The women and girls coming to us with milk, butter, and fresh tamarinds, were free in their movements, joked and laughed, and sought to sell their wares as dear as they possibly could, which they exchanged for salt, beads, red pepper, and strings of ostrich-egg shells. All of them were distinguished by a slender shape, a bold carriage, and pleasing form of countenance; some, according to my idea, might be called really beautiful, and they were generally excellently proportioned; they appeared to me like independent, dark Spartan women. A ferda was slung over the invisible rahàt being used at other times to cover their heads as a protection against the sun; the hair was parted, and arranged in tasteful, little plaits in different directions, or falling down over the shoulders. Red, and other coloured pieces of coral, were placed on each side of the head in an oval form; in which copper, silver, or gold rings were entwined, and even the ear-rings with their pretty elongation of corals and small conchglia were fastened to the temples by the shining black tresses of hair falling over the forehead. This head-dress could not fail of making an agreeable impression upon me, when I thought of the shaven and dishevelled heads of the women in the countries up the river; the unseemly custom of wearing rings in the nostrils was scarcely unpleasing here, from this supposed ornament being so small. They wore brilliant cut agates or flints of the desert round their neck and across the shoulder and breast,—the younger girls also over the rahàt and on the wrists, which they buy from the Dinkas, as well as corals of different kinds.
On all sides people were advancing slowly towards us, and a regular market was soon formed; but it was only with a great deal of difficulty that I procured a bad javelin. The Arabs said that it would be disgraceful for them to sell their weapons as they were continually at war. These Baghàras are also from Kordofàn, of the race of Selim, and of unmixed blood, for they never marry into any other tribe: whence the difference between them and our radically ugly crew. From time to time they pay tribute, but properly speaking, it is a don gratuit. They told us that they would now cross over to the Jengähs (they call the Dinkas Jengähs, although the latter are a different people, and dwell above the Shilluks), since we (their Mohammedan brothers) had visited these regions, but asked accidentally whether so many Shilluks dwelt above, as was reported. They also said that there were a few of the latter nation here, who had retreated at their arrival on the island, and that there was nothing to fear since the death of the Sheikh of the Shilluks, Abdurachmàn. They thought themselves already in possession of the whole country. The Baghàras left us after sunset, but afterwards partly returned to bring more milk and sheep (for a sheep, one ferda, for a goat about an okka of salt). Thermometer 18°, 29°, 32°.
10th April.—We sail a little with a south-east wind in a north direction with easterly declinations till noon, then it becomes calm and we navigate. Subsequently, with a north-east wind, almost universally to N. and even westerly declinations, until we halt at an island by the shore of the Shilluks. Thermometer 22°, 32°, 30°.
11th April.—It is a faint south-west wind, but we are able to sail; the direction is first N. with easterly deviations, then westerly, and even N.W. by N. until we to go N., where an immeasurable course extends before us. Easterly deviations follow in the afternoon, and the mountain with two peaks seen from the mast before noon, shews itself in N. The river gains a majestic breadth for the short track it is free of islands; the anterior part of the shores is low and bordered with grass. Nile buffaloes which are in incredible numbers here, owing to the grass on the islands, greeted us twice to-day, and with such blows that Rassulla Effendi became quite pale. The tailor-captain is not with us; he has fallen out with Rassulla about a sheep, and was the more desirous for a quarrel, because Suliman Kashef presented to him a loaf of sugar, and he therefore does not want the help of Rassulla to eat Helluh. However, we are lucky, for the hippopotami have vented their just anger on the strongest point of our vessel.
“Look! there is a dead hippopotamus in the water, and men near it,” was the cry subsequently, but we soon found the difference when we came closer. It was a boat or raft of ambak just pushed into the water and on it some men, whilst others were advancing from the copsewood. Ten Baghàras with lance and shield following out their old system of plunder, had wanted to play the freebooter here among the Dinkas, but were obliged to retreat without having accomplished their object. They found themselves now in the greatest dilemma, for the water was shallow and they were pursued by the Dinkas, of whom we counted from twenty-five to thirty. Suliman Kashef, who sailed a-head of us, ordered a couple of shots to be fired over the heads of the Dinkas, whereupon they retreated a little. The vessel, however, could not take up the Baghàras, on account of the shallow water; they shouted to us to fire once more, but in vain, for the tailor sat at his handywork and would give no orders till Sale discharged one double barrel in the air, which made the Dinkas stand still and gave the Arabs time to row off. In a regular pursuit, the former would undoubtedly have got the worst of it, for they are no swimmers, were without shields, and like the Shilluks, do not cast their spears from their hands, whilst the Baghàras carried shields and javelins.
The Dinkas, however, will not be long in paying a return visit with similar intentions to the Baghàras, and will then bear oval and round shields similar to those of the Shilluks, which they are accustomed to use in war; the shields of the Baghàras, on the contrary, are round at the bottom and obtuse at the top.
I saw Dinkas frequently on the shore, and nearly all of them were in the same peculiar position which we also remarked above, and on the banks of the entire White River; and which perhaps would denote a kind of affinity, if the language, form of countenance, and customs did not prove otherwise. To rest themselves, they place one foot on the knee whilst standing, and put underneath as a support their hassaie (club of white wood pointed at the bottom) or their spear. A dozen of such one-legged persons standing together is a comical sight enough.
We halted to-day at five o’clock near the left shore to wait for the vessels at an island on which there were monstrous foot-prints of hippopotami. Close above our landing-place lay the tolerably long and wooded island of the deceased Sheikh of the Shilluk islands, Abdurachmàn (Ab del Rahman), Wolled el Desh. It is called by the Arabs Telleb, by the Shilluks, however, Afunje; a name that might bring to our recollection the Funghs,—and here it was where, as I have already mentioned, the Turks in the Expedition of the year 1839, were not ashamed to open the grave of the Sheikh in order to convince themselves that the sworn enemy of themselves and the Baghàras was really dead. It can easily be inferred what a prejudicial impression such an act must have left behind in the minds of the Island-Shilluks. Thermometer 23°, 32°, 30°.
12th April.—We sail N. with easterly deviations; then at noon towards N., close to a mountain group called by the Dinkas and Baghàras Njemati, and it is only with considerable difficulty that we can find a landing-place on the flat shore below the rocks extending in the river, and when we do so we encamp at some distance from it.
Thus many islands have retreated at our side which rejoiced the heart previously with their soft verdure, their flowers, creepers, and trees, or their blades of grass shooting from the majestic stream, whilst the water retreated into the forests of both the shores, and afforded many an interesting picture. Now it is no longer so, the vessel goes far lower: where the wood does not grow on the shore, there is only a melancholy low country, and the cheerful ambak-acacias lie dry on the ground bent and dismembered, throwing out in vain their long shoots with small leaves and solitary little flowers, on the soil where some moisture still remains. The hand of destruction has even fallen on the grass and reeds; sun, animals, and fire have consumed it, leaving merely miserable remains. It is only at times when the sun is rising, that the landscape presents a more enlivening aspect.