Library of
Emory University
129616
AUG 121*41
THE
AUTOBIOGRAPHY
OP
N
ICHOLAS PAID;
/
A NATIVE OF
BORNOU, EASTERN SOUDAN,
CENTRAL AFRICA.
MEMPHIS:
6H0TWELL & CO., PUBLISHERS, 238 MAIN STREET
1873.
DEDICATED TO
REV. A. J. WITHERSPOON,
AS A TRIBUTE OF RESPECT TO THE DISTINGUISHED RANK
WHICH HE SO JUSTLY HOLDS AMONG THE PHILANTHROPISTS OF
AMERICA ;*AND IN GRATEFUL ACENCWI.EICEJirNT 07 JrUCTl
PERSONAL KINDNESS CONFERRED ON
THE AUTHOR,
PREFACE.
It is not without a feeling of hesitation
and timid apprehension, that I commit
these ill-written pages to the great reading
public.
AS I glance over them, I cannot but
be painfully reminded of their intrinsic:
unworthiness ; yet, I offer no apology for
their appearance.
My motive in this publication I believe
to be good : a desire to show the world the
possibilities that may be accomplished by
the African, and the hope that my bumble
example may stimulate some at least of my
people to systematic efforts in the direction
of mental culture and improvement.
In common with the rest of mankind, I
plead guilty to a spice of egotism in my
vi
PREFACE.
composition, and I should falsify myself
were I to deny a &ense of pride in my
acquirements, the more especially as I feel
that they are entirely due to my own ef¬
forts, under the guidance of that Provi¬
dence which has shaped my fortune.
But I can truly say, that my motive
in this publication has been not so much
to attract attention to myself as the hope
of accomplishing some good by its means.
Owing to my uncertainty regarding
the exact period of my birth, and the
natural carelessness concerning the flight
of time incident to youth, I have been
unable to define with distinctness the
different phases of my early life, and to
mark their respective limits of du ation.
Consequently there is, unavoidably, a
certain degree of vagueness connected
with the firBt part of my history. For,
be it remembered, I knew nothing what¬
ever of dates until my arrival in Europe.
PREFACE.
vii
It will be also observed, by the reader,
that I have made an indiscriminate use
of the present and past tenses in my nar¬
rative. This, together with other breaches
of the rules of grammar and rhetoric, is
attributable to the peculiar circumstances
under which I have written. The length
of time that has elapsed since the occur¬
rence of many of the incidents related, com¬
bined with their want of freshness in my
memory, together with the difficulties I
have experienced in distinguishing English
idioms and modes of expression from those
of the other languages with which I am
acquainted, and some of which are more
familiar to me than the English itself.
Pure English can hardly be expected from
one who has to choose his words and
phrases from a mass of Kanouri, (my ver¬
nacular), Mandra, Arabic, Turkish, Eussian,
German, Italian and French, and all of them
encumbered with the provincialisms neces-
vlii
PREFACE.
sarily concomitant upon each. In the spel¬
ling of proper names, too, I sometimes
infringe the rule. This is owning to the
fact that, for obvious reasons, particularly
in regard to Africa, I had no opportunity
of learning the current mode of spelling
the names of persons and places; and I
have been compelled, in some instances,
to adopt the phonetic plan, and used such
English letters as nearly corresponded to
the sounds of the name as I remember
them. I have, as far as possible, refrained
from the use of foreign words and phrases,
and whenever they do occur, or when
the idiom or mode of expression is un-
English, it must be attributed to my
inability to convey the idea I desired in
that language.
Bespeaking leniency in criticism, and a
kind reception of my little book,
I am, dear reader, faithfully,
NICHOLAS SAID.
NICHOLAS SAID.
:
CHAPTER I.
EARLY LIFE AND HISTORICAL SKETCH OF HIS
NATIVE COUNTRY".
I was born in Kouka, the capital of the
Kingdom of Bornou. in Soudan; a few
years after the invasion of the Wadays,
or about the year 1836, of the Christian
era. I was the thirteenth child of my
mother, who bore nineteen children, seven
girls and twelve boys. My father was
the elder son of Katzalla Malagemou, the
ruling chief of Molgoy, a small country
south of, and tributary to Bornou.
To prevent incursions from the power¬
ful tribes of Fella1 ah, Adamawa, Mandra,
Groulagou, and even Bornou itself, the peo-
p'e of Molgoy became tributary to the
Kings of that country, and in turn re¬
ceived their protection.
10
NICHOLAS SAID.
Mai Barnoma the King of Bornou, un¬
der whose reign Molgoy became subservient
to^Bornou, granted the Molgoyans the free
exercise of their religion, which was fetish,
without human sacrifices. This fiendish
practice is looked upon with abomination
by all the nations and tribes of Soudan,
both Mohammedan and pagan.
My father greatly distinguished himself
under our immortal King Mohammed El Am-
in Ben Mohammed El Kanemy, the Washing¬
ton of Bornou. And for his most efficient
services, in repelling the Fellahs from Bor¬
nou, created him Katzallah or general, and
made him generalissimo of his army, which
he afterwards commanded for upwards of
twenty-five years with great distinction.
He was the terror of the Fellahs, the Ba-
girmies, the Wadays, and the Kindills, the
enemies of our Country, and wherever he
appeared the enemy fled, he defeated the
Fellahs in forty pitched battles, and was
IN AFRICA.
11
the prime cause of their overthrow in
Eastern Soudan. His name was Barca
Gana, and was called Katzalla, or gen¬
eral, as already stated. In personal ap¬
pearance Katzalla Barca Gana was large,
tall, and well proportioned; resembling
more a giant than an ordinary man. My
mother was the daughter of a Mandra
chief, who on one occasion was captured
by the Armies of Bornou, in a terrible
battle fought between the two forces. My
father had compassion on him, released
and escorted him to the territory of Man¬
dra. And as a mark of gratitude the
Mandra chieftain gave Katzalla Barca
Gana his daughter Dalia (my mother's
name) in marriage. When young it was
said she was extremely beautiful. She
was very strict with her children, often
severe, as were indeed all my father's
wives (he had four), for he left the
rearing and training of his children
12
NICHOLAS SAID,
exclusively to their mothers, having
cever chastised any of us that I can re¬
member.
The reason was then almost incessant
wars and irruptions that had for a long
lapse of time disturbed the pea^e of my
country, gave him but little time to turn
hjs mind to domestic affairs.
In my childhood I was wild and rov¬
ing in disposition, and my mother tried her
utmost to brake me from the too frequent
hunts I used to take with the children of
cay own ago. We used to go miles from
Kouka, in search of gazelles, pintadas,
and other game of which our forests were
full.
Flogging almost invariably accompa¬
nied my return, and also she warned
tne of the Kidnapping Kindills, (Tuar-
icks), who were constantly prowling
through the country in search of any-
thing of value they might lay their
m AFRICA.
13
hands on. But all to no purpose. I
was so roving, that, from my earliest re¬
collections, when I was only about six
years old, I endeavored to return with
my maternal uncle, who had been to
Kouka on a visit, to his home among
the mountains of Goulagou, and nearly
cried my eyes out because I was pre¬
vented.
Goulagou is a country lying eastward
of Mandra, and its inhabitants are re¬
nowned in our country for their courage.
They had, up to the time I was captured,
defeated all their enemies. Mandra, Bor-
nou, Waday, Fellatah, and Bagirmy, had
successively tried to conquer this country,
but they had in every attempt been sig¬
nally defeated. This country abounds in
several minerals: as gold, iron, and cop^
per, and which they work very skillfully.
They manufacture beautiful gold and cop¬
per ear-rings, bracelets, anklets, etc., with
14
NICHOLAS SAID,
which they ornament themselves profuse¬
ly, especially the females. Africa lias been,
through prejudice and ignorance, so sadly
misrepresented, that anything like intelli¬
gence, industry, etc., is believed not to
exist among its natives.
But allow me to remark in the outset
reader, that in our markets you may find
beautiful silk and cotton goods manufactured
by the more intelligent and ingenious
among our people, we make our own saddles,
cutlery, sword-blades, javelins, and lances.
It cannot be disputed that glass is manu¬
factured ic Nouffi.
That previous to the introduction of
Islamism in Soudan arts and sciences had
reached a respectable attitude, is attested
by the ruins of several towns in Bornou,
Mariadi, Nouffi and other countries. The
ruins of Gambarou, the Bisnia of geogra¬
phers, covers an immense area, the walls of
which were built of burnt clay, extm
IN AFRICA.
15
eive palaces, gardens, and other works of
art flourished.
I »m unable to give the slightest idea
as to the time when Mohammedanism
was introduced into Central Africa. But
be it as it may, it brought with it
desolation and ruin.
Any thing like enterprise was rendered
impossible, fanaticism and bigotry over¬
ruled every thing, and the Mohammed
proselytes at once arrayed themselves
against every non-follower of the Prophet
as his implacable enemies. Crusade after
crusade was made against the pagan
tribes, who, if they had the misfortune to
fall inot the hands of the Moslems, were
either massacred or reduced into slavery.
Cities after cities were razed to the ground.
The last thing of the kind took place
toward the first part of this century, when
Othman Danfodiu, a Fellatah Chief, arroga¬
ted to himself the title of a prophet, saying
16
NICHOLAS SAID,
that Allah (God) prescribed him to mako
war oq all the Pagan rations of Central
Africa, and promised him victory. The
Fellatabs, who were then dispersed over the
whole of Soudan, and who led a pastoral
and nomadic life, under petty Chiefs, were
collected by him under his sway. After
several yearsof preparation, Danfodio, who
bad by this time a complete control over
his countrymen, raised a formidable army
of one hundred and eighty thousand war¬
riors, and immediately assailed Houssa,
which was readily subjugated. Kano, the
capital of Houssa, was consumed into ashes,
thousands of its male population were put
to the sword, and the women and children
were carried into slavery. After commit¬
ting other unheard of cruelties, Danfodio
invaded successively and successfully, G-ou-
ber, Mariadi, Zeg-Zjg, Kare Kare, lastly
Bornou which was then the prepondera¬
ting power in Soudan. After two years
Z2V AFRICA,
17
of manly resistance, Bornou was compelled
by force of arras to submit to the yoke
of the Fellatabs. Our cities were de¬
stroyed, thousands upon thousands were
sold to the coast into bondage, and
many more were sold to the Barbary
States. After two more years of humilia¬
tion the inhabitants of Bornou, under El
Kanemy, revolted against our oppressors,
and, in less time than a year, the Fella-
tahs were completely driven out ot our
country.
Mohammed El Amin El Kanemy,
whose extraordinary military talent had
enabled him to liberate our country, was
now by acclamation .made King of Bor¬
nou. But he, like all truly great men,
refused the sceptre and repaired to An-
gourno, where Main a Denama, the heir
apparent to the crown of Bornou, then
resided. At this time Mohammed El Amin
El Kanemy had an army of thirty thou-
18
NICHOLAS SAID,
sand cavalry. Notwithstanding his having
refused to be King, he was really the
ruler of Bornou, while Denama was only
so nominally. Denama soon became jeal¬
ous of bim, and thought of a plan
whereby he could get rid of him.
Accordingly one day he sent a secret
messenger to the King of Bagirmy, to
make a feigned invasion of Bornou by
crossing the river Shary, the natural
frontier of the two countries, that he
would placo El Kanemy on the left of
his army, and that the King of Bagirmy
should send a number of his best men
to surround him, and at once put an
end to his life without arousing the
popular suspicion. lie also promibed him
a large number of slaves and other things
to defray all the King of Bagirmy's ex¬
penses. The King of Bagirmy consented
to this shameful proposal, and at once
crossed the river Shary. Mohammed El
IN AFRICA.
19
Amin EI Kanemy was at this time re¬
siding in Kouka, the present capital of
Burnou, which he had built for himself.
/
As soon as he heard of this attack, he
hastened to Angourno and put himself
under the King's disposal. The combined
forces of Denama and El Kanemy were
forty thousand warriers.
As soon as the two armies had confront¬
ed each other, the King of Bagirmy sent a
messenger to Denama, instructing him that
the heaviest assault would be made on the
left wing, and that he had already selected
the elite of his army to accomplish this
coup de main.
The messenger, instead of carrying the
letter to Denama, carried it by mistake
to El Kanemy, who at once saw the nature
of the infamous machination, and resolved
forthwith to thwart it. Early in the morn¬
ing he weut to the King's tent and told
him that he had sent out spies into the
20
NICHOLAS SAID.
enemy's camp, the previous night, and
that they had reported to him that the
heaviest fighting would be on the right,
and he suggested the King to keep him¬
self in safety, while he himself would tako
command of that wing.
Denama consented, suspecting nothing.
About sunrise of the next day, the
Bagirmies were seen drawn up in order
of battle. The syoaria of tho King of Ba-
girmy attacked our left wing with great
fury, and succeeded in surrounding De¬
nama, and pierced him through with lancop,
thinking him El Kanemy.
The battle still raged with great fury,
and the King of Bagirmy soon found out
that he had killed the wrong lion.
The Bagirmy army was routed with
great slaughter; and their King himself had
a narrow escape from being captured.
After this signal victory over the Ba¬
girmies, El Kanemy returned, and was at
IX AFRICA.
21
once proclaimed Shagou, which is the cor¬
ruption of the the Arabic word sheik, mean¬
ing a ruler. All the rulers of Bornou up
to this time were entitled Mais, which
means sultan or emperor.
Mohammed El Amin Ben Mohammed
El Kanemy's reign was marked with great
wisdom; he exterminated the system of
highway robbery, which was of frequent
occurrence. Hanging was the penalty of
all kinds of fraud. He encouraged the
caravan trade between the Barbary States
and Bornou, and reigned twenty years.
The present king of Bornou, Shagou 0.nar,
is an able ruler, but he does not possess
his father's talents. He has, however,
showed himself to be a man of great
nerve.
Bornou, called by the native Barno, is
about three hundred miles one way, and
two hundred in another way. This is Bor¬
nou, properly speaking, but it is much
22
NICHOLAS SAID.
larger with all its tributaries and depen¬
dencies.
Within its boundary are three distinct
classes or casts of people. First, the Ka-
nouri, who are the original, the purely
negro type, the m©st numerous and the
ruling class; second, the Shuahs, of olive
complexion, and said to have sprung from
the Bedouins ; and third, the Kanemboo,
negroes, from Kanem, a country north of,
and tributary to Bornou. The Kanouris,
as already remarked, are the ruling caste,
the aristocracy, so to speak. The Shuahs,
to which class belongs the Grand Vizier,
Iladji Bochir, devote themselves to stock-
raising, and supply the country with meat,
butter and milk The Kanemboo are far¬
mers, and supply the other classes with
bread, while they act as most powerful
auxiliaries to the Kanouris in time of war.
They make the best soldiers, and it is
even admitted by the Kanouris that the
IN AFRICA.
'23
Kanembo are possessed of more courage
and fortitude than themselves.
Besides these three classes, there is ^
most remarkable tribe within the terr?-
tory of Bornou, but living indenpedently
of its rulers, on several islands in the great
lake Tzad, between Bornou and Kanem.
The people of this tribe are pagank
Though all the kings of Bornou have
successively endeavored to conquer theitt,
they had, up to the time I speak of, com¬
pletely failed, the reasons being that none
of the kings of Bornou had ever been'able
to equip a fleet of sufficient strength to
venture on their islands, because of the
desperate resistance of the Boudouma, who
fought like tigers ; and the islanders fre¬
quently landed with their skiffs upon the
shores of the lake, and after having rav¬
aged the country for miles around, returned
to their stronghold before they could be
captured.
sn
NICHOLAS SAID.
The Kanouris have a tradition that
their ancestors emigrated from Yemen
(Arabia) some thousands of years ago,
crossing into Africi over the straiht of
Bab-El-Mandel, and conquering tho whole
country from their entrance to Soudan.
I venture no opinion on this subject, but
leave it to Ethnologists to settle as well
as how the Boudouma, with his regular
Caucassian feature, curly (not kinky) hair
though the blackest ot all Africans, came
into lako Tzad.
Shagou Omar, our good King, had a
son who was about my own age, and who
was about of tho same disposition with
myself. lie used to frequently carry me
through the King's palaces, and I had
every opportunity to fea3t my eyes on
tho wonders therein contained. These
were watches, clocks, and above all, a
musical instrument, which played several
beautiful airs. I have since, while in
IN AFRICA.
29-
Europe, beard two of them, one was the
celebrated Swiss national air, Le Manz des
Vaches, and the other the body of Mo¬
zart's requiem. On one occasion our King
presented me with a fine Isabella oolt,
which afterwards shared my captivity.
When I was about twelve years olcf,
a large caravan arrived from Fezzan, and
it was said a Sara (white man) was one
of the party.
This raised a great excitement, partic-
ulary amoDg us children, for we had1
heard fabulous tales concerning them.
For example, we were told that the
whites were cannibals, and all the slaves
that they bought were for no other but-
culinary purposes.
Sure enough, there arrived a white,
man, and the King assigned him a
dwelling situated in East Kouka,' near
the Dandal or Main street of Kouka.
The King sent him meals three times
NICHOLAS SAID.
per day from his own table. I say table
f
because it is customery to say so, but
our King has no tables.
I never found out the name of this
white rnun until my arrival in Europe,
and it proved to bo Ilerr Henry Bartho,
of Hamburg, Germany*
The first time I saw him was one day
Y.hen he was in the market, outside of
Kouka, and I ran from him. Dr. Barthe,
visited Hadji Bichie very frequently,
$nd also I often saw him at the resi¬
dence of Lami Nou, the next person¬
age in the Kingdom to the Grand Yizier.
jpiami Nou executed all orders from the
King, and Hadji Bichie—he was the
terror of every one in Kouka, his cru-
ilty was only paralleled by that of Nero.
Kouka, the capital of our Country, is
built on a level plain about thirty miles
southward of the great lake Tzad. It is
enclosed by a wall of unburnt clay,
IN AFRICA.
2T
averaging thirty feet high. The city is
separated into two distinct portions, East
and West Kouka, the eastern being thei
largest and the most important.
The Wadays, who invaded Bornou
about forty years ago, destroyed the city,
and consequently, the present capital is
much less than that originally built by
Mohammed EI Kanemy.
The population of Kouka cannot be
less than forty thousand, and in dry
seasons the number is augmented to over
one hundred thousand.
There are several other cities in the
Kingdom which exceed Kouka in sta¬
tionary population, and in commercial
point of view.
All classes in Bornou subsist on mut¬
ton, goatfiesh, beef, etc. I believe their
are more horned cattle in Bornou than
in any other country on the face of
the earth. The cattle are extraordinarily
28
NICHOLAS SAID.
large, (with horns from five to six feet,
and from a foot and a half to two feet
in circumference at the bane.)
Agriculture is also carred on with
eome skill, though plowing is unknown,
the hoe is the only agricultural imple¬
ment I have ever seen used. But the
land brings an exuberant crop of rice'
doura, cassava millet, corn, tobacco, in¬
digo, etc., etc.
The army of Bornou amounts to about
60,000 warriors two thirds of which force
is cavalry. Our cavalry is admirably or¬
ganized, but the arlterbou or infuitry is
miserable, they are armed wiili flint-lock
guns, and are uniformed in red.
The conquered provinces, or tributary
tribes, are made to support this sirmy.
And if ever they should fail to furnish
tne necessaries, a Katzalla is sent with
several thousand men who p under them
and take cattle, horses, asses, and
slaves, until the amount is paid.
IN AFRICA.
29
Oppression is a thing of common oc¬
currence in my country, the Kanouri
■who is, as I have already remarked, the
ruling class, often maltreates the Shuah,
and the Kanembou, by forcibly taking
his goods away without any pretext.
In time of war, wherever the army
happens to- pass, the people of that
particular place are made to feed that
army. Kanouri, Kanembou, or Shuah are
then not discriminated.
Concerning marriage I will say a few
words. The Koran or Mohammedan Bible
allows us to marry four wives lawfully,
in addition to which a man of means
may have as many, or even more, con*
cubines. I have seen a great many men
having more than twenty in the same
house. Hadji Bichio the Grand Yizier of
my country has 75 wives and his majesty
Shagou Omar boasts of 150. The King has
thirty sons and a great many daughters.
so
NICHOLAS SAID.
His harem is guarded by eunuchs
•who are his wives' costodians, and he
gives them carte blanche to beat and
otherwise maltreat them on the slightest
provocation.
