- To you or to me?" I
explained that his people had been driven out by a superior force, and
that we had found it abandoned; at the same time, neither he nor his
people dare remain here without my protection, therefore the land
belonged to the Khedive of Egypt; but if the natives wished to re-settle
I would give them their original property.
He simply replied, "Who does this tree belong to?" (we were standing
beneath its shade). "It belongs to the Khedive of Egypt," I replied,
"who is now protector of the whole country, and I am his representative
to establish his government."
He replied: "Then you had better be off to Khartoum, for we don't want
any government here."
There can be no doubt that in the abstract of people's rights, any
annexation of the territory of another is an infringement. Had this
principle been adhered to throughout the history of the world, there
would have been no progress. Savages of all countries are prone to
strife; and a state of chronic warfare with neighbouring tribes is the
example of African politics. A strong government is a necessity.
I had always expected trouble with the Baris, as I had known them during
my former journey as a tribe of intractable savages. The Austrian
missionaries had abandoned them as hopeless, after many efforts and a
great expenditure of money and energy.
The natives had pulled down the neat mission house, and they had pounded
and ground the bright red bricks into the finest powder, which mixed
with grease formed a paint to smear their naked bodies. Thus the only
results of many years' teaching were the death of many noble men, the
loss of money, the failure of the attempt; and instead of the enterprise
leaving a legacy of inward spiritual grace to these "men and brethren,"
the missionary establishment itself was converted into an external
application for the skin: the house of God was turned into "pomade
divine." This was a result that might have been expected by any person
who had practical experience of the Baris.
The extent of country occupied by this tribe was about ninety miles in
length from north to south, and seventy in width. Although the people
who inhabited this district were all Baris, there was no cohesion among
them. They were divided into numerous small chiefdoms, each governed by
its sheik or head man. Thus Allorron represented Gondokoro, while every
petty district was directed by a similar sheik. The Bari country was
thickly inhabited. The general features of the landscape were rolling
park-like grass lands; - very little actual flat, but a series of
undulations, ornamented with exceedingly fine timber-forests of
considerable extent, and mountains rising to about 2,500 or 3,000 feet
above their base. From these mountains numerous streams drained to the
Nile: these were generally dry in the summer season. The soil was poor
in the neighbourhood of Gondokoro, but at a distance from the river, the
country was fertile; the rocks were throughout granitic; the mountains
yielded the finest iron ore, especially those of Belinian, twelve miles
from Gondokoro, where the natives were expert black smiths. Cultivation
was carried on to a large extent throughout the country; the corn
generally used was the common dhurra (Sorghum vulgare). This was usually
the dark-red variety, which, being rather bitter, has a chance of escape
from the clouds of small birds which ruin the crops. Sesame was common
throughout all portions of Central Africa, and throve well upon the poor
and light soil of Gondokoro.
The Baris were exceedingly neat in their dwellings, and their villages
were innumerable. Each hut was surrounded by a small court composed of
cement made from the clay of the white-ant hills mixed with cow-dung and
smeared with ashes: these courts were always kept scrupulously clean.
The Bari hut differs from that of other tribes, as it contains an inner
circle, which can only be used by creeping on the hands and knees-first
through the entrance, which is only twenty-four inches high, and
secondly from the passage formed by the inner circle. The inner walls
are formed of wattles and clay neatly smeared or plastered with cement.
They are quickly attacked by the white ants, which destroy the wattles,
but the clay is sufficiently tenacious to form a wall when the wood or
reeds may have disappeared.
The granaries are formed of wicker-work supported upon upright pedestals
of either hard wood or of stone, to resist the white ants; the
wicker-work is smeared with clay and cow-dung, and the roof is thatched
in a manner similar to the house.
The Baris are a great pastoral people, and possess immense herds of
cattle. These are generally small active animals with humps; white is
the prevailing colour. The sheep are small and the mutton is good; but
although the fine pasturage of the Bari country is eminently adapted for
sheep and goats, these animals are delicate, and require much attention
during the heavy rains, at which time they are always kept beneath a
roof at night, with fires composed of dry cow-dung to create a smoke
that will drive away flies or mosquitoes.
Like most of the tribes of the White Nile, the Baris have a strong
objection to sell their cattle; thus you may be surrounded by plenty,
but you may starve in the midst of beef.
Their large herds are confined at night within zareebas or kraals. These
are formidable defences. The cattle zareeba is a circular stockade
formed of a hard wood called by the Arabs abou-noos or abdnoos (ebony).
This is an intensely hard black wood somewhat resembling ebony. Piles as
thick as a man's thigh are sunk in the earth, so as to leave a fence or
stockade of about eight feet high above the surface; these piles are
placed as close as possible together, and interlaced by tough hooked
thorns, which when dry and contracted bind the stockade into a very
compact defence.
