A narrative of travels in northern Africa in the years 1818, 19, and 20; accompanied by geographical notices of Soudan and of the course of the NigerLyon, G. F. (George Francis)
History
A narrative of travels in northern Africa in the years 1818, 19, and 20; accompanied by geographical notices of Soudan and of the course of the Niger
Lyon, G. F. (George Francis)
Fezzan (Libya) -- Description and travel; Tripolitania -- Description and travel
are two of them! God is merciful! How wonderful! Well! I never
thought a man could be put upon paper. That’s the very Kaftan
he bought of Hadje Mahmoud! And look, he has a nose and mouth too,
oh! oh! oh! Allah! Allah! Allah!”
Fighi Sālem, a friend of ours, was particularly anxious that I
should give him, before my departure, a stock of medicines, such as
would enable him to become a father. I constantly made some excuse,
but he was so pressing, that, unwilling to own my want of ability
to comply, I gave him a compound of the dust of our medicine chest,
which I pompously assured him was excellent, and would produce the
desired effect. I recommended to him, when taking the prescription,
to shut one eye while he drank, or to hold his ears; which he
promised faithfully to observe, and I make no doubt was anxiously
awaiting the result.
I made up some packages of medicine, which I presented to Mukni,
begging him to accept also a small still which he had borrowed,
and which I knew he never intended to return. He asked it first for
the purpose, as he said, of making caraway water; but I strongly
suspect it was employed in composing something more congenial to his
palate, as his Negresses kept the still on the fire night and day,
and much mystery was observed on the occasion. Belford was sent
for once or twice to put it in order, Mukni allowing him to enter
the Haram attended by one of his sons.
I sold our small horse for twenty dollars, and hired camels to bring
home our goods as far as Sockna at one mitgal (or at the rate of
the exchange of gold, one dollar three-fourths), the kantar.
We had a japanned tea-tray, which was considered by far the finest
thing ever seen in Morzouk. This I presented to Hadje Mahmoud for
the improvement of his family. He had often extolled it highly,
and whenever he brought any one to visit us, begged that his friend
might be indulged with a sight of it. We at last discovered that
he wanted it to show to his Negress, who was with child by him
(to his great boast, as he was seventy-five years of age), that she
might produce a handsome boy, all his family being horridly ugly,
and, like their father, very short; and the lady being near her
time, the gift was most thankfully received. I was promised a very
handsome ewe and ram of the Soudan breed, which were to accompany me
to England; and Aleiwa sent me, as a present, a very fine Maherry,
which he had ridden himself from Borgoo. It was quite white, and
very fleet and docile.
[Illustration:
_Drawn from Life by G. F. Lyon._
_On Stone by D. Dighton._
A TUARICK ON HIS MAHERRIE.
_London. Published by J. Murray Albemarle St. Feb.1.1821._
_C. Hullmandel’s Lithography._]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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