“Bagher, Bagher-ketir!” I hear murmured and shouted, and every one runs upon deck. On the distant margin of reeds, several cows were noticed. Suliman Kashef stood with his great telescope on the top of his cabin, to discover the enemy, who were slightly concealed. The crew were really like madmen; I was also very glad because my wild-goose, which I had winged some days before, and which Fadl drew out of the water, in spite of its diving, was now out of all danger of being slaughtered, for it was to have been Communistically divided like a solid ponderabile. Fires burnt in the distance, and reed-straw was already consumed, even behind the broad reedy margin of the river, but, as everywhere else, too early, for it was yet quite green; but the poor people want to rid themselves of the gnats and other vermin, and therefore burn it away directly it is combustible. We landed, therefore, soon afterwards, at two o’clock. Allah had certainly sent us the cows, as the good Muslims thought. We assembled on board Selim Capitan’s vessel, and I was really eager to come into contact with the natives. A tolerably intelligent Dinkaui was sent ashore as Tershomàn (interpreter), where he shouted in the distance. Soon some people appeared; but the Arab wolves rushed down from the vessel, and the natives fled for the second time. Under threats of the bastinado, our men were recalled to the ships. It was not long before ten bullocks, of beautiful form and clear colour, and goats of a very fine breed, with compressed faces, were driven near to us. Nearly all the latter were distinguished by incisions, or recisions of one ear—not exactly announcing a communio bonorum.
The inoffensive livid-coloured negroes accompanied the Tershomàn on board the vessel where we were,—they were five in number, two old men, and three young ones: they made gestures, in their perplexedness, bending forward in the attitude of apes. I remarked on the two old men short grey hairs in the ashes on their heads, but there was not a single hair to be discovered on the bodies of the young men. They were naked, and had leathern and iron rings on their wrists, as well as adorned round their necks with rings made of skins. With uplifted hands they greeted us humbly, and screeched with a fearful voice, “Tebing conjegò,” which one sang, and then “Tebing conjegorarèmemm” was repeated in chorus, and so often that I was nearly stunned with the noise. The leader of the choir was the son of Abù: and this word seems here to denote “elder of a family,” or Sheikh. He was called Tshòli, and his village Dim; he was therefore Tshòli-Dim, of the nation of the Keks. His son, Gilowaï, was exceedingly delighted when he heard us pronounce his name, and screamed it, as if he were mad, in our ears. The others were called Rialkoï, Panjàil, and Ialkoï. Red calico shirts were put on the father and son; but, owing to their uncommon height, they did not entirely cover their nakedness. This naturally vexed them but little, and perhaps, if it had been otherwise, it would have incommoded them: they viewed the beautiful flowers on these shirts, pointed with their fingers at them, and were very much pleased. White shirts were put over the heads of the others; and this was no little labour, although they were simply made according to the Turkish cut; for these men moved their arms here and there, and could not reconcile themselves to such splendour, which perhaps was afterwards consumed in fire and smoke on the nearest ashes. But when the glass beads were produced, then came the joy, the singing, and shrieking without end; they uttered the resounding words with which they praised us with as much force as if there had been the most horrible strife. Looking-glasses at last were given to them; and they could not at first distinguish their faces, owing to the shadow; but when they found how to hold them at the proper distance, they were always looking behind them to see where their black brother might be. Yet the possession of these shining toys was dearer to them than the use of them, or the pleasure of looking at themselves for an hour long in the glass, as the Turks do. They must take a similar delight, only in a greater degree, in looking in the water; and therefore their astonishment was not so great: they even asked what they were used for. Whereupon Suliman Kashef took a glass in his hand and smoothed his beautiful beard by it: they understood, and laughed. Their train of ideas was not guided, indeed, by philosophical reflections at this sight, or they certainly would not have laughed at our vanity, for they themselves, beyond all people, are fond of empty toys, tatooing, and ornaments.
At sunset we set sail to S., and soon S.W. Level meadow-land: the trees in the background, being thrown by mist into the distance, have the appearance of a connected forest. I know from places seen before, where it even appeared more thickly covered, that this deceptive forest is without shade. The eye fancies that it discovers clouds threatening rain in the sky—a vain longing for one drop of rain.
