Cornell University Library arV1479 A lourney to central Africa 3 1924 031 270 824 olin,anx Cornell University Library The original of tliis bool< is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924031270824 MODERN ORIENTAL COSTUME JOUMEY TO CENTRAL AFEICA OB, L.IFE AND LANDSCAPES FROM EGYPT TO THE NEGEO KINGDOMS OP THE WHITE NILE. BAYARD TAYLOR. VSi\^ a ffiap anti SUnsttatttiiiJ hij ttiJ Sntlmr. TENTH EDITION. NEW-YORK: G. P. PUTNAM & CO., 321 BROADWAY. LONDON . SAMPSON LOW, SON & CO. 1857. Ektohkd according to Act of Congress, In the year 18S4, by G. P. PUTS AM £ CO., In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Southern District of Nevr YorlE. A. B. OP SAIE-COBCRG-GOTHA BY Hia FELLOW-TRAVELLEE IN EGYPT. ' B. T. PREFACE. TiiEKE is an old Italian proverb, wMcli says a man has lived to no purpose, unless he has either built a house, begotten a son, or written a book. As I have already comphed more than once with the latter of these requisitions, I must seek to justify the present repetition thereof, on other grounds. My reasons for offering this volume to the public are, simply, that there is room for it. It is the record of a journey which led me, for the most part, over fresh fields, by paths which comparatively few had trodden before me. Al- though I cannot hope to add much to the general stock of information concerning Central Africa, I may serve, at least, as an additional witness, to confirm or illustrate the evidence of others. Hence, the prepara- tion of this work has appeared to me rather in the light PREFACE. of a duty than a diversion, and I have endeavored to impart as much instruction as amusement to the reader. While seeking to give correct pictures of tho rich, adventurous lilo inlo wliich I was thrown, 1 have resisted the temptation to yield myself up to its more subtle and poetic aspects. My aim has boeu to furnish a faithful narrative of my own experience, believing that none of those embellislimcnts which the imagina- tion BO readily furnishes, can equal the charm of the unadorned truth. There are a few words of further explanation which I wish to say. The journey was undertaken solely for the purpose of restoring a frame exhausted by severe mental labor. A previous experience of a tropi- cal climate convinced me that I should best accomplish my object by a visit to Egypt, and as I had a whole winter before me, I determined to penetrate as far into the interior of Africa as the time would allow, attracted less by the historical and geographical interest of those regions than by the desire to participate in their free, vigorous, semi-barbaric life. If it had been my inten- tion, as some of my friends supposed, to search for the undiscovered sources of the White Nile, I should not have turned back, until the aim was accomplished or all means had failed. I am aware . that, by including in this work my journey through Egypt, I have gone over much ground PEBFAOE. which is already familiar. Egypt, however, was the vestibule through which I passed to Ethiopia and the Idngdoms beyond, and I have not been able to omit my impressions of that country without detracting from the completeness of the narrative. This book is the record of a single journey, which, both in its character and in the circumstances that suggested and accompa- nied it, occupies a separate place in my memory. Its performance was one uninterrupted enjoyment, for, whatever the privations to which it exposed me, they were neutralized by the physical delight of restored health and by a happy confidence in the successful issue of the journey, which never forsook me. It is therefore but just to say, that the pictures I have drawn may seem over-bright to others who may here- after follow me ; and I should warn aU such that they must expect to encounter many troubles and annoy- ances. Although I have described somewhat minutely the antiquities of Nubia and Ethiopia which I visit«d, and have not been insensible to the interest which every traveller in Egypt must feel in the remains of her ancient art, I have aimed at giving representations of the Uving race^ which inhabit those countries rather than the old ones which have passed away. I have taken it for granted that the reader will feel more interested — as I was — in a live Arab, than a dead 4 PREFACE. Pharaoh. I am indebted wholly to the works of Cham* pollion, Wilkinson and Lepsius for whatever allusions I have made to the age and character of the Egyptian ruins. B. T. New Yobk, July, 1854. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. Arrival »t Alexandria— The Landing— My First Oriental Bati— The City— Prepara- tions for Departure, 13 CHAPTER IL Departaro— The Kan^a— The Egyptian Climate— The Mahmoudieh Canal— Entrance into the Nile— Pleasures of the Journey— Studying Arabic— Sight of the Pyi'amids — The Barrago^Approach to Cairo, 21 CHAPTER in. Entrance— The Ezbekiyeh— Saracenic Houses- Doilkeys— The Bazaars— The Streets -Processions— View from the Citadel— Mosque of Mohammed All- The Eoad to Suez- The Island of Ehoda, 84 CHAPTER IV. Necessity of Leaving Immediately — ^Engaging a Boat — ^The Dragomen — ^Achmet el Saldi — Funds — Information — Procuring an Outfit — Preparing for' the Desert — ^The Lucky Day— Exertions to Leave— Off, 46 CHAPTER V. Howling Dervishes— A Chicken Factory- Eide to the Pyramids — Quarrel with the Arabs— The Ascent— View trom the Summit— Backsheesh— Effect of Pyramid- ollmblng— The Sphinx— Playing the Cadi— We obtain Justice- Tisit to Sakkara and the Mummy Pits — ^The Exhumation of Memphis — Interview with M. Mariette -AcoonntofhiaDlscoveries— Statue of Eemeses It— Eetum to the Nile, . 6B CONTBKTS. CHAPTER VI. Leaving Ibe Pyramids— A Calm and a Broezo— A Coptic Visit— Minyeh— The Grottoat of Benl-Hassan— Doum Palms and Crooodlles- Djebel Aboufayda— Entrance into Upper Egypt — Diversiotis of the Boatmen — Sioat— Its Tombs — A Landscape- A Bath, Tl CHAPTER VH. Independence of Nile Life- The Dahnblyoh— Our Servants— Our Itosidenoo — Our Man- ner of Living— Tho Climate— The Natives— Co3t*n6— Our Sunset Eoposo— My Friend — A Sensuous Life Defended, 85 CHAPTER Vin. Calm— Mountains and Tombs— A Night Adventure In Ekhmln— Character of the JBoatmen— Fair Wind— Pilgrims— Egyptian Agriculture— Sugar and Cotton— Gralu —Sheep— Arrival at Kenneh— A Landscape— Tho Temple of Dendera— First Im- pressions of Egyptian Ai -—Portrait of Cleopatra— A Happy Meeting— We approach Thebes, jg CHAPTER IX. Arrival at Thebes— Ground-Plan of the Eemains— We Cross to the Western Bank— Guides— Tho Temple of Goorneh— Valley of the Kings' Tombs— Belzoni's Tomb— The Kaoos of Men— Vandalism of Antiquarians— Bruoe's Tomb— Memnon— Tlio Grandfather of Besostris— Tho Head of Amunoph— The Colossi of the Plain— Memnonian Music— Tho Statue of Eemeeos— The Memnonium— Beauty of Egyp- tian Art— More Scrambles among tho Tombs— The Bats of the Assassoef- Medee- net Abon— Sculptured Histories— Tho Great Court of the Temple— We return to ^n^or. . . US CHAPTER X. ITie Dancing Girls of Egypt-A Night Scene in Luxor-The Orange-Blossom and the Apple-Blossom-The Beautiful Bemba-The Dance-Performanco of the Apple- BIossom-The Temple of Luxor-A Mohammedan School-Gallop to Earnak- View of the Eulns-Tho Great Hall of Pillars-Bedouin Dlvcrsions-A Night Elde— Karnak under the Full Moon— Farewell to Thobes, .... 181 CHAPTER XI. The Temple of Hermontis-Esneh .-ind Its Temple-The Govemor-EI Kab by Torch- light-The Temple of Edfou-The Quarries of Djebel Sllsileh-Ombos-Approaoh to Nubi*-Change In the Scenery and Inhabitants-A Mirage -Arrivai at As- """"" 14B CHAPTER XIL ^.S?'''.*'I'«'~tf"f;^°°'""^'^-'^'''^"°'"'''f^'«P''«'«''»-NubianOhlldr«i- Trip to PhltaH-LInantBey-The Island of Phlto-Sculptnres-The Negro Eaco- CONTENTS. %«akfiist In a Ptolemaic Temple— The Island of Biggeh— Eaoksheesh— The Catavact — ^The Granite Quarries of Assouan — The Travellers separate, . . . 152 CHAPTER XIII. Solitaiy Travel — Scenery of tlio Nubinn Nile — Agi-iculture — The Inhabitants — Arrival at Korosko — ^The Governor — The Tent Pitched— Shekb Abou-Mohammed — Bar- gaining for Camels — A Drove of Giraflbs — Visits — Preparations for the Desert — My Last Evening on the Nile, . . •• . . . 162 CHAPTER XIV. The Curve of the Nile — Kontes across the Desert — Our Caravan starts— Eiding on a Dromedary — The Guide and Camel-drivers — Hair-dressing — El Biban — Scenery — Dead Camels — An TTnexpected Visit — The Guide makes my Grave — The Kiver without "Water — Characteristics of the Mirage — Desert Life — The Sun — The Desert Air — Infernal Sceneiy — The AVells of Miirr-h^t — Christmas — Mountain Chains — Meeting Caravans — Plains of Gravel — The Stoiy of Josepll- Djebel Mokrat— The Last Day in the Desert — Wo see the Nile again, . ... ITl CHAPTER XV. A Draught of Water — Abou-IIammed — The Island of MokrAt — Ethiopian Scenery — The People — An Ababdeh Apollo — Encampment on the Nile — Tomb of an English- man — Eesa's Weddjng — A "White Arab — ^The Last Day of the Tear — Abou-Hashym — Incidents— Loss of my Thermometer— The Valley of Wild Asses— The Eleventh Cataract — Approach to Berber — Vultures — Eyoub Outwitted — We reach El Mek- beyref— The Caravan Broken up, . 198 CHAPTER XVI. A Wedding— My EecepUon by the Military Governor— Achmet— The Bridegroom— A Guard— I am an American Bey— KM— The Bey's Visit— The Civil Governor— About the Navy— The Priest's Visit— Eiding in State— The Dongolese Stallion— A Merchant's House -The Town— Dinner at tho Governor's- The Pains of Eoyalty— A Salute to the American Flag- Departure, . ..... SOS CHAPTER XVII. Fortunate Travel— The America- Ethiopian Scenery— Tho Atbai-a Eiver— Darner— A Melon Patch— Agriculture— The Inhabitants— Change of Scenery- The First Hip- popotamus— Crocodiles— Effect of My Map— The Eais and Sailors— Arabs in Ethio- pia—Ornamental Soars— Boshlr— The Slave Bakhita— We Approach Meroe, 21» CHAPTER XVHI. Arrival at Bedjerowlyeh— The Enins of Mero§-Walk Across the Plain- The Pyra- mids-Character of their Masonry-The Towei and Vault-Finding of the Trea- enre-The Second Group-More Euins-Sits of the City-Number of the Pyramids -The Antiqnity of MeroS-EthiopIan a^d Egyptian Civllizat^on-The Caucasian Eace — Eefloctions, < • • • • CONTENTS. CHAPTER XIX. Tbo Landscapes of Ethiopia— My Evenings beside the Nile— Experiences of the Ara- bian Nights— The Story of tho Sultana Zobeldo acd the 'Wood-onttor— Cha.-acter ofthe Arabian Tales— Kellglon 288 CHAPTER XX. Anival at Shondy— Appearance of tho Town-Shendy In Former Days— Wo Touch at El Metomma— The Nile beyond Shendy- Flesh Diet vs. Vegetables- We Escape Shipwreck- A Walk on Shore— Tho Eaplds of Derrelra— Djebel Serrl— The Twelfth Cataract— Night In the Mountain Gorge— Crocodlles-A Drtnk of Mareess —My Birth-Day — Fair Wind— Approacli to Khartoum— The Junction of the Two NUes— Appearance of tho City— We Drop Anchor, S68 CHAPTER XXI. The American Flag — A Eencontre- Search for a House — The Austrian Consular Agent — Description of his Eesldoncc — The Garden— Tho Menagerie— Barbaric Pomp and State — Picturesque Character of the Society of Khartoum — Foundation and Growth of the City— Its Appearance- The Population— Unhoalthlnesa of the Cli- mate-Assembly of Ethiopian Chieftains— Visit of Two Shekhs— Dinner and Fire- works, , 270 CHAPTER XXII. Visit to the Catholic Mission- Dr. Knoblecher, the Apostolic Vicar- Monssa Bey— Visit to Lattif Pasha— Eeceptlon— The Pasha's Palace— Lions— We Dine with the Pasha— Ceremonies upon the Occasion— Music— The Guests— The Franks In Khar- toum— Dr. Ptooy— Visit to the Sultana Naara— An Ethiopian Dinner— Oharactei of tho Sultana, 280 CHAPTER XXIII. Eecent Explorations of Sonddn-Llmit of the Tropical Ealns-Tlio Conquest of Kthlo- pla-Oountrles Tributary to Egypt-The District of Takka-Expedltlon of Moussa Bey-Tho Atbara Elver-Tho Abyssinian Frontier-Christian Euins of Abou- Harilse-The Kingdom of Bennoar-Kordoflm-Dar-Fur-Tho Princess of Dar- Fur In Khartoum-Her Visit to Dr. Eeltz-The Unknown Oonutrles of Central ^•^ 2»T CHAPTER XXIV. Bxeursions around Khartonm-A Eaoe into the Desert-Euphorbia Forest-Tho Banks of ho Blue Nlle-A Saint's Grave-The Oonflnenco of the Two Nlles-M.m- nitude of the Nile-Comparatlvo Size of the Elvers-Thoir Names-Desire to pcio- teste further Into Africa-Attractions of the White Nile-Engage tho Boat Mm LeOyard^FoTmer EeetrleHons against exploring tlio Elver-Visit to the Pasha- Dospotlo Hospitality— Achmot's Misgivings— We set sail 809 CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXV. Departure from Khartoum — We enter the White Nile— Mh'age and Landscape — The Consul returns — Progress — Loss of the Flag-Scenery of the Shores — Territory ol the Hassnniyohs — Curious Conjugal Custom — ^Multitudes of Water Fowls — Increas- ed llichness of Yegetation — Apes — Sunset on the Wbite Nile — We reach tho King- dom of tho Shillook Negroes, . . 820 CHAPTER XXVI. Morning— Magnificence of the Island Scenery— Birds and Hippopotami— Flight of the Natives— The Island of Aha— Signs of Popnlation— A Band of Warriors— Tho Shelth and the Sultan— A Treaty of Peace- The Eohe of Honor— Suspicions— Wo walk to the Tillage— Appearance of the Shillooks— The Tillage— The Sultan gives Audience —Women and Children— Ornaments of the Natives— My Watch— A Jar of Honey- Suspicion and Alarm— The Shillook and tho Sultan's Black Wife— Character of the Shillooks— The I.and of the Lotus— Population of the Shillook Kingdom— The Turn iog Point— A Tiow from the Mast-Head, 329 CHAPTER XXVn. Explorations of the White Nile— Dr. Knohlecher's Toyage in 1S49-50— The Lands of the Shillooks and Dinkas— Intercourse -with the Natives— Wild Elephants and Giraffes— The Sohat Eiver— The Country of Mai'shea- The Gazelle Lake— The Nuehrs— Interview with the Chief of the Kyks— The Zhir Country— Land of the Bai-is— Tho Eapids Surmounted— Arrival at Logwek, in Lat. 40 10' North-Panora- ma from Mt Logwek— Sources of the White Nile— Character of the Bari Nation— Eeturn of the Expedition— Fascination of tho Nile 845 CHAPTER XXVin. We leave the Islands of the Shillooks— Tropical Jungles— A Whim and its Consequen- ces-Lairs of Wild Beasts— Arrival among the Hassaniyeha- A Tillage— The Wo- man and the Sultan— A Dance of Salutation— My Arab Sailor— A Swarthy Cleopa- man ana xne auiiau — a~ i^auv-o ^.i un.««.v..^.. ^j - - tra— Salutation of the Saint— Miraonlons Fishing— Night Tiew of a Hassaniyeh Til- lage— Wad ShMIayeh-A Shekh's Eesidence-An Ebony Chernb-The Cook At- tempts Suicide— Evening Landscape— Ine . ~ Governor— We reach Khartoum at Midnight, CHAPTER XXIX. The Departure of Abd-el Kader Bey-Au Illuminated Picture-The Breakfast on the Island-Horsemanship-The Pasha's Storie^Departnre of Lattif Effendi s Expedi- tion-A Night on the Sand-Abou-Sin, and his Shukoree Warriors-Change In the Climate-Intense Heat and its Effect^Preparations for Eeturning-A Mon^ Transaction-FareweU Tlsits-A Dtoner with Eoyal Guests-Jolly Kmg Dyaab- A Shillook Dance— EeconciUatiou-Taking Leave of my Pets, . . . 10 COKTENTS. CnAPTER XXX. Tl.^i Cominoroe of SoudSn— Avemu-s of Tmde— The Merchimts— Oliarnotor of tlio Im- porls— Speculation— Tbo Gum Tr.'.de of Kovdofan— The Ivory Trado— Abueea of tho Government— Tlie Trafflo In Slaves— Prices of Slaves— Tbelr Treatment, . 8ai CHAPTER XXXI. FaioiNell Breakfast— Depiirture fhora Khartonm— Parting with Dr. Eeitz— A Predic- tion and its Fulfilment — Dreary Appearance of tlio Country — Lions— Buryliig- Grounds— The Natives— My TCabablsh Guide, Mohammed— Character of the Arabs — IIabit.s of Deception — My Dromedary— Mutton and Marecsa — A SoudAn Ditty— The Ro\vyi\n— Aliaba Gerri — Heat and Scenery — An Altercation with tlie Guide— A Mishap— A Landt^cape— Tedious Approach to El Metomma— Appeai'anco of the Town— Preparations for tlio Desert — Meeting Old Acquaintances, . . 892 CHAPTER XXXII. Entering the Desert- Character of the Scenery— Wells — Fear of the Arabs — The La- loom Tree — Eifect of the ITot 'Wind-^Mohfimmed overtakes us— Arab Endurance — An unpleasant Bedfellow — Comedy of the Cj'ows — Gazelles- Wo encounter a Sand- storm— Tho Mountain of Thirst- The Wells of Djeokdud— A Mountain Pass- Desert Intoxication— Scenery of tho Table-land- Bir Khannik— The Kababish Arabs— Gazelles again- Eulns of ftu Ancient Coptic Monastery— Distant View of the Nile Valley — Djebel Berkel— AVe come into I^ort, ... , 406 CHAPTER XXXIII. Our whereabouts— Shekh Mohammed Abd e^-Djebiil— My residence at Abdflm— Cross- ing the River — A Superb Landscape — The Town of Merawe — Eiile to Djebel Berkei — The Tomploa of Napata — Ascept of tho Mountain — Ethiopian Panorama- Lost and Found — The Pyramids — The Governor of Merawo — A Scone In the DiriLa — The Shekh and I— Tho Governor Dines with me— Eulns of the City of Napata— A Talk about Kellglons— Engaging Camels for Wadl-Halfa— The Bhekh'B Parting Blessing, . . 421 CHAPTER XXXIV. Appearance of the Country— Kortl— The Town of Ambukol— Tho Caravan reorgan Ized— A Fiery Kide— Wo reach Edabbo— An Illuminated Landscape— A Torment —Nubian Agriculture- Old Dongola— The Palaoe-Mosquo of tho Nubian Kings— A Panorama of Desolation— The Old City— Nubian Gratitude— Another Sand-Storni —A Dreary Journey— The Approach to Ilandak— A House of Doubtful Character- Tho Inmates— Journey to El Ordce (New Dongola)— Khoorshld Bey— Appearance of the Town, 433 CHAPTER XXXV. We start for Wadl-Halfa— The Plague of Black Gnats— Mohammed's Ooffln— Th« Ifli»nd of Argo- Market-Day— Scenery of the Nile— Entering Dai El-Milha»— CONTENTS. 11 Ruined Fortresses— The Camel-Mon— A Eocky Chaos— Fakir Bender— The Akaba of Mahass— Camp in the "Wilderness— The Charm of Desolation— The Nile again— Pilgrims from Bar-Far— The Struggle of the Nile— An Arcadian Landscape— The Temple of Soleh— Bar Siikk^t— The Land of Dates— The Island of Sai— A Sea of Band — Camp by the River — A Hyena Barbecue, , , 457 CHAPTER, XXXVI. The Batn El-Hafljar, or Belly of Stone- Ancient Granite Qnarries— The Tillaffe of Dal— A Ruined Fortress— A Wilderness of Stones— The Hot Springs of TJkmi— A Windy Night— A Dreary Day in the Desert— The Shekh's Camel Fails— Descent to Samneh — The Temple and Cataract — Meershoh — The Sale of Abou-Sin— "We Emerge iVom the Belly of Stone— A Kababish Caravan— The Bock of Abcu-Seer— View of the Second Catai-act — "We reach "Wadi-Halfa — Selling my Dromedaries — Farewell to Abou-Sia — Thanksgiving on the Ferry-boat — Parting with the Camel- men, 471 CHAPTER XXXVII. VTadi Haifa — A Boat for Assouan — "Wo Embark on the Nile Again — An Egyptian Dream — The Temples of Abou-Simbel— The Smaller Temple — The Colossi of Eemeses II. — Vulgarity of Travellers — Entering the Great Temple — My Impres- sions — Character of Abou-Simbel — The Smaller Chambers — The Races of Men — Eemeses and the Captive Kings — ^Departure, . . - . . . . 486 CHAPTER XXXVIII. I Lose my Sunshine, and Regain it— Nubian Scenery— Derr— The Temple of Amada —Mysterious Eapplngs- Familiar Scenes— Halt at Korosko— Escape itom Ship- wreck— The Temple of Sebooa— Chasing other Boats-Temple of Djerf Hossayn — A Backsheesh Experiment— Ealabshee— Temple of DabSd— "We reach the Egyp- tian Frontior, *95 CHAPTER XXXIX. Assouan— A Boat for Cairo— English Tourists— A Head-wind— Ophthalmia— Esneh— A Mummied Princess— Ali Effendi's Stories— A Donkey Afrite— Arrival at Luxor —The Egyptian Autumn- A Diiy at Thebes— Songs of the Sailors— Ali leaves me— Eido to Dendera— Head-winds again— Visit to Tahtah— The House of Eufaa Bey, 506 CHAPTER XL. Siout in Harvest-timo-^A kind Englishwoman— A Slight Experience of Hasheesh— The Calm— Eapid Progress down the Nile— The Last Day of the Voyage- Arri- val at Cairo— Tourists preparing for the Desert- Parting with Aohmet— Concln don, "' JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. CHAPTEE I. INTRODUCTION TO AFRICA. Arrival at Alexandria— The Landing— My First Oriental BatU— The City— Prepara- tions for Departure. I LEFT Smyrna in the Lloyd steamer, Gonte Stiirmer, on the first day of November, 1851. We passed the blue Sporadic Isles — Cos, and £,hodes, and Karpathos — and crossing the breadth of the Eastern Mediterranean, favored all the way by unruffled seas, and skies of perfect azure, made the pharos of Alexandria on the evening of the 3d. The entrance to the harbor is a narrow and difficult passage through reefs, and no vessel dares to attempt it at night, but with the first streak of dawn we were boarded by an Egyptian pilot, and the rising sun lighted up for us the white walls of the city, the windmills of the Kas el-Tin, or Cape of Figs, and the low yellow sand- hills in which I recognized Africa — for they were prophetic of the desert behind them. We entered the old harbor between the island of Pha- ros and the main land (now connected by a peninsular strip. on which the Frank quarter is built), soon after sunrise 14 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. The water swarmed with boats before the anchor dropped, and the Egyptian health officer had no sooner departed than wo were boarded by a crowd of dragomen, hotel run- ners, and boatmen. A squinting Arab, who wore a white dress and red sash, accosted me in Italian, offering to conduct me to the Oriental Hotel. A German and a Smyrniote, whose acquaintance I had made during the voyage, joined me in accepting his services, and we were speedily boated ashore. We landed on a pile of stones, not far from a mean-looking edifice called the Custom-House. Many friends were there to welcome us, and I shall never forget the eagerness with which they dragged us ashore, and the zeal with which they pom- melled one another in their generous efforts to take charge of our effects. True, we could have wished that their faces had been better washed, their baggy trousers less ragged and their red caps less greasy, and we were perhaps ungrateful in allow- ing our Arab to rate them soundly and cuff the ears of the more obstreperous, before our trunks and carpet-bags could be portioned among them. At the Custom-House we were visit- ed by two dark gentlemen, in turbans and black flowing robes, who passed our baggage without scrutiny, gently whispering in our ears, " backsheesh," — a word which we then heard for the first time, but which was to be the key-note of much of our future experience. The procession of porters was then set in motion, and we passed through several streets of whitewashed two story houses, to the great square of the Frank quarter, which opened before us warm and brilliant in the morning sun- shine. The principal hotels and consulates front on this square. The architecture is Italian, with here and there a dash of Sar* ALEXANDRIA. 15 acenic, in the windows and doorways, especially in new build- ings. A small obelisk of alabaster, a present from Mohammed Ali, stands in the centre, on a pedestal which was meant for a fountain, but has no water. All this I noted, as well as a crowd of donkeys and donkey-boys, and a string of laden camels, on our way to the hotel, which we found to be a long and not particularly clean edifice, on the northern side of the square. The English and French steamers had just arrived, and no rooms were to be had until after the departure of the afternoon boat for Cairo. Our dragoman, who called himself Ibrahim, suggested a bath as the most agreeable means of passing the intermediate time. The clear sky, the temperature (like that of a mild July day at home), and the novel interest of the groups in the streets, were sufficient to compensate for any annoyance : but when we reached the square of the French Church, and saw a garden of palm-trees waving their coronals of glittering leaves, every thing else was forgotten. My German friend, who had never seen palms, except as starveling exotics in Sorrento and Smyrna, lifted his hands in rapture, and even I, who had heard tens of thousands rustle in the hot winds of the Tropics, felt my heart leap as if their beauty were equally new to my eyes. For no amount of experience can deprive the traveller of that happy feeling of novelty which marks his first day on the soil of a new continent. I gave myself up wholly to its inebriation. Et ego in Africa, was the sum of my thoughts, and I neither saw nor cared to know the fact (which we dis- severed in due time), that our friend Ibrahim was an arrant knave. -^ The bath to which he conducted us was pronounced to be 16 JOORNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. the finest in Alexandria, the most superb in all the Orient, but it did not at all accord with our ideas of Eastern luxury. Moreover, the bath-keeper was his intimate friend, and would bathe us as no Christians were ever bathed before. One fact Ibrahim kept to himself, which was, that his intimate friend and he shared the spoils of our inexperience. We were con- ducted to a one-story building, of very unprepossessing exte- rior. As we entered the low, vaulted entrance, my ears were saluted with a dolorous, groaning sound, which I at first con- jectured to proceed from the persons undergoing the opera- tion, but which I afterward ascertained was made by a wheel turned by a buffalo, employed in raising water from the well. In a sort of basement hall, smelling of soap-suds, and with a large tank of dirty water in the centre, we were received by the bath-keeper, who showed us into a room containing three low divans with pillows. Here we disrobed, and Ibrahim, who had procured a quantity of napkins, enveloped our heads in turbans and swathed our loins in a simple Adamite gar- ment. Heavy wooden clogs were attached to our feet, and an animated bronze statue led the way through gloomy passages, sometimes hot and steamy, sometimes cold and soapy, and redolent of any thing but the spicy odors of Araby the Blest, to a small vaulted chamber, lighted by a few apertures in the ceiling. The moist heat was almost suffocating ; hot water flowed over the stone floor, and the stone benches we sat upon were somewhat cooler than kitchen stoves. The bronze indi- vidual left us, and very soon, sweating at every pore, we began to think of the three Hebrews in the furnace. Our comfort was not increased by the groaning sound which we still heard, and by seeing, through a hole in the door, five or six niiked MT FIRST ORIENTAL BATH. l*! figures lying motionless along tie edge of a steaming vat, in tlie outer room. Presently our statue returned with a pair of coarse hair- gloves on his hands. He snatched off our turbans, and then, seizing one of my friends by the shoulder as if he had been a sheep, began a sort of rasping operation upon his back. This process, varied occasionally by a dash of scalding water, was extended to each of our three bodies, and we were then suf- fered to rest awhUe. A course of soap-suds followed, which was softer and more pleasant in its effect, except -when he took us by the hair, and holding back our heads, serubbfid our faces most lustily, as if there were no such things as eyes, noses and mouths. By this time we had reached such a salamandrine temperature that the final operation of a dozen pailfuls of hot water poured over the head, was really delightful After a plunge Ln a seething tank, we were led back to our chamber and enveloped in loose muslin robes. Turbans were bound on our heads and we lay on the divans to recover from the lan- guor of the bath. The change produced by our new costume was astonishing. The stout German became a Turkish mol- lah, the young Smyrniote a picturesque Persian, and I — I scarcely know what, but, as my friends assured me, a much better Moslem than Frank. Cups of black coffee, and pipes of inferior tobacco completed the process, and in spite of the lack of cleanliness and superabundance of fleas, we went forth lighter in body, and filled with a calm content which nothing seemed able to disturb. After a late breakfast at the hotel, we sallied out for a sur- vey of the city. The door was beleaguered by the donkeys and their attendant drivers, who hailed us in all languages at 18 JOUnNKY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. once, "Vines;, Monsieur/" "Take a ride, sir; here is « good donkey ! " " Schmner Esel I " " Pvendete il mio hur- rico ! " — and you are made the vortex of a whirlpool of don- keys. The one-eyed donkey-boys fight, the donkeys kick, and there is no rest till you have bestridden one of the little beasts. The driver then gives his tail a twist and his rump a thwack, and you are carried off in triumph. The animal is so small that you seem the more silly of the two, when you have mounted, but after he has carried you for an hour in a rapid gallop, you recover your dignity in your respect for him. The spotless blue of the sky and the delicious elasticity of the air were truly intoxicating, as wo galloped between gar- dens of date-trees, laden with ripe fruit, to the city gate, and through it into a broad road, fringed with acacias, leading to the Mahmoudieh canal. But to the south, on a rise of dry, sandy soil, stood the Pillar of Diocletian — not of Pompcy, whose name it bears. It is a simple column, ninety-eight feet in height, but the shaft is a single block of red granite, and stands superbly against the back-ground of such a sky and such a sea. It is the only relio of the ancient Alexandria worthy of its fame, but you could not wish for one more im- posing and eloquent. The glowing white houses of the town, the minarets, the palms and the acacias fill the landscape, but it stands apart from them, in the sand, and looks only to the sea and the desert. In the evening we took donkeys again and rode out of the town to a cafe on the banks of the canal. A sunset of burn- ing rose and orange sank over the desert behind Pompey's Pillar, and the balmiest of breezes stole towards us from the sea, through palm gardens. A Swiss gentleman, M. de Gon- THE DONKEY-BOY. 19 zenbach, whose kindness I shall always gratefully remember accompanied us. As we sat tinder the acacias, sipping the black Turkish coffee, the steamer for Cairo passed, disturbing the serenity of the air with its foul smoke, and marring the delicious repose of the landscape in such wise, that we vowed we would have nothing to do with steam so long as we voyaged on the Nile. Our donkey-drivers patiently held the bridles of our long-eared chargers till we were ready to return. It was dark, and not seeing at first my attendant, a little one- eyed imp, I called at random : " Abdallah ! " This, it hap- pened, was actually his name, and he came trotting up, hold- ing the stirrup ready for me to mount. The quickness with which these young Arabs pick up languages, is truly astonish- ing. " Gome vi chiamate ? " (what's your name ?) I asked of Abdallah, as we rode homeward. The words were new to him, but I finally made him understand their meaning, where- upon he put his knowledge into practice by asking me : " Gome vi chiamate ? " " Abbas Pasha," I replied. " Oh, well," was his prompt rejoinder, " if you are Abbas Pasha, then I am Seyd Pasha." The next morning he was at the door with his donkey, which I fully intended to mount, but became entan- gled in a wilderness of donkeys, out of which Ibrahim extri- cated me by hoisting me on another animal. As I rode away, I caught a glimpse of the little fellow, crying lustily over his disappointment. We three chance companions fraternized so agreeably that we determined to hire a boat for Cairo, in preference to waiting for the next steamer. We accordingly rode over to the Mah- moudieh Canal, accompanied by Ibrahim, to inspect the barks. Like all dragomen, Ibrahim had his private preferences, and 20 JOURNEY IN CENTRAL AFRICA. conducted us on board a boat belonging to a friend of his, a grizzly rai's, or captain. The craft was a small Jcangia, with a large lateen sail at the bow and a little one at the stern. It was not very new, but looked clean, and the ral's demanded three hundred piastres for the voyage. The piastre is the cur- rent coin of the East. Its value is fluctuating, and always higher in Egypt than in Syria and Turkey, but may bo assum- ed at about five cents, or twenty to the American dollar. Be- fore closing the bargain, We asked the advice of M. de Gon- zenbach, who immediately despatched his Egyptian servant and engaged a boat at two hundred and twenty-five piastres. Every thing was to be in readiness for our departure on the following evening. FIKST VOYAGE ON THE NILE. 21 CHAPTER II. FIRST VOYAGB ON THE NILE. Departure— The Kangia— The Egyiitian Climate— The Mahmondieh Canal— Entrance into the Nile — Pleasures of the Journey— Studying Arabic— Sight of the Pyramids — The Eari-&ge — ^Approach to Cairo. We paid a most exorbitant bill at the Oriental Hotel, and started on donkeyback for our boat, at sunset. Our prepara- tions for the voyage consisted of bread, rice, cofifee, sugar, but- ter and a few other comestibles ; an earthen furnace and char- coal ; pots and stew-pans, plates, knives and forks, wooden spoons, coffee-cups and water-jars ; three large mats of cane- leaves, for bedding ; and for luxuries, a few bottles of claret, and a gazelle-skin stuffed with choice Latakieh tobacco. We were prudent enough to take a supper with us from the hotel, and not trust to our own cooking the first night on board. We waited till dark on the banks of the Canal before our baggage appeared. There is a Custom-Hous'e on all sides of Alexandria, and goods going out must pay as well as goods com- ing in. The gate was closed, and nothing less than the silver oil of a dollar greased its hinges sufficiently for our cart to pass through. But what was our surprise on reaching the boat, to find the same kangia and the same grizzly rais, who had pre- nously demanded three hundred piastres. He seemed no less 22 JOUBNET IN CENTRAL AFRICA, astonished than we, for the bargain had been made hy a third party, and I believe he bore us a grudge during the rest of the voyage. The contract placed the boat at ouv disposition ; so we went on board immediately, bade adieu to the kind friends who had accompanied us, and were rowed down the Canal in the full glow of African moonlight. Some account of our vessel and crew will not be out of place here. The boat was about thirty-five feet in length, with a short upright mast in the bow, supporting a lateen sail fifty feet long. Against the mast stood a square wooden box, lined with clay, which served as a fireplace for cooking. The mid- dle boards of the deck were loose and allowed entrance to the hold, where our baggage was stowed. The sailors also lifted then, and sat .on the cross-beams, with their feet on the shal- low keel, when they used the oars. The cabin, which oocu pied the stern of the boat, was built-above and below the dock, BO that after stepping down into it we could stand upright. The first compartment contained two broad benches, with t. smaller chamber in the rear, allowing just enough room, in all, for three persons to sleep. We spread our mats on the boards, placed carpet-bags for pillows (first taking out the books), and our beds were made. Ibrahim slept on the deck, against the cabin-door. Our rais, or captain, was an old Arab, with a black, wrink- led face, a grizzly beard and a tattered blue robe. There were five sailors — one with crooked eyes, one with a moustache, two copper-colored Fellahs, and one tall Nubian, black as the Egyptian darkness. The three latter were our favorites, and more cheerful and faithful creatures I never saw. One of the Fellahs sang na^al loVe-Bongs the whole day long, and was al- EVENING ON THE CANAL. 23 ■ways foremost in the everlasting refrain of " haylee-sah ! " and "2/a salaam P^ -with which the Egyptian sailors row and tow and pole their boats against the current. Before we left th< boat we had acquired a kind of affection for these three men, while the rais, with his grim face and croaking voice, grew more repulsive every day. We spread a mat on the deck, lighted our lantern and sat down to supper, while a gentle north wind slowly carried our boat along through shadows of palms and clear spaces of moon- light. Ibrahim filled the shebooks, and for four hours we sat in the open air, which seemed to grow sweeter and purer with every breath we inhaled. We were a triad — the sacred num- ber — and it would have been difficult to find another triad so harmonious lud yet differing so strongly in its parts. One was a Landwirth from Saxe-Coburg, a man of forty-five, tall, yet portly in person, and accustomed to the most comfortable living and the best society in Germany. Another was a Smyr- niote merchant, i young man of thirty, to whom all parts of Europe were familiar, who spoke eight languages, and who within four months had visited Ispahan and the Caucasus. Of the third it behooves me not to speak, save that he was from the New World, and that he differed entirely from his friends in stature, features, station in life, and every thing else but mu- tual goodfellowship. " Ah," said the German in the fulness of his heart, as we basked in the moonlight, '• what a heavenly air ! what beautiful palms ! and this wonderful repose in all Nature, which I never felt before !" " It is better than the gardens of Ispahan," added the Smyrniote. Nor did I deceive them when I said that for many months past I had known no mood of mind so peaceful and grateful. 24 JOUUNEY IN CENTRAL AFRICA. We rose somewhat stiff from our hard beds, but a cup of coffee and the fresh morning air restored the amenity of the voyage, The banks of the Canal are flat and dull, and the country through which we passed, after leaving the marshy brink of Lake Mareotis, was in many places still too wet from the recent inundation to be ploughed for the winter crops. It is a dead level of rich black loam, and produces rice, maize, sugar- cane and millet. Here and there the sand has blown over it, and large spaces are given up to a sort of coarse, wiry grass. The villages are miserable collections of mud huts, but the date-palms which shadow them and the strings of camels that slowly pass to and fro, render even their unsightliness piotU' resque. In two or three places we passed mud machines, driven by steam, for the purpose of cleaning the Canal. Ropes were stretched across the channel on both sides, and a large number of trading boats were obliged to halt, although the wind was very favorable. The barrier was withdrawn for us Franks, and the courteous engineer touched his tarboosh in reply to our salutations, as we shot through. Towards noon we stopped at a village, and the Asian went ashore with Ibrahim to buy provisions, while the European walked ahead with his fowling-piece, to shoot wild ducks for dinner. The American stayed on board and studied an Arabic vocabulary. Presently Ibrahim appeared with two fowls, two pigeons, a pot of milk and a dozen eggs. The Asian set about preparing breakfast, and showed himself so skilful that our bark soon exhaled the most savory odors. When we picked up our European he had only two hawks to offer us, but wo gave him in return a breakfast which he declared perfect. We ate on deck, seated on a mat ; a pleasant wind filled our sails.. ATFEH. 25 and myriads of swallows circled and twittered over our heads in the cloudless air. The calm, contemplative state produced by the cofifee and pipes which Ibrahim brought us, lasted the whole afternoon, and the villages, the cane-fields, the Moslem oratories, the wide level of the Delta and the distant mounds of forgotten cities, passed before our eyes like the pictures of a dream. Only one of these pictures marred the serenity of our minds. It was an Arab burying-ground, on the banks of the Canal — a collection of heaps of mud, baked in the sun. At the head and foot of one of the most recent, sat two wo- men — ^paid mourners — ^who howled and sobbed, in long, piteous, despairing cries, which were most painful to hear. I should never have imagined that any thing but the keenest grief could teach such heart-breaking sounds. When I climbed the bank at sunset, for a walk, the minarets of Atfeh, on the Nile, were visible. Two rows of acacias, planted along the Canal, formed a pleasant arcade, through which we sailed, to the muddy excrescences of the town. The locks were closed for the night, and we were obliged to halt, which gave us an opportunity of witnessing an Arabic marriage procession. The noise of two wooden drums and a sort of fife annoimced the approach of the bride, who, attended by her relatives, came down the" bank from the mud-ovens above. She was closely veiled, but the Arabs crowded around to get a peep at her face. No sooner had the three Franks approached, than she was doubly guai;ded and hurried off to the house of her in- tended husband. Some time afterwards I ascended the bank to have a nearer view of the miserable hovels, but was received with such outcries and menacing gestures, that I made a slow and dignified retreat. We visited, however, the house of the 2 26 JOURNEY IN CENTRAL AFRICA. oridegrdom's father, where twenty or thirty Arabs, seated on the ground, were singing an epithalamium, to which they kopt time by clapping their hands. Next morning, while our rais was getting his permit to pass the looks (for which four official signatures and a fee of thirty piastres are necessary), we visited the bazaar, and purchased long tubes of jasmine-wood for our pipes, and vegetables for our kitchen. On all such occasions we detailed Seyd, the tall Nubian, whose ebony face shone resplendent under a snow-whito turban, to be our attendant. The stately gravity with which he walked behind us, carrying bread and vegetables, was wor- thy the pipe-bearer of a Sultan. By this time we had installed the Asian as cook, and he very cheerfully undertook the service. We soon discovered that the skill of Ibrahim extended no fur- ther than to the making of a, pilaff and the preparation of coflfee. Moreover his habits and appearance were not calculated to make us relish his handiwork. The naivetd with which he took the wash-basin to make soup in, and wiped our knives and forks on his own baggy pantaloons, would have been very amusing if we had not been interested parties. The Asian was one day crumbling some loaf sugar with a hammer, when Ibrahim, who had been watching him, suddenly exclaimed in a tone of min- gled pity and contempt, " that's not the way 1 " Thereupon he took up some of the lumps, and wrapped them in one corner of his long white shirt, which he thrust into his mouth, and after Brushing the sugar between his teeth, emptied it into the bowl with an air of triumph. A whole squadron of boats was waiting at the locks, but with Prankish impudence, we pushed through them, and took »ur place in the front rank. The sun was intensely hot, and KlITTEAKCE INTO THE NILE. 21 ■we sweated and broiled for a full hour, in the midst of a hflr- rible tumult of Araljs, before the clumsy ofiScers closed tbe last gate on us and let us float forth on the Nile. It is the west- ern, or Canopic branch of the river which flows past Atfeh. It is not broader than the Hudson at Albany, but was more mud- dy and slimy from its recent overflow than the Mississippi at New Orleans. Its water is no less sweet and wholesome than that of the latter river. After leaving the monotonous banks of the Canal, the aspect of its shores, fringed with groves of palm, was unspeakably cheerful and inspiring. On the opposite side, the slender white minarets of Fooah, once a rich manu- facturing town, sparkled in the noonday sun. A fresh north wind from the Mediterranean slowly pressed our boat against the strong current, while the heavily-laden merchant vessels followed in our wake, their two immense lateen sails expanded like the wings of the Arabian roc. "We drank to the glory of old Father Nile in a cup of his own brown current, and then called Ibrahim to replenish the empty sbebooks. Those who object to tobacco under the form of cigars, or are nauseated by the fumes of a German meerscbaum, should be told that the Turkish pipe, filled with Latakieh, is quite another thing. The aroma, which you inhale through a long jasmine tube, topped with a soft amber mouth-piece, is as fragrant as roses and re- freshing as ripe dates. I have no doubt that the atmosphere of celestial musk and amber whicb surrounded Mahomet, ac- cording to the Persian Chronicles, was none other than genuine Latakieh, at twenty piastres the oka. One thing is certain, that without the capacity to smoke a shebook, no one can taste the true flavor of the Orient. An hour or two after sunset the wind fell, and for the rest 28 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRIC*. of the night our men tracked the boat slowly forward, singing cheerily as they tugged at the long tow-rope. The Asiau spread on the deck his Albanian capote, the European his am- ple travelling cloak, and the representatives of three Conti- nents, travelling in the fourth, lay on their hacks enjoying the moonlight, the palms, and more than all, the perfect silence and repose. With every day of our journey I felt more deeply and gratefully this sense of rest. Under such a glorious sky, no disturbance seemed possible. It was of little consequence whether the boat went forward or backward, whether we struck on a sand-bar or ploughed the water under a full head of wind; every thing was right. My conscience made me no reproach for such a lazy; life. In America we live too fast and work too bird, I thought : shall I not know what Rest is, onco before I die ? The European said to me naively, one day : " I am a little surprised, but very glad, that no one of us has yet spoken of European politics." Europe 1 I had forgotten that such a land existed : and as for America, it seemed very dim and distant. Sometimes I varied this repose by trying to pick up the language. Wilkinson's Vocabulary and Capt. Hayes's Gram- mar did me great service, and after I had tried a number of words with Ibrahim, to get the pronunciation, I made bolder essays. One day when the sailors were engaged in s most vociferous discussion, I broke upon them with : " What is all this noise about ? stop instantly t " The effect was instantane- ous ; the men were silent, and Sey-d, turning up his eyes in wonder, cried out : "Wallah/ the Howadji talks Arabic ! " The two copper-faced Fellahs thought it very amusing, and every new word I learned sufficed to set them laughing for half SCENERY OF THE DELTA. 29 an hour. I called out to a fisherman, seated on the bank : " Fisherman, have you any fish ? " and he held up a string of them and made answer : " Howadji, I have." This solemn form of address, which is universal in Arabic, makes the lan- guage very piquant to a student. During our second night on the river, we passed the site of ancient Sals, one of the most renowned of Egyptian cities, which has left nothing but a few shapeless mounds. The coun- try was in many places still wet from the inundation, which was the largest that had occurred for many years. The Fel- lahs were ploughing for wheat, with a single buffalo geared to a sharp pole, which scratched up the soil to the depth of three inches. Fields of maize and sugar-cane were frequent, and I noticed also some plantations of tobacco, millet, and a species of lupin, which is cultivated for its beans. The only vegetables we found for sale in the villages, were onions, leeks and toma- toes. Milk, butter and eggs are abundant and very good, but the cheese of the country is detestable. The habitations resem- ble ant-hilla, rather than human dwellings, and the villages are dep6ts of filth and vermin, on the most magnificent scale. Our boat was fortunately free from the latter, except a few cock- roaches. Except the palm and acacia, without which a Nile journey would lose half its attractions, I'saw few trees. Here and there stood a group of superb plane-trees, and the banana sometimes appeared in the gardens, but there is nothing of that marvellous luxuriance and variety of vegetation which is else- where exhibited in the neighborhood of the Tropics. On the evening of the third day we reached the town of Nadir, and, as there was no wind, went ashore for an hour oi two. There was a caf6 on the bank^^a mud house, with twn 30 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRIOA. windows, adorned with wooden frames, carved in the Moorish style. A divan, built of clay and whitewashed, extended along one side of the room, and on this we seated ourselves cross-leg- god, while the host prepared the little coffee-cups and filled the pipes. Through the open door we saw the Nile, gleaming broadly under the full moon, and in the distance, two tall palm- trees stood clearly against the sky. Our boatmen, whom we had treated to booiza, the Egyptian beer, sat before us, and joined in the chorus of a song, which was sung to entertain us. The performers were three women, and a man who played a coarse reed flute. One of the women had a tambourine, another a small wooden drum, and the third kept time by slapping the closed fingers of the right hand on the palm of the left. The Bong, which had a wild, rude harmony that pleased me, was followed by a dance, executed by one of the women. It was very similar to the fandango, as danced by the natives of the Isthmus of Panama, and was more lascivious than graceful. The women, however, were of the lowest class, and their per- formances were adapted to the taste of the boatmen and camel- drivers, by whom they are patronized. The next day the yellow hills of the Libyan Desert, which in some places press the arable land of the Delta even to the brink of the Nile, appeared in the west. The sand appeared to be steadily advancing towards the river, and near Wcrdan had already buried a grove of acacias as high as their first branches. The tops were green and flourishing above the deluge, but another year or two would overwhelm them com- pletely. We had a thick fog during the night, and the follow- ing day was exceedingly hot though the air was transparent as crystal. Our three faces were already of the color of new rHK barhabb. 