While in my country I used to fre¬
quently hear of the Yem Yems a peo¬
ple, it was said, who had tails and who
were canibals. But I never , have seen,
any thing of the kind. My impression
is that there is no such folks as the
Yem Yems. It is true there are the dog
eating Kara Kara and the horse eating
Musgow, and they are all that 1 know.
In my childhood I was extremely fond
of military display, and nothing delighted
me more than the sham battles in which
we children daily engaged. On one occa
sion I was promoted on the field by
Prince Abdallah, the King's son, and at
the head of my little army I drove the
opposing force like chaff before the
wind.
IN AFRICA
31
But the enemy rallied and in turn
charged on us, and we in turn had to fly.
The principal amusement of the people
in my country is wrestling, horse-racing,
and dancing. Gambling also is carried on
to some extent, the game being played like
checkers. The gambler sometimes gam-.
bles himself away, that is, he sells himself;
he becomes a slave to the winner.
The forests of Bornou are full of all;
kinds of wild beasts, such as lions, pan¬
thers, yenas or hyenas, jackals, elephants,
rhinoceroses, tigers, and a great many
more less harmful, but not less trouble¬
some creatures.
In the rainy seasons, a great portion
of the lowlands, near the lake, are over¬
flowed, and then the wild beasts are com¬
pelled to resort to the highlands. In this
juncture, it becomes very dangerous for
people or animals to travel.
A few months before my capture, ICouka
32
NICHOLAS SAID.
was thrown into a great excitement. War¬
like preparations wero being made, and on
inquiry, it was found that our King was
going to make war on the King of Mandra,
who, it is said, had insulted him.
In less time than a fortnight, the army
was in motion. But, on reaching the Man¬
dra territory, its King came out and apolo¬
gized, and peace was at once restored. But
Shagou Omar, instead of returning to Bor-
nou, invaded Mouzgou, a country north of
Mandra, and literally carried its whole pop¬
ulation to Bornou. The number of these
unfortunates amounted to thirty five thou¬
sand souls, men, women and children. Dys¬
entery broke out among them, which
carried off a large number. This inhuman
act of Shagou Omar was without excuse,,
for the Mouzgous were peaceable people.
The sole pretext was, that the Mouzgcus
were uncircumcised haffirs, (infidel.s), and it
was acting in accordance with the precepts
m AFRICA.
33
of the Koran to convert them to Is-
lamism, or, in the event of their failing
so to do, to reduce them into slavery.
The surviving slaves were sold" to the
Fellatahs, who, in turn, sold them to Da¬
homey, and, it was reported in Bornou,
that on the death of Badahung, the King
of that country, thousands of these un¬
fortunates, victims of Moslem fanaticism,
were sacrificed on the tomb of that monarch
in honor of his departed spirit.
CHAPTER 11
THE CAPTURE.
AVhen I was about twelve or thirteen
years old, Andamou, King of Bagirmey, in¬
vaded Bormou by crossing the river
Scharry, the natural boundary of the twa
countries, with a very large force, and
pitched his camp near the city of Angalla.
The inhabitants of this place were much
alarmed, and immediately sent to the
capital for assistance; but my father was
already on the way with twenty-eight
thousand cavalry, five thousand fusiliers
and two pieces of artillery, whilo King
Omar accompanied him in person, to
superintend his movements.
IN AFRICA.
35
Accordingly, when Andamou advanced
to take possession of Angalla, he found
himself confronted by the veteran legion
of the Kanouri army, and a terrible
battle ensued.
Andamou concentrated his forces, and
made his chief assault upon our right
wing, where Katzalla Barca Gana was in
person, and so furious was the onset
that our troops were forced to give way.
My father rallied them however, and, in
turn, made the fiercest charge known in
the annals of that country.
My father drove the Bagirmey troops
back and forced them from their original
position, carrying everything before him,
and leaving the ground strewn with thirty-
five hundred of the Bagirmey dead. But,
alas ! he too, fell! pierced through and
through with a lance ; and three of my
brothers perished with him.
Andamou paid dearly for the killing of
36
NICHOLAS SAW.
the generalissimo of Bornou. Immense
numbers of his men were drowned in at¬
tempting to re-cross the Scharry; seven of
his sons were left dead upon the field;
King Omar followed him into his own
country, capturing and sacking his capital,
Miisna, and forcing the haughty chief of
Bagrimey to flee to the mountains of Gogi-
mi for personal safety.
After tho death of my father, I was
placed in tho care of Malam Katory, a man
of great learning to be instructed in Arabic.
Malam Katory was well versed in the
Arabic, Turkish and Persian languages,
besides possessing mental endowments of
a very superior character in other re¬
spects, and, in our country, was esteemed
almost as highly as the king himself.
At the time I was sent to him, a large
number of other lads were sent also. They
were mostly the sons of Katzalla, and other
men of distinction. "VVe had first all to be
IN AFRICA.
37
•circumcised, in accordance with the require¬
ments of our religion, which was Moham¬
medan. Then for a whole month we fared
most sumptuously, living on the fat of the
land and feasting on every delicacy.
But, at the end oF that period, we were
sent to reside with Malam Katory, and there
our hardships began. He was extremely
«evere, and the slightest dereliction in duty,
or the least inattention to our studies, was
promptly met by an exemplary flogging.
For my part, I got at least one whipping
-everyday during the first year that I re¬
mained with this learned teacher. I ran
away from the school and went home a
score of times, after being whipped, but the
invariable result of my truant conduct was
another whipping, at the hands of my
mother, or my paternal uncle, Saha, and a
third from the Malam, as soon as I could be
returned to him ; so that, at last, I gave up
.all attempts to escape from him, and sub-
38
NICHOLAS SAID,
mitted to my fate as best I could. After the
first year, however, Malam Katory treated
us more kindly, and used to sometimes allow
us to go hunting and fishing. By the time
we had been with him two years, we had
pretty well mastered Arabic, and could un¬
derstand almost every prayer made use of
in our worship. Before we went to the
Malam we could repeat a great number
of prayers, but like many Roman Catho¬
lics, who daily say "Pater Noster" and
"Ave Maria," we did not understand the
meaning of one word.
In the beginning of the third year, at
Malam Katory's, a number of the boys,
myself included, were invited to pay a
visit to a town called Lary, near the
lake, about fifty English miles northwest
of Kouka, in a country abounding with
game. Here my passion for hunting re¬
vived with ten-fold force, and li.nin£ oi-
ganized a party of about forty boy*, wo
i:V AFRICA.
39
started out one day to have some sport
By the middle of the day we had
killed several guinea-fowl and two gazel¬
les, and having kindled a fire by rub¬
bing two dry sticks together, we broiled
our game on the coals and ate it. We
then went to a large Baobab tree, which
we discovered a short distance from where
we were resting, foi* the purpose of get¬
ting some fruit. The fruit of the Baobab
is about twice the size of the cocoa-nut,
resembling it somewhat, but the shell is
comparatively soft. By cutting a hole in
this, and pouring water into it, a very
refreshing beverage is made; and, after
this is drank, the shell is crushed, and a
rich white kernel is found lining the
whole inside of the shell, and resembling;
the Brazilian nut in taste.
Having dismounted, twelve or fifteen
of us climbed into the branches of the^
tree, and commenced throwing down the
fruit to our comrades on the ground.
40
NICHOLAS SAID,
All at once we heard tho neighing of
horses, but, never dreaming of enemies
so close to Lary, we paid no attention to
the circumstance until we perceived a
body of horsemen approaching us. "We
watched them very closely for a few mo¬
ments, when it flashed "upon us all, simul¬
taneously, that they were the Ivindills,
and the cry "Kindills ! Ivindills!'' broke
from every lip.
Our comrades who were on the ground
succeeded in reaching their horses, and
being well mounted, made their escape,
but those in tho tree, with the exception
of a few nearest the ground, were made
prisoners. For my part, being among
the highest in the tree, in my hurry to
get down, I lost my hold and ftll to
the ground with a shock that knocked
me senseless.
"When I came to my senses I found
myself behind a man on horse-back, and
IN AFRICA.
41
tied to him with thongs. The warnings
of ray mother recurred to me and in very
bitterness of spirit, I wished the whole
horrid circumstance a dream. But, alas I
it was too sternly real ! T was in the
hands of the dreaded, the cruel Kindillfj
a slave, and I could not form the slightest
idea what was going to become of me.
The Kindills, or as they are called
by Europeans, the Tuiiekf, are a mar¬
auding tribe who inhabit a Ia^ge
oasis in the Southern portion of the
great Sahara, and live almost exclusively
by kidnapping slaves and general rob¬
bery. We traveled the whole of the
night after we were captured, and a
portion of the next day, when we
reached the camp of our captors. The
tents were immediately taken down, and
we set out for Katchna, a city in Ha-
oussa. It took us about ten days to make
this trip. When we halted at night, we,
42
NICHOLAS SAID,
the captives, were tied together like
wild beasts, in such a manner, as to
render escape impossible.
One night however, some of the
Kindills, through drunkenness caused by
hashish eating, neglected to confine their
slaves, and having been joined by the rest
of the party in their dissipation the whole
of them wcrj soon insensible, from the
effects of the narcotic drug. The uncon-
fined captives seized upon this oppor¬
tunity, and, having cut off their masters'
heads with their own yataghans, mounted
their horses and escaped in the dark¬
ness. 1 never could imagine why they
did not free the rest 'of us, unless it
was, that in their excitement of grati¬
fying their revenge and making good
their own escape, they forgot us.
"When the Kindills awoke and found
five of their companions dead, and seven
or eight of their slaves gone, they were
m AFRICA.
43
perfectly furious, and vented their anger
and chagrin upon those of us who were
still bound. They bastinadoed us upon
the soles of our feet with sticks and
straps in such a manner that we were
unable to walk at all) because, forsooth,
we did not give the alarm when our
comrades were escaping.
Those Kindills ate no more hashish
that trip. Notwithstanding our condition,
the journey was continued, the captives
being placed on camels. The Kindills
spoke a language altogether different
from ours, and wore a piece of black
cloth over their mouths, deeming it in¬
decent to expose that organ to view.
The religion of the Kindills, like that
of most nations in this section of Africa,
is Mohammedan. But that docs not
prevent them from preying upon their
brethren.
CHAPTER III
CROSSING THE DESERT.
On our arrival at Katchna we, the
prisoners, were distributed among differ¬
ent purchasers, and in a few days
became seperated, some of us to meet
no more on earth.
I was sold to a man half Arab and
half African, a most ferocious and cruel
looking individual. I was terribly afraid
of him at first, but after awhile, I dis¬
covered he was not quite the monster he
seemed.
He had about twenty slaves of both
sexes, from Haoussa, Fellatah, and Tim-
bouctou. Abd-El-Kader, my new master,,
remained at Katchna about three months,.
IN AFRICA.
■45
daring -which time he beat me very often f
"because I was becoming emaciated with
grief and pining for my home. He used
to try to make me eat more, evidently
fearing I would die and he -would there¬
by loose his money.
I think my purchase cost him a
burnoose, (a kind of cloak,) and an- oict
rusty blunderbuss, both of which might
be bought for about the value of ten
dollars in United States coin.
This, however, was a good price, as
full grown males were usually sold to
traders for about three dollars, and
young women for about a dollar more.
At the expiration of the. time above
mentioned, a caravan arrived from Kano
and Sokoko, and joining ourselves to it,
we started for Zinder, a country tribu¬
tary to Eornou.
Abd-El-Kader, owned about fifteen
camels and dromedaries, notwithstanding
46
NICHOLAS SAW,
which I never saw him ride, while oil
the journey.
The country we traversed was1, for a
long distance, nothing but dense forest,
and water was abundant, as it was now
the beginning of the rainy season, but
as soon as we struck Zinder territory,
the trees became more rare and of a
dwarfish nature, the rains ceased and the
clouds were left to the East and South.
We had reached the Northern limit (in
this section,) of the tropical rains; and
in consequence, found the country bar¬
ren and sterile.
At length we found ourselves on the
borders of the desert, when vegetation
ceased altogether, and nothing but sand
and rocks met the eye-
From this moment Abd-El-Kader be¬
gan to allowance us water, which was
three times per day.
Our food consisted of dates and raw
IN AFRICA.
47
millett meal, which was also very scanty.
We had no meat after leaving Katchna
until on our reaching Fezzan. Finally
we arrived at the oasis of Ozoum, and
found barely enough of the most wretch¬
ed water to load the camels with. Here
we tarried only a day, and early next
morning were on our journey again.
We suffered very much from heat and
thirst, and drew small comfort from the
little oases we occassionally passed.
The first inhabited place we reached
was a town in the Oasis of Tibbou.
Here we obtained plenty of dates and
■oat meal, the only food we had thence¬
forward to eat on the juurney.
The Tibbous, like their neighbors,
the Kindills, are great robbers, and
■during the short time we remained
among them, we the slaves were strictly
forbidden to wander from the the camp
lest we should be kidnapped.
48
NICHOLAS SAW,
After leaving here, the next placo
we reached, about a day's journey distant,
was Boulma, improperly pronounced Bil-
ma, the capital of the Tibbou country.
It is an insignificant place, the whole
town not covering much more ground
than one of the palaces of King Omar,
in Kouka. On the morrow of our arri¬
val at this miniature capital, its inhabi¬
tants, and these of an other town not.
on our route, were in a warlike attitude,
the cause being that the chiefs of two
different tribes desired the same fair
female for a wife, and concluded to set¬
tle the question by a wager of battle-
Up to the time of our departure, how¬
ever, the valorous armies had not came
to blows, though what may have hap¬
pened afterwards, I am unable to say.
The Tibbous are black, with features
more regular than those of the Kanou-
ries. Their costumes are simular to our
IN AFRICA.
owe, but they speak a dialect unintelli¬
gible to both us and the Kindills. This
country abounds in small mines, and in
a substance, called in our language kel-
boo, having the flavor of soda. This
kelbao is found in large maeses, some¬
times four of five feet in thickness. The
Tibbou's and Kindills export these into
Soudon, where salt and kelboo are always
in great demand and in exchange, they
receive ivory, gold dust, gouro, and
slaves.
Th:s country is tributary, to the Kin-
dills, who annually visit it, and exact
enormous sums from the cowardly Tib-
bous, who were never known to offer these
plunderers the slightest resistance.
Being nearly in the centre of the great
Sahara, it never rains in this country, but
water can be had from wells not exceed¬
ing five or ten feet in depth. The water
is, however, brackish, owing to the abun-
50
NICHOLAS SAID,
dance of salt and kelboo, which, more or
less, impregnate the water. The extent of
Tibbou, from North to South, is four days
journey, but from East to West, I am un¬
able to tell. The general appearance cf
this country is mountainous, and in
the valleys there exist immense forests-
of date palms. They seem to subsist
chiefly on dates and oatmeal, which
they cultivate by irrigation, and goat's-
flesh and mutton. Afier leaving the coun¬
try of the Tibbous, we struck a region
where the whole surface of the earth was-
covered with sharp stones. What with
hunger, thirst, bleediDg feet, and intoler¬
able heat, we suffered intensely, and I was
often upon the point of fainting by the
wayside. We were not allowed to ride,
and the sanda's of raw camel's hide, fur¬
nished us by our master, did not last
long enough to do us a particle of good.
We had scarcely any food to eat, and were
hY AFRICA.
SI
only allowed three pints of water, each,
per day.
At the next watering-place, the name
of which 1 have forgotten, we found a
poor sick man, who had been abandoned
by his cruel master, a Tibbou. He begged
piteously for food and drink, but, instead
of supplying his wants, the inhuman Abd-
El-Kader would have shot him, had it not
been for one of the party, named Abou
Tounsy, whom pity or avarice prompted
to rescue him and give him nourishment.
The poor fellow afterwards recovered, and'
Abou Tounsy's humanity was rswarded
by the money lie received for him, when
sold at Mourzook.
After leaving this oasis, we found our¬
selves in the midst of the great Sahara..
This ocean of scorching sand has been so
often described by more graphic writers
than myself, that I will not attempt to
paint it in words. Indeed, a perfect pic-
52
NICHOLAS SAW,
lure in words, or on canvass, is impossible.
Sahara must be seen and felt to be real¬
ized. All along our route we found great
numbers of carcasses, human carcasses,
completely dried vp by the scorching ra}-s
cf the ever unclouded sun. The heat is
€0 great that flesh becomes as dry as bone,
before it can be dissolved. Here are found
no hyenas, no vultures to prey upon the
•dead, and the traders never bury any
one who falls in the desert. The bodies
lie until inhumed by the parching sand
storms, or until pulverized. It is said
that the traders leave these dead bodies
exposed to frighten their caravans of
slaves into faster walking.
The heat was so intense that we were
frequently compelled to lie up during the
day and travel at night. On these occa¬
sions, we travelled all night, when the
moon shone, and until nearly noon the
next day, when we erected tents, and lay
panting beneath them until sunset.
IX AFRICA.
The 'nights in the Sahara are delight¬
fully cool.
After what seemed to me an intermin¬
able space of time, passed in this horrid
journeying, the increasing coolness of the
night gave notice that we were approach¬
ing the shores of this Tophet-like sea,
and a few weeks' journey brought us to
the borders of Fezzan. The first town
we [reached in the Pachalic of Fezzan,
was, I think, El Kaheni, a small walled
place, with about three thousand inhabi¬
tants. Here, to my great surprise, almost
everybody could speak my vernacular.
This is another nut for ethnologists to>
crack. On our way from Kaheni td
Mourzook, we passed a little village called
Abou Harish, about two days' journey
from Mourzook; and now my anxiety to
reach the end of the journey was so in¬
tense that I could hardly restrain myself
from breaking into a run: for Abd-El-
NICHOLAS SAID.
Kader had promised us plenty of mutton,
honey, and cous-cous, when we arrived at
JVIourzook; and, believing every word he
said, I was fairly beside myself with joy,
at the prospect of plenty of good food
and rest.
But I was doomed to a bitter disap¬
pointment; for, after only two or throe
days rest, my master sent me to his
farm, about three miles from Mourzook,
to draw water from a well and pour it
into the irrigating trough, which con¬
ducted it to all parts of the field.
My companion in this unusual and
diffiault labor, was an .Arab servant of
his, a pymee, named 3Tassa&, who beat
me, and made me do all the work. Be¬
tween my limited food of boiled turnip
tops and dates, and the abuse of Hassan,
X had a miserable time of it, and so told
Abd-El-Kader when he came to see us :
and also told him that I was the son of
IN AFRICA.
55
Barca Gana. He seemed surprised when
J mentioned my father's name, and said
jhe had once been with him upon an ex¬
pedition. He carried me back to town
with him that day, and treated me with
more kindness and consideration after¬
wards, even promising to send me back
to Bornou. I was, however, unwilling to
recross the inhospitable Sahara, but beg¬
ged him to sell me to the Turks, who
I had heard, were very good masters.
^Accordingly, after I had stayed with him
about four months, he finally sold me to
a young officer, an Aga in the Pacha's
army, named Abdy.
CHAPTER IV.
JOURNEY TO TRIPOLI.
Abdy-Aga held a rank equivalent to
that of a first lieutenant in the English
or American army, and was, moreover, an
aid-de-camp, to Ibrahim Pacha of Fezzan.
He was a very good, kind man, in
fact almost too indulgent for my good;
but his concubine, a good-looking young
Kanouri girl, was as harsh to me as he
was kind.
My master visited the Pacha's resi¬
dence every day, and generally carried
me with him. lie dined at Court, and
when I was with him, which was almost
always, I dined there too; and fared
sumptuously on mutton, cons cous, etc.;
IN AFRICA.
57
a nd JFatima, Abdy-Aga's concubine, re
marked to me that I was growing fat.
My master frequently gave me small
sums of money, sometimes as much as a
gooroosh, or Turkish dollar, or piaster at
a time, which I invariably spent for
sweetmeats, as soon as possible. Upon
the whole, I lived very well with Abdy-
Aga, was becoming, in some degree, re¬
conciled to my fate, when, one day, after
I had been with him about six months,
he informed me that he was going to
eend me to his father in Tripoli.
This was very disagreeable news to
me, for I was unwilling to leave such
an excellent man as my present master,
so long as I was a slave; and I so told
him: but he assurred me his father
would treat me as well as he himself
had done; and with this assurance I had
to reconcile myself to the change, as best
I could.
58
NICHOLAS SAID.
At this time, a large caravan was--
being organized for the purpose of con¬
veying slaves, ivory, gold-dust, etc., tO'
the Tripoli market; and it was my mas¬
ter's intention to send me with this
caravan, in charge of my former master,.
