Two o’clock, N.W. by W. On the right bank some men are employed constructing a miserable pastoral village on old red ashes; behind I see refreshing green grass, but that on the shore is either dried up or burnt away. A second pastoral village is being erected immediately on the right; the commencement of it consists here of solitary sleeping-places: stakes, and heaps of ashes are lying about in large quantities. The pasture seems to be a dried-up marsh-lake, as our landing-place in the middle of the day also was, where gazelles and elephants were sporting in the high grass on the still moist ground; but I could not even get a shot at the former. A quarter after two o’clock. On the left withered ambak, and the neighbouring forest seems to approach to the shore; on the right a pastoral village, and a long tokul-village joining it, with and without porches. Sale jumped to my window, and shouted “Kawagi! tali barre, shuf uachet fill fok el bah’r”! (“Master, come out, and look at an elephant on the shore!”) “Kawagi,” properly speaking, being merchant, and the title for every Frank; “fok el bah’r” means literally, over the river. And the whole crew were all upon the move to see the elephant. I went up also on the deck of our cabin, and perceived the dark-grey monster, throwing first his trunk on the earth, and sending up clouds of dust, and then lashing his body with it. A semicircle of negroes were gradually approaching him, having spears in their hands; but they fled from us, their best friends, when we landed. Suliman Kashef soon opened a platoon fire, and I repaired immediately with Sale in the direction of the elephant, who was looking around and preparing to attack the crowd of people. The balls seldom whistled by him, for the mark presented two large a volume to miss; and the distance, short as it was, was diminished to a few steps by the bloodthirsty circle surrounding him.
He extended his ears up and down like the opening of an umbrella, not so much from pain, as from the balls raining on them, and sticking in the ear-laps, as we found afterwards, having only penetrated one skin. He was already blinded by the shots, for in elephant-hunts they first aim at the eyes, and few missed, or else he would have made his way to the Nile by instinct, to preserve himself for a time. Suliman Kashef knelt down and sent another rifle-ball at his orbits; he fell—the men rushed at him, but he rose once more, when they all started back, tumbling one over the other to escape being trodden under his feet. At last he sat on his hind-quarters, stretched forth his fore-feet, and died in this half-standing posture. I could not have shot him myself so close, for the blood running from his eyes and numerous wounds moved my compassion too much to do so; even Sale said to me, in a melancholy tone, “El messkin!” (the poor creature). I ordered him to cut off the animal’s tail; for the Kèks, to whom Suliman Kashef had presented the flesh, as a set-off for the beautiful teeth, had already buried their knives in his body. Sale hesitated a moment, because the awful sight of the beast made him fear that it might possibly stand up again. Seven spear-heads were found in the flesh under his skin, and he had swam over with these sticking in him, from the opposite shore, where he was first hunted. I had already embarked, when it struck me that the foot of an elephant was considered a dainty, and I sent, therefore, a servant to fetch me one; but he brought instead a large piece of the ear, as a proof that he had really gone back, for the people of this country seem to know what is good as well as the Europeans at the Cape of Good Hope. Our black soldiers, however, had brought flesh on board, which I afterwards tasted, but did not find very relishing.
| MOUNT KOREK. | MOUNTAIN CHAIN OF KAGELU. | MOUNT KONNOBIH. |
COUNTRY ON THE LEFT SHORE OF THE NILE FROM THE ISLAND OF TSHANKER TOWARDS WEST. 27TH JANUARY, 1841.
A quarter after five o’clock we leave the spot, and navigate to N.W. by N. On the right a small encampment for cowherds; on the left burning reed-straw. The leaves of the elephant-tree, which I had placed in my window, have withered since the morning, though from the 6th instant, therefore for thirteen days, they had been exposed to the sun and air, and had not only remained fresh and green, but also seemed to shoot forth vigorously, and even to grow, whilst the fruits became every day more and more shrivelled. The juice of the latter might, perhaps, have nourished the leaves by returning to them; the stalk between the wood and the leaves being injured by the wind blowing it against a nail, shewed plainly that it had lost its sucker. A quarter before six o’clock, N. by W.; close to the left a large lake; on the right a reed fire. We wheel here on the left to the W.; the surface of the earth is very low on the right and left; the lakes, therefore, are not all dry, but considerable rain must fall to make them overflow, unless they have auxiliary canals from the river. A tokul-village before us to the W., near which we shall perhaps stop, in consequence of the horizontal smoke, and the smell of the meat connected therewith. A floating island is at our side; the elephant may have torn it from the shore in crossing. Six o’clock, W.S.W.; we ride at anchor in the middle of the river, and have the village at our right. Thermometer, before sunrise, 19°; noon, 27°; one o’clock, 28°; two o’clock 30″; eight o’clock in the evening, 25°.
20th February.—At 8 o’clock we navigate N.W.N. then N.N.W. A quarter after eight o’clock. N.W. by W. We sail with a faint north-east wind: to the right a pastoral village, to the left the Haba, nearly a quarter of an hour distant; the shores low; then N.W. by N., and again in the bend on the green margin of reeds to N., and on the left to W.N.W. Nine o’clock. We stop at the left shore, for the strong north-east wind is contrary to us in our course from N. to N.N.E. Five o’clock. The whole day I have been in bed, for I became so ill this morning, shortly after our departure, that I could not sit upright, and therefore I wished very much for wind and rest.
It is difficult to bargain with the blacks: they take the glass beads, and the barter seems closed; but they immediately seize the goods which they have already given us, and require more sug-sug. The following circumstance happened to me, when I was a short distance from the vessel with one of my servants. I had bought a large elephant’s tooth, and a chief refused not only to return the beads, but even tried, with his men, to take away the tooth from my lusty cook, Sale Mohammed, by force, and to sell it again; whereupon I got angry, and struck him on the face with the flat part of my hand: he stood as if petrified, but afterwards went away without laying a hand on me.
Although the wind is still contrary, we navigate, immediately after five o’clock, with libàhn, to N.N.E. by the right shore. The real cause of our departure arose from Thibaut having gone ahead, to purchase ivory, which the Turks will not permit. We work to N. till a quarter before six, and in a bend to W., where on the right is a smoking pastoral village, with several small plastered summer tokuls. We sail delightfully from N.W., to N.N.W., the wind being favourable. A short tract to the left S.S.E. and then immediately to the right, N.N.W. We see again vessels surrounded by reeds, where we could not have supposed them to be. The river here seems to take delight in tedious and disagreeable bends. We halt after sunset at the right low shore, where, at some distance, I perceive an ambak thicket; but I am too weak to fetch seeds, and my men immediately jumped ashore with gun in hand. Thermometer, at sunset 27°; noon 29° to 30°; sunset 27°.
21st February.—Half-past seven o’clock. From N.W. to N. and N.W. by N.: on the right a considerable pastoral village with larger tokuls, and plastered sleeping-places; the latter slightly diminishing towards the top. Saw men stand near these summer tokuls, the roof of which rises only a little, and on the average, their heads are of an equal height with the tops of their huts, and some even tower above them. We stop at a quarter before eight o’clock between this pastoral and the succeeding women’s village, where the river flows northerly, and wait for cattle to be killed. The Kèks dwell on both shores, and the Tutuis up the country on the right side, who live at peace with the former.