The Females, Though Handsome
And Intelligent, Were Inquisitive And Dishonest; And, Upon The Whole, The
Natives Were Of A Jealous And Revengeful Disposition.
The country is
fertile, abounding in grain and cattle; but the atmosphere is filled with
tormenting insects.
[Illustration: Manner of Fishing in the River Yewn]
Major Denham passed the river Yeou, and describes the mode of fishing
pursued by the inhabitants on its banks, from which they derive a very
considerable source of revenue. "They make very good nets of a twine spun
from a perennial plant called _kalimboa_. The implements for fishing are
ingenious, though simple: two large gourds are nicely balanced, and then
fixed on a large stem of bamboo, at the extreme ends; the fisherman
launches this on the river, and places himself astride between the
gourds, and thus he floats with the stream, and throws his net. He has
also floats of cane, and weights of small leather bags of sand: he beats
up against the stream, paddling with his hands and feet, previous to
drawing the net, which, as it rises in the water, he lays before him as
he sits; and with a sort of mace, which he carries for the purpose, the
fish are stunned by a single blow. His drag finished, the fish are taken
out, and thrown into the gourds, which are open at the top, to receive
the produce of his labor. These wells being filled, he steers for the
shore, unloads, and again returns to the sport."
On this journey Mr. Toole sank under disease and fatigue. He was interred
in a deep grave, overhung by a clump of mimosas in full blossom. Above
was placed a high pile of prickly thorns, to protect his remains from the
hyenas.
Mr. Tyrwhit, who had been sent out by Government, joined the party on the
20th May. Major Denham and this gentleman accompanied Barca Gana on an
expedition, against the La Sala Shouas, a kind of "amphibious shepherds,"
who dwell in a number of green islands on the south-eastern shores of the
Lake Tchad, the channels between which are so shallow, that, in spite of
the bottom being filled with mud and holes, the experienced traveller can
pass them in safety. Here Barca Gana, though at the head of 1400 men, was
inclined to pause; but his troops could not be restrained when they saw
the flocks and herds of the La Salas feeding peacefully on the opposite
shores. They cried out, "What! shall we be so near them, and not eat
them? This night these flocks and women shall be ours." They plunged into
the water, but were soon entangled in the holes and mud of the narrow
passes. The La Salas, too, were on the alert, poured showers of arrows
upon them, and pushed forward their cavalry. The Arabs were totally
discomfited, and Barca Gana was wounded in the back through his chain
armour.
In this excursion Major Denham obtained some acquaintance with the Shouaa
Arabs, also called Dugganahs, a simple and pastoral race, whose principal
sustenance is the milk of their herds. They dwell in tents of leather
arranged in circular encampments; they wear long beards, and their
countenances are serious and expressive. Tahr, the chief, after strictly
examining into the motive of his journey, said, "And have you been three
years from your home? Are not your eyes dimmed with straining to the
north, where all your thoughts must ever be? If my eyes do not see the
wife and children of my heart for ten days, they are flowing with tears
when they should be closed in sleep." At his departure, Tahr said, "May
you die at your own tents, and in the arms of your wife and family!"
The shores of the lake are infested by the Biddoomabs, a piratical tribe
who lurk in the many islands scattered upon its ample bosom. They are
rude and savage in their manners, despising cultivation: and possessing
nearly a thousand canoes, they spread terror and desolation along the
shores.
This was the last warlike expedition which Major Denham accompanied; and
while his zeal for discovery is commendable, yet he seems to have acted
most injudiciously in exposing himself to danger, for the sake of
acquiring a cursory and superficial knowledge (all that his opportunities
enabled him to do) of certain parts of the country.
During the time that Major Denham was engaged in these excursions, we
have mentioned that Mr. Clapperton and Dr. Oudney obtained permission to
travel westward into Soudan. At Murmur Dr. Oudney expired. The territory
of the Fellatahs was under better cultivation than any part of Africa
which they had seen. In five weeks they came to Kano, the great emporium
of Houssa, and indeed of Central Africa, which contains about 30,000
stationary inhabitants, in addition to the migratory crowds, who repair
to it with merchandise from the farthest quarters of Africa. The walls
are fifteen miles in circumference, but only a fourth part of this
surface is covered with houses. The list of goods sold in the market is
varied and extensive, comprising clothing of all kinds made from the
cloth of the country, unwrought silk, Moorish and Mameluke dresses,
pieces of Egyptian linen striped with gold, sword-blades from Malta,
antimony and tin, glass and coral beads, ornaments of silver, pewter, and
brass, &c. besides cattle, vegetables, and fruits. But the chief feature
is the slave market, where the unfortunate beings are ranged, according
to their sex, in two long rows. The cowrie, so frequently mentioned in
Park's Travels, is here the chief medium of circulation. The city is very
unhealthy, owing to the great quantity of stagnant water enclosed within
the walls; many of the Arab merchants of the place are described as
looking rather like ghosts than men. The number of those who have lost
their sight is great, and there is a separate quarter of the town
assigned to them.
From Kano they departed for Sockatoo, which is a well built city, laid
out in regular streets, and containing a large number of inhabitants.
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