Abd-El-Kader, who was to accompany it
with a large number of slaves, the prop¬
erty of different parties in Fezzan.
All the slaves who were to be sent
to Tripoli, were carried into a large
building, in the city of Mourzook, and
facing the English Consulate, where
their names were registered in a book:
kept^ for that purpose. The recorder was
an old Turk, who wore green spectacles,
and, as I had never seen anything of
the kind before, they made me afraid of
him at first, but I soon discovered that
he was not only harmless, but a very
kind and benevolent old man.
Before leaving Mourzook, I had th&
AY AFRICA.
53
pleasure of witnessing a grand review of
the army by the Pacha in person. The
drill, or tactics, was altogether different
from that of the Kanouri army, and the
infantry were superior in discipline to
ours; but the Pacha's cavalry were far
inferior to thai most important arm of
King Omar's force.
I was informed that the Pacha's army
consisted of fifty thousand men; with
which force, it was rumored, he would
soon make an expedition into Soudan;
I think, however, that the invasion, if
contemplated at all, was never carried
into execution.
At length the day for our departure
arrived; and, on leaving, Abdy-Aga en¬
joined upon Abd-El-Kader, most strictly,
to treat me well, and also furnished him
with money, with which to purchase
chickens and other delicacies for me on
the route.
60
NICHOLAS SAID.
As we filed through the north gate of
.Mourzook, the officers of the Pacha's
army on duty there, carefully counted
us, which being done, we moved off in
the direction of Sookria, a large town
located about three hundred miles from
Mourzook, and four or five hundred from
Tripoli.
En passant, it may not be amiss to
give a brief description of Fezzan, as it
is a country of some importance. The soil
is, for the most part, sandy or rocky and
by no means fertile, though, in the val¬
leys, various kinds of vegetables flourish
I saw no river in Fezzan, and very few
springs exist; but plenty of indifferent
water is obtained from wells of slight
depth. From these wells, water is ob¬
tained for purposes of irrigation, and the
fields thus watered produce the cereals
sparingly.
The inhabitants subsist principally on
IN AFRICA.
61
dates, though cous-cous, a preparation of
the cassava plant, something like that of
tapioca, is not an uncommon article of
food.
For meat they have mutton and goat-
flesh, but no beef. In fact, I do not re¬
member having seen anything of the bo¬
vine species in the country.
Sheep and goats, however, are abun¬
dant, and among them a peculiar kind of
sheep, with tails five or six inches broad
by two or three thick, the whole one lump
of fat.
In the wilderness, are found several
species of beasts of prey, among them the
lion, the panther, the hyena, the wild-cat)
jackal and tiger-cat. There is consider¬
able trade between this country and the
different nations of Soudan, consisting in
goods of foreign manufacture, from Fezzan,
and slaves, gold-dust, ivory and ostrich
feathers, from the interior. The prevail-
62
NICHOLAS SAID.
ing, or, as I may say, the universal re¬
ligion of the people is Mohammedan, and.
the inhabitants combine with extreme dis¬
honesty, the most remarkable hospitality.
At the time I was in Fezzan, it was'
subservient to the Emir of Tripoli.
I had a very pleasant time on my
journey to Tripoli; for what with the
money entrusted to Abd-El-Kader by Ab-
dy-A ga, for my us?, and some that the
good Abdy had given mo, 1 had plenty of
chickens and other good things to eat,
and, at every halting place, was the cen¬
tre of a very affectionate group, composed
of my less fortunate but not less hungry
fellow-slaves, boys and girls. In about a
month, we reached Sookna, a city larger
than Mourzook, a great portion of which
is in ruins.
Hero we remained a week, for rest,
after which we again proceeded on our
journey.
7iV AFRICA.
63-
As we approached the frontier of
Tripoli, there began to appear an evi¬
dent improvement in the fertility of the
soil; and, as soon as we reached the "Black
Mountains," a range of considerable mag¬
nitude, and the natural boundary between
Tripoli and Fezzan, the face of the coun¬
try underwent a material change.
The "plain" of Tripoli is considerably
below the level of the "plateau" of Fez¬
zan, and the soil much more fertile than,
that east of the Black Mountains.
Having received an accession to our
numbers at Sookna, we left that place
about five hundred strong, four-fifths of
which were slaves, and pressed forward
eagerly, our imagination all aglow with
the description of wonderful Tripoli, its
castles and cannon. and ships, related to
us by a Mandra freedman, named Ali,
who had joined our party at Sookna.
Urged forward by our curiosity to
NICHOLAS SAID,
witness these wonderful sights, we forgot
the troublesome itch, which people traver¬
sing this country from Soudan are always
afflicted with, (it is said on account of
something in the water), and, in due time,
arrived at the goal of our journey.
The great castle, the mosques, the
ships in the harbor, and, above all, the ap¬
parently boundless sea, stretching away
to the sparkling water-line to the north¬
ward, were novel sights to us Soudanians,
but nothing to compare with the descrip¬
tion given of them by our Mandra friend,
Ali. Indeed, he was so much ashamed
of the imposition he had practiced upon
us, with his marvellous tales about sea-
monsters, etc., that he would not enter
the city with us, but fell behind us, a
day or two.
Tripoli consists of a great number of
narrow, dirty lanes, flanked by generally
mean houses, thrown together without
IN AFRICA.
65
regard to order, and, owing to the ab¬
sence of front windows, more resem¬
bling dead walls than dwellings.
We entered the city through the east
gate, and proceeded at once to a caravan¬
sary, where we lodged for the night in
one of the many untenanted houses, so
common in this city.
On the next day, I was taken to
Abdv-Aga's father, an arnaoud Turk, or
Albanican, who owned an extensive to¬
bacco store in the Turkish bazaar. I
found him to be a man apparently fifty-
five years of age, with a very kind facej
and a long, white, flowing beard. "When
I was introduced to him, he was reclin¬
ing upon a divan, smoking his narghiley
He greeted me kindly, and immediately
had me bathed and dressed in a new
suit of clothes, after which I was con¬
sidered presentable and admitted into his
household.
CHAPTER V.
A SLAVE IN TRIPOLI.
The name of my new master was Had¬
ji Daoud, and he had only one wife, an
Arab woman, lie had, however, as con¬
cubines, two black girls, one a native of
Bornou and the other from Ilaoussa.
Hadji Daoud's wife was a woman of very
bad disposition, and began to manifest
her ill-temper towards me the very next
day after 1 entered the house; but my
master would not allow her to abuse me,
thus sustaining the assurance Abdy-Aga
had given me, that his father would be
as kind to me as he had been.
The Kanouri girl was quite fond of
me, and called me her son, although she
IW AFRICA.
67
-could not have been more than twenty-
five years of age. She used to tell me
everything the Hadji said about me, and
said that he contemplated having me edu¬
cated at one of the Turkish schools, with
a view to adopting me. This, however,
he never did. I was not long in finding
out, and inspecting, the "lions" of the
city, and soon became conversant with
the manners and costumes of its inhabi¬
tants.
The principal edifices were, the castle,
in which resided the Pacha; the great
mosque, a grand structure supported by
columns, said to have once belonged to a
Christian church ; six principal, and many
smaller mosques, each surmounted by min
arets; two Christian churches, a Francis¬
can convent, three Jewish synagogues,
a number of public baths, each capped
■ with a dome, and extensive bazaars and
caravansaries.
63
X1CII0LAS SAID,
My master kept mo with him in his
shop, which was located in the principal
or Turkish bazaar. Each nationality of
tradesmen and merchants in the city had
a separate bazaar, in which they trans¬
acted their business. There was a Jew¬
ish, a Christian, and an Arab bazaar, but
by far the best was the Turkish.
Hadji Daoud treated me with extreme
kindness, and, in this connection, I feel
constrained to say, that of all the nation¬
alities of people I have seen in my life,
I like the Turks the best. They have
the name, abroad, of being extremely
fierce and cruel, but the contrary is true.
They are generally kind-hearted, gene¬
rous and hospitable; and even their sol¬
diers, who in battle are renowned for
their courage and reckless daring, are
ordinarily the mildest and most pleasant-
mannered of men. The chief desire of
my life, next to a visit to my home, is
IN AFRICA.
the desire I entertain of living among
the Osmanlis again. After I had learned
how, I usad to do the marketing for
Iladji Douad's family, and -thus became
acquainted with a number of vegetables
I had never before seen, such as carrots,
cabbages, beets, etc. The food of the peo¬
ple of Tripoli consists of these a'nd other
vegetables, coug-cous, mutton, and, very
rarely, beef.
During my stay in Tripoli, the gar¬
rison was relieved and the troops sent
home to Turkey, their place being sup¬
plied by a force from Gallipolis. In this
new garrison there" were several black
officers and privates among the Turkish
soldiers. There seems to have been no
prejudice among the Turks on account of
complexion, their only prejudice being of
a religious character.
For this, however, they should not be
oo severely censured; the Christians con-
70
NICHOLAS SAID,
sidered and treated them as iiifidels, and
they, in turn, looked upon the Chr^tians,
from a religious point of view, as no bet¬
ter than dogs, (giour), and here the matter-
ended by mutual consent.
But in this country, and other enlight¬
ened Christian countries t have visited,
the different denominations often carry
matters to much greater extremes, indul¬
ging in backbitmgs, open contentions,
and, not seldom, actual oppression and
persecution, while with strained sanctimo¬
niousness, they all combine to rail at and
revile those who adhere to Mohammed
rather than Christ, and roll their eyes in
holy horror at the idea of such open in¬
fidelity and profanity.
Header, do not misunderstand me, 1
was a Mohammedan ; I am now, in be¬
lief, a Christian and a Swedenhorgian ;
but I want to see fair play in thc&e mat-
IN AFRICA.
71
ters, let and '-him Mho is without guilt
cast the first stone."
The Jews in Tripoli fared a good deal
worse, religiously speaking, than the
Christians.
When the bells of the latter rang for
mass, the Moslems only ground their
teeth and muttered imprecations, but it
was not unfrequently the case that the
Israelites were maltreated in the streets
by the Tripolitan rabble.
The Mohammedans had not forgotten
the bombardment their city received from
some Christian men-of-war, years before,
on account of the mistreatment of some
Christians; and, iu consequence, were
wisely circumspect in their conduct to¬
wards them.
Hadji Daoud was a good Moslem, none
better nor more strict in Tripoli. He
had made three pilgrimages to Mecca and
Medina, which he did at intervals of ten
72
NICHOLAS SAID,
years, and now the time was approach¬
ing for the fourth.
To my great delight, he told mo he
intended to carry me with him, and from
that day forward I thought of nothing,
talked of nothing, but Mecca.
Shortly before we started for Mecca,
1 one day found some of my comrades,
who were captured with me, exposed for
sale in the slave-market of Tripoli.
We shed many tears at meeting, and
I wept afresh as they told me of the
hardships they had undergone. The Kin-
dills had brought them through their own
country, and then they had crossed the
desert to Tripoli.
Some of them had perished in that
fiery waste, and now the survivors were
on exhibition, like so many cattle, to be
sold to whoever might offer the price at
which they were held.
As long as they were exposed, I vis-
IsV AFRICA.
73
ited them daily, carrying them whatever
1 could get hold of in the shape of food,
and frequently depriving myself of my
own meals for their comfort. At last the
Pacha, having learned that they were
from the best families in Bornou, pur¬
chased the whole lot and held them for
ransom. Soon after this, I saw them
well-dressed, walking the streets of Trip¬
oli. I was anxious for the Pacha to buy
me, in order that I might be with my
companions, whom I loved like brothers;
and he>, upon learning that I was the son
of Barca Gana, was equally anxious to
get possession of me; bat Hadji Daoud
would not part with me at any price.
During my stay in Tripoli, I learned
to speak the Turkish language tolerably;
so much so, indeed, as to surprise every
one who was acquainted with me. I
have possessed, all my life an extraor¬
dinary aptitude for the acquirement of
74 NICHOLAS SAW,
languages, but I have found none so easy
to learn as the Turkish.
CHAPTER VI.
PILGRIMAGE TO MECCA.
At length the time arrived for the com¬
mencement of the pilgrimago to Mecca,
and, Hadji Daoud having previously made
all necessary preparations, we embarked
on a sailing vessel bound for Alexandria,
and called the Abu-Bekr. This was the
first vessel I had ever been on board of,
and I was much interested in the exami¬
nation of the rigging, and all the differ¬
ent appointments of the craft.
She carried twenty souls, passengers
and all, the latter consisting of seven or
eight men, all negroes; and, after a sa 1
of three or four uneventful days, we made
the port of Bengazi ; where we discharged
XI< IIOLAb SAID,
our cargo, and wore freshly laden with
bales ot wool, cheese, and goods, for the
Alexandrian market.
During the forty-eight- hours devote^
to effecting this change, tie passengers
remained on shore, and I had an oppor¬
tunity of exploring tho town.
Bengazi is the capital of Barca, a
country lying eastward of Tripoli, and is
finely located on a fertile plain, extend¬
ing back to the mountains, but is miser¬
ably constructed, filthy, and possessing a
harbor so shallow that on'v vessels of
light draught can enter.
The Emir of Barca, resides hero in a
strong castle.
Having stowed our new cargo, we
set sail for Alexandria; but, on the third
day out, we • encountered a terrible gale,
and suffered severely from its (fleets.
Our main-mast was twice struck by
lightning, and, for a time, we were left
AY AFRICA.
17
•disabled, almost at the mercy of the seas
which continually broke over us. Ou the
second day of our helplessness, however,
we were sighted by a steamer bound for
Valletta (Rlalta), and by her towed to
Alexandria.
We arrived at this port in the night
and anchored off the building "which does
double duty as castle and light house,
until morning, when we wore towed
into the harbor.
Alexandria does not present the ap¬
pearance of a Mohammedan city, except
in the Mohammedan quarter. Here the
■streets are narrow and filthy and the
houses generally mean ; but the Christian
quarter, which is next the bay, is clean,
well-built and contains a number of
fine hotels and merchants' residences.
There are some fine Mohammedan edifi¬
ces, at the head of which is the Khedive's
palace, the arsenal, and an extensive
78
NICHOLAS SAID,
marine hospital. Outside the city, on
both sides of the Nile, may be seen somo
elegant Christian villas or country seats ;
and the Khedive also has a very hand¬
some country residence.
During the weeks that we remained
in Alexandria, we were boarded and
lodged, free of expense, at the house of
Mahmoud Bey, a rich Albanian friend
of my master's and a leading dry goods
merchant and property owner.
After the expiration of this time, we
left Alexandria for Cairo, by the then new
railroad, at night, arriving at the latter
place before day-break. I cannot say
that I was much surprised at the novel
conveyance I then saw for the first time.
Truth told, I had seen so many wond¬
erful and unexpected sights within the
few previous years, that I think my
organ of marvellousness had gone to
sleep from sheer surfeit and exhalation,
IN AFRICA.
79>
and I took everything as a matter of
course. In fact I don't think my pulse
would have been quickened had I been
transported from one part "of the country
to another in an aerial car, or shot
across a river from a bomb mortar.
Early the next morning we went ta
Boulak, a suburb of the city, about two-
miles from the city proper, and the
place where the boats navigating the
Nile receive and discharge their cargoes.
Here Hadji Daoud took his lodging
in one of the caravansaries. During our
stay here, my master visited all the
mosques in the city, taking me with
him. There are six principal mosques in
Cairo, the principal of which is that
of Sultan Hassan, said to be the finest
work of the kind in Africa, and a short
distance from this, at Shoobra, the new
palace of the Khedive. There were also
many elegant private bui'dings in Boolak,
so
X1CHOLAS SAID,
the country residences of the Egyptian
grandees; and from its streets could be
plainly seen, towering blue against the
south-western horizon, the gigantic Pyia-
mids of the desert. At first, I thought
the pyramids were natural objects, but
soon having become satisfied, from their
regular outlines, that they were not, I
appealed to Hadji Daoud for information
concerning their origin ; who, in response
to ray inquiries, told me that they were
constructed by the heathens many years
ago, but for what purpose be knew not.
At Boolak, we took passage on a
steamer for Kartoum, up the Nile, in
company with throe companies of black
soldiers, from Kordoftkn, and Darfour,
destined for the garrison at that place.
Ilaving reached Philah, a small town, a
few miles below the first (or last), cata¬
ract on the Nile, wo disembarked, and
IX AFRICA.
81
proceeded to Kartoum by land with a
caravan.
Daring this journey, which occupied
a considerable time, we were one night
attacked' by a party of robbers, who
evidently were not aware of our strength-
for we repulsed them after a brief but
spirited conflict. Their loss was seven
killed and eleven prisoners, who were
turned over to the Egyptian authorities
at Kartoum. They proved to be fellahs,
or Egyptian peasants, who preferred high¬
way robbery to the peaceable avocation
of agriculture. They were summarly ex¬
ecuted. In this engagement we had
several wounded, but none killed : among
the former was Hadji Daoud, who was
shot through the call of the leg, but
his wound was not dangerous, and caused
him only a little inconvenience.
Our road lay through a small town
situated on the right bank, the name of
NICHOLAS SAID,
which I have forgotten,, a place remark¬
able for its inland commerce, and the
numerous relics of antiquity to be found
in its vicinity. Frqm its picturesque
location may be seen to the southward,
the ruins of another town, built (no said
Hadji Daoud) by the Arabs in the days
of Caliph Omar, and here the antiquarian
might spend many profitable hours, ex¬
ploring and examining the crumbling
monuments of primeval grandeur.
When we reached Kartoam, we found
it to be a very regularly built town, with
some pretensions to style, and situated
upon the tongue of land formed by the
junction of the two branches of the "Nile.
It is the capital of Nubia, and enjoys a
large trade in slaves, from Abyssinia and
Soudan, and gold-dust, ivory, ostrich
feathers, etc., from various parts of Cen¬
tral Africa.
"We wai ed here about five wcoks,
IN AFRICA.
83
organizing a party of sufficient strength to
venture into th«i mountain country, and
my master pui chased a number of horses,
asses and camels, to transport his personal
property.
Having got together a party of forty
in number, the most of whom were tra¬
ders from Gondar in Abyssinia, with the
.exception of five or six Turks who were
also regular traders back and forth in
that section, we, at the expiration of the
time mentioned, sot out for the town of
Gondar in Abyssinia.
The trajet between these two places is
-exceedingly perilous and difficult, owing
to the dangerous places among the moun¬
tains, where one misstep may send the
unfortunate traveller, a mangled mass of
broken bones and flesh, to the bottom of
some deep chasm; to the wild beasts,
which lurk by the way-side ; and to the
danger of being ambuscaded by the Gallas
"4
XWUOLAS SAID,
a tribe of wild and ferocious natives, who
rob, plunder, and murder, on every possi¬
ble occasion, and, it was whispered, ate
their slain enemies.
Lions, hyenas, and jackals were con¬
stantly prowling round our encampments,
only kept tit bay by the immense fire we
kept burning' all night; and, on ono
occasion, when we left a broken down
ass behind us, we saw the Jackals tearing
his flesh before we were five hundred
yards from him. We met with no serious
accident, however, and arrived at Gondar
in between four and five weeks after we
left Kartoum. Gondar is situated upon
the summit and sides of an isolated hill,
and has, in days past, been a place of some
importance. It consists of a great many
dilapidated houses, a number of ill con¬
structed churches and other buildings
devoted to religious purposes, and has
the one redeeming quality of producing a
iy AFRICA.
85
f pe ;ies of fine cotton cloth from its looms-
The male inhabitants, with few excep¬
tions, live in a state of habitual intoxica¬
tion, on a fiery liquor of native manufac¬
ture, and seldom exert themselves farther
than to b^at the women and make them
do all the work, for their drunken
masters.
We remained hero about two months,
when having procured a number of native
guides, we directed our course to Mas-
sawa, a seaport on the .Red Sea.
These faithful Abyssinian guides of
of ours, while piloting us through the
wilderness, frequently appropriated arti¬
cles of my master's property, almost
openly. He was afraid to say anything
to them about it, however, lest they
should kill him; and this system of privi¬
lege went on until they left us. About
two days journey from Massawa, our
guides forsook us, after having first bro-
86
NICHOLAS SAID.
ken open the box Jn which was my
master's money, and abstracted therefrom
a considerable sum.
Fortunately for us, my master had
had two leather belts made at Cairo, in
which he had placed his gold; and one
of these having been fastened round his
waist and the other around mine, the
thieves failed to discover it, and we lost
none of that.
