Narrative of a Mission to Central Africa Performed in the Years 1850-51, Volume 2

-belt-Queen of England in the Sahara-The Shanbah-A hasty Marriage-Sa?d's new Wife-Wild Cauliflowers-Tolerance of the Kailouees-Men go to fetch Salt from Bilma-Approach of Dr. Barth-Lion's Mouth-Tib

Sultan. En-Noor paid me a visit, as usual, this morning. I presented to his highness some old boxes, with which he ordered a door to

worth ten dollars. This manner of recovering our lost or stolen camels amounts to buying them over again. But it has been our misfortune all along, that our friends, and those who profess to be such, and all wh

luding the escort to Zinder. It amounts to the enormous sum of three thousand mahboubs, or about six hundred pounds sterling!! If we do

e Government from the double payment of the sums advanced by the Sfaxee. He agreed that it was high

rs going for salt, leaving only the women and children behind. This is considered by the Moors as preferable to leaving a few m

oes not appear to be advantageous to the increase of population: the wives of these birds of passage hardly bear two children a-piece. Indeed there are very few children in Tintalous. We have not yet sufficient data or experience for a conclusion on this part of statistics; but, up to the pr

annual number of slaves brought is exceedingly limited, amounting only to a few thousands. When we get nearer the wes

loaf sugar, and broke it into thirty pieces or so; then ordered one of them to divide it fairly amongst themselves: but this was impossible. Anything like fairness amongst the Kailouees, all of whom are addicted to thieving (a habit acquired f

cost forty dollars. I begin to learn a little Soudanese; there are some beautiful soft words in it.

him with the same complacency as they are wont to regard the pagans, or En-sara as they call them, of Gouber and Mara

nd pound them to dust; this done, they bleed their own living camels (maharees) from the eye, and of the blood and powdered bones they make a paste, which they eat! This is somewhat analogous to what Bruce relates of the Ab

is morning. He is a greedy old dog, and will not buy a loaf of sugar because I will not give it him at

most excellent idea. I myself intend, if I go to Kanou, to make a list of all the things I

eikh says he is determined to leave in three days, whether the people come from Aghadez or not. Yusuf laid before En-Noor this evening the necessity of our sending a courier to Mourzuk, stating that we had nothing

te a letter to Drs. Overweg and Barth jointly, calling upon them to assist me in case the Sfaxee would not

e thinks about eating. If on the fourth day he do not arrive at the belad, or country, he then takes his left sandal from his foot, and stews or soddens it, making something of a soup. These sandals being leather, or untanned hide, it is, perhaps, n

eat, he is considered hungry and unfortunate. The three Tuaricks who followed us from the well of Aisou declared that they had had nothing to eat for fifteen days;

ut the copy of the treaty which I left with Haj Ahmed at Ghat. He says he heard it read, and from it learned that "the Queen of Engl

s-sufficiently quick. This courier brings a warning from Khanouhen to the caravans now proceeding to Ghat, not to com

ying a great many of them; but the Shanbah and Haghar not choosing to desert their old friends, have determined to take vengeance upon the Ghat Tuaricks. It is this revenge which Khanouhen fears. He anticipates a combined attack on the caravans. The wonder is how these routes are

fit materials for an Arabian Night's entertainment? My servant, Sa?d, also married the other evening, but not so romantically; taking up with the divorced wife of another freed black. I heard nothing of it until all was over. The parties guessed rightly that I should take no interest in the matter, or rather disapprove of it, as the fellow has abandoned his own and natural wife. This divorced negress, who has at last found a master, has gone the round of all the tents since she has parted from her former husba

ng. We hope to get some information from a Tanelkum now going with us. Many tribes have been mentioned, casually; but the principal are-the three great tribes of Ghat, those to which Khanouhen, Shafou, Jabour, and Ha

erspreading its surface, called by the Arabs liftee. This word liftee, is evidently derived from lift, "turnip." The vegetable grows in lines and circles, d

icism than any prince with whom we have had yet anything to do during the present journey. All the Kailouees of Tintalous are equally tolerant. We have now three quasi-princes, or sons of sultans, in Tintalous, besides the son

ogether with a few trifling things for my poor wife, by the ha

ravan. We have heard of our friends at Aghadez. They are expected here in a few days. The new Sultan of Aghadez is said-but there is little accuracy in these desert reports-to have gone on an expedition west, to settle some differences between so

a for attacking us; but still the main object is to fill t

En-Noor's chief slave; but the terms are much more appropriate for his master, as intimating his avaricious, nay voracious, disposition. Zangheema, howe

Barth is near. He is expected to-

how many children people had in this country. His highness s

emales; which latter, besides trading in salt with the Kailouees, make a good mercantile speculation with their charms. Each woman, in fact, has her Kailouee husband or lover, during the carrying on of this singula

en of by the members of the former English expedition to Bornou. They are, however, divided into a great number of tribes, are spread over a consi

rse of forty-eight hours. En-Noor is very angry that they do not mend their pa

ther wife in Soudan,-one very young and with lar

the other side of the wady, at the distance of a quarter of a mile, the damsels of Tintalous regularly meet their lovers, and spend with them half an hour of sweet communion. Some even retire to the shade of a large-spread

deed, in some villages they saw no other persons but women and children, and scarcely any children. What is the cause of this? It would seem that the men are consumed by the women. These women bear few children, and perhaps this may in part account for, if it be not produced by, their excessive licentiousness. Yet the men are on the wing a great part of the year. The Kailouee

for wood. The tholukh-trees of the valley are not allowed to be cut down; they are always preserved as a resource for the time of drought and dearth, when the flocks can find no herbage in the valley. The boughs are at such junctures lopped off, and the flocks are fed on the leaves. Thus I have seen the goats and sheep fed on th

up as if it was moonlight. On concealing the planet, the effect produced was that of the setting of the moon. Every star was eclipsed in the western circle of the

amiliar, they take hold of hands, and press them lightly some five or six times or more, if great friends, and conclude this pressing of the hand with a sort of jerk, drawing quickly off each other's hand. I

about to bear a part. The greater number of the men of Tintalous have gone to Bilma in search of salt; and I originally understood that the great annual caravan was for the transport of this necessary article. Perhaps En-Noor means to go slowly on, just to keep us in good humour. Our intercourse with the Kailouees has taught us to consider them a very mild, compani

to work and drank a bottle of it, to the toast, "that we might have better luck higher up than all have hitherto experienced." The other bottle I ha

le children came,-some naked, and others with small pieces of leather round th

nd even town, to which they belong, or in w

hands is common among t