On the 4th of November, the son-in-law of Mohammed-Sidy-Moctar came to the camp. As he did not lodge with his father-in-law, I conclude that they were not on good terms. I went to pay him a visit; he was very polite, and asked me many questions about the resolution which I had taken, congratulating me upon it, and telling me that he was very much afraid the christians would detain my goods, or, if I returned to fetch them, would detain me by force. I endeavoured to correct a mistake which proceeded from his religion, and assured him that the christians would leave me at perfect liberty to do what I pleased; and that as to my goods they would be as safe in their hands as in my own. “The whites,” said I, “rob nobody; their laws punish such crimes with severity, and they would do justice to the poorest Musulman exactly as they would to a christian of the first importance; both are equal in the eye of the law.” I seized this opportunity to ask him, why the Musulmans pursued a conduct with regard to christians, so contrary to religion; and why they ill-treated and made slaves of those who ventured amongst them for commercial objects, without having committed any offence. “I cannot believe,” added I, “that a good and merciful God approves of such conduct. If you want to convert the christians, it can only be effected by intercourse with them, and by excelling them in justice and kindness—not by ill-treating them. For my part, I am a Musulman, but I shall never approve of doing ill to those who have done us no harm.” The marabout allowed the truth of what I advanced; but he said it was unbearable, that when a Musulman spoke to a christian about the prophet, the christian should laugh in his face; that none but an infidel would do so; and that it would be a good action to kill him, that they might both go to heaven. I wished to enter into some particulars respecting christianity; but I durst not let my zeal run away with me, and I contented myself with telling him that the christians adored the same God as the Musulmans. “Yes,” said he, “I know that; but they never pray; they drink wine and spirituous liquors, which is displeasing to God; and the religion of Mahomet, which alone is agreeable to him, condemns to everlasting fire those who do not adopt it.” He asked me afterwards if I meant to make a journey to Mecca; to which I replied that it was the duty of every good Musulman, and that I hoped to discharge it. He took me by the hand, and answered: “That is right, Abdallahi, you love God and the prophet.” Boubou-Fanfale served as interpreter in this conversation.
The same day, a young Moor invited me to accompany him into the woods, where I was to meet a number of other young men from the same camp. When we came to a very thick part of the wood, he sat down, and a moment after a slave brought a sheep; he then picked up wood, and lighted a fire, after having made a hole in the ground, in the form of an oven; a marabout then killed the sheep,[24] and the slave skinned it. The marabouts took the intestines, which they emptied by squeezing them between their fingers; and then, without washing, they made puddings with them; these were put over the fire, and eaten when they were half cooked. When there was a large quantity of embers, they were removed from the hole, and the sheep put in their place; embers and ashes were then spread over it, and fire kindled above. In half an hour’s time, my companions considered that the sheep was sufficiently dressed; they took it out of the hole, gave the head and a scrap of the neck to the slave, and divided the rest into as many portions as there were persons present; lots were cast after this to determine to whom each share should belong. Feasts of this kind are much in vogue with the Moors; five or six young men join, and furnish each a sheep in their turn, which they eat in the woods, that they may not be beset as they would be in the camp. When they have had as much as they can eat, they carry the rest to their relations; but there is never much left for this purpose, and sometimes none at all. Of the skins of their sheep and goats they make leather bags, and use them to keep and carry water in; for that purpose, they slit the skin of the animal from the knee nearly to the shoulders, loosen it with their hands and turn it back, and then take out the flesh through the opening.
On the 6th of November, the camp broke up; we then marched three miles W. ¼ N.W. along the bank of a stream, where pasturage was abundant. Part of the camp remained behind, and rejoined us on the 8th. I was informed by a marabout that Mohammed-Sidy-Moctar was then on the road to his camp.
The ground in the vicinity of el-Hadjar is rich, and covered with fine vegetation. The periodical inundation of the river deposits a slime which improves the soil, and it is also enriched by the numerous flocks and herds which are attracted by the pasturage. This virgin soil wants nothing but the hand of the husbandman to produce in abundance all the plants which it might be desirable to cultivate; but it would be in vain to suggest such a thing to the Moors, and the distance from the coast will never admit of a European establishment. Half a league from the banks of this stream, the nature of the soil changes, and it becomes ferruginous; vegetation is to be found only on little patches of very hard yellow sand, where the rain brings forth a few species of grass.
On the 9th of November, some Moors came and asked me to shew them the proper way of taking sweet basil; Mohammed’s eldest son advised me not to tell them till they had given me a new coussabe; but I replied that if I was fortunate enough to have it in my power to render any service to the Moors, I would do it for the love of God, and not to gain a reward. I mention the fact to shew how little idea those people have of generosity. I have already said that the sons of my marabout gave me very few lessons; I did not, however, neglect any opportunity of gaining instruction; I applied to the other marabouts, who taught me some verses of the Koran, and I also learnt from them the Arabic letters. The news of their father’s speedy arrival rendered my hosts more attentive; they now furnished me with a regular scholar’s board, and I was set morning and night to sing the praises of God and his prophet, by the light of a small fire.