In bight of where Our guides left us,
there was a small village, which we
reached without difficulty, and were cor¬
dially welcomed by the inhabitants, whom
we found to be Egyptian subjects. The
name of this place was Domba, and as
soon as the authorities had been informed
of the manner in which we had been
treated by the Abyssinian guides, a
detachment of twenty five horsemen were
dispatched in pursuit of the thieves.
In the meantime, our wants were care-
IjV AFRICA.
87
fully provided for, and we were made
quite comfortable among our new friends.
At the end of five days, the soldiers re¬
turned, bringing our guides with them,
all chained together. They returned
Hadji Daoud, his clothing and other
articles that had been taken from him,
but reported that they could find no
money.
The Abyssinians said the soldiers had
appropriated the money, the soldiers said
they lied, and so, in the midst of the con¬
fusion thus created, my master decided to
leave without his mone3T.
We learned afterwards, while at Mas-
sawa, that the soldiers released the thieves
as soon as we had taken our departure.
TVe arrived at Massawa in less than two
days from Domba, and only tarried there
until a boat arrived in which we might
make the trip to Jidda, the nearest sea¬
port to Mecca.
SS NICHOLAS SAID.
It was found, as soon as we bail reached
Massawa, that in order to reach Jidda, we
had to tarry a long time. Accordingly
we got on board of a small craft bound
for Zeila, and reached that place in about
ten uneventful days of sail. Zeila is sit¬
uated on the -western shore of tho Red
Sea, in an extensive plain, inhabited by
a numerous population, consisting of
Arabs, Abyssinians, and the Somaulis,
who trade in rhinoceras' horns, ostrich
plumes, etc.
The name of this chamjiaign country-
is Adel, and is ruled by a chief, subject
10 the government of Egypt. At Zeiia,
the plain enters the sea in the form of
a low, sandy cape, and inaccessible to
vessels of large draughts.
The city abounds with immense num¬
bers of noxicus insects, such as scorpions,
and a species of white ants, very de¬
structive to luin'turr, the bite <.f which
IX A Fine A.
89
is extremely poisonous, besides numerous
other species of less harmful, but not
less troublesome creatures; so that I was
glad enough when we embarked for Jidda.
The wind being favorable the entire
voyage, we made the port of our desti¬
nation in five days: and, disembarking
forthwith, proceeded, at once, to an old
friend of my master's, named Youssouff,
there to remain until the arrival of Hadji
Daoud's animals, which had been left at
Zeila, to be shipped by the next boat.
Jidda is the principal trading entrepot
of Arabia in Hejaz ; and was said, at the
time we visited it, to contain a popula¬
tion of twent}^-five thousand.
CHAPTER VII.
IX MECCA AND MEDINA.
The town proper of Jidda is built o?mad¬
repore and stone, and is more cleanly than
Eastern cities generally are.
The chief edifices are the Governor's pal-
aco, an immense and handsome structure,
facing the sea, the custom-house, a number
of khans and moeques, and an edifico erect-
td over the supposed "tomb of Eve."
The back country of Jidda is a barren
desert; rain water is the only supply for
the city, and has to be carefully preserved
in cibterns, and all the provisions consum¬
ed by its inhabitants have to be brought
from long distances.
Yet, notwithstanding ihepe f-erious disad¬
vantages, the city reaps the benefit of an
AV AFRICA.
91
immense transit trade with all the surround
ing countries. The imports,from -Egypt and
Abyssinia are provisions, tobacco, musk,
civet and incense; from India, muslins,
hawls ani other fabrics teak, cocoa-nuts
ana spices ; spices and slaves from the Ma¬
lay country ; and slaves from Mozambique ;
while its exports to Abyssinia and the in¬
terior are corals, Egyptian cotton-goods,
sword-blades, and cutlery, matchlocks, hard¬
ware, mirrors and leather ; while to Suez
are shipped most of the articles named, be
sides dates, coffee and mecca balm, from
which point they are distributed over the
whole Levant.
Many thousand pilgrims arrive here year¬
ly on their way to and from Mecca, who
contribute largely to the business and
wealth of the city ; and this periodical hu¬
man tide has, doubtless, been the chief cause
of its importance.
The chief Sherif of Mecca has exercised
1*2
NICHOLAS SAID,
supervisionary control over Jidda since the
days of Mahomet, so that tlio city is, really,
but the sea-port of Mecca, and substan¬
tially belongs to the Khedive of T^gypt-
As soon as our animals had arrived, we
set out for Mecca, which we reach indue
time, travelling through a perfect desert,,
without a single oasis.
Mecca, the Bell ad el Am in (head of true
believers), el Jloshcrefe (the noble), Om el
Khora (the mother of towns,) is situated in
a narrow, sandy valley, surrounded on all
sides by sterile hills of moderate elevation,
barren of tree or verdure, and is illy suppli¬
ed with water.
In its centre is the Beituh Allah (house of
God), El llaram, (the inviolable), the great
mosque enclosing the Kuala, (sacred house)
and marking the dividing line between
upper, (northern), and lower, (southern),
town. These two general divisions are
subdivided into twenty five quarter?, ex-
jy AFRICA.
elusive of a single line of houses extend¬
ing along the narrow path of the valley.
Mecca is a fine looking city, with wide
streets and houses of stone, well lighted
and often three stories high. During the
period of Haj, or general pilgrimage, the
city is filled to the Kaaba,—apartments
in every house are occupied by pilgrims
and thousands encamp in the suburbs.
This Haj, inaugurated by Arabs aa;es
ago, was regularly performed by Maho¬
med himself, and has been duly observ¬
ed by untold myriads since his death*
This Haj is the only source of the immense
wealth oftbe city, and trading with the
pilgrims the chief occupation of its inhab¬
itants. The Meccanee, (citizens), are,
with the exception of a few ilejazi—Bed¬
ouins—either stranger?, that is, foreigners,,
or children of strangers. They are ex¬
tremely proud of their city, wear fine
clothing, live sumptuously and, under the
94
NICHOLAS SAW,
protection of the Sublime Porte, exhibit
freely the evidences of tho immense
wealth many of them have accumulated,
at the expense of the. yearly average
visit of one hundred thousand Moslems,
whose fanaticism they look upon with
the coolest indifference.
On the other hand it is proverbial that
Mecca is the beggar's paradise ; and
probably, the most importunate mendi¬
cants in tho world, infest this desert-gird¬
ed city. Mecca has a castlo capable of
accommodating two thousand persons,
and is, by tho Mahommedans, deemed
impregnable, though with what correct¬
ness 1 am unable to say.
The Beituh Allah is an unsymmetrical
structure of modern architecture, with
nine gates or portals, and is surrounded
by seven majestic minarets. Within in
the great four-sided court of the temple,
surrounded by colonnades of irregular
IX AFRICA.
f 5
pillars; and nearly in the centre, in a
depression, stands the Kactba, 01* sacred
house, between sixty and eighty feet in
length, and about forty feet high.
The Kaaba is entirely covered b}7 the
Kishna, (black silken veil), which is so
arranged as to wave and flutter in the
jeast breath of wind, a movement which
is thought by the devotees, who worship
there, to be produced by the fanning of
angel's wings. In two places, only, is
this covering removed, one at the south¬
east corner to expose a gray stone which
it is meretorious to touch, and the oth¬
er at the north-east angle, where is
seen the celebrated black stone, the kiss¬
ing of which is the chief object of the
Ha].
This stone is believed to be the angel,
whose office it will be in last day to
identify those who have duly performed
the holy pilgrimage, and can only be
XJCHOLAS SAW,
kissed by those who visit it of their own
accord.
Being a slave, it was construed that I
did not go there voluntarily, and, con¬
sequently, I was debarred the felicity of
saluting the petrified angel.
Besides the pulpit of the Iman, and
the desks assigned to the doctors of the
different sects, there are around E! liar am
several irregular and unhandsome build¬
ings, in one of which is the famous well,
Zem Zem, alleged to be the one whence
Ilagar drew water for the famishing Jsh-
m-iel. This well is surrounded by a cir¬
cular wall about four feet high, and its
waters are perfectly sweet and fresh, al¬
though the water of every other well, in
the city, is brackish.
Amon<* the pilgrims, the waters of'
Zem Zem are devoutly believed to be a
certain cure for all bodily ailments, and
even salutary for the soul ; and few leave
IX AFRICA.
97
the city without carrying with them a
greater or less number of flasks contain¬
ing* the precious fluid.
The Sherrifs, or direct descendants of
Mohammed, have increased in number
until they are a large and powerful fam¬
ily, and now control this whole section
of country.
These nobles, as they may be called,
elect the chief Sherrif of Mecca, and
their choice is invariably confirmed by
the Ottoman Porte.
These Sherrifs, as before remarked,
control the government of Jidda, and
also rule at Medina 'JYaby, (the town of
the Prophet).
In Mecca, the cause of education is at
a low ebb, the people devoting their time
to trade and gay living, so that the col¬
lege is in ruins, and the once splendid
library mentioned by Edresi, dispersed;
but in Medina it is different.
98
NICHOLAS SAID.
The people here, though generally
wealthy, are less gay and more studious.
Academies and libraries are handsomely
endowed and sustained; and the Sherrifs
themselves are Uhlemas, or profound doc¬
tors of the Ivoran.
We remained in Mecca four months,
during which lapse of time my master
made up his mind to visit Medina; and
then, in company with an immense car¬
avan of pilgrims and traders, we set out
for the latter city, which we reached in
three weeks.
Medina, about a hundred miies from
Mecca, is built upon a high mountain,
eastward of the range running parellel
with the Red Sea, and is surrounded by
a strong stone wall, averaging forty feet
high, flanked with towers, while on a
high rock in the northwestern portion of
the city, stands its castle or citadel.
It is entered by three gates, that op
IN AFRICA.
the south, railed Bab el-Misri, (the Egyp¬
tian gate), being extremely beautiful. To
the southward, as far as the [e}Te can
reach, extends an immense plain or
desert, while, on every side the view is
bounded by ranges of mountains of
considerable magnitude, those lying to
the southwest presenting a bold and rug¬
ged appearance.
Medina is, by far, the handsomest
city I ever saw in the East, with ample,
smooth streets, neat, stone, houses, gener¬
ally two stories high ; containing a great
mosque called the Prophet's, two smaller
ones Beshir and Omar, a large college
building and public baths.
The Suburbs of the city consist of
low houses and gardens, of course artifi¬
cially irrigated, and also enclosed by a
wall, within which the Bedouin encamp.
The city is supplied with water by an
acqueduct, leading from a valley among
yiriOLAS SAID.
the mountains u few miles distant; a
noble structure, the finest of the kind
probably in Arabia. In some places it
is over thirty feet below the surface of
the grounds; and it terminates in a
basin, from which all may draw water
libitum.
CHAPTER VIII.
IN MEDINA AND MUSCAT.
The mosque of the Prophet is situated
in the eastern portion of the city, and,
although smaller, it resembles the Beituh
Allah, at Mecca, its chief feature being the
extreme irregularity of its supporting col¬
umns., The tomb of the Prophet is en¬
closed with iron filagree of excellent work¬
manship, with four doors, only one of
which is kept open regularly, and this
guarded by a black Eunuch. At the south
side is the place assigned for devotional
purposes, to the pilgrims, who are al¬
lowed to visit this shrine at any, and all
seasons, of the year. Fully one-third
of the devotees who visit Mecca, extend
their journey to Medina; yet, out of this
10-2
NICHOLAS SAID,
immense number, only Pachas, leaders of
the -ZZfl/, and other high officials are al¬
lowed to enter the sacred pale of the
tomb, and, even they, only on the pay¬
ment of a largo fee.
There is, however, as I have been told,
by those who know, little to be seen with¬
in the enclosure, except the embroidered
silk curtains, said to conceal a square
black stone, supported by two pillars,
underneath, and between which, are the
graves of Mohammed and his two caliphy,
Abu Bekr, and Omar.
I have never heard, while in the East,
anything concerning the magnet, which,
according to some European writers, sus¬
pends or poises the coffin of Mohammed
in the air. And I am disposed to believe
it to be a Christian fiction.
It is somewhat remarkable that the
two chief cities of the orthodox Moham¬
medan world, callel par excellence, the
W AFRICA.
103
"holy," should be in the midst of, and
inhabited by unbelievers and sectaries.
As Mecca is filled with, and surrounded
by, the followers of Zaid, so the Be¬
douins and many of the Sherrifs of
Medina are the adherents of Ali.
While at Medina, Hadji Daoud was
taken sick, and for six weeks it was
doubtful as to whether he would recover.
During his illness, I began to enter¬
tain very serious doubts concerning the
hygenie properties of the much k lauded
waters of Zem Zem; but I finally re¬
conciled the trouble by ascribing my
master's sickness to a sentence of Allah
on account of. some great sin.
At length, however, he recovered, and
myself, Abdallah and Moussa, two slaves
he bad bought in Mecca, having packed
the camels, we set out on our way to
the mother of towns.
We accomplished the journey without
104
NICHOLAS SAJD.
incident, and Hadji Baoud, on our ar¬
rival, in Asia, sold his two slaves and
all his beasts of burden, except two cam¬
els, and we proceeded with them immedi¬
ately to Jidda.
Here my master conceived the idea of
visiting Muscat for purposes of specula¬
tion, for he was a prudent man, and did
not allow his religion to prevent him
from "turning an honest piastre," when¬
ever opportunity offered.
Accordingly in company with several
Meccawee and Jidda merchants, who, also,
had business at Muscat, we embarked up¬
on a steamer belonging to the Imam of
Muscat, and set sail for that port, ar¬
riving in the harbor in ten stormy days.
The harbor of Muscat is an inlet, or
arm of the sea, about a mile long, and
half a mile wide, opening into] the Ara¬
bian sea, to the north-westward, and
consequently, completely sheltered from
IN AFRICA.
105
the monsoons. Immediately to the west¬
ward of this inlet, is a commodious bay,
opening north-eastward, which although
deep, and a good anchorage, is exposed
to the fury of the winter monsoons, but
affording a safe shelter to vessels in those
conditions of weather which render it dif¬
ficult and dangerous to enter the inlet.
The city is situated on the southern
shore of the inlet, in a hollow, under a
cliff, and, in appearance, presents few
evidences of its actual wealth and real
importance.
A few good houses, built in the Per¬
sian style, occupy the narrow space by
the water-side, but large and handsome
buildings are few, the Imam's palace (a
plain edifice), the government bouse and
a few mosques alone rising above the
common mass of flat roofed structures.
Notwithstanding its appearance, how¬
ever, Muscat is a point of great com-
106
NICHOLAS SAID.
mercial importance, and, from its geo¬
graphical position, is the key to the en¬
trance of the Persian Gulf. The city is
supplied with water obtained from wells
of considerable depth, and receives pro¬
visions from the whole Levant.
At the bottom, or deepest curve, of
the bay, is the town of Mustra, distant
by land, from Muscat about three Eng¬
lish miles, and is, in effect, but a suburb
of the latter city, and containing nearly
the same number of inhabitants; its
chief importance consisting in th3 docks
for building and repairing ships located
there.
Eemaining here about a month, at the
end of which time, master having finish¬
ed his business, we embarked on board
the same steamer which brought us from
Jidda, whence we took another steamer
for Suez. "We made the voyage in sev¬
en days, and anchored about three miles
W AFRICA.
107
off Suez, the harbor bein5 too shallow for
vessels of more than sixty tons burthen.
Suez is the most miserable place I ev¬
er saw, with narrow, sandy and unpaved
streets; houses of unburnt brick, con¬
taining about a dozen mosques, a chris¬
tian church, custom-house, etc., the whole
surrounded by a wall mounting a few
guns, and farther defended by entrench¬
ments running around the city.
The surrounding country is a perfect
desert, and water and provisions have to
be brought from a long distance.
TVe were compelled to remain here a
considerable time, awaiting the formation
of a party for Rosetta, thence to Alexan¬
dria, whence it was my master's inten¬
tion to proceed next on the way home.
Hadji Daoud purchased a few camels
for our use, and, the caravan having at
length been formed, we commenced our
journey, to my master's and my no
NICHOLAS SAW,
small relief, after a tiresome and unin-
cidental tramp, arriving at our destina¬
tion in four days.
Here, we immediately sailed for Alex¬
andria. At Alexandria we heard a vague
rumor of a large conflagration in Tripoli,
by which, it was said, my master was a
great loser, but we could not trace the
report to any sound foundation. At
this time, there was a steamer belong¬
ing to some Christian nationality, to
sail from Alexandria to, I did not know
where, but was to touch at Tripoli, and
having secured a passage in her, we
made the Tripolitan harbor in threo
days.
I was as much delighted at seeing
Tripoli again as if it'had been Kouka,
and was almost beside myself to get
ashore.
As soon as we had landed, an offi¬
cer, an old friend of my master, a cus-
IN AFRICA.
109
tom-house officer, named Youssouff Ka-
vass, informed the good old man
that his store, with all' it contained,
together with half the Turkish ba¬
zaar, had been consumed by fire.
The excellent old man was much af¬
flicted by this loss, which involved
nearly his whole fortune ; and to my
great grief, informed me that he would
be compelled to sell me. In the mean¬
time I proceeded to the Emir's resi¬
dence, and here learned that my fellow
captives had been ransomed by their re¬
spective families, and, also, that during
our absence, our king had sent an agent
to Tripoli for the purpose of arranging
the terms of the ransom. At the time
of our return, however, he had gone to
Tunis; and, after having waited two
months for his re-appearance, Hadji Da-
oud concluded to send me to Smyrna,
in charge of a friend of his, and a resi-
110
NICHOLAS SAW.
dent of that city, to be sold there, for
slaves sold for high prices in Smyrna.
We sailed on a Constantinople vessel,
bound for Candia, on the Isle of Crete,
where we hoped to obtain passage for
Smyrna.
Candia is a strongly fortified port,
its harbor protected by two moles, and
the town consisting of substantial build¬
ings, ranged along regular and roughly
paved streets, and containing a number
of rather imposing edifices. Ilere are a
number of decayed docks, arched vaults
for galleys, and other interesting objects
which are doubt'es? familiar to most of
my readers, and which I will not take
time to describe.
In a few days after our arrival, a tug¬
boat arrived from Smyrna, and on it
we secured passage, and reached Smyrna
in about forty-eight hours.
Smyrna, called by the Turks Izmir,
JN AFRICA.
Ill
presents a splendid appearance to the
voyager approaching it from the sea,
but on landing it is found, like most
Mohammedan towns, to consist of nar¬
row, crooked, filthy streets, and miser¬
able houses, one story high, in this
place constructed chiefly of wood. The
different nationalities of people in this
place occupy different quarters of the
city ; ^rst the Greeks and Franks,
along the shore; then the Armenians
next the Jews, and lastly, occupying the
highest grounds, the Turks.
The principal buildings in Smyrna are
the Yizier-Khan, constructed* entirely of
white marble, the palace of the Pacha,
the then new barracks, several syna¬
gogues, a number of Christian churches,
and about twenty-five mosques, which
are always open for the inspection of
strangers, Christians included.
Hussein, Hadji-Daoud's agent who had
112
NICHOLAS SAID,
charge of me, resolved to relieve him¬
self of farther trouble with me, by ex¬
posing me for sale in the slave market.
Here I remained about three weeks,
suffering greatly from hunger, for Hus¬
sein would only furnish mo with one
meal a day, when [my troubles on tbat
score were ended by my purchase by
Fuad Pacha, who bought me for a
tchtboudji, or pipe cleaner, and I was
to have remainod near his person all
the time. My new [master bad me
washed and dressed in a bran new
and glittering costume as soon as pos¬
sible after my purchase, and in a few
days started, with me for Constantinople.
CHAPTER 1JC.
IX CONSTANTINOPLE.
We embarked on the Turkish steam¬
ship of war, Abdul Medjid, so earned
in honor of the then reigning Sultan, a
vessel carrying some fifteen guns, of
heavy metal, and well appointed in every
respect.
We sailed about eight o'clock in the
morning, and as we were leaving the
harbor, the ship fired off all her guns,
one after the other, the salute being re¬
turned by an equal number of dischar¬
ges from the fort crowning the neigh¬
boring height.
When I awoke the next morning, I
found the vessel anchored a little way off
114
NICIOLAS SAID.
a small town on the Asiatic side of the
Dardanelles.
On both sides of the straits, are nu¬
merous forts and batteries, mounting
hundreds of cannon, and manned by
Turkish soldiers.
Having received a number of the offi¬
cers of the garrison, at this point, on
board as passengers, we weighed anchor
and bore away for Constantinople.
