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
plaits all round her expressive face and neck, and her large sparkling
eyes and little mouth, filled with the whitest teeth imaginable. She
had various figures burnt on her chin with gunpowder: her complexion
was a deep brown; and round her neck were eight or ten necklaces of
coral and different coloured beads. So interesting a person I had
not seen in the country; and on my remaining some moments with my
eyes fixed on her, she recommenced the salutation, “How is your
health,” &c. and smiling, asked, with great naiveté, “whether I
had not learnt, during the last two months, a little more Arabic.”
I assured her I had. Looking round to see if any body heard her—and
having brought the hood over her face—she said, “I first heard
of your coming last night, and desired the slave to mention it to my
brother. I have always looked for your coming, and at night, because
at night I have sometimes seen you: you were the first man whose
hand I ever touched—but they all said it did not signify with you,
an _Insara_ (a Christian). God turn your heart!—but my brother says
you will never become Moslem—won’t you, to please Abdi Zeleel’s
sister? My mother says God would have never allowed you to come, but
for your conversion.” By this time, again the hood had fallen back,
and I again had taken her hand, when the unexpected appearance of Abdi
Zeleel, accompanied by the governor of the town, who came to visit
me, was a most unwelcome interruption. Omhal-henna quickly escaped;
she had, however, overstepped the line, and I saw her no more.
Besides our own people, and the followers of Boo-Khaloom, we had a
number of liberated slaves who were returning to their homes. The
bashaw had given freedom to twenty-four from the castle, sixteen
of whom were females. Our friend, Mohammed D’Ghies, had also
liberated three young women, all under twenty, natives of Begharmi,
the evening previous to our leaving Tripoli, telling them, in my
presence, that his friends the English wishing to visit their country,
was the cause of their being set at liberty. There are circumstances
attached to this act of D’Ghies beyond the mere liberation of three
healthy negresses, so creditable to the feelings of this excellent
old man, that they must not be omitted. Two of these girls only had
fallen into his hands, and on his intimating to them his intention of
giving them their liberty, they told him that another sister had been
brought to Tripoli with them, and sold, like themselves, to slavery;
but they knew not what was become of her. Mohammed D’Ghies, after
much inquiry, succeeded in finding out who had been the purchaser,
paid the price demanded for her liberation, and provided the means
for enabling all the sisters to return together to their own country
with Boo-Khaloom.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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