The water here is still as clear and well-tasted as above near the mountains: sand has much to do with this. We do not remark, either, any stagnant water, standing in connexion with the stream, as further downwards. The thermometer has got up to 30°. Four o’clock, E.N.E. Several singing negroes on the right shore. Immediately N.N.E., a quarter of an hour later N. and N.W., but soon in a short bend to N.N.E. The river is about two hundred paces broad. Half past four o’clock. From N.N.E. to ——, we bring up first,—N.E. by E. for a short tract; with a short bend after a quarter of an hour N.W. A powerful Nile buffalo, looked upon with astonishment, even by the sailors themselves, being a gigantic animal, plays before us in the water, and induces the two engineers to leave for a moment their cloister system; usually they have their windows hung with curtains, and never let themselves be seen at all outside the door. Five o’clock. From N.W. to N.E., where a beautiful water-road extends before us, closed below by a green island. On the right a broad Nile-arm comes from S.E., and discharges itself to S.; it seems, therefore, to encircle a large and broad island. A number of people have collected there. The river is quite calm, unmoved by a breath of air; no oar is striking its polished surface: we sail with unruffled temper, protected against the rays of the sun, under the covering of the denda (ship’s tent, perhaps from the Italian tenda). A surprising swarm of black-coloured people accompanies us along the shore. We see how they wonder at our vessels, without comprehending how such a mighty machine could have originated from a sürtuk, or hewn-out trunk of a tree. The invention of their ancestors has remained here in its natural first foundation, for their necessities give no impulse to the improvement of these boats, which may have been even in use, in this part of Africa, before they were on the Rhine, the Danube, and the Thames.
The nation of the Liènns is already in possession of this country. The Liènns have the same language as the inhabitants of Bari; but they know also that of the Dinka nation, or the dialect of the Dinkas, which alters down the river, if such deviations have not been carried down with the features of the people. They stand in friendly relations with Bari, and do not pay tribute to King Làkono, as I heard plainly from Selim Capitan’s interpreter. Notwithstanding that their forehead is covered with points in horizontal lines, they seem to be of the same origin as the tribes of Bari. The Tershomàn Gùmberi, who gave himself out previously for a Tshièrr, pretends here suddenly to be a Liènn, and wants to go ashore with his treasures. He had accompanied us through the country of Bari, and appeared also to be known there. It seems to me that he has commercial speculations in his head, and fears that we might take from him again his beads. We induce him, however, to remain still with us, because he is very clever in his way. Half past five o’clock. On the right a village, with good tokuls, and the green island long seen by us. A city called Djàr follows soon after. Another island ends before the village, separated from it by a narrow gohr. A third village lies further down the river; to the left shore an island with a green head, near which we stop at sunset, for we see on the shore a large herd of cattle.
1st February.—It was with difficulty that I purchased a national bracelet of ivory, for these ornaments are as if grown to the people. Such bracelets are light, two to three fingers broad, and fluted, these stripes being coloured black. Small tortoise-shells are worn very commonly here, as in Bari, on the neck or arm. At eight o’clock we leave the island, go N. by E., and see upon it several scattered farm-yards with cultivation.
An island of three-quarters of an hour long was at our right. The east wind is tolerably brisk: we soon take to our oars, and I imagine we make in this manner three sea-miles in the hour. This pace stands as the rule with Selim Capitan, when the wind is not contrary. Before us we perceive a forest, which extends over the horizon on the left shore. The latter is planted far and wide with lubien, or small white and variegated beans; so is also the small island of a quarter of an hour in length, lying at our right. Nine o’clock. From E. by N., to N.E., and N. by E. On the left side of the river, where we remark a village up the country, an arm of the Nile goes N.N.W., and forms a reed-island.
