According to Nalewadtshòhn, who is in general very talkative, and does not appear very favourably inclined towards his king, all the mountains in the neighbourhood have abundance of iron; and Mount Pelenja, a quantity of copper, which is here in great estimation. Iron-ochre, which the natives here and there use to colour themselves with, is said to be found on all sides, formed by them, however, into balls: by this preparation, perhaps, a cleansing of the material takes place. The high mountain-chain we had already seen, lies to the west, at some hours’ distance, over the left shore of the Nile. Its name is Niakanja, and the mountains before us are called Korèk and Lubèhk, which are said to be followed by many other higher mountains. Both the men are strikingly handsome, although not one of the whole multitude can be called ugly. They are tall and strongly built; have a nose, somewhat broad indeed, but not flat; on the contrary, slightly raised, such as we see in the heads of Rhamses; a full mouth, not at all like that of negroes, but exactly the same as in the Egyptian statues; a broad arched forehead, and a speaking, honest-looking eye. The latter is not, as we have found generally in the marsh regions, entirely suffused with blood, whereby the countenances have a dismal appearance, but clear, full, and black, yet not dazzling. We observed that their legs were well formed, though not muscular; their naked bodies were adorned with the very same decorations of ivory and iron as we had seen in the others. The name of the village on the right side of the river is Baràko; the village lying immediately opposite, under the trees, before which are a small island and pastures, is called Niowàh. Alumbèh was sent as our envoy to King Làkono.
We leave our island at noon, and have a larger island on our right, a smaller one on the left, and tow to the south, accompanied by the negroes in the water: they even come with their long bodies to the side of the vessel, and part with every thing they have for the beloved sug-sug.
At Asser (three o’clock in the afternoon), S.S.W., with oars and sails. A village, on the right side of the river, contains only a few tokuls; but a large herd of cattle, grazing there, sets our crew longing again. About sun-set, S. I procure a beautiful spear for a single glass bead—silly, childish people! Immediately after sun-set, W.S.W. On the left a small island; a gohr, or arm of a river, appearing to form a large island, pours forth from thence, if it be not a tributary stream. The wood before us contrasts by its dark hue with the coloured horizon, over which, as yet, no alpine country glows. On the right shore stand a number of armed and laughing negroes, in picturesque positions; this has been the case the whole time, both in the water and on land. They walk arm-in-arm, quite in a brotherly manner, or with their arms round one another’s necks, as the students in Germany used to do in my time. They help each other in getting up on shore, and have frequently one foot placed firmly against the knee, standing like cranes. They lean on their spears, or long bows, or squat down; but I see none of them sitting or lying on the ground, according to the lazy custom of the orientals.
The north wind is so faint that we are obliged to lend assistance with poles; the river has more water, thank God, than we thought; and even our reïs, whom a longing fit for his wives every now and then seizes, believes that this water-course will hold on for some time. We anchor in the middle of the river, and the guards are doubled in the vessels. I am tired of this constant variety of sensations, and yet would like to see and hear much more. My head is so heavy and stupid, that I cannot accept Suliman Kashef’s invitation.
23rd January.—Half-past eight o’clock. We have gone so far in a southerly direction by the rope, and we move S. by W. and S.W. The rapidity of the river has increased from one mile and a half to two miles. The walk on shore has tired me more, because I was followed by the natives, with all their effects, and retarded, so that I was obliged to break a road through them, half by violence, though I am still very weak in my legs. I purchased for a couple of miserable beads a little sheep, covered partly with wool, and partly with hair, as the sheep here generally are, and having a long mane under the throat, and horns twisted back. Selim Capitan says that a similar species is found in Crete.
