The source of the Blue Nile : $b a record of a journey through the Soudan to Lake Tsana in western Abyssinia, and of the return to Egypt by the valley of the Atbara, with a note on the religion, customs, etc. of AbyssiniaHayes, Arthur J.
Religion
The source of the Blue Nile : $b a record of a journey through the Soudan to Lake Tsana in western Abyssinia, and of the return to Egypt by the valley of the Atbara, with a note on the religion, customs, etc. of Abyssinia
Hayes, Arthur J.
Ethiopia -- Description and travel; Ethiopia -- Religion; Sudan -- Description and travel
When the sheikh arrived at the Moudirieh, the Governor ordered him to
deliver up the men in whose possession he had found the slaves—and
the sheikh forthwith had the two merchants led forward. Colonel
G. was in a dilemma. Evidently the raider who had complained to
him was telling the truth, but all the slaves swore that they knew
nothing of the man. Questioning was of no avail, and did not shake
their evidence. Then the Moudir, turning suddenly to a little girl,
asked her, “Who told you to say that these two accused men raided
your village and took you away?” The little girl instantly pointed
to the sheikh and answered, “Please, sir, that man.”
This decided the matter. Some time after, the body of the
slave-dealer’s companion was found. I did not hear what befell the
sheikh, but the Moudir was not a man to be trifled with, and I have
no doubt that justice was done.
The sheikh of Goratia came into camp to greet us, and afterwards
sent us hot coffee, which was excellent. It is the most refreshing
drink of all after a tiring journey in the baking sunshine.
In this village we found a man who declared that he could act as
guide to the junction of the Atbara and the River Salaam, a point
which is of interest in connection with the all-important problem
of water-storage and distribution. It has not been sketched or
mapped—indeed, I believe that no European has yet succeeded in
reaching it, though the British officers in the Soudan have been
eager to discover the spot. My two companions arranged to start on the
following morning and endeavour to make a rough survey of the place.
At Goratia I obtained a photograph which shows clearly the amulet worn
by almost all the Soudanese. The youth who wore it had been married
about a week, and the scars on his back illustrate a singular custom
among the people. Sir Samuel Baker has described it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account