My Barracan—Spontaneous Civility on arrival in Damerghou—Ghaseb Stubble—Cactus—Water-Melons—Party of Tuaricks—Boban Birni—Huts of Damerghou—Tagelel—Women of the Village—Population of the Country—Complaisant Ladies—Festivities—Aquatic Birds—Dancing—A Flatterer—A Slave Family—A new Reason for Wife-beating—Hazna Dancers—Damerghou, common ground—Purchase of Ghaseb—Dethroned Sultan—Yusuf—Mohammed Tunisee—Ophthalmia—Part with Barth and Overweg—Presents to Servants—Sheikh of Fumta—Yakobah Slave—Applications for Medicine—Boban Birni—Forest—At length enter Bornou ground—Daazzenai—Tuarick Respectabilities—Detachment of the Salt-Caravan.
Jan. 6th.—We came seven hours. The weather is always thick, as for many days past; but the wind not so strong, nor the air so cold. We had even some drops of rain; and, probably, the rain here is not so constant, in its fall in summer-time, as is generally supposed. I took out my last barracan, as some precaution against the threatening clouds. This barracan excited everybody's attention; every one admired it, and asked for it. I was plagued to death by the people, and I vowed I would not take it out again be the weather what it might. The same demand had been repeatedly made for my poor carpet; so, on the following day, I took it off from the camel.
An hour before we pitched tent; we passed a town on the top of a hill composed of huts, some covered with skins, and some made of straw. Our encampment is in a wady, near a cluster of hovels. The people came running to welcome us, by offering ghaseb for sale. Two volunteered to assist us in clearing a clean place for our tents. This being the first act of spontaneous assistance which we had witnessed from Tripoli to Damerghou, I gave them each a ring. We are now fairly in Damerghou; and to-day we saw the first specimens of the culture in this part of Africa. The ground is cleared by burning, as on the coast; which burning serves partly to supply the place of manure. The people, apparently slaves, were burning and raking up the ashes and stubble, with rakes made of fallen branches of trees. We passed through wide tracts of ghaseb stubble. Some of the stalks were seven or eight feet high, but the ears were not larger than those seen at Ghadamez—about eight or nine inches.
Amongst the plants observed yesterday was the cactus, with a smooth leaf. Water-melons were also found in the road, mostly quite good and sweet, but some white ones perfectly tasteless. None, even those cultivated, are equal to the melons of the coast; there are no mealy ones here.
We were met by a party of Tuaricks, who came to salute En-Noor, mounted on horseback. As we had had some very rough customers amongst the Tagama, I took little notice of them, and continued eating my bread and cheese. At this the people of the caravan laughed. They thought we ought always to receive these strangers, Tuaricks, with fear and trembling. I deemed the contrary plan more politic. However, had I known they were official persons, and one son of a sheikh of a town, I should have given them a more civil welcome.
7th.—We came eight hours and a-half south, over an undulating country, intersected with small wadys, and through ghaseb stubble. All was wavy ground, and bare of trees. There is, however, a small hill, at a distance of some ten miles from our encampment, called Boban Birni, "Great City," of conical form. Numerous villages were scattered along the whole line of route, a few of some size. The form of the huts is like that of beehives. Around them are small magazines of ghaseb, supported on wooden stakes, very like corn-stacks. The inhabitants of these Damerghou villages are blacks, with features like the Bornouese. In fact, they speak the Bornou languages, and are said to have been the product of past razzias in that country by the Tuaricks.
Damerghou is the granary of Asben, and seems to be entirely in possession of the Asbenouees, nearly all these villages being peopled by the slaves of the Tuaricks. Some villages, indeed, contain nothing but slaves.
Few animals were noticed to-day, but we saw four gazelles feeding together, and some hares. Not many birds appeared, on account of the fewness of the trees. Only a small portion of the ground is cultivated, but the camels and cattle are taken to be fed in the waste lands.
We encamped at the village of En-Noor, called Tagelel. The capital of Damerghou is on the west (N.W.) from this, and is called Olleloa. The place is governed by Tuaricks.