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They now approached Mount Bagele, where, from their steep fastnesses, the independent tribes had hitherto been able to keep at bay the Mohammedan power, and even to levy black mail' by descending and seizing their cattle. It is with regret we read in the appended note, that these hardy mountaineers have no longer an independent standing, for in 1853, Mohammed Lowel, the Governor of Adamáwa, after a siege of two months, conquered and reduced them to slavery.

At length, still passing through a beautiful country, and villages with crowds of wondering natives, whose admiration of the camels almost amounted to worship, Dr. Barth reached the capital of Adamáwa, Yóla, a large open place, consisting, with a few exceptions, of conical huts, surrounded by spacious court-yards, and even by corn-fields, the houses of the Governor and those of his brothers being alone built of clay.' The inhabitants here gave the travellers a hearty welcome, crowding round to shake hands with the white man; but Mohammed Lowel, the Governor, notwithstanding a most courteous epistle from the Sheik O'mar, introducing Dr. Barth as a learned Christian whom the love of 'wonders' had led to that wonderful territory, was as inaccessible and punctilious as any sixth-rate German potentate, positively refusing to allow him to proceed. It appeared, however, that the Bórnu diplomatists were quite capable of a little double-dealing,' and, with the Sheik's letter, had sent others, laying claim to a portion of contested territory, that never-failing bone of contention. After many conferences, conducted with an Oriental mixture of courtesy and duplicity, although, perhaps, with rather less delay than the poor sick traveller might have encountered from officials nearer home, he received an order to leave the town instantly. Mortified at this unexpected failure of his project of journeying farther south, and weak from fever, the poor traveller, who was lifted on his horse, departed; 'but though I fainted twice, I soon regained 'some strength, a slight breeze having arisen, which greatly miti'gated the burning heat.'

Yóla, which formed the southernmost point of Dr. Barth's journey, is quite a new town, with little trade or manufacture; but slavery exists here and in the surrounding country on an immense scale. There are many owners of more than a thousand slaves for the tribute received yearly by the Governor is paid in horses, cattle, and slaves: and of the latter the number is said to be five thousand.

On his return, the exceeding beauty of the scenery again struck him, and the comfortable dwellings of the Pagan tribes, the

The Marghi-the Kanúri.

403 Marghi. Some of their customs are curious-as their ordeal on the holy granite rock of Kóbshi.

'When two are litigating about a matter, each of them takes a cock, which he thinks best for fighting, and they go together to Kóbshi. Having arrived at the holy rock, they set their birds fighting, and he whose cock prevails in the combat, is also the winner in the point of litigation. But more than that, the master of the defeated cock is punished by the divinity, whose anger he has thus provoked; and on returning to the village he finds his hut in flames.'

The worship of this tribe is performed in 'holy groves,' and, like many others, they venerate their ancestors. Many customs of great antiquity subsist among these tribes of Berber origin. Thus the Kanúri, even in the present day, call people generally, but especially their kings, after the name of their mother; and although they are now Mohammedans, the custom still continues. The ancient form of election of their king among the Bórnu people seems to lead us back to ancient Egypt. On the death of the monarch, three of the most distinguished men of the country were appointed to choose a successor from among the deceased king's sons.

'The choice being made, the three electors proceeded to the apartment of the sovereign elect, and conducted him in silence to the gloomy place in which the corpse of his deceased father was deposited, for until this whole ceremony was gone through the deceased could not be interred. There, over the corpse of his deceased father, the newly-elected King seems to have entered into some sort of agreement, sanctioned by oath, binding himself to respect the ancient institutions, and employ himself for the glory of his country. . . . . A similar custom prevails at the present day in the province of Múniyó. Every newly-elected Múniyóma still at the present day is in duty bound to remain for seven days in a cave, hollowed out by nature or by the hand of man, in the rock behind the place of sepulchre of the former Múniyóma, in the ancient town of Gámmasak, although it is quite deserted, and does not contain a living soul.'

On his return to Kúkawa, the disappointed traveller was rather flattered by his complimentary reception, three horsemen being sent out to meet him, and with all honour conducting him to his house. His friend, the Vizier, too, received him in the presence of all the people,' and kindly condoling with him on his illness, entered into a long conversation on the form of the earth, and the whole system of the world.' Truly a most enlightened personage was this Vizier, Háj Beshir.

The rainy season having now set in, Dr. Barth continued for some time at Kúkawa, and then made an excursion to Kánem,

keeping along the shores of the Lake Tsád.

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Here he found cotton-fields; cotton, and a little wheat, together with fish from the lake, and the fruit of the dúm palm,' being the sole produce. Of fish there are several palatable species, among them one resembling the mullet, eighteen or twenty inches long; the electric fish is also found here. While on the shores of the lake, he had the good fortune to enjoy one of the most interesting sights which these regions can possibly afford-a whole herd of elephants, arranged in regular array, like an army of rational beings, slowly proceeding to the water.' They were ninety-six in number; the huge males marched first, the young ones followed at a little distance, and in a third line were the females, the whole being brought up by five males of immense size. These turned to notice the travellers, and threw dust into the air, as though in defiance, but not being disturbed, they passed quietly on. Dr. Barth's next zoological experience was not of so pleasing a character: this was a huge snake, hanging in a threatening attitude from the branches of a tree. It was shot, and on being measured, its length was found to be 18 feet 7 inches, and its diameter 5 inches: it was beautifully variegated. Two natives cut it open, and took out the fat, which they said was excellent. At length they reached the encampment of the Welád Slimán, a wild horde, who welcomed them, 'starting up from the thicket on 'our right and left, firing their muskets, and saluting us with their usual war cry, Yá riyáb, yá riyáb!" Farther on, the whole cavalry of the Welád Slimán appeared, drawn up in a line, in their best attire, together with their chiefs; and riding straight up to them, and saluting them with their pistols in true Eastern style, Dr. Barth and Mr. Overweg were conducted with all honour to the encampment of these Arab robbers.