The Dardanelles are constantly filled
with ships of all nations, sailing into
or out of the Black Sea; and nothing
can excel, in picturesque beauty, the
ever changing scenes of the ever shift¬
ing landscape, that passes like a lovely
panorama, before the enraptured eye, over
the whole distance from the entrance of
the Dardanelles to Constantinople.
Here and there, on the shores, may
be seen tall and handsome minarets, be¬
speaking the religious customs of the
IN ASIA.
115
country, and splendid villas, alternating
with gardens, orchards, and vineyards:
and when one has emerged from the
Dardanelles, and is fairly into the Black
Sea, the proud and ancient city of Con¬
stantinople may be seen, sparkling like
a diamond tiara, in the dim blue land-
line to the northward.
I had previously heard much of this
famous city, the Istamboul of the Moham¬
medans, had been told of its extreme
beauty and immense extent, and of the
vast numbers of people who dwell within
its boundaries ; but I was not prepared
for what I found it to be in reality. As
seen from the sea, it is the handsomest
city I ever saw; but an entrance verifies
the poetical proverb, that—
" 'Tis distance lends enchantment to the view."
Its streets are narrow and filthy, and
the city crowded with immense numbers
of low houses, principally built of wood.
116
NICHOLAS SAID,
The whole city is most densely pop*
ulated, to what extent I am unable to
tell, and its inhabitants comprised people
of all races, and from every part of the
globe.
Istamboul is situated upon a trian¬
gular promontory, or rather cape, pro-
jectng out into the Bosphorus, and has a
sea-front of nine or ten English miles,
and the base of the triangle thus formed,
is a lofty double wall, reaching from the
Sea of Marmora, a distance of about five
or six miles, to the Golden Horn. Within
these boundaries lies Constantinople proper,
built in general, as I have described, but
relieved by the numerous minarets, cupo¬
las, and lofty cypresses, that tower above
the common mass of buildings.
The drainage of the city is materially
aided by the uneven surface of the
ground upon, which it is built, and the
great number of public fountains, sup-
AV ASIA.
117
plied by aqueducts leading from large
tanks at a distance, and furnishing an
ample supply of water for all purposes.
At the extreme northeast point of the
promontory, called Point Serai, is situ¬
ated the Seraglio, or palace of the Sultan,
washed in front by the waters of the
Bosphorus, on the left by the Golden
Horn, and commanding a magnificent
view of the opposite shores of the strait
and the Horn, including the beautiful
tuwn of ScutarjT, with its cypress-crowned
hills.
The Seraglio, with its grove3 and gar¬
dens, embrace an area of about three
miles in circumference, and containing
within its walls the Harem and the Gar¬
den of Delights.
in this most beautiful garden are
found numerous parteries and Mosques,
or pavilions, as gorgeously bright, with
paint and gold, as the variegated flowers
1X8 NICHOLAS SAID,
that gladden the eye on every side, while
clusters of magnificent roses bloom in
swinging baskets of gilded wicker-work,
and fountains are murmuring in the deep
shadows of overhanging boughs.
Immediately without the Seraglio, stands
the mosque of St. Sophia, originally a
Christian cathedral, and the principal
building of the kind in the city; and
near it, the mosque of Achmcd, a grand
structure, with a marble pavement and
six minarets, located on the site of the
At Madan, or "horse course," the ancient
Hippodrome of historic celebrity.
The other chief mosques are those of
Solyman the Magnificent, a masterpiece
of Saracenic architecture; that of Mo¬
hammed II., and those of Bajazet II.,
Selim II., Mustapha III., Othman and
Ejub, and the Yalide, built by the mother
of Mohammed IV., and supported by pil¬
lars from the ruins of Troy.
IN ASIA.
119
Most of these establishments have at¬
tached to them one or more colleges or
charitable institutions, that of Mohammed
II. being surrounded by eight endowed
academies, a diet-house for the poor, a
hospital, caravansary and bath buildings,
all surmounted by leaden-covered cupolas
or domes.
There are, or were, numerous other
public buildings of some note, but as
many changes have doubtless taken place
in the city since I saw it, I will not con¬
sume time by a description of what may
not now exist.
Constantinople, like Smyrna, is divi¬
ded into quarters, in distinct ones of
which, different classes or religious castes
of people, exclusively, reside and. trans¬
act their business.
The palace of my new master, Fuad
Pacha, was situated in Kandji Koolook,
aod was a new and elegant structure of
120
MCHOLAS SAW,
stone, built in the European style, three
stories in height, and not excelled in
magnificence by any edifice in the city,
except the Seraglio of the Sultan. At¬
tached to it was his harem, surrounded
by a high stone wall; the whole enclo¬
sure comprising about five or six acres.
The Golden Ilorn, the fine harbor
that has usurped the name of the Pro¬
montory of Byzantium, separates the
city proper from tits populous suburbs,
Galata, Pera, and Top-hane, and is
crossed by a bridge of boats from the
Fanar, or Greek quarter, to Pera.
This bridge also places the city in
direct communication with the additional
suburban cities, Kassim Pacha, and Fer-
schanna, and the imperial arsenals, on
the north shore of the Horn. Fuad
Pacha who was, at that time minister of
the Interior, was attending the court of the
Sultan very frequently, on which occa-
IN ASIA.
121
sioris I generally accompanied him and, in
my capacity of a tchiboodji, I had excel¬
lent opportunities of seeing and learning
many things in regard to the Turkish
etiquette and mode of living in the
highest circles.
The Kislar-Aga, or chief of the ne¬
gro eunuchs, was a native of Mandra
and knew my mother's family perfectly.
He was about fifty years of age,
and was a good and kind man. On
my becoming acquainted with him, he
showed me many marks of kindness, and
more than a dozen times introduced me
into the Seraglio.
After I had been in Fuad Pacha's
service about nine months, he sold or
presentod me to Eeschid Pacha his
brother-in-law, who I was to serve still
in the capacity of tchiboodji.
I began,- this time to think that it
was my fate to pass from hand to hand,
122
NICHOLAS SAID,
with ntver a sure and definite resting
place j and, more than once, have 1
turned my longing eyes to the south¬
ward, in the direction of beloved Kouka,
and sighed for that rest which I could
not find.
Eeschid Pacha like every Turkish
master I had, treated me very kindly,
giving me holidays, almost every day,
from breakfast to noon, and furnishing
me with small sums of money to spend
in my own gratification.
1 made use of these opportunities to
acquaint myself more thoroughly with
the manners of Istamboul, and invested
my funds in divers and sundry saucers
of ice cream, a [delicacy I had before
seen but never tasted, until my transfer
to Ueschid Pacha.
Keschid Pacha was very wealthy, and
in consequence had a large number of
wives and concubines, beautiful Circas-
1JV ASIA.
123
sion, Affgan and Persian girls, for whom
my heart has often bled and my blood
boiled with anger when I saw them
cuffed and beaten by the brutal eunuch's
who were their custodians, and who
enjoyed full authority to chastise any of
them who gave the slightest offense.
Although this same practice was
common in my own country, I never
could become reconciled to it; and to
this day, though not more than in my
youth, the sight of a man maltreating a
woman always exasperates my feelings
almost beyond control.
Heschid Pacha, unlike most Moslems,
associated intimately with the Christians,
shook hands with them, ate, drank cham¬
pagne and visited their theatres, and
acted in such a way as to excite my fears
that he was not truly Islam.
Among the most intimate associates of
my master were the French Ambassador
124
NICHOLAS SAW,
M. De Montholon, tho English Minister
Lord Stratten de Eatcliffe, and tho Envoy
Extraordinary cr Minister Plenipotentiary
of Itussia Prime Anatole Mentchikoff.
The last named nobleman took a great
iancy to me the first time ho saw me,
which was one day whqn he and my
master went together to a Christian es¬
tablishment in Pera; after which he
would not allow Resehid Pacha any rest
until I was transfered to his possession.
He offered a large price for mo, buf,
under the then existing Turkish law, a
Mohammed s'ave could not be sold out
of tho empire; so the matter was clan-
ihstinlcy compromised by the Pacha pre¬
senting me to the Prince.
CHAPTER JT.
IN ODESSA AND ST. PETERSBURG,
Not long after my transfer to Prince
Mentchikoff, he made a visit to Odessa
in Russia, and carried me with him.
We sailed from Constantinople on bjard
the Eussian steamer, man-of-war Yladi-
mie, carrying sixty-four guns, and com¬
manded by Prince Galitzise, and made
Odessa in about forty-eight hours of
most delightful weather. Odessa is a
Eussian port of the Black sea, in the
government of Kherson, and is a hand¬
some and well appointed city.
A magnificent terrace, overlooking the
bay, is lined with elegant public edifices;
elsewhere, and, in fact everywhere, in the
city, may be seen attractive and im-
126 XICHOLAS SAW,
posing structures, churches, colleges, li¬
braries, cathedrals, interspersed with pal¬
aces and handsome private residences,
•while Richelieu Oultiza, (Richelieu street)
the principal street is lined with attrac¬
tive shops. There are, however, few
buildings that afford a very striking
architectural display, and there are fewer
monuments of Rculpture than might be
expected in such a place.
The principal work of art in the city
is the statute of Richelieu, a bronze
monument of gratitude, erected by the
city In honor of his creative genius, in
a space formed by a crepcent of hand¬
some houses on the summit of the
elongated cliff, along which extended at
the time I was there, (in 1854), a
beautiful avenue of young trees, which
were then beginning to unito their
boughs, and form a leafy "archway
along its whole length. From the foot
IN EUROPE.
127
of the stature, were in process of con¬
struction, a gigantic flight of stone stairs,
intended to make the grand terrace acces¬
sible from the lower quay, and so ar¬
ranged with a series of constantly rising
arches, as to allow free passage of vehicles
of any size, and height. The whole struc¬
ture impressed me as a very appropriate,
as well as deserved compliment to genius,
but, in my humble opinion, not so much
so as the ecclesiastical college, which bears
his name, and the well appointed Riche¬
lieu Lyceum, located in different parts of
the city.
A full description of the public build¬
ings in Odessa, its general plan of con¬
struction, and defences, and an exhibition
of its commercial importance, would doubt¬
less, be interesting and entertaining to
many of my readers; but, as numerous
and important changes have probably
been wrought in it since I saw it, I shall
12S
NICHOLAS SAID,
refrain from more than a bird's-eye de¬
scription of its general outline ; and shall,
moreover, confine myself to this rule in
relation to the other European cities I
may have occasion to mention in connec¬
tion with my adventures.
Prince Mentchikoff owned a fine man¬
sion in Odessa, where, on his return to
Constantinople, which occured in a few
days after his arrival in Odessa, ho left
me in charge of ' his son, Prince Peter,
who procured for mo an instructor to
teach me the Russian language.
This language, it is said, has for a
basis, the Sclavonic, but is much modi¬
fied by the introduction of Greek, Tar¬
tar and Mongolian terms, and from its
peculiar alphabet, (of thirty-six letters),
its numerous and irregular flexions and
singular pronunciation, it is the most
■difficult I ever undertook to acquire.
Possessing, however, as I have before
IN EUROPE.
129
remarked, a superior aptitude for lan¬
guages, I was not a long while in mas¬
tering it, and was told by those with
whom I conversed, that I had only a
slight foreign accent. The Russian lan¬
guage, in spite of a few euphonic de¬
fects, is, in general, sonorous and flow¬
ing, and is eminently adapted, as a ve¬
hicle, for almost any kind of literature.
There are a few specimens of Eussian
literature that are considered fine, the
principal among which are the poems of
Soumorokoff, Lomenosoff, Karamzin, and.
Pouchkin, the epics of the first named
are by the Russians considered almost
Homeric in its graphic sublimity.
The Russians, however, are in most
respect, an eminently practical people,
and there are comparatively few literary
productions from that country other than
logical, religious, scientific, or mathemati¬
cal character.
130
NICHOLAS SAID,
When I had been in Odessa six
months, Prince Mentchikoff "wrote to his
son to repair with me immediately to
Constantinople, which command was at
once obeyed.
At this time, there was a serious di¬
plomatic difficulty pending between the
Czar (Nicholas I), and the Sultan (Abdul-
Medjid), and in less than a month af¬
ter my return to Constantinople, there
was an open rupture between the cabi¬
net at St. Petersburg, and the Sublime
Porte, and preparations for active hos¬
tilities between the two powers were
immediately commenced.
Leaving his son to superintend the
removal of his personal goods to Odessa,
the Prince proceeded, with the officers
of his department, at once to thy Mus¬
covite capital. I accompanied this party,
embarked on board the Austrian steamer,
Egitto, bound to Frieste, an Austrian sea-
IN EUROrE.
131
port, on the Adriatic, via Athens and
Corfou.
The Prince on reaching Frieste imme¬
diately proceeded by rail to Yienna,
thence to Cracow, Warsaw, and finally
to St Petersburg.
We arrived at Sfc Petersburg on * a
bleak cold day, 'and for my part, I can
say that I was thoroughly rejoiced at
the termination of our most difficult
journey.
Shortly a iter the declation of war be¬
tween Russia and Turkey, Prince Mentch-
ikoff was invested with the command
of the army in the Crimea and ordered
to repair to Sevastopol with a large
force.
This he at once proceeded to do leav¬
ing me at St Petersburg with his fam-
Hy-
Prince Mentchikoff whose fame as a
diplomatist, and as a general is so no-
132
NICHOLAS, SAID,
torious, and who 'received from tbe
Russians tbe appellation of Krinski geroi,
(the hero of the Crimea,) was the great-
grand-son of the famous Mentchikoff
who played so conspicuous a part in tho
government of Russia during the reign
of Peter the Great. Ia personal appear¬
ance, the Prince was tall, but not mus¬
cular, his countenance was extremel}'
prepossessing, and his manners highly
polished, kept his face well shaved all
tbe time, spoke fluently Turkish, Rus¬
sian, German, Persian, English, Italian
and French. At the time he bought
me he was about fifty seven years of
ago.
His fortune amounted to the enor¬
mous sum of fifty millions of roubles in
cash, had estates in the governments of
St. Petersburg, Moscow, Tvee, Nivgorod,
Kostroma, Yiatka, Simbrisk, Perm, Ka-
louka, etc., etc., and I have learned
iy EUROPE.
133
from reliable authorities, that he had fif¬
ty-six thousand serfs. And at the out¬
set of the Crimean t war, he equipped
three regiments of cavalry from his
own estates and defrayed their expenses
during the whole war.
The Prince owned two mansions in
St Petersburg, one in the Newsky-Pros-
pekt, and the other in the Bolshoy-
Morskoy. The first named was the
handsomest, being built entirely of pure
Italian marble, five stories high, mag¬
nificently furnished throughout, and en¬
tered by a porte cochen in the rear.
To this most magnificent structure was
attached a garden adorned with three
fountains, and recherches specimens of
statuary.
His household , consisted of eight
laquais, or footmen, four chefs de cuisine,
several subordinate cooks and scullions
four femmes de chambres, a whole band of
134
NICHOLAS SAID.
musicians, several coachman, besides
numbers ofa menials, amounting, total, in
both establishments, to upwards of one
hundred and fifty, all of whom were
serfs, with the exception of a few who
were his freedmen. In this estimate aie
not included the govcrneur of his children,
M. Revel, a native of Neufalchel, his
pianist, Herr Ilenriech Watchmann, a na¬
tive of Hanover, and myself. 1 say
myself because having never been "at¬
tached" to Russian soil, I could not be
a serf under the "free" laws of that em¬
pire ; and his excellency had notified
me, on my arrival at the capital, that I
was free, and at liberty to go whither¬
soever I chose.
The kind prince, however, suggested
that I had better remain with his
family, as he would give me a good
education, and furnish me enough mon¬
ey to return to my native country
AV EUROPE.
135
■when I should be twenty five years of
age.
This extremely kind offer I should
most gratefully have accepted and abid¬
ed bjT ; but, after the departure of him
whom I still considered my master, the
treatment I received from the other
servants became so intolerable that i
was forced, much to my regret, to seek
a situation elsewhere.
CHAP 3 EH -17.
DrsCRIPTlON OF gT, PETERSBURG.
1 found it no difficult matter to
make a change ; and soon entered the
service of Prince Nicholas Yassiliovitch
Troubetzkoy t a nobleman in more than
napae, a man of the noblest and kind-
eat impnlses, and whose memory, to
this day, I cannot recall without emo¬
tion.
The Troubetzkoy family, to whom I
am [now alluding, arc direct descend-
ents of Jagellon, Grand Duke of Lithuania,
who became king of Poland in the 14th
century, by his marriage witn the beau¬
tiful Hedwig, a Polish Princess, and
heir apparent to the throne of Lithu
NICHOLAS SAID.
137
ania, which by this means became uni¬
ted to Poland, and has since been" con¬
sidered a part of that country through
all tue revolutions and dismemberments
that have since befallen it.
Prince Troubetzkoy and his brother
Andie, both unmarried, resided together
at the time I went into his service, and
their domestic relationships were of the
most harmonious character.
Prince Nicholas Yassilievitch Troubetz¬
koy was the youngest son of Prince Basil
Troubetzkoy, who played a conspicious
part during the Turkish war of 1828-29,.
under general Diebitch.
There are several Troubetzkoy families
in Russia, particularly in Moscow.
' ' *' i J. .
The Lithnanian Troubetzkoy's are
termed by way of contradistinction, Vetiki
Troubtezkam Ic.s grands Troubetzkoy (Great
Troubetzkoy?), and the others Maloy Trou-
N1VH0LAS SMli,
bfckam, les jpetits Troubetzko)), (the little
Troubtezkojs.)
Myexcellent master bad fourbrothers and
five sisters. Prince Alexandre, Vladimir,
Sergius, and A ie. Madame la Princesse
Marie Esterhazy, Madame la Countesse
liibeaupierro, Madame la Conntesse Aprax-
in, Madame Olgo Oustinoif, and Princess
Woronzoff, nees Princesses Troubetzkoy.
St. Petersburg is situated at the head
of a bight in the Gulf of Finland, at the
point where it is entered by the Neva,
the stream which flows into it from the
lake Ladoga, and tho nature of the ground
it occupies is such that it is impossible to
get anything like a fair view of the city
until actually within it.
Coming from the Baltic, through the
Cfulf of Finland, little can be seen until,
suddenly, the voyager finds himself sur¬
rounded by splendid granite quays, and
gazing upon thousand* of the mojt su-
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139
perbly handsome edifices; and thus his
admiration is intensified by the sudden
surprise which attends it. Sooth to say
this city of the Czars, is equalled by few,
and certainly surpassed by none in the
world, for comfort, strength and mag¬
nificence.
It would require a large volume to
give even a synoptical description of this
vast and splendid city, and I shall not
even attempt to came its wonders.
While in the service of Prince Trou-
betzkoy, I enjoyed ample opportunities
of visiting every place of interest in the
city; the gardens, the monuments, the
galleries, the- churches, societies, theatres,
public building of every description and
the mansions of the rich and noble;
and in making use of these opportuni¬
ties, I allowed nothing to escape my
■eye, but everything I saw is, to this
day, stamped on my brain like a picture
HQ
yiClOLAS HA ID.
On one occasion, as I was strolling'
along the quay, facing the winter pal¬
ace, I saw a distinguished looking indi¬
vidual, in full Russian uniform, approach¬
ing me, and observed all whoni he paescd
doffed their hats, and many fell upon
their knees.
As he was passing me, I lifted my
fez, and stood in the attitude of a sol¬
dier, saluting, which action being observed
by him, he clapped me1 on the shoulder
and said in Russian : "Jlalodetz," which
is equivalent to the English, "smart
boy," and passed on. On inquiring, I
learned that he was Nicholas I, Czar of
all the Itussias.
The next day his august Majesty sent
me fifty silver roubles as a present.
He was an exceedingly fine looking
man, considerably over six feet in height,,
and well proportioned, and considered the
handsomest man in Russia. It was said
IX •EUROPE.
141
of him, that, in his character, he was
extremely unrelenting, and was seldom
known to forgive an act of disobedience,
however slight.
In illustration of this feature in the
Czar, I relate the following brief inci¬
dent Tbe Prince Sergius Troubetzkoy
(brother to Prince Nicholas,) excited
the ire of his Majesty by falling in love
with the daughter of Count con¬
trary to the Czar's wishes, he being
married. In his endeavors to elope with
the object of his affection, he was caught
in Bessarabia, in the act of leaving the
Russian frontier. And as a penalty for
his crime was deprived of his patent of
nobilit}", degraded from his grade of a
Colonel of a regiment, and sent to Si¬
beria to serve in another regiment as a
private.