31 bronze, wHch was burned into tte skin by tbe reflection from the water. While my friends were enjoying their usual after- Koon repose, a secret presentiment made mo climb to the roof of our cabin. I had not sat there long, before I descried twc faint blue triangles on the horizon, far to the south. I rudelj broke in upon their indolence with' a shout of " the Pyra- mids ! " which Seyd echoed with " ^Z-7idraw. i^amooji .' " I wan as much impressed with the view as I expected to be, but f completely nullified the European's emotion by translating to him Thackeray's description of his first sight of those re- ttowned monuments. The same evening we reached the northern point of tho Delta, where we were obliged to remain all night, as the wind ■^RS not sufficiently strong to allow us to pass the Barrage, Singularly enough, this immense work, which is among the greatest undertakings of modem times, is scarcely heard of out of Egypt. It is nothing less than a damming of the Nile, which is to have the effect of producing two inundations a year, and doubling the crops throughout the Delta. Here, where the flood divides itself into two main branches, which find separate mouths at Damietta and Rosetta, an immense dam has not only been projected, but is far advanced toward completion. Each branch wUl be spanned by sixty-two arches, besides a central gateway ninety feet in breadth, and flanked by lofty stone towers. The point of the Delta, between the two dams, is protected by a curtain of solid masonry, and the abutments which it joins are fortified by towers sixty or seven, ty feet in height. The piers have curved breakwaters on the upper side, while the opposite parapet of the arches rises high above them, so that the dam consists of three successive ter- 32 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. races, and presents itself like a wedge, against the force of such an immense body of water. The material is brick, faced with stone. When complete, it is intended to close the side- arches during low water, leaving only the central gateway open. By this means sufficient water will be gained to fill all the irrigating canals, while a new channel, cut through the centre of the Delta, will render productive a vast tract of fer- tile land. The project is a grand one, and the only obstacle to its success is the light, porous character of the alluvial soil on which the piers are founded. The undertaking was planned and commenced by M. Linant, and has since been continued by other engineers. The Egyptian boatmen have reason to complain of the Barrage. The main force of the river is poured through the narrow space wherein the piers have not yet been sunk, which cannot be passed without a strong north wind. Forty or fifty boats were lying along the shore, waiting the favorable mo- ment. We obtained permission from the engineer to attach our boat to a large government barge, which was to be drawn up by a stationary windlass. As we put off, the wind freshen- ed, and we were slowly urged against the current to the main rapid, where we were obliged to hold on to our big friend. Behind us the river was white with sails — craft of all kinds, pushed up by the wind, dragged down by the water, striking against each other, entangling their long sails and crowding into the narrow passage, amid shouts, cries and a bewildering profusion of Arabic gutturals. For half an hour, the scene was most exciting, but thanks to the windlass, we reached smoother water, and sailed off gayly for Cairo. The true Nile expanded before us, nearly two miles in WE REACH BOULAK. " S3 ■width. To the south, the three Pyramids of Gizeh loomed up like isolated mountain-peaks on the verge of the Desert. On the right hand the Mokattam Hills lay red and bare in the sunshine, and ere long, over the distant gardens of Shoo- bra, we caught sight of the Citadel of Cairo, and the minarets of the mosque of Sultan Hassan. The north wind was faith- ful : at three o'clock we were anchored in Boulak, paid our rais, gave the crew a backsheesh, for which they kissed our hands with many exclamations of " taih ! " (good 1) and set out for Cairo ?* lOURNET TO CENTRAL AFRICA. CHAPTEB III. PIOTDKBS OF CAIRO. Hiutninoo— Tlie Kibekiyoh— Snrnooiilo ITousos— Donkeys— Tbo Baraai's— Tlio Stroeta — Processions — View from the Citadel — Mosque of Mobainmed All — The Eond to Suez— Tlie Island of Ebodo. Our approach to and entrance into Cairo was the illuminated frontispiece to the volume of my Eastern life. From the Nile we had already seen the mosque of Sultan Hassan, the white •dojnes, and long, pencil-like minarets of th« new mosque of Mohammed Ali, and the massive masonry of the Citadel, crowning a projecting spur of the Mokattam Hills, which touches the city on the eastern side. But when, mounted on ambling donkeys, we followed the laden baggage-horses through the streets of Boulak, and entered the broad, shaded highway leading through gardens, grain-fields and groves of palm and banana, to the gate of the Ezbehiy^i' — the great square of Cairo — ^the scene, which, at a distance, had been dimmed and softened by the filmy screen of the Egyptian air, now became so gay, picturesque and animated, so full of life and motion and color, that my dreams of the East were at once displaced by the vivid reality. The donkey-riding multi- tudes who passed continually to and fro, wore wholly unlike THE GREAT SQUARE OF CAIRO. 35 tlie croTsrds of Smyrna and Alexandria, wliere the growing in- fluence of European dress and customs is already visible. Here, every thing still exhaled the rich aroma of the Orient, as it had been wafted to me from the Thousand and One Nights, the Persian poets and the Arab chroniclers. I forgot that I still wore a Frank dress, and found myself wondering at the temerity of the few Europeans we met. I looked without surprise on the long processions of donkeys carrying water- skins, the heavily-laden camels, the women with white masks on their faces and black bags around their bodieSj the stolid Nubian slaves, the grave Abyssinians, and all the other va- rious characters that passed and repassed us. But because they were so familiar, they were none the less interesting, for aU had been acquaintances, when, like Tennyson, " true Mus- sulman was I, and sworn," under the reign of the good Haroun Al-Raschid. We entered the Ezbekiyeh, which is wholly overgrown with majestic acacias and plane-trees, and thickets of aromatic flow- ering shrubs. It is in the Frank quarter of the city, and was first laid out and planted by order of Mohammed Ali. All the principal hotels front upon it, and light, thatched cafes fill the space under the plane-trees, where the beau mbnde of Cairo promenade every Sunday evening. Nothing of the old City of the Caliphs, except a few tall minarets, can be seen from this quarter, but the bowery luxuriance of the foliage is all that the eye demands, and over the plain white walls, on every side, the palms — single, or in friendly groups — ^lift their feathery crowns. After installing our household gods in the chambers of the quiet and comfortable Hotel d'Europe, we went out to enjoy the sweet evening air in front of one of the cafes. I 36 JOURNEV TO CENTRAL AFRICA. tried for the fii'st tiinc the narghilch, or Persian water-pipe. The soft, velvety leaves of the tobacco of Shiraz are burned in a small cup, the tube of which enters a glass vase, half fiOiled with rose-scented water. From the top of this vase issues a flexible tube, several feet in length, with a mouth-piece of wood or amber. At each inspiration, the smoke is drawn downward and rises through the water with a pleasant bubbling sound. It is deprived of all the essential oil of the weed, and is exceed ingly mild, cool and fragrant. But instead of being puffed out of the mouth in whiffs, it is breathed full into the lungs and out again, like the common air. This is not so difficult a mat- ter as might be supposed ; the sensation is pleasant and slight- ly oxhilaratiug, and is not injurious to the lungs when moder- ately indulged in. The Turkish quarter of Cairo still retains the picturesque Saracenic architecture of the times of the Caliphs. The houses are mostly three stories in height, each story projecting over the other, and the plain stone walls are either whitewash- ed or striped with horizontal red bars, in a manner which would bo absurd under a northern sky, but which is here singularly harmonious and agreeable. The only signs of sculpture are occasional door-ways with richly carved arches, or the light marble gallery surrounding a fountained court. I saw a few of these in retired parts of the city. The traveller, however, has an exhaustless source of delight in the wooden balconies inclosing the upper windows. The extraordinary lightness, grace and delicate fragility of their workmanship, rendered still more striking by contrast with the naked solidity of the walls to which they cling, gave me a new idea of the skill and fancy of the Saracenic architects. The wood seems rather woven in DONKEYS AND DONKKY-BOTS. Si the loom, than out with the saw and chisel. Through these lattices of fine network, with borders worked in lace-like pat- terns, and sometimes topped with slender turrets and pinnacles, the wives of the Cairene merchants sit and watch the crowds passing softly to and fro in the twilight of the bazaars, them- selves unseen. It needed no effort of the imagination to people the fairy watch-towers under which we rode daily, with forms as beautiful as those which live in the voluptuous melodies of Hafiz. To see Cairo thoroughly, one must first accustom himself to the ways of those long-eared cabs, without the use of which I would advise no one to trust himself in the bazaars. Don- key-riding is universal, and no one thinks of going beyond the Frank quarter on foot. If he does, he must submit to be fol- lowed by not less than six donkeys with their drivers. A friend of mine, who was attended by such a cavalcade for two hours, was obliged to yield at last, and made no second attempt. When we first appeared in the gateway of our hotel, equipped for an excursion, the rush of men and animals was so great, that we were forced to retreat until our servant and the porter whipped QS a path through the yeUing and braying mob. Af- ter one or two trials, I found an intelligent Arab boy, named Kish, who, for five piastres a day, furnished strong and ambi- tious donkeys, which he kept ready at the door from morning till night. The other drivers respected Kish's privilege, and thenceforth I had no trouble. The donkeys are so small that my feet nearly touched the ground, but there is no end to their strength and endurance. Their gait, whether a pace or a gal- lop, is so easy and light that fatigue is impossible. The dri- vers take great pride in haying high-cushioned red saddles, and 88 JOCRNKY TO OE'STBAL AFRICA. in hanging bits of jingling brass to the bridles. Thoy keep their donkeys close shorn, and froqtiontly beautify them by painting them various colors. The iirst animal I rode had legs barred like a zebra's, and my friend's rejoiced in purple flanks and a yellow belly. The drivers run behind thorn with a short stick, punching them from time to time, or giving them a sharp pinch on the rump. Very few of them own their donkeys, and I understood their pertinacity when I learned that they fre- quently ;'eceivod a beating on returning home in the evening empty-handed. The passage of the bazaars seems at first quite as hazardous on donkey-back as on foot, but it is the difference between knock- ing somebody down and being knocked down yourself, and one naturally prefers the former alternative. There is no use in attempting to guide the donkey, for he won't bo guided. The driver shouts behind, and you are dashed at full speed into a confusion of other donkeys, camels, horses, carts, water-car- riers and footmen. In vain you cry out : " 5css .'" (enough 1) " Piano f' and other desperate adjurations; the driver's only reply is : " Lot the bridle hang loose 1 " You dodge your head under a camel-load of planks ; your leg brushes the wheel of a dust-cart ; you strike a fat Turk plump in the back ; you miraculously escape upsetting a fruit-stand ; you scatter a com- pany of spectral, white-masked women, and at last reach some more quiet street, with the sensation of a man who has stormed a battery. At first this sort of riding made mo very nervous, but finally I let the donkey go his own way, and took a curious interest in seeing how near a chance I ra» of striking or being struck. Sometimes there seemed no hope of avoiding a violent collision, but by a series of the most remarkable dodges he gen- THE POPULACE OF CAIRO. 39 erally carried me through in safety. The cries of the driver, running behind, gave me no little amusement : " The Howadji comes ! Take care on the right hand ! take care on the left hand ! man, take care ! maiden, take care ! boy, get out of the way ! The Howadji comes ! " Kish had strong lungs and his donkey would let nothing pass him, and so, wherever we went, we contributed our full share to the universal noise and confusion. Cairo is the cleanest of all oriental cities. The regulations established by Mohammed Ali are strictly carried out. Each man is obliged to sweep before his own door, and the dirt is carried away in carts every morning. Besides this, the streets are watered several times a day, and are nearly always cool and free from dust. The constant evaporation of th* water, however, is said to be injurious to the eyes of the inhabitants, though in other respects the city is healthy. The quantity of sore-eyed, cross-eyed, one-eyed, and totally blind persons one meets every where, is surprising. There are some beggars, mostly old or deformed, but by no means so abundant or imper- tinent as in the Italian cities. A number of shabby police- men, in blue frock-coats and white pantaloons, parade the prin- cipal thoroughfares, but I never saw their services called into requisition. The soldiers, who wear a European dress of white cotton, are by far the most awkward and unpicturesque class. Even the Fellah, whose single brown garment hangs loose from his shoulders to his knees, has an air of dignity compared with these Frankish caricatures. The genuine Egyptian costume, which bears considerable resemblance to the Greek, and espe cially the Hydriote, is simple and graceful. The colors are dark — principally brown, blue, green and violet — relieved by a 40 JOCTRNKY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. heayy silk sasli of some gay pattern, and by the red slippers and tarboosh. But, ;is in Turkey, the Pashas and 13eys, and many of the minor officers of the civil departments have adopt- ed the Prank dress, retaining only the tarboosh, — a change which is by no means becoming to them. I went into an Egyp- tian barber-shop one day, to have my hair shorn, and en- joyed the preparatory pipe and ooflFee in company with two in- dividuals, whom I supposed to bo French or Italians of the vulgar order, until the barber combed out the long locks on the top of their head, by which Mussulmen expect to bo lifted up into Paradise. When they had gone, the man informed me that one was Khalim Pasha, one of the grandsons of Moham- med All, and the other a Bey, of considerable notoriety. The Egyptians certainly do not gain any thing by adopting a costume which, in this climate, is neither so convenient nor so agreeable as their own. Besides the animated life of the bazaars, which I had an opportunity of seeing, in making my outfit for the winter's journey, I rarely went out without witnessing some incident or ceremony illustrative of Egyptian character and customs. One morning I encountered a stately procession, with music and banners, accompanying a venerable personage, with a green tur- ban on his head and a long white board flowing over his breast. This, as Kish assured me, was the Shoreef of Mecca. He was attended by officers in the richest Turkish and Egyptian cos- tumes, mounted on splendid Arabian steeds, who wore almost hidden under their broad housings of green and crimson velvet, embroidered with gold. The people on all sides, as he passed, laid their hands on their breasts and bowed low, which ho an- swered by slowly lifting his hand. It was a simple motion, but nothing could have been more calm and majestic. FESTIVK PKOCKSSIONS. 41 On another occasion, I met a bridal procession in the streets of Boulak. Three musicians, playing on piercing flutes, head- ed the march, followed by the parents of the bride, who, sur- rounded by her maids, walked under a crimson canopy. She was shrouded from head to foot in a red idbe, over which a gilded diadem was fastened around her head. A large crowd «f friends and relatives closed the procession, close behind (phioh followed another, of very diiferent character. The chief actors were four boys, of five or six years old, on their way to be circumcised. Each was mounted on a handsome horse, and wore the gala garments of a full-grown man, in which their little bodies were entirely lost. The proud parents marched by their sides,- supporting- them, and occasionally holding to their lips bottles of milk and^herbet. One was a jet black Nubian, who seemed particularly delighted with his situation, and grinned on all sides as he passed along. This procession was headed by a buffoon, who carried a laugh with him which opened a ready passage through the crowd. A man followed balancing on his chin a long pole crowned with a bunch of flowers. He came to me for backsheesh. His success brought me two swordsmen out of the procession, who cut at each other with scimitars and caught the blows on their shields.t^he coolness, swiftness and skill with which they parried the strokes was really admirable, and the concluding flourish was a master-piece. One of them, striking with the full sweep of his arm, aimed directly at the face of the other, as if to divide his head into two parts ; but, without making a pause, the glittering weapon turned, and sliced the air within half an inch of his eyes. The man neither winked nor moved a muscle of his face, but after the scimitar had passed, dashed it up with his shield, which he then reversed, 42 JOURNEr TO CENTRAL AFRICA. and dropping on one knee, held to me for backsheesh. After these came a camel, with a tufb of ostrich feathers on his head and a boy on his back, who pounded vigorously on two wooden drums with one hand, while he stretched the other down to mo for backsheesh. Luckily the little candidates for circumci- sion were too busily engaged with their milk bottles and sugar- plums, to join in the universal cry. I had little time to devote to the sights of Cairo, and was obliged to omit the excursions to the Petrified Forest, to Helio- polis and Old Cairo, until my return. Besides the city itself, which was always full of interest, I saw little else except the Citadel and the Island of Rhoda. We took the early morning for our ride to the former place, and were fortunate enough to find our view of the Nile-plain unobscured by the mists cus- tomary at this season. The morning light is most favorable to the landscape, which lies wholly to the westward. The shad- ows of the Citadel and the crests of the Mokattam Hills then lie broad and cool over the city, but do not touch its minarets, which glitter in the air like shafts of white and rosy flame. The populace is up and stirring, and you can hear the cries of the donkeymen and water-carriers from under the sycamores and acacias that shade the road to Boulak. Over tho rich palm- gardens, the blue streak of the river and tho plain beyond, you see the phantoms of two pyramids in the haze which still cu tains the Libyan Desert. Northward, beyond the parks and palaces of Shoobra, the Nile stretches his two great arms to- ward the sea, dotted, far into the distance, with sails thafflash in the sun. From no other point, and at no other time, is Cairo so grand and beautiful. "Within the walls of the Citadel is the £ir Youssef — Jo- THE CITADEI,. 43 sepls's Well — as it is called by the Arabs, not from the vir- tuous Hebrew, but from Sultan Saladin, who dug it out acd put it in operation. The well itself dates from the old Egyp tian time, but was filled with sand and entirely lost for many centuries. It consists of an upper and lower shaft, cut through the solid rock, to the depth of two hundred and sixty feet. A winding gallery, lighted from the shaft, extends to the bottom of the first division, where, in a chamber cut in the rock, a mule turns the large wheel which brings up a continual string of buckets from the fountain below. The water is poured into a spacious basin, and carried thence to the top by another string of buckets set in motion at the surface. Attended by two Arabs with torches, we made the descent of the first shaft and took a drinlt of the fresh, cool fluid. This well, and the spot where the Mameluke Emin Bey jumped his horse over the wall and escaped the massacre of his comrades, are the only interesting historical points about the Citadel ; and th« new mosque of Mohammed Ali, which overlooks the city from the most projecting platform of the fortifications, is the only part which. has any claim to architectural beauty. Althougl it has been in process of erection for many years, this mosqua is not nearly completed internally. The exterior is finished, and its large, white, depressed dome, flanked by minarets so tall and reed-like that they seem ready to bend with every breeze, is the first signal of Cairo to travellers coming up or down the Nile. The interior walls are lined throughout with oriental alabaster, stained with the orange flush of Egyptian sunsets, and the three domes blaze with elaborate arabesques of green, blue, crimson and gold. In a temporary chamber, fitted up in one corner, rests the coffin of Mohammed Ali, oov- 44 JOURNBr TO CENTRAL AFRICA. ered with a heavy velvet pall, and under the marble arches be- fore it, a company of priests, squatted on the green carpet cov- ering the floor, bow their heads continually and recite prayers or fragments of the Koran. Before descending into the city, I rode a little way into the Desert to the tombs of the Caliphs, on the road to Suez. They consist mostly of stone canopies raised on pillars, with mosques or oratories attached to them, exhibiting considerable variety in their design, but are more curious than impressive. The track in the sand made by the pilgrims to Mecca and the overland passengers to Suez, had far more real interest in my eyes. The pilgrims are fewer, and the passengers more nu- merous, with each successive year. English-built omnibuses, whirled along by galloping post-horses, scatter the sand, and in the midst of the herbless Desert, the travellers regale them- selves with beefsteak and ale, and growl if the accustomed Cheshire is foaad wanting. At this rate, how long will it be before there is a telegraph-station in Mecca, and the operator explodes with his wire a cannon on the Citadel of Cairo, to announce that the prayers on Mount Arafat have commenced ? The Island of Rhoda, which I visited on a soft, golden afternoon, is but a reminiscence of what it was a few years ago. Since Ibrahim Pasha's death it has been wholly neglect- ed, and though we found a few gardeners at work, digging up the sodden flower-beds and clipping the rank myrtle hedges, they only served to make the neglect more palpable. During the recent inundation, the Nile had risen to within a few inches of covering the whole island, and the soil was still soft and clammy. Nearly all the growths of the tropics are nur- tured here ; the coffee, the Indian fig, the mango, and other BECC RDS QF SILLINESS. 46 (xees alternate with the palm, orange, acacia, and the yellow mimosa, whose blossoms make the isle fragrant. I gathered a bunch of roses and jasmine-flowers from the unpruned vines. In the centre of the garden is an artificial grotto lined with shells, many of which have been broken off and carried away by ridiculous tourists. There is no limit to human silliness, as I have wisely concluded, after seeing Pompey's Pillar dis- figured by " Isaa84. JO0BNET TO OKNTEAI, AFRICA. which grew a tall tamaTind tree, we were received by an Italian monk, in flowing robes, who conducted us into a second court, inclosed by the residence of the Vicar. Here we met two other priests, a Grerman and a Hungarian, dressed in flowing Orien- tal garments. They ushered us into a large room, carpeted with matting, and with a comfortable divan around the sides. The windows looked into a garden, which was filled with orange, fig and banana trees, and fragrant with jasmine and mimosa blossoms. "We had scarcely seated ourselves, when the monks rose and remained standing, while Dr. Knoblwher entered. He was a small man, slightly and rather delicately built, and not more than thirty-five years of age. His com- plexion was fair, his eyes a grayish blue, and his beard, which he wore flowing upon his breast, a very decided auburn. His face was one of those which wins not only kindness but confi- dence from all the world. His dress consisted of a white tur ban, and a flowing robe of dark purple cloth. He is a man of thorough cultivation, conversant with several languages, and possesses an amount of scientific knowledge which will make his future explorations valuable to the world. During my stay in Khartoum I visited him frequently, and derived from him much information concerning the countries of Soudan and their inhabitants. On our return we called upon Moussa Bey, the commander of the expedition sent into the lands of the Shukorees and the Hallengas, the foregoing summer. He was then ill of a fever and confined to his bed, but we entered the room without cere- mony, and found with him the new Governor of Berber and Abd-el-Kader Bey, the G-overnor of Kordofan, besides several secretaries and attendants. Moussa Bey was a Turk, perhaps VISIT TO Lattif pasha. 285 ELfty years of age, and had a strong, sturdy, energetic face. Several Arab stekhs, some of whom had been taken prisoners in the late expedition, were lounging about the eourt-yards. The day after my arrival. Dr. Reitz presented me to Lattif Pasha, the ■Governor of Soudan. The Egyptian officials in Khartoum generally consider themselves as exiles, and a sta- tion in Soudan carries with it a certain impression of disgrace. For the Pasha, however, it is an office of great importance and responsibility, and its duties are fully as arduous as those of the Viceroy of Egypt himself. The provinces under his rule constitute a territory of greater extent than France, and there are as many factions among the native tribes as parties among the French politicians. It is moreover, in many respects, an independent sovereignty. Its great distance from the seat of authority, and the absence of any regular means of communica- tion except the government post, gives the Pasha of Soudto opportunities of which he never fails to avail himself. Achmet Pasha at one time so strengthened himself here that he defied even Mohammed Ali, and it is still whispered that foul means were used to get rid of him. Since then, rotation in office is found to be good policy, and the Egyptian G-overnment is care- ful to remove a Pasha before he has made himself dangerous. From the Turks and Europeans in Khartoum, I heard little good of lattif Pasha. His character was said to be violent and arbitrary, and several most savage acts were attributed to him. One thing, however, was said in favor of him, and it was a great redeeming trait in those lands : he did not enrich himself by cheating the government. At the time of my visit it was understood that he had beMi recalled, and was to be su- perseded by Eustum Pasha, 286 JODKNET TO CENTKAL AFKICA. We found the Pasta seated on his divan, -with a secretai^ before him, reading a file of documents. The guards at the door presented arms as we entered, and the Pasha no sooner saw us than he rose, and remained standing till we came up. The Consul preswited me, and we seated ourselves on the di- van, separated from him by a pair of cushions. Pipes were brought to us by black slaves, and after a few common-places, he turned again to his business. The Secretary was reading despatches to the different provinces of Soudan. As fast as each was approved and laid aside, a Memlook slave of fifteen, who appeared to fiU the office of page, stamped them with the Pasha's seal, in lieu of signature. When the a&irs were con- cluded, the Pasha turned to us and entered into conversation. He was a man of forty-five years of age, of medium height, but stoutly built, and with regular and handsome features. His complexion was a pale olive, his eyes large and dark, and he wore a black beard and moustaches, very neatly trimmed. His mouth was full, and when he smiled, showed a perfect set of strong white teeth, which gave a certain grimness to his ex- pression. His manner was refined, but Lad that feline smooth- ness which invariably covers sharp claws. If I had met him in London or Paris, in Frank costume, I should have set him down as the primo basso of the Italian Opera. He was plain- ly dressed in a suit of dark-blue cloth, and wore a small tar- boosh on his head. Our conversation first turned upon America, and finally upon steam navigation and maritime affairs in general. He took an interest in such subjects, as he was formerly Admiral in the navy of Mohammed Ali. An engraving of the Turkish frigate Sultan Mahmoud, which was built by the American THE pasha's palace. 2&kV Eckford, hung on the wall opposite me. Over the divan was a portrait of Sultan Abdul-Medj id, and on each side two Arabic sentences, emblazoned on a ground of blue and crimson. The apartment was spacious and lofty ; the ceiling was of smooth palm-logs, and the floor of cement, beaten hard and polished with the trowel. I expressed my surprise to the Pasha that he had erected such a stately building in the short space of nine months, and he thereupon proposed to show it to me more in detail. He conducted us to a reception-room, covered with fine carpets, and furnished with mirrors and luxurious divans ; then the dining-room, more plainly furnished, the bath with Moorish arches glimmering in steamy twilight, and his private armory, the walls of which were hung with a small but rich assortment of Turkish and European weapons. The doors of the apartments were made of a dark red wood, of very fine grain, closely resembling mahogany. It is found in the moun- tains of Fazogl, on the south-western border of Abyssinia. It is susceptible of a fine polish, and the Pasha showed me a large and handsome table made from it. The Pasha then led us into the court-yard, where the work- men were still busy, plastering the interior of the corridors surrounding it. A large leopard and a lion-whelp of six months old, were chained to two of the pillars. A younger whelp ran loose about the court, and gave great diversion to the Pasha, by lying in wait behind the pillars, whence he pounced out upon any young boy-slave, who might pass that way. The little fellow would take to his heels in great terror, and scamper across the court, followed by the whelp, who no sooner overtook him than he sprang with his fore-paws against the boy's back, threw him down, and then ran off, apparently 288 JOCRNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. very mti'Ti delighted- with the sport. He had the free range of the pulace, but spent the most of his time in the kitchen, where he would leap upon a table, deliberately fie down, and watch the movements of the cooks with great interest. The Pasha told us that this whelp had on one occasion found his way to the harem, where his presence was first proclaimed by the screams of the terrified women. The leopard was a large and fierce animal, but the other lion was a rough, good-humor- ed follow, turning over on his back to bo played with, and roaring frequently, with a voice that resembled the low notes of a melancholy trombone. From this court we passed into the outer corridor fronting the square, when the jewelled shebooks were again brought, and the Pasha discoursed for sometime on the necessity of controlling one's passions and preserving a quiet temperament under all circumstances. When we rose to depart, he invited us to return and dine with him next day. Towards sunset the horses were got ready ; Dr. Keitz don- ned his uniform, and I dressed myself in Frank costume, with the exception of the tarboosh, shawl and red slippers. We call- ed at the Catholic Mission on our way to the Palace, and while conversing with the monks in the garden, a message came from the Pasha requesting Aboona Suleyman — (Padre Solomon, as Dr. Knoblecher was called by the Copts and Mussulmen in Khartoum) — to -accompany us. We therefore set out on foot with the Vicar, with the grooms leading the horses behind us. The Pasha received us at the entrance of his reception-room, and then retired to pray, before further conversation. The di- van at the further end of the room was divided in the centre by a pile of cushions, the space on the right hand being reserv- «d for the Pasha alone. The Consul, being the second inde- CEREMONIES BEFORE DINNER. 289 pendent power, seated himself on the left hand, Dr. Knob- lecher modestly took the corner, and I drew up my legs beside him, on the side divan. After a short absence — during which, we also were supposed to have said our prayers — the Pasha returned, saluted us a second time, and seated himself. Four slaves appeared at the same moment, with four pipes, which they presented to us in the order of our rank, commencing with the Pasha. When the aroma of the delicate Djebeli tobacco had diffus- ed a certain amount of harmony among ns, the conversation became more animated. The principal subject we discussed was the coup d'etat of Louis Napoleon, the news of which had just arrived by dromedary post, in twenty-four days from Cairo. The Pasha said it was precisely the thing which he had long ago predicted would come to pass. Louis Napoleon, he said, would behead Thiers, Cavaignac, Lamoriciere and the others whom he had imprisoned, and make, if necessary, twenty coups d'etat, after which, France would begin to prosper. The French, he said, must be well beaten, or it is impossible to govern them. The conversation had hardly commenced, when a slave appeared, bearing a silver tray, upon which were four tiny glasses of mastic cordial, a single glass of water, and saucers which contained bits of orange and pomegranate. The Pasha was always served first. He drank the cordial, took a sip of water, and then each of us in turn, drinking from the same glass. At intervals of about five minutes the same re- freshment appeared, and was served at least ten times before dinner was announced. Presently there came a band of musicians — five Egyptian boys whom the Pasha had brought with him from Cairo. Wo 13 590 JOURNEy TO CENTRAL AFRICA. had also two additions to the company of guests : Rufaa Bey, an intelligent Egyptian, who was educated in France, and had been principal of a native college in Cairo, under Mohammed Ali, and Ali Bey Khasib, the late Governor of Berber, who had been deposed on account of alleged mal-practices. The latter was the son of a water-carrier in Cairo, but was adopted by the widow of Ismail Pasha, who gave him a superior educa- tion. Other accounts represented him to be the illegitimate son of either Ismail or Ibrahim Pasha, and this surmise was probably correct. He was a bold, handsome man of thirty, and was said to be the most intelligent of all the officials in Soudan. After some little prelude, the musicians commenced. The instruments were a zumarra, or reed flute, a dulcimer, the wires of which were struck with a wooden plectrum, held be- tween the first and middle fingers, and a tamborine, two of the boys officiating only as singers. The airs were Arabic and Persian, and had the character of improvisations, compared with the classic music of Europe. The rhythm was perfect, and the parts sustained by the different instruments arranged with considerable skill. The Egyptian officers were greatly moved by the melodies, which, in their wild, passionate, bar- baric cadences, had a singular charm for my ear. The songs were principally of love, but of a higher character than the common songs of the people. The Pasha translated a bra«e for us. One related to the loves of a boy and maiden, the for- mer of whom was humble, the latter the daughter of a Bey. They saw and loved each other, but the difference in their sta- tions prevented the fulfilment of their hopes. One day, as the girl was seated at her window, a funeral passed through tho MUSIC AND DINNER. 291 street below. She asked the name of the dead person, and they answered " Leyl," the name of her beloved, whom the violence of his passion had deprived of life. Her lamentations formed the theme of a separate song, in which the name of Leyl was repeated in one long, continued outcry of grief and love. The second song was of a widow who had many wooers, by whom she was so beset, that she finally appointed a day to give them her decision. The same day her son died, yet, be- cause she had given her word, she mastered her grief by a he- roic resolution, arrayed herself in her finest garments, received her suitors, and sang to her lute the song which would best entertain them. At the close of the festival she announced her loss in a song, and concluded by refusing all their offers. At last, dinner was announced. The Pasha led the way into the dining-room, stopping in an ante-chamber, where a group of slaves were ready with pitchers, ewers and napkins, and we performed the customary washing of hands. The Pasha then took his seat at the round table, and pointed out his place to each guest. Dr. Knoblecher and myself sat on his right. Dr. Keitz and Rufaa Bey on his left, and Ali Bey Khasib opposite. There were no plates, but each of us had a silver knife, spoon and fork, and the arrangement was so far in Frank style that we sat upon chairs instead of the floor. The only ceremony observed was, that the Pasha first tasted each dish as it was brought upon the table, after which the rest of us followed. We all ate soup from the same tureen, and buried our several right hands to the knuckles in the fat flesh of the sheep which was afterwards setHbefore us. Claret was poured out for the Franks and Rufaa Bey (whose Moslem principles had been damaged by ten years residence in Paris), the Pasha and 2&'2 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. Ali Bey alone abstaining. There were twenty courses in allj and the cookery was excellent. Besides the delicate Turkish compounds of meat and vegetables, delicious fish from the White Nile and fruits from the Pasha's garden, we had blano mange and several varieties of French patisserie. At the close of the repast, a glass bowl containing a cool drink made from dried figs, quinces and apricots, was placed upon the table. The best possible humor prevailed, and I enjoyed the dinner exceedingly, the more so because I had not expected to find such a high degree of civilization in Soudan. "We had afterwards coffee and pipes in the reception-room, and about ten in the evening took leave of the Pasha and walk- ed home, preceded by attendants carrying large glass lanterns. After accompanying Dr. Knoblecher to the gate of the Mission, Ali Bey Khasib took my hand, Eufaa Bey that of the Con- sul, and we walked to the residence of the Bey, who detained us an hour by the narration of the injuries and indignities which had beeil inflicted upon him by order of Abbas Pasha. The latter, on coming into power, took especial care to remove all those officers who had been favorites of Mohammed Ali, Many of them were men of high attainments and pure charac- ter, who had taken an active part in carrying out the old Pasha's measures of reform. Among them was Eufaa Bey, who, with several of his associates, was sent to Khartoum, os- tensibly for the purpose of founding a College there, but in reality as a banishment from Egypt. He had been there a year and a half at the time of my visit, yet no order had been received from Cairo relative to the College. This state of in- action and uncertainty, combined with the effect of the climate, had already terminated the lives of two of his fellow-profea- FRANKS AND COPTS. 293 sors, and it was no doubt the design of Abbas Pasha to relieve himself of all of them by the same means. When I heard this story, the truth of which Dr. Reltz confirmed, I could readily account for the bitterness of the curses which the venerable old Bey heaped upon the head of his tyrannical ruler. The Frank population of Khartoum was not large, consist- ing, besides Dr. Reitz and the priests of the Catholic Mission, of Dr. Peney, a French physician. Dr. Vierthaler, a Grerman, and an Italian apothecary, the two former of whom were in the Egyptian service. Dr. Peney had been ten years in Soudsln, and knew the whole country, from the mountains of Fazogl to the plains of Takka, on the Atbara River, and the Shangalla forests on the Abyssinian frontier. He was an exceedingly intelligent and courteous person, and gave me much interesting information, concerning the regions he had visited and the habits of the different tribes of Souddn. I had afterwards personal opportunity of verifying the correctness of many of his statements. There were a few Coptic inerchants in the place, and on the second day after my arrival I had an opportunity of witnessing the New- Year ceremonies of their Church, which, like the Greek, still retains the old style. The service, which was very similar to a Catholic mass, was chant- ed in musical Arabic, and at its close we were presented with small cakes of unleavened flour, stamped with a cross. At the conclusion of the ceremonies coffee was given to us in an outer court, with the cordial " Haneean t " (a wish equivalent to the Latin prosit, or " may it benefit you ! ") — to which we re- plied : " Allah Haneek ! " (may G-od give you benefit !) Dr. Eeitz took me one day to visit the celebrated Sitteh (Lady) Nasra, the daughter of the last King of Sennaar and 294 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. brother of the present Shekh of that province. She is a womac of almost masculine talent and energy, and may be said to gov- ern Sennaar at present. All the Arab shekhs, as well as the population at large, have the greatest respect for her, and in- rariably ask her advice, in any crisis of affairs. Her brother, [dris Wed Adlan, notwithstanding his nominal subjection to Egypt, still possesses absolute sway over several hundred vil- lages, and is called King of Kulle. The Lady Nasra rctaias the title of Sultana, on account of her descent from the ancient royal house of Sennaar. She has a palace at Soriba, on tie Blue Nile, which, according to Lepsius, exhibits a degree of w^ealth and state very rare in Soudan. She was then in Khartoum on a visit, with her husband, Mohammed Defalleh, the son of a former Vizier of her father, King Adlan. We found the Lady Nasra at home, seated on a carpet in her audience-hall, her husband and Shekh Abd-el-Kader — the Shekh of Khartoum, who married her daughter by a former husband — occupying an adjacent carpet. She gave the Consul her hand, saluted me, as a stranger, with an inclination of her head, and we seated ourselves on the floor opposite to her. She was about forty-five years old, but appeared younger, and still retained the traces of her former beauty. Her skin was a pale bronze color, her eyes large and expressive, and her face remarkable for its intelligence and energy. All her motions were graceful and dignified, and under more favorable circum- stances she might have become a sort of Ethiopian Zenobia. She wore a single robe of very fine white muslin, which she sometimes folded so as nearly to conceal her features, and sometimes allowed to fall to her waist, revealing the somewhat over-ripe charms of her bosom. A heavy ring of the native VISIT TO THE PRINCESS OF SENNAAR. 295 gold of Kasan hung from her nose, and others adorned her fin< gers. Dr. Reitz explained to her that I was not a Frank, but came from a great country on the other side of the world. She spoke of the visit of Dr. Lepsius, at Soriha, and said that he was the only far-travelled stranger she had seen, except myself. I took occasion to say that I had frequently heard of her in my native land ; that her name was well-knov/n all over the world ; and that the principal reason of my visit to Sou- iln, was the hope of seeing her. She was not in the least flat- tered by these exaggerated compliments, but received them as quietly as if they were her right. She was a born queen, and I doubt whether any thing upon the earth would have been able to shake her royal indifference. Her slaves were all girls of twelve to fourteen years of age, naked except the rdhad, or girdle of leathern fringe about the loins. They had evidently been chosen for their beauty, and two of them, although as black as cast-iron statues, were in- comparable for the symmetry of their forms and the grace of tlieir movements. They brought us pipes and coffee, and when not employed, stood in a row at the bottom of the room, with their hands folded upon their breasts. Dinner was just ready, and we were invited to partake of it. The Sultana had al- ready dined in solitary state, so her husband, Shekh Abd-el- Kader, the Consul and I, seated ourselves cross-legged on the floor, around the huge bowl containing an entire sheep stuffed with rice. We buried our fingers in the hot and smoking flesh, and picked the choicest pieces from the ribs and flank, occa- sionally taking a handful of rice from the interior The only additional dish was a basket of raw onions and radishes. Be- fore each of us stood a slave with a napkin and a large glass 290 JOUENET TO CENTRAL AFEICA. of om hiTbil — ^the " mother of DigMingale^." After drinking, we returned the glass to the slave's hand, she standing all the while immovable as a statue. After we had eaten our fill of roast mutton and raw onions, they brought a dish of prepared dourra, called ahri, which strongly resembles the pinole of Mexico. The grain is pounded very fine, sifted, mixed with a little sugar and water, and made into thin, dry leaves, as white and delicate as cambric. It is considered very nourishing, es- pecially on a journey, for which purpose it is used by the rich shekhs of Souddn. As we took our leave, the Sultana, observing that our cane batons, which we had just purchased in the bazaar, were of very indifierent quality, ordered two others to be brought, of a fine yellow wood, resembling box, which is found in the moun- tains on the Abyssinian frontier, and gave them to uo EKCENT EXPLOKATION OF SOUDAN. 297 CHAPTEE XXIII. THE COUNTBIES OP S O U D A M . Eecent Explorations of SoudJn— Limit of the Tropical Eains — Tbe Conquest of Ethic pia— Countries Tributary to Egypt — The District of Takka — Expedition of Moussa Bey — The Atbara Eiver — The Abyssinian Frontier — Christian Kuins of Abou-Ha r&ss — The Kingdom of Sennaar — Kordofan — Dar-Fiir — The Princess of Dar-Fiir in Khartoum — Her Tisit to Dr. Keitz — The Unknown Countries of Central Africa. Until -within a recent period, but little has been known of the geography and topography of the eastern portion of Central Africa. Few English travellers have made these regions the subject of their investigationj their attention having been prin- cipally directed towards the countries on the ■western coast. The Niger, in fact, has been for them a more interestiog prob- lem than the Nile. The German travellers Kuppell and Kus- segger, however, by their explorations within the last twenty- five years, have made important contributions to our knowledge of Eastern Souddn, while D'Arnaud, Werne, and more than all. Dr. Knoblecher, have carried our vision far into the heart of the mysterious regions beyond. Still, the results of these explorations are far from being generally known, or even rep- resented upon our maps. J&eographical charts are still issued, in which the conjectured Mountains of the Moon continue to 13* 293 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. Btretch their ridges across the middle of Africa, in latitudes where the latest travellers find a plain as level as the sea. A few words, therefore, concerniiig the character and relative po- sition of the different countries of which I have occasion to speak, may make these sketches of African life and landscapes more intelligible to many readers. As far as southern Nubia, with the exception of the Oases in the Libyan Desert, the Nile is the only agent of productive- ness. Beyond the narrow limits of his bounteous valley, there is little except red sand and naked rock, from the Ked Sea to the Atlantic. On reaching lat. 19°, however, a change takes place in the desert landscapes. Here the tropical rains, which are unknown in Egypt and Northern Nubia, fall every sum- mer, though in diminished quantity. The dry, gravelly plains, nevertheless, exhibit a scattering growth of grass and thorny shrubs, and springs are frequently found among the mountain ranges. As we proceed southward, the vegetation increases in quMitity; the grass no longer keeps the level of the plain, but climbs the mountain-sides, and before reaching Khartoum, in lat. 15° 40' north, we have passed the limit of the Desert The wide plains stretching thence eastward to the Atbara, and westward beyond Kordofan, are savannas of rank grass, cross- ed here and there by belts of the thorny mimosa, and differing little in aspect from the plains of California during the dry sea- son. The Arabs who inhabit them are herdsmen, and own vast flocks of camels and sheep. The Nile here is no longer the sole river, and loses his title of " The Sea," which he owns in Egypt. The Atbara, which flows down to him from the Abyssinian Alps, has many tributaries of its own , the Blue Nile, between Khartoum and Sennaar, receives the large THE CONQl-EST OF ETHIOPIA. 