I Had No Opportunity Of
Seeing The Burial, Which Is Generally Performed Secretly In The Dusk Of
The Evening, And
Frequently at only a few yards distance from the tent.
Over the grave, they plant one particular shrub; and no
Stranger is
allowed to pluck a leaf, or even to touch it; so great a veneration have
they for the dead.
April 7th. About four o'clock in the afternoon, a whirlwind passed
through the camp with such violence that it overturned three tents, and
blew down one side of my hut. These whirlwinds come from the Great
Desert, and at this season of the year are so common, that I have seen
five or six of them at one time. They carry up quantities of sand to an
amazing height, which resemble, at a distance, so many moving pillars of
smoke.
The scorching heat of the sun, upon a dry and sandy country, makes the
air insufferably hot. Ali having robbed me of my thermometer, I had no
means of forming a comparative judgment; but in the middle of the day,
when the beams of the vertical sun are seconded by the scorching wind
from the Desert, the ground is frequently heated to such a degree, as not
to be borne by the naked foot; even the Negro slaves will not run from
one tent to another without their sandals. At this time of the day, the
Moors lie stretched at length in their tents, either asleep, or unwilling
to move; and I have often felt the wind so hot, that I could not hold my
hand in the current of air, which came through the crevices of my hut,
without feeling sensible pain.
April 8th. This day the wind blew from the south-west, and in the night
there was a heavy shower of rain accompanied with thunder and lightning.
April 10th. In the evening the Tabala, or large drum, was beat to
announce a wedding, which was held at one of the neighbouring tents. A
great number of people of both sexes assembled, but without that mirth
and hilarity which take place at a Negro wedding: here was neither
singing nor dancing, nor any other amusement that I could perceive. A
woman was beating the drum, and the other women joining at times like a
chorus, by setting up a shrill scream; and at the same time, moving their
tongues from one side of the mouth to the other with great celerity. I
was soon tired, and had returned into my hut, where I was sitting almost
asleep, when an old woman entered, with a wooden bowl in her hand, and
signified that she had brought me a present from the bride. Before I
could recover from the surprise which this message created, the woman
discharged the contents of the bowl full in my face. Finding that It was
the same sort of holy water, with which, among the Hottentots, a priest
is said to sprinkle a new married couple, I began to suspect that the old
lady was actuated by mischief or malice; but she gave me seriously to
understand, that it was a nuptial benediction from the bride's own
person; and which, on such occasions, is always received by the young
unmarried Moors as a mark of distinguished favour. This being the case, I
wiped my face, and sent my acknowledgments to the lady. The wedding drum
continued to beat, and the women to sing, or rather whistle, all night.
About nine in the morning, the bride was brought in state from her
mother's tent, attended by a number of women who carried her tent, (a
present from the husband,) some bearing up the poles, others holding by
the strings; and in this manner they marched, whistling as formerly,
until they came to the place appointed for her residence, where they
pitched the tent. The husband followed, with a number of men leading four
bullocks, which they tied to the tent strings; and having killed another,
and distributed the beef among the people, the ceremony was concluded.
CHAPTER XI.
_Occurrences at the camp continued. - Information collected by the Author
concerning Houssa and Tombuctoo; and the situation of the latter. - The
route described from Morocco to Benowm. - The Author's distress from
hunger - Ali removes his camp to the northward, - The Author is carried
prisoner to the new encampment, and is presented to Queen Fatima. - Great
distress from want of water_.
One whole month had now elapsed since I was led into captivity; during
which time each returning day brought me fresh distresses. I watched the
lingering course of the sun with anxiety, and blessed his evening beams
as they shed a yellow lustre along the sandy floor of my hut; for it was
then that my oppressors left me, and allowed me to pass the sultry night
in solitude and reflection.
About midnight a bowl of kouskous, with some salt and water, was brought
for me and my two attendants. This was our common fare, and it was all
that was allowed us, to allay the cravings of hunger, and support nature
for the whole of the following day: for it is to be observed, that this
was the Mahomedan Lent, and as the Moors keep the fast with a religious
strictness, they thought it proper to compel me, though a Christian, to a
similar observance. Time, however, somewhat reconciled me to my
situation: I found that I could bear hunger and thirst better than I
expected; and at length I endeavoured to beguile the tedious hours by
learning to write Arabic. The people who came to see me soon made me
acquainted with the characters; and I discovered, that, by engaging their
attention in this way, they were not so troublesome as otherwise they
would have been: indeed, when I observed any person whose countenance I
thought bore malice towards me, I made it a rule to ask him, either to
write in the sand himself, or to decipher what I had already written; and
the pride of showing his superior attainments generally induced him to
comply with my request.
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