Owing to the laziness of the sailors, the east wind drives us into this canal on the sand, from which we get off again at half-past nine o’clock; a small island, with a border of green creeping flowers, is at our right. A large village is seen on the left, with large and small well-covered tokuls. On the large ones the roof reaches nearly to the ground, and rests upon stakes; behind this circular portico, we see the plastered walls of the habitation properly speaking. The small tokuls have higher walls, but not this lengthening of the roof, supported on stakes, and which we saw also in Bari. Behind the small flower island, a city or large village rises on the right shore.
We go N. by E., and remark on the left side two other large villages quite in the neighbourhood of the preceding one. The forest of the right shore has again approached; a small green vegetable island being separated from it by a narrow arm; some hundreds of paces further another small island, which, besides scanty reeds, is thickly covered at the upper end with vegetables of various kinds, whilst species of couch-grass and creeping water-plants are floating round by the shores. Beyond it we see three villages lying on the margin of the river, really romantically, before and between the trees. On the left shore two neat farmyards shew themselves in a shining seriba of reeds, the stalks of which are connected very regularly with each other, but perhaps only afford resistance to tame animals. All these villages were surrounded, however, with a stronger enclosure of thorn-like shrubs, as a defence against wild beasts and naked men. A large thorn-bush supplies the place of a door, and cannot well be seized and pulled out from the outside, as it is drawn and squeezed into the door posts with its lower end. Such a seriba is common in the whole land of Sudàn; the before-mentioned reed-walls are likewise very general, and attract immediately the curious eye. The tokuls have, in part, a roof protruding in the middle with a wavy form, like also some previously seen, but the latter had low walls. A number of negroes have collected, without weapons or ornaments, and shining black, for they have passed through water.
Half-past 10 o’clock, N.N.W. In the middle of the river an island a quarter of an hour in length, covered with lubiën. A city with tokuls packed close together on the right shore, a village being opposite. Another large village is united to the city, which reaches over the island; its tokuls are mostly surrounded with reed-walls, and probably the women are shut up in them. A beautiful tree with wide-spreading branches rises between these two cities, and may serve them for their place of meeting.
Eleven o’clock, N. We leave to our left an island of an hour in length, elevated only three feet above water-mark, covered at its head with reeds, vegetables, durra, and lubiën. The shores are planted right and left. We stuck nearly fast by the large city; and now we have the trinchetta or foresail as leader, so that we may navigate on the sand more splendidly. The forest emerges on the left shore, and solitary beautiful trees stand on the margin of the river, between which an island grown over with reeds, of a quarter of an hour in length, is situated. In the space of ten minutes another one follows. The vessels halt at the shore to wait for Selim Capitan and the other vessels navigating on the sand. We lie to at the left shore, and the order to wash the vessels is also complied with by us.
Fadl and Sale had already gone from the ship on a hunting excursion, though I had no idea that they would do so while the vessels were advancing. I looked about anxiously from the deck, when a sailor shouted to me from the mast that he saw them at a distance. It was not long before I heard them shooting, and they came to the right shore with a large elephant’s tooth on their shoulders. I had them fetched off in the sandal, and then found the length of this tooth to be eight feet and a half. It was unfortunately a little decayed, but yet one of the largest we had on the vessels, for the larger ones were generally from seven to seven feet and a half long. It had served also as a stake to tie oxen to, and was purchased for a few large glass beads.
We set out at half-past two o’clock, but the east wind drives us back to the left shore. The land here is principally cultivated with simsim and lubëin. Watchhouses, scarecrows, old baskets, and skins stuck upon poles, are paraded about in the fields. Everything is standing green and beautiful. It is impossible that the natives can water these large fields by hand, as I saw by the small tobacco plantations. In vain, however, I looked about for regular irrigation canals, by which they conducted the water from the river to gush over the land, in the manner usual in Egypt and Nubia, from the simplest contrivances up to the chain of buckets drawn by oxen; for water-wheels or saghiën cease with the Arab tribes on the White Stream. The clayey fruitful soil must therefore be able to retain, for a long time, the moisture remaining after the inundation, and the strong nocturnal deposits may preserve the fruits fresh; the more so, because the sun, owing to the abundance of thick plants, cannot scorch the ground.