29S Streams of the RAhad and the Dender ; and the White Nile, though flowing for the greater part of his known course through an immense plain, boasts two important affluents — ■ the Sobat and the Bahr el-Ghazal. The soil, climate, produc- tions and character of the scenery of this region are therefore very different from Egypt. Before the conquest of Souddn by Mohammed Ali, little was known of the country between the Ethiopian Nile and the Red Sea, or of Central Africa south of the latitude of Kordo- fan and Sennaar. The White Nile, it is true, was known to exist, but was considered as a tributary st;;eam. It was ex- tremely difficult and dangerous to proceed beyond Nubia, and then only in company with the yearly caravans which passed between Assouan and Sennaar. Ibrahim Pasha, Ismail Pasha, and. Mohammed Bey Defterdar, between the years 1820 and 1825, gradually subjugated and attached to the rule of Egypt the countries of Berber, Shendy and Sennaar, as far as the mountains of Fazogl, in lat. 11°, on the south-western frontier of Abyssinia, the wild domains of the Shukorees, the Bish^- rees, the Hallengas and Hadendoas, extending to the Red Sea, and embracing the seaport of Sowakin, and the kingdom of Kordofan, west of the Nile, and bounded by the large and powerful negro kingdom of Dar-Fur. The Egyptian posses- sions in Soudan are nearly as extensive as all Egypt, Nubia not included, and might become even richer. and more flourish- ing under a just and liberal policy of government. The plains on both sides of the Nile might be irrigated to a much greater extent than in Egypt, and many vast tracts of territory given up to the nomadic tribes, could readily be reclaimed from the wilderness. The native inhabitants are infinitely more stupid 300 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. and degraded than the Fellahs of Egypt, bat that thej are ca« pable of great improvement is shown by the success attending the efforts of the Catholic priests in Khartoum, in educating children. The terrible climate of Soudan will always be a drawback to its physical prosperity, yet even this would be mitigated, in some measure, were the soil under cultivation. As I followed the course of the Nile, from the northern limit of the tropical rains to Khartoum, my narrative will have given some idea of the country along his banks. The terri- tory to the east, towards and beyond the Atbara, is still in a great measure unexplored. Burckhardt was the first Euro- pean who visited it, but his route lay among the mountain- ranges near and parallel to the coast of the Red Sea. The long chain of Djebel Langay, which he crossed, is three to five thousand feet in height, and, like the moUntain-spine of the island of Ceylon, never has the same season on both sides at once. When it rains on the eastern slopes, the western are dry, and the contrary. There is another and still higher chain near the coast, but the greater part of this region consists of vast plains, tenanted by the Arab herdsmen, and rising gradu- ally towards the south into the first terraces of the table-land of Abyssinia. The land of the Shukorees and the Hallengas, lying on both sides of the Atbara, is called Belad el TaTcJca. Dr. Keitz visited it during the summer of 1851, in company with the military expedition under Moussa Bey, and travelled for three or four weeks through regions where no European had been before him. Leaving the tovra of Shendy, he travelled eastward for nme days over unbroken plains of grass, abounding with ga« Miles and hyenas, to a village called Goz Radjeb, on the At- DR. REITZ 8 JOURNEY TO TAKKA. 501 bara River. This belongs to the Shukorees, against whom tha expedition was in part directed. He then crossed the river, and travelled for two or three weeks through a broken moun- tain country, inhabited by the wandering races of the Hallen- ges and Hadendoas. The mountains, which were from two to three thousand feet in height, were crested with walls of naked porphyry rock, but their lower slopes were covered with grass and bushes, and peopled by myriads of aipes. Between the ranges were many broad and beautiful valleys, some of which were inhabited. Here the vegetable and animal world was far richer than on the Nile. The Consul was obliged to follow the movements of the expedition, and therefore could not trace out any regular plan of exploration. After seeing Just enough, to whet his curiosity to penetrate further, Moussa Bey return- ed to Goz Eadjeb. His route then followed the course of the Atbara, for a distance of one hundred and twenty miles, to the town of Sofie, on the Abyssinian frontier. The river, which is a clear and beautiful stream, has a narrow border of trees and underwood, and flows in a winding course through a region of low, grassy hills. By using the water for irrigation, the coun- try, which is now entirely uncultivated, might be made T?ry productive. The Shukorees possess immense herds of camels, and a hegin, or trained dromedary, which the Consul purchas- ed from them, was one of the strongest and fleetest which I saw in Africa. Near Sofie the savannas of grass give place to dense tropi- cal forests, with a rank undergrowth which is often impenetra- ble. Here, in addition to the lion aad leopard, which are common to all Soudan, the expedition saw large herds of the elephant and rhinoceros. The woods were filled with birds of 802 JOURNET TO CENTRAL AFRICA. brilliant plumage, and the vegetable world was rich and gor- geous beyond description. The Consul remained but a short time here, and then travelled westward to the town of Abou- Harass on the Blue Nile, visiting on the way a curious isolated mountain, called Djebel Attesh. Near Abou-Harslss are the ruins of an ancient Christian town, probably dating from the fourth or fifth century, about which time Christianity, pre- viously planted in Abyssinia, began to advance northward to- wards Nubia. The Consul obtained from the Governor of Abou-Harass three iron crosses of a peculiar form, a number of beads which had belonged to a rosary, and a piece of in- cense — all of which were found in removing-the bricks used to build the Pasha's palace and other edifices in Khartoum. The room which I occupied during my stay in Khartoum was paved with the same bricks. These remains are in curious contrast \yith the pyramids of Meroe and the temples of Mesowurdt. The Christian and Egyptian Faiths, advancing towards each other, almost met on these far fields. The former kingdom of Sennaar included the country be- tween the two Niles — except the territory of the Shillooks — as tar south as lat. 12°. It is bounded by Abyssinia on the east, and by the mountains of the savage Galla tribes, on the south. The Djezeereh (Island) el Hoye, as the country be- tween the rivers is called, is for the most part a plain of grass. Towards the south, there are some low ranges of hills, followed by other plains, which extend to the unknown mountain region, and a,bound with elephants and lions. The town of Sennaar, once the capital of this region and the residence of its Meks or Kings, is now of little importance. It was described to me as a collection of mud huts, resembling Shendy. The Egyptian KOKDOFAN. 303 rule extends ten days' journey further, to Fazogl, where the fine timber in the mountains and the gold-bearing sands of Kasan have given rise to the establishment of a military post. Sennaar, as well as Kordofan, Berber and Dongola, is govern- ed by a Bey, appointed by the Pasha of Soudan. It is only two weeks' journey thence to Grondar, the capital of Amhara, the principal Abyssinian kingdom. I was told that it is not difficult for merchants to visit the latter place, but that any one suspected of being a person of consequence is detained there and not allowed to leave again. I had a strong curiosity to see something of Abyssinia, and had I been quite sure that I should not be taken for a person of consequence, might have made the attempt to reach Gondar. Kordofan lies west of the White Nile, and consists entire- ly of great plains of grass and thorns, except in the southern part, where there is a mountain range called Djebel Dyer, in- habited by emigrants from Dongola. It is not more than two hundred miles in breadth, from east to west. Its capital, Obeid, lies in lat. 13° 12' north, and is a mere collection of mud huts. Mr. Peterick, the English Vice-Consul for Sou- dan, to whom I had letters from Mr. Murray, the English Consul-Greneral in Cairo, had taken up his residence in Obeid, The soil of Kordofan is sterile, and the water is considered very unhealthy for foreigners. Capt. Peel gave me such a de- scription of its endless thickets of thorns, its miserable popula- tion and its devastating fevers, that I lost all desire to visit it. The Governor, Abd-el-Kader Bey, was in Khartoum, and Dr. Reitz intended making a journey through the country in com- pany with him. There is a caravan route of twenty days between Obeid and Dongola, through a wild region called the Beyooda, 304 JOUUNEV TO CENTEAL AFRICA. or Bedjuda. A few degrees further north, it would be a bar- ren desert, but here it is an alternation of wadys, or valleys, with ranges of porphyry mountains, affording water, trees, and suffieient grass for the herds of the wandering Arabs. It is inhabited by two tribes — the Kababish and the Howoweet, who differ strongly from the Arabs east of the Nile, in their appearance and habits. The latter, by their superior intelli- gence and their remarkable personal beauty, still attest their descent from the tribes of Hedjaz and Yemen. The tribes in the western desert are more allied to the Tibboos, and other tenants of the Great Zahara. The caravans on this road are exposed to the danger of attacks from the negroes of Dar-Fur, who frequently waylay small parties, murder the individuals and carry off the camels and goods. The great kingdom of Dar-Eur offers a rich field for some future explorer. The extensive regions it incloses are suppos- ed to furnish the key to the system of rivers and mountain- chains of Central Africa. Through the fear and jealousy of its rulers, no stranger has been allowed to pass its borders, since the visit of Mr. Browne, half a century ago. Of late, however, the relations between the Egyptian rulers in SoudAn and the Sultan of Dar-Fur have been quite amicable, and if nothing occurs to ditturb this harmony there is some hope that the ban will be removed. Lattif Pasha informed me that he had written to the Sultan on behalf of Capt. Peel, who wished to pass through Dar-Fur and reach Bomou. He had at that time received no answer, but it had been intimated, unofficial- ly, that the Sultan would reply, giving Capt. Peel permis8V)n to enter the country and travel in it, but not to pass beyond it. There is an ahnost continual war between the Sultans of Bar- THE PRINCESS OF DAR-FITR. 305 nou and Dar-Fur, and the Pasha was of the opinion that it would bo impossible to traverse Africa from east to west, in the line of those states. A circumstance occurred lately, which may help to open Dar-Fur to Europeans. The Sitteh (Lady) Sowakin, the aunt of Sultan Adah, the present monarch of that kingdom, is a zealous Moslem, and lately determined to make a pilgrimage to the grave of the Prophet. She arrived in Khartoum in Au- gust, 1851, attended by a large retinue of officers, attendants and slaves, and after remaining a few days descended the Nile to El Mekheyref, crossed the Desert to Sowakin, on the Eed Sea, and sailed thence for Djidda, the port of Mecca. During her stay Lattif Pasha was exceedingly courteous to her, intro- ducing her to his wives, bestowing upon her handsome presents, and furnishing her with boats and camels for her journey. Dr. Reitz availed himself of the (^ccasion to make the people of Dar-Fur better acquainted with Europeans. All the Frank residents assembled at his house, in Christian costume, and proceeded to the residence of the Lady Sowakia. They found her sitting in state, with two black slaves before her on their hands and knees, motionless as sphinxes. On each side stood her officers apd interpreters. She was veiled, as well as her female attendants, and all exhibited the greatest surprise and curiosity at the appearance of the Franks. The gifts they laid before her — silks, fine soaps, cosmetics, bon-bons, &c. — she ex- amined with childish delight, and when the Consul informed her that the only object of the Europeans in wishing to enter Dar-Fur was to exchange such objects as these for gum and elephants' teeth, she promised to persuade Sultan Adah to open his kingdom to them. 306 JOURNEY TO CENTBAL AFRICA. The next day her principal officers visited the Consul's house, and spent a long time examining its various wonders. The pictures, books and furniture filled tbem with astonish- ment, and they went from one object to another, like children, uttering exclamations of surprise and delight. What' most startled them was a box of lucifer matches, which was entirely beyond their comprehension. They regarded the match with superstitious awe, and seemed to consider that the fire was pro- duced by some kind of magic. Their relation of what they saw so excited the curiosity of the Lady Sowakin, that she came on the following day, with her women. She was no less astonished than her attendants had been, but was most attract- ed by the Consul's large mirror. She and her women spent half an hour before it, making gestures, and unable to compre- hend how they were mimicked by the refiected figures. As she was unacquainted with its properties, she threw back her veil to see whether the image would show her face. The Con- sul was standing behind her, and thus caught sight of her fear tures ; she was black, with a strongly marked but not unpleas- ant countenance, and about forty-five years of age. He had a breakfast prepared for the ladies, but on reaching the room the attendants all retired, and he was informed that the women of rank in Dar-Fur never eat in the presence of the men. After they had finished the repast, he observed that they had not only partaken heartily of the various European dishes, but had taken with them what they could not eat, so that the table ex- hibited nothing but empty dishes. When they left, the Lady reiterated her promise, and added that if the Consul would visit Dar-Fur, the Sultan would certainly present him with many camel-loads of elephants' teeth, in consideration of his c'tyUrtcsy to her. UNKNOWN COUNTRIES. 307 To the westward of Dar-Fur, and between tliat country and Bornou, lies the large kingdom of Waday, which has never been visited by a European. I learned from some Kordofan mer- chants, who had visited the frontiers of Dar-Fur on their trad- ing expeditions, that Sultan Adah had conquered a great part of Waday, and would probably soon become involved in war with the Sultan of Bornou. It is said that there is in the country of Waday a lake called Fittre, which is a hundred and fifty miles in length, and receives several rivers. At the south-western extremity of Dar-Fur, in lat. 6° N. there is a small country, called Fertit. I often heard it mentioned by the Ethiopian traders, one of whom showed me a snuff-box, which he had bought of a native of the country. It was made from the hard shell of a fruit about the size of an orange, with a stopper roughly wrought of silver. Almost the entire region south of lat. 10° N. and lying between the White Nile and the Gulf of Guinea is unknown ground, and presents a rich field for future explorers. The difficulties and dangers which have hitherto attended the path of African discovery, are rapidly diminishing, and the time is not far distant when every mystery, hidden in the heart of that wonderful Continent, will be made clear. Where a traveller has once penetrated, he smoothes the way for those who follow, and that superior intelligence which renders the brute creation unable to bear the gaze of a human eye, is the defence of the civilized man against the barbarian. Bruce, journeying from Abyssinia to Egypt, in the year 1772, was beset by continual dangers, and even Burckhardt, in 1814, though Buccessfully disguised as a Mussulman shekh, or saint, was oblig- ed to keep his journal by stealth. At present, however, a 308 JOCBKEY TO CEN'TRAL AFIIICA. Frank may travel in comparative safety, from Cairo to the borders of Dar-Fur and Abyssinia, while the White Nile and its tributaries afford avenues to the very heart of the unexplor- ed regions beyond. The climate is the greatest obstacle in the way of discovery, and the traveller whose temperament is best adapted for the heats of the inter-tropical zone, possesses the best chance of success. lusicrrRsioNs around khartoum. 309 CHAPTER XXIV. EXCURSIONS AND PREPARATIONS. Excursions aronnd Khartoum— A Race into tlie Desert— Euphorbia Forest— The Banks of th e Blue Nile— A Baint's Grave— The Confluence of the Two Niles— Mag- nitude of the Nile— ComparativeSize of the Rivers- Their Names— Desire to pene- trate farther into AfHca— Attractions of the White Nile— Engage the Boat John Zedyard—'Foimeii Restrictions against exploring the River— Visit to the Pasha- Despotic Hospitality — Achmet's Misgivings — "We set sail ' My morning rides with Dr. Eeitz, around Khartoum, grad- ually extended themselves into the neighhoring country, with- in the limits which a fast dromedary could reach in two hours' traveL In this way I became familiar with the scenery along the banks of both Niles, and the broad arid plains between them. As I rarely appeared in public except in the Consul's company, and attended with all the state which his household could command, I was looked upon by the inhabitants as a foreign prince of distinguished rank. The Pasha's soldiers duly presented arms, and the people whom I met in the streets stopped and saluted me profoundly, as I passed. The Consul had succeeded in making a strong impression of his own power and importance, and this was reflected upon hia guest. One 310 JOUENET TO CENTOAL AFKIOA, morning, as we were riding towards the palace, a man cried out : " May God prolong your days, Consul ! and the days of the strange lord, — for you make a grand show with your horses, every day ! " There was one of our rides which I never call to mind with- out a leap of the heart. The nolble red stallion which I usual- ly mounted had not forgotten the plains of Dar-Fur, where he was bred, and whenever we came upon the boundless level ex- tending southward from the town, his wild blood was aroused. He pricked up his ears, neighed as grandly as the war-horse of Job, champed furiously against the restraining bit, and ever and anon cast a glance of his large, brilliant eye backward at me, half in wonder, half in scorn, that I did not feel the same desire. The truth is, I was tingling from head to foot with equal excitement, but Dr. Eeitz was a thorough Englishman in his passion for trotting, and was vexed whenever I rode at any other pace. Once, however, the sky was so blue, the morning air so cool and fresh, and the blood so lively in my veins, that I answered the fierce questioning of Sultan's eye with an in- voluntary shout, pressed my knees against his sides and gave him the rein. O Mercury, what a rush followed ! We cut the air like the whizzing shaft from a Saracen crossbow ; Sul- tan stretched out until his powerful neck was almost on a level with Ms back, and the glorious rhythm of his hoofs was accom- panied by so little sense of effort, that it seemed but the throb- bing of his heart, keeping time with my own. His course was as straight as a sunbeam, swerving not a hair's-breadth to the right or left, but forward, forward into the freedom of the Desert. Neck and neck with him careered the Consul's milk- white stallion, and I was so lost in the divine excitement of A RACE INTO THE DESERT. 311 aur speed, that an hour had passed before I was cool enough to notice where we were going. The Consul finally called out to me to stop, and I complied, sharing the savage resistance of Sultan, who neighed and plunged with greater ardor than at tie start. The minarets of Khartoum had long since disap- peared ; we were in the centre of a desolate, sandy plain, bro- ken here and there by clumps of stunted mimosas — a dreary landscape, but glorified by the sunshine and the delicious air. We rode several miles on the retvirn track, before we met the pursuing attendants, who had urged their dromedaries into a gallop, and were sailing after us like a flock of ostriches. A few days after my arrival, we had the dromedaries sad- dled and rode to Kereff, a village on the Blue Nile, about two leagues distant. The path was over a wide plain, covered with dry grass, and resembling an Illinois prairie after a long drought. In the rainy season it is green and luxuriant with grass and a multitude of flowers. The only trees were the savage white thorn of the Desert, until we approached the river, where we found forests of the large euphorbia, which I had first noticed as a shrub in Upper Egypt. It here became a tree, upwards of twenty feet in height. The branches bent over my head, as I rode through on the Consul's tallest drom- edary. The trees were all m blossom, and gave out a subtle, sickening odor. The flowers appear in whorls around the stem, at the base of the leaves ; the corolla is entire, but divided into five points, white in the centre, with a purple stain at the estremity, The juice of this plant is viscid and milky, and the Arabs informed me that if a single drop of it gets into the eye it will produce instant blindness. Beyond these thickets extended patches of wheat and cot- 312 JOURKET TO CENIEAL AFBICA. ton to the banks of the Blue NUe, where the hnmp-baeked oxen of Sennaar were lazily turning the creaking wheels of the sakies. The river had here a breadth of more than half a mile, and shone blue and brilliant in the morning sun. Before reaching KerefF, we visited five villages, all built of mats and elay. The inhabitants were warming themselves on the sunny side of the huts, where they still shivered in the cold north- wind. At Kereff, two men brought a large gourd, filled with sour milk, which was very cool and refreshing. The principal wealth of the people consists in their large flocks of sheep and goats. They cultivate barely sufficient wheat and dourra to supply them with a few cakes of coarse bread, and their favor- ite beverage of om Mlbil. On our return we passed the grave of a native saint, which was decorated with rows of pebbles and a multitude of white pennons, fluttering from the tops of poles stuck in the ground. Several women were seated at the head, apparently paying their devotions to the ghost of the holy man. The older ones were unveiled and ugly, but there was a damsel of about eighteen, who threw part of her cotton mantle over her face, yet allow- ed us to see that she was quite handsome. She had a pale yellow complexion, showing her Abyssinian descent, large, al- mond-shaped eyes, and straight black hair which diffused an odor of rancid butter. I found it most agreeable to admire her beauty from the windward side. An old beggar-woman, whose gray Lair, skinny face and bleared eyes, flashing from the bottom of deep sockets, made her a fitting picture of a Lapland witch, came up and touched our hands, which she could barely reach as we sat on the dromedaries, which saved us the horror of having her kiss them. We gave her a back- THE JUNCTION OF THE TWO NILBS. 313 sheesh, which she took as if it had been her right. After in- voking the name of Allah many times, she went to the grave and brought each of us a handful of dirt, which we carefully put into our pockets, but as carefully emptied out again after we had reached home. The next morning I rode with the Consul to the junction of the two Niles, about a mile and a half to the west of Khar- toum. The land all around is low, and the two rivers meet at right angles, but do not mingle their waters till they have roll- ed eight or ten miles in their common bed. ' The White Nile is a light-brown, muddy- color, the Blue Nile a dark bluish- green. Both rivers are nearly of equal breadth at the point of confluence, but the current of the latter is much the stronger. There is a low green island, called Omdurman, in the White Nile, at its junction. The ferry-boat had just brought over a party of merchants from Kordofan, with their packages of gum A number of large vessels, belonging to the government, were hauled up on the bank, and several Arabs, under the direction of a Turkish ship-builder, were making repairs. We rode a short distance up the White Nile, over a beach which was deeply printed with the enormous foot-prints of a whole herd of hippopotami, and then home through the fields of blossom- ing beans. The Nile was to me a source of greater interest than all the negro kingdoms between Khartoum and Timbuctoo. There, two thousand miles from his mouth, I found his current as broad, as strong, and as deep as at Cairo, and was no nearer the mystery of his origin. If I should ascend the western of his two branches, I might follow his windings twelve hundred miles further and still find a broad and powerful stream, of 14 314 JOUKNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA, whose source even the tribes that dwell in those far regions are ignorant. I am confident that when the hidden fountains shall at last be reached, and the problem of twenty centuries solved, the entire length of the Nile will be found to be not less than four thousand miles, and he will then take his rank with the Mississippi and the Amazon — a sublime trinity of streams ! There is, in some respects, a striking resemblance between the Nile and the former river. The Missouri is the true Missis- sippi, rolling the largest flood and giving his color to the min- gled streams. So of the White Nile, which is broad and tur- bid, and pollutes the clear blue flood that has usurped his name and dignity. In spite of what geographers may say — and they are still far from being united on the subject — ^the Blue Nile is not the true Nile. There, at the point of junction his volume of water is greater,* but he is fresh from the moun- tains and constantly fed by large, unfailing affluents, while the White Nile has rolled for more than a thousand mUes on near- ly a dead level, through a porous, alluvial soU, in which he loses more water than he brings with him. * Capt. Peel, who measured the volume of water in the two rivers, gives the following result: Breadth of the Blue Nile at Khartoum, '768 yards; average depth, 16.11 feet; average current, 1.564 knots; volume of water, 5,820,600 cubic feet per minute. Breadth of the White Nile, immediately above the junction, 483 yards ; average depth, 13.92 feet; average current, 1.47 knots ; volume of water, 2,985,400 feet per minute. Breadth of the Nile below the junction, 1107 yards; average depth, X4.38 feet; average current, 2 knots; volume of water, 9,526,'?00 cubic feet per minute. This measurement was made in the latter part of Octo- ber, 1851. It can hardly be considered conclusive, as during the pre- ceding summer the rains had been unusually heavy in the mountains of Abyssinia, which may have occasioned » greater disproportion than usual, in the volume of the two rivers. THE BLUE NILE. 316 The Blue Nile, whose source the honest, long-slandered Bruce did actually discover, rises near lat. 11° N. in the moun- tains of Godjam, on the south-western frontier of Abyssinia. Thence it flows northward into the great lake of Dembea, or Tzana, near its southern extremity. The lake is shallow and muddy, and the river carries his clear flood through it without mixing. He then flows to the south and south-east, under tlie name of Tzana, along the borders of the kingdom of Shoa, to between lat. 9° and 10°, whence he curves again to the nortli and finds his way through the mountains of Fazogl to the plains of Sennaar. His entire length cannot be less than eight hun- dred miles. The stream is navigable as far as the mountains , about three hundred miles from Khartoum, where it is inter- rupted by rapids. The Arabic name El-hahr el-Aizreh, means rather "black" than "blue," the term azreh being used with reference to objects of a dark, blue-black color ; and besides, it is called hlack, in contradistinction to the Bahr el- Ahiad, the white Nile. The boatmen here also frequently speak of the black river as he, and the white as she. When I asked the reason of this, they replied that it was because the former had a stronger current. It is remarkable that the name " Nile," which is never heard in Egypt, (where the river is simply called el-bahr, "the sea,") should be retained in Ethiopia. There the boatmen speak of " el-bahr el-Nil," which name they also sometimes apply to the Blue Nile. It is therefore easy to imderstand why the latter river should have been looked upon as the main current of the Nile. After I had been eight or ten days in Khartoum, I began to think of penetrating further into the interior. My inten- tion, on leaving Cairo, was to push on as far as my time and 316 JOURKEY TO OKNTRAL AFBICA. means would allow, and the White Nile was the great point of attraction. The long journey I had already made in order to reach Soudan only whetted my desire of seeing more of the wild, barharie life of Central Africa, and, owing to the good luck which had saved me from any delay on the road, I could spare three or four weeks for further journeys, before setting out .on my return to Egypt. Some of my friends in Khar- toum counselled one plan and some another, but after distract- ing myself in a maze of uncertainties, I returned to my first love, and determined to make a voyage, up the White Nile. There was little to be gained "by visiting Kordofan, as I had already seen Central African life to better advantage in Khar- toum. Sennaar is now only interesting as a station on the way to Abyssinia or the mountains of Fazogl, and in the wild regions along the Atbara it is impossible to travel without an armed escort. As it is exceedingly dangerous for a single boat to pass through the extensive negro kingdoms of the ShiUooks and the Dinkas, I had hoped to accompany Dr. Knoblecher's expedition some distance up the river and then take my chance of returning. The boat belonging to the Catholic Mission, however, had not arrived from Cairo, and the season was so far advanced that the expedition had been postponed imtil the following November. At the time of my visit, nevertheless, a Maltese trader named Lattif Efi"endi, was fitting up two large vessels which were shortly to leave on a trading voyage which he intended pushing as far as the Bari country. I could have made arrangements to accompany him, but as he could not re- turn before some time in June, I should have been obliged, in that case, to pass the sickly season in Souddn — a risk scarcely worth the profit, as, with the best possible good 5aci^ / uiighi ENGAO.NG X VESSEL. 31^ barely have reached the point attained by Dr. Knoblecher. The Consul proposed my going with Lattif Effendi until I should meet the yearly expedition on its return, and then come down the river with it. This would have enabled me to pene- trate to lat. 9°, or perhaps 8°, but after passing the islands of the Shillooks, one sees little except water, grass and mosqui- toes, until he reaches the land of the Kyks, in lat. 7°. After weighing carefully all the arguments on both sides, I decided to take a small boat and ascend as far as the islands. Here the new and rich animal and vegetable world of the magnifi- cent river begins to unfold, and in many respects it is the most impressive portion of bis stream. I was fortunate in finding a small vessel, of the kind called sandal — ^the only craft in port, except the Pasha's dahabiyeh, which would have answered my purpose. It belonged to a fat old Turk, named Abou-Balta, from whom I engaged it for three hundred and twenty-five piastres. The crew consisted of a rais, five strong Dongolese sailors, and a black female slave, as cook. The rais knew the river, but positively refus- ed to take me further than the island of Aba, somewhere be- tween lat. 12° and 13°, on account of the danger of venturing among the Shillooks, without an armed force. I named the boat the John Ledyard, in memory of the first American traveller in Africa. The name was none the less appropriate, since Ledyard was buried beside the Nile, at the outset of a journey undertaken for the purpose of discovering its sources. Dr. Keitz gave me two sheep as provision for the voyage, and the remainder of my outfit cost me about a hundred and twen- ty piastres in the bazaars of Khartoum. I reached Khartoum at a favorable season for making tue 318 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. voyage. Formerly, it had been very difficult for any Euro* pean to obtain permission to sail on the White Nile, owing to the trade of the river having been completely monopolized by the Pasha of Soudan, in defiance of the Treaty of 1838, which made the river free to merchants of all nations. No later than the previous winter, Count Dandolo, an Italian traveller who visited BLhartoum, encountered much opposition before he succeeded in obtaining a boat for the Islands of the ShiUooks. Owing to the vigorous efforts of Dr. Reitz, the monopoly had at last been broken down, and the military guard formerly stationed at the confluence of the two rivers, no longer existed. I did not even inform the Pasha of my intention to make the voyage until after I had taken the boat and completed my preparations. I then paid him a visit of ceremony, in com- pany with the Consul. He was very affable, and insisted on our remaining for dinner, although we had invited two friends to help us eat a roasted ram. "We urged this in excuse, but he cut us off by exclaiming : " I am ruler here, and my com- mands daTe not be disobeyed," and immediately sent a servant to order our guests, in his name, to eat the ram themselves. He then despatched messengers for Abd-el-Kader Bey, Gover- nor of Kordofan, and Euffaa Bey, who were brought to the palace in the same arbitrary manner. Having thus secured his company, he retired for the usual prayers before dinner, leaving us to enjoy the preparatory pipe. Among the mani- fold dishes served at dinner, were three or four kinds of fish from the White Nile, all of them of excellent flavor. The Pasha continued his discussion of Louis Napoleon's coup •d^etat, taking delight in recommending a sanguinary policy as the only course, and could not enough praise Sultan WE SET SAIL. 819 Mahmoud I. for his execution of forty thousand Janissaries in one day. Finally, on the morning of the 22d of January, my effeota ■were all on board, and my rais and sailors in readiness. Aoh- met and Ali preceded me to the boat with many raisgivings, for we were now going into regions where the Pasha's name was scarcely known — where the Egyptian sway had never reached — a land of liaffirs, or infidels, who were supposed to be nearly related to the terrible " Nyam-Nyjlms," the anthro- pophagi of Central Africa. Achmet could not comprehend my exhilaration of spirits, and in reply to my repeated ex- clamations of satisfaction and delight, observed, with a shake of the head : '■ If it were not that we left Cairo on a Incky day, my master ! I should never expect to see Khartoum again." Fat Abou-Balta^ who had promised to accompany me as far as the first village on the White Nile, did not make his appearance, and so we pushed off without him. Never was name more wrongly applied than that of Abou-Balta (the " fa- ther of hatchets "), for he weighed three hundred pounds, had a face like the full moon, and was the jolliest Turk I ever saw. Dr. Reitz, whose hospitality knew no bounds, sent his drome- daries up the river the day previous, and accompanied me with his favorite servants — two ebony boys, with shining counte- nances and white and scarlet dresses. Tbe -White Nile. CHAPTER XXV. VOYAGE UP THE WHITE NILE. Departnre from Khartonm-Wo enter the White Nfle-Mirage and Landscape-The Consnl retum»-Progre8»-Lo8s of the Flag-Swnery of the Shores-Territory of the Hflseaniyehs-Cnrions Conjugal Cnstom— Mnltltndes of Water Fowls-Increas- pd ElchnessofVegetation— Apes— Sanset on the White Nile— We reach the King. iom of the Shlllook Negroes. "At nighfte heard the lion roar And the hyena scream, And the river-horse as he cmfihed tbe reeds Beside some bidden stream ; And it passed like a glorions roll of drums Through the triumph of hla dream."— LosGirmu w. The men pushed away from shore with some difficulty, as a yiolent north-wind drove the boat back, but the sail once un- furled, we shot like an arrow between the gardens of Khar- toum and the green shores of the island of TutL Before ENTERING THE WHITE NILE. 321 reaching the confluence of the rivers, a jut of land obliged the sailors again to take to their poles and oars, but a short time sufficed to bring us to the turning-point. Here the colors of the diffisrent streams are strongly marked. They are actually blue and white, and meet in an even line, which can be seen extending far down the common tide. We tossed on the agi- tated line of their junction, but the wind carried us in a few minutes past the island of Omdurman, which lies opposite. The first American flag that ever floated over the White Nile, fluttered gayly at the mast-head, pointing to the south — ^to those vast, mysterious regions out of which the mighty stream finds its way. A flock of the sacred ibis alighted on the sandy shore of the island, where the tall king-heron, with his crest of stately feathers, watched us as he walked up and down. In front, over the island of Moussa Bey, a broad mirage united its delusive waters with those of the true river and lifted the distant shores so high above the horizon that they seemed floating in the air. The stream, which is narrow at its junc- tion with the Blue Nile, expanded to a breadth of two miles, and the shores ahead of us were so low that we appeared to be at the entrance of a great inland sea. Our course swerved to the eastward, so that we were in the rear of Khartoum, whose minaret was still visible when we were ten miles distant. The low mud dwellings of the town were raised to twice their real height, by the efi'ect of the mirage. The shores on either side were sandy tracts, almost uncultivated, and covered with an abundant growth of thorns, mimosas and a small tree with thick green foliage. By twelve o'clock we reached the point where Dr. Eeitz had sent his dromedaries, which were in readiness, kneeling on the beach. We could not approach the 14* 322 JOURNEY TO OBNTB.AL AFEIOA. shore, on account of the mud, but the sailors carried us out on their shoulders. I rode with him to a small Arab hamlet, scattered among the thorny thickets. There were but two mud houses, the other dwellings being merely ruds tents ot grass matting ; few of the inhabitants were at home, but those few were peaceable and friendly. As the Consul had a ride of four or five hours before him, he wished me good luck and set off northward, while the sailors, who were in waiting, car- fled me back to the boat. All the afternoon I sped before a strong wind up the mag- nificent river. Its breadth varied from two to three miles, but its ourrfent was shallow and sluggish. The shores were sandy, and covered with groves of the gum-producing mimosa, which appeared for the first time in profusion. About four o'clock 1 passed a low, isolated hill on the eastern bank, which the sailors called Djdr en-nebbee, and near sunset, a long ridge on the right, two miles inland, broke the dead level of the plains of Kordofan. The sand-banks were covered with wild geese and ducks in myriads, and here and there we saw an enor- mous crocodile lounging on the edge of the water. The sun went down ; the short twilight faded, and I was canopied by a superb starlit heaven. Taurus, Orion, Sirius and the South- ern Cross sparkled in one long, unbroken galaxy of splendor. The breeze was mild and light, and the waves rippled with a pleasant sound against the prow. My sailors sat on the for- ward deck, singing doleful songs, to which the baying of dogs and the yells of hyenas made a fit accompaniment. The dis- tant shores of the river were lighted with the fires of the Mo- hammediyeh Arabs, and we heard the men shouting to each other occasionally. About nine o'clock we passed their prin- ■ LOSS OF MY FLAG. 323 oipal village, and approached the territories of the Hassani- yehs. The wind fell about ten o'clock, and the boat came to an- chor. I awoke an hour or two after midnight and found it blowing again fresh and strong ; whereupon I roused the rais and sailors, and made them hoist sail. We gained so much by this move, that by sunrise we had passed the village of Shekh Moussa, and were entering the territories of the Hassa- niyeh Arabs ; the last tribe which is subject to the Pasha of Soudan. Beyond them are the primitive Negro Kingdoms of Central Africa, in almost the same condition now as they have been for thousands of years past. About sunrise the rais or- dered the sails to be furled, and the vessel put about. The men were rowing some time before I discovered the cause. Whilst attempting to hoist my flag, one of them let it fall into the water, and instead of jumping in after it, as I should have done had I seen it, suffered the vessel to go some distance be- fore he even announced the loss. We were then so far from the spot, that any attempt to recover it would have been use- less, and so the glorious stars and stripes which had floated thus far triumphantly into Africa, met the fate of most travel- lers in those regions. They lay imbedded in the mud of the White Nile, and I sailed away from the spot with a pang, as if a friend had been drowned there. The flag of one's country is never dearer to him than when it is his companion and pro- tector in foreign lands. During the whole forenoon we sailed at the rate of six or seven miles an hour, in the centre of the river, whose breadth varied from two to three miles. The shores no longer pre- sented the same dead level as on the first day. They were 324 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. banks of sandy soil, ten or twelve feet in height, and covered with forests of the gum-bearing mimosa, under which grew thickets of a dense green shrub, mixed with cactus and euphor- bia. The gum is a tree from twenty to thirty feet in height, with a thick trunk and spreading branches, and no Italian oak or chestnut presents a greater variety of picturesque forms to the painter's eye. The foliage is thin, allowing the manifold articulations of the boughs and twigs to be seen through it. It was most abundant on the Kordo&n side, and the greater proportion of the gum annually exported to Egypt comes from that country. The broad tide of the river and the wild luxu- riance of the continuous forests that girdled it, gave this part of its course an air of majesty, which recalled the Mississippi to my mind. There was not a single feature that resembled Egypt. Towards noon we reached the more thickly populated dis- tricts of the Hassaniyeh. The town of Damas, on the east, and Tura, on the west, not very distant from each other, were the first I saw since leaving Khartoum. They were merely clusters of ioltuh, or the straw huts of the natives, built in a circular form, with a conical roof of matting, the smoke escap- ing through an opening in the top. At both these places, as well as at other points along the river, the natives had ferries, and appeared to be busy in transporting men, camels and goods from one bank to the other. On account of the breadth of the river the passage was long, and the boatmen eased their labor by making a sail of their cotton mantles, which they fastened to two upright sticks. The shores were crowded with herds of sheep and goats, and I saw near Damas a large drove of camels which were waiting an opportunity to cross. The Has- SINGULAR CONJ0OAL CUSTOM. 325 saniyehs own no camels, and this was probably a caravan from Khartoum, bound for Kordofan. In some places the people brought donkeys laden with water-skins, which they filled from the river. I noticed, occasionally, a small patch of beans, but nothing that looked like a regular system of cultivation. The Hassaniyehs are yellow, with straight features, and resemble the Fellahs of Lower Egypt more than any other Central-Af- rican tribe. Those whom we saw at a distance from the vil- lages retreated with signs of fear as my vessel approached the shore. Dr. Peney, the Medical Inspector of Soudto, describ- ed to me, while in Khartoum, some singular customs of these Arabs. The rights of women, it appears, are recognized among them more thoroughly than among any other savage people in the world. When a woman is married, her father states that one fourth of her life thenceforth is reserved for her own use, and the husband is obliged to respect this reserva- tion. Every fourth day she is released from the marriage vow, and if she loves some one else better than her husband, he can dwell in her tent that day, obliging the husband himself to re- tire. Their hospitality is such, moreover, that if a stranger visits one of their settlements they furnish him, for four days, with a tent and a wife. They should add a family of chil- dren, and then their hospitality would be complete. No re-* proach whatever attaches to the woman, on account of this tem- porary connection. The Hassaniyeh, in other respects, are not more immoral than other tribes, and these customs appear to be connected with their religious faith. After passing Tura (the terminus of a short caravan route of four days to Obeid, the capital of Kordofan), a mountain range, some distance from the river, appeared on the right 32tt JOURNEY TO OENTKAL AFRICA. bank The peaks were broken and conical in fonn, and their pale-violet hue showed with fine effect behind the dark line of the gum forests. With every honr of our progress, the vege- tation grew more rank and luxuriant. On the eastern bank the gum gave place to the flowering mimosa, which rose in a dense rampart from the water's edge and filled the air with the fragrance of its blossoms. Myriads of wild- geese, ducks, cranes, storks, herons and ibises sat on the narrow beaches of sand or circled in the air with hoarse clang and croaking. Ampng them I saw more than one specimen of that rare and curious water-bird, whose large, homy bill curves upward in- stead of downward, so that it appears to have been put on the wrong way. As he eats nothing but small fish, which he swal- lows with his head under water, this is not such a great incon- venience as one would suppose. The bars which occasionally made out into the current served as a resting-place for croco- diles, which now began to appear in companies of ten or fifteen, and the forests were filled with legions of apes, which leaped chattering down from the branches to look at us. A whole family of them sat on the bank for some time, watching us, and when we frightened them away by our shouts, it was amusing to see a mother pick up her infant ape, and scamper off with it under her arm. The wild fowl were astonishingly tame, and many of them so fat that they seemed scarcely able to fly. Here and there, along the shore, large broods of the young were making their first essays in swimming. The boatmen took great delight in menacing the old birds with pieces of wood, in order to make them dive under water. There were some superb white cranes, with a rosy tinge along the edges of their wings, and I saw two more of the crested king-herona A MID-AFRICAN LANDSCAPB. 327 After passing the island of Tshebeshi, the river, which still retains its great breadth, is bordered by a swampy growth of reeds. It is filled with numerous low islands, covered with trees, mostly dead, and with waste, white branches which have drifted down during the inundation. In the forests along the shore many trees had also been killed by the high water of the previous summer. There are no habitations on this part of the river, but all is wild, and lonely, and magnificent. I had seen no sail since leaving Khartoum, and as the sun that even- ing threw his last red rays on the mighty flood, I felt for the first time that I was alone, far in the savage heart of Africa. We dashed along at a most exciting rate of speed, brushing the reeds of the low islands, or dipping into the gloom of the shad- ows thrown by the unpruned forests. The innumerable swarms of wild birds filled the air with their noise, as they flew to their coverts, or ranged themselves in compact files on the sand. Above aU their din, I heard at intervals, from the unseen thickets inland, the prolonged snarling roar of some wild beast. It was too deep-toned and powerful for a leopard, and we all decided that it was a lion. As I was watching the snowy cranes aijd silvery herons that alighted on the boughs within pistol-shot, my men pointed out a huge hippopotamus, standing in the reeds, but a short distance from the vessel. He was be- tween five and six feet high, but his head, body and legs were of enormous bulk. He looked at us, opened his great jaws, gave his swine-like head a toss in the air, and plunged hastily into the water. At the same instant an immense crocodile (perhaps twenty feet in length) left his basking-place on the sand and took refuge in the river. Soon afterwards two hippo- potami rose in the centre of the stream, and, after snorting the 328 JOURNEY TO CENTBAL AFEICA. water from their nostrils, entertained us with a peculiar grunt- ing sound, like the lowest rumbling note of a double-bass. The concert was continued by others, and resumed from time to time through the night. This was Central Africa as I had dream- ed it — a grand though savage picture, full of life and heat, and with a barbaric splendor even in the forms of Nature. As the new moon and the evening star went down together behind the mimosa forests on the western bank, we reached the island of Hassaniyeh, having sailed upward of one hundred and forty miles since the evening before. I had every pros- pect of reaching my destination, the island of Aba, in the archipelago of the ShiUooks, before noon the next day, or in two days from Khartoum — a distance of more than two hun- dred and fifty miles ! Better sailing than this was never made on the NUe. Four more days of such wind would have taken me to the Bahr el-Ghazal, in lat. 9° — the land of lions, elephants, and giraffes, where the Nile becomes a sea of grass. It became more difficult for me to return, the further I advanced. At nine o'clock we passed the island of Hassaniyeh, and saw the fires of the Shillook negroes burning brightly on the western bank. The wind blew more briskly than ever, and I dashed onward in the starlight with the painful knowledge that I was fast approaching the point beyond which I dared not go. MORNING. 