Narrative of travels and discoveries in Northern and Central Africa, in the years 1822, 1823, and 1824Denham, Dixon
History
Narrative of travels and discoveries in Northern and Central Africa, in the years 1822, 1823, and 1824
Denham, Dixon
Africa, Central -- Description and travel; Africa, North -- Description and travel; Natural history -- Africa, North
as to hang over the left shoulder, with the head of the animal on
the breast; and being confined round the middle, was made to reach
nearly half way down the thigh, the skin of the tail and legs being
also preserved. On their heads, which were covered with long woolly,
or rather bristly, hair, coming quite over their eyes, they wore a cap
of the skin of the goat, or some fox-like animal; round their arms,
and in their ears, were rings of what to me appeared to be bone;
and round the necks of each were from one to six strings of what I
was assured were the teeth of the enemies they had slain in battle:
teeth and pieces of bone were also pendant from the clotted locks
of their hair, and with the red patches with which their body was
marked in different places, and of which colour also their own
teeth were stained, they really had a most strikingly wild, and
truly savage, appearance. What very much increased the interest I
felt in gazing upon these beings, who, to appearance, were the most
savage of their race, was the positive assertion of Boo-Khaloom
that they were Christians. I had certainly no other argument at
the moment to use, in refutation of his position, but their most
unchristian-like appearance and deportment; in this he agreed,
but added, “Wolla Insara, they are Christians!” Some of them,
however, begging permission to regale themselves on the remains of
a horse, which had died during the night in our camp, gave me, as
I thought, an unanswerable argument against him. I can scarcely,
however, at this moment forget how disconcerted I felt when he
replied, “That is nothing: I certainly never heard of Christians
eating dead horse-flesh, but I know they eat the flesh of swine,
and God knows that is worse!” “Grant me patience!” exclaimed
I to myself; “this is almost too much to bear, and to be silent.”
I endeavoured, by means of one of the Mandara people, to ask some
questions of some of these reputed Christians, but my attempts
were fruitless; they would hold no intercourse with any one; and,
on gaining permission, carried off the carcass of the horse to the
mountains, where, by the fires which blazed during the night, and
the yells that reached our ears, they no doubt held their savage
and brutal feast.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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