me to go into his own residence, where the good
water I required should be sent in a very short time. This was
really done; and, in addition to the supply required, he presented
me with a fat sheep for my journey, would not receive any payment,
and shewed himself altogether very desirous of gratifying every
wish I might express.
This sheikh possesses several very excellent horses, broken for
hunting the giraffe, and almost all those beautiful animals sent to
Europe and America are caught by him. At the time I speak of, he
had twenty-four sons and daughters living.
Before undertaking a journey into Kordofan, it is essential to
understand properly the characters of the various nations
inhabiting this country, to study their dispositions well, and
treat them accordingly; for that which is to be effected with the one
by rigour and intimidation, can only be obtained from the other by
friendly and conciliating treatment. In the contrary case, the
worst must be feared. The negroes, especially, should be treated
with lenity and kindness; whereas, with the Arabs and Dongolavi,
severity and intimidation are necessary. In my travels, during
nineteen months in the various countries, I had to suffer more
(consequently had more experience) than those travellers who
hurried through the country, accompanied by a military escort, a
number of Ghawa’zee,[37] servants, and others, whereas I had but
one single servant, and, during the latter part of my travels, was
not even attended by him. I was often forced to suffer the greatest
torments of hunger and thirst, and was, for a short time, obliged
to rest contented with locusts and putrid camels’ flesh,—bread was
quite out of the question; I even held out once for thirty-six
hours without water. As far as my eye could reach, I saw nothing
but sand and sky,—not a worm even enlivened the dismal scene; the
skeletons of men and camels lay strewn about the plains, as fitting
monuments of the surrounding misery; a hot wind raised the burning
sand, so as to darken the sun, and I expected with every step to
find my grave. One of our camel-drivers sank under the fatigue; and
the sand of the desert which rode upon the winds soon covered his
bones. On my flight from Kordofan to Sennaar, sleep, during which so
many cares and troubles are forgotten, frequently failed me; and
what did I not suffer on my return home through the frightful
desert, from Abouhamed to Krusko, on the Nile! I had not the means
to purchase a second camel. My solitary beast was laden with my
luggage and water-bags; it was, indeed, overloaded, I could not,
therefore, mount it, and I was thus under the painful necessity of
following the caravan, during two tedious days on foot, enduring a
march of twenty-one hours daily on the sand, under a scorching sun.
Man overcomes many difficulties, and will bear more than is
generally believed. In eight days I reached Krusko, where I met Mr.
Kotschy, the naturalist; he alone can tell how worn out I was with
fatigue, hunger, and thirst, when I arrived at his tent, where he
entertained me during three days, for he had just arrived from
Grand Cairo.[38] I may, therefore, say that I have been put to
many trials, endured innumerable hardships, and had many
hair-breadth escapes with my life. It is not very probable that a
traveller, furnished with a passport, would now meet with any
misadventure in the interior of the country, for the government is very strict; on
the borders, on the other hand, especially towards Darfour and
Takale, he may dread the worst; for who would make enquiries after
a single stranger, if he were robbed and murdered by these nomadic
tribes? should he even be missed, it would be a very extraordinary
thing if any one could come upon the track of a single individual;
for no one native would ever betray the other. It is, therefore,
very essential to study well the character of these people, and to
avoid coming into collision with them. I will mention a single
instance in illustration, which happened on the borders of the
Shilluk’s country, on the White Nile, and nearly cost me and my
servant our lives. With my knowledge of the character of the
people, and by humouring them, and thus gaining on their weak
points, I was alone able to help myself out of this embarrassment.
I pitched my tent, namely, on the shore of the Nile, and sent my
servant out in search of the wood requisite for our consumption
during the night; for it is necessary in these regions, when
encamped in the open air on the banks of the river, to keep up a
fire all night long, partly on account of the crocodiles, which
swarm in these localities and are very dangerous, partly on account
of the hippopotami; for, although the latter never do any injury,
yet they are by no means an agreeable acquaintance. Lions,
moreover, and other beasts of prey, might pay a very disagreeable
visit in the dark, and they are only to be kept at a respectful distance by
maintaining a fire throughout the night. Just as my servant was
about to sally forth in quest of fuel, a boat, laden with wood, and
rowed by a negro, crossed the river, and landed near my tent. My
servant immediately walked up to the negro, and demanded a quantity
of wood, as he could find none in the neighbourhood. The
good-tempered black instantly gave him the half of his store; but,
as soon as I had turned my back, my avaricious servant asked for
more, which the negro flatly refused; the former, hereupon, became
abusive, and his opponent by no means remained mute, until from
words they fell to blows, and, finally, began to fight in real
earnest. The negro, who was the better man of the two, gave my
servant a sound beating, and did not cease, until he roared out
most lustily for mercy. I observed the scuffle from the distance;
but, unacquainted with what had transpired, and merely seeing that
my servant was getting the worst of the affray, I took my
double-barrelled gun, presented it at the negro, and commanded him
to desist. He instantly sprang on his feet, seized his spear, and
threw it at me, before I was even aware of his intention; the
missile, fortunately, only grazed my wide papooshes. He was now
disarmed, and I again presented at him. The negro remained
perfectly cool, and merely said: “Shoot on! I die; and what of
that!” I now saw that nothing was to be effected by intimidation,
laid my gun aside, and, walking up to him, enquired into
all he
circumstances of the case, which he faithfully related. Convinced
of the injustice of my servant, I endeavoured to pacify the negro,