320 CHAPTER XXVI. ADVENTURES AMONG THE SHILLOOK NEGROES. Uomlng— Magnificence of the Island Scenery— Birds and Hippopotami— Flight of the Natives— The Island of Aba— Signs of Poputetlon— A Band of Warriors- Tho Shekh and the Saltan — ^A Treaty of Peace — The Kobe of Honor— Suspicions— We walk to the Village — ^Appearance of the Shillooks — The Village — The Sultan gives Audience — "Women and Children — Ornaments of the Natives — My "Watch— A Jar of Honey — Suspicion and Alarm — The Shillook and the Sultan's Black Wife— Character of the SbiUooks-rThe Land of the Lotus — Population of the Sbillook Kingdom — The Turn- ing Point — ^A View from the Mast-Head. We sailed nearly all nigit with a steady north-'wirid, which towards morning became so strong that the men were obliged to take in sail and let us scud under bare poles. When I rose, in the gray of early da"wn, they were about hoisting the little stern-sheet, which alone sufficed to carry us along at the rate of four miles an hour. We had passed the frontier of Egyp- tian Soud&n soon after sunset, and were then deep in the negro kingdom of the Shillooks. The scenery had changed consider- ably since the evening. The forests were taller and more dense, and the river more thickly studded with islands, the soil of which was entirely concealed by the luxuriant girdle of ^hrubs and water-plants, in which they lay imbedded. The 880 JOUKNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. ambah, a species of aquatic shrub, with leaves resembling the sensitive plant and winged, bean-like blossoms of a rich yellow hue, grew on the edge of the shore, with its roots in the water and its lon^ arms floating on the surface. It formed impene- trable ramparts around the islands and shores, except where the hippopotamus and crocodile had trodden paths into the forests, or the lion and leopard had come down to the river's margin to drink. Behind this floating hem of foliage and blos- soms appeared other and larger shrubs, completely matted to- gether with climbing vines, which covered them like a mantle and hung from their branches dangling streamers of white and purple and yellow blossoms. They even stretched to the boughs of the large mimosa, or sont trees, whicb grew in the centre of the islands, thus binding all together in rounded ■nasses. Some of the smaller islands resembled floating hills of vegetation, and their slopes and summits of impervious foli- age, rolling in the wind, appeared to keep time with the rock- ing of the waves that upheld them. The profusion of vegeta- ble life reminded me of the Chagres River. If not so rich and gorgeous, it was on a far grander scale. The river had still a breadth of a mile and a half, where his current was free, but where island crowded on island in a vast archipelago of leafy shores, he took a much wider sweep. The waves danced and glistened in the cool northern wind, as we glided around his majestic curves, and I stood on deck watching the wonder- ful panorama unfold on either side, with a feeling of exul- tation to which I gave free vent. In no other river have I seen landscapes of larger or more imposing character. All the rich animal world of this region was awake and Btirring before the sun. The wild fowls left their roosts ; the THE ISLANDS OF THE SHI1L00K8. 831 zikzaks flew twittering over the waves, calling up their mates, the sleepy crocodiles ; the herons stretched their wings against the wind ; the monkeys leaped and chattered in the woods, and at last whole herds of hippopotami, sporting near the shore, came up spouting water from their nostrils, in a manner pre- cisely similar to the grampus. I counted six together, soon after sunrise, near the end of an island. They floundered ibout in the shallows popping up their heads every few min- utes to look at us, and at last walked out through the reeds and stood upon the shore. Soon afterwards five more appear- ed on the other side of the river, and thenceforth we saw them almost constantly, and sometimes within fifty yards. I noticed one which must have been four feet in breadth across the ears, and with a head nearly five feet long. He opened his mouth wide enough to show two round, blunt tusks, or rather grinders, one on each side. They exhibited a great deal of curiosity, and frequently turned about after we had passed, and followed for some time in our wake. Soon after sunrise the rais observed some ShiUooks in the distance, who were sinking their canoes in the river, after which they hastily retreated into the woods. We ran along beside the embowering shores, till we reached the place. The canoes were carefully concealed and some pieces of drift-wood thrown over the spot, as if left there by the river. The rais climbed to the mast-head and called to the people, assuring them that there was no danger, but, though we peered sharply into the thickets, we could find no signs of any human being. The river here turned to the south, disclosing other and rich- er groups of islands, stretching beyond one another far into the distance. Directly on our left was the northern point of tho 333 JOUENEr TO CENTBAL AFRICA. island of Aba, our destination. As the island is six or eight miles in length, I determined to make the most of my bargain, and so told the rais that he must take me to its further end, and to the villages of the ShiUooks, whom I had come to see. Abou-Hammed was small in body, but had a stout heart. The Consul and-£at Abou-Balta had given him special instructions to keep me out of danger, yet he could not refuse my demands. We sailed two or three miles along the shore of Aba, looking into the depths of its ambak forests for traces of the Shillooks, who, according to the rais, had a village on the island. On our right extended a chain of smaller islands — ^bowery masses of leaves and blossoms — and beyond them the wild forests of the western bank. Glorious above description was that world cf waves and foliage-^of wood, water and sky. ^t last, on rounding one of the coves of Aba, we came upon a flock of sheep, feeding along the shore. A light thread of smoke arose from among some dead, fallen trees, a few paces in the forest, but no person was to be seen. The boat was run to the shore, and we landed and examined the spot. The na- tives had evidently just left, for the brands were burning, and we saw the prints of their long feet in the ashes. The rais and sailors walked on tiptoe through the woods, looking for the hidden inhabitants. The mimosas, which here grow to the height of fifty feet, met above our heads and made a roof against the sun. Some large gray apes, startled by our visit, leaped with wonderful dexterity from tree to tree. I found several abandoned fire-places during my walk, and near the shore saw many footprints in the soft soil. The forest -vmis ^uite clear of underwood, but the ground was cumbered with the trunks of dead trees. There were but few flowering plants •WE ENCOUNTER THE SHILLOOKS. 333 and I was too much interested in the search for the Shillooks to examine them. The rais finally descried the huts of the village at a dis- tance, near the extremity of the island. We returned to the vessel, and were about putting off in order to proceed thither, when a large body of men, armed with spears, appeared in the forest, coming towards us at a quick pace. The rais, who had already had some intercourse with these jeople and knew some- thing of their habits, advanced alone to meet them. I could see, through the trees, that a consultation was held, and short- ly, though with some signs of doubt and hesitation, about a dozen of the savages advanced to within a short distance of the vessel, while the others sat down on the ground, still hold- ing the spears in their hands. The rais now returned to the water's edge, and said that the Shillooks had come with the intention of fighting, but he had informed them that this was a visit from the Sultan's son, who came to see them as a friend, and would then return to his father's country. Thereupon they consented to speak with me, and I might venture to go on shore. I landed again, with Achmet, and walked up with the rais to the spot where the men were seated. The shekh of the island, a tall, handsome man, rose to greet me, by touch- ing the palm of his right hand to mine and then raising it to his forehead. I made a like salutation, after which he sat down. The vizier (as he called himself), an old man exces- sively black in complexion, then advanced, and the other war- riors in succession, till all had saluted me. The conversation was carried on in the Arabic jargon of Soudan, which the shekh and some of his men spoke tolerably well, so that I could un- derstand the most of what was said. " Why don't you bring 334 JOUKNEr TO CESTBAL AFRICA. the Sultan's carpet that he may rest ?" said the shekh to one of my sailors. The carpet and pillows were immediately brought, and I stretched myself out in front of the sheldi and vizier, who sat upon a fallen tree, while the others squatted upon the ground. The shekh at first took no part in the con- versation, but sat looking at me steadily, from under his heavy eyebrows. Our negotiations were conducted in genuine diplo- matic style. Whenever His Majesty of the Shillooks had any thing to say, he mentioned it to his vizier, who addressed Ach- met, my vizier, who communicated it to me, the Sultan. The spectators observed the most profound silence, and nothing could surpass the gravity and solemnity of the scene. In the mean time the other warriors had come up and taken their seats around us, each one greeting me before he sat down, with " ow-wow-wohba I " (probably a corruption of the Arabic " mar-habha ? " " how d'ye do ? ") The vizier, addressing me through Achmet, said : " Tell us what you want; if you come to fight, we are ready for you." I assured the shekh through him that I came as a friend, and had no intention of molesting them, but he was not satisfied, and repeated three or four times, drawing a mark between us on the ground : " if you are really friends, we will be friends with you ; but if you are not, we are ready to fight you." Achmet at last swore by the Pro- phet Mohammed, and by the wisdom of Allah, that we had come in peace ; that the Sultan wished to pay him a visit, and would then return home. At the request of the rais we had come on shore unarmed, but it had not the anticipated efieot. " Why have you no arms ? " said the shekh ; " are you afraid of us ? " 1 told him that it was in order to show that I had no hostiltj intentions, but the people seemed to consider it as mark of THE liOCE OP HONOR. 335 either treachery or fear. I hrought some iobacco with me^ which I gave to the shekh, but he receired it coldly, and said : " Where is the dress which the Sultan has brought for me ? " This reminded me that I had entirely neglected to provide myself in Khartoum with muslin and calico, for presents. I remedied the deficiency, however, by going on board and taking one of my shirts and a silk handkerchief, as well as Some beads and ear-rings for the wives of the two dignitaries. Achmet added a shirt and a pair of Turkish drawers, and brought a fresh supply of tobacco for the warriors. The shekh took th» presents with evident gratification, and then came the work of clothing him. He was entirely at a loss how to put on the garments, but Achmet and the rais unwound the cotton cloth from his loins, stuck his legs into the drawers, his arms into the shirt-sleeves, and tied the handkerchief about his head. Once clothed, he gave no more attention to his garments, but wore them with as much nonchalance as if he had never pos- sessed a scantier costume. The vizier, who had shown mani fast ill-humor at being passed by, was quieted by the present of a shirt, which was put upon his shoulders in like manner. He gave me his name as Adjeh-Seedoo (" He pleases his Mas- ter"), a most appropriate name for a vizier. The shekh'a name, Ahd-en-noor ("the Slave of Light"), was hardly so befitting, for he was remarkably dark. I was much amused at my servant Ali, who had shown great terror on the first ap- pearance of the savages. He had already become so familiar, that when the shekh did not seem to understand the- use of the beads ^nd ear-rings, Ali pinched his ears very significantly, and took hold of his neck to show how they must be worn. By this time coffee had been prepared and was brought to 336 JOURNET TO CENTKAL AFBICA. them. But they had been so accustomed to inhumanity and deception on the part of the Turks, that they still mistrusted us and no one would drink, for fear that it contained poison. To quiet them, therefore, I drank a oup first, after which they took it readily, hut many of them, who then tasted coffee for the first time, did not seem to relish it. A drove of sheep happening to pafls by, the shekh ordered one of the rams to be caught and put on board the vessel, for the Sultan's dinner. The men soon began to demand tobacco, clothes, and various other things, and grew so importunate that Achmet became alarmed, and even the rais, who was a man of some courage, seemed a little uneasy. I thought it time to give a change to affairs, and therefore rose and told the shekh I was ready to risit his village. We had intended returning on board and Bailing to the place, which was at the southern extremity of the island, about a mile distant, but reflecting that this might occasion mistrust, and that the best way of avoiding danger is to appear imconscious of it, I called Achmet and the rais to accompany me on foot. While these things were transpiring, a number of other Shillooks had arrived, so that there were now upwards of fifty. All were armed — the most of them with iron-pointed spears, some with clubs, and some with long poles, having knobs of hard wood on the end. They were all tall, strong, stately people, not more than two or three under six feet in height, while the most of them were three or four inches over that standard. Some had a piece of rough cotton cloth tied around the waist or thrown over the shoulders, but the most of them were entirely naked. Their figures were large and muscular, but not symmetrical, nor was there the least grace in their movements. Their faces resembled a cross APPEARANCE OP THE SHILLOOKS. 337 between the Negro of Guinea and the North American In- dian, having the high cheek bones, the narrow forehead and pointed head of the latter, with the flat nose and projecting lips of the former. Their teeth were so long as to appear like tusks, and in most of them one or two front teeth were want- ing, which gave their faces a wolfish expression. Their eyes were small and had an inflamed look, which might have been occasioned by the damp exhalations of the soil on which they slept. Every one wore an armlet above the elbow, either a segment of an elephant's tusk, or a thick ring of plaited hippo- potamus hide. The most of them had a string of glass beads around the neck, and the shekh wore a necklace of the large white variety, called " pigeon eggs " by the traders on the White Nile. They had no beards, and their hair was seared or plucked out on the forehead and temples, leaving only a circular crown of crisp wool on the top of the head. Some, had rubbed their faces and heads with red ashes, which impart- ed a livid, ghastly efi'eet to their black skins. The shekh marched ahead, in his white garments and flut- tering head-dress, followed by the warriors, each carrying his long spear erect in his hand. We walked in the midst of them, and I was so careful to avoid all appearance of fear that I never once looked behind, to see whether the vessel was fol- lowing us. A violent dispute arose among some of the men in front, and from their frequent glances towards us, it was evi- dent that we were in some way connected with the conversa- tion. I did not feel quite at ease till the matter was referred to the shekh, who decided it in a way that silenced the men, if it did not satisfy them. As we approached the village, good- humor was restored, and their demeanor towards us was 15 338 JOPRNET TO CENTRAL AFRICA. thenceforth more friendly. They looked at me with curiosity, but without ill-will, and I could see that my dress interested them much more than my person. Finally we reached the village, which contained about one hundred tokuls of straw, built in a circular form, with conical roofs. They were arrang- ed so as to inclose a space in the centre, which was evidently intended as a fold for their sheep, as it was further protected by a fence of thorns. G-uards were stationed at intervals of about twenty yards, along the side fronting the river, each leaning back against his spear, with one of his legs drawn up, so that the foot rested against the opposite knee. At the principal entrance of the village, opposite which I counted twenty-seven canoes drawn up against the shore, we made halt, and the shekh ordered a seat to be brought. An angareb, the frame of which was covered with a net-work of hippopotamus thongs, was placed in the shade of a majestic mimosa tree, and the shekh and I took our seats. Another angareb was brought and placed behind us, for our respective viziers. The warriors all laid aside their spears and sat on the ground, forming a semicircle in front of us. A swarm of naked boys, from eight to twelve years of age, crept dodging behind the trees till they reached a convenient place in the rear, where they watched mo curiously, but drew back in alarm whenever I turned my head. The village was entirely deserted of its inhabitants, every one having come to behold the strange Sultan. The females kept at a distance at first, but gradually a few were so far overcome by their curiosity that they approached near enough for me to observe them closely. They were nude, except a small piece of sheepskin around the loins, and in their forms were not very easy to distinguish from th) men, having flat, masculine breasta SCENE AT THE VILLAGE. 339 and narrow Mps. They were from five feet eight inches to six feet in height. The rais informed me that the Shillooks fre- quently sell their women and children, and that a boy or girl can be bought for about twenty measures of donrra. After undergoing their inspection half an hour, I began to get tired of sitting in state, and had my pipe brought from the boat I saw by an occasional sidelong glance that the shekh watched me, but I smoked carelessly until the tobacco wag finished. Some of the men were already regaling themselves with that which I had given them. They had pipes with im- mense globular bowls of clay, short, thick stems of reed, and mouth-pieces made of a variety of wild gourd, with a long, pointed neck. A handful of tobacco was placed in the bowl and two or three coals laid upon it, after which the orifice was closed with clay. The vizier, Adjeb-Seedoo, who had some- thing of the Yankee in his angular features and the shrewd wrinkles about the corners of the eyes, chewed the tobacco and squirted out the saliva between his teeth in the true Down- East style. I bargained for his pipe at two piastres, and one of the ivory arm-rings at five, but as I had no small silver money (the only coin current among them), did not succeed in getting the former article. I obtained, however, two of the arm-rings of hippopotamus hide. While these things were go- m oious flavor. King Dyaab drank my health with a profusion of good wishes, begging me to remain another week and ac- company his caravan. His palace in Dai* El-Msthass, he said, was entirely at my disposal and I must remain several weeks with him. But there is nothing so unpleasant to me as to postpone a journey after all the preparations are made, and I was reluctantly obliged to decline his invitation. I take plea- sure, however, in testifying to the King's good qualities, which fully entitle him to the throne of Dar El Mahass, and were T installed in his capital of Kuke, as court-poet, I should cer- tainly write a national ballad for the Mahassees, commencing in this wise : " El Melek Dyaat is a jolly old King, And a jolly old King is lie," etc. After the Melek had bestowed a parting embrace by throw- ing his arms around my waist and dropping his round head on my shoulder like a sixty-eight pound shot, he was sent home in state on the back of Sultan, the Dar-Fur stallion. The moonlight was so beautiful that the Consul and I accompanied Dr. Peney to his residence. The latter suggested another pipe in the open air of his court-yard, and awoke his Shillook slaves, who were lying asleep near the house, to perform a dance for our amusement. There were three — two males and a female — and their midnight dance was the most uncouth and barbaric thing I saw in Khartoum. They brandished their clubs, leaped into the air, alighting sometimes on one foot and sometimes on both, and accompanied their motions with a series of short, quick howls, not unlike the laughter of a hye- TAKING LEAVE Of MY PETS. 683 na. After the dance, Dr. Reitz effected a reconciliation be- tween one of the men and the woman, who had been married, but were about to separate. They knelt before him, side by side, and recounted their complaints of each other, which were sufficiently ludicrous, but a present of three piastres (fifteen cents !), purchased forgetfulness of the past and renewed tows for the future. I felt a shadow of regret when I reflected that it was my last night in Khartoum. After we walked home I roused the old lioness in her corner, gave her a farewell hug and sat down on her passive back until she stretched out her paws and went to sleep again. I then visited the leopard in the garden, made him jump upon my shoulders and play his antics over once more. The hyenas danced and laughed fiendishly, as usual when they saw me, but the tall Kordofan antelope came up softly and rubbed his nose against my leg, asking for the dourra which I was accustomed to give him. I gave him, and the gazelles, and the leopard, each an affectionate kiss, but poked the surly hyenas until they howled, on my way to bed. 884 JOURNEY TO CEKTBAL AFRICA. CHAPTEE XXX. THE COMMERCE OF SOUDAIT. The Commerce of Soudan — ^Avenues of Trade — The Merchants — Character of the Tnv porta — Specnlation — ^The Gum Trade of Kordofan — The Ivoiy Trade — Abuses of tht Government — The Traffic in Slaves — Prices of Slaves — Their Treatment. Before taking a final leave of Soudan, it may be well to say a few words concerning the trade of the country. As the Nile is the principal avenue of communication between the Medi- terranean and the eastern half of Central Africa, Soudan is thus made a centre of commerce, the character of which may be taken as an index to all the interior traffic of the continent. European goods reach SoudS,n through two principal chan- nels ; by the port of Sowakin, on the Red Sea, and the cara- van route up the Nile and across the Great Nubian Desert. Of late years the latter has become the principal thoroughfare, as winter is the commercial season, and the storms on the Red Sea are very destructive to the small Arab craft. The mer- chants leave Cairo through the autumn, principally between the first of October and the first of December, as they travel slowly and rarely make the journey in less than two months and a half The great proportion of them take the same route THE MERCHANTS OF SOtTDAN. 385 I followed, from Korosko to Berber, where they ship again for Khartoum. Those who buy their own camels at Assouan, make the whole trip by land ; but it is more usual for them to buy camels in Soudan for the return jom-ney, as they can sell them in Upper Egypt at advanced prices. In fact, the trade in camels alone is not inconsiderable; On my way to Khar- toum I met many thousands, in droves of from one to five hundred, on their way to Egypt. The merchants who make this yearly trip to Soudan are mostly Egyptians and Nubians. There are a number of Syr- ians established in the country, but they are for the most part connected with houses in Cairo, and their caravans between the two places are in charge of agents, natives, whose charac- ter has been proved by long service. There were also three or four French and Italian merchants, and one Englishman (Mr.. Peterick, in Kordofan), who carried on their business in the same manner. It is no unusual thing for Nubians who have amassed two or three thousand piastres by household service in Cairo, to form partnerships, invest their money in cotton goods, and after a year or two on the journey (for time is any thing but money to them), return to Egypt with a few hundred weight of gum or half a dozen camels. They earn a few pias- tres, perhaps, in return for the long toils and privations they have endured ; but their pride is gratified by the title of Djel- labiat — merchants. It is reckoned a good school, and not without reason, for young Egyptians who devote themselves to commerce. I met even the sons of Beys among this class. Those who are prudent, and have a fair capital t;o start upon, can generally gain enough in two or three years to establish themselves respectably in Egypt. U 386 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. The goods brought into Central Africa consist principally of English muslins and calicoes, the light red woollen stuffs of Barbary, cutlery, beads and trinkets. Cloths, sillcs, powder, tobacco, and arakee, are also brought in considerable quanti- ties, while in the large towns there is always a good sale for sugar, rice, coffee and spices. The Turkish officials and the Franks are very fond of the aniseed cordial of Scio, maraschi- no, rosoglio, and the other Levantine liquors ; and even the heavy, resinous wines of Smyrna and Cyprus find their way here. The natives prefer for clothing the coarse, unbleached cotton stuffs of their own manufacture, one mantle of which is sufficient for years. As may readily be supposed, the market is frequently glutted with goods of this description, whence the large houses often send money from Cairo for the purchase of gum and ivory, in preference to running any risk. At the time of my visit, all sorts of muslins and calicoes might he had in Khartoum at a very slight advance on Cairo prices, and the merchants who were daily arriving with additional bales, com- plained that the sale would not pay the expenses of their jour- ney. The remarkable success of the caravans of the previous year had brought a crowd of adventurers into the lists, very few of whom realized their expectations. It was the Califor- nia experience in another form. No passion is half so blind as the greed for gain. Khartoum is the great metropolis of all this region. Some few caravans strike directly through the Beyooda Desert, from Dongola to Kordofan, but the great part come directly to the former place, where they dispose of their goods, and then pro- ceed to Kordofan for gum, or wait the return of the yearly ex- pedition up the White Nile, to stock themselves with ivory. GUM AND IVORY. 38*7 On both these articles there is generally a good, sometimes a great, profit. Tho gum comes almost entirely from Kordofan, ■where the quantity annually gathered amounts to thirty thou- sand contar, or cwt. It is collected by the natives from that variety of the mimosa called th* asliah'a, and sold by them at from fifty-five to sizty piastres the contar. Lattif Pasha at one time issued a decree prohibiting any person from selling it at less than sixty piastres, but Dr. Reitz, by an energetic protest, obtained the revocation of this arbitrary edict. The cost of carrying it to Cairo is very nearly fifty piastres the contar, exclusive of a government taz of twelve and a half per cent. ; and as the price of gam in Cairo fluctuates according to the demand from one hundred and fifty to two hundred and fifty piastres, the merchant's gain may be as low as ten or as high as one hundred per cent. The gum brought from Yemen and the shores of the Red Sea is considered superior in quality, but is not produced in such abundance. The ivory is mostly obtained from the negro tribes on the White Nile. Small quantities are occasionally brought from Dar-Fur and the unknown regions towards Bornou, by Arab caravans. The trading expeditions up the White Nile, until the winter of 1851—2, were entirely under the control of the Pasha of Sijudan, in spite of the treaty of 1838, making it free to all nations. The expedition of that winter, which sailed from Khartoum about two months before my arrival, consisted of seven vessels, accompanied by an armed force. The parties interested in it consisted of the Pasha, the Egyptian mev-. chants, and the raydhs, or European mei-chants. The gains were to be divided into twenty-four parts, eight of which went to the Pasha, nine to the Turks and seven to the Franks. Dr. 388 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. Reitz undertook to enforce the treaty, and actually ran two vessels belonging to Austrian proteges past the guard estab- lished at the junction of the Niles. The Pasha thereupon had all the sailors belonging to these vessels arrested, but after two days of violent manoeuvres and counter-manoeuvres, allowed the vessels to proceed. The unjust monopoly was therefore virtually annulled — an important fact to Europeans who may wish to engage in the trade. The vessels take with them great quantities of glass beads, ear, arm and nose rings, and the like, for which the natives readily barter their elephants' teeth. These are not found in abundance before reaching the land of the Nuehrs and the Kyks, about lat. 7°, and the best specimens come from regions still further south. They ara sold in Khartoum at the rate of twelve hundred piastres the cwt., and in Cairo at twenty-two hundred, burdened with a tax of twelve and a half per cent. The Government has done its best to cramp and injure Trade, the only life of that stagnant land. In addition to the custom-house at Assouan, where every thing going into Egypt must pay duty, the Pasha and his satellites had established an illegal custom-house at Dongola, and obliged merchants to pay another toll, midway on their journey. This was afterwards abolished, on account of the renionstrances which were forward- ed to Cairo. I found the Pasha so uniformly courteous and affable, that at first I rejected many of the stories told me of his oppression and cruelty, but I was afterwards informed of circumstances which exhibited his character in a still more hideous light. Nevertheless, I believe he was in most respects superior to his predecessors in the office, and certainly to his successor. THE SLAVE TRADE. 389 The traffic in slaves has decreased very much of late. The wealthy Egyptians still purchase slaves, and will continue to do so, till the "i institution " is wholly abolished, but the despotic rule exercised by the Pasha in Nubia has had the effect of greatly lessening the demand. Vast numbers of Nu- bians go into Egypt, where they are engaged as domestic ser- vants, and their paid labor, cheap as it is, is found more profitable than the unpaid service of negro slaves. Besides, the tax on the latter has been greatly increased, so that mer- chants find the commodity less profitable than gum or ivory. Ten years ago, the duty paid at Assouan was thirty piastres for a negro and fifty for an Abyssinian : at present it is three hundred and fifty for the farmer and five hundred and fifty for the latter, while the tax can be wholly avoided by making the slave free. Prices have risen in consequence, and the traffic is proportionately diminished. The Government probably de- rives as large a revenue as ever from it, on account of the in- creased tax, so that it has seemed to satisfy the demands of some of the European powers by restricting the trade, while it actually loses nothing thereby. The Government slave-hunts in the interior, however, are no longer carried on. The great- er part of the slaves brought to Khartoum, are purchased ^om the Galla and Shangalla tribes on the borders of Abyssinia, or from the Shillooks and Dinkas, on the White Nile. The cap- tives taken in the wars between the various tribes are invari- ably sold. The Abyssinian girls, who are in great demand among the Egyptians, for wives, are frequently sold by their own parents. They are treated with great respect, and their lot is probably no worse than that of any Arab or Turkish female. The more beautiful of them often bring from two 390 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. hundred to five hundred dollars. Ordinary household servants may be had from one to two thousand piastres. My drago- man, Aohmet, purchased a small girl for twelve hundred piastres, as a present for his wife. He intended making her free, which he declared to be a good thing, according to his religion; but the true reason, I suspect, was the tax at Assouan. The Egyptians rarely maltreat their slaves, and instances of cruelty are much less frequent among them than among the Europeans settled here. The latter became so notorious for their violence that the Government was obliged to establish a law forbidding any Frank to strike his slave ; but in case of disobedience to send him before the Cadi, or Judge, who could decide on the proper punishment. Slavery prevails through- out all the native kingdoms of Central Africa, in more or less aggravated forms. The Egyptian merchants who are located in Khartoum as agents for houses in Cairo, consider themselves as worse than exiles, and indemnify themselves by sensual indulgence for being obliged to remain in a country which they detest. They live in large houses, keep their harems of inky slaves, eat, drink and smoke away their languid and wearisome days. All the material which they need for such a Kfe is so cheap that their love of gain does not suffer thereby. One of the richest merchants in the place gave me an account of his housekeeping. He had a large mud palace, a garden, and twenty servants and slaves, to maintain which cost him eight thousand piastres (four hundred dollars) a year. He paid his servants twenty piastres a month, and his slaves also — at least so he told me, but I did not believe it. THE NATIVES OF SOITDAN. 391 As for the native Fellahs of Soudan, they are so crushed and imposed upon, that it is difficult to judge what their natural capacities really are. Foreigners,^ Frank as well as Egyptian, universally complain of their stupidity, and I heard the Pasha himself say, that if he could have done any thing with them Abhas Pasha might whistle to get Souddn from him. That they are very stupid, is true, hut that they have every encouragement to be so, is equally true. Dr. Knoblecher, who, of all the men I saw in Khartoum, was best qualified to judge correctly, assured me that they needed only a just and pater- nal government, to make rapid progress in the arts of civiliza* tion. 392 JOnUNEY TO PKNTRAL AVRICA. CHAPTEK XXXI. FROM K H A B TOtTM TO EL METBHIMA. Faiewell Breakfast— Departure from Khartoum— Parting with Dr. Keitz— A PredlC' lion and its Fulfilment — Dreary Appearance of the Country — ^Lions— Burying- Grounds — The Natives — My Kababish Guide, Mohammed— Character of the Arabs — Habits of Deception — ^My Dromedary — Mutton and Mareesa — A Soud4n Ditty — The Kowydn— Akaba Gerri — Heat and Scenery — An Altercation with the Guide— A Mishap— A Landscape — Tedious Approach to El Metcmma— Appearance of the Town— Preparations for the Desert — Meeting Old Acquaintances. The wind blew so violently on the morning of my departure from Khartoum, that the ferry-boat which had been engaged to convey my equipage to the Kordofan shore, could not round the point at the junction of the Niles. My camels, with the Kababish guide and drivers, had been ferried over the evening previous, and were in readiness to start. In this dilemma Dr. Peney, with whom I had engaged to take a parting breakfast, kindly gave me the use of his nelcker and its crew. Our breakfast was a fete champetre under the beautiful nebbuk tree in the Doctor's court-yard, and consisted of a highly- spiced salmi of his own compounding, a salad of lettuce and tomatoes, and a bottle of Cyprus wine. The coolness and force of the north-wind gave us a keen appetite, and our kind DEPARTURE TROM KHARTOUM. 393 host could not say that we slighted his culinary skill, for verily there was nothing but empty plates to be seen, when we arose from the table. Dr. Eeitz and I hastened on board the nek- ker, which immediately put off. I left Khartoum, regretting to leave a few friends behind me in that furnace of Soudan, yet glad to escape therefrom myself. A type of the character of the place was furnished us while making our way to Omdur- man. We passed the body of a woman, who had been stran- gled and thrown into the water ; a sight which the natives regarded without the least surprise. The ©onsul immediately dispatched one of his servants to the Governor of the city, ask- ing him to have the body taken away and properly inteiTed. It was full two hours before we reached the western bank of the Nile, opposite Omdurman. Achmet, who had preceded me, had drummed up the Kababish, and they were in readi- ness with my camels. The work of apportioning and loading the baggage was finished by noon, and the caravan started, preceded by the guide, Mohammed, who shook his long spe«,r in a general defiance of all enemies. Dr. Eeitz and I, with our attendants, set off in advance on a quick trot. Our path led over a bleak, barren plain, cover ed with thorns, through which the wind whistled with a wintry sound. The air was filled with clouds of sand, which gave a pale and sickly cast to the sunshine. My friend was unwel: and desponding, and after we had ridden eight milea, he halt- ed to rest in a deep, rocky gully, where we were sheltered from the wind. Here we lay down upon the sand until the caravan came along, when we parted from each other. " You are going back to Europe and Civilization ; " said he mournfully ; " you have an encouraging future before you — ^while I caa oiily 17* 894 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. look forward to the prospect of leaving my bones in this accursed land." He then embraced me, mounted his drome- dary, and was soon lost to my sight among the sand and thorns Little did I then imagine that his last words were the unhappy prediction which another year would see verified ! * We halted for the night near the village of Gerrari. I slept but indifferently, with the heavy head and gloomy spirits I had brought from Khartoum ; but the free life of my tent did not fail of its usual effect, and I rose the next morning fresh, strong, and courageous. We were obliged to travel slowly, on account of the nature of the road, which, for the greater part of the distance to El Metemma, lay in the Desert, just beyond the edge of the cultivated land. For the first day * Dr. Constantine Reitz died about a year after my departure from Soudan, from the effects of the climate. He had been ill for some months, and while making a journey to Kordofan, felt himself growing worse 80 rapidly that he returned to Khartoum, where he expired in a few days. He was about thirty-three years of age, and his many ac- quirements, joined to a character of singular energy and persistence, had led his Mends to hope for important results from his residence in Central Africa. With manners of great brusqueness and eccentricity, his generosity was unbounded, and this, combined with his intrepidity and his skill as a horseman and a hunter, made him a general favorite ■ with the Arab chieftains of Ethiopia, whose cause he was always ready to advocate, against the oppressive measures of the Egyptian Government. It will always be a source of satisfaction to the author, that, in passing through Germany in September, 1852, he visited the parents of Dr. Reitz, whose father is a ForatmeUter, or Inspector of Forests, near Darmstadt. The joy which they exhibited on hearing from their son through one who had so recently seen him, was mixed with sadness as they expressed the fear that they would never see him again — a fear, alas 1 too soon realized. APPEARANCE OP THE COUNTRY. 395 or two, we rode over dry, stony plains, covered with thickets of the small thorny mimosa and patches of long yellow grass. The country is crossed by deep gullies, through which the streams formed by the summer rains flow to the Nile. Their banks are lined with a thick growth of sont, nebbuk, and other trees peculiar to Central Africa, in which many lions make their lau:s and prey upon the flocks of the Arabs. One bold, fierce fellow had established himself on the island of Musakar Bey, just below the junction of the Nile, and carried off night- ly a sheep or calf, defying the attempts of the natives to take him. Our view was confined to the thorns, on whose branches we left many shreds of clothing as mementoes of the journey, and to the barren range of Djebel Grerrari, stretching west- ward into the Desert. Occasionally, however, in crossing the low spurs which ran out from this chain, the valley of the Nile — the one united Nile again — lay before us, far to the east and north-east, the river glistening in the sun as he spread his arms round island after island, till his lap could hold no more. The soil is a poor, coarse gravel, and the inhabitants support themselves by their herds of sheep and goats, which browse on the thorns. In places there are large thickets of the usher, or euphorbia, twenty feet high. It grows about the huts of the natives, who make no attempt to exterminate it, notwithstanding the poisonous nature of its juice. Every mile or two we passed a large Arab burying-ground, crowded with rough head and foot-stones, except where white pennons, flut- tering on poles, denoted a more than ordinary sanctity in the deceased. The tomb of the Shekh, or holy man of Merreh, was a conical structure of stones and clay, about fifteen feet in breadth at the base, and twenty feet high. The graves are so S96 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. numerous and the dwellings so few, that one has the impres- sion of travelling in a country depopulated by the pestilence ; yet we met many persons on the road — ^partly Kababish, and partly natives of Dongola and Mahass. The men touched their lips and foreheads on passing me, and the women greet- ed me with that peculiar " hab-hab-ha I " which seems to be the universal expression of salutation among the various tribes of Central Africa. My guide, Mohammed, was a Kababish, and the vainest and sUliest Arab I ever knew. He wore his hair in long braids, extending from the forehead and temples to the nape of the neck, and kept in their places by a layer of mutton-fat, half an inch thick, Which filled up the intervening spaces. His hollow cheeks, deep-sunken eyes, thin and wiry beard, and the long spear he carried in his hand made him a fair represen- tative of Don Quixote, and the resemblance was not diminished by the gaunt and ungainly camel on which he jogged along at the head of my caravan. He was very devout, praying for quite an unreasonable length of time before and after meals, and always had a large patch of sand on his forehead, from striking it on the ground, as he knelt towards Mecca. Both his arms, above the elbows, were covered with rings of hippo- potamus hide, to which were attached square leathern cases, containing sentences of the Koran, as charms to keep away sickness and evil spirits. The other man, Said, was a Shy- gheean, willing and good-natured enough, but slow and regard- less of truth, as all Arabs are. Indeed, the best definition of an Arab which I can give, is-^a philosophizing sinner. His fatalism gives him a calm and equable temperament under all circumstances, and "Grod wills it!" or "God is merciful!" CHARACTER OP THE ARABS. 39? is the solace for every misfortune. But this same careless- ness to the usual accidents of life extends also to his speech and his dealings with other men. I will not say that an Arab never speaks truth : on the contrary, he always does, if he happens to remember it, and there is no object to be gained by suppressing it ; but rather than trouble himself to answer correctly a question which requires some thought, he tells you whatever comes uppermost in his mind, though certain to be detected the next minute. He is like a salesman, who, if he does not happen to have the article you want, offers you some- thing else, rather than let you go away empty-handed. In regard to his dealings, what Sir Gardner Wilkinson says of Egypt, that " nobody parts with money without an effort to defraud," is equally true of Nubia and Soud&n. The people do not steal outright ; but they have a thousand ways of doing it in an indirect and civilized manner, and they are perfect masters of all those petty arts of fraud which thrive so greenly in the great commercial cities of Christendom. With these slight drawbacks, there is much to like in the Arabs, and they are certainly the most patient, assiduous and good-humored people in the world. If they fail in cheating you, they re- spect you the more, and they are so attentive to you, so ready to take their mood from yours — to laugh when you are cheer- ful, and be silent when you are grave — so light-hearted in the performance of severe duties, that if you commence your ac- quaintance by despising, you finish by cordially liking them. On a journey like that which I was then commencing, it is absolutely necessary to preserve a good understanding with your men and beasts ; otherwise travel will be a task, and a severe one, instead of a recreation. After my men had vainlj 308 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. tried a number of expedients, to get the upper hand of me, I drilled them into absolute obedience, and found their charac- ter much improved thereby. With my dromedary, whom I called Abou-Sin, (the Father of Teeth), from the great shekh of the Shukoree Arabs, to whom he originally belonged, I was soon on good terms. He was a beast of excellent temper, with a spice of humor in his composition, and a fondness for playing practical jokes. But as I always paid them back, neither party could complain, though Abou-Sin sometimes gurgled out of his long throat a string of Arabic gutturals, in remonstrance. He came up to my tent and knelt ait precisely the same hour every evening, to get his feed of dourra, and when I was at breakfast always held his lips pursed up, ready to take the pieces of bread I gave him. My men, whom I agreed to provide with food during the journey, were regaled every day with mutton and mareesa, the two only really good things to be found in Soudan. A fat sheep cost 8 piastres (40 cents), and we killed one every three days. The meat was of excel- lent flavor. Mareesa is made of the coarse grain called dour- ■ ra, which is pounded into flour by hand, mixed with water, and heated over a fire in order to produce speedy fermentation. It is always drunk the day after being made, as it turns sour on the third day. It is a little stronger than small beer, and has a taste similar to wheat bran, unpleasant on the first trial and highly palatable on the second. A jar holding two gallons costs one piastre, and as few families, however poor, are with- out it, we always found .plenty of it for sale in the villages. It is nutritious, promotive of digestion, and my experience went to prove that it was not only a harmless but most wholesome drink in that stifling climate. Om bilbil, the mother of nightingales, A SOUDAN DITTT. 399 •whiet ig made from wheat, is stronger, and has a pungent flavor. The people in general are remarkably temperate, but sailors and camel-men arc often not content without arakee, a sort of weak brandy made from dates. I have heard this song sung so often that I cannot choose but recollect the words. It is in the Arabic jargon of Soudan : "El-toombat sheraboo dowaia, Oo el karafeen ed dowa il 'es-sufaia, Oo el arakee legheetoo monnaia, Om bilbil bukkoosoo burraia.'' [Tobacco I smoke in the pipe ; and mareesa is a medicine to the sufaia ; (i. e. the bag of palm fibres through which it is strained), but arakee makes me perfectly contented, and then T will not even look at bilbil]. The third day after leaving Khartoum, I reached the mountains of Gerri, through which the Nile breaks his way in a narrow pass. Here I hailed as ah old acquaintance the island-hill of Eowyan (the watered, or unthirsty). This is truly a magnificent peak, notwithstanding its height is not more than seven hundred feet. Neither is Soracte high, yet it produces a striking effect, even with the loftier Apennines behind it. The Rowyan is somewhat similar to Soracte in form. There are a few trees on the top, which shows that there must be a deposit of soil above its barren ramparts, and were I a merchant of Khartoum I should build a summer resi- dence there, and by means of hydraulics create a grove and garden around it. The aJcaba, or desert pass, which we were obliged to take in order to reach the river agaiil, is six hours in length, through a wild, stony tract, covered with immense 400 JOURNEY TO CBNTKAL AFRICA. boulders of granite, hurled and heaped together in the same chaotic manner as is exhibited in the rocks between Assouan and Philae. After passing the range, a wide plain again open- ed before us, the course of the Nile marked in its centre by the darker hue of the nebbuks and sycamores, rising above the long gray belts of thorn-trees. The mountains which inclose the. fallen temples of Mesowurat and Naga appeared far to the east. The banks of the river here are better cultivated than further up the stream. The wheat, which was just sprouting, during my upward journey, was now two feet high, and rolled before the wind in waves of dark, intense, burning green. The brilliancy of color in these mid- African landscapes is truly astonishing. The north-wind, which blew the sand furiously in our faces during the first three days of the journey, ceased at this point and the weather became once more intensely hot. The first two or three hours of the morning were, nevertheless, deli- cious. The temperature was mild, and there was a June-like breeze which bore far and wide the delicate odor of the mimo- sa blossoms. The trees were large and thick, as on the White Nile, forming long, orchard-like belts between the grain-fields and the thorny clumps of the Desert. The flocks of black goats which the natives breed, were scattered among these trees, and numbers of the animals stood perfectly upright on their hind legs, as they nibbled off the ends of the higher branches. On the morning after leaving Akaba Gerri, I had two al- tercations with my men. Mohammed had left Khartomn without a camel, evidently for the purpose of saving money. In a day or two, however, he limped so much that I put him AN ALTERCATION WITH THE GUIDE. 