At the rainy season, according to the assertion of our blacks, the rain falls here in indescribable streams, and a single drop (to use an Arabic comparison) is as thick as a musket-ball. Subsequently to these violent showers, innumerable shallow lakes may be found in many places, swelling up, and at last pouring their water into the Nile. The character of an emptied lake-basin is expressed in the whole stream territory. We have already seen remains of such shallow lakes, which may be in connection with others in the interior. The hypothesis set up,—that of making the White Stream spring from great lakes,—may therefore be partially confirmed by this circumstance; although this cannot be extended to the united Nile, for both rivers increase and fall at the same time. On the left, the shore is raised a little above the water. To all appearance, it was only overflowed for a short time at the season of the inundation, for the vegetation is extremely scanty, and now dried up.
CHAPTER IX.
TURTLE-DOVES. — DESERTION OF BLACK SOLDIERS AND PURSUIT OF THEM. — INTERVIEW WITH NATIVE WOMEN. — GIGANTIC STATURE OF THE KEKS. — THEIR PASSION FOR GLASS BEADS. — FEIZULLA CAPITAN’S QUARREL WITH A SUBALTERN OFFICER. — SYLVESTER’S EVE. — A “HAPPY NEW YEAR.” — VILLAGE OF BONN. — WANT OF SHADE IN THE FORESTS. — CURIOUS TATOOING AND CUSTOMS OF THE NATIVES. — A WOMAN’S VILLAGE. — MODESTY OF THE WOMEN. — MEAT BROTH. — REPORT OF HOSTILE INTENTIONS OF NEGROES. — FRENCH EXPEDITION TO EGYPT UNDER NAPOLEON BONAPARTE.
29th December.—We sailed quite early this morning, scarcely half an hour, when we found ourself at a place called by the Arabs “Mattrag betal Mutfa,” or “Place of Cannons,” because, in the former expedition, a cannon was lost here in the water. Here we were to rest some days, in order to make immense astronomical calculations, which may be, truly, a complicated labour for the great “Ingenia.” A shooting excursion after the numerous birds was much more pleasant. The left shore was here four feet high, and I believe that the water of the Nile has only stood in the still green and marshy low hollows which, like rivulets, run parallel to the stream. What we looked upon at a distance as a forest (called Haba), turns out to be misery itself for a German. In vain we seek shade here, where the half dried-up trees, mostly dwarfs, always stand some hundred paces from one another. Here also the long, thick-stalked grass was burnt away, and a young grass, which otherwise would have wanted air, now sprouted in plenty from the earth. The trees are, for the most part, a species of mimosas, called talle. I had only gone about on the shore a few paces, when I came to the full conviction that there must be capital shooting here. I returned, therefore, on board, but there was neither gun nor servant to be seen. They had gone shooting, to spare me the trouble of exerting myself. One after the other came back, and brought birds, but, whilst I was looking at them, they were off again. I could not be angry, much as I might have wished to be. Among the turtle-doves are found even the Egyptian (Columba Ægypt), called gimri; but still more the larger gumri (C. risoria, Linn.; also C. collaris, Hemp and Ehrbg). The turtle-doves with the long tail and black stomacher (C. caprensis), seem not to present themselves here. A brownish eagle, with a white head (Falco vocifer), a white and dark grey ibis (I. æthiop and I. Hagedash); a crane, with black velvet crest and golden nimbus, grue royale (Grus pavonius), appeared to be the chief among the birds found here. The white birds sitting upon the backs of the elephants, and fishing there on dry land, are small herons, and exactly similar to the Ardea Coromandelica, with the exception of the yellow bill and feet.
The vessels are washed out and cleansed; the bread-corn, which had become somewhat damp, is brought out on hand; and we leave our goods and chattels out of doors, relying on the good-natured Keks, who have not hitherto shewn themselves armed. Towards evening I went a tolerable distance to shoot, and had nearly lost my way in returning; for in seeking the nearest road to the vessels, I fell into the marshes. I had not one of my servants near me, because they were occupied in preparing the birds. Scarcely had the sun set, when a mist rose up around the great plain on which the reeds were burnt away, but that magnificent luminary remained free from it; for the ground here, being dried up by the fire, has no exhalations. Even at a little distance, the trees appeared of a dark blue colour. On the second morning, however, even the burnt place was wet, and my feet were as black as coals, when I returned from it.
30th December.—Abd-Elliab, the Kurd, had had the watch on shore, except the night posts on the ship, whilst we were asleep, and sixteen men from the Nuba, and the surrounding country, had deserted from him. These unhappy creatures being so far from their home by water as well as by land, with only a small stock of munition, must fall sooner or later into the power of an enemy, and had, therefore, as it were, surrendered themselves to death; for hunger, thirst, and ignorance of the road, could only prepare for them a very deplorable fate. An unbounded love for home could alone have induced them to expose themselves to such jeopardy; and they instinctively hastened to it, like a horse taken from the chase.