and assured him that I would punish the former. All my persuasion
was, however, in vain; he foamed with rage, and replied, that we
should both suffer for this act. Seeing that he was too weak to
offer battle to us both, he ran away in an instant, loudly uttering
his war-cry of “Lu, lu, lu!”[39] This was an ill omen for
us, and put us both in no slight degree of fear. Flight was out of
the question, we had no chance of thus escaping. I, therefore, set
my wits to work to devise a remedy, to avert at least the first
outbreak of our enemies rage. I bound my servant hand and foot with
a cord, and taking up the branch of a tree which lay near me
pretended to beat him most unmercifully; he played his part
remarkably well, and screamed as if he were being impaled, whenever
I made the slightest movement with my hand; for we already descried
a crowd of natives at the distance, running towards us, their
lances glittering in the evening sun, and the shouts of the women,
who followed in the wake of the men, boded us no good; but the
nearer they approached the better we played our parts; and my
servant continued his screams until he was fairly out
of breath. Those of
our enemies, who were nearest, called out to me to desist; and when
I obeyed, my servant rolled himself about in the sand like a
madman. The negro who had been the cause of the whole scene now
walked up to me, took my hand, and said, “Have no fear, you shall
not be hurt, because you have acknowledged the injury your servant
has done me, and have punished him for it.” An old man now untied
the cord which bound the hands and feet of the culprit, and
approached me, to be informed of the whole affair. They proved to
be Bakkara.[40] I invited the old man and the negro, of whom I
have before spoken into my tent, where I entertained them with
coffee, and gave them my pipe to smoke. Harmony was immediately
restored, and every one conciliated. They asked me whence I came,
and where I was travelling to, and then the conversation turned on
other topics. When the night closed in, they all gradually retired,
with the exception of five men, who remained with me all night as a
guard, emptied several pots of merissa together, and kept up the
fire, thus consuming the whole of the wood which had been the
belli teterrima causa. When they took their leave of me in
the morning, they presented me with a young gazelle, as provision
for my further journey.
I cannot sufficiently praise the kind, and even
cordial behaviour
of the natives of Kordofan. I received many proofs of kindness at
their hands, and I could not have expected better treatment in my
own country from my nearest relations. This was especially the case
when I had the misfortune to fall sick in the desert, where I lay
helpless on the sands, as I was too weak to keep my seat on my
camel. In this state of exhaustion I was obliged to remain, until I
could receive assistance from the neighbouring village, which was,
fortunately, only half an hours march distant from the spot. A
good-natured inhabitant carried me home, and I passed thirty days
in his hut, stretched upon a bed of sickness. I cannot describe the
interest these kind people appeared to take in my sufferings; the
one vied with the other to be of service to me. Some women and
girls sat alternately by the side of my bed, by day and night, the
one keeping off the flies, the other cooling me with a fan of
ostrich feathers, for the heat was frequently at 40° Reaumur (122°
Fahrenheit) in my hut, as there was no current of air through it. A
young and beautiful slave, Agami was her name, evinced so much
sympathy, that she frequently shed tears when she observed my
sufferings. All the medicines with which I had taken the precaution
to provide myself, proved ineffective; I lay in a continued fever,
and was already, on the fifth day, so weak that I could not move,
and the good women were obliged to lift me on and off the bed; for
my own part, I had quite made up my mind that my days were drawing
to a close.
When no amelioration was observed to take place, they bound
amulets round my arms, and placed charms beneath my head,
endeavouring in this way to overcome the disease. I submitted to
all these proceedings in order not to avoid hurting the feelings of
the good people; but as my illness still continued to rage, they
sent for a celebrated fortune-teller from a neighbouring village,
who casting her shells upon the sand, prophesied that the Frank
would not yet die. As soon as the prophetess had taken her
departure, the women lifted me out of bed, seated me down on a
bundle of straw, with my back to the door, took off my shirt, and
as I was too weak to sit in an upright position, held me up by
passing their arms under my axillae. I suddenly felt a shock
through my whole frame, which deprived me of breath for a few
moments, for they had poured a whole basket full of cold spring
water over my feverish body. Hundreds of others would have
instantly expired, but my sound constitution enabled me to survive
this douche. I was immediately dried, returned to bed, and covered
with empty sacks and sheep-skins. I felt somewhat relieved and fell
asleep; a refreshment I had not enjoyed for a long time. On waking,
the women told me that I had perspired but very slightly, and that
the douche must be repeated to put me into a thorough sweat. I
allowed this hazardous proceeding to be repeated because I had no other choice.
The operation was performed in the same manner as on the former
occasion, but it did not produce so violent a shock, because I was
prepared for it. After this bath I perspired so freely that, on
waking, I believed myself to be in a second bath. This proceeding,
however, broke through the chain of morbid symptoms, and I felt so
much relieved, that I was able to rise from my bed, and walk about
for a short time in the shade of the palm-trees. As soon as the
rumour spread in the village that I was recovering, the inhabitants
all flocked around to greet me, and to congratulate me on my
convalescence. A fire was lighted before my hut at night, round
which the people danced to evince their delight at my recovery; I
regaled them with merissa, and all were happy and merry. My
convalescence proceeded now very rapidly, and I was in a short time
able to resume my journey; but I shall never forget the debt of
gratitude I owe to these good people, who, from pure and
disinterested charity and feeling for the sufferings of a fellow
creature, took so much care of me whilst in this lamentable
condition.