401 upon Achmet's dromedary for a few hours. This was an im- position, for every guide is obliged to furnish his own camel, and I told the old man that he should ride no more. He there- upon prevailed upon Said to declare that their contract was to take me to Ambukol, instead of Merawe. This, considering that the route had been distinctly stated to them by Dr. Eeitz, in my presence, and put in writing by the moodir, Abdallah EfFendi, and that the name of Ambukol was not once mention- ed, was a falsehood of the most brazen character. I told the men they were liars, and that sooner than yield to them I would return to Khartoum and have them punished, where- upon they saw they had gone too far, and made a seeming com- promise by declaring that they would willingly take me to Merawe, if I wished it. Towards noon we reached the village of Derreira, nearly opposite the picturesque rapids of the Nile. I gave Moham- med half a piastre and sent him after mareesa, two gallons of which he speedily procured. A large gourd was filled for me, and I drank about a quart without taking breath. Before it had left my lips, I experienced a feeling of vigor and elasticity throughout my whole frame, which refreshed me for the re- mainder of the day. Mohammed stated that the tents of some of his tribe were only about four hours distant, and asked leave to go and procure a camel, promising to rejoin us at El Me- temma the next day. As Said knew the way, and could have piloted me in case the old sinner should not return, I gave him leave to go. Achmet and I rode for nearly two hours over a stony, thorny plain, before we overtook the baggage camels. When at last we came in sight of them, the brown camel was running 402 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. loose without his load and Said trying to catch him. My pro* vision-chests were tumbled upon the ground, the cafass broken to pieces and the chickens enjoying the liberty of the Desert. Said, it seemed, had stopped to talk ■with some women, leaving the camel, which was none too gentle, to take care of himself. Achmet was so incensed that he struck the culprit in the face, whereupon he cried out, with a rueful voice : " ya Tchosara / " (oh, what a misfortune !). After half an hour's labor the boxes were repacked, minus their broken crockery, the chickens caught and the camel loaded. The inhabitants of this region were mostly Shygheeans, who had emigrated thither. They are smaller and darker than the people of Muhass, but resem- ble them in character. In one of the villages which we pass- ed, the soog, or market, was being held. I rode through the crowd to see what they had to sell, but found only the simplest articles : camels, donkeys, sheep, goats ; mats, onions, butter, with some baskets of raw cotton and pieces of stuff spim and woven by the natives. The sales must be principally by bar- ter, as there is little money in the country. In the afternoon we passed another akaba, even more diffi- cult for camels than that of Grerri. The tracks were rough and stony, crossed by frequent strata of granite and porphyry. Prom the top of one of the ridges I had a fine view of a little valley of mimosas which lay embayed in the hills and washed by the Nile, which here curved grandly round from west to south, his current glittering blue and broad in the sun. The opposite bank was flat and belted with wheat fields, beyond which stretched a gray forest of thorns and then the yellow sa- vannas of Shendy, walled in the distance by long, blue, broken ranges of mountains. The summit of a hill near our road was APPROACH TO EL METEMMA. 403 surrounded with a thick wall, formed of natural blocks of black porphyry. It had square, projecting bastions at regular inter- vals, and an entrance on the western side, From its appear- ance, form and position, it had undoubtedly been a stronghold of some one of the Arab tribes, and can claim no great antiqui- ty. I travelled on until after sunset, when, as no village ap- peared, I camped in a grove of large mimosas, not far from the Nile. A few Shygheean herdsmen were living in brush huts near at hand, and dogs and jackals howled incessantly through the night. On the fifth day I reached the large town of El Metemma, nearly opposite Shendy, and the capital of a negro kingdom, before the Egyptian usurpation. The road, on approaching it, leads over a narrow plain, covered with a shrub resembling heather, bordered on one side by the river, and on the other by a long range of bare red sand-hills. We journeyed for more than three hours, passing point after point of the hills, only to find other spurs stretching out ahead of us. From the intense heat I was very anxious to reach El Metemma, and was not a little rejoiced when I discerned a grove of date-trees, which had been pointed out to me from Shendy, a month before, as the landmark of the place. Soon a cluster of buildings ap- peared on the sandy slopes, but as we approached, I saw they were ruins. We turned another point, and reached another group of tokuls and clay houses — ruins also. Another point, and more ruins, and so for more than a mile before we reach- ed the town, which commences at the last spur of the hills, and extends along the plain for a mile and a half It is a long mass of one-story mud buildings, and the most miserable place of its size that I have seen in Central Africa. *04 JOURNEY TO CENTBAL AFRICA. There is no bazaar, but an open market-place, where the peo- ple sit on the ground and sell their produce, consisting of dourra, butter, dates, onions, tobacco, and a few grass mats. There may be a mosque in the place, but in the course of my ramble through the streets, I saw nothing that looked like one. Half the houses appeared to be uninhabited, and the natives were a hideous mixture of the red tribes of Mahasa and Shygheea and the negro races of Souddn. A few people were moving lazily through the dusty and filthy lanes, but the greater portion were sitting in the earth, on the shady side of the houses. In one of the streets I was taken for the Medical Inspector of the town, a part of whose business it is to see that it is kept free from filtL Two women came hastily out of the houses and began sweeping vigorously, saying to me as I came up : " You see, we are sweeping very clean." It would have been much more agreeable to me, had the true Inspector gone his rounds the day before. £1 Metemma and Shendy are probably the most immoral towns in all Central Africa. The people informed me that it was a regular business for persons to buy female slaves, and hire them for the purpose of prosti- tution, all the money received in this vile way going into the owner's pocket. I was occupied the rest of the day and the next morning in procuring and filling additional water-skins, and preparing to cross the Beyooda. Achmet bad a quantity of bread baked, for the journey would occupy seven or eight days, and there was no possibility of procuring provisions on tihe road. Mo- hammed did not make his appearance at the appointed time, imd I determined to start without him, my caravan being in- ereased by a Dongolese merchant, and a poor Shygheean, MEETING OLD ACQUAINTANCES. 403 whose only property was a club and a wooden bowl, and who asked leave to help tend the camels for the sake of food and water on the way. All of the Beyooda, which term is applied to the broad desert region west of the Nile and extending southward from Nubia to Kordofan and Dar-Fur, is infested with marauding tribes of Arabs, and though at present their depredations are less frequent than formerly, still, from the total absence of all protection, the traveller is exposed to con- siderable risk. For this reason, it is not usual to find small parties traversing this route, as in the Nubian Desert. I added to my supplies a fat sheep, a water-skin filled with mareesa, a sheaf of raw onions (which are a great luxury in the Desert), and as many fowls as could be procured in El Metemma. Just as we were loading the camels, who should come up but Beshir and two or three more of the Mahassee Bailors, who had formed part of my crew from Berber to Khartoum. They came up and kissed my hand, exclaiming : " May Grod prosper you, Effendi ! " They immediately set about helping to load the camels, giving us, meanwhile, news of every thing that had happened. Beshir's countenance fell when I asked him about his Metemma sweetheart, Gammero- Betahadjero ; she had proved faithless to him. The America was again on her way from Berber to Khartoum, with a com- pany of merchants. The old slave, Bakhita, unable to bear the imputation of being a hundred and fifty years old, had run away from the vessel. When the camels were loaded and we were ready to mount, I gave the sailors a few piastres to buy mareesa and sent them away rejoicing. 400 JOURNHY TO CENTRAL AFRICJi. CHAPTEE XXXII, THE BBYOODA DKSEKT, Entering fne Desert— Character of the Bcencry — Wells— Fear of the Arabs— The J-* loom Tree— Effect of tbe Hot Wind— Mohammed overtakes ua — Arab Enduranc«— An unpleasant Bedfellow— Comedy of the Crows— Gazelles — We encounter a Sand- storm—The Mountain of Thirst— The Wells of Djeekdud— A Mountain Pass- Desert Intoxication— Scenery of the Table-land— Bir Khannlk— The Kababirf Arabs— Gazelles again— Euins of an Ancient Coptic Monastery— Distant View of th' Kile Valley — Djebel Berkel- We come into Fort. " He sees the red sirocco wheeling Its sandy colunins o'er the waate, And streams through palmy valleys stealing, Where the plumed ostrich speeds in haste."— Feieiligkath. Wb left El Metemma at noon, on the tenth of February. Crossing the low ridge of red sand, at the foot of which the town is built, the wind came fresh to meet us, across the long, level savanna of yellow grass and shrubs which stretched away to the west and north, without a bound. The prospect was exhilarating, after the continual hem of thorns, which had lined our road from Khartoum, It was a great relief to turn the eye from the bare, scorching mud walls of the town, to the freshness and freedom of the Desert. I took a last look at the wheat-fields of the Nile, and then turned my face northward, ENTERING THE DESERT. 407 towards tlie point where I expected to meet his current again. The plain was very level, and the road excellent for our camels. In places where there was a slight depression of the soil, a long, slender species of grass grew in thick tufts, afford- ing nourishment; to the herds of the wandering Arab tribes. There were also narrow belts of white thorn and a curious shrub, with leaves resembling the jasmine. In two hours we reached a well, where some Kababish were drawing water for their goats and asses. It was about twenty feet deep, and the water was drawn in skins let down with ropes. We kept on untU sunset, when we encamped in an open, gravelly space, surrounded with patches of grass, on which the camels brows- ed. The hot weather of the past two or three days had called into life a- multitude of winged and creeping insects, and they assailed me on all sides. The next morning, after travelling more than two hours over the plain, we reached a series of low hills, or rather swells of the Desert, covered with black gravel and fragments of por- phyritic rock. They appeared to be outlying spurs of a moun- tain range which we saw to the northwest. From the highest of them we saw before us a long, shallow valley, opening far to the north-east. It was thickly covered with tufts of yellow- ish-green grass, sprinkled with trees of various kinds. The merchant pointed out a grove in the distance as the location of Bir Abou-leer, the first weU on the road. His sharp eye discerned a company of Arabs, who were encamped near it, and who, seeing Achmet and myself in our Turkish dresses, were preparing to fly. He urged his dromedary into a fast trot and rode ahead to reassure them. They were a tall, wild-looking people, very scantily dressed ; the men had long black hair, 408 JOUENEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. moustaches and beards, and carried spears in their hands. They looked at us with suspicion, but did not refuse the cus- tomary " hab-bab-ba ! " The wells were merely pits, not more than four or five feet deep, dug in the clayey soil, and contain- ing at the bottom a constant supply of cool, sweet water. We watered our camels in basins scooped for that- purpose in the earth, and then took breakfast under the thorns. Among the trees in the wady was one resembling the nebbuk in foliage, and with a fruit similar in appearance, but larger and of different flavor. The Arabs called it laloom, and gathered some of the fruit for me to taste. It has a thin, brittle outer rind, con- taining a hard stone, covered with a layer of gummy paste, most intensely sweet and bitter in the mouth. It has precise- ly the flavor of the medicine known to children as Hive Syrup, We resumed our course along the wady, nearly to its ter- mination at the foot of the mountains, when the road turned to the right over another succession of hard, gravelly ridges, flanked on the west by hills of coal-black porphyry. During the afternoon the wind was sometimes as hot as a furnace- blast, and I felt my very blood drying up in its intensity. I had no means of ascertaining the temperature, but it could not have been less than 105°. Nevertheless, the sky was so clear and blue, the sunshine so perfect, and the Desert so inspirmg that I was in the most exulting mood. In fact, the powerful dry heat of the air produced upon me a bracing effect, similar to that of sharp cold. It gave me a sensation of fierce, savage vigor, and I longed for an Arab lance and the fleet hoofs of the red stallion I had left in Khartoum. At times the burn- ing blasts were flavored with a strong aromatic odor, like that of dried lavender, which was as stimulating to the lungs as MOHAMMED OVERTAKES US. 409 herb-tea to the stomach. Our provisions soon felt the effects of this continual dry heat. Dates became as pebbles of jasper, and when I asked my servant for bread, he gave me a stone. As we were journeying along over the plain, we spied a man on a camel trotting behind us, and in half an hour, lo 1 Mohammed the guide. The old scamp came up with a younger brother behind him, whom he had brought without asking permission, and without bringing food for him. This made eight persons I was obliged to feed, and as our bread and meat were only calculated for " six, I put them on allow- ance. Mohammed had his hair newly plaited and covered with a layer of mutton-fat, a quarter of an inch thick. I saw very little of the vaunted temperance of the Arabs. True, they will live on dates — ^when they can get nothing else ; and they will go without water for a day — when they have none. I found a quart of water daily amply sufficient for my own needs, notwithstanding the great heat we endured; but I do not think one of the men drank less than a gallon in the same time, and as for their eating, Achmet frequently declared that they would finish a whole sheep before getting to " el hamdu lillah ! "-^the usual Arabic grace after meat. Towards sunset we reached Sin open space of ground which had not been touched since the rains of the previous summer. The soil had been washed smooth and then dried away in the sun, leaving a thin, cracked crust, like that which frequently forms after a light snow-fall. Our camel's feet broke through at every step, making the only trails which crossed it, except those of gazelles and vultures. Achmet was about to pitch my tent near some snaky-looking holes, but I had it moved to a clearer spot. I slept without interruption, but in the morn- 18 410 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. ing, as he was about to roll up my mattrass, he suddenly let it drop and rushed out of the tent, exclaiming : " Oh master, come out ! come out ! There is a great snaie in your bed ! " I looked, and truly enough, there was an ugly spotted reptile coiled up on the straw matting. The men heard the alarm, and my servant Ali immediately came running up with a club. As he was afraid to enter the tent, he threw it to me, and with one blow I put the snake beyond the power of doing harm. It was not more than two feet long, but thick and club- shaped, and with a back coVered with green, brown and yellow scales, very hard and bright. The Arabs, who by this time had come to the rescue, said it was a most venomous creature, its bite causing instant deatL "■ Allah'kereem / " (Grod is merciful !) I exclaimed, and they all heartily respond- ed : "God be praised!" They said that the occurrence de- noted long life to me. Although no birds were to be seen at the time, not ten minutes had elapsed before two large crows appeared in the air. After wheeling over us once or twice, they alighted near the snake. At first, they walked around it at a distance, occasionally exchanging glances, and turning up their heads in a shrewd manner, which plainly said : "No you don't, old fellow ! want to Aake us believe you're dead, do you?" They bantered each other to take hold of it first, and at last the boldest seized it suddenly by the tail, jumped back- ward two or three feet and then let it fall. He looked at the other, as much as to say : " If he's not dead, it's a capital sham 1 " The other made a similar essay, after which they alternately dragged and shook it, and consulted some time, before they agreed that it was actually dead. One of them then took it by the tail and sailed ofi' through the air, its scales glittering in the sun as it dangled downward. WE ENCOUNTER A SAND-STORM, 4H On the third day we left the plain and entered oq a region of black, stony ridges, with grass and thorns in the long hoi- lows between them. The sky was so clear that the moon (in her last quarter) was visible until nearly noon. About ten o'clock, from one of the porphyry hills, I caught sight of Djebel Attshan, or the Mountain of Thirst, which crosses the middle of the Beyooda. It was in the north and north-west, apparently about thirty miles distant. During the morning I saw four beautiful gazelles, not more than a stone's throw distant. One of them was lame, which induced me to believe that I could catch it. I got down from my camel and crept stealthily to the crest of the ridge, but when I looked down the other side, no gazelle was to be seen. Half a dozen nar row gullies branched away among the loose mounds of stones, and further search would have been useless. At noon we reached another and different region. The' grass and thorns disappeared, and the swells of black gravel gave place to long drifts of bright yellow sand which extended on all sides as far as the eye could reach. We toiled on, over drift after drift, but there was still the same dreary yellow waste, whitening in the distance under the glare of the sun. At first, the air was so tremulous with the radiated heat, that the whole landscape glittered and wavered like the sea, and the brain became giddy from gazing on its unsteady lines. But as the wind began to blow more violently, this disappeared. The sky then became obscured nearly to the zenith, with a dull purple haze, arising from the myriads of fine grains of sand with w^hich the air was filled. The sun became invisible, although there were no clouds in the sky, and we seemed to be journeying under a firmament of rusty copper. The drifts 412 iOVRSKY TO CEXTRAL AFRICA. were constantly forming and changing sliape, and the sand vibrated along their edges or seadded in swift ripples oyer the plain, with that dry, sharp sonnd one hears in winter, when the " North-wind's mMMHy" is going mi. The air was with- ering in its fierce heat and occasioned intense thirst, which, fortunately, we were able to relieve. The storm grew more violent and the burning labyrinths of sand more intricate, as we advanced. The path was hidden under drifts five or six feet in height, and the tall yellow walls were creeping every minute nearer, to cover it completely. The piles of stones, however, which the Arabs have made on the tops of the ridges and replace as often as they are thrown down, guided us, and after three hours and a half in a spot which might serve as the fourth circle of Dante's Hell, we emerged on the c^en plain and saw again the Mountain of Thirst, which had been hidden all this time. The camels, whidi were restless and uneasy in the sand, now walked more cheerily. The sun came out again, but the sky still retained its lurid purple hue. We all drank deeply of the brown leathery contents of our water-skins and pushed steadily onward till camping-time, at sunset. While the storm lasted, the Arabs crouched close under the flanks of the camels and sheltered themselves frosm the sand. Achmet and the Dongolese merchant unrolled their turbans and muffled them around their faces, but on following their exam- ple I experienced such a stifling sensation of heat that I at once desisted, and rode with my head exposed as usuaL We halted in a meadow-like hollow, full of abundant grass, in which the weary camels made amends for their hardships. The wind howled so fiercely around my tent that I went to deep expecting to have it blown about my ears before mom- THE WBLLS OF DJEEKDUD. 413 bg. Djebel Attshan was dimly visible in the starlight, and we saw the light of fires kindled by the Arabs who live at the wells of Djeekdud. Said was anxious to go on to the wells and have a carouse with the natives, and when I refused threatened to leave me and go on alone to Merawe. " Go ! " said I, "just as soon as you like" — but this was the very thing he did not want. The heat which I had absorbed through the day began to ooze out again as the temperature of the air fell, and my body glowed until ' midnight like a mass of molten metal. On lifting up my blanket, that night, a large scorpion tumbled out, but scampered away so quickly that we could not kill him. We were up betimes the next morning, and off for Bir Djeekdud. At ten o'clock we entered a wide valley extending to the southern base of the mountains. It was quite over- grown with bushy tufts of grass and. scattering clumps of trees. Herds of goats and sheep, with a few camels and don- keys, were browsing over its surface, and I saw the Arab herds- men at a distance. The wells lie in a narrow wady, shut in by the mountains, about two miles east of the caravan track. Wo therefore halted in the shade of a spreading mimosa, and sent Said and the guide's brother with the water-skins. I took my breakfast leisurely, and was lying on my back, half lulled to sleep by the singing of the wind, when the Dongolese arrived. He gave us to drink from his fresh supply of water, and in- formed us that the wells in the valley were not good, but that there was a deposit in the rocks above, which was pure and sweet. I therefore sent Ali off in all haste on one of my dromedaries, to have my skins filled from the latter place which occasioned a further delay of two hours. An Arab 414 JOURSEY TO CBKTRAL AFRICA. femily of the small Saurat tribe, which inhabits that re^on, was encamped at a little distance, but did not venture to approach. Ali described the well as a vast natural hoUow in the jwrphyiy rock, in the centre of a basin, or valley, near the top of the mountain. The water is held as in a tank ; it is from twenty to thirty feet deep, and as clear as crystal The taste is deliciously pure and fresh. If I had known this in time, I should have visited the plac& The v^ey of Djeekdnd is about two miles broad, inclosed on the north by the dark-red porphyry rocks of the Mountain of Thirst, and on the south by a smaller group of similar formation. It is crossed in two places by broad strata of red granite. As water can readily be obtained in any part of it by digging, the whole of it is capable of cultivation. Leading our halting place, we journeyed westward through a gate of the mountains into a broader valley, where numerous herds of sheep were feeding. I saw but few Arabs, and those were mostly children, who had charge of the herds. The tribe resides principally in the mountains, on account of great- er security against the attacks of enemies. The afternoon was hot like all preceding ones, and my Arabs drank immense quantities of water. We kept on our course until five o'clock, when we encamped opposite a broad valley, which broke into the mountains at right angles to their course. It was a wild spot, and the landscape, barren as it was, possessed much natural beauty. During the afternoon we left the high road to Ambukol, and took a branch track leading to Merawe, which lay more to the northward. The next morning, after skirting the porphyry range for DESERT INTOXICATION. 416 several hours, we entered a narrow valley leading into its depths. The way was stony and rough, and we travelled for three hours, constantly ascending, up the dry bed of a summer stream. The mountains rose a thousand feet above us in some places. Near the entrance of the valley, we passed an Arab watering a large floc^ of sheep at a pool of green water which lay in a hollow of the rooks. After ascending the pass for nearly four hours, we crossed the summit ridge and enter- ed on a high table-land, eight or ten miles in length and entirely surrounded by branches of the mountain chain. The plain was thinly covered with grass, mimosas and nebbuk, among which a single camel was browsing. At night wa reached the opposite side, and encamped at the foot of a lofty black spur of the mountains, not far from a well which Moham- med called Bir Abou-Seray. Duriiig the night I was troubled with a heavy feeling in the head, and found it almost impossible to sleep. I arose with a sensation of giddiness, which continued all day. At times I found it very difficult to maintain my seat on the dromedary. It required a great effort to keep my eyes open, as the sunshine increased the symptoms. This condition affected my mind in a singular manner. Past scenes in my life revived, with so strong an impression of reality, that I no longer knew where I was. The hot, yellow landscape around mc, was a dream ; the cries of my camel-drivers were fantastic sounds which my imagination had conjured up. After a most bewildering and fatiguing day, I drank several cups of strong tea, rolled myself in a thick cotton quilt, and sweat to distrac- tion until morning. The moisture I lost relieved my head, aa a shower clears a sultry sky, and the symptoms gradually left 41 C JOUKNIET TO CEKTRAL AVlllCA. me. Whether they were caused by breatMng a more rarefied atmosphere, — ^for the plain was nearly fifteen hundred feet above the Nile level — in a heat more than usually intense, or by an attack of that malady whidi Bichardson aptly calls the " intoxication of the Desert," I cannot decide. After leaving Bir Abou-Seray, we continued our slow de- scent of the northern side of the mountain range, by a wind- ing valley, following the dry bed of a summer river. The mountains were a thousand feet hi^ and linked in regular ranges, which had a general north-east and south-west direc- tion. The landscapes of the day were all exceedingly wild and picturesque. The vegetation was abundant along the banks of the river-bed, the doum-palm appeariug occasionally among the groves of thorn and nebbuL In some places the river had washed the bases of the mountains and laid bare their huge strata of rock, whose round black masses glittered in the sunshine, showing the gradual poli^ of the waves. Towards noon the pass enlarged into a broad plain, six miles in diameter, and entirely bounded by mountains. To the north- east it opened into another and larger plain, across whose blue surface rose the pyramidal peaks of a higher mountain chain than I had yet seen. Some of them were upwards of two thousand feet in height. The scenery here was truly grand and imposing. Beyond the plain we passed into a broader valley, girdled by lower hills. The river-bed, which we crossed from time to time, increased in breadth and showed a more dense vegetation on its banks. We expected to have reached another well, but there was no sign of it at sunset, and as I had already found that my guide, Mohammed, knew nothing of the road, I encamped at once. A BARBARIC SCENE. 417 We arose by daybreak, hoping to reach the Nile. Aftei somewhat more than two hours' journey, we met a carayan of about three hundred camels, laden with bales of cotton drill- ings, for the clothing of the new regiments of soldiers then being raised in Soudan. The foremost camels were a mile from Bir Khannik, while the hindmost were still drinking at the well. The caravan had Kababish drivers and guides — wild, long-haired, half-naked Arabs, with spears in their .Viands and shields of hippopotamus hide on their shoulders. They told us we were still a day and a half from Merawe. We rode on to the well, which was an immense pit, dug in the open plain. It was about fifty feet deep, and the Arabs were oblig- ed to draw the water in skins let down with ropes. The top curved into the well like a shallow bowl, from the earth con- tinually crumbling down, and the mouth of the shaft was pro- tected by trunks of trees, on which the men stood while they drew the water. Around the top were shallow basins lined with clay, out of which the camels drank. The fierce Kababish were shouting and gesticulating on all sides as we rode up — some leading the camels to kneel and drink, some holding the water-skins, and others brandishing their spears and swords in angry contention. Under the hot sun, on the sandy plain, it was a picture truly mid- African in all its features. The water had an insipid, brackish taste, and I was very glad that I had prevented my Arabs from drinking all wo had brought from the porphyry fountain of Bjeekdud. We watered our camels, however, which detained us long enough to see a fight be- tween two of the Kababish guides. There were so many persons to interfere that neither could injure the other, but the whole group of actors and sympathizers, struggling on 18* ^18 JOURKEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. the brink of the well, came near being precipitated to th« bottom. Our road now turned to the north, through a gap in the low hills and over a tract of burnt, barren, rolling wastes of white sand and gravel Towards evening we came again to the river-bed, here broad and shallow. This part of the Desert is inhabited by the Saflrat and Huni tribes, and we saw large herds of sheep and goats wherever the halfeh grass abounded. At sunset there were no signs of the Nile, so I had the tent pitched in the middle of the dry river-channel. In front of US, on a low mound, the red walls of a ruined building shone in the last rays of the sun. The next day — ^the eighth since leaving El Metemma — was intensely hot and sultry, without a breath of air stirring. While walking towards the ruins, I came upon two herds of gazelles, so tame that I approached within thirty yards, and could plainly see the expression of surprise and curiosity in their dark eyes. When I came too near, they would bleat like lambs, bound away a little distance and then stop again. The building, which stood on the stony slope of a hill,^ was sur- rounded with loose walls, in a dilapidated condition. The foundation, rising about six feet above the earth, is stone, above which the walls are of brick, covered with a thin coating of cement. The building is about eighty feet in length by forty in breadth, but the walls which remain are not more than twenty feet high. It is believed to have been an ancient Cop- tic moaastery, and probably dates from the earlier ages of Christianity. The ruins of other houses, built of loose stones, surround the principal edifice, which was undoubtedly a church, and the ground around is strewn with fragments of burnt brick DISTANT VIEW OF THE NILE. 419 and pottery. There is a churchyard near at hand, with tombstones which contain inscriptions both in G-reek and Coptic. We rode slowly down the broad river-bed, which gradually widened, and after two or three hours saw far in advance a line of red, glowing sand-hills, which I knew could not be on the southern side of the Nile. Still we went on, under the clear, hot sky, the valley widening into a plain the while, and I sought anxiously for some sign that the weary Desert was crossed. Finally, I saw, above the endless clusters of thorns, a line of darker, richer green, far away in the burning distance, and knew it to be a grove of date-palms — the glorious signal of the Nile. This put new life into me, and thenceforth I felt the scorching heat no longer. To the north, beyond the palms, appeared an isolated mountain of singular form — the summit being flat and the sides almost perpendicular. It must be Djebel Berkel, I thought, and I told Mohammed so, but he said it was not. Just then, I saw an Arab herdsman among the thorns and called out to him to know the name of the mountain. " Djebel Berkel," said he. He then accosted Mo- hammed : " Where are you going?" " To Merawe." "Are you the guide ? " he again inquired, bursting into a loud laugh. " You are a fine guide ; there is Merawe I " pointing in a di- rection very different from that we were going. This complet- ed the old fellow's discomfiture. We were still five or six miles distant from the river and took a random path over the plain, in the direction indicated by the herdsman. The palms rose higher and showed a richer foliage ; mud walls appeared in their shade, and a tall minaret on the opposite bank of the river pointed out the location of the town. I-*ode down out 420 JOURNEY TO CENTEAL AFKIOA. of the drear, hot sand — ^the sea where I had been drifting for seven wearisome days — ^to the little village of Abdom, embow- ered in a paradise of green ; palms above, dazzling wheat-fields, dark cotton-fields and blossoming beans below. A blessed resting-place ! OUR WHEREABOUTS. 42] Shekh Abd e'-DjeM. , CHAPTEE_ XXXIII. THREE DAYS AT NAPATA, Our wbereabouts— Shpkh Mohammed Abd e'-DjebM — My residence at Abd6m — Cross ing the River — A Superb Landscape — ^The Town of Merawe — Ride to Bjebel Berke) — The Temples of Napata — Ascent of the Mountain — Ethiopian Panorama — Lost and Found — Tho Pyramids — The Governor of Mprawe — ^A Scene in the Divan — The- Shekh and I — The^Governor Bines with me — Ruins of the City of Napata- A Talk about Religions — Engaging Camels fbr Wadi-Halfii— The Shekb's Parting Blessing; "Under the palm-trees by the river's side." — ^Kkats. Abdom, the friendly haven into which I had drifted after an eight days' voyage in the fiery sea of the Desert, is a village on the eastern bank of the Nile, which, after passing Abou- Hammed, flows to the south-west and south vmtil *, -.jaches 422 JOURNEl TO UENTEAL AFRICA. tbe frontier of Dongola. On the opposite bank is Merawe, the former capital of Dar Shygheea, which must not be confounded with the ancient Meroe, the ruins of which, near Shendy, .1 have already described. True, the identity of the names aA first deceived antiquarians, who supposed the temples and pyra- mids in this neighborhood to have belonged to the capital of the old Hierarchy of Meroe ; but it is now satisfactorily estal- lished that they mark the site of Napata, the capital of Ethio- pia up to the time of the Caesars. It was the limit of the cele- brated expedition of the Eoman soldiers, under Petronius. Djebel Berkel, at whose base the principal remains are found, is in lat. 18° 35', or thereabouts. I was welcomed to AbdOm by the Shekh or holy man of the place, who met me on the verge of the Desert, and con- ducted me to the best of his two houses. Shekh Mohammed, Abd e'-DjebAl (Mohammed, the Slave of the Mountains), was a dignified old man of sixty, with a gray beard and brown com- plexion, and was the owner of a water-mill, several fields of wheat and cotton, and an abundance of palm-trees. He had two wives, each of whom, with her family, occupied a separate house — a great mark of discretion on the part of Mohammed. Domestic quiet was thus secured to him, while he possessed that in which the Arab most glories and rejoices — a numerous family of children. His youngest wife, a woman of thirty, immediately vacated the house on my arrival, and took up her temporary residence in a tent of palm-matting, with her four children. The dwelling into which I was ushered was a square structure of clay, one story high, with one door and no windows. It had a flat roof of palm logs, covered with thatch, and tbe inside walls were hung with large mats, plaited with MY RESIDENCE AT ABDOM. 42C brilliantly-colored palm blades. Fancy vessels of baked clay, baskets, ostrich eggs, and other ornaments were suspended from the roof in slings of palm fibre, and a very large white mat covered half the floor. Here my bed was laid, and my camp-stool, placed in front of it, formed a table. The Shekh, who was with me nearly all the time of my stay, sat on the floor in front of me, stnd never entered or departed from the house, without saying " BismiUahi" ("in the name of God"), as he crossed the threshold. Outside of the door was a broad divan, running along the north side of the house. It therefore pointed towards Mecca and was a most agreeable praying-place for the holy man. On my arrival, after first having taken a bath in the Nile, I sat there the rest of the day, tasting the luxury of coolness and shade, and steeping my eyes in the balm of refreshing colors. A clump of some twenty date-trees grew in front of the door, throwing over us a g&rgeous canopy of leaves. Fields of wheat in head, waist-deep, surrounded the house, insulating it in a sea of greenness, over which I saw the hills of the Desert, no longer terrible, but soft and fair and far as clouds smouldering in the roseate fires of an Eastern sunrise. Very early the next morning the Shekh and his sons and their asses were in readiness to accompany me to Djebel Berkel. We walked down between the Shekh's gardens to the Nile, where the ferry-boat was waiting to convey us across. I was enchanted with the picture which the shores presented. The air was filled with a light, silvery vapor (a characteristic of sultry weather in Africa), softening the deep, rich color of the landscape. The eastern bank was one bower of pa;lms, stand- ing motionless, in perfect groups, above the long, sloping banks 424 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. of beans in blosaom. Such grace and glory, such silence and repose, I thought I had never before seen in the vegetable world. Opposite, the mined palaces of the old Shygheean Kings and the mud and stone hovels of modern Merawe rose in picturesque piles above the river bank and below the red sandstone bluffs of the Nubian Desert, which overhung them and poured the sand through deep rents and fissures upon their very roofs. The mosque, with a, tall, circular minaret, stood embowered in a garden of date-palms, under one of the highest bluffs. Up the river, which stretched glittering into the dis- tance, the forest of trees shut out the view of the Desert, ex- cept Djebel Berkel, which stood high and grand above them, the morning painting its surface with red lights and purple shadows. Over the misty horizon of the river rose a single conical peak, far away. The sky was a pale, sleepy blue, and all that I saw seemed beautiful dream-pictures— every where grace, beauty, splendor of coloring, steeped in Elysian repose. It is impossible to describe the glory of that passage across the river. It paid me for all the hardships of the Desert. When we touched the other shore and mounted the little donkeys we had taken across with us, the ideal character of the scene disappeared, but left a reality picturesque and poetia enough. The beasts were without bridles, and were only fur- nished with small wooden saddles, without girths or stirrups. One was obliged to keep his poise, and leave the rest to the donkey, who, however, suffered himself to be guided by strik- ing the side of his neck. We rode under a cluster of ruined stone buildings, one of which occupied considerable space, ris- ing pylon-like, to the height of thirty feet. The Shekh in- formed me that it had been the palace of a Shygheean king, be- THE SCENERY OF MERAWE. 425 fore the Turks got possession of the country. It was whollj dilapidated, but a few Arab families were living in the ston« dvrellings which surround it. These clusters of shattered buildings extend for more than a mile along the river, and are all now known as Merawe. Our road led between fields of ripening wheat, rolling in green billows before the breeze, on one side, and on the other, not more than three yards distant, the naked sandstone walls of the Desert, where a blade of grass never grew. Over the wheat, along the bank of the Nile, rose a long forest of palms, so thickly ranged that the eye could scarcely penetrate their dense, cool shade ; while on the other hand the glaring sand-hills showed their burning shoulders above the bluffs. It was a most violent contrast, and yet, withal, there was a certain harmony in these opposite features. A remarkably fat man, riding on a donkey, niet us. The Shekh compared him to a hippopotamus, and said that his fat came from eating mutton and drinking om hitbil day and night, At the end of the town we came to a sort of guard-house, shaded by two sycamores. A single soldier was in attendance, and apparently tired of having nothing to do, as he immediate- ly caught his donkey and rode with us to Djebel Berkel. We now approached the mountain, which is between three and four miles from the town. It rises from out the sands of the Nubian Desert, to the height of five hundred feet, present- ing a front completely perpendicular towards the river. It is inaccessible on all sides except the north, which in one place has an inclination of 45°. Its scarred and shattered walls of naked standstone stand up stern and sublime in the midst of the hot and languid landscape. As we approached, a group of pyramids appeared on the brow of a sand-hill to the left, and 1 426 JOURNKT TO CENTKAl AFRICA. diBcerned at the base of the mountaiQ Beveral isolated pillars, the Btone-piles of ruined pylons, and other remains of temples. The first we reached was at the south-eastern corner of the mountain. Amid heaps of sandstone blocks and disjointed segments of pillars, five columns of an exceedingly old form still point out the court of a temple, whose adyta are hewn within in the mountain. They are not more than ten feet high and three in diameter, circular, and without capital or abacus, unless a larger block, rudely sculptured with the out- lines of a Typhon-head, may be considered as such. The doorway is hurled down and defaced, but the cartouches of kings may still be traced on the fragments. There are three chambers in the rock, the walls of which are covered with sculptures, for the most part representing the Egyptian divini- ties. The temple was probably dedicated to Typhon, or the Evil Principle, as one of the columns is still faced with a caryatid of the short, plump, big-mouthed and bat-eared figure, which elsewhere represents him. Over the entrance is the sacred winged globe, and the ceiling shows the marks of bril- liant coloring. The temple is not remarkable for its architec- ture, and can only be interesting in an antiquarian point of view. It bears some resemblance in its general style to the Temple-palace of Goorneh, at Thebes. The eastern base of the mountain, which fronts the Nile, is strewn with hewn blocks, fragments of capitals, immense masses of dark bluish-gray granite, and other remains, which prove that a large and magnificent temple once stood there The excavations made by Lepsius and others have uncovered the substructions sufiiciently to show the general plan of two buildings. The main temple was at the north eastern corner CLIMBING DJEBBL BERKEL. 421 of the mountain, under the highest point of its perpendicular crags. The remains of its small propylons stand in advance, about two hundred yards from the rock, going towards which, you climb the mound formed by the ruins of a large pylon, at the foot of which are two colossal ram-headed sphinxes of blue granite, buried to theil- necks in the sand. Beyond this is a portico and pillared court, followed -by other courts and laby- rinths of chambers. Several large blocks of granite, all more or less broken and defaced, lie on the surface or half quarried from the rubbish. They are very finely polished and contain figures of kings, evidently arranged in genealogical order, each accompanied with his name. The shekh had a great deal to tell me of the Franks, who dug up all the place, and set the people to work at hauling away the lions and rams, which they carried off in ships. I looked in vain for the celebrated pedes- tal ; it has probably become the spoil of Lepsius. While taking a sketch of the mountain from the eastern side, I found the heat almost insupportable. The shekh look- ed over my shoulder all the time, and at the end pronounced it temam — " perfect." I then proposed climbing the moun- tain, as he had said one could see the whole world from the top. He was bound to go with me wherever I went, but shrank from climbing El Berkel. It would require two hours, he said, to go up. After eating a slice of watermelon in the shade of one of the pillars, I took off my jacket and started alone, and very soon he was at my side, panting and sweating with the exertion. We began at the point most easy of ascent, yet found it toilsome enough. After passing the loose frag- ments which lie scattered around the base, we came upon a steep slope of sliding sand and stones, blown from the desert. 428 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. We sank in this nearly to the knees, and slid backward at each step at least half as far as w6 had stepped forward. We were obliged to rest every three or four steps, and take breath, moistening the sand meanwhile with a rain of sweat-drops. *' Surely there is no other' mountain in the world so high as this," said the shekh, and I was ready to agree with him. At last we reached the top, a nearly level space of about ten acres. There was a pleasant breeze here, but the Ethiopian world below was dozing in an atmosphere of blue heat. There was too much vapor in the air to see the farthest objects distinctly, and the pyramids of Noori, further up the river, on its eastern bank, were not visible. The Nile lay curved in the middle of the picture like a flood of molten glass, on cither side its palmy " knots of paradise," then the wheat fields, lying like slabs of emerald against the tawny sands, that rolled in hot drifts and waves and long ridgy swells to the horizon north and south, broken here and there by the jagged porphyry peaks. Before me, to the south-east, were the rugged hills of the Beyooda ; behind me, to the north and west, the burning wil- derness of the Great Nubian Desert. As I sought for my glass, to see the view more distinctly, I became aware that I had lost my pocket-book on the way up. As it contained some money and all my keys, I was not a little troubled, and mentioned my loss to Shekh Mohammed. We immediately returned in search of it, sliding down the sand and feeling with our hands and feet therein. We had made more than half the descent, and I began to consider the search hopeless, when the shekh, who was a little in advance, cried out : " Sidi ! God be praised ! God bo praised ! " He saw the corner sticking out of the sand, took it up, kissed n, THE PYRAMIDS. 429 and laid it on one eye, while he knelt with his old head turned up, that I might take it off. I tied it securely in a corner of my shawl and we slid to the bottom, where we found Achmet and the young shekhs in the shade of a huge projecting cliff, with breakfast spread out on the sand. It was now noon, and only the pyramids remained to be seen on that side of the river. The main group is about a third of a mile from the mountain, on the ridge of a sand-hill. There are six pyramids, nearly entire, and the foundations of others. They are almost precisely similar to those of the real Meroe, each having a small exterior chamber on the eastern side. Like the latter, they are built of sandstone blocks, only filled at the corners, which are covered with a hem or mould- ing ; the sides of two of them are convex. On all of them the last eight or ten courses next the top have been smoothed to follow the slope of the side. It was no doubt intended to finish them all in this manner. One of them has also the cor- ner moulding rounded, so as to form a scroll, like that on the cornice of many of the Egyptian temples. They are not more than fifty feet in height, with very narrow bases. One of them, indeed, seems to be the connecting link between the pyramid and the obelisk. Nearer the river is an older pyra- mid, though no regular courses of stone are to be seen any longer. These sepulchral remains, however, are much inferior to those of Meroe. The oldest names found at Napata are those of Amenoph III. and Eemeses II. (1630 B. C. and 1400 B. C.) both of whom subjected Nubia to their rule. The remains of Ethi- opian art, however, go no further than King Tirkaka, 730 B. C. — the Ethiopian monarch, who, in the time of Hezekiah, 430 JOURNEY TO CENTEAI, AFRICA. marched into Palestine to meet Sennacherib, King of Assyria, Napata, therefore, occupies an intermediate place in history between Thebes and Meroe, showing the gradual southward progress of Egyptian art and civilization. It is a curious fact that the old religion of Egypt should have been here met fac» to face, and overthrown, by Christianity, which, starting in the mountains of Abyssinia, followed the course of the Nile north- ward. In the sisth century of our era, Ethiopia and Nubia were converted to Christianity and remained thus until the fourteenth century, when they fell beneath the sword of Islam. We rode back to the town on our uneasy donkey saddles. As I wanted small money, the shekh proposed my calling on Achmedar Kashif, the Governor of Merawe and Ambukol, and asking him to change me some medjids. We accordingly rode under the imposing stone piles of the old kings to the residence of the Kashif, a two-story mud house with a portico in front, covered with matting. It was the day for the people of the neighborhood to pay their tulbehy or tax, and some of his officers were seated on the ground in the shade, settling this business with a crowd of Arabs. I went up stairs to the divan, and found the Kashif rolling himself in his shawl for dinner, which his slaves had just brought up. He received me cordially, and I took my seat beside him on the floor and dipped my fingers into the various dishes. There was a pan of baked fish, which was excellent, after which came a tray of scarlet watermelon slices, coffee, pipes, and lastly a cup of hot sugar syrup. He readily promised to change me the money, and afterwards accepted my invitation to dinner. I stayed an hour longer, and had an opportunity of witness- ing some remarkable scenes. A woman came in to complain A SCENE IN THE DIVAN. 