The regiment to which the Prince was
assigned, was ordered to Caucasus, at the
142
yJCHOLAS SAID,
period when the fierce Schamyl was
scourging the Muscovite frontier; and,
for gallant conduct on the field, was pro¬
moted to a commissioned ofSce.
The Czar transformed his given, into
his surname (Sergiett), and signed his
name Sergieff ne Prince Troubetzkoy,
which was undeniable, of courso. On the
accession of Czar Alexander II., he was
restored to his estates and dignity. The
iron Nicholas never for a moment re¬
lented towards him.
Prince Nicholas Troubetzkoy, strange
to say, entertained an aversion towards
the Poles; and it might be thought that
he was not fond of th6 Russians, as ho
would not allow me to continue to learn
their language, and took it upon himself
to teach me French, but I fear I was
not over-diligent in my efforts to acquire
that vivacious tonguo. The language, in
itself, was not difficult to acquire, but
IN EUROPE.
143
for a long time I had an insurmountable
disgust for the nasals. The sounds of an,
in, on, im, aud en, were particularly disa¬
greeable to my ear.
But the Prince would not abandon
his favorite fancy. He used to lock me
up, and punished me in divers ways; and,
by one means and another, he succeeded,
at length, in hammering enough of the
language into me to serve as a bad* upon
which to make further attainments after¬
wards.
Hitherto, ever since my advent into
Christendom, I had remained a consistent
Islam, repeating the requisite number of
prayers daily, and at the time required,
refraining from the use of pork, wine, etc.i
and rolling my eyes in holy horror at
the frequent infractions of the law of the
Koran that I constantly had occasion to
witness.
But His Excellency made up his mind
144
XICIIOLAS SAID,
to turn me from the error of mv ways,
and devoted himself assiduously to the
accomplishment of his purpose.
Whenever he went to prayers, he maJe
rne stand before him, bon gre> mal gre,
and imitate every action of his, such as
kneeling, bowing, making the sign of the
cross, etc., and I used to enjoy myself
hugely, cutting capers and going through
all sorts of pantomimic performances when
he thought I was acting in a very devo¬
tional manner.
One day, as I Mas indulging exten¬
sively in my favorite amusement, the
Prince happened to turn, and caught me
in my most striking attitude, whereupon
he gave me a striking reminder of what
was decent and respectful on such solemn
occasions, by administering to my ears a
good boxing and depriving me of my
dinner.
Finally, my prejudices gave way, how-
IN EUROPE.
ever, and I consented to embrace the
Greek faith, the State religion of Russia.
I was baptized in Riga on the 12lh of
Xovember, 1855, leaving ray Mohammedan
name of Mohammed Ali Ben Said at the
font, and bearing therefrom the Christian
name of Niehola3. This performance
ended, I thought the job was complete,
a. ut the next day the papa, or priest who
had me baptiz'ed;"oouc"' for me, and on
getting where he was, I found myself in
a beautiful chapel, handsomely paved with
marble of different colors. He caused
me to kneel before an immense tableau of
the Saviour for hours, asking pardons for
my past sins.
As the marble was harder than my
knees, I was in perfect agony during the
greater portion of the time, and became
so enraged with the papa, that I fear
I committed more sins during that space
of time than I had done in days before.
146
XIC1I0LAS SAW,
In fact, I am not ture but that a lew un¬
gainly Mohammedan asperities of lan¬
guage bubbled up lo my lips. But I
managed to get through ■without any overt
act of rebellion.
"When I had become a confirmed Chris¬
tian, the Prince presented me with a
solid gold cross, and a chain of the same
metal to suspend it around my neck by,
in tbe prevailing ^snion ; and,
as he had never allowed me to associate
with the rest of his domestics, I began
to consider myself quite a superior being.
CHAPTER XI1.
JOURNEYS IN RUSSIA AN-) AUSTRIA.
Prince Troubetzkoy had a beautiful
residence about twenty-five verst from
Moscow, where he was accustomed to
spend that portion of each year between
June and September inclusive; and the
time was approaching for our departure
thither.
Shortly before we left for Moscow the
Prince with several of his friends went to
visit Cronstadt and its fortifications, situ¬
ated at the . mouth of the Neva, and dis¬
tant about twenty English miles from the
capital.
NICHOLAS SAID,
I was much struck with the formida¬
ble appearance of this stronghold and of
tbe complete and effectual manner in
which the forts, with those of Eiesbank,
guard the approach to St. Petersburg.
From Cronstadt we proceeded to Peter-
hoff, a summer resort, ouly a short dis¬
tance from the former. This placo is said
to have been built by the Czarina Cath¬
erine Alexievna, and is a delightful place
Before returning to the capital, we also
visited "Czarskoo Colo," the village ot the
Czar, the favorite summer resort of the
Emperor, Nicholas.
At length the time arrived for our
departure for Moscow. This famous city
is situated about four hundred miles east
of St. Petersburg, and thither wo took
the railroad.
We reached Archangclsk at last,
and I found it to be a very pleasant
place. The Prince had here a large and
AY EUROPE.
149
magnificent marble structure, four stories
high and filled with immense numbers of
paintings and other worts of art.
Instead of living in this house, he
had had constructed a wooden "struct¬
ure, one story high and had only three
rooms.
In this humble cottage the Prince
passed the greater portion of his time
except on one occasion, which was that of
a grand ball. During my stay at Arch-
angelsk Gospodin Soukiassoff, my master's
Stewart of that estate, an Armenian, be¬
came much attached to me, and I to him,
and he tried to teach me his language,
which, to his great satisfaction. I read¬
ily acquired. Tn the meantime, our life
at Archangelsk was spent in recreation
on horseback and study, the Prince de¬
voting himself in the most [remarkable
manner to the task of perfecting me in
French. He was afflicted with a nervous
150
NICHOLAS SAID,
disease, and had repeatedly made appli¬
cations to the Czar for permission to
travel in foreign countries for the im¬
provement of his health, but always in
vain.
This disease subjected him to occasional
violent outbursts of temper, duriDg which
time I sometimes felt the weight of his
hand in no agreeable manner; but he
generally treated me vrith the utmost
kindness, and I was devotedly attached
to him.
The season over at Archangelsk, ho
concluded to visit Caucassus, via Tver,
Nijini Novgorod Asoff and Tangarog.
This journey occupied considerable
time, which I spent in obtaining all the
information I could concerning the his¬
tory of the immense territory we trav¬
ersed and the manners, customs and re¬
sources of its people, not omitting the
]y LVJROrE.
161
provincialisms in language encountered,
from time to time as we progressed.
Passing Giorgiesk, the government
capitol of Caucassus, we proceeded on¬
ward to Tiflis, the capitol of Georgia,
and all .Russian Trans-Caucassia; which
city we found located on the banks of
the Ivoor, in a narrow valley, and well
defended with walls and forts.
During our stay in Georgia, the
Prince in company with Princes Yous-
soupoff, Alexis "Wassiltchikoff, and sever¬
al other Eussian nobles of his ecquam-
tance, concluded to visit Persia.
The party were absent in Persia three
months, during which time I remained
in the household of Prince Simon Wor-
onzow, brother-in-law to my master and
commander of division at that time in¬
vesting Kars, under General Mouravieff.
Immediately on the return of the
travelling part}7, Prince Troubetzkoy re?
NICHOLAS SAW,
traced his steps, with me, to Moscow,
and theDce proceeded at once to St. Pe¬
tersburg.
While we were in Caucassus the Czar
died, and immediately on the accession of
Alexander the Prince obtained his long
desired leave of absence.
He concluded to take me with him
on his tour; and, having obtained our
passports to Visa, we at once set out to
Moscow; and thenco in an immense
fonegon of his own to Eiga. His Excel¬
lency was in such anxious ha9te that ho
travelled day and night, without cessa¬
tion ; and, remaining in Eiga only two or
three days, proceeded onward to Warsaw
via Dunaberg.
We did not tarry in Dunaberg, and
only two days in Warsaw, from here wo
proceeded by rail to Vienna passing
through several intermediate towns.
On our arrival at Vienna, the Prince
IN EUROPE.
153
procured lodgings at the Hotel clu
Monarque on the Graben. I shall not
weary the reader, however, with an ac¬
count of all the wonders I saw in this
Imperial capital; its Inner Stadt, the
streets of which are often traversed by
the nobility of both sexes, on foot; the
beautiful Esplanade between this walled
enclosure and the great outside towns;
the twenty magnificent squares and parks
that are embraced between the arms of
the Danube, and called the Pratter, con¬
sidered the finest in Europe; its numer¬
ous and splendid Churches, institutions of
learning, extensive museums and public
buildings of every description, not to
mention the palaces and superb man¬
sions of the rich. During the three months
we remained in Vienna, the Prince went
to Pesth in Hungary, to pay a visit to
his t-ister Princess Esterhczy, and left me
in Vienna to take care of his effects. He
154
NICHOLAS SAID,
instructed me to pper.d my nights at the
Hotel but in the day, t® play with and
amuse the six years daughter of his siste1'
Countess Apr&xin who lodged at tho
Metzler Iloff.
On his Excellency's return, ho in¬
formed me that he intended leaving the
capital of the Ilassburgs for Dresden in
Saxony, via Praguo (Bohemia). We the
domestics, at once packed his numerous
effects, and we took tho rail for the
latter place, which wo reached in a very
few hours, it being about 57 Eng'ish
miles from Vienna. Here we tarried only
one night, and on the morrow we pro¬
ceeded to Dresden.
His excellency having taken his quar¬
ters at Hotel de Saxe, and after having
a good rest, he was soon on the wing,
taking tne with him, and exploring the
renowned galleries, museums and other
institutions of this famous city.
1JY EUROPE.
My master's brother Vladimie was at
that time residing here, and . was just
getting over a severe spell of, illness
which had afflicted him several months
before our arrival.
I found him to be a very kind and
intelligent gentleman.
The Prince presented me a few days
afterwards with several good French
books, among which were : L^Immita-
tion de Jesus Christ, La vie de Jeannoe
d'Arc, and others.
We remained in Dresden a month,
and the Prince, having satisfied his
curiosity in respect to this capital,
concluded to visit Leipsic, a city also in
Saxony, and the centre of learning in
Germany. A few hours before our de¬
parture, however, the Prince received a
letter from several of his Russian friends
dated and post marked at Munich in
Bavaria. They were then preparing to go
156
X1C110LAS SAID
to the watering places in the Tyrol called
Ischl, and they requested his Ezcellency
to repair to Munich, stating that his
company was indispensable; (for it must bo
remarked that my master was a lei esprit
in company, consequently his presence
was sought with great avidity) accord¬
ingly he yielded to their desire, and
we at once set out for that capitol passing
through Augsburg an ancient city and
the centre of financial transactions in
Southern Germany.
Spending only forty eight hours m
this city, which time we occupied in
sight seeing, we took the rail for the
place of our destination, arriving there
in less time than three hours run, and
took rooms at the Hotel de Baviere>
(Bavarian Hotel), on the Max-Joseph-
Plat z.
During the three eeks stay in this
city, I accompanied His excellency to
AV EUROPE.
157
almost every place of interest, including
the celebrated Pinacotheca, and Glypto-
theca galleries, (the former containing
three hundred thousand paintings and
Pengravings,) the University and Eoyal
libraries, (the former containing, at that
time two hundred thousand volumes and
four thousand manuscripts, and the latter
embrasing six hundred and fifty thous¬
and volumes and twenty thousand man¬
uscripts), the Bavarian monument of
eighty or ninety feet in height, which is
ascended by winding stairs within, built
by Ildrr Swauthaler, and other places
of note.
We found a larger number of Russian
gentlemen in Munich than we expected,
among them were count Strogonoff in
company with his the grand Duchess
Mary, daughter of Czar Nicholas, Prince
Bagrathion, Narischkin, Schourallotf, and
a host of other Russian personages, who
NICHOLAS .SAUK
were also on their way to the bathing
place in the Tyrol above mentioned.
Having satisfied his curiosity with re
gard to this celebrated place, the Prince
drew rae, with much reluctance on my
part from the many attractive objects
to be found here, not the least among
which was the excellent Baravian beer,
and proceeded at once by stage to Saltz-
burg, in Austria.
This ancient city is distant about one
hundred and sixty miles from Vienna,
in a "West South West direction and is
celebrated for having been destroyed by
the terrible lluns' chief Attilla in* A. 1),
440, and afterwards rebuilt by the
Dukes of Bavaria, and for being the
birth-place of the immortal Mozart.
We remained only two days in this
place, after which we proceeded to Ischl.
This place is situated in a valley and
on both banks of the liltle river III, it
AV EUROPE.
159
contains ferruginous sulpber and other
mineral waters.
At that time -preparations were beiDg
made at the Hotel de 1' Imperatice Eliz-
abethe for the reception of his majesty
Francis Joseph. The Emperor, however,
declined to come.
Soon after our arrival, a tremendous
rain and storm set in which lasted elev¬
en days without cessation.
Here I had the misfortune to fall in
love, but as this is a common thing
among youths of my own age, and as
nothing became of it except a flood of
bitter tears on both Bides at parting, I
shall not weary the kind reader with
the history of my amours.
Fall had now set in, and the Prince
concluded to go to Baden-Baden, Dorrn-
stadt, Francfort on the Main, Aix-la-
Chapelle, Cologne, and other towns in
Belgium.
160
NICHOLAS SAW,
Accordingly we retraced our 6teps to
Saltzburg, and Munich, and from this
place to Baden-Baden. We took lodging
here at the Victoria Hotel, owned by
Her Grossholtz an accomplished hotel-
keeper.
Baden-Baden is a great resorting
place for invalids from different parts
of Europe, on account of the curative
proparties of its watery and the salubri¬
ty of its climate.
Quite a largo number of gamblers by
profession also visit it for the purpose of
playing the roulette, where great numbers
of them get broke.
My master on one occasion won 10,-
000 florins (golden).
On leaving Baden-Baden, we stopped
two or three days at Ileidelburg, in the
Grand Duchy of that name, and situated
on the Neckar, it is a place of consider¬
able importance; it has a celebrated
IX EUROPE.
161
medical College in which students from
all parts of Germany take their degrees.
Nut far from it on a hill, is an old
dilapidated castle in which is to be seen
a monster cask, capable of containing 700,-
000 gallons of liquid. This cask was
once tilled with wine, some centuries ago.
Having satiated his curiosity in respect to
this city. Francfort was next on His Ex¬
cellency's way-bill.
We stopped here only a night, and the
next day we were on our way to Weis-
baden.
"YVhile here the Prince heard, through
the papers, that Sebastopol had fallen
into- the hands of the Allies. His ex¬
cellency was much mortified by this re¬
port, but I could hardly repress my ex¬
ultation, for my sympathies were with
the Osmanlis.
From here wo went to the Rhine and
yiCJIOLAS SAID,
took passage on board the steamer, ply¬
ing between that point and Cologne.
On arriving here the Prince began
to complain, and soon thereafter he took
ill. It was discovered that he had the
dysentery.
Dr. Ilelins, of Heidelberg, in whom
the Prince had an implicit confidence as
a skillful physician was at once sent for,
and after three weeks time recovered.
Scarcely had he recovered before ho
was again on the wing.
The Prince visited in rapid succession
Bruges, Brussels, Oslende, the Hague
Amsterdam, etc., and retraced his steps
to Baden Baden, whence we took the
railroad for Basel, a city in Switzerland,
situated on the Hhine, in two portions,
that is on both sides of that river and
respectively called Klein Basel and Gross
Basel.
Remaining here only a very short time,
1JV EUROPE.
163
we again set out for Berne the capital
of the above named country, thence to
Thun, in the canton of Berne, where we
took a steamer for Tnterlaken, at the
foot of the Jung-frau mountain.
It was at this time in the month of
October, and the cold was getting to be
intolerable, at least to myself. The Priiace
now proposed to pass the winter in Italy,
according^ after visiting the cascades,
and other objects of interest around
Jung-frau we proceeded to Furich thence
through the Tyrol to Como, in Lom-
bardy. From here the Prince went to
Milan, Genoa, Leghorn, Pisa, Florence
and Rome. The Prince concluded to pass
the winter in this city, but before doing
so he proposed to go to Naples to spend
a few weeks, after which he would return.
Accordingly, leaving the greater part
of his effects at the Hotel d' Europe, on
the Piazza d' Espagna, we went to Porto
161
NICHOLAS SAW,
d' Anzo, a miserable place, said to be the
birth-place of the tyrant Nero. Ilere we
took passage on an equally wretched craft
for Naples, which place we reached after
a perilous traversed. We afterward learned
that our boat came very near blowing up.
Naples has a beautiful appearance from
the sea, but its streets, with the exception
of the principal one, called Toledo, are
narrow, badly paved and filthy.
We took lodging at the Albergo di
Crocelli, facing the principal fort, called
Castel' d' Ovo. After a month's stay in
this city, and after visiting every place
of interest in its environs, the Prince con¬
cluded to return to the Eternal Citj7.
Accordingly, we took a stage and started
for that city via Galta, stopping here
only a while to examine its curiosities.
We arrived at Home in January, and
the Prince left the Albergo d' Espagna,
and hired a private house in the Strada
IX EUROPE.
165
dei Ponteffici, near the Corso, the Prince
intending to remain here till spring,
when he proposed to visit Paris and
London.
Home has been so often described by
writers, better qualified to the task than
myself, that I shall forbear to describe
it, but shall simply mention some facts
relating to my personal adventures.
In his endeavors to educate me, the
Prince had neglected, to teach me arith¬
metic, accordingly he hired me a tutor,
a Frenchman by nationality, bearing
the name of Alphonse Garron to perfect
me in the French grammar and to teach
me the mysteries of mathematics. Nature
has denied me the faculty of acquiring
the science of numbers.
Mr, Garron made several complaints
to the Prince concerning my inaptitude
towards that particular branch.
But I could not help it. My teacher
XIC1IOLAR SAID.
succeeded at length in teaching me tho
four principal rules viz: Addition, Sub¬
traction, Multiplication and Division.
During our stay in the Papal States,
the Prince became very intimate with
Cardinal Antonelli, the Prime minister
of Pius IX, and often visited the Vatican.
The Romans ascribe all the evils, old
and new, under which they suffer, to
Cardinal Antonelli: The perfectly illegal
condition in which the States of the
Church were then, was the handiwork
of that minister, for, instead of remov¬
ing old abuses, he has continually added
new and worse. Not only all justice
but every liberty, the Romans further
complain, has been trodden under foot
by Antonelli.
Misery and wretchedness have in¬
creased in the nation. Instead of public
education, only public iguorance is fos¬
tered, and Home has sunk most shame-
IX EUROPE.
16T
fully in the arts and sciences whicb?
formerly invested it with a halo.
All this Antonelli alone has done, the
brown man with wild aquiline nose, and
the wolfs teeth, that project menacingly
from his mouth. He who is to blame for
all this will soon occasion the overthrow^
of Home.
It is true that Antonelli could have
let all reform fall quietly, but he confess-ed
openly, and told everybody that the pros¬
perity of Rome did not depend on reform-
Antonelli was in reality a very modest
man : he did not wish to be distinguished
by anything new, he only wanted the old
absolutism in which Rome became great
and powerful, and he did not unite with
it, the slightest hyprocrisy of liberty, with
which absolutistic statesmen are so fond
of adorning themselves. He never told
the Romans that lie would make them
free and happy. He pursues calmly and
16S
XHUOLAS SAW
noiselessly the policy that everything
must remain as it was, and that a nation
is the happiest when sunk in tho most
degrading ignorance. It caused the most
surprise that a practical man like Anton-
elli should allow the Roman code to re¬
main on the old footing, for that is tho
most striking abuse of the papal adminis¬
tration. But how could it be expected
that ho who had left his friends and rela¬
tions behind in the forests of Tcrracina
should attempt to punish- criminals, and
free society from murderers, thieves and
other malefactors?
The state of prisons in Rome is fear¬
ful, and the Paliano at Homo may be even
compared unfavorably with tho prison at
Yisiti, where Poerio once languished. The
inmates have neither table nor chair, not
even the slightest article of furniture that
can promote their comfort. Their food
consists of a soup made of rancid bacon and
IN EUROPE.
169
oil, two loaves of black bread, each weigh¬
ing nine ounces, and a disgusting bever¬
age which is honored with the name of
wine.
