| DOUM-PALMS. | DHELLEB-PALMS. | BAOBABS. | BAOBABS. |
A VILLAGE OF THE SHILLUKS, ON THE LEFT SHORE OF THE NILE.
25TH MARCH, 1841.
Our Dinkas (whose language is allied to that of the Nuèhres and Keks), said that they wanted durra from us, and told us that their cows were far away, and would not return till evening. (Durra is called in Bellet-Sudàn, esh, which denotes bread in Egypt, and plainly indicates to the primeval bread-corn of the Egyptians found still in the old tombs; but it is also here used for bread in the Egyptian manner, whilst the pancake-bread is called kisra.) Our Dinkas, as well as Mariàn, asserted in the most positive manner that these Kèks kill no animal, but only live on grains of seed and milk. I could distinguish no hair on their heads, and heard that they coat it with clay, and let it dry in the sun. I greeted them with my hand, and two of them repeatedly jumped in the air, and gave me to understand that they recognised my salute. These must be the real happy Ethiopians, for they seem to lead a blameless life, and they do not even have festivals, like the Homeric ones. I could not ascertain, with certainty, whether this sparing of animal life extends also to game and fish; it was generally asserted, however, that they eat cattle that die a natural death. The latter also is partly done in the land of Sudàn, but not by the genuine Arabs; it is even contrary to the Koràn, to eat a beast struck by a bullet, unless its throat has been cut whilst it yet lived, to let out the blood: this is scouted also by the Hebrews.
At Khartùm, I saw, one morning, quite early, two dead camels lying on a public square; the men were cutting off large pieces to roast, and the dogs stood mournfully around. I myself, with Drs. Fisher and Pruner, helped to consume, in Kàhira, a roasted portion of Clot Bey’s beautiful giraffe, which had eaten too much bersim (white clover): the meat is very tender, and of tolerably fine grain; the tongue appeared to me a real delicacy. I could never acquire a taste, however, for the course fibrous flesh of camels, even when they were young. A German cook might, however, know how to make it palatable by a suitable sauce. We ourselves have dressed very tolerable sauerbraten[6] from the tough beef in Khartùm.
Half past ten o’clock. We row round a corner N.E. by N., and are obliged, owing to the north wind, which is against us in this short passage, to make use of the sandal as a leader, in order to drag after us the Kaiàss. We wind then S.S.W.: the wind has freshened, and we make four miles. At noon a short track to the S.E., but only for a short time, and we halt on the reeds, opposite to the right shore. Thibaut visited and invited me to a Burma of merissa, which he had prepared from Abrè. This Abrè is a very fine kind of bread; it is baked on the usual pan (Docka), by pouring liquid dough of durra meal on it, and immediately scraping it down with a knife; to free it from the clay or iron-pan, some butter is put over it now and then. If a handful of these broken wafers are thrown into a gara, with water, they give a wonderful coolness to what they float in, and a pleasant acid taste. On this account it is the usual drink in the land of Sudàn, and a welcome draught to the thirsty traveller.
Thibaut had made a large Burma of water in a state of fermentation with this fine bread, and let it work for three days, till the bread part had sunk to the bottom. This merissa must, however, be quickly drank, or else it becomes sour. Naturally enough, it was far better than that prepared in the usual way from warm bread, and withal uncommonly strong and intoxicating. Even the finer kind of merissa, called in Sennaar Billbill, is inferior to it. Abrè Nareïn, as the corpulent Sheikh Defalla prepared it for us during the campaign in Taka, and as it is drank by the kings of Sennaar, is only superior to it. This liquor is like beer, and twice put on the fire (Nar), whereby it acquires its name Abrè Nareïn.
Thibaut’s Reïs (steersman) exhibited the first proofs of the intoxicating effects of this merissa, and was persuaded to delegate the task of steering the ship to the former; but Thibaut, who had begun even earlier to test its strength, was still less capable of commanding his vessel. The wind had thrown us, in a trice, towards the other side of the little lake, which forms part of the river. I had previously remarked the dazzling contrast which the water of the basin made, through its dark-blue colour, to our course. We think that we discern in the three segments of that water, three mouths of a river, separated by the reeds. Beyond this, we also see a real water track, coming from S.S.E., which may be a river of less importance, but we could not approach close enough to discover this. It was only with a great deal of difficulty that we got loose again from the reeds, and came into the stream.
We saw Selim Capitan, somewhat behind this little lake, halting at a village; and a man, who was soon after followed by four women, wading through the water and going on board. This village, on the left shore, was called Baiderol, and its Sheikh, Ajà. They gave presents to these people, but could not learn from them the name of the great lake; and were soon obliged to ship off, for all the tribe poured down to get presents of glass beads. These people belonged to the nation of the Kèks, who are always at war with the Nuèhrs. I remarked here a new construction of tokuls; as usual, of reeds and straw, but with flat, cupola-shaped roofs. In the former expedition, the Turks came here also to Shàmata (contention-war) with the natives, because the latter had incautiously fired arrows in the air, which the Turks looked upon as a declaration of war, and therefore shot down several people.