481 of her husband, who had married another woman, leaving her with one child. She had a cow of her own, which he had forcibly taken and given to his new wife. The Kashif listen- ed to her story, and then detaching his seal from his button- hole, gave it to an attendant, as a summons which the delin- quent dare not disobey. A company of men afterwards came to adjust some dispute about a water-mill. They spoke so fast and in such a violent and excited manner, that I could not comprehend the nature of the quarrel; but the group they made was most remarkable. They leaned forward with flash- ing teeth and eyes, holding the folds of their long mantles with one hand, while they dashed and hurled the other in the air, in the violence of their contention. One would suppose that they must all perish the next instant by spontaneous combus- tion. The Kashif was calmness itself all the while, and after getting the particulars — a feat which I considered marvellous — quietly gave his decision. Some of the party protested against it, whereupon he listened attentively, but, finding no reason to change his judgment, repeated it. Still the Arabs screamed and gesticulated. He ejaculated imshee ! (" get away ! ") in a thundering tone, dealt the nearest ones a vigorous blow with his fist, and speedily cleared the divan. The Kashif offered to engage camels and a guide for New Dongola, in case I chose to go by the Nubian Desert — a journey of three or four days, through a terrible waste of sand and rocks, without grass or water. The route being new, had some attractions, but I afterwards decided to adhere to my original plan of following the course of the river to Ambukol and Old Dongola. I made preparations for giving the Kashif a handsome dinner. I had mutton and fowls, and Achmet procured eggs, 432 JOUENKY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. milk and vegetables, and set his whole available force to work Meanwhile the shekh and I sat on the divan outside the door, and exchanged compliments. He sold me a sword from Bornou, which he had purchased from an Arab merchant who had worn it to Mecca. He told me he considered me as his two eyes, and would give me one of his sons, if I desired, Then he rendered me an account of his family, occasionally pointing out the members thereof, as they passed to and fro among the palms. He asked me how many children I had, and I was obliged to confess myself whoUy his inferior in this respect. " God grant," said he, " that when you go back to your own country, you m?iy have many sons, just like that one," pointing to a naked Cupidon of four years old, of a rich chocolate-brown color. " God grant it," I was obliged to reply, conformably to the rules of Arab politeness, but I men^ tally gave the words the significance of " God forbid it ! " The shekh, who was actually quite familiar with the ruins in Ethiopia, and an excellent guide to ,them, informed me that they were four thousand years old; that the country was at that time in possession of the English, but afterwards the Arabs drove them out. This corresponds with an idea very prevalent in Egypt, that the temples were built by the fore- fathers of the Frank travellers, who once lived there, and that is the reason why the Franks make a hadj, or pilgrimage to see them. I related to the shekh the history of the warlike Queen Candace, who once lived there, in her capital of Napata, and he was so much interested in the story that he vreote it down, transforming her name mU> Kandasiyeh. Some later traveller will be surprised to find a tradition of the aforesaid queen, no doubt with many grotesque embellishmentg, told him on the site of her capital. VISIT FROM THE KASHIF. 433 Dinner was ready at sunset, the appointed time, but the Kashif did not come. I waited one hour, two hours ; still he same not. Thereupon I invited Aohmet and the shekh, and we made an excellent dinner in Turkish style. It was just over, and I was stretched out without jacket or tarboosh, en- joying my pipe, when we heard the ferrymen singing on the river below, and soon afterwards the Kashif appeared at the door. He apologized, saying he had been occupied in hia divan. I had dinner served again, and tasted the dishes to encourage him, but it appeared that he had not been able to keep his appetite so long, and had dined also. Still, he ate enough to satisfy me that he relished my dishes, and after- wards drank a sherbet of sugar and vinegar with great gusto. He had three or four attendants, and with him came a Berber merchant, who had lately been in Khartoum. I produced my sketch-book and maps, and astonished the company for three hours. I happened to have a book of Shaksperean views, which I had purchased in Stratford-on-Avon. The picture of Shakspere gave the Kashif and shekh great delight, and the former considered the hovel in which the poet was born, "very grand." The church in Stratford they thought a marvellous building, and the merchant confessed that it was greater than Lattif Pasha's palace in Khartoum, which he had supposed to be the finest building in the world. The next morning the shekh proposed going with me to the remains of a temple, half an hour distant, on the eastern bank of the river ; the place, he said, where the people found the little images, agates and scarabei, which they brought to me in great quantities. After walking a mile and a half over the sands, which have here crowded the vegetation to the very 19 434 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. water's edge, we came to a broad mound of stones, broien bricks and pottery, with a foundation wall of heavy limestone blocks, along the western side. There were traces of doors and niches, and on the summit of the mound the pedestals of columns similar to those of Bl Berkel. From this place com- menced a waste of ruins, extending for nearly two miles to- wards ' the north-west, while the breadth, from east to west, was about equal. For the most part, the buildings were en- tirely concealed by the sand, which was filled with fragments of pottery and glass, and with shining pebbles of jasper, agate and chalcedony. Half a mile further, we struck on another mound, of greater extent, though the buildings were entirely level with the earth. The foundations of pillars were abun- dant, and fragments of circular limestone blocks lay crumbling to pieces in the rubbish. The most interesting object was a mutilated figure of blue granite, of which only a huge pair of wings could be recognized. The shekh said that all the Frank travellers who came there broke off a piece and carried it away with them. I did not follow their example. Towards the river were many remains of crude brick walls, and the ground was strewn with pieces of excellent hard-burnt bricks. The sand evidently conceals many interesting objects. I saw in one place, where it had fallen in, the entrance to a chamber, wholly below the surface. The Arabs were at work in various parts of the plain, digging up the sand, which they filled in baskets and carried away on donkeys. The shekh said it con- tained salt, and was very good to make wheat grow, whence I inferred that the earth is nitrous. We walked for an hour or two over the ruins, finding everywhere the evidence that a large capital had once stood on the spot. The bits of water- •WE COMPAKK RELIGIONS. 436 jars which we picked up were frequently painted and glazed with much skill. The soil was in many places wholly compos- ed of the debris of the former dwellings. This was, without doubt, the ancient Napata, of which Djebel Berkel was only the necropolis. Napata must have been one of the greatest cities of Ancient Africa, after Thebes, Memphis and Carthage. I felt a peculiar interest in wandering over the site of that half-forgotten capital, whereof the ancient historians knew lit- tle more than we. That so little is said by them in relation to it is somewhat surprising, notwithstanding its distance from the Roman frontier. In the afternoon, Achmet, with great exertion, backed by all the influence of the Kashif, succeeded in obtaining ten pias- tres worth of bread. The latter sent me the shekh of the camels, who furnished me with three animals and three men, to Wadi Haifa, at ninety-five piastres apiece. They were to accompany my caravan to Ambukol, on the Dongolese frontier, where the camels from Khartoum were to be discharged. I epent the rest of the day talking with the shekh on religious matters. He gave me the history of Christ, in return for which I related to him that of the Soul of Mahomet, from one hundred and ten thousand years before the Creation of the World, until his birth, according to the Arab Chronicles This quite overcame him. He seized my hand and kissed it with fervor, acknowledging me as the more holy man of the two. He said he had read the Books of Moses, the Psalms of David and the Gospel of Christ, but liked David best, whose words flowed like the sound of the sumarra, or Arab flute. To illustrate it, he chanted one of the Psalms in a series of not unmusical cadences. He then undertook to repeat the ninety- 436 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. attributes of God, and thonglit he succeeded, but I noticed that several of the epithets were repeated more than once. The north wind increased during the afternoon, and towards night blew a very gale. The sand came in thrgugh the door in such quantities that I was obliged to move my bed to a more sheltered part of my house. Numbers of huge black beetles, as hard and heavy as grape-shot, were dislodged from their holes and dropped around me with such loud raps that I -was scarcely able to sleep. The sky was dull and dark, hardly a star to be seen, and the wind roared in the palms like a November gale let loose among the boughs of a Northern forest. It was a grand roar, drowning the sharp rustle of the leaves when lightly stirred, and rocked my fancies as glorious- ly as the pine. In another country than Africa, I should have predicted rain, hail, equinoctial storms, or something of the kind, but there I went to sleep with a positive certainty of sunshine on the morrow. I was up at dawn, and had breakfast by sunrise ; neverthe- less, we were obliged to wait a long while for the camels, or rather the pestiferous Kababish who went after them. The new men and camels were in readiness, as the camel-shekh came over the river to see that all was right. The Kashif sent me a fine black ram, as provision for the journey. Finally, towards eight o'clock, every thing was in order and my cara- van began to move. I felt real regret at leaving the pleasant spot, especially the beautiful bower of palms at the door of my house. When my effects had been taken out, the shekh called his eldest son Saad, his wife Patima, and their two young sons, to make their salaams. They all kissed my hand, and I then gave the old man and Saad my backsheesh for their servioca. THE sheeh's blessing. idJ The shekh took the two gold medjids readily, without any hypocritical show of reluctance, and lifted my hand to his lips and forehead. When all was ready, he repeated the Fatha, or opening paragraph of the Koran, as each camel rose from its knees, in order to secure the blessing of Allah upon our journey. He then took me in his arms, kissed both my cheeks, and with tears in his eyes, stood showering pious phrases after me, till I was out of hearing. With no more vanity or self- ishness than is natural to an Arab, Shekh Mohammed Abd e'-Djebal had many excellent qualities, and there are few of my Central African acquaintances whom I would rather see again. 458 JOURNEr TO central AFRICA. CHAPTEE XXXIV. OLD DONGOLA AND NEW DONGOLA. Appearance of Ihe Country — KortI — ^The Town of Ambukol — The Caravan reorgim- ized— A Fiery Eide — "We reach Kdabbe— An Illnminatcd Landscape — A Torment —Nubian Agricnltnre — Old Dongola — The Palace-Mosqne of the Nubian Kings — A PanoramaofDesolation— The Old City— Nubian Gratitude— Another Sand-Storm — A Dreary Jonrney — ^The Approach to Handak — A House of Doubtful Character — The Inmates— Journey to El Ordee (New Dongola)— Khoorshid Boy — ^Appearance of the Town. I LEFT Abd6m on the morning of February twentieth. Oui road lay southward, along the edge of the wheat-fields, over whose waves we saw the island-like groups of palms at a little distance. For several miles the bank of the river was covered with a continuous string of villages. After skirting this glori ous garden land for two hours, we crossed a sandy tract, over- grown with the poisonous euphorbia, to avoid a curve in the river. During the whole of the afternoon, we travelled along the edge of the cultivated land, and sometimes in the midst of it, obliging my camels to stumble clumsily over the raised trenches which carried water from the river to the distant parts of the fields. Large, ruined forts of unbumt brick, exceeding- ly picturesque at a distance, stood at intervals between th« desert and the harvest-land. KORTI AND AMBUKOL. 430 The next morning was hot and sultry, with not a breath of air stirring. I rose at dawn and walked ahead for two hours, through thickets of euphorbia higher than my head, and over patches of strong, dark-green grass. The sakias were groan- ing all along the shore, and the people every where at work in the fields. The wheat was in various stages of growth, from the first thick green of the young blades to the full head. Barley was turning a pale yellow, and the dookhn, the heads of which had already been gathered, stood brown and dry. Djebel Deeka, on my right, rose bold and fair above the lines of palms, and showed a picturesq[ue glen winding in between its black-purple peaks. It was a fine feature of the landscape, which would have been almost too soft and lovely without it. Before nine o'clock we passed the large town of Korti, which, however, is rather a cluster of small towns, scattered along between the wheat-fields and the river. Some of the houses were large and massive, and with their blank walls and block-like groups, over which the doum-tree spread its arch and the date-palm hung its feathery crown, made fine African pictures — admirable types of the scenery along the Nubian Nile. Beyond the town we came upon a hot, dusty plain, sprinkled with stunted euphorbia, over which I could see the point where the Nile turns westward. Towards noon we reached the town of Ambukol, which I found to be a large agglomeration of mud and human beings, on the sand-hills, a quarter of a mile from the river. An extensive pile of mud in the centre denoted a fortress or government station of some sort. There were a few lazy Arabs sitting on the ground, on the shady side of the walls, and some women going back and forth with water-jars, but otherwise, for all the life it present- 440 JOtJRNET TO CENTRAL AFRICA. ed, the place might have been deserted. The people we mei saluted me with much respect, and those who were seated rose and remained standing until I had passed. I did not enter the town, but made direct for a great acacia tree near its west- em end. The nine camels and nine men of my caravan all rested under the shade, and there was room for as many more. A number of Arabs looked on from a distance, or hailed my camel-men, to satisfy their curiosity regarding me, but no one came near or annoyed us in any way. I took breakfast leisure- ly on my carpet, drank half a gourd of mareesa, and had still an hour to wait, before the new camels were laden. The Kababish, who had accompanied me from Khartoum, wanted a certificate, so I certified that Said was a good camel-man and Mohammed worthless as a guide. They then drank a parting jar of mareesa, and we went from under the cool acacia into the glare of the fierce sun. Our road all the afternoon was in the Desert, and we were obliged to endure a most intense and sultry heat. The next day I travelled westward oyer long dkabas, or reaches of the Desert, covered with clumps of thorns, nebbuk and the jasmine tree. The long mountain on the opposite bank was painted in rosy light against the sky, as if touched with the beams of a perpetual sunrise. My eyes always turn- ed to it with a sense of refreshment, after the weary glare of the sand. In the morning there was a brisk wind from the north-east, but towards noon it veered to the sonth-west, and then to the south, continuing to blow all day with great force. As I rode westward through the hot hours of the afternoon, it played against my face like a sheet of flame. The sky became obscured with a dull, bluish haze, and A FIERY RIDE. 441 tlie sands of the Beyooda, on my left, glimmered white and dim, as if swept by the blast of a furnace. There were occa- sional gusts that made the flesh shrink as if touched with a hot iron, and I found it impossible to bear the wind full on my face. One who has never felt it, cannot conceive the withering efi"ect of such a heat. The earth seems swept with the first fires of that conflagration beneath which the heavens will shrivel up as a scroll, and you instinctively wonder to see the palms standing green and unsinged. My camel-men crept behind the camels to get away from it, and Achmet and Ali muffled up their faces completely. I could not endure the sultry heat occasioned by such a preparation, and so rode all day with my head in the fire. About three o'clock in the afternoon we approached the Nile again. There was a grove of sont and doum-trees on the bank, surrounding a large quadrangular structure of clay, with square towers at the corners. Grave-yards stretched for nearly a mile along the edge of the Desert, and six large, dome-like heaps of clay denoted the tombs of as many holy men. "We next came upon the ruins of a large village, with a fort and a heavy palace-like building of mud. Before reaching Edabbe, the terminus of the caravan route from Kordofan, the same evening, I rode completely around the bend of the Nile, so that my dromedary's head was at last turned towards Wadi Haifa. I was hot, tired, and out of temper, but a gourd of cool water, at the first house we reached, made all right again. There were seven vessels in the river, waiting for the caravans. One had just arrived from Kordofan, and the packages of gum were piled up along the shore. We were immediately followed by the sailors, who were anxious that I should hire their ves- 19* 442 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. sels. I rode past the town, which does not contain more than thirty houses in all, and had my tent pitched on the river bank. The Nile is here half a mile broad, and a long reach of his current is visible to the north and south. The opposite bank was high and steep, lined at the water's edge with a belt of beans and lupins, behind which rose a line of palms, and still higher the hills of pale, golden-hued sand, spotted like a leop- ard's hide, with clumps of a small mimosa. The ground was a clear, tawny yellow, but the spots were deep emerald. Below the gorgeous drapery of these hills, the river glittered in a dark, purple-blue sheet. The coloring of the mid- African land- scapes is truly unparalleled. To me, it became more than a simple sense ; it grew to be an appetite. When, after a jour- ney in the Desert, I again beheld the dazzling green palms and wheat-fields of the Nile, I imagined that there was a positive sensation on the retina. I felt, or seemed to feel, physically, the colored rays — ^beams of pure emerald, topaz and amethys- tine lustre — as they struck the eye. At Edabbe I first made acquaintance with a terrible pest, which for many days afterwards occasioned me much torment — a small black fly, as venomous as the musquito, and much more difficult to drive away. I sat during the evening with my head, neck and ears closely boimd up, notwithstanding the heat. After the flies left, a multitude of beetles, moths, wing- ed ants and other nameless creatures came in their place. I sat and sweltered, murmuring for the waters of Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, and longing for a glass of sherbet cooled with the snows of Lebanon. We were up with the first glimmering of dawn. The sky THE OODNTRY OF DONGOLA. 443 was dull and hazy, and the sun came up like a shield of rusty copper, as we started. Our path lay through the midst of the cultivated land, sometimes skirting the banks of the Nile', and sometimes swerving off to the belts of sont and euphorbia which shut out the sand. The sakias, turned by a yoke of oxen each, were in motion on the river, and the men were wading through the sc[uares of wheat, cotton and barley, turning the water into them. All farming processes, from sowing to reaping, were going on at the same time. The cultivated land was frequently more than a mile in breadth, and all watered from the river. The sakias are taxed four hundred and seventy-five piastres each, notwithstanding the sum fixed by Government is only three hundred. The remain- der goes into the private treasuries of the Governors. For this reason, many persons, unable to pay the tax, emigrate into Kordofan and elsewhere. This may account for the frequent tracts of the finest soil which are abandoned. I passed many fine fields, given up to the halfeh grass, which grew most rank and abundant. My dromedary had a rare time of it, cropping the juicy bunches as he went along. The country is thickly settled, and our road was animated with natives, passing back and forth. About noon, we saw in advance, on the eastern bank of the Nile, a bold, bluff ridge, crowned with a large square building. This the people pointed out to us as the location of Old Dongola. As we approached nearer, a long line of mud buildings appeared along the brow of the hill, whose northern slope was cumbered with ruins. "We left the cara- van track and rode down to the ferry place at the river, over a long stretch of abandoned fields, where the cotton was almost 444 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. choked out with grass, and the beans and lentils were growing wild in bunches. After my tent had been pitched in a cotton- patch, I took a grateful bath in the river, and then crossed in the ferry-boat to the old town. The hill upon which it is built terminates abruptly in a precipice of red sandstone rock, about a hundred feet in height. Four enormous fragments have been broken off, and lie as they fell, on the edge of the water. A steep path through drifts of sliding yellow sand leads around the cliffs, up to the dwellings. I found the ascent laborious, as the wind, which had veered to the west, was as hot as on the previous day ; but a boatman and one of my camel-men seized a hand each and hauled me up most con- veniently. At the summit, all was ruin ; interminable lines of walls broken down, and streets filled up with sand. I went first to the Kasr, or Palace, which stands on the highest part of the hill. It is about forty feet in height, having two stories and a broad foundation wall, and is buUt mostly of burnt brick and sandstone. It is the palace of the former Dongolese Kings, and a more imposing building than one would expect to find in such a place. Near the entrance is an arched pas- sage, leading down to some subterranean chambers, which I did not explore. It needed something more than the assu- rance of an old Nubian, however, to convince me that there was an underground passage from this place to Djebel Berkel. A broad flight of stone steps ascended to the second story, in which are many chambers and passages. The walls are cover- ed with Arabic inscriptions, written in the plaster while it was yet moist. The hall of audience had once a pavement of marble, several blocks of which still remain, and the ceiling is supported in the centre by three shafts of granite, taken from THE RUINS OF OLD DONQOLA. 445 Bome old Egyptian ruin. The floors are covered with tiles of burnt brick, but the palm-logs which support them have given away in many places, rendering one's footing insecure. Be- hind the hall of audience is a passage, with a niche, in each side of which is also an ancient pillar of granite. From the tenor of one of the Arabic inscriptions, it appears that the building was originally designed for a mosque, and that it was erected in the year 1317, by Saf-ed-deen Abdallah, after a victory over the infidels. I ascended to the roof of the palace, which is flat and paved with stones. The view was most remarkable. The height on which Old Dongola is built, falls off on all sides, inland as well as towards the river, so that to the east one overlooks a wide extent of desert — ^low hills of red sand, stretching away to a dim, hot horizon. To the north, the hill slopes gradually to the Nile, covered with the ruins of old buildings. North- east, hardly visible through the sandy haze, rose a high, isolat- ed peak, with something like a tower on its summit. To the south and east the dilapidated city covered the top of the hiU — a mass of ashy-gray walls of mud and stone, for the most part roofless and broken down, while the doors, courts and alleys between them were half choked up with the loose sand blown in from the Desert. The graveyards of the former in- habitants extended for more than a mile through the sand, over the dreary hills behind the town. Among them were a great number of conical, pointed structures of clay and stones, from twenty to thirty feet in height. The camel-men said they were the tombs of rossool — prophets, or holy men. I counted twenty-five in that portion of the cemetery which was visible. The whole view was one of entire and absolute deso- 446 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. lation, heightened the more by the clouds of sand which filled the air, and which, in their withering heat, seemed to be rain- ing ruin upon the land. I afterwards walked through the city, and was surprised to find many large, strong houses of stone and burnt brick, with spacious rooms, the walls of which were plastered and white- washed. The lintels of the doors and windows were stone, the roofs in many places, where they still remained, covered with tiles, and every thing gave evidence of a rich and power- ful city. Now, probably not more than one-fifth of the houses are inhabited. Here and there the people have spread a roof- ing of mats over the open walls, and nestled themselves in the sand. I saw several such places, the doors, or rather entrances to which, were at the bottom of loose sand-hills that constantly slid down and filled the dingy dwellings. In my walk I met but one or two persons, but as we returned again to the river, I saw a group of Dongolese women on the highest part of the cliff. They were caUing in shrill tones and waving their hands to some persons in the ferry-boat on the river below, and need- ed no fancy to represent the daughters of Old Dongola la- menting over its fall. Some Dongolese djellahidt, or merchants, just returned from Kordofon, were in the ferry-boat. One of them showed me a snuff-box which he had bought from a native of Fertit, beyond Dar-Fur. It was formed of the shell of some fruit, with a silver neck attached. By striking the head of the box on the thumb-nail, exactly one pinch was produced. The rais took off his mantle, tied one end of it to the ring in the bow, and stood thereon, holding the other end with both hands stretched above his head. He made a fine bronze figure-head NUBIAN GRATITUDE. 447 for the boat, and it was easy to divine her name : The Nv/- hian. We had on board a number of copper-hued women, whose eyelids were stained with Tiolil, which gave them a ghastly appearanoe. Soon after my tent had been pitched, in the afternoon, a man came riding up from the river on a donkey, leading a horse behind him. He had just crossed one of the water- sourses on his donkey, and was riding on, holding the horse's rope in his hand, when the animal started back at the water- course, jerking the man over the donkey's tail and throwing him violently on the ground. He lay as if dead for a quarter of an hour, but Achmet finally brought him to consciousness by pouring the contents of a leathern water-flask over his head, and raising him to a sitting posture. His brother, who had jharge of a sakia on the bank, brought me an angareb in the jvening, in acknowledgment of this good office. It is a good trait in the people, that they are always grateful for kindness. The angareb, however, did not prove of much service, for I was so beset by the black gnats that it was impossible to sleep. They assailed my nose, mouth, ears and eyes in such numbers that I was almost driven mad. I rubbed my face with sittong vinegar, but it only seemed to attract them the more. I un- wound my turban, and rolled it around my neck and ears, but they crept under the folds and buzzed and bit until I was forced to give up the attempt. Our road, the next morning, lay near the river, through tracks of thick halfeh, four or five feet high. We constantly passed the ruins of villages and the naked frames of abandon- ed sakias. The soil was exceedingly rich, as the exuberant growth of halfeh proved, but for miles and miles there was no 448 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. sign of life. The tyranny of the Turks has depopulated ono of the fairest districts of Nubia. The wind blew violently from the north, and the sandy haze and gray vapor in the air became so dense that I could scarcely distinguish the opposite bank of the Nile. The river was covered with white caps, and broke on the beach below with a wintry roar. As we journey- ed along through the wild green grass and orchards of sont, passing broken walls and the traces of old water-courses, I could have believed myself travelling . through some deserted landscape of the North. I was chilled with the strong wind, which roared in the sont and made my beard whistle under my nose like a wisp of dry grass. Several ships passed us, scudding up stream under bare poles, and one, which had a single reef shaken out of her large sail, dashed by like a high- pressure steamer. After two or three hours we passed out of this region. The Desert extended almost to the water's edge, and we had nothing but sand and thorns. The wind by this time was more furious than ever, and the air was so full of sand that we could not see more than a hundred yards on either hand. The sun gave out a white, ghastly light, which increased the drear- iness of the day. All trace of the road was obliterated, and we could only travel at random among the thorns, following the course of the Nile, which we were careful to keep in view. My eyes, ears, and noetrils were soon filled with sand, and I was obliged to bind my turban so as nearly to cover my face, leaving only space enough to take a blind view of the way we were going. At breakfast time, after two hours of this mar- tyrdom, I found a clump of thorns so thick as to shut off the wind, but no sooner had I dismounted and crept under it» ANOTHER SAND-STORM. 449 shelter than I experienced a scorching heat from the sun, and was attacked by myriads of the black gnats. I managed to eat something in a mad sort of way, beating my face and ears continually, and was glad to thrust my head again into the sand-storm, -which drove off the worse pests. So for hours we pursued our journey. I could not look in the face of the wind, which never once fell. The others suffered equally, and two of the camel-men lagged so, that we lost sight of them entire- ly. It was truly a good fortune that I did not take the short road, east of the Nile, from Merawe to New Dongola. In the terrible wastes of the Nubian Desert, we could scarcely have survived such a storm. Nearly all the afternoon we passed over deserted tracts, which were once covered with flourishing fields. The water- courses extend for nearly two miles from the river, and cross the road at intervals of fifty yards. But now the villages are level with the earth, and the sand whistles over the traces of fields and gardens, which it has not yet effaced. Two hours before sunset the sun disappeared, and I began to long for the town of Handak, our destination. Achmet and I were ahead, and the other camels were not to be seen any longer, so as sun- set came on I grew restless and uneasy. The palms by this time had appeared again on the river's brink, and there was a village on our left, in the sand. We asked again for Handak. " Just at the corner of yon palms," said the people. They spoke with a near emphasis, which encouraged me. The Ara- bic dialect of Central Africa has one curious characteristic, which evidently springs from the want of a copious vocabulary. Degree,, or intensity of meaning is usually indicated by accent alone. Thus, when they point to an object near at hand they 450 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. say : henak, " there ;" if it is a moderate distance off, they lengthen the sound into " hen-a-a-ak ;" while, if it is so far as to be barely visible, the last syllable is sustained with a full breath — " hen-a-a-a-a-a-dk /" In the same way, saa signifies " an hour ;'' sa-a-a-d, " two hours," &c. This habit of speech gives the language a very singular and eccentric character. We pushed on till the spot was reached, but as far ahead as the sand would permit us to see, could discern no house. We asked again ; the town commenced at the next corner of the palms ahead of us. I think this thing must have happen- ed to us five or six times, till at last I got into that peculiarly amiable mood which sees nothing good in Heaven or Earth, If my best friend had come to meet me, I should have given him but a sour greeting. My eyes were blinded, my head dull and stupid, and my bones sore from twelve hours in the saddle. As it grew dark, we were overtaken by four riders mounted on fine dromedaries. They were going at a sweeping trot, and our beasts were ambitious enough to keep pace with them for some time. One of them was a stately shekh, with a white robe and broad gold border and fringe. From what the people said of him, I took him to be the Melek, or King of Dongola. Meanwhile, it was growing dark. We could see nothing of the town, though a woman who had been walking beside us, said we were there already. She said she had a fine house, which we could have for the night, since it was almost impos- sible for a tent to stand in such a wind. As I had already dipped into the night, I determined to reach Handak at all hazards, and after yet another hour, succeeded. Achmet and I dismounted in a ruined court-yard, and while I sat on a MT LODGING IN HANDAK. 45J broken wall, holding the camels, he went to look for our men. It was a dismal place, in the gathering darkness, with the wind howling and the sand drifting on all sides, and I wonder- ed what fiend had ever tempted me to travel in Africa. Be- fore long the woman appeared and guided us to a collection of miserable huts on the top of the hill. Her fine house proved to be a narrow, mud-walled room, with a roof of smoked dour- ra-stalks. It shut off the wind, however, and when I entered and found the occupants (two other women), talking to each other by the light of a pile of blazing corn-stalks, it looked ab- solutely cheerful. I stretched myself out on one of the anga- rebs, and soon relapsed into a better humor. But I am afraid we were not lodged in the most respectable house of Handak, for the women showed no disposition to leave, when we made preparations for sleeping. They paid no attention to my re- quests, except by some words of endearment, which, from such creatures, were sufficiently disgusting, and I was obliged to threaten them with forcible ejection, before they vacated the house. The camel-men informed me that the place is noto- rious for its harlotry. As we had made a forced march of forty miles in one day, I gave the caravan a rest until noon, and treated the men to mutton and mareesa. Prices had already increased, since leaving Soudan, and I could not procure a sheep for less than Siiventeen piastres. The women, who had returned at sunrise, begged me to give them the entrails, which they cut into pieces and ate raw, with the addition of some onions and salt. The old woman told me a piteous tale of the death of her son, and her own distress, and how King Dyaab (who had passed through Handak the day previous, on his way to Dar El-Md- 462 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. hass) had given her two piastres, and she hoped I would also give her something, that she might buy a new dress. I gave her the same as King Dyaab, which she at once asked me to take back again, as she expected at least nine piastres. See- ing I was about to take her at her word, she made haste to se- cure the money. Her youngest daughter, a bold, masculine thing, with hair out close to her head, now came to me for backsheesh. " Oh !" said I, " you are going to do as the old woman did, are you ? " " No," she exclaimed ; " if you will give me two^piastres, I will ask for no more. The old woman is a miserable wretch ! " and she spat upon the ground to show her disgust. " Go ! " I said ; " I shall give nothing to a girl who insults her mother." From Handak to El Ordee is two days' journey. The country presents the same aspect of desertion and ruin as that in the neighborhood of Old Dongola. Untenanted villages line the road during nearly the whole distance. The face of the country is level, and there is no mountain to be seen on either bank of the Nile. It is a melancholy, deserted re- gion, showing only palms growing wildly and rankly along the river, fields covered with halfeh, water-courses broken down, sakias dismantled, and everywhere dwellings in ruin. Here and there a few inhabitants still lingered, tending their fields of stunted cotton, or watering some patches of green wheat. The general aspect of desolation was heightened by the strong north-wind, which filled the air with clouds of sand, making the sunshine so cold and white, that all the color faded out of the landscape. The palms were dull and dark, and the sand- hills beyond the Nile a dead, lifeless yeUow. All this district swarms with black gnats, which seemed to have been sent as a APPROACH TO Bl OEDEE. 453 curse upon its desertion, for they never appeared where the country was thickly inhabited and all the soil cultivated. On the first day after leaving Handak, we passed the vil- lages of Kiar, Sori and Urub, and stopped at a place called Tetti. The wind blew so violently dui'ing the night that every thing in my tent, my head included, was thickly covered with dust. The next day we passed a large town called Hannak. The greater part of it was levelled to the earth, and evidently by violence, for the walls were of stone. It stood on a rocky rise, near the river, and had on its highest part the remains of some defences, and a small palace, in tolerable preservation. The hills behind were covered for half a mile with the graves of the former inhabitants, among which I noticed the cones and pyramids of several holy men. As we approached El Or- dee (by which name New Dongola is usually called), the ap pearanoe of the country improved, although there was still as much deserted as cultivated land. The people we met were partly Dongolese and partly Arabs from the Desert, the latter with bushy hair, shining with grease, and spears in their hands. They cheered us with the news that El Ordee was not distant, and we would arrive there at asser — the time of after- noon prayer, two hours before sunset. My camel-men rejoiced at the prospect of again having mareesa to drink, and I asked old Mohammed if he supposed the saints drank mareesa in Paradise. " Why ! " he joyfully exclaimed ; " do you know about Paradise?" "Certainly;" said I, " if you lead a good life, you will go straight there, but if you are wicked, Eblis will carry you down into the flames." " Wallah I " said the old fellow, aside to Achmet ; " but this is a good Frank. He certainly has Islam in his heart." 454 JOUKNETT TO CKNTRAL AFRICA. About two o'clock, we descried the minaret of El Ordee, its sugar-loaf top glittering white in the sun. The place was three or four miles distant, and we did not reach it until after more than an hour's travel. As we approached, it presented the usual appearance of the Nubian towns — a long line of blank mud walls, above which rise, perhaps, the second stories of a few more ambitious mud houses ; here a sycamore, there a palm or two, denoting a garden within ; a wide waste of sand round about, some filthy people basking in the sun, and a mul- titude of the vilest kind of dogs. Near the river there are some fine large gardens, as in Khartoum. I had already de- cided to stop two days, to rest my caravan, before commenc- ing the long and toilsome march to Wadi-Halfa, but instead of hiring a house I went around the town and pitched my tent on the northern side, on a sandy plain, where I secured pure air and freedom from molestation by the inhabitants. The morning after my arrival, the Governor, Khoorshid Bey, caUed at my tent, and I returned the visit in the after- noon. He was a stout, fair- skinned and brown-bearded man of thirty-eight, and looked more like an American than a Turk, I found him in the shop of a Turkish merchant, opposite the door of the mosque, which is built in the centre of the bazaar. Two soldiers were in attendance, and brought me coffee and «herbet. The Bey was particularly anxious to know whether the railroad from Alexandria to Cairo would be built, and how much it would cost. While I was sitting with him, the mollahs were chanting in the mosque opposite, as it was the Moslem Sunday, and groups of natives were flocking thither to say their prayers. Presently the voice of the muezzin was heard from the top of the minaret,' chanting m a loud, melo- EL ORDEE (new DONGOLA). 455 dious, melanclioly cadence the call to prayer — a singular cry, the effect of which, especially at sunset, is really poetic and suggestive. I took my leave, as the Bey was expected to per- form his devotions with the other worshippers. The town may be seen in an hour. It contains no sights, except the bazaar, which has about twenty tolerable shops, principally stocked with cottons and calicoes, and a great quan- tity of white shawls with crimson borders, which the people here are fond of wearing over their shoulders. Outside the bazaar, which has a roof of palm-logs covered with matting, are a few shops, containing spices, tobacco, beads, trinkets and the like small articles. Beyond this was the soog, where the people came with their coarse tobacco, baskets of raw cotton, onions, palm-mats, gourds, dates, faggots of fire-wood, sheep and fowls. In this market-place, which ascended and descend- ed with the dirt-heaps left from ruined houses, there were four ostriches, which walked about, completely naturalized to the place. One of them was more chan eight feet high — a most powerful and graceful creature. They were not out of place, among the groups of wild-haired Kababish and Bisharee, who frequented the market. Below the river-bank, which is high, upwards of twenty small trading craft were lying. One had just arrived with a •load of lime, which the naked sailors were carrying up the bank in baskets, on their heads. The channel of the Nile here is mainly taken up with the large, sandy island of Tor, and the stream is very narrow. The shore was crowded with women, washing clothes or filling their water-jars, men hoisting full water-skins on the backs of donkeys, and boys of all shades, from whity-yellow to perfect black, bathing and playing on tho 456 JOUKNEY TO CENTKAL AFKICA. brink. The northern part of the town appeared to be desert, ed, and several spacious two-story buildings were falling into ruins. I noticed not more than half a dozen houses which would be considered handsome in Berber or Khartoum. El Ordee ranks next after those places, in all the Egyptian terri- tory beyond Assouan, but has the disadvantage of being more filthy than they. WE START FOK WADI-HALFA. 467 CHAPTBK XXXV. JOUHNEY THROUGH DAB EL-MAHASS AND SUKKOT. Wo start for "Wadi-Halfa— The Plague of Block Gnats— Mohummed's Coffln— d?he Island of Argo— Market-Day— Scenery of the Nile — Entering Dar El-M^hnss — Buined Fortresses — The Oamel-Men — A Eocky Chaos — Fakir Bender — The Akaba of M^hass — Camp In the Wilderness — The Charm of Desolation— The Nile again — Pilgrims from Dar-Fur — ^The Struggle of the Nile — An Arcadian Landscape — The Temple of Soleb— Dar Sakk6t— The Land of Dates— The Island of Sai— A Sea of Sand — Camp by the Kiver — A Hyena Barbecue. We left El Ordee or New Dongola, before sunrise on tke twenty-ninth of February. A boy of about fourteen years old came out from the town, helped load the camels, and insisted on accompanying me to Cairo. As my funds were diminish ing, and I had no need of additional service, I refused to take him, and he went home greatly disappointed. We were all in fine health and spirits, from the two days' rest, and our ships of the Desert sailed briskly along the sands, with the palmy coasts green and fair on our right. For some miles from the town the land is tolerably well cultivated, but the grain was all much younger than in the neighborhood of Old Dongola. Beyond this,' the country was again deserted and melancholy everywhere villages in ruin, fields given up to sand and thorns, 20 458 JOtJENET TO CENTRAL AFRICA. and groves of date trees wasting their vigor in rank, unpmned shoots. The edge of the Desert was covered with grave-yards to a considerable extent, each one boasting its cluster of pyra- mids and cones, raised over the remains of holy shekhs. To- wards noon I dismounted for breakfast in a grove of sont trees, but had no sooner seated myself on my carpet, than the small black flies came in such crowds that I was scarcely able to eat. They assailed my temples, ears, eyes and nostrils, and it was utterly impossible to drive them away. I was half crazy with the infliction, and at night my neck and temples were swollen and covered with blotches worse than those made by mosquito stings In fact, mosquitoes are mild and merci- ful in comparison. Had not my road been mostly in the Desert, away from the trees, I could scarcely have endured the journey. The few inhabitants along the river kindled fires of green wood and sat in the smoke. In the afternoon the monotony of the Desert on the western bank was broken by a solitary mountain of a remarkable form. It precisely resembled an immense coflSn, the ends being appa- rently cut square off, and as the effect of a powerful mirage lifted it above the horizon, it seemed like the sarcophagus of the Prophet, in the Kaaba, to be suspended between heaven and earth. The long island of Argo, which I saw occasionally across an Arm of the Nile, appeared rich and well cultivated. It belongs mostly to Melek Hammed, King of Dongola, who was expected at home the day I passed, on his return from Cairo, where he had been three months or more, for the pur- pose of representing to Abbas Pasha the distressed condition of the country, and obtaining some melioration (Jf the system of misrule inflicted upon it. Near the town of Argo, on the THE PLAGUTO OV BLACK GNATS. 459 opposite side of the island my map indicated a ruined temple, and I made a strong effort to see it ; but at Binni, which was the nearest point, there was no ferry, and the people knew nothing of the temple nor of any thing else. I left the main road and followed the bank, but the terrible flies drove me away, and so, maddened and disgusted, I came at last to a salda, where the people informed me that the ferry was still ahead and the ruins already some distance behind me. They .said this deliberately and carelessly, sitting like black spectres in the midst of thick smoke, while I was crazily beating my ears. " Tell the caravan to go ahead," I said to Achmet, at length, " and don't talk to me of temples until we have got away from these flies." The next morning Achmet had some difficulty in awaking me, so wrapt was I in dreams of home. I sat shivering in the cool air, trying to discover who and where I was, but the yel- low glimmer of my tent-lining in the dim light of dawn soon informed me. During the day we passed through a more thickly settled country, and owing to the partial cultivation of the soil, were less troubled by that Nubian plague, which is always worse about the ruined villages and the fields given up to halfeh grass. It was market-day at the village of Hafler, and we met and passed many natives, some with baskets of raw cotton and some with grain. I noticed one man riding a donkey and carrying before him a large squash, for which ho would possibly get twenty paras (2J cents). My camel-men, who had neglected to buy dourra in El Ordee, wanted to stop until noon in order to get it, and as I would not wait, remained behind. The scenery had a wild and picturesque air, from the iso* 460 JOUENEY TO CENTRAL AFEICA. lated mountain peaks, which now appeared on both sides of the river Djehel Arambo, with its high, precipitous sides and notched summit, stood steeped in soft purple vapor — a beautiful object above the long lines of palms and the green level of the islands in the river. The fields on the western bank were mostly taken up with young wheat, though I saw a single one of ripe barley, which a black Barabra was reaping, cutting off the stalks about one-third of the way below the heads, and depositing them in heaps. By noon, I knew from the land-marks that we must be opposite the island of Tombos, where there are some rains. I made inquiries for it, but the bank was almost deserted, and the few inhabitants I found gathered in straw huts here and there among the rank palm- groves, could tell me nothing about it. All agreed, however, that there was no ferry at this part of the Nile, and to swim across was out of the question. The crocodiles swarm here, and are quite delicate in their tastes, much preferring white flesh to black. 3o my hope of Tombos vanished like that of Argo. Beyond the island is a little ruined village, called Hannek, and here I took leave of Dar Dongola, in which I had been travelling ten days, and entered Dar El-Mahass, the kingdom of my friend Melek Dyaab. The character of the comitry changed on the very border. Long ridges of loose blocks of sandstone and granite, as at Assouan and Akaba Gerri, in Soudto, appeared in front, at first on the western bank, but soon throwing their lines across the stream and forming weirs and rapids in its current. The river is quite narrow, in some places not a hundred yards broad, and leads a very tortuous course, bearing away towards the north-west, until it meets the majestic barrier of Djebel Foga, when it turns to the north- RUINED FORTRESSES. 