They have only a tin-cup and a pan, in
which to wash in the morning and eat at
night. The cell?, in which several pris¬
oners are placed together, are so narrow
that if one of them wished to take exer¬
cise the others must lie down. The drink¬
ing water is drawn from the neighboring
dirty ditches, and filled with all sorts of
abominations. Instead of windows -there
are holes, covered with coarse canvass,
which does not keep out cold or draught,
however, and hence the prisoners are
never free from toothache, rheumatism,
and all sorts of maladies. As a refine¬
ment of cruelty, Antonelli actually order¬
ed one hundred common criminals to be
sent down from fort IJrbano, and dis¬
tributed among the political detenus.
170
NICHOLAS SAID,
M. Edrr.onl About has alreidy to!d us
sufficiently of the miserable state of culti¬
vation in the papal States, on the gross ig¬
norance of the people. These are both to bo
■ascribed to the priesthood, and tho power
it holds over the family ties. Stories of
criminal padres form a permanent back¬
ground of Italian life. The popular fancy
is constantly excited by such stories,
which, with their tendency to exaggera¬
tion, they often make worse than they
really are.
Yet, heaven knows! the priests are
bad enough, and the revelations made
in Turin have sufficiently taught the
world what the state of affairs must be
in .Rome, where every effort is made
to hush up any criminality on tho part
of the favored class.
Latterly, however, tho priebt has Io(>t
much of his influence over tho lower
classes of Roman society. Tho robbers
IX EUROPE.
m
have lost their respect for them, and
have quite a fancy for stealing from
them. In fact, the banditti who have
attained quite a status in society, have
now constituted a separate power against
the Church and laws. They are well known
persons, settled in their native villages,
and generally respected; they live on the
best terms with their neighbors, perhaps
join the parish priest in buying a few
lottery tickets; in a word, they would
bo most excellent fellows, if they did
not suffer from a mania for stopping
the mail cart at night. Fancy a country
in Europe where the mail had to be
protected by an escort of gen cV amies and
dragoons, and that was the case prior
to £thc annexation, between Bologna,
Ferrara, and Eavenna. But many
places in and around Rome arc just as
dangerous as the highways in the Lega-
tines. Tho nocturnal robberies are quite
172
NICHOLAS SAID,
common, and not a long time before our
departure from Home, a party of Eng¬
lish were plundered to their shirts, with¬
in the walls of the Coliseum.
All this, however, is regarded by the
native population in a different way
from what the stranger, who does not
possess the felicity of living under the
crosier, would be disposed to accept it.
The Italians actually complain of the
barbarity of the Austrians, who, during
the occupation, shot down every bandit
they caught in flagrante delicto. A bri¬
gand is just as much a member of civil
society as a priest or an employee, for
they all rob with equal pertinacity. In
what did the rape of the little Mortara
differ, 'after all, from the robbery of the
mail bags? An Italian robber, oven
when locked up in prisan, enjoys a great
popularity in the country, and his name
is constantly repeated as that of a most
IX pUROPE,
meritorious man. In his prison lie re¬
ceives visitors from near and far, and
people flock in to express their admira¬
tion and sympathy for the man who is
a martyr to the laws.
Such a man is the celebrated bandit,
Galafredo, who has been for a long time
confined in the fortress of Civita Vecchia,
where his family were compelled to share
his imprisonment. He receives all travel¬
lers who send in their names to him,
and he does so in the full feeling of his
value and dignity, for G-alafredo is vain.
He has in his day committed a series of
atrocities which rendered him the terror
of the highways and forest, but was at
length c®mpelled to surrender to the Pa¬
pal government.
He is still a fine-looking fellow, wear¬
ing a- red velvet jacket adorned with all
sorts of finery, while his family are in
rags. He spends nearly all his visitors
174 NICHOLAS SAW,
\
give him for dress, and his eyes flush
with delight when any one says of him,
''Galafredo looks like a king!" His great
popularity may fee ascribed, however, to
the way in which he performed his achive-
ments. lie never assailed the poor, but
practiced his devices exclusive/ on the
rich. Galafredo declared that he
never killed any one who did not offer
him open resistance. On the other hand,
he murdered every priest he came acros3,
and this is* a tragic feature which stands
out from his life's history ; while at the
same time, it proves that the element
of clericality and robbery are always in
contact in Italy.
Galafredo loved a girl in his youth,
but, at the same time, suspected her of a
liaison with a priest. He watched him,
and, one fine day, stabbed him to the
heart, as he was ki.«sing the girl. There¬
upon Ga'afrcdo fled to the mountains, and
IN EUROPE.
175
began to carry on the only trade now
left to him.
Galafreclo bad originally been tooth-
drawer in his village, and gained a great
and widely extended reputation in that
profession.
This renown almost rivalled his new
character as bandit, although he soon
made himself greatly respected in the lat¬
ter character. Never had so many priests
been found murdered on the highways,
and yet, when it was known that Gala-
fredo was in the neighborhood, anybody
suffering from toothache was delighted to
send for him- Galafredo would descend
from the mountains with perfect equa¬
nimity, pull out the offending tooth, and
receive bis fee, no one having a thought
of stopping him on such an occasion.
Even the gen d' amies did not inter¬
fere with him when they found him
peaceably carrying on his vocation in the
1<6
NICHOLAS .SAID,
village: a terrible but true image of mod¬
ern Italy.
The bandit in Italy is almost as gene¬
ral as the priest. If he be not a dentist,
like Maestro G-alafredo, h9 takes to some
reputable trade, or temporarily accepts a
government office, chiefly at the dogane
or custom-house; for he never wants pow¬
erful protectors. There are times whon
business is dull on the highway, or the
bandit has a longing for an existence freo
from care. lie may then be frequently
found amcng the crowds who stand in
grotesque groups before the great steps
of the Piazzo di Spagna, and offer their
services to passing artists.
It would be unjust to say that Anto-
nelli, who has introduced into Rome a
magnificent system of domestic espionage,
on the model of the Russians, has not
turned his attention to the improvement
of the city police.
IX EUROPE.
111
Unfortunately, they have hitherto only
taken under their fostering wing, the
crinoline of the ladies, which the wicked
boys made sad fun of in their songs.
Through this very protection, however,
Antonelli has fallen into sad disgrace with
the Priests, who are the sworn foes of
those mysterious combinations of whale¬
bone and steel.
One of the most celebrated preachers
in Eome made a very clever attack upon
it, by saying that it did not suit the
Eoman ladies, for it concealed their
graceful and well-rounded forms. They
carry their hatred so far that they have
been seen in the streets blessing the boys
who sing the wicked songs.
Herr Mundt, an author on Eoman mat¬
ters, throws a new light upon the Napole¬
onic intrigue in Eome by the description
he gives of the young Prince Lucien, who
was at that time, (1856,) a chamberlain
XlMOLAfi SAID,
and private secretary to Pio ^sono, and
would have been a cardinal long since,
were it not for bis youth.
IIo is seriously regarded in Iiomo as the
future Pope, for it is undoubted that Lou¬
is Napuleon entertained the idea most fa¬
vorably.
In such a case the Catholic world would
hail with delight the termination of the
lasting struggle between Guelph and
(rbeblline. The views, however, which
Louis Napoleon entertained are still in a
very significant reserve. At limes it
seems as if, even in case that he is
compelled to effect a regeneration of Italy,
he will attempt to keep the chair of St.
Teter upright. "But," as Ilorr Mundt
justly says, "we cannot feel certain of
this, for it is the peculiarity of the Napo¬
leonic policy always to do exactly the re¬
verse to 'that which appeared probable,
and what has been solemnly promised."
I.V EUROPE.
179
If, however, on the decease of that "sick
man," Pio Nono, Prince Lucien were re¬
ally elevated to the Tiara, all possible ar¬
rangements between papacy and im¬
perialism could be carried out in the most
charming way. En attendant, the Prince
works hard on behalf of the French party
at Eome, and will doubtless have fully
earned the papal triple crown, if ever it
be placed on his head.
CHAPTER XI11.
IX LONDON, PARIS AND THE WEST INDIES.
While in Homo, I one day saw in the
Criomale di Soma an article respect¬
ing the invasion of Soudan by Said,
Pacha of Egypt.
The article said that the subjugation
of Soudan had been very difficult. I
never have heard anything about that
matter since, and moreover doubt its
veracity.
May it never happen that my dear
country should ever bo under Egyptian
despotism.
AV EUROPE.
On the 25th of May, 1857, we got
our passports to Yisa, and forthwith left
Home for Civita Yecchia, where we took
a steamer belonging to the French Mes-
sagerie Imperiale for Marsailles, which we
reached.in forty-eight hours.
'.Remaining here only a few hours,
we left this city for Paris, stopping a lit¬
tle while in Lyons.
Shortly after our arrival in Paris, a
grand ball was given at the Palais du
Corps Lecjislatif, in honor of the Due de
Morney's marriage with one of my mas¬
ter's nieces, a daughter of his brother
Sergius, of whom mention has already
been made.
His Excellency took lodgings at the
Hotel Mirabeau, in the Eue de la Paix,
The Prince was now very anxious to
visit England, and leaving the greater
portion of bis effects at the Hotel Mira-
182
NICHOLAS SAW,
beau, we left Paris, in June, for Boulogne
sur Mer.
I did not rest a moment during our stay
in Paris, but was here, and there and
everywhere, seeing everything, and learn¬
ing everything.
I believe there is more wealth and
more wretchedness, more learning and
more vice, more gayety and less virtue
in Paris than in any other city in the
world.
It would be pleasant to me to de¬
scribe the magnifiqent edifices, boulevards,
and parks of the great city, its monu¬
ments of sculpture and its galleries of
paintings, its churches, colleges, libraries
and its world-renowned scientific asso¬
ciations, its operas, theatres and other
places of gayety and fashion ; but I
must forbear.
On reaching Boulogne, we immediately
embarked on board an English steamer
IN EUROPE.
183
for Folkestone, the birthplace of Harvey,
of the ^Circulation of the blood ''
celebrity.
Kemaining here only a day, we took
the rail for London, which we reached
late at night.
As some said it was unaristo-
cratic to live at the hotels, the Prince
had before-hand engaged a private house
on Prince street, Hanover square, whither
we immediately repaired.
During the sojourn of three months in
London, the Prince was repeatedly invi¬
ted to the residences and country [seats of
the nobility, and on these occasions,
was always permitted to accompany him
He was also on several occasions in¬
vited to the court, both at Buckingham
palace and Windsor castle, and was
always accepted cordially and cheerfully
by Her Brittaruc Majesty.
At these places, I had excellent oppor-
184
NICHOLAS SMI},
tunities of seeing many of the promi¬
nent men of England, among them Lords
Palmerston, John Russell, Barrington,
"Westmoreland, and many others, besides
numbers of ambassadors, etc. etc.
During my stay in England, I worked
hard to learn the English language ; so
by the time I left there I had laid a very
good foundation upon which to build after¬
wards*.
Of all the peop'e I have ever sccl
in my life, the English nobility are the
highest livers, and the most fa.stidiouH
in their surroundings. Indeed I disgraced
myself at the country residence of Lady
Waldegrave's by associating with her foot-
wen, and I was forced much to my regret
to give over my hitherto pleasant visits
to her under-household because, being a
valet de chombre, and having degraded
myself by mixing with my inferiors, I
AV EUROPE.
185
would have been compelled to remain
with them in all future visits.
At the expiration of the time a^ove
stated we returned to Paris, by the
way of Dover and Calais. The succeed¬
ing seasons from 1858, to 1866, were passed
alternately in Italy, Germany, France, and
England.
In the spring of 1867 while in Kyde,
(Isle of Wight) I had an irresistible desire
to visit my native country. I at first
tried to overcome that feeling but all in
vain.
When I communicated my wishes to
the Prince he tried to ridicule me, sta¬
ting that I was no longer an African but
a citizen of Europe. He said I could not
reconcile myself to the manners and cus¬
toms of my countrymen. He moreover
told me if I would stay with him twenty
years he would give me a pension the
rest of my days. All this, however, did
186
NICHOLAS SAID.
not deter me from returning to Soudan.
All the Prince could do was to draw
a promise from me to return to him after
spending a year in Central Africa.
Accordingly having furnished me tbreo
hundred pounds sterling; this kind and
best of men left London for Geneva via
Paris, and I removed quarters to the
"Strangers' Home, for Asiatics, Africans,
and South Sea Islanders," located on the
"West India Dock; superintended by Mr.
Marshall Hughes, a model christian and
gentleman.
This gentleman, I learned, had formerly
been, for upwards of twenty years, an offi¬
cer in the British East Icdia army.
While waiting here for a steamer to
convey me to Malta, from which point I
expected to get passage for Tripoli, and
then with a caravan to Fezzan, and then
across the Desert to Bornou, I waft sent
for to see "a gentleman."
IX EUROPE.
187
Answering the summous, I soon found
myself in the presence of a well dressed
and genteel looking man, with long,
flowing, sandy whiskers, who informed
me that I had been recommended to him
by a gentleman, the name of whom he
declined to reveal, and sj|id he desired
my services as a valet.
The gentleman said he contemplated
marriage and a bridal tour through the
"West Indies, the British North American
Provinces, and the United States; that
he would not be absent more than
twelve months; that he would take good
care of [me, and show me many - new
things to tell my people of on my return,
and that he would bring me back to
England.
He gave me twenty-four hours for
consideration and reflection, during which
time my fondness for travel asserted its
supremacy, I concluded to go wTith him,
188
jXICIOLAS SAID.
and we arranged that I should bavo
£3.11s. for my services per month, besides
which he^was to pay my travelling, board
and clothing expenses, and physician fees,
in the event of sickness.
The name of my new employer was
I)e Sanddrost I. J. Rochussen, then lately
from Paramaribo, (Dutch Guinea), and
at the time that 1 engaged service with
him, was staying at the Marlborough Ho¬
tel in Fleet street, and in the immediate
vicinity of St. Paul's Cathedral.
As soon as he was married we re¬
moved to the Paddington Hotel, and
shortly afterwards, took the rails for
Wells City, Sommerset. "We remained only
a few days here, and went to Liverpool,
stopping a few days in Bristol, Exeter,
Manchesterj and at the former place
took passage on board the ''Bohemian,"
commanded by captain Granger, for Port¬
land, Maine, United States.
m THE UNITED STATES.
We landed in Portland in- December
1867, and on the morn of our arrival, we
left for Boston, Mass.
We stayed here two days, and then
left for New York.
As it was Mr. Rochussen's intention
to pass the winter in the West Indies,
he made no delay in the Northern States,
but what was absolutely necessary. .Ac¬
cordingly, after staying only three days
at the Metropolitan Hotel, we took the
English Screw Steamship "Karnak,'' for
Nassau, N. P. We made this port in five
days.
Here I was perfectly beside myself
with joy, on finding a great many libera¬
ted Africans, but all of them came from
the coast of Guinea, Mandigoes, Nangoes,
Kissi, Dahomey, Amatifous, and Kroman-
tis. Consequently, I could not converse
with them.
The English government of the West
1U0
NICHOLAS SAID.
Indies had most of the young men in
the army. They woro similar uniforms
to the French "Turcos," and performed
their evolutions, or tactics, with remark¬
able precision. The military brass band
is also very much admired by all who
have ever heard it play.
About eleven miles west of Nassau,
there is a village called Adelaide, where
the freshly rescued Africans used to go,
ixnd remain until properly trained to the
usages and modes of the civilized world.
This place is now perfectly deserted, and
nothing can be seen but the ruins of huts
built in the African style.
There were still remaining, however,
two or three hovels, and as hunger pressed
Mr. and Mrs. Eochussen and myself, we
managed to buy a couple of pullets, a
pot was procured, and I was called upon
to display my culinary ability. After
partaking of my cooking, which both Mr.
IK THE WEST 1KD1ES.
191
and Madame Rochussen pronounced excel¬
lent, we returned to Nassau.
After remaining here one month and
'a week, Mr. Hochussen concluded to visit
Hayti„ and accordingly we took pjassage
on board the brig Yictoria, for Cape Hai-
tien, and touching at Inagua, Long Key,
and Long Island, (Bahamas). After nine¬
teen days of the most wretched sailing,
we reach Cape Ha'itien.
L found myself exceedingly delighted
at finding myself in the country where
the heroes of the ,£Haytien Independence"
contended with the armies of Napoleon
the Great.
I had always admired the exploits of
Toussaint, L'Ouverture, Dessalines, Chris-
tophe, and other negro leaders, whose
heroism and military talent are an honor
to the African race.
Hayti, or Hispaniola, certainly deserves
the appellation of the "Queen of the An-
192
NICHOLAS SAID.
tilles." Nothing can excel it in pictu¬
resque beauty. It is very mountainous,
and viewing it from the sea, it lias a
grand and magnificent appearance.
Cape Ha'itien, in the time of the
French occupation, must have been a place
of considerable importance.
It is situated at the terminus of a small
bay, and the foot of a mount, which to¬
tally hides it from view on all sides. It
is defended by several forts and redoubts
the greater portion of which are in a
dilapidated condition.
The language spoken here is French,
but only the educated can speak perfectly.
They have, however, among them a patois
which they call Creole. It is an admix¬
ture of French and several African lan¬
guages, and is quite unintelligible to a
Frenchman.
Notwithstanding all the natural advan¬
tages which this country possesses, no
IN THE WEST INDIES,
193
■sign of industry is to be seen in it.
This country, when it was a French
colony, produced wheat, rice, com, cotton,
indigo, etc. etc. It is now grown up in
thick forests of mahogany and other val¬
uable timber, which, with gold and the
tropical fruits that grow there spontaneous¬
ly, constitute the chief articles of export.
I understood while ihere, that the
policy of that government is to keep
things in that condition, lest England
Franco, the United States or Spain might
envy and take possession of it.
The government of Hayti, I am sorry
to sa}r, is most shamefully managed. It
is a perfect image of anarchy ; and goes
to prove that the pure negro and the
mulatto, who considers himself, (by vir¬
tue of bis caucassian half-bloodedness,) the
superior of the former, and who always
wants to rule him, cannot possibly live
in harmony and prosperity.
194
NICHOLAS SAID,
Tbe fault is, (in nine cases out of ten,)
the mulattoes', who, unduly and arro¬
gantly, are presumptuous.
The prejudice of color in the West
Indies between the negro and thej hybrid
mulatto is much greater than exists in
the United States.
I shall truly and fearlessly say that
the Southern white has ten-fold more hu-
»
inane feeling towards the black man
than the West India mulatto, I shall also
include the Northern mulatto, though
there are noble exceptions in both cases.
It is a burning shame that instead of
making that country prosperous and its
people industrious and happy, the' soi-
disant, aristocrats and educated people of
Ilayti should pay attention to mean and
low party dissensions.
No wonder the whites of different
countries maintain that the negro is in-
capab'e of self-government. IIow is it
AV THE WEST INDIES.
195
possible for a community to be prosperous
when its population entertain inveterate
jinimosities among themselves ?
I would prefer that Hayti were one of
the English or French colonies rather
than in its present condition.
The President of the Republic at the
time I was there -was Giifrard, a truly
intelligent, able and excellent man, who
introduced reform, created a navy, and
did a host of other good things for hi&
country, which he loved with genuine
patriotism, notwithstanding which the
mulattoes undermined and eventually
revolted and overthrew him.
I have since learned that they have
executed Salnave—in short, should an
angel come from heaven to rule that
country they would not be pleased with
him.
We remained at Cape Haitien seven
196
NICHOLAS SAW,
weeks, after which we left for Gonaives
by land.
On our route lay several insignificant
but most picturesque villages, the principal
amoDg which is Plaisance, where we
passed a night. There are several dan¬
gerous passes on this route, but we made
that port in three days without any
remarkable event.
From appearance Gona'ive boasts more
commerce than Cape Ila'itien and con¬
tains some substantial and well built
commercial houses.
About nine leagues east of this place
is the celebrated Crete d Pierrot, the place
where the negro insurgents under the
leadership of their celebrated General,
Toussaint L'Overture, signally defeated
the French under General LeClerc, broth-
inlaw to Napoleon I, who sent him to
reduce the negroes again to slavery.
This fortification is considered necond
1JV THE WEST INDIES.
197
to that of Mole Saint Nicholas, the
Gibraltar of Hayti.
Mole Saint Nicholas had ODce with¬
stood a seigo for ten years.
"We stayed in Gena'ives about ten days,
after which we sailed for Port au Prince.
