Expedition to discover the sources of the White Nile, in the years 1840, 1841, Vol. 2 (of 2)Werne, Ferdinand
History
Expedition to discover the sources of the White Nile, in the years 1840, 1841, Vol. 2 (of 2)
Werne, Ferdinand
Nile River
at ten o’clock, a small pastoral village on the left, with ash-grey
people. The forest extends at one side, and was refreshing to us,
with its various tints of green. Here and there the sun breaks
through the clouds, and casts picturesque gleams of light around;
I can even enjoy it, for I feel myself again better after the very
strong perspiration I had in the night.
The Bohrs have lines on their foreheads like the Elliàbs, not
waved, however, like the latter, but straight, and also broader. The
drogman has five, which appear to consist of double lines. A quarter
after ten o’clock, N.N.W.; to the left an islet, with flowering
creepers and reeds. We are welcomed with a song, for this is the
usual custom with the tribes below Bari. One leads the choir,
and the chorus joins continually with “jok, jok, are o jok;”
but they have several refrains, among which their “abande jok”
should not be forgotten. At eleven o’clock N., uninterruptedly,
like our direction, with the former deviations to W. and E., the
eternal enumeration of which would only be tiresome. I know enough of
the previous ascent to be able to control my French companions. We
stop at half-past twelve o’clock at the right shore by the Haba,
and push off at half-past one again to N.N.W. The nation of the Bors,
or Bohrs, is likewise poor, and nothing was to be purchased from them
but some teeth, which Matta Selim Capitan appropriated to himself. The
tribes hitherto seen have, on the whole, the same sort of weapons,
although some arms are only similar; everywhere we see solitary
spears, similar to those of Bari. It seems generally that all iron
work is manufactured in that country, according to the taste of the
different tribes, which is frequently indeed very bad, and sent away
from thence; many, however, may have been introduced by intercourse
with nations dwelling at their side. It is a cool north-west wind.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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