461 east. About two hours after passing Djebel Arambo, which stands opposite the northern extremity of Tombos, we reached the large and hilly island of Mosul, where the river divides its waters and flows for several miles through deep, crooked, rocky channels, before they meet again. Here there is no cultiva- tion,, the stony ridges running to the water's edge. The river- bed is so crowded and jammed with granite rocks, that from the shore it appears in some places to be entirely cut oflF. At this point there are three castellated mud ruins in sight, which at a distance resemble the old feudal fortresses of Europe. The one nearest which we passed was quadrangular, with cor- ner bastions, three round and one square, all tapering inward towards the top. The lower part of the wall was stone and the upper part mud, while the towers were nearly fifty feet high. That on an island in the river, strongly resembled an Egyptian temple, with its pylons, porticoes, and walls of cir- cuit. They were evidently built before the Turkish invasion, and were probably frontier forts of the Kings of El-Mdhass, to prevent incursions from the side of Dongola. We reached the eastern base of Djebel Foga about four o'clock, and I thought it best to encamp, on account of the camel-men, who had a walk of twenty-three miles with bags of dourra on their shoulders, before they could reach us. I had no sooner selected a place for my tent, on the top of a high bank overlooking the river, than they appeared, much fatigued and greatly vexed at me for leaving them in the lurch. I ordered my pipe to be filled, and smoked quietly, making no reply to their loud complaints, and in a short time the most complete harmony prevailed in our camp. The Nile at this place flowed in the bottom of a deep gorge, filled with rocks. 462 jouKNEr TO pkntral Africa. The banks were almost perpendicular, but covered mth a rich growth of halfeh, which our camels greedily cropped, at the hazard of losing their balance and tumbling down into the river. I fancied there was already a taste of Egypt in the mountain air, and flattered myself that I had breathed the last of the languid atmosphere of Souddn. The next morning led ns deeper into the rocky chaos. The bed of the Nile was properly a gorge, so deep was it sunk among the stony hills, and confined within such narrow limits. The ridges of loose blocks of granite and porphyry roU after each other like waves, and their crests assume the most fantas- tic variety of forms. They are piled in heaps and balanced on each other, topped with round boulders or thrown together in twos and threes, as if some brood of Titan children had been at play in those regions and were frightened away in the midst of their employment. It is impossible to lose the im- pression that some freak of human or superhuman fancy gave the stones their quaint grouping. Between the ridges are shallow hoUows, terminating towards the west in deep, rocky clefts, and opening on the river in crescent-like coves, between the jaggy headlands which tumble their boulders into its bed. High peaks, or rather conical piles of porphyry rock, rise here and there out of this sterile chaos. Toward the east, where the Nile winds away in a long chain of mazy curves, they form ranges and show compact walls and pinnacles. The few palms and the little eddies of wheat sprinkled along both banks of the river, are of a glorious depth and richness of hue, by con- trast ,with the gray and purple wastes of the hills. In the sweet, clear air of the morning, the scenery was truly inspir- ing, and I rode over the high ridges in a mood the very oppo- site of that I had felt the day previous. THE AEABA OF MAHASS. 463 The Nile makes a great curve through the land of Mahass, to avoid which the road passes through an akdba, about forty miles in length. At the corner, where the river curves at a right angle from west to south, is a small ruined place called Fakir Bender. The high bank is a little less steep here than at other places, and its sides are planted with lupins. At the end of the village is an immense sont tree, apparently very old. A large earthen water-jar, with a gourd beside it, stood in the shade. The faheer, or holy man, from whom the place is named, was soon in attendance, and as our camels knelt under the tree, presented me with a gourd of cool water, " in the name of God." I gave him ten paras before we left, but ha did not appear to be satisfied, for these holy men have great expectations. I ordered two water-skins filled, and after an hour's delay, we entered on the akaba. ' Over rough and stony ridges, which made hard travelling for the camels, we came upon a rolling plain, bounded in the distance by a chain of hills, which we reached by the middle of the afternoon. The path, instead of seeking a pass or gorge, led directly up the side, which, though not very high, was exceedingly steep and covered with loose sand, up which the camels could scarcely climb. The top was a stratum of red porphyry, cropping out of the sand in immense masses. Be- hind us the dreary Desert extended to Djebel Foga and the mountains about the cataract : the palms of the Nile were just visible in the distance. Crossing the summit ridge, we enter- ed a narrow plateau, surrounded by naked black peaks — a most savage and infernal landscape. The northern slope was com- pletely covered with immense porphyry boulders, among which our path woundv Nearly every rock had a pile of small stones 464 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. heaped upon it, as a guide to caraTans, and merely for descend- ing this ridge there were at least two hundred of them. The plain now extended away to the north and east, bounded by a confusion of black, barren mountains, out of which rose two lofty peaks. Towards evening we met a Nubian family, with their donkeys, on their way southward. They begged for water, which we gave them, as their supply was entirely ex- hausted. I found a bed of hard gravel large enough for my tent, but we had great difficulty in driving the pegs. The camel-men selected the softest places among the rocks for their beds, but the camels stretched their long necks on all sides in the vain search for vegetation. I sat at my tent door, and watched the short twilight of the South gather over the stony wilderness, with that strange feeling of happiness which the contemplation of waste and desolate landscapes always inspires. There was not a blade of grass to be seen ; the rocks, which assumed weird and grotesque forms in the twi- light, were as black as ink; beyond my camp there was no life in the Desert except the ostrich and the hyena — yet I would not have exchanged the charm of that scene for a bower in the gardens of the Hesperides. The dawn was glimmering gray and cold when I arose, and the black summits of the mountains showed dimly through a watery vapor. The air, however, was dry, though cool and invigorating, and I walked ahead for two hours, singing and shouting from the overflow of spirits. I hoped to catch a glimpse of the Nile before mounting my dromedary, but one long black ridge of stones rose after another, and there was no sudden flash of green across the darkness of the Desert, At last, towards noon, through a notch in the drear and stony THE STRUGGLE OF THE NILE. 466 chaos, the double line of palms appeared in the north-east. The riyer came from the east, out of the black mountain wil- derness. The valley is very narrow, and cultivation is only possible in the coves of soil embayed among the hills. I came down on one of them — a meadow of halfeh, back of the little village of Koyee — and stopped an hour to rest the camels. A caravan of merchants, bound for Kordofan and Dar-Fur, had just encamped there, to rest during the hot hours, according to their custom. Among them were some hadji, or pilgrims from Dar-Fur, on their way home from Mecca, and a negro from Fazogl, who had belonged to a European, and had lived in Naples. He was now free and going home, wearing a shabby Frank dress, but without money, as he came at once to beg of me. A Nubian woman came from the huts near at hand, bringing me a large gourd of buttermilk, which I shared with the camel-drivers. I set the camels in motion again, and we entered a short akaba, in order to cross a broad stony ridge, which advanced quite to the river's edge. The path was up and down the sides of steep hollows, over a terrible waste of stones. Down these hollows, which shelved towards the river, we saw the palms of the opposite bank — a single dark-green line, backed by another wilderness, equally savage. Through all this country of Mihass the Desert makes a desperate effort to cut off the glorious old Eiver. It flings rocks into its bed, squeezes him between iron mountains, compels him to turn and twist through a hundred labyrinths to find a passage, but he pushes and winds his way through all, and carries his bright waters in triumph down to his beloved Egypt. There was, to me, something exceedingly touching in watching his course through 20* 466 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. that fragment of the pre- Adamite chaos — ^in seeing the type of Beauty and Life stealing quietly through the heart of a region of Desolation and Death. From the stony slopes of the hills I looked down on his everlasting palms with the same old joy new-created in my heart. After passing the akaba, I came to a village which I took to be Soleb, but on inquiring, the people pointed ahead. I rode on, around a slight curve of the trees, and was startled by a landscape of most unexpected interest and beauty. Before me, over the crest 'of a black, rocky ridge, a cluster of shatter- ed pillars stood around the falling doorway of a temple, the whole forming a picturesque group, cut clear against the sky. Its tint of soft yellow-gray, was finely relieved by the dark green of the palms and the pure violet of some distant jagged peaks on the eastern bank. Beyond it, to the west, three peaks of white and purple limestone rock trembled in the fiery glare from the desert sands. The whole picture, the Desert excepted, was more G-recian than EgyptiaUj and was perfect in its forms and groupings. I know of no other name for the ruin than the Temple of Soleb. It was erected by Amunoph III. or Memnon, and the Arcadian character of the landscape «f which it is the central feature, harmonized thoroughly with my fancy, that Amunoph was a poet. The temple stands on the west bank, near the river, and from whatever point it is viewed, has a striking efiiect. The remains consist of a portico, on a raised platform, leading to a court once surrounded by pillars. Then follows a second and more spacious portico, with a double row of three pillars on each side. This opens upon a second pillared court, at ohe opposite end of which is a massive doorway, leading to the THB TEMPLE OF SOLEB. 467 adyta of the temple, now completely levelled to the earth. The entire length of the ruin is about two hundred feet. There are nine pillars, with a single block of their architrave, and portions of two of the porticoes still standing : the remainder of the temple is a mass of ruins. The greatest pains have been taken to destroy it completely, and all the mound on which it stands is covered with huge blocks, thrown one over the other in the wildest confusion. In one place, only, I noticed the disjointed segments of a column, still lying as they fell. The pedestals remain in many places, so that one can partially restore the original order. When complete, it must have been a majestic and imposing edifice. The material is the white limestone of the adjacent mountains, veined with purple streaks, and now much decomposed from the sun and rain, From the effect of this decomposition, the columns which remain standing are cracked and split in many places, and in the fissures thus made, numbers of little swallows and star- lings have built their nests, where they sit peeping out through the sculptures of gods. The columns and doorways are cover ed with figures, now greatly blurred, though still legible. I noticed a new style of joining the portrait of a monarch with his cartouche, the latter representing his body, out of which his head and arms issued, like the crest of a coat of arms. The columns represent the stalks of eight water-plants bound together, with a capital, or rather prolonged abacus, like the Osiride column. They are thirty feet in height, without the pedestal, and five feet in diameter. This is the sum of my observations : the rest belongs to the antiquarian. Before night, we passed a third akaba, to get around the limestone ridge, which here builds a buttress of naked rock 468 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. over the Nile, and at sunset again saw the palms — ^but this time the renowned palms of Dar Sakkdt, for we had crossed t^e border of Dar El-Mahass. They lined the river in a thidc grove of stems, with crowns of leafy luxuriance. The village of Noolwee, scattered for half a mile in their shade, was better built than any I saw in Dongola. Many of the houses were inclosed in square courts, and had a second story, the massive mud walls sloping towards each other like a truncated pyra- mid. Achmet, Ali and myself bought about fifty piastres worth of the celebrated dates of Sukkot. They were the largest and best flavored I ever saw, and are said to preserve their quality for years. They are sold at a piastre for an earthen measure containing about two hundred. When gath- ered, they are first slightly dried in the large magazines, and then buried in the earth. The population of Sukkot subsists apparently on the profits of selling them, for little else is culti- vated along the river. Even here, nevertheless, where the people are better able to bear the grinding rule of Egypt, one meets with deserted fields and ruined dwellings. The King of El-Mahass informed me, when in Khartoum, that his people were obliged to pay six hundred piastres (thirty dollars) tax on each water-mill, being just double the lawful amount, (which, alone, is very oppressive), and that his country was fast becoming depopulated, in consequence. On the following day I passed the large island of Sai. The country here is more open and the Nile has a less vexed course. The mountains, especially the lofty blue mass of Djebel Abyr, have not the forced and violent forms common to the porphyry formation. Their outlines are long, sloping, and with that slight but exquisite undulation which so charmed me in the A SEA OF SAND. 469 hills of Arcadia, in Greece, and in Monte Albano near Rome. Their soft, clear, pale-violet hue showed with the loveliest effect behind the velvety green of the thick palm clusters, which were parted here and there by gleams of the bright blue river. From the northern end of Sai, the river gradually curves to the east. The western shore is completely invaded by the sands, and the road takes a wide sweep inland to avoid the loose, sliding drifts piled up along the bank. We had not gone far before we found a drift of brilliant yellow sand thirty feet high and two hundred yards in length, lying exactly across our road. It had evidently been formed within a few days. It was almost precisely crescent-shaped, and I could not account for the action of the wind in building such a mound on an open plain, which elsewhere was entirely free from sand. We rounded it and soon afterwards entered on a region of sand, where to the west and north the rolling yellow waves extended to the horizon, unbroken by a speck of any other color. It was a boundless, fathomless sea of sand to the eye, which could scarcely bear the radiated light playing over its hot surface. The day (for a wonder) was somewhat overcast, and as the shadows of small clouds followed one another rapidly over the glaring billows, they seemed to heave and roll like those of the sea. I was forced to turn away my head, faint and giddy with the sight. My camels tugged painfully through this region,- and after two hours we reached a single sont tree, standing beside a well, and called sugger el-abd (the Tree of the Slave). It was pointed out by the camel-men as being half-way between El Ordee and Wadi Haifa. We journeyed on all the afternoon through a waste of sandy and stony ridges, and as night drew near, I became anxious to •iVO JOURNEY TO CENTRAL . AFRICA. reach the river, no trace of which could be seen. I rode up one of the highest ridges, and lo ! there were the tops of the date-groves in a hollow, not a quarter of a mile distant, on my right. The camels' heads were soon turned in that direc- tion, and I encamped at once on the bank, where my beasts found sufficient grass and thorns for the first time in three days. The river here flows in a deep channel, buried among the hills, and there is neither cultivation nor population on the western bank. On the opposite side there was a narrow strip of soil, thickly planted with date-trees. My camel-men kindled a fire in the splendid moonlight, and regaled themselves with the hind-quarters of a hyena, which they roasted in the coals and devoured with much relish. I had curiosity enough to eat a small piece, which was well- flavored though tougk The Nile roared grandly below our camp all night, in the pauses of the wind. Abou-Sin, my Dromedary. CHAPTER XXXVI. THE BATN EL-HADJAR. The Batn El-Hadjar, or Belly of Stone— Ancient Granite Quarries— The Tillage of Dal— A Eulned Fortress— A Wildernessof Stones— The Hot Springs of Ukm^— A "Windy Night— A Dreary Day in the Desert— The Shekh's Camel Tails— Descent U Samneh — The Temple and Cataract— Meersheh — The Sale of Abou-Sin— We Emerge from the Belly of Stone— A Kababish Caravan— The Kock of Abou-Seer— View of the Second Cataract— "We reach "Wadi-Halfa- Selling my Dromedaries- Farewell to Abou-Sin — Thanksgiving on the Ferry-boat— Parting with the Camel- men. On the sixth day after leaving Dongola I passed through Sukkot, and reached the commencement of Batn El-Hadjar— The Belly of Stone — as the savage mountain country for a 472 JOURKEY TO CENTRAL AERICA. hundred miles south of the Second Cataract is termed. With each day the road became more rough and toilsome, and my camels moved more languidly. In spite of the fatigue which we all endured, I felt so much strengthened by our free life and so much interested in the remarkable country through which we were passing, that I felt something like regret on approaching the southern limit of travel on the Nile. Not so my dragoman and servant, who could not enough thank God and the Prophet for having taken them in safety through countries which they deemed the verge of the world. Achmet positively declared he would never make the trip again, for no second journey could be equally fortunate. My camel-men, I found, had never before travelled to Wadi Haifa by the west^ em bank, but by a wonderful Arab instinct, they never went astray from the road. The Batn El-Hadjar marks its commencement by a range of granite hills, which break the river into a foaming cataract. After leaving camp, our road lay along the Nile, behind some high sand-hills. In front of us appeared Djebel Ufeer, a peak about fifteen hundred feet iu height, its naked sides tinted of a deep, rich purple hue by the glowing air. The Nile flows directly towards its base, making a slight curve, as if to pass it on the eastern side, but finding the granite rocks heaped together too thickly, changes its course and washes the western foot of the mountain. The granite lies scattered about in vast masses, taking all sorts of quaint and fanciful shapes. The hUls themselves are merely collections of boulders of all sizes, from three to twenty feet in diameter, piled on an enormous bed or stratum of the same. Intermixed with this are beds of a rich yellowish-red granite, which crops out under the piles GRANITE QUARRIES ^DAL. ilS of gray, and has been worked, wherever it appears in large masses. The traces of the ancient quarrymen still remain, in the blocks bearing marks of the wooden wedges by which they were split. In one place I noticed two fragments of a column, similar to those in the palace at Old Dongola. The granite is equal in quality and still more abundant than that at Assouan, but was only quarried to a limited extent. The aspect of the country is rugged in the highest degree, and how the Nile gets through it became more and more a wonder to me. His bed is deep-sunken between enormous stone-piles, back of which are high stone mountains, and wherever there is a hollow between them, it is filled with sand. The only vegetation was a few bunches of miserable grass, and some of those desert shrubs which grow at the very doors of Tartarus, so tenacious of life are they. A narrow shelf, on the opposite bank, high above the river, bore the renowned palm of Sukk6t, and frequently in the little coves I saw the living green of the young wheat. The steep banks were planted with lupins, as the people there had nothing to fear from the hippopotami. While I was breakfasting off a great granite table, a man who rode by on a donkey cheered me with the news that the village of Dal was but a short distance ahead. I had fixed upon this as our resting-place for the night, but on finding it so near, resolved to push on to some natural hot springs and ruins of ancient baths, which the camel-men had informed me were about four hours further, to the right of the caravan track. At Dal, however, a difficult akaba commences, and my camels already marched so slowly and wearily that I judged it best to stop and give thom a little rest. About the village there are some scattering doum and date-palms, which lead a 4'74 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. iard existence, half buried in sapd and choked with the old leaves, which the natives are too idle to prune. The people were in the fields, cutting some wheat which was just ripe, and two sakias, shaded by clusters of palms, watered a few patches of cotton. I made inquiries, but had much difficulty in finding the location of the hot springs. Finally, one of the men con- sented to become my guide in the morning, and conducted us to a camping-ground, where there was a little grass for the camels. Lured by the promise of backsheesh, he brought me the leanest of young sheep, which I purchased for eight pias- tres. The night was calm, cool and delicious, and steeped my whole frame in balm, after the burning day. The moon, near- ly full, shone with a gray and hazy lustre, and some insect that shrilled like a tree-toad, reminded me of home. Our Dallee guide, Hadji Mohammed, as he was called, from having made two pilgrimages to Mecca, was on hand be- fore sunrise. Starting in advance of the caravan, I walked along the river-bank, towards a castellated building on an emi- nence which I had noticed the previous evening, while sketch- ing the landscape. My path was over huge beds of gray granite, from which the old Egyptians might have cut obelisks of a single block, not only one hundred, but five hundred feet in length. The enormous masses which had been separated from these beds and rolled into rounded masses by the chafing of primeval floods, lay scattered on the surface, singly, or piled in fantastic groups. The building was a large fortress of stones and clay, with massive walls, on the summit of an island-like peak overhanging the river, and separated from the bank by a deep chasm, which is filled with water during the inundations, but was then dry, and its sides green with wheat A WILDERNESS OF STONES. 475 and beans. Wild doum-palms, hanging heavy with green fruit, grew in the patches of soil among the rocks and overhung the ravine. The fortress was a very picturesc[ue object, with its three square towers, backed by the roaring flood and the dark violet-blue crags of Djebel Meme behind The forms of the landscape — except the palms — were all of the far North, but the coloring was that of the ripe and glowing South. I was so absorbed in the scene, that the caravan passed unnoticed, hav- ing taken a path further from the river. After wandering about for some time, I climbed one of the granite piles and scanned the country in all directions, but could see nothing. Finally I descried a distant trail, and on reaching it, recog- nized the tracks of my camels. I hurried on, and in half an hour met Hadji Mohammed and one of my camel-men, coming back in great tribulation, fearful that I was lost. Near the Cataract of Dal, an akaba commences, which ex- tends to the village of Ukm6, in the Batn el-Hadjar, a dis- tance of about fifteen miles. We passed behind some peaks of black porphyry, whose shoulders were covered with steep, slid- ing drifts of yellow sand, and travelled on through a wilder- ness of stones. All the refuse odds and ends of Creation — the pieces left after the rocks and mountains of the rest of the world were fashioned — ^have been thrown together here. It was a sea of black stone-mounds, out of which rose occasional peaks of still blacker stone. Through this we passed into a region of gray stone and then into another of red stone, jour- neying for four hours up one mound and down another, by paths and no paths, which were most laborious for our camels. I began to be fearful we should never get out of the geological labyrinth into which the hadji conducted us, but the majestic Missing Page Missing Page 478 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. drive it loose behind us. This, howerer, was of no avail, and at last he concluded to wait till it had rested a little. I gave him the water-skin, and we pushed on. Half an hour af- terwards, when I was eating breakfast under the lee of a sand-hill, Ali, who had remained behind with him, came up, saying they had examiaed the camel and decided that it was sick. The shekh thereupon wept most vehemently, fearing it would die, and turned about with it to make his way home. Ali lent him a doUar and promised to take him the rest of ths money due him. The other men were quite downcast by the shekh's misfortune. There was nothing to be done, how- ever, but to push ahead, as the other camels were well nigh worn out. We kept on all the afternoon, with the cold wind blowing in our faces, and occasionally a shower of colder rain dashed upon us. The road ascended until towards noon, when we passed through a gateway between two peaks of granite, whose loose masses threatened to topple down the sides and crush us. Then for three or four hours we travelled over more elevated ranges, from the crests of which we had wide glimpses over the terrible tract, yet could see nothing but sand and stones — stones and sand. In the east a long mountain-range lay dark and distant, under the shadow of the rain-clouds, and it was some comfort to know that it was beyond the Nile. As night ap- proached, I feared we should be obliged to camp in the akaba, and without water, but after ten hours of most wearisome travel, we reached a ridge, whence we looked into a vast basin of rooky hills, between us and the mountains,, whose long chain of jagged peaks, touched with the full yellow light of the set- ting sun, stood against the black gust that rolled away beyond TEMPLE AND CATARACT OF SAMNEH. 479 them into the Great Nubian Desert. The Nile was not to be seen, yet deep in the centre of this landscape, I caught a glimpse of some thorny bushes, which our further descent showed to be near the village and cataract of Samneh. The bed of the river was filled with masses of black rock, and the cataract, just below the village, roared magnificently all through the night- The wind blew again, and so violently, that I awoke with my ears, mouth and nostrils filled with sand. The morning was cold, with a violent wind, but I strength- ened my camels with an abundant feed of bean-vines and dour ra, and set ofi' early. I walked ahead to the temple of Sam- neh, which stands on a rocky eminence above the cataract. The hill is surrounded with the remains of a massive brick wall, and there are traces of a road leading to the summit. The temple is quite small, and of simple though graceful de- sign, containing only one chamber, at the end of which a head- less statue lies on its back. From the little portico in front, there is a fine view of the gorge through which the river breaks. A broad stratum of porphyry crosses his bed, broken only in the centre by a gap or flood-gate, not twenty yards across. Through this the whole force of his current is poured, and at the time of my visit, when the water was low, he seemed but a pigmy flood. In fact, for a mile or two below this cataract, there is scarcely any point in all his tortuous and difficult course where one might not throw a stone across. After leav- ing the temple, our road led over the desolate stony hills, high above the river's bed. We looked down into the deep and narrow defile through which he flows, and which his waters scarcely brightened or cheered, for there was no vegetation on his banks except now and then a bunch of halfeh grass or a 480 JOURNEir TO OKNTBAI. AFRICA. few stunted thorns. The air was so bracing that I felt no more fatigue, but only regret, that the journey was so near its close. Old Mohammed walked ahead, singing his accustomed song : " Koolloo nasee fee djennatee, tefoddhel, ya er-rahh- man I " (0 Most Merciful, grant that all my people may enter thy Heavens !) Thus we travelled all day, and towards even- ing came down to the Nile again at the little village of Meer- sheh. This place is a beautiful little oasis in the midst of the savage Belly of Stone. The Nile has a more geutle current, and his banks have room enough for some groves of luxuriant date-trees, and fields of wheat and cotton. My tent was pitched beside the rustling palms, and I sat down with a glad heart and a full pipe, on the last night of my long aua toil- some journey by land. During the evening one of the natives took a fancy to my Abou-Sin, and made numerous small offers for the purchase of him. I refused, preferring to send him on (0 Assouan, but in the morning the man came again, and at last, with many struggles, raised his price to one hundred and ninety piastres, whereupon I thought it best to sell and so avoid all further trouble. I • stipulated, however, that Abou- Sin was to be delivered to him at Wadi-Halfa, and that he should accompany us thither on the morrow. The night was intensely cold, although the air was probably not below 60°. I could hardly bear the coldness of the water in tho morning. It stung my burnt face like fire, and increased tho pains of my unfortunate cracked nose. The Barabras brought me some milk for my coffee in a basket of closely-plaited grass, smeared with grease on the inside. It precisely resembled those bas- kets made by the Indians of California, which will carry water. A KABABISH CARAVAN. 481 The milk, however, had a taste of the rancid grease, which prevented me from drinking much of it. We arose shivering in the early dawn, and for the last time put the loads on our fagged and unwilling camels. Soon after starting, T saw ahead, through a, gateway of black porphyry rocks, the long, yellow sand-hills of the Libyan Desert, like those which line the western bank of the Nile, from Assouan to Korosko. This was a joyful token that we had reached the end of the savage Batn El-Hadjar. As we were travelling over the rolling upland of yellow sand, enjoying the view of the wild frontier of the Belly of Stone, out of which we had just issued, a large caravan of'Kababish Arabs, returning towards Dar-Fur with empty camels, met us. There were upwards of fifty camels and thirty men — half-naked savages, with projecting features, wild eyes, and a wilderness of hair on their heads. The Kababish were easily distinguished by their long plaits, laid close to the head, and smeared with fat. The others, who had enormous masses of wool, standing out in all directions for a foot or more, were probably Howoweet, from the side of Dar-Pur. We asked the distance to Wadi Haifa, und were answered with the universal " hassa," (just now !) whereby these people designate any indefinite period of time. After three or four hours, I began to look out' for Abou- Seer, a lofty cliflF to which travellers repair for a bird's-eye view of the Second Cataract — to them the turning point of their Nile journey, to me the termination of my long mid- African rambles, and the commencement of my return to the living world. Our road was a mile or two behind the river, and as Achmet had only visited the mountain from the side of Wadi Haifa, he could not serve as a guide. I turned into the 21 4-82 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. hills, taking him, Mohammed and Ali, and leaving the other man to go on with the haggage camels. We wandered for Bomo time over the rough ridges, and at last reached a spur of the hills which Achmet took to he Abou-Seer. but which was not it. I was so hungry that I stopped for breakfast, and before I had finished, Ali, who was overflowing with joy at the idea of reaching Wadi Haifa, came to me with the news that he had been climbing a high point, whence he could see the end of the mountains. The Nile, beyond, he said, was broad and smooth, and there were more date-trees than he had seen since leaving Sukkut. I left him to ride my Abou-Sin, and walked on to the peak he had climbed. As I reached its base, however, I saw that the true headland projected stiU further beyond, terminating in a cone-like summit. As I came out from among the hills behind it, the view suddenly opened before me far to the north and east, and I saw the long date- groves of Wadi Haifa apparently at my feet. Abou-Seer is a cliff of calcareous rock, and its base is com- pletely covered with the names of tourists who have visited it Achmet wanted me to add my name to theirs, but as I had brought no hammer and chisel from Cairo, like most travellers, I could not gratify him. A few steps took me to the summit of the cliff, which drops on the eastern side in a sheer preci- pice to the water's edge. It is at least three hundred feet in perpendicular height, and as it forms the corner of the range, the view on three sides is uninterrupted for many leagues. The panorama is truly grand, and probably unlike any other in the world. To the south the mountains of the Batn El- Hadjar rise like a black wall, out of which the Nile forces its way, not in a broad sheet, but in a hundred 7exed streams , THE SECOND CATARACT. 483 gurgling up amid chaotic heaps of rocks as if from subterra- nean sources, foaming and fretting their difficult way round endless islands and reefs, meeting and separating, seeking every where an outlet and finding none, till at last, as if weary of the long contest, the rocks recede, and the united waters spread themselves out, sluggish and exhausted, on the sands below. It i« a wonderful picture of strife between two mate- rial forces, but so intricate and labyrinthine in its features, that the eye can scarcely succeed in separating them, or in viewing it other than as a whole. The streams, in their thou- sand windings, appear to flow towards all points of the compass, and from their continual noise and motion on all sides, the whole fantastic wilderness of rock seems to heave and tug, as it is throttled by the furious waters. This is the last great struggle and triumph of the Nile. Henceforth, his tortured waters find repose. He goes down to Eg3rpt as a conqueror, crowned with a double majesty after all his toils. Is it to be wondered at, that the ancient race which existed by his bounty, should worship him as a Crod ? But by this time we saw our baggage-camels, like specks on the sand, approaching Wadi Haifa. Ali, unable to contain himself, started off on a run, and we soon lost sight of him. I mounted my faithful big dromedary, Abou-Sin, and after two more hours on his lofty hump, dismounted at the ferry-place, opposite Wadi Haifa, never, alas ! to mount him again. A boat with a company of merchants from Cairo had just arrived, and the sailors were unloading their packages of merchandise. The merchants came up and saluted me, and could scarcely believe that I had been so far as the White Nile. They were bound for Dongola, and one of them, learning that my brown 484 JOURNEY TO CENTUAL AFBICA. dromedary was for sale, offered to buy it, Achmet conducted the business for me, for the bargaiiiiug lasted at least two hours, before the purchaser^ succeeded in slowly struggling up to a decent price. The Barabra who had bought Abou-Sin was also on hand, to ratify the bargain, and I was thus saved from the necessity of sending the animals to the markets of Assouan. I must do both the men the justice to say that they afterwards made every exertion to cheat me, in the way of counting money and offering bad pieces, and at last gave a large pile of copper coin, which, when it was counted, lacked two piastres of the right amount. When all was finished, I delivered Abou-Sin into the hands of his rascally new master, with a sorrowful heart, for the old fellow and I were good friends. Had he known we were to be separated, I am sure those large black eyes of his would have dropped a few tears, and that capacious throat gurgled out a sound of lamentation. Achmet threw his arms around the beast's big head and kissed him tenderly. I was about to do the same thing, when I remembered that the never-sweating skin of a dromedary exhales not the freshest of odors, and preferred caressing him with my hand rather than my lips. So farewell to Abou-Sin, and may he never want dourra and bean-vines, nor complain under too heavy loads : and should he die soon (for he ia waxing in years), may some son of his strong loins be there to carry me, when next I visit Central Africa ! My arrival at Wadi Haifa terminated the journey of thirty- four days from Khartoum. In that time my little caravaji had travelled between eight and nine hundred miles, and at least half of it as rough travelling as can be found in Africa. Now we were beyond danger and done with fatigue, and could THANKSGIVING AND PARTING. 485 look forward to seeing Cairo in another month. Not until we were all seated in the ferry-boat, crossing from the opposite bank, did I fairly realize that our severe journey was over. The camels were left behind, the baggage piled up on board, and as we were rowed slowly across the river, it suddenly flashed through my mind that the same gentle motion of oars and waves was thenceforth to rock me all the way to Cairo. I drew a long breath, and fervently ejaculated i " el hamdu lilldh ! " to which the others, as in duty bound, responded. Achmet, who usually postponed his prayers until he reached home, recited a chapter from the Koran, and Ali, who never prayed, broke into sailor-songs by starts, and laughed continu- ally, from inward delight. After my tent was pitched on the beach, I called my camel- men, Ali and Mohammed, who had crossed with me, and gave them each the forty piastres still due, with a Maria Theresa dollar — abouiserar, or the Father of Buttons, as this coin is called in Central Africa, from the button which clasps the drapery on the Empress's shoulder — as backsheesL The men were delighted, and kissed my hand, in token of gratitude. I gave them also the money for the shekh, and took leave of them with the exclamation : " May God grant you a prosper- ous return to your country !" They replied, warmly: "May God prolong your days, Effendi 1 " and as they moved away, I overheard old Mohammed again declare to Achmet : " Wal- lah, but this is ar good Frank ! He certainly has Islam in hia heart !" 486 JOURNEV TO CENTRAL AIi'UJC'A. CHAPTER XXXVII THE BOCK TEMPLES OP AB OU- S IMBE L, ■WaJ.Halfa— A Boat for Assouan — "We Embark on the Nile Again — An EgyjllaK Dream— The Temples of Ahou-Simhel— The Smaller Temple— The Colossi oi Bcmeses II. — Vulgarity of Travellers — ^Entering the Great Temple — My Impres- sions — Character of Abou-Simbel — The Smaller Chambers — ^The Eaces of Men — Bemeses and the Captive Kings — Departure. Wadi Halfa is an ordinary Arab village, and noted only for being the head of navigation on the Nubian Nile. There were six or seven boats in port, some of them loaded with gum and ready to start for Assouan. They were all nekkers, or trading boats, built of heavy wood, and not to be moved down stream against a strong head-wind. I therefore engaged the ferry-boat in which I had crossed — a light, open boat, manned by two Nubian boys. The rais made a frame of sticks near the stem, and covered it with palm-mats, to serve as a cabin. The open hold was turned into a kitchen, and taken possession of by my two men. There was barely room enough for all of us and our baggage, and a fat sheep I bought, as provision for the voyage, but as I proposed being gloriously lazy, to make up for the foregone toils, I needed no more. VOYAGE DOWK THE NILE. 487 The morning after my arrival at Wadi Haifa all was ready. A few children came down to greet me with the hate- ful word "backsheesh," which I had not heard for three months and hoped never to hear again ; but a few Arabic ex- clamations soon put them to flight. We shoved away from the beach, followed by the cries of a dozen lazy sailors, who also wanted backsheesh for saying "salaam" at parting. I stretch- ed myself out on my bed, on deck, and lay looking on the receding shore, where my camel-men and camels (Abou-Sin still among them) were encamped. Abou-Sin's head was turn- ed towards the river, as if looking for his master, for the hapless creature certainly thought I should go over to mount him on the morrow. Alas, my brave old dromedary ! we shal ' never again play friendly tricks upon each other. Rais Kam adan took his station at the helm, and the boys plied their oars actively, so that we soon lost sight of Wadi Haifa. All the afternoon we glided slowly down the stream between rich " palm-groves and grain-fields. The appearance of thrift and fertility, which the country presented, was most agreeable after the waste fields of Dongola, and the unproductive rocks and sands of the intermediate districts. The mountains behind were lower and rounder in their outlines, and the landscapes softer an I richer tha:i any I had seen since leaving beautiful Dar Shygheea. By sunset we had made such good progress, that there was every hope of reaching Abou-Slmbel in the morning. There was no wind during the night, and the boys worked bravely. About two hours after midnight I was awakened from a deep sleep by the shock of the boat striking the shore. I opened my eyes and saw, as I lay, without moving my head, 488 JOnKNET TO CENTRAL AFRICA. a huge wall of rock before me, against which six enormous statues leaned as they looked from deep niches ent in its front. Their solemn faces were touched by the moon, which shone, full on the cliff, and only their feet were wrapped in shadow. The lines of deep-cut hieroglyphics orer the portal of this rocky temple were also filled with shadow and painted legibly on the gray, moonlit rook. Below them yawned the door — a square of complete darkness. A little to the left, over a long drift of sand that sloped from the summit of the cliff nearly to the water's edge, peered the mitred head of a statue of still more colossal proportions. I gazed on this broad, dim, and wonderfnl picture for a moment, so awed by its majesty that I did not ask myself where nor what it was. This is some grand Egyptian dream, was my first thought, and I closed my eyes for a few seconds, to see whether it would vanish. But it stood fast and silent as ever, and I knew it to be Abou- ■ Simbel. My servants all slept, and the rais and boys noise- lessly moored the boat to the shore, and then lay down and slept also. Still I lay, and the great statues looked solemnly down upon me, and the moon painted their kingly nomens and banners with yet darker distinctness on the gray rock. The river made no sound below, the long grass stirred not a blade at the foot of the crags, and the slopes of sand were white and dumb as snow. I lay in too deep a repose for thought, and was not then conscious how grateful was such a silence in Na- ture, while the moon held up that picture before me. It might have been two minutes or twenty, before the euiTent slowly swung the stern of the boat around, and the picture as slowly shifted from my view, leaving instead the Southern Cross in its shrine of stars. THE TEMPLES OF ABOU-SIMBEL. 489 In the morning, I found, that we lay at the foot of the smaller temple. I quietly waited for my cup of coffee, for the morning reality was infinitely less grand than my vision of the night. I then climbed to the door and entered. The interior is not large nor imposing, after one has seen the temples of Egypt. The exterior, however, is on such a colossal scale, that, not- withstanding the want of proportion in the different statues, the effect is very striking. The largest ones are about thirty- five feet high, and not identical, as are those of the great tem- ple. One, who stands with one leg advanced, while he holds a sword with the handle pressed against his breast, is executed with much more spirit than is usually met with in statues of this period. The sculptures of the interior are interesting, and being of the time of Eemeses the Greajt, whose history they illustrate, are executed with much skill and labor. The head of the goddess Athor, on the face of the columns in the hall, is much less beautiful than that of the same goddess at Dendera. It is, in fact, almost broad and distorted enough to represent the genius Typhon. The front of the great temple is not parallel to that of the other, nor does it face the river, which here flows in a north- east course. The line of the cliff is broken between the two, so that the figures of the great Kemeses, seated on each side of the door, look to the east, the direction of the line of the face being nearly north. Through the gap in front, the sands have poured down from the Desert behind, almost wholly fill- ing up the space between the two cliffs ; and though since the temple was first opened, in 1817, it has been cleared nearly to the base more than once, the rapid accumulation of sand has again almost closed the entrance The southern colossus is 21* 490 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. only buried about half way to the knee, but of the two northern ones there is little else to be seen except the heads. Obscured as is the effect of this grand front, it is still without parallel ip the world I had not thought it possible that in statues of such enormous magnitude there could be such singular beauty of expression. The face of Eemeses, the same in each, is un- doubtedly a portrait, as it resembles the faces of the statues in the interior and those of the King in other places. Besides, there is an individuality in some of the features which is too marked to represent any general type of the Egyptian head. The fullness of the drooping eyelid, which yet does not cover the large, oblong Egyptian eye ; the nose, at first slightly in- clining to the aquiline, but curving to the round, broad nos- trils ; the generous breadth of the calm lips, and the placid, serene expression of the face, are worthy of the conqueror of Africa and the builder of Karnak and Medeenet Abou. The statue next the door, on the southern side, has been shivered to the throne on which it is seated, and the fragments are not to be seen, except a few which lie upon the knees. The ridiculous vanity of tourists has not even spared these sublime monuments, and they are covered wherever a hand can reach, with the names of noble and ignoble snobs. The enthu- siastic antiquaries who cleared away the sands have recorded the fact in modest inscriptions, near the door, where they do not offend the eye ; and one readily pardons the liberty the writers have taken. But there are two Germans (whose names I will not mention, since it would help give them the very noto- riety they covet), who have carved their names in letters a foot long, on the thigh of one of the statues, and afterwards filled them with black paint. I should like to sec them subjected to a THE INTERIOR OF THE GREAT TEMPLE. 491 merciless ba,stinado, on the same part of their own bodies. Certainly, to have one of the statues seated- on their breasts as a nightmare, er^ry night of their lives, would not be too much punishment for such a desecration. The great doorway of the temple is so choked up with sand that I was obliged to creep in on my knees. The sun by this time had risen exactly ■ to the only point where it can illumine the interior, and the rays, taking a more yellow hue from the rock and sand on which they fell,*shone down the long drift betyreeii the double row of colossal statues, and lighted tip the entrance^ to the second hall of the temple. I sat down in the sand, awed and half frightened by the singular a,ppearance of the place. The sunshine, falling obliquely on the sands, struck a dim reflection against the sculptured roof, and even lighted up the farthest recesses of the grand hall sufficiently to show its imposing dimensions. Eight square pillars — four on either side of the central aisle— seem to uphold the roof, and on their inner sides, facing each other, are eight statues of the King. The features of all are preserved, and have something of the grace and serenity, though not the majesty of the great jtatues outside. They look into each other's eyes, with an eternal question on their fixed countenances, but none can giv« answer. There was something so "stern and strange in these eight faces, that I felt a shudder of fear creep over me. The strong arms are all crossed on their breasts, and the hands hold various sacred and regal symbols, conspicuous amon" which is something resembling a flail, which one sees often in Egyptian sculpture. I thought of a marvellous story I once read, in which a genie, armed with a brazen flail, stands at the entrance of an enchanted castle, crushing with the stroke of 492 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. hie ten-ible weapon all who come to seek the treasure within. For a moment the childish faith in the supernatural was as strong as ever, and I looked at the gloomy entrance beyond, wishing to enter, but fearing the stony flails of the terrible Remesi on either hand. The faces were once partially colored, and the black eyeball, still remaining on the blank eye of stone, gives them an expression of stupor, of death-in-life, which accoitated to me for the nervous shock I experienced on enter ing. There is nothing in Egypt which can be likened to the great temple of Abou-Simbel. Kamak is grander, but its grandeur is human. This belongs rather to the superhuman fancies of the. East — the halls of the Afrites — or to the realm of the dethroned Titans, of early Greek mythology. This im- pression is not diminished, on passing the second hall and corridor, and entering the adytum, or sa«red chamber of the temple. There the granite altar yet stands in the centre, before the undestroyed figures of the gods, who, seated side by side, calmly await the offerings of their worshippers. The peculiar individuality of each deity is strikingly shown in these large statues, and their attitude is much less constrained than in the sitting statues in the tombs of Thebes. These look as if they could rise, if they would. The walls are covered with sculptures of them and of the contemplar deities, in the grand, bold style of the age of Remeses. Some visitors had left a supply of dry palm branches near the entrance, and of these 1 made torches, which blazed and crackled fiercely, flaring with a rich red light on the sculptured and painted walls. There was sufficient to enable me to examine all the smaller chambers, of which there are eight or nine, cut laterally into the rock, THE RACES OP MEN'. 