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
An Arab returned this evening, whom I had sent the night before for
the purpose of finding a poodle dog which had accompanied me from
Malta, and had remained behind from fatigue, the day we left Ikbar:
he was unsuccessful, and said that some of the wandering Tibboos must
have eaten him; he had found marks in the sand of the footsteps of
these people, and the remains of the two camels we had left on the
road were carried off: he traced their steps to the east, but was
afraid to follow them. It is from these wanderers that small kafilas,
or single merchants, have to dread attack. Generally speaking,
the regular sheikhs are satisfied by levying a tax, while these are
contented with nothing short of the whole.
Jan. 6.—At seven the thermometer was 42° in the tent.—About
five miles from Kisbee we left a wadey called Kilboo, by the Tibboos
Trona to our left, and coming close under the ridge of hills at
a point called Ametrigamma, we proceeded to Ashenumma, which is
about four miles beyond, with the high hills to the east, and a
very pleasing wadey to the west, producing palm and other trees. A
violent disturbance arose this morning on the road among our Arabs;
one of them having shot a ball through the shirt of another of the
Magarha tribe: the sheikh of the Magarha took up the quarrel, and
the man saved himself from being punished, by hanging to the stirrup
leather of my saddle. The Arab sheikh made use of some expressions
in defending his man, which displeased Boo-Khaloom, who instantly
knocked him off his horse, and his slaves soundly bastinadoed him.
Tiggema, near which we halted, is one of the highest points in the
range, and hangs over the mud houses of the town: this point stands
at the south extremity of the recess, which the hills here form, and
is about four hundred feet high; the sides are nearly perpendicular,
and it is detached from the other hills by a chasm. On the approach
of the Tuaricks the whole population flock to the top of these
heights, with all their property, and make the best defence they
can. The insides of some of the houses are neat and tidy; the men
are generally travelling merchants, or rather pedlers, and probably
do not pass more than four months in the year with their families,
for the Tibboos rarely go beyond Bornou to the south, or Mourzuk
to the north; they appeared light-hearted, and happy as people
constantly in dread of such visitors as the Tuaricks can be, who
spare neither age nor sex. A wadey, comparatively fertile, extends
several miles parallel to the heights under which the village stands,
producing dates and grass in abundance, and a salt water or trona lake
is within two miles of them, in which are wild fowl. Mr. Clapperton
shot two of the plover species, with spurs on their wings. A general
caution was given for no person to go out of the circle after sunset.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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