Journal of a second expedition into the interior of Africa, from the Bight of Benin to Soccatoo : $b To which is added, the journal of Richard Lander from Kano to the sea-coast, partly by a more eastern route.Clapperton, Hugh
History
Journal of a second expedition into the interior of Africa, from the Bight of Benin to Soccatoo : $b To which is added, the journal of Richard Lander from Kano to the sea-coast, partly by a more eastern route.
Clapperton, Hugh
Sudan (Region) -- Description and travel
part of which they burnt down, giving liberty to all the Mahometan
slaves, and encouraging others to kill their pagan masters and join
them. After they had fairly settled themselves, the Arabs from the
east and west came to congratulate Danfodio on his newly acquired
territory. Numbers of his countrymen came from the west to settle
in Houssa. These he located principally in the province of Zegzeg,
where he gave the lands and houses of the negroes who had fled to
the mountains and inaccessible parts of that province lying to the
south. To the Arabs of Tripoli and Fezzan he made large presents
of slaves and camels, sending none away empty-handed. The news of
his fame spread every way. Arabs, in shoals, came and passed with
him as sherifs, and would seldom go away under a hundred slaves,
with camels and provisions.
Before he gathered the Foulahs, or Fellatas, under his government,
they did not live in towns, but were scattered over the greater
part of Soudan, attending to their herds and flocks, living in
temporary huts, generally in the midst of unfrequented woods,
seldom visiting the towns. This business they left to the women,
who attended the markets, and sold the produce of their cattle. The
men were reported to live a religious and harmless life, spending a
great part of their time in reading the Koran and other religious
books. Now and then a few of their learned men would come forth,
and engage themselves for a few years with the Mahometan sultans
and governors, until they had collected a little money, with which
they purchased a few cattle, and then returned to the woods to
their countrymen, who moved about from one province to another,
according to the seasons, and the nature and quantity of pasture and
water; contented with building temporary huts of straw and rushes,
and to be left in peace. No one indeed thought of disturbing them,
or interfering with their pursuits, they being probably considered as
too contemptible and insignificant to excite any fear. Thus dispersed,
no one but themselves knew or could guess at their numbers. Melli,
or the petty kingdoms of Foota-Torra, Foota-Bonda, and Foota-Jella,
were the places from whence they spread themselves eastward, until
they became very considerable, in point of numbers, in all the
countries between the above-mentioned places and Wady. Many of them
had performed their pilgrimage to Mecca, and others had visited the
empires of Turkey and Morocco, as also Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli,
bringing back with them all the Arabic books they were able to beg
or buy.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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