In the event of treachery, his force could be almost
annihilated by one discharge.
The hill sentry now reported the arrival of a messenger, who waved a
white handkerchief on the end of a bamboo. This was the signal agreed
upon, and the messenger was allowed to pass. He communicated the fact of
Bedden's approach: in a few minutes later the great sheik arrived.
He was very tall and gaunt; and without any delay, both he and his
people were ushered into the hollow square, where they all stuck their
lances in the ground and sat down.
I now sent for Bedden and a few of his principal men to the poop deck of
my diahbeeah, which, being covered with carpets, and arranged with sofas
and chairs, was something very astonishing to the great sheik, who had
never seen anything but a vessel in the distance.
I explained the objects of the expedition; at the same time I presented
him with a long Egyptian blue shirt that reached to his ankles, and made
him look more respectable. A crimson sash round his waist, and a red
tarboosh (fez) upon his head, improved his appearance wonderfully, and
he began to feel at home.
I presented him with six pounds of beads of various colours, together
with some strings of harness bells. Brass bugles and a large mirror
attracted more attention than any other curiosities.
I gave him a brass bugle, to his great delight. The use of the cannon
was then explained to him, and the effects of the shell were pardonably
exaggerated to produce a respect for the weapon.
He gave us six pots of merissa and some fowls, promising to come again
tomorrow.
All these people believe in sorcery, and each sheik possesses spells and
conjurers. Tortoise shells, scales of the manis, lions' claws, and those
of the leopard, roots, knots of trees of peculiar shape, and many other
things, are worn as talismans.
My wife's parrot was supposed to be a cojoor, or fetish. This was the
grey bird of West Africa, that was unknown in these parts. The
interpreter explained that "it could speak like a human being, and that
it flew about the country and listened to what people said - all of
which it repeated to its mistress and myself; thus we knew everything
that occurred, and the natives could not deceive us." This parrot was
exceedingly tame, and was never confined. It was now walking about the
deck, and while its extraordinary powers were being described by my Bari
interpreter, Morgian, to the amazement and fear of the natives, it
advanced stoutly to the sheik Bedden, and would have bitten his big toe
had he not quickly jumped up and taken leave.
The magnetic battery and the large musical box were also believed to be
magic.
At sunset, the great sheik departed in the best of spirits, with all his
people, as he had drunk a tumbler of Marsala before he started, in order
to try the quality of our merissa.
The population of this country is very large, and the natives are good
agriculturists. Although the soil is stony, it is very productive, as
the cultivation is carefully attended to. Dhurra, sesame, dochan, and
beans, in addition to a species of Hibiscus which produces an edible
seed and also a fine fibre, are sown in exact oblongs or squares
resembling the plots in allotment-grounds in England. Near the villages
are large heaps of manure, collected from the cattle zareebas. These are
mixed with the sweepings of the stations, and the ashes from the
cattle-fires, and are divided when required among the proprietors of the
herds.
Each cow of the zareeba is entitled to a certain measure of manure at
the commencement of the rains, when all hands turn out to cultivate;
thus the owner of many cows is enabled to farm a large area.
The cows are all herded in one or two pens; thus the whole manure is
heaped, and, when divided, is measured in large baskets. It is then
distributed very thickly over the field, and is roughly hoed with the
iron molote, the seed been thrown upon the manure broadcast, previous to
the hoeing.
The geological appearance of the country would suggest the presence of
precious metals. Large masses of rose-coloured and icy-white quartz
project from the surface in dikes. These run for miles in tolerably
direct lines, like walls, from west to east. Generally the rocks are
granitic, consisting of syenite and gneiss, with micacious schist in the
lower valleys. Occasionally, dikes of basalt break through the surface,
which is generally much denuded, and the rocks are weather-worn and
decomposed.
I have frequently washed for gold in the most likely spots among the
deep holes of ravines, where the torrents have worn away the bed, but I
have found no sign of either precious stones or metals. Magnetic iron
ore in large quantities is the only metal to be discovered in the
river-beds.
On 13th November, at sunrise, Lieutenant Baker started with the troops
to convey corn from a distant village. I was sitting on the poop-deck of
the diahbeeah, enjoying a pipe and a cup of coffee, when he suddenly
galloped back with the news that a herd of bull elephants was
approaching from the west. I was not prepared for elephant-shooting, and
I recommended him to return to the troops, who would otherwise waste
their time. I had no suspicion that elephants would approach our
position after having been disturbed by the soldiers, in a country that
was perfectly open.
Lieutenant Baker cantered back to his men, while I commenced to write up
my daily journal according to my daily custom.
In about a quarter of an hour, the sentry reported a herd of elephants.
All my people clambered up upon the googoos and buts to obtain a good
view of the herd, which from the high poop-deck of the diahbeeah we
could see distinctly.
