The Fruit Of This Palm Is About The Size Of A Cocoa-Nut,
And When Ripe It Is Of A Bright Yellow, With An Exceedingly Rich
Perfume Of Apricots; It Is Very Stringy, And, Although Eaten By
The Natives, It Is Beyond The Teeth Of A European.
The Arabs cut
it into slices, and boil it with water until they obtain a strong
syrup.
Subsequently I found this palm in great quantities near
the equator.
At Abou Harraz I discharged my camels, and endeavoured to engage
a boat to convey us to Khartoum, thus to avoid the dusty and
uninteresting ride of upwards of a hundred miles along its flat
and melancholy banks; but there was not a vessel of any kind to
be seen upon the river, except one miserable, dirty affair, for
which the owner demanded fourteen hundred piastres for a passage.
We accordingly procured camels, and started, intending to march
as rapidly as possible.
"June 2, 1862.--We packed the camels in the morning and started
them off to Rufaar. We followed at 2.30 P.M. as the natives
declared it was half a day's journey; but we did not arrive until
8.30 P.M. having marched about twenty-one miles. The town is
considerable, and is the head-quarters of our old friend, the
great Sheik Achmet Abou Sinn; he is now absent, but his son Ali
is at home. He received us very kindly, and lodged us in his own
house within a large inclosed court, with a well of good water in
the centre. Having read my firman, be paid us the usual
compliments, but he lacked the calm dignity and ease of manner of
his grand old father. He sat stiffly upon the divan, occasionally
relieving the monotony of his position by lifting up the cover of
the cushions, and spitting beneath it. Not having a handkerchief,
but only the limited natural advantages of a finger and thumb, a
cold in the head gave him much trouble, and unpleasant marks upon
the wall exhibited hieroglyphics of recent date, that were ill
adapted to the reception-room of an Arab chieftain. In about an
hour he departed, and shortly after, a dinner of four dishes was
brought. No. 1 was an Arab Irish stew, but alas! MINUS the
potatoes; it was very good, nevertheless, as the mutton was fat.
No. 2 was an Arab stew, with no Irish element; it was very hot
with red pepper, and rather dry. No. 3 was a good quick fry of
small pieces of mutton in butter and garlic (very good); and No.
4 was an excellent dish of the usual melach, already described.
The wind had within the last few days changed to south, and we
had been subjected to dust storms and sudden whirlwinds similar
to those we had experienced at this season in the preceding year,
when about to start from Berber. We left Rufaar, and continued
our march along the banks of the Blue Nile, towards Khartoum.
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