Overweg--Money and Tin--Saharan Signs--Habits of the
Rain--Burial of a Woman--Demands of Es-Sfaxee--Salt-cakes of
Bilma--People of Tintalous--Wild Animals--List of Towns and
Villages--Population of Aheer and Ghat.
_Sept. 4th._--This morning I sent Yusuf with our recommendations to
En-Noor. He returned in the best possible humour, repeating that the
Sultan was determined to protect us, and see us safe to Soudan and
Bornou.
A freed black came into my tent, played on his one-stringed fiddle, and
sang an extempore song for the protection of the Consul. I gave him a
handkerchief. It appears that he is from Tunis.
Yesterday, some specimens of the women of the lower classes of this town
came to our encampment. I was astonished to see them such barbarians as
to daub their faces with yellow ochre. I did not expect this in the
Mahommedan country of Aheer. They had a little ghaseb, a few onions, and
other little things to barter. It is the most difficult thing in the
world to deal with them; and it requires as long to exchange things of
the value of a penny, as for two London merchants to agree about
merchandise of the value of a hundred thousand pounds!
When I had paid the En-Noor escort, I made a present to Yusuf and Said.
To the former I gave a fine burnouse (value thirty-four mahboubs), and
told him I did so as a compensation for the extraordinary difficulties
which we had encountered on the road from Ghat to Aheer, but that I
could not write to Government for a present for him unless we could make
some treaties with the inhabitants and princes of Central Africa.
Pages:
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282