493 without any attempt at symmetry of form, or . regularity of arrang'iment. Several of them have seats running around three sides, exactly like the divans in modern Egyptian houses. They were probably designed for the apartments of the priests or servants connected with the temple. The sculptures on the walls of the grand hall are, after those of Medeenet Abou, and on the exterior wall of Karnak, the most interesting I have seen in Egypt. On the end wall, on either side of the entrance, is a colossal bas-relief, repre- senting- Eemeses slaying a group of captive kings, whom he holds by the hair of their heads. There are ten or twelve in each group, and the features, though they are not colored, exhibit the same distinction of race as I had previously remark- ed in Belzoni's tomb, at Thebes. There is the Negro, the Persian, the Jew, and one other form of countenance which I could not make out — all imploring with uplifted hands the mercy of the conqueror. On the southern wall, the distinction between the Negro and the Egyptian is made still more obvi- ous by the coloring of the figures. In fact, I see no reason whatever to doubt that the peculiar characteristics of the dif- ferent races of men were as strongly marked in the days of Kemeses as at present. This is an interesting fact in discus- sing the question of the unity of origin of the race. Admitting the different races of men to have had originally one origin, the date of the first appearance of Man on the earth, must have been nearer fifty thousand than five thousand years ago. If climate, customs, and the like have been the only agents in producing that variety of race, which we find so strongly mark- ed nearly four thousand years ago, surely those agents must have been at work for a vastly longer period than that usually 494 JOURN'F.T TO CENTRAL AFRICA. . accepted as tfjo age of Man. We are older than we know ; but our beginning, like our end, is darkness and mystery. The sculptures on the side walls of the temple represent the wars of Remeses, who, as at Medeenet Abou, stands in a chariot which two horses at full speed whirl into the ranks of the enemy. The king discharges his arrows against them, and directly in front of him a charioteer, mortally wounded, is burled from his overthrown chariot. The groups are chiselled with great spirit and boldness ; the figures of the king and his horses are full of life. Towering over ail, as well by his supe- rior proportions as by the majesty and courage of his attitude, Remeses stands erect and motionless amid the shock and jar and riot of battle. There is no exultation in his face ; only the inflexible calmness of Destiny. I spent some time contemplating these grand and remark- able memorials of the greatest age of Egypt, and left with my feeling for Egyptian art even stronger than before. I watched the giant figures of the portico, as the swift current carried my boat down stream, reluctant to lose sight of their majestic features. But the yellow of the clifi' turned to purple, and at last other crags passed before it LOSE MY SUNSHINE. 405 CHAPTER XXXVIIl. RETURN TO EGYPT. I Lose my Sunshine, and Bcgain it— Nubian Scenery — Den- — The Temple of Ainada — Mysterious Eappings — Familiar Scenes — Halt at Koroslco— Escape from Ship- wreck — ^The Temple of Sehooa— Chasing other Boats — Temple of Djei-fHossayn— A. Backsheesh Experiment — Kalabshee — Temple of Dab6d — "We reach the Egyp- tian Frontier. The distressing coldness of the temperature the night before reaching Wadi Haifa, affected me more painfully than all the roastings I had endured in Soudftn. My nose after losing six coats of skin, became so hard and coppery, that like Anthony Van Corlear's, the reflected rays from it might have pierced even the tough skin of a crocodile. My frame was so steeped In heat, that had our fuel fallen short, I might have " drawn " my tea, by hugging the kettle in my arms. I had been so bathed and rolled in light, the sun had so constantly, with each succeeding day, showered upon me his burning baptism, that I came to regard myself as one of his special representa- tives, and to fancy that, wherever I went, there was a sort of nimbus or radiation around me. But those few drops of rain, among the stony mountains of the Batn El-Hadjar, quenched at once the glow of my outer surface, and the cold winds which 496 JOUENET TO CENTRAL AVRICA. . followed, never ceased blowing till they extinguished even the central fires. I was like an incipient comet, snu£fed out of existence and made satellite to some frozen planet. My frame was racked with pains, which turned into misery the refresh- ing indolence of the Nile. I had no medicines, but put my philosophy into practice : the climate of Nubia, I said, has given me this infliction, therefore the country must supply the remedy. So I sent the rais ashore in search of it. He came back with a cup of oil which a shining daughter of the land was about bestowing upon her crispy tresses, and I drank it with a heroic faith in the efficacy of my theory. I was not disappointed, and on the third day sat once more in the sun, in the bow of my boat, trying to regain the efiSuence I had lost. The scenery of the Nile below Abou-Simbel is very beauti- ful. The mountains recede again from the bank, and show themselves occasionally in picturesque peaks. The shores are low and rich and the groves of date-trees most luxuriant. The weather was delightfully calm and warm, and the Nile, though swift, ran smooth and shining as the oil of his own castor bean-fields. During the sweet, quiet hour before and after sunset, we floated down through the lovely region about Bos- tan and Teshka. Three tall peaks of dark-brown rock rose inland, beyond the groves of the beautiful Ibreemee palm, whose leaves, longer and more slender than those of the Egyp- tian date-tree, are gracefully parted at the sides — half of them shooting upward in a plumy tuft, while the other half droop around the tall shaft of the tree. The boys worked during the second night with unabated force. I awoke as the moon was rising through black clouds, and found the lofty crags of THE TEMPLE OF AMADA. 497 Ibreem overhanging us. We swept silently under the base of the heights, which in the indistinct light, appeared to rise four or five hundred feet above us. By sunrise, the date- groves of Derr, the capital of the Nuba country, were in sight, and we were soon moored beside the beach in front of the town. Derr stretches for some distance along the shore, and presents an agreeable front to the river. A merchant, from a boat near ours, brought me two small loaves of delicious Egyptian bread. He had been in Soudan, and knew how such bread would relish, after the black manufacture of that country. An hour afterwards my boat ran to the eastern bank, to allow me to visit the little temple of Amada. This temple stands on a slight rise in the sands, which surround and en- tirely overwhelm it. It consists only of a low portico, sup- ported by eight pillars, a narrow corridor and the usual three chambers — all of very small dimensions. The sculptures on the walls are remarkable for the excellent preservation of their colors. The early Christians, who used this temple for their worship, broke holes in the roof, which admit sufficient li^t for the examination of the interior. Without knowing any thing of the hieroglyphic inscriptions on the temple, I should judge that it was erected by some private person or persons. The figures making the offerings have not the usual symbols of royalty, and the objects they present consist principally of the fruits of the earth, which are heaped upon a table placed before the divinity. The coloring of the fruit is quite rich and glowing, and there are other objects which appear to be cakes or pastry. While I was examining the central chamber, I heard a sound as of soma one sharply striking one of the out- 498 JOURNEY TO CKNTEAL AFRICA. side pillars -with a stick. It was repeated three times with an interval between, and was so clear and distinct that I imagined it to be Achmet, following me. I called, but on receiving no answer, went out, and was not a little surprised to find no per- son there or within sight. The temple stands at a considera- ble distance from any dwelling, and there is no place in the smooth sands on all sides of it where a man could hide. When I mentioned this circumstance, on returning to the boat, Achmet and the rais immediately declared it to be the work of a djin, or afrite, who frequently are heard among the ruins, and were greatly shocked when I refused to accept this explanation. I record the circumstance to show that even ir the heart of Nubia there are mysterious rappings. Beyond Derr I entered the mountain region of granite, sandstone and porphyry, which extends all the way to As- souan. As I approached Korosko, which is only about twelve miles further, the south-wind increased tUl it became a genuine Ichamseen, almost blotting out the landscape with the clouds of sand which it whirled from the recesses of the Biban. We were obliged to creep along under the bank till we reached Korosko, where we ran up to the same old landing-place at which I had stopped in December. The bank was eight feet higher than then, the river having fallen that much in the mean time. There was the same house, open on the river- side, the same old Turk sitting within, the dark sycamores shading the bank, the dusty terrace with the familiar palms tossing their leaves against the wind, the water-mill, the white minaret at the foot of the mountain, and, lastly, the bold peaked ridge of Djebel Korosko behind. There was the very spot where my tent had stood, and where I first mounted a OLD ACQUAINTANCES AT KOROSKO. 499 dromedary for the long march through the Nubian Desert. There was also the corn«r by which I turned into the moun- tflin-pass, and took leave of the Nile. I recognized all these points with a grateful feeling that my long wandering in Cen- tral Africa was over, without a single untoward incident to mar my roooUection of it. I had my pipe and carpet brought under the shade jf the sycamore, while Achmet went up to the Governor's house, with the rais and one of the boys. Be- fore long, the latter appeared with his shirt full of pigeons (for I had not forgotten the delicious roast pigeons we took from Korosko into the Desert), then the rais with my sack of char- coal, the Governor having only used about one-third of it dur- ing my absence, and finally the Governor himself, Moiissa Effendi shook me cordially by the hand and welcomed me many times, thanking God that I had returned in safety. We sat on my carpet, talked for an hour about my journey, took coffee, and I then left the worthy man and his wretched vil- lage, more delighted at having seen them again than I can well express. The same evening, the wind veered to the north-west, near- ly at right-angles to our course, and just at dusk, as the rai'B and Ali were rowing vigorously to keep the boat on the western side of the river (the other being full of dangerous reefs), the rope which held the long oar in its place broke, and Ali tumbled heels over head into the wooden cooking bowl of the rais. The wind carried us rapidly towards the opposite shore, and while Ali and Lalee were trying to fix the oar in its place, we heard the water roaring over the rocks. " Prophet!" "0 Apostle 1" "Prophet of God, help us!'" were the exclamations of the rais, but little black 'Med Roo- 500 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. mee, who sat at the helm, like Charlemagne on a similar occa- sion, said nothing. He looked keenly through the gloom for the reef, and at last discerned it in time for the boat to be sculled around with the remaining oar, and brought to land just above the dangerous point. A shipwreck in the Nile is a more serious matter than one would imagine, who has never seen the river during a strong wind. Its waves run as rough- ly and roar as loudly as those of a small sea. We reached Sebooa during the night, and I walked up to the temple as soon as I rose. Early as it was, several Arabs descried me from a distance, and followed. The temple, which is small and uninteresting, is almost buried under drifts from the Desert, which completely fill its interior chambers. Only the portico and court, with three pillars on each side, to which colossal caryatides are attached, remain visible. Before the pylon there is an avenue of lion-headed sphinxes, six of which, and a colossal etatue of sandstone, raise their heads above the sand. I was followed to the vessel by the men, who impor- tuned me for backsheesh. When I demanded what reason they had for expecting it, they answered that all strangers who go there give it to them. This was reason enough for them ; as they knew not why it was given, so they knew not why it should be refused. The crowd of travellers during the winter had completely spoiled the Barabras. I said to the men : " You have done nothing for me ; you are beggars," but instead of feeling the term a reproach, they answered: " You are right — ^we are beggars." With such people one can do nothing. For the next two days we lagged along, against a head- wind. My two boys did the work of two men, and I stimo. MY TLAG DJKUF HOSSAYN. 501 tated them with presents of mutton and tobacco. Three Eng- lish boats (the last of the season), left Wadi-Halfa three daj's before me, and by inquiring at the village, I found I was fast gaining on them. I began to feel some curiosity concerning the world's doings dm-ing the winter, and as these Englishmen were at least three months in advance of the point where I left off, they became important objects to me, and the chase of them grew exciting. I prepared for my encounter with them and other belated travellers on the Nile, by making an Ameri- can flag out of some stuff which I had bought for that purpose in Dongola. The blue and white were English muslin, and the red the woollen fabric of Barbary, but they harmonized well, and my flag, though I say it, was one of the handsomest on the river. The temple of Djerf Hossayn is excavated in the rook, near the summit of a hill behind the village. A rough path, over heaps of stones, which abound with fragments of pottery, denoting the existence of an ancient town, leads up to it. When I reached the platform in front of the entrance I had a convoy of more than a dozen persons, mostly stout, able-bodied men. I determined to try an experiment, and so told them at the start to go back, for they would get nothing; but they were not to be shaken off. I avoided with the greatest care and patience all their endeavors to place me under obligations to them ; for these cunning Barabras are most assiduous in their efforts to render some slight service. If it is only kicking a stone out of your path, it constitutes a claim for backsheesh, and they represent their case in such a way that it would be the most glaring ingratitude on your part not to give it. On entering the temple, the vast square pillars of the hall. 502 jouKNi=:y to central Africa. with tlic colossal figures attached to them, produce a etriking impression. The effect of these pillars, which fill nearly half the space of the hall itself, is to increase its apparent dimen- sions, so that the temple, at the first glance, seems to be on a grander scale than is really the case. I had some curiosity regarding this place, from the enthusiastic description of War- burton, and the disparaging remarks of Wilkinson. After see- ing it, I find them both correct, in a great measure. The co- lossal statues of the grand hall are truly, as the latter ob- serves, clumsy and badly executed, and the sculptures on the walls are unworthy the age, of Kemeses ; but it is also true that their size, and the bulk of the six pillars, which are lofty enough to be symmetrical, would have a fine effect when seen at night, by the light of torches, as Warburton saw them. All the chambers have suffered from smoke and bats, and the bigotry of the old Christians. The walls are so black that it is difficult to trace out the figures upon them. This, however, rather heightens the impression of a grand, though uncouth and barbarous art, which the temple suggests. I made but a brief visit, and marched down the hill with the population of Djerf Hossayn in my train. The boat had gone ahead, as the only approach to the shore was a mile or two beyond, but they insisted on following me. I ordered them to leave, fearing lest the very fact of their walking so far in the hot sun would in- duce me to break my resolution. It would have been, indeed, a satisfaction to give ten piastres and be freed from them, and I took no little credit to myself for persisting in refusing them. They all dropped off at last, except two, who came almost to the spot where the boat was moored, and only turned back because I was in adva» ce and ordered the rais to move KALABASHEE. 503 on as soon as I got on board. I should like to know their opinion of me. I have no doubt the people considered me the most eccentric Frank who ever came among them. The next morning we reached Kalahshee, and before sun- rise I was standing on the long stone platform before the tem- ple. The pylon of hewn sandstone rises grandly above the spacious portal, and from the exterior the building has a most imposing air. Its interior once, probably, did not diminish the impression thus given ; but at present it is such an utter mass of ruin that the finest details are entirely lost. The temple is so covered with the enormous fragments of the roof and walls that it is a work of some difficulty to examine it ; but it does not repay any laborious inspection. The outer wall which surrounds it has also been hurled down, and the whole place is a complete wreck. I know of no temple which has been subjected to such violence, unless it be that of Soleb, in Dar El-Mahass. Below the temple we passed the Bab (Gate) El-Kalabshee, where the river is hemmed in between enormous boulders of granite and porphyry. The morning was cold and dark, and had there been firs instead of palms, I could have believed my- self on some flood among the hills of Norway. I urged on the boys, as I wished to reach Dabod before dark, and as Ali, who was anxious to get back to Egjrpt, took a hand at the oar oc- casionally, our boat touched the high bank below the temple just after sunset. There is a little village near the place, and the reapers in the ripe wheat-fields behind it were closing their day's labor. One old man, who had no doubt been a servant in Cairo, greeted me with " huona sera / " Aehmet followed, to keep ofi" the candidates for backsheesh, and I stood alone in 504 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. the portico of the temple, just as the evening star began to twinkle in the fading amber and rose. Like Kalabshee, the temple is of the times of the Csesars, and unfinished. There are three chambers, the interior walls of which are covered with sculptures, but little else is represented than the offerings to the gods. Indeed, none of the sculptures in the temples of the Caesars have the historic interest of those of the Eighteenth Egyptian dynasty. The object of the later architects appears to have been merely to cover the walls, and consequently we find an endless repetition of the same subjects. The novice in Egyptian art might at iirst be deceived by the fresher appear- ance of the figures, their profusion and the neatness of their chiselling; but a little experience will satisfy him how truly superior were the ancient workmen, both in the design and execution of their historic sculptures. In Dabod, I saw the last of the Nubian temples, in number nearly equal to those of Egypt, and after Thebes, quite equal to them in interest. No one who has not been beyond Assouan, can presume to say that he has a thorough idea of Egyptian art. And the Nile, the glorious river, is only half known by those who forsake him at PhUae. After dark, we floated past the Shaymt-el-Wah, a powerful eddy or whirlpool in the stream, and in the night came to a small village within hearing of the Cataract. Here the rais had his family, and stopped to see them. We lay there quiet- ly the rest of the night, but with the first glimpse of light I was stirring, and called him to his duty. The dawn was deep- ening into a clear golden whiteness in the East, but a few large stars were sparkling overhead, as we approached Philae. Its long colonnades of light sandstone glimmered in the AKMVAL AI ASSOUAN. 505 shadows of the palms, between the dark masses of the moun- tains on either hand, and its tall pylons rose beyond, distinct against the sky. The little hamlets on the shores were still in the hush of sleep, and there was no sound to disturb the im- pression of that fairy picture. The pillars of the airy chapel of Athor are perfect in their lightness and grace, when seen thus from a boat coming down the river, with the palm-groves behind them and the island-quay below. We glided softly past that vision of silence and beauty, took the rapid between the gates of granite, and swept down to the village at the head of the Cataract. The sun had just risen, lighting up the fleet of trading boats at anchor, and the crowds of Arabs, Egyptians and Barabras on the beach. The two English dahabiyehs I had been chasing were rowed out for the descent of the Cata- ract, as I jumped ashore and finished my travels in Nubia. 22 BOO JOUBSET TO CENTRAL AFBICA. CHAPTEK XXXI5. VOYAGB DOWN THE NILE. Asson&n — A Boat for Cairo — ^EnglisL Tourists — A Head-wind — Opbtbalmia — ^Esneh--A Mummied Princess — Ali Effendi's Stories — A Donkey Atrite — Arrival at Lusor — The Egyptian Autumn — A Day at Thebes — Songs of the Sailors — Ali leaves nj«— Eide to Dendera — Head-winds again — Yislt to Tahtah — The Houae of Kufaa Bey. I BEACHED the Egyptian frontier on the morning of the sir teenth of March, having been forty days in making the jour- ney from Khartoum. Immediately upon our arrival, I took a donkey and rode around the Cataract to Assouan, leaving AL to take care of the baggage-camels. I went directly to the beach, where a crowd of vessels were moored, in expectation of the caravans of gum from the South. An Egyptian Bey, going to Khartoum in the train of Rustum Pasha, had arrived the day before in a small dahabiyeh, and the captain thereof immediately offered it to me for the return to Cairo. It was a neat and beautiful little vessel, with a clean cabin, couch, divan, and shady portico on deck. He asked twelve hundred piastres ; I offered him nine hundred ; we agreed on a thou- sand, and when my camels arrived there wag a new refuge pre- pared for my household gods. I set Achmet to work at get- ENGLISH TODEISTS. 607 ting the necessary supplies, sent the rais to bake bread for the voyage, and then went to see the jolly, flat-nosed Governor. He received me very cordially, and had a great deal to say of the unparalleled herd of travellers on the Nile during the winter. Ninety-six vessels and eleven steamboats had reached the harbor of Assouan, and of these the greater number were Americans. " Mashallah ! your countrymen must be very rich," said the Governor. When I left the divan, the firing of guns announced the safe arrival of the English boats below the Cataract. Very soon I saw two burnt-faced, tarbooshed individuals, with eye- glasses in their eyes, strolling up the beach. For once I threw off the reserve which a traveller usually feels towards every one speaking his own language, and accosted them. They met my advances half-way, and before long my brain was in a ferment of French and English politics. Europe was still quiet then, but how unlike the quiet of the Orient ! The Englishmen had plenty of news for me, but knew nothing of the news I most wanted-— those of my own country. Had our positions been reversed, the result would have been different. They left at sunset for the return to Thebes, but I was detain- ed until noon the next day, when I set off in company with the boat of Signor Drovetti, of Alexandria, who left Khar- toum a few days after me. I had six men, but only two of them were good oarsmen. In the morning, when I awoke, the broken pylon of Ombos tottered directly over the boat. I rushed on deck in time to catch another sight of the beautiful double portico, looking down from the drifted sands. The wind blew very strongly from the north, but in the afternoon we succeeded in reaching 508 JOC/IKBY TO CEXTRAL AFBICA. Djebel Silslleh, where the English boats were moored. We exchanged pistol salutes, and I ran up to the bank to visit some curious sculptured tablets and grottoes, which we did not see on the upward voyage. During the night the wind increased to such an extent that all tho boats were obliged to lay to The morning found our four dahabiyehs floating slow- ly down in company, crossing from side to side transversely, in order to make a little headway. After three or four hours, however, the wind grew so strong that they were driven up stream, and all ran to the lee of a high bank for shelter. There we lay nearly all day. The Englishmen went ashore and shot quails, but I lounged on my divan, unable to do any thing, for the change from the dry, hot desert air, to the damp Nile blasts, brought on an inflammation of the eyes, resembling ophthalmia. I was unable to read or write, and had no reme- dies except water, which I tried both warm and cold, with very little effect. Towards evening the wind fell ; after dark we passed the pylon of Edfoo, and at noon the next day reached Esneh. I went at once to the temple, so beautiful in my memory, yet still more beautiful when I saw it again. The boys who admitted me, lifted the lids of the large coffin and showed the royal mummies, which are there crumbling to pieces from tho neglect of the Egyptian authorities, who dug. them up at Goorneh. The coffins were of thick plank and still sound, the wood having become exceedingly dry and light. The mum- mies were all more or less mutilated, but the heads of some were well preserved. In form, they differ considerably from the Arab head of the present day, showing a better balance of the intellectual and moral faculties. On cae of them the hair ALI EFFENDl's STORIES. 509 was still fresh and uncorrupted. It was of a fine, sillsy tex« ture and a bright auburn color. The individual was a woman, with a very symmetrical head, and small, regular features. She may have been a beauty once, but nothing could be more hideous. I pulled off a small lock of hair, and took it with me as a curious relic. Esneh appeared much more beautiful to me than on my upward journey; possibly, by contk'ast with the mud-built houses of Soudan. I went to a coffee-shop and smoked a sheesheh, while the muezzin called down from the mosque in front : " God is great ; there is no God bat God ; Mohammed is. the Prophet of God." Ali Effendi, the agent of the Moodir, or Governor, came to see me and afterwards went on board my vessel. As the wind was blowing so furiously that we could not leave, I invit- ed him to dinner, and in the meantime we had a long talk on afrites and other evil spirits. I learned many curious things concerning Arabic faith in such matters.- The belief in spirits is universal, although an intelligent Arab will not readily con- fess the fact to a Fradk, unless betrayed into it by a simulated belief on the part of the latter. Ali Effendi icformed me that the spirit of a man who is killed by violence, haunts the spot where his body is buried, until the number of years has elapsed, which he would otherwise have lived. He stated, with the greatest earnestness, that formerly, in passing at night over the plain between Embabeh and the Pyramids, where Napo.^ leon defeated the Mamelukes, he had frequently heard ii con- fusion of noises, — cries of pain, and agony, and wrath — but that now there were but few sounds to be heard, as the time of service of the ghosts had for the most part expired. One of his personal experiences with an afrite amused ra« 510 JOUUNEr TO CENTRAL AFRICA. exceedingly. He was walking one night on the road from Cairo to Shoobra, when he suddenly saw a donkey before him. As he was somewhat fatigued, and the donkey did not appear to have an owner, he mounted, and was riding along very pleasantly, when he was startled by the fact that the animal was gradually increasing in size. In a few minutes it became nearly as large as a camel ; and he thereby knew that it wa.s no donkey, but an afrite. At first he was in such terror that the hairs of his beard stood straight out from his face, but suddenly remembering that an afrite may be brought to reveal his true nature by wounding him with a sharp instrument, he cautiously drew his dagger and was about to plunge it into the creature's back. The donkey-fiend, however, kept a sharp watch upc/n him with one of his eyes, which was turned back- wards, and no sooner saw the dagger than he contracted to his original shape, shook off his rider and whisked away with a yell of infernal laughter, and the jeering exclamation : " Ha ! ha ! you want to ride, do you ? " We had scarcely left Esneh before a fresh gale arose, and kept us tossing about in the same spot all night. These blasts on the Nile cause a rise of waves which so shake the vessel that one sometimes feels a premonition of sea-sickness. They whistle drearily through the ropes, like a gale on the open sea. The air at these times is filled with a gray haze, and the mountain chains on either hand have a dim, watery loom, like that of mountains along the sea-coast. For half a day I lay in sight of Esneh, but during the following night, as there was no wind, I could not sleep for the songs of the sail- ors. The sunrise touched the colonnade of Luxor. I slept beyond my usual time, and on going out of the cabin what THEBES REVISITED. 611 aliould I see but my former guide, Hassan, leading down the beach the same little brown mare on which I had raced with him around Karnak We mounted and rode again down the now familiar road, but the harvests whose planting I had wit- nessed in December were standing ripe or already gathered in. It was autumn in Egypt. The broad rings of clay were beaten for threshing floors, and camels, laden with stacks of wheat-sheaves paced slowly towards them over the stubble fields. Herds of donkeys were to be seen constantly, carrying heavy sacks of wheat to the magazines, and the capacious freight-boats were gathering at the towns along the Nile to carry oflf the winter's produce. It was a bright, warm and quiet day that I spent at Thebes. The great plain, girdled by its three mountain- chains, lay in a sublime repose. There was no traveller there, and, as the people were expecting none, they had already given up the ruins to their summer silence and loneliness. I had no company, on either side of the river, but my former guides, who had now become as old friends. We rode to Karnak, to Medeenet Abou, to the Memnonium, and the Colossi of the Plain. The ruins had now not only a memory for me, but a language. They no longer crushed me with their cold, stern, incomprehensible grandeur. I was calm as the Sphinx, whose lips no longer closed on a mystery. I had gotten over the awe of a neophyte, and, though so little had been revealed to me, walked among the temples with the feelings of a master. Let no one condemn this expression as presumptuous, for nothing is so simple as Art, when once we have the clue to her infinite meanings. White among the many white days of my travel, that day 512 JOURNJEY TO CENTRAL AFEICA. at Thebes is registered ; and if I left with pain, and the vast regret we feel on turning away from such spots, at least I took with me the joy that Thebes, the mighty and the eternal, was greater to me in its living reality than it had ever been in all the shadow-pictures my anticipation had drawn. Nor did the faultless pillars of the Menmonium, nor the obelisks of Kar- nak, take away my delight in the humbler objects which kept a recognition for me. The horses, whose desert blood sent its contagion into mine ; the lame water-boy, always at my elbow with his earthen bottle ; the grave guides, who considered my smattering of Arabic as something miraculous, and thence dubbed me " Taylor Effendi ; " the half-naked Fellahs in the harvest-fields, who remembered some idle joke of mine, — all these combined to touch the great landscape with a home-like influence, and to make it seem, in some wise, like an old rest- ing-place of my heart. Mustapha Achmet Aga, the English agent at Luxor, had a great deal to tell me of the Bq[uabbles of travellers during the winter : how the beach was lined with foreign boats and the temples crowded day after day with scores of visitors ; how these quarrelled with their dragomen and those with their boatmen, and the latter with each other till I thanked Heaven for having kept me away from Thebea at such a riotous period. Towards evening there was a complete calm, and cveiy thing was so favorable for our downward voyage that I declined Mustapha's invitation to dine with him the next day, and set off for Kenneh. The sailors rowed lustily, my servant Ali taking the leading oar. Ali was beside himself with joy, at the prospect of reaching his home and astonishing his family with his marvellous adventures in Soudan. lie led the chorus SONGS OF THE SAILORS. 613 •witi a voice so strong and cheery that it rang from shore to shore. As I was unable to write or read, I sat on deck, with the boy Hossayn at my elbow to replenish the pipe as occasion required, and listened to the songs of the sailors. Their repertory was so large that I was unable to exhaust it during the voyage. One of their favorite songs was in irregular trochaic lines, consisting of alternate questions and answers, such as " ed-dookan el-liboodeh fayn ? " (where's the shop of the cotton caps ?) sung by the leader, to which the chorus re- sponded : " Bahari Luxor ieshwoytayn." (A little to the northward of Luxor). Another, favorite chorus was: Imldl- imlal-imlalee I " (Pill, fill, fill to me !) Many of the songs wore of too broad a character to be translated, but there were two of a mere refined nature, and these, from the mingled passion, tenderness and melancholy of the airs to which they, were sung, became great favorites of mine.* * I give the following translations of these two songs, as nejirly liter- al as possible : L Look at me with your eyes, gazelle, .0 gazelle I The blossom ofj your cheeks is dear to me ; your breasts burst the silk of your vest ; I cannot loose the shawl about your waist ; it sinks into your soft waist. Who possesses you is blessed by heaven. Look at me with your eyes, gazelle, gazelle ! Tour forehead is like the moon ; your face is fairer than all the flowers of the garden ; your bed is of diamonds ; he is richer than a King who can sleep thereon. Look at me with your eyes, gazelle, gazelle 1 IL O night, night — darling, I lie on the sands. I languish for the light of your face ; if you do not have pity on me, I shall die. night, night — darling, I lie on the sands. I have changed color, 22* 514 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. Before sunrise we reached Kenneh. Here I was obliged to stop a day to let the men bake their bread, and I employed the time in taking a Turkish bath and revisiting the temple of Dendera. My servant Ali left me, as his family resided in the place. I gave him a good present, in consideration of his service during the toilsome journey we had just closed. Hs kissed my hand veiy gratefully, and I felt some regret at parting with, as I believed, an honest servant, and a worthy, though wild young fellow. What was my mortification on discovering the next day that he had stolen from me the beau- tiful stick, which had been given me in Khartoum by the Sul- tana Nasra. The actual worth of the stick was trifling, but the action betrayed an ingratitude which I had not expected, even in an Arab. I had a charming ride to Dendera, over the fra/- grant grassy plain, rippled by the warm west wind. I was ac- companied only by the Fellah who owned my donkey — an amia- ble fellow, who told me many stories about the robbers who used for^nerly to come in from the Desert and plunder the country. We passed a fine field of wheat, growing on land which had been uncultivated for twenty years. My attendant said that this was the work of a certain Efiendi, who, having seen the neglected field, said that it was wrong to let God's good ground lie idle, and so planted it. " But he was truly a good man," he added ; " and that is the reason why the crop is so good. If he had been a bad man, the wheat would not have grown so finely as you see it." from my longing and my sorrow ; you only can restore me, O my darling. Q night, O night — O darling, I lie on the sands. O darling, take me in • give me a place by your side, or I must go back wretched to my own country. DESCENDING THE NILE. 615 For three days after leaving KenneL, a furious head-wind did its best to beat ine back, and in that time we only made sixty miles. I sighed' when I thought of the heaps of letters awaiting me in Cairo, and Achmet could not sleep, from the desire of seeing his family once more. He considered himself as one risen from the dead. He had heard in Luxor that his wife was alarmed at his long absence, and that his little son went daily to Boulak to make inquiries among the returning boats. Besides, my eyes were no better. I could not go ashore, as we kept the middle of the stream, and my only employment was to lounge on the outside divan and gossip with the rais. One evening, when the sky was overcast, and the wind whirled through the palm-trees, we saw a boy on the bank crying for his brother, who had started to cross the river but was no longer to be seen. Presently an old man came out to look for him, in a hollow palm-log, which rolled on the rough waves. We feared the boy had been drowned, but not long afterwards came upon him, drifting at the mercy of the current, having broken his oar. By the old man's assistance he got back to the shore in safety. On the fourth day the wind ceased. The Lotus floated down the stream as lightly as the snowy blossom whose name I gave her. We passed Grirgeh, Ekhmin ; and at noon we brushed the foot of Djebel Shekh Hereedee and reached the landing-place of Tahtah. I had a letter from Rufaa Bey in Khartoum to his family in the latter town, and accordingly walked thither through fields of superb wheat, heavy with ripening ears. Tahtah is a beautiful old town ; the houses are of burnt brick ; the wood-work shows the same fanciful Sara- cemo patterns as in Cairo, and the bazaar is as quiet, dim and 516 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. spicy as an Oriental dream. I found the Bey's house, and delivered my letter- through a slave. The wife, or wives, who remained in the hareem, invisible, entertained me with coffee and pipes, in the same manner, while a servant went to bring the Bey's son from school. Two Copts, who had assisted me in finding the house, sat in the court-yard, and entertained them- selves with speculations concerning my journey, not supposing that I understood them. " Girgos," said one to the other, " the Frank must have a great deal of money to spend." " You may well say that ; " his friend replied, " this journey to Soudan must have cost him at least threeiiundred purses." In a short time the Bey's son came, accompanied by th& schoolmaster. He was a weak, languid boy of eight or nine years old, and our interview was not very interesting. I there- fore sent the slave to bring donkeys, and we rode back to the boat. STOUT IN IIABVEST^IME, 517 CHAPTER XL. THE RETURN TO CAIRO CONCLUSION. p^iont in Harvcst'-time — A kind Englishwoman — A Slight Experieueo of Hasfaeosh— The Calm— Eapid Progress down the Nile — The Last Day of the Voyage — ^Arrivft] at Cairo — Tourists preparing for the Desert — Parting with Achmet — Conclusion. We readied Siout on the morning of the twenty-eighth of March, twelve days after leaving Assouan. I had . seen the town, during the Spring of an Egyptian November, glittering over seas of lusty clover and young wheat, and thought it never could look so lovely again ; but as I rode up the long dyke, overlooking the golden waves of harvest, and breathing the balm wafted from lemon groves spangled all over with their milky bloom, I knew not which picture to place in my mind's gallery. I remained half a day io the place, partly for old ac- quaintance sake, and partly to enjoy the bath, the cleanest and most luxurious in Egypt. I sought for some relief to my eyes, and as they continued to pain me considerably, I went on board an English boat which had arrived before me, in the hope of finding some medicine adapted to my case. The trav- ellers were a most innocent-faced Englishman and his wife — a beautiful, home-like little creature) with as kind a heart aa B18 JOUKNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. ever beat. They had no medicine, but somebody had recom- mended a decoction of parsley, and the amiable woman spoiled their soup to make me some, and I half suspect threw away her Eau de Cologne to get a bottle to put it in. I am sure I bathed my eyes duly, with a strong faith in its efficacy, and fancied that they were actually improving, but on the second day the mixture turned sour and I was thrown back on my hot water and cold water. While in Egypt, I had frequently heard mention of the curiouf effects produced by hasheesh, a preparation made from the cannabis indica. On reaching Siout, I took occasion to buy some, for the purpose of testing it. It was a sort of paste, made of the leaves of the plant, mixed with sugar and spices. The taste is aromatic and slightly pungent, but by no means disagreeable. About sunset, I took what Achmet considered to be a large dose, and waited half an hour without feeling the slightest. effect. I then repeated it, and drank a cup of hot tea immediately afterwards. In about ten minutes, I became con- scious of the gentlest and balmiest feeling of rest stealing over me. The couch on which I sat grew soft and yielding as air ; my flesh was purged from aU gross quality, and became a gossamer filagree of exquisite nerves, every one tingling with a sensation which was too dim and soft to be pleasure, but which resembled nothing else so nearly. No sum could have tempt- ed me to move a finger. The slightest shock seemed enough to crush a structure so frail and delicate as I had become. I felt like one of those wonderful sprays of brittle spar which hang for ages in the unstirred air of a cavern, but are shivered to pieces by the breath of the first explorer. As this sensation, which lasted but a short time, was A SLIGSr EXPERIENCE OF HASHIiESH. 519 gradually fading away, I found myself infected with a ten- dency to view tlie most common objects in a ridiculous light. Achmet was sitting on one of the provision chests, as was his custom of an evening. I thought : was there ever any thing so absurd as to see him sitting on that chest ? and laughed im- moderately at the idea. The turban worn by the captain next put on such a quizzical appearance that I chuckled over it for some time. Of all turbans in the world it was the most ludi- crous. Various other things affected me in lilse manner, and at last it seemed to me that my eyes were increasing in breadth. " Achmet," I called out, " how is this ? my eyes are precisely like two onions." This was my crowning piece of absurdity. I laughed so loud and long at the singular com- parison I had made, that when I ceased from sheer weariness the effect was over. But on the following morning my eyes were much better, and I was able to write, for the first time in a week. The calm we had prayed for was given to us. The Lotus floated, sailed and was rowed down the Nile at the rate of seventy miles a day, all hands singing in chorus day and night, while the rais and his nephew Hossayn beat the tarabooka or played the reedy zumarra. It was a triumphal march; for my six men outrowed the ten men of the Englishman. Some- times the latter came running behind us tiU they were within hail, whereupon my men would stand up in their places, and thundering out their contemptuous chorus of " hS. torn, torn, Jcoosharra / " strike the water so furiously with their long oars, that their rivals soon slunk out of hearing. So we went down, all excitement, passing in one day a space, which it had taken us four days to make, on our ascent. One day at Man- 520 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. faloot ; the next at Minyeh ; the next at Benisooef ; the next in sight of the Pyramids ; and so it came to pass that in spite of all my delays before reaching Siout, on the sixteenth day after leaving Assouan, I saw the gray piles of Dashoor and Sakkara pass behind me and grow dim under the Libyan Hills. And now dawns the morning of the first of April, 1852 — a day which will be ever memorable to Achmet and myself, as that of our return to Cairo. When the first cock crowed in some village on shore, we all arose and put the Lotus in mo- tion. Over the golden wheat-fields of the western bank the pyramids of Dashoor stand clear and purple in the distance. It is a superb morning ; calm, bright, mild, and vocal with the songs of a thousand birds among the palms. Ten o'clock comes, and Achmet, who has been standing on the cabin-roof, cries : " my master ! God be praised ! there are the mina- rets of Sultan Hassan ! " At noon there is a strong head- wind, but the men dare not stop. We rejoice over every mile they make. The minaret of old Cairo is in sight, and I give the boat until three o'clock to reach the place. If it fails, I shall land and walk. The wind slackens a little and we work down towards the island of Roda, Gizeh on our left. At last we enter the narrow channel between the island and Old Cairo'; it is not yet three o'clock. I have my pistols loaded with a double charge of powder. There are donkeys and donkey-boys on the shore, but Arabian chargers with Persian grooms were not a more welcome sight. We call them, and a horde comes rushing down to the water. I fire my pistols against the bank of Roda, stunning the gardeners and frightening the donkey- boys. Mounted at last, leaving Achmet to go on with tLo AniUVAL AT CAIRO. 521 boat to Boulak, I dasli at full speed down the long street lead- ing into the heart of Cairo. No heed now of a broken neck : away we go, upsetting Turks, astonishing Gopts and making Christians indignant, till I pull up in the shady alley before the British consulate. The door is not closed, and I go up stairs with three leaps and ask for letters. None ; but a quantity of papers which the shirt of my donkey-boy is scarce- ly capacious enough to hold. And now at full speed to my banker's. "Are there any letters for me?" "Letters? — a drawer full ! " and he reaches me the missives, more precious than gold. Was not that a sweet repayment for my five months in the heat and silence and mystery of mid-Africa, when I sat by my window, opening on the great square of Cai- ro, fanned by cool aiTS from the flowering lemon groves, with the words of home in my ears, and my hsart beating a fervent response to the sunset call from the minarets : " God is great I God is merciful ! " I stayed eight days in Cairo, to allow my eyes time to heal. The season of winter travel was over, and the few tourists who still lingered, were i^bout starting for Palestine, by way of Gaza. Peoplef were talking of the intense heat, and dreading the advent of the khamseen, or south-wind, so called because it blows fifty days. I found the temperature rather cool than warm, and the khamseen, which blew occasionally, filling the city with dust, was mild as a zephyr, compared to the furnace-like blasts of the African Desert. Gentlemen pre- pared themselves for the journey across the Desert, by pur- chasing broad-brimmed hats, green veils, double-lined umbrel- 522 JOURNEY TO CENTRAL AFRICA. laa, and blue spectacles. These may be all very good, but I have never seen the sun nor felt the heat vrhioh could induce me to adopt them. I would not exchange my recollections of the fierce red Desert, blazing all over with intensest light, for any amount of green, gauzy sky and blue sand. And as for an umbrella, the Desert with a continual shade around you, is no desert at all. You must let the Sun lay his sceptre on your head, if you want to know his power. I left Cairo with regret, as I left Thebes and the White Nile, and every other place which gives one all that-he came to seek. Moreover, I left behind me my faithful dragoman, Achmet. He had found a new son in his home, but also an invalid wife, who demanded his care, and so he was obliged to give up the journey with me through Syria. He had quite en- deared himself to me by his constant devotion, his activity, honesty and intelligence, and I had' always treated him rather as a friend than servant. I believe the man really loved me, for he turned pale under all the darkness of his skin, when we parted at Boulak. I took the steamer for Alexandria, and two or three days afterwards sailed for fresh adventures in another Continent. If the reader, who has been my companion during the journey which is now closed, should experience no more fatigue than I did, we may hereafter share also in those adventures. riHis,