Tobacco is called here also tabac, as mostly on the White River. The Arabs give it the name of dogàhn; this is the small-leaved sort, with dun-coloured flowers, which is cultivated likewise in Bellet Sudàn. I have not seen the tobacco-plant growing wild here; therefore, I cannot say whether the name of tobacco is indigenous here with the plant, or has been introduced by immigrants. Nevertheless, the Arabs are not generally smokers, and it is unlikely that tobacco was brought in by them; and it is less probable, because, had it been so, it would have kept the name of dogàhn. In Sennaar, however, a good but very strong tobacco has been cultivated for ages, and was probably introduced by the Funghs, who are likewise a well-formed negro race. Our usual title of honour is matta, which they, however, only give to the whites. The shores are very extensively intersected with layers of sand.
Ten o’clock. S. by E., and then S.W. Two villages on the right shore. We sail with a slight north wind, but scarcely make one mile, for the current is considerably against us. We meet continually with some fire-eaters among the blacks on the shore; they are startled, certainly, at the report, but are not particularly frightened, especially if it be not close to their ears. We have Mount Korèk in a south-westerly direction before us. It stands like the Niakanja, to which we have only come within the distance of from three to four hours, and which lies behind us, isolated from the other mountains. The summit appears flat from where we are; it has many indentations, and seems to rise only about six hundred feet above its broad basis, to which the ground ascends from the river. The wind having nearly ceased for half an hour, freshens again for three miles.
At noon. S.S.W. In a quarter of an hour, a gohr or arm of the Nile comes from S. by E.; we make only two miles more, and the wind deserts us again; we lie, therefore, as if stuck to the place, after having been thrown by the current on to the island, formed by the before-named arm on the right shore. But the wind soon freshens again; we sail away cheerfully. The ships drive one against the other, or upon the sand, but work themselves loose again; the negroes come in the water; confusion here—confusion everywhere. A herd of calves stop in the water before us; this is really tempting, but we sail on. The log gives four miles, from which two miles must be deducted for the rapidity of the current, though the reïs can not understand this.
At half-past twelve o’clock, the end of the island; we sail S.S.E., and then S. by W. On the right shore a large durra-field, apparently the second crop on the very same stalks. The natives there, according to the custom of this country, have little stools to sit on, and a small gourd drinking-cup by their side. As before, part of them are unarmed, and have merely a long stick, with forks or horns at the top, in their hands. The covering of the head is various. Several have differently formed little wicker baskets on their heads, as a protection against the sun. They wear strings of the teeth of dogs or apes on various parts of the body, but mostly on the neck, as an ornament or talisman. They have bracelets, the points of which being covered with bits of fur, are curved outwards like little horns. Our envoy Alumbèh imitated all the motions and the voice of an ox, in order to make us understand the meaning of these bracelets. These, as well as the forks on their houses and sticks, appear to denote in some way a kind of symbolic veneration for the bull, whose horns I had previously seen adorned with animals’ tails; for the bull is bold, and the support of the family among the herds.
One o’clock. A number of negroes are squatting on the island at the left, or rather are sitting on their stools, and wondering at us sailing so merrily to S.S.W. I count eleven villages; but I do not trust myself on deck, for we have 30° Reaumur. About evening the whole scene will appear more surprising and pleasing to me; for even my servants, looking in exultingly at the window, praise the beauty of the country. On all sides, therefore, plenty of mountains, stones, and rocks; the great buildings in the interior of Africa are no longer a fable to me! If the nation of Bari has had internal strength enough to pursue the road of cultivation for thousands of years, what has prevented it not only from rising from its natural state, but also from appropriating to itself the higher European cultivation? It has a stream, navigable, and bringing fertility, full of eatable animals; a magnificent land affording it everything: it has to sustain war with the gigantic monsters of the land and water, and to combat with its own kind; it possesses the best of all metals, iron, from which it understands how to form very handsome weapons sought for far and near; it knows how to cultivate its fields; and I saw several times how the young tobacco plants were moistened with water, and protected from the sun by a roof of shrubs. The men of nature it contains are tall, and enjoying all bodily advantages; yet—it has only arrived at this grade of cultivation. If the perfectibility of nature be so confined, this truly susceptible people only requires an external intellectual impetus to regenerate the mythic fame of the Ethiopians.