The Tribute They Pay Is Considerable; And
They Manifest Towards Their Moorish Superiors The Most Unlimited
Obedience And Submission, And Are Treated By Them With The Utmost
Indignity And Contempt.
The Moors of this and the other states
adjoining the country of the negroes resemble in their persons the
Mulattoes of the West Indies to so great a degree as not easily to
be distinguished from them; and, in truth, the present generation
seem to be a mixed race between the Moors (properly so called) of
the north and the negroes of the south, possessing many of the worst
qualities of both nations.
Of the origin of these Moorish tribes, as distinguished from the
inhabitants of Barbary, from whom they are divided by the Great
Desert, nothing further seems to be known than what is related by
John Leo, the African, whose account may be abridged as follows:-
Before the Arabian conquest, about the middle of the seventh
century, all the inhabitants of Africa, whether they were descended
from Numidians, Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals, or
Goths, were comprehended under the general name of Mauri, or Moors.
All these nations were converted to the religion of Mohammed during
the Arabian empire under the Kaliphs. About this time many of the
Numidian tribes, who led a wandering life in the desert, and
supported themselves upon the produce of their cattle, retired
southward across the Great Desert to avoid the fury of the Arabians;
and by one of those tribes, says Leo (that of Zanhaga), were
discovered, and conquered, the negro nations on the Niger. By the
Niger is here undoubtedly meant the river of Senegal, which in the
Mandingo language is Bafing, or the Black River.
To what extent these people are now spread over the African
continent it is difficult to ascertain. There is reason to believe
that their dominion stretches from west to east, in a narrow line or
belt, from the mouth of the Senegal (on the northern side of that
river) to the confines of Abyssinia. They are a subtle and
treacherous race of people, and take every opportunity of cheating
and plundering the credulous and unsuspecting negroes. But their
manners and general habits of life will be best explained as
incidents occur in the course of my narrative.
The difficulties we had already encountered, the unsettled state of
the country, and, above all, the savage and overbearing deportment
of the Moors, had so completely frightened my attendants that they
declared they would rather relinquish every claim to reward than
proceed one step farther to the eastward. Indeed, the danger they
incurred of being seized by the Moors, and sold into slavery, became
every day more apparent; and I could not condemn their
apprehensions. In this situation, deserted by my attendants, and
reflecting that my retreat was cut off by the war behind me, and
that a Moorish country of ten days' journey lay before me, I applied
to Daman to obtain permission from Ali, the chief or sovereign of
Ludamar, that I might pass through his country unmolested into
Bambarra; and I hired one of Daman's slaves to accompany me thither,
as soon as such permission should be obtained. A messenger was
despatched to Ali, who at this time was encamped near Benowm; and as
a present was necessary in order to insure success, I sent him five
garments of cotton cloth, which I purchased of Daman for one of my
fowling-pieces. Fourteen days elapsed in settling this affair; but
on the evening of the 26th of February, one of Ali's slaves arrived
with directions, as he pretended, to conduct me in safety as far as
Goomba, and told me I was to pay him one garment of blue cotton
cloth for his attendance. My faithful boy, observing that I was
about to proceed without him, resolved to accompany me; and told me,
that though he wished me to turn back, he never entertained any
serious thoughts of deserting me, but had been advised to it by
Johnson, with a view to induce me to turn immediately for Gambia.
February 27. - I delivered most of my papers to Johnson, to convey
them to Gambia as soon as possible, reserving a duplicate for myself
in case of accidents. I likewise left in Daman's possession a
bundle of clothes, and other things that were not absolutely
necessary, for I wished to diminish my baggage as much as possible,
that the Moors might have fewer inducements to plunder us.
Things being thus adjusted, we departed from Jarra in the forenoon,
and slept at Troomgoomba, a small walled village, inhabited by a
mixture of negroes and Moors. On the day following (February 28th)
we reached Quira; and on the 29th, after a toilsome journey over a
sandy country, we came to Compe, a watering-place belonging to the
Moors; from whence, on the morning following, we proceeded to Deena,
a large town, and, like Jarra, built of stone and clay. The Moors
are here in greater proportion to the negroes than at Jarra. They
assembled round the hut of the negro where I lodged, and treated me
with the greatest insolence; they hissed, shouted, and abused me;
they even spat in my face, with a view to irritate me, and afford
them a pretext for seizing my baggage. But finding such insults had
not the desired effect, they had recourse to the final and decisive
argument, that I was a Christian, and of course that my property was
lawful plunder to the followers of Mohammed. They accordingly
opened my bundles, and robbed me of everything they fancied. My
attendants, finding that everybody could rob me with impunity,
insisted on returning to Jarra.
The day following (March 2nd), I endeavoured, by all the means in my
power, to prevail upon my people to go on, but they still continued
obstinate; and having reason to fear some further insult from the
fanatic Moors, I resolved to proceed alone. Accordingly, the next
morning, about two o'clock, I departed from Deena.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 25 of 45
Words from 24515 to 25521
of 45803
