Travels and discoveries in North and Central Africa : $b Including accounts of Tripoli, the Sahara, the remarkable kingdom of Bornu, and the countries around Lake ChadBarth, Heinrich
History
Travels and discoveries in North and Central Africa : $b Including accounts of Tripoli, the Sahara, the remarkable kingdom of Bornu, and the countries around Lake Chad
Barth, Heinrich
Africa, Central -- Description and travel; Africa, North -- Description and travel
Not so pleasant to me, though not without interest, was the visit of
another great man—Belróji, the támberi or war-chieftain of the Ighólar
Im-esághlar. He was still in his prime, but my Kél-owí (who were always
wrangling like children) got up a desperate fight with him in my very
room, which was soon filled with clouds of dust; and the young Slimán
entered during the row, and joining in it, it became really frightful.
The Kél-owí were just like children; when they went out they never failed
to put on all their finery, which they threw off as soon as they came
within doors, resuming their old dirty clothes.
It was my custom in the afternoon, when the sun had set behind the
opposite buildings, to walk up and down in front of our house; and while
so doing to-day I had a long conversation with two chiefs of the Itísan
on horseback, who came to see me, and avowed their sincere friendship
and regard. They were fine, tall men, but rather slim, with a noble
expression of countenance and of light colour. Their dress was simple
but handsome, and arranged with great care. All the Tuarek, from