A brave, fierce tribe are the Welád Slimán; originally driven from the Syrtis, they have at length established themselves on this border region of Negroland. While with them, Dr. Barth and his companion had ample opportunity of becoming acquainted with the various vicissitudes of their predatory life. On the first night, a violent screaming from the women's tents startled the weary travellers, and it was found that another robber-tribe had made an attack upon the camels, killed a horseman, and carried away a part of the herd. To the saddle' was now the cry; the robbers were pursued, and the camels retaken; but the wail of women over the slain man rung mournfully through the night, and brought before our minds the fate that might soon befal us.' A day or two passed, and then there was fresh cause of alarm. The handsomest of the female slaves, intended for the learned Vizier's ethnological museum,' had

Experiences of Wild Arab Life.

405

escaped. Far and wide was search made for her; but at length her necklace, clothes, and a few remaining bones, proved that the poor creature had fallen a prey to wild beasts. Then discord broke out among the leaders; and many of the tribe left for Kúkawa, impatient of the control of their young chief; and soon after, a Zebu chieftain arrived on a visit, and, with great nonchalance, called upon Dr. Barth, requesting to be accommodated with some poison. This, of course, was refused; and happily the exhibition of the watch, and the performance of the musicalbox, conciliated the huge savage, and he departed in great wonder. Then the young Sheik begged to be introduced to this mysterious box; but ere he was gratified, tidings of the approach of foemen arrived, and again 'To the saddle' was the cry. Onward they now hurried through a well-watered country; and they stopped at a village where the people kindly received the travellers, inquiring about England, and whether they were friendly towards them. Indeed, the intelligence of these native tribes contrasted strongly with that of the Welád Slimán. Their course still lay through cultivated districts, date-trees, cottonfields, and corn-fields; and here a party of the covetous Arab freebooters' began to exercise their predatory habits on the small flocks of sheep in the neighbouring valley. They were, however, repulsed by the natives, and their booty was but small; while, as a just retaliation, another plundering horde attacked them, and compelled them to leave the whole spoil, and flee for their lives. Finding at length that this chief would be unable to conduct the travellers as far as he had promised, and a caravan being formed to go to Kúkawa, Dr. Barth and Mr. Overweg determined to return with it, regretting to leave the eastern shore of the Lake Tsád unexplored, but quite satisfied to part company with these 'children of the desert.'

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Anxious to become acquainted with every phase of life in these regions, as well as to visit every locality, Dr. Barth next set out with the Sheik and his Vizier and an imposing army, on an expedition against Mándará. This was the ostensible object, but the real intention was to fall upon the unprotected villages in the way, plunder and burn them, and seize their inhabitants for slaves;-this being the most orthodox plan of filling the Sheik's exchequer, it, and the slave-rooms of the great men, being at that time remarkably empty. The army, consisting on the whole of nearly 20,000 men, made an imposing appearance at some distance; the heavy cavalry, clad in thick wadded clothing, others in coats of mail, with their tin helmets glittering in the sun, and mounted on large heavy chargers. Then the light Shúwa horsemen, clad only in a loose shirt,

and mounted on mean-looking horses; the slaves decked out in red bernouses, or silks of various colours; next, the Kánombú spearmen, with their large wooden shields, their aprons, and their strange head-dresses; while the train of camels and pack-oxen closed the long array, 'pressing onwards to the unknown regions toward the south-east.'

It is melancholy to trace the progress of this devastating horde of plunderers; marching through luxuriant corn-fields, cutting down what they chose, and trampling the remainder; lopping off the branches of the finest trees for tent fences; and pursuing and killing every native man they could find. Dr. Barth feelingly expresses his disgust at joining in this expedition; but he justly remarks, that by this means only could he ascertain whether the reports of the cruelties in these slave-hunts were true or exaggerated, and also whether the unfortunate tribes were really the savages they have been represented. On both these questions his testimony is ample, and most conclusive. So far from being savages, the villages of these unfortunate tribes bore witness to a considerable degree of civilization. The huts were neatly constructed of clay, with thatched roofs of various forms, probably indicating varieties of rank; each was neatly enclosed by a clay wall, and each had its thatched granary, its cooking-place, and its water-jars. Beautiful trees overshadowed most of these villages, and corn and cotton-fields-in one instance, tobacco-and flocks of sheep and goats, and herds of cattle, bore witness to the peaceful industry of the people. Another mark of civilization, which might have shamed the proud Mohammedan inhabitants of these countries,' was the careful preservation of their dead in 'regular sepulchres, covered in with large, well-rounded vaults, the 'tops of which were adorned with a couple of beams, cross-laid, or 'by an earthen urn.' The meaning of the cross-beams Dr. Barth cannot conjecture, but he considers that the urn probably contained the head. Indeed he remarks, we had not the least idea 'how fertile a country it was, and how far remote the inhabitants 'were from the state of barbarism which had been imputed to 'them.'

The brutality of the slave-hunts our author fully proves to have been not in the least exaggerated. The usual plan is for large numbers, fully armed, to attack a village, set it on fire, and then seize the flying women and children, and cut down the men who resist, or who are overtaken in their flight. On one occasion, Dr. Barth passed a burning village, which only a few moments before had been the abode of comfort and happiness; and at Kákalá, one of the most considerable villages in the Músgu country

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