9th.—This morning En-Noor paid us a visit, to tell us to move after him in the wady near, under the shade of the trees. His highness was very polite and friendly, as he has now been for some time past.
The weather continues cold—thermometer, 49° at sunrise in the air. This cold weather ought to strengthen or restore our health. It certainly would do us good, much good, if we could get meat and soups.
I sent on our boat yesterday to Zinder, with three of our servants, together with some other heavy baggage. I was occupied to-day in compiling the Haussa dictionary. Kashna is represented to be the fountain of the Haussa language, the Florence of Soudan. Kanou is a place of foreigners, and the language of the city must be much corrupted. According to En-Noor, Kal, in the names Kalfadaï, Kaltadak, Kilgris, and Kailouee, signifies country. There are to be added to the zoology of this country the monkey and the mohur, or fine large gazelle, as large as a deer, called in Haussa măráiă. We already find great differences in the pronunciation of the Haussa language, but especially in the following letters:—sh is confounded with ch or tch, l with r, and r with l, o with u, &c. Letters are also frequently unnecessarily doubled. These differences, however, will never much affect the conversation, when the parties are well agreed upon what subject they are conversing.
10th.—This morning we are removing to the shade of the trees, near En-Noor. Dr. Barth describes the Kilgris as very fine, tall men, and much lighter in complexion than the Kailouees: they dress very simply, having only the black turkadee on their heads, having neither a bakin zakee under it, nor any white shash, or fotah, to wind upon it, in the fashion of the Kailouees. They are, like all these tribes, very proud, and nourish a deadly enmity towards the Kailouees, of whom they take precedence in Aghadez. Barth gave away a black-lead pencil in Aghadez, and afterwards everybody came to ask him for one. A person got one pencil, and begged another, saying, "the two would last him his whole life."
11th.—The weather is increasingly cold in the morning; three-quarters of an hour after sunrise the thermometer was 45° in open air.
His highness vouchsafed this day to sleep in my tent, and yesterday he did the Germans the honour of slaughtering lice in theirs. It is a grand piece of etiquette in this country, that every man has the privilege of murdering his own lice. If you pick a louse off a man's sleeve, you must deliver it up instantly to him to be murdered, as his undoubted right and privilege.
The Sultan of Aghadez has returned from his razzia against the people of Seloufeeat, of Azgher, and the Kalfadaï. Those whom he caught he chastised: but most of the Fadeea fled. I register these varying reports, because they show the state of uncertainty in which we were always kept, now hearing one thing, now another. But the true state of the case seems to be, that though the great Koku of Aghadez did take the field for a razzia, the actual operations were conducted by the Sultan of Asoudee. It must be remembered, however, that with their maharees these desert-princes can march to and fro with surprising rapidity, and that rumour finds it difficult to follow their footsteps. En-Noor now thinks the country sufficiently tranquil to move on two days further. He says he shall do so in the course of fifteen days.
12th.—His highness paid me a visit as usual, and I gave him a box containing a looking-glass, with a lid, on which is painted a draught-board, for the wife of his highness, who recommended us not to leave En-Noor, but continue with him until he carried us safely to Zinder. His highness expressed great satisfaction for the present; and when I told him to take care it was not broken, he observed: "I will take especial care of this thing, because there is none like it in this country, and it cannot be repaired." He told us also that his ladies could play at draughts. I gave him, besides, a piece of green silk for a shade for his eyes. He went off immediately, gratified with these little presents.
The weather is very pleasant for the study of languages, but the days are too short and the nights are too long. Nevertheless, I sleep nearly all night this cold weather.
13th.—Thermometer at sunrise in the open air was 41° 30' Fahr., so that the cold increases, this being the lowest which I have yet taken. The Germans have had a deal of trouble with Mohammed of Tunis; they would send him back, but there is no opportunity of doing so.