On the 10th, as I was boiling a little milk for my breakfast, two hassanes, who had lately arrived at the camp, came to me; one of them threw a dirty rag into my milk, and then began scolding his companion, as if he had done it, and pretending to take my part. This anecdote will give a correct idea of this class. Both these men were still with the camp on the 12th, when we were preparing to remove. They had found a poor wretch, a haddad, or blacksmith, and wanted to force him to give them a coussabe: the poor fellow had not one for himself, for he was naked; they struck him, threatened him, and at last put a cord round his neck, and tied him to a camel to take him off with them; but, at this moment, a marabout interfered, and obtained his release after many entreaties. When I inquired the cause of this cruelty, I was told that the hassanes always treat the zenagues, or tributaries, in this way when they want to extort something from them; they make them run to keep up with their camels, beating them unmercifully, and do not let them go till they get what they want.
The artizans are always zenagues; they are generally despised by the other classes, and perpetually exposed to the rapacity of the hassanes. When they have earned any thing by their labour, they give it to a marabout to keep, for it would not be safe in their own hands. They are either shoemakers or smiths; the shoemakers do all kinds of work in leather, make shoes, portfolios, saddles, etc.; the smiths make locks, fetters, poniards, and other iron articles; they are also goldsmiths, and are extremely ingenious; though they have few tools, they produce astonishing pieces of workmanship. Those who employ them commonly supply them with metal, and pay them with millet, milk, or stuff for clothing.
It was eight o’clock when the camp broke up. We travelled six miles N.N.W., on a soil covered with iron-stone, and three miles over yellow sand. The tree named balanitis ægyptiaca, grows here in great abundance; the Senegal negroes call it soump. The Moors collect the fruit of this tree, from the kernel of which they make a kind of sangleh, which they relish much, because it is very greasy. This kernel contains much oil, and the inhabitants of Senegal extract it for their use when they are short of olive oil. I tasted it at St. Louis, and found it tolerably good, but I think it might be better if more care were taken in gathering the fruit, and expressing the oil. If government were to afford encouragement to this culture, this fruit might become an important article of commerce. The tree grows every where near the Senegal. To extract the oil, the inhabitants pound the kernels in a mortar; when reduced to a paste, they make a hole in the middle, into which the oil flows speedily and abundantly; they lade it out by degrees, until no more runs; they then squeeze the paste in their hands, and it yields a little more oil, but not so clear as the first. A quart of kernels produces about a bottle of oil; hence it might be inferred, how much might be obtained by a better process. The negroes eat the pulp of the fruit, either raw or baked in the ashes. The trunk of the balanite furnishes yellow wood, easily worked, and firm; the Laobés[25] make mortars, pestles, baganes (large wooden bowls) and many other things of it.
On the 24th of November I was witness to a scene which diverted me extremely. I saw a number of women outside the camp, who were uttering shrill cries, and some children who were throwing stones; I approached to see what was the matter, and found a woman in tears, muffled up in her garments, and supported by her friends. While I was inquiring the cause of her affliction, I espied some men and a crowd of women at a distance, quarrelling about the loads of two oxen; three slaves with leather straps attacked the women when they came near the oxen, and the women in their turn laid on with sticks, and pitched off the loads. While the men were engaged in replacing them the women snatched what they could reach, and carried it off towards the camp in triumph, singing as they went. This contest lasted more than two hours, and the baggage was perceptibly diminished, when the wife and daughter of the great marabout interfered; they seated themselves on the remainder of the baggage, and the two parties began to listen to one another. The distressed female was born in this camp, and had married a marabout of a distant camp. Wishing to see her relations again, she had persuaded her husband to accompany her; some days after their arrival the husband was desirous of returning, he put off his journey however, at the request of his wife. At last, his business required it, and he was determined to return; but his wife who was bent upon keeping him, got up a quarrel, struck him, and collected all the women of the camp round him. The women flew at the husband like furies; the husband was supported by some of his friends; they tried to load the oxen again with the goods which the women had thrown on the ground; the women pushed and pulled, and sent them rolling with the bales; and the oxen were four times loaded and unloaded in my presence. In vain did three strong negroes, slaves of the husband, lash the women by the order of their master; they could not keep off the crowd, but were beaten themselves; and the boys, who are always fond of mischief, threw showers of stones upon them and the marabouts. At last, the wife and daughter of the grand marabout having taken possession of the baggage, a capitulation ensued; the women were desired to disperse; and the marabouts promised to take the goods back to the camp till the morrow. When every body was gone, they loaded the oxen again and set off, taking with them about a fourth of their goods; and in the evening the lady departed to rejoin her husband.
The Moorish women have great influence over their husbands, which they frequently make a bad use of. Polygamy is not practised by the inhabitants of this part of Africa, and their wives would not permit them even to have concubines. The king himself has, like his subjects, only one wife.