I shall not dwell any longer on the
details of our trip through Hayti. But
after visitiDg the principal towns in this
Republic, we returned to Nassau, by way
of Kingston, Jamaica, and embarking on
board the Karnak, we made New York
on the last of May, 1867.
M. Kochussen now proposed to visit
Niagara Falls, Saratoga Springs, Kingston,
Canada West, Montreal, and Quebec,
where he intended to take passage on his
return to Europe.
We accordingly left the Metropolitan
Hotel, New York, and made Niagara
Falls in due time, and, remaining here
two weeks, we left for Hamilton, thence
198
NICHOLAS SAID.
to ^Toronto, Kingston, Montreal, Ottawa
City and Aylmer about nine miles north
of the latter city.
Here M. Eochussen informed me that
he had failed to receive his remittance in
time, and said ho had very urgent "busi¬
ness in Quebec, and asked me if I could
lend him a hundred pounds. I told him
I had threo hundred pounds that 1 could
ppare; he having told me he would return
me my money in a fortnight.
lie consented to my proposal and I
handed him six £50 bills.
Next ^.day he loft for Ottawa City'
leaving his effects and Madame EochuHsen.
Three days after his departure, Mad¬
ame received a telegraphic commu¬
nication stating that M. Eochussen
had met with a serious accident, and
requesting her to repair to Quebec imme¬
diately. I -was left to take care of their
things, which consisted of five large
77V CAX AD A WEST,
199
trunks besides a number of sma'ler ones.
After Madame Eochussen's departure,
I had a strange presentiment that I would
never see them again.
I waited at the British Hotel, where
we had stopped, for three months expect¬
ing the return of my employer, but all
in vain. Mr. John McCook, the clerk
and business manager, for the proprie¬
tress, Mrs. McCormick, told me that M.
Eochussen bad absconded, and owed the
Hotel $2000, and had borrowed £50 from
himself.
His and my own things were seized,
consequently, I lost all my clothing, con¬
sisting of four Turkish costumes, three full
suits, of broadcloth, a dozen of linen and
fine English flannel shirts, etc. etc., worth
more than two hundred and fifty dollars.
I was almost penniless, with only one
suit of clothes, and that a livery, with M.
Eochussen's coat-of-aims on the buttons.
■200
NICHOLAS SAID,
Having no trade, knowing no person
io "whom I could apply for help,—I was
truly in a pitiful situation. But God who
never forsakes us came to my relief.
During our stay at Aylmer, we had
become acquainted with Kev. D. T. John¬
ston, a pastor of that parish, who loaned
me ten dollars, and told me I had better
go to Detroit, Michigan, or Buffalo, New
York, where there were a great number
of colored people; and where I could get
into employment easier than to remain
in Canada, where the cold was so
intense.
I left Aylmer for Prescott, where I
crossed, the St. Lawrence to Ogdensburg,
New York, thence to Eome, Watertown,
Syracuse and Buffalo.
Here I took passage on the Concord
for Detroit, Michigan, as a deck hand.
The work was so hard far me that I only
managed to make one trip. My will was
m THE UNITED STATES.
201
good, but my strength failed. I informed
the captain, who was a good man, of my
former occupation, and he told me that
he was not surprised at my giving out.
He paid me up promptly my $4.50,
which was coming to me on reaching
Detroit. I staj^ed here six months, during
which time I became acquainted with
Eev. Geo. Duffield, D. D., who recogni¬
zed me, having seen me on board the
Egitto, on our trip from Constantinople
to Trieste, while I was in the service of
Prince Mentchifeoff.
This gentleman helped me a great
deal by recommending me to the princ-
pal colored people of that city, some of
whom gave me employment, to teach
their children French.
At the end of six months, I had pretty
well recuperated, and had some two
hupdred dollars in money and good
suits of clothes. I then left for Toledo,.
202
N1C10LAS SAID.
Ohio, thence to Bellefontaine and San¬
dusky City, in the same state.
While in Sandusky City, I conceived
the idea to go South, where I could be
of great use to ray benighted people in
the capacity of a teacher.
I selected Charleston, South Carolina
as the basis of my operation. Accordingly
I left Sandusky City for Cleveland, Ohio,
thence to Buffalo, Eochester, Albany,
Troy, Poughkeepsie and New York City}
and embarked for the port of my desti¬
nation.
Having taken up my quarters at Mrs.
Cobb's boarding house in Calhoune Street,
I soon became acquainted with "Wright,
Langston, Kandolph, Bozeman, Eansier,
and a host of other less notable Northern
colored men who came there for political
purposes.
All the above named were very able
men, but, with the exception of the last
IIV THE UNITED STATES.
203
named, who was truly a very good and
honest man, I have a very little opinion
of their honesty.
I soon got into employment as a
teacher, and taught here about a year.
I am proud to say that I have gained
tlie esteem of numerous white friends
in Charleston, among which are Messrs.
General Simmons, ELanapaux, Dr. Ogier,
Sim, De Saussure, Chazal, Cohen, and a
liost of others who have shown me a
great deal of favor.
I left Charleston for Savannah, Georgia,
the commencement of 1870, and only
remaining here three days I left for
Thomasvirle, Thomas County Georgia.
While here I conceived the idea of
writing my Biography or rather adven¬
tures. Several of my well-wishers to whom
I communicated my idea said it was a
very good thing.
The Editor of the "Thomasville Enter-
204
NICHOLAS SAID,
prise" give me a most flattering, notice
in his paper, by which I gained many
friends.
I accordingly set to work and wrote
an essay to that effect consisting of about
one hundred pages. When I completed
that, I proposed to give lectures op
"Africa and its resources." I made ray
debut in Thomasville, then at Bainbridge
Albany, Americus, Macon, Griffin, and
Atlanta. I ' soon got tired of that busi¬
ness which in fact did not yield me
much profit, I left Atlanta, and got
down to Forsyth in Monroe, where I
took up a school sixteen miles from here
in a village called Culloden.
I taught here six months and then
retraced my steps to Thomasville where
I had left my effects with a colored
friend of mine, Solomon Harvey by
name. To my no small disappointment
IN THE UNITED STATES.
205
he had left for Texas taking my goods
with him.
After making arrangements as to the
publication of my book, I started, on a
new plan, that of raising means by
which to defray expenses of publication
by voluntary subscriptions.
I have got a great many subscribers
from Thomasville, Bainbridge, Quitman,
Yaldosta, G-a., Monticello, Madison, Talla¬
hassee and Quincy Fla. From Quincy
I returned to Bainbridge thence to Early
county Georgia, always meeting wiih
success and good treatment from the white
and black people.
While in Georgia and Florida, I had
heard from the black people that Ala_
bama was a very dangerous State and
filled with Ku-Klux that the freedmen
there did not know what freedom was
owing to the oppression of the whites
under which they were situated.
206
A1CIIOLAS SAID,
I was advised not to go to that State
my life, they said, would be in great
danger. My own common sense dictated
to me, of course, that it was not possible
that sucli a state of affairs could ex¬
ist in Alabama, besides that, there
were good and bad in all countries.
I shall here say, however, that it was
thought by the blacks and a good
number of whites I travelled for the
purpose of spying through the country.
Blacks were sent at times to pick me,
but I had nothing to tell them except¬
ing that I travelled for my own amuse¬
ment and gratification, at the same time,
making a little something which 1 hoped
would enable me to publish my Ad¬
ventures.
Some said I was harmless and quiet,
and others that I was a Yankee emissary
and a scoundrel.
I crossed the Chattahooche into
m THE UNITED STATES.
207
Henry county, Alabama, and to my
great surprise, was received with respect
and kindness. I shall truly say, that I
have never had such a reception here¬
tofore.
I shall never forget the kindness and
attention paid to my humble self by
that most intelligent and most gentle¬
manly Mr. M. Smith, of Columbia.
"When I left that place, after ten days
stay, and was going to Abbeville, the
county-seat, that kind man recommended
me to Col. Oates, of that town :
Columbia, Ala., July 21,1871.
«Colonel Oates:
The bearer, Nicholas Said, who is with¬
out a shadow of a doubt, a native African,
and whose ostensible object in travelling
through this country, is to obtain subscrib¬
ers to his Autobiography, lectured here
to-day.
And I am glad to say, gave entire satis¬
faction to his audience, which was composed
208
NICHOLAS SAID.
of a goodly number of white and black peo¬
ple. He is, by far, the most intelligent, and
the best educated man of the African race,
with whom I have ever conversed, etc.
Any attention paid to Mr. Said will b&
thankfully received;
I am, Colonel,
Yours, most truly,
M. SMITH.
This letter did me an immense good
in Abbeville, where I remained, and
taught school until October of that year,
I then went to Eufawla, Clayton, Troyr
Montgomery, Selma, Greenville, Pineap¬
ple, Morroeville, Claiborne, Gainsville,
and, finally to St. Stephens, Washington
county, where I conceived the idea of
settling myself for life.
On the 20th day of March, 1872, I
found myself in St. Stephens, the county-
seat of Washington county, Alabama,
situated a few miles from the right bank
of the Tombigbee river.
IN THE UNITED STATES.
209
Here 1 felt an insurmountable desire
to put an end to my peregrinations, that, is
at least for a season; for I was per¬
fectly exhausted, and as I had a notion
to enlarge my Biography, and as the
manuscript had become worn out, by
constant handling; I had nothing better
to do than to take a school somewhere,
in order to accomplish my desired end.
Accordingly, on inquiry, I found that
1 could get one in the neighborhood of
St. Stephens, and was suggested by Mr.
, one of the Trustees, to see one
Dr. W. H. Coleman, who, it was said,
lived six miles above that place on the
road to Bladon Springs, in Choctaw
county, Alabama.
This gentleman was, it was said, one
of the county supervisors, whose duty
it was to examine teachers, as to their
qualifications.
210
NICHOLAS SAID,
Consequently, having received a note
from Mr. Bailey, which ran thus:
"Dr. W. H. Colemun :
"Sir: The bearer, Nicholas Said, dosires
a situation in our neighborhood as a teacher,
please to examine him and oblige,
"Yours,
"JVIost respectfully,
"THOMAS BAILEY."
Armed with this document, I pro¬
ceeded onward to Dr. Coleman's.
On entering the paling enclosure, I
was informed that the Doctor was in the
garden, and would be back in a few
minutes.
Presently I saw him coming, and I
asked him whether ho was Dr. Coleman,
and on being answered affirmatively, I
presented the paper to him.
The Doctor appeared to be a man of
about fifty years of age, with a kind and
gentlemanly looking face and highly pol¬
ished manners, and in stature something
above the medium height.
IN THE UNITED STATES.
211
His reception of me was quite flatter¬
ing, for after my examination, I was
asked whether I had been to breakfast ;
I told him I had not, whereupon "Bright,'
the servant girl, was called and instructed
to furnish me with my breakfast.
This most kind and hospitable gentle¬
man furthermore promised to protect me
during my stay in his neighborhood; and
I can truly say did more than he promised.
Shortly after I opened my school, the
Doctor loaned me $5.00, thereby showing
that he had confidence in my honesty.
Through his instrumentality, my name
has become popular through Washington
and Choctaw counties.
I shall, so long as life lasts, remember
him with unfailing gratitude, and shall
render myself not unworthy of his confi¬
dence aild good opinion of me.
The colored people in this section of
the country should certainly be grateful
212
NICHOLAS SAID,
to him for his unwearied zeal in causing
a school to be established in their midst.
But alas! though painful to say, it is
sadly true that my people here appreciate
but slightly the benefits of education.
My honest and ardent desire is to
render myself useful to my race wherever
it may be. I have no aspirations for
fame, nor anything of the sort. But I
shall always prefer at all times to find
myself in the midst of the most ignorant
of my race, and endeavor to teach the ris¬
ing generation the advantages of education.
Self-denial is now-a-days so rare, that
it is thought only individuals of insane
mind can speak of it. A person who
tries to live only for others, and puts
himself in the second place, is hooted at,
and considered a fit inmate for the asylum.
The man who artfully extorts the
earning of his fellow-man, and who seems
to have no feeling for his daily wants, is,
IN THE UNITED STATES.
213
by a strange perversion, deemed the wise.
To me, it is impossible to conceive
how a human being can be happy through
any other channel, than to do as much
good as possible to his fellow-man in this
world.
SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTER.
BLADEN SPRINGS.
At the request of several gentleman,
I take pleasure in giving a description of
this interesting place, hoping that
suffering humanity may, through the me¬
dium of my autobiography, hear of its
fame and be benefited thereby. At the
expiration of my school session in Wash¬
ington county, which was January, 1873,
I was requested by my most worthy friend,
Mr. iNelson Williams, and others of my
race, to come and teach a while for them.
After a ten days reflection I made up my
mind, and accordingly opened a select
or private school here, on the 21st of Jan¬
uary, 1873. My average attendance is
IN 1 HE UNITED STATES.
215
25 pupils—the most of whom could read
in McGuifey's First Eclectic Reader.
To my great satisfaction my pupils
learned very fast ; this, however, is not
owing to my skill in teaching, so much as
to their capacity for imbibing or receiving
instruction. I must here, en passent, state,
that I always found colored children
very apt, in the South.
I had, previous to my coming to
Bladen, suffered considerably from de¬
rangement of the liver, and had from
time to time, at comparatively short in¬
tervals, resorted to blue-pills, calomel,
and I do not know what other remedies
in order to regulate that most important
organ, but could not get relief beyond
a few weeks. I had been told by sev¬
eral individuals, that Bladen waters had
a specific action on the liver.
I concluded to test 4ts vaunted hygi¬
enic property. After a fair trial I am
216
NICHOLAS SAID.
constrained to say that these waters are
unquestionably the best I ever used in my
life. It is not too much to say that the
Bladen waters are certainly superior to
any of the mineral springs of Europe, the
best of which I have used while in Europe,
viz.: Spaa, Ems, Aix la Chapelle, Baden
Baden and others.
Yfhen I first came here I weighed only
137 pounds, but now I weigh 153 pounds—
sixteen pounds in favor of Bladen Springs
water.
Bladen is situated in Choctaw county,
South Alabama, about 90 miles north of
Mobile, accessible by the Tombigbee river
boats, which leave Mobile every Tuesday,
and Demopolis every Tuesday and Friday,
arriving at the Springs the next morning.
Coaches are always at hand, and
boarders are conveyed to the Springs and
bath houses.
Board is very reasonable, I believe $15
IN THE UNITED STATES.
217
per week, for first class boarders. Through
the kindness of Dr. L. J. Sherrill, one of
the resident physicians, I am enabled to
lay before my readers the analysis of its
waters.
This Spring, says Professor Eiddell,
of the University of Alabama, takes its
rise id the bed of a little creek, (the
Spring branch,) and the water is raised
by a chain pump.
The water contains in 100 parts by
weight:
Sulphuretted Hydrogen, Trace.
Lime 20.576
Magnesia, 0.5134
Soda 4.13254
Oxyde of Iron, )
of Alumnium ) 0.2667
" of Manganese, Trace.
Chlorine, 2.4729
Carbonic Acid, - 74.6698
Silica 4.0000
Sulphate of Lime }
Organic Matter, - J 4.7816
ANALYSIS OF BLADEN VICHY SPRING.
This spring is situated across the
Spring Branch, which it in part supplies.
218
NICHOLAS SAW,
From the obscurity of its situation, it
seems to have escaped general remarks,
hence its fame has been, in a measure,
eclipsed by that of its more accessible ri¬
vals. Yet the analysis shows that it is
decidedly richer in mineral matter than
any of those thus far analyzed, especially
m Carbonate of Soda.
Sulphuretted Hydrogen, Trace.
Limj 0.8714
Magnesia, ■ 0.23e4
Soda 46.4590
Oxyde of Tin 1
" of Alumina / 0.5641
Manganese, Trace.
Chloride, 2.4724
Carbonic Ac!d, 89.2133
Bladen waters cure; Ilheumatism,
Chronic Diarrhea, all Syphilitic Affections,
Liver Complaint, Kidney Affection, Dys¬
pepsia, Dropsies, Skin Diseases, Scrofula,
Gout, Nervous Affections, all Female Dis¬
eases, and General Debility; acting as an
Silica
Sulphate of Lime,
Organic Matter,.
! >.
7.4641
3.8671
IN THE UNITED STATES.
219
alterative, restoring all the organs to
their natural functions.
BATHS.
Cold, thermal and mud baths, at the
option of the bather, also vapor and
steam baths, are now fitted up which, ta¬
ken in connection with the medicinal
virtues of the water, are fully equal, if
not superior, to the vapor baths of the
Hot Springs of Arkansas.
The Hotel is ample, with the cottages,
which are well plastered and comfortable,
to accommodate three hundred persons.
The invalids receive every attention nec¬
essary for comfort and rapid recovery.
For those seeking pleasure, a fine Band
ofj Music is provided. Also a fine Bil¬
liard room and Ten-pin alley. The Bar
is stocked with the finest wines and liq¬
uors. Bladon has four or five stores^
•220
X1C10LAS SAW.
Messrs. Hicks & Speir, Turner & Long,
Dixon & Co., and Barfoour & Son.
Three Boot and Shoe shops.
The resident physicians are, Drs. M.
Turner, L. J. Sherrill, McElrath, Trisbie
and Evans, experienced medical men.
Bladen Springs boasts of a tan-yard,
which will eventually attract about fifty
laborers to this locality; also, a carpenter
and wheelright ship, two blacksmith shops,
and three grog-shops.
The regular boats which run up and
down the river are, the "Victoria," Frank
Stone, Master; Robert Matthews, Clerk;
leaving Mobile every Saturday night, and
reaching Bladen on Sunday morning ; the
"Clara," Captain, J, M. Stone; —Glover,
Clerk; the "Lotus," Captain, Jack Stone,
and John Stone. There are other boats
which run only on high tides, i. e., in the
winter, when business is more active than
in summer.
IN THE UNTIED STATES.
221
The officers of these boats are unsur¬
passed for skill and attention to their
duties. They seem to have the entire
confidence of the people.
In the immediate vicinity of these
Springs is located Cullum Springs, once a
famous resorting place for invalids,but now
since the decease of its proprietor, the
late Mr. Chas. Collum, fallen into disuse,
for want of capital to carry it on. There
is still on the place a splendid wooden
structure which served for the hotel in its
flourishing days. The building, with sev¬
eral cabins, are in a perfect state of pres¬
ervation.
While at the point of the greatest
disappointment and perpelexity concern¬
ing the publication of my work, Provi¬
dence sent that most excellent Christian
and philanthropist, the Rev. A. J. With-
erspoon, to my rescue.
Mr. James Connor, Sr., I believe, had
2*28 NICHOLAS SAID.
the kindness to mention me t") him, after
which he would not rest until I was
presented to him.
After he had delivored to us an excellent
sermon on the Resurrection of the Body,
I was introduced to him by Mr. Nelson
Williams, one of my intimate friends
of color, here.
After a short conversation concerning
my general history he invited me to
come to his room on the day following.
We had about an hour's conversation,
during which time I mentioned my man¬
uscript in connection with my adventures.
He requested me to let him see it, and I
found that he was perfectly delighted with
it. I next ventured so far as to request
him to have it published for me. lie
promised ho would try and do so. To
my utter astonishment, five days after his
departure from here, I received a letter,
dated New Orleans, stating he had shown
IN THE UNITED STATES.
223
my manuscript to several gentlemen in
Mobile, who were very well pleased with it-
This model Christian, would not so
much as receive a compensation I offered
him, but refused, stating that he did it
solely to oblige me, as I was a poor man
a stranger and a colored man, at the
same time he bad inserted a flattering
notice cf myself in the N. O. South
Western Presbyterian, nearly the length
of a whole column. I am unable to re¬
produce the article in question, as I had
it misplaced, and cannot find it. The
most excellent divine is greatly beloved
by all those, who are acquainted with
him, and my admiration for him is in¬
tensified when I find him entirely divested
of that plague of humanity, prejudice of
color, or rather of condition. Prejudice
hardens the heart, beclouds the judgment,
prejudice exposes and magnifies the faults
224 NICHOLAS SAID,
and overlooks and covers up the virtues of
a fellow creature.
Mr. Witherspoon is one of those few
who are ahead of their time. His sole
aim is to do good to all, and he is certainly
an honor to the Christian profession. The
world is so steeped in self interest and
prejudice, that 1 never dreamed of finding
disinterestedness enough to do what he
has done in my behalf.
I shall, so long as I live, be grateful
to him. Not only for what he has done
for myself, but especially the part he has
taken, and still takes in the elevation of
my race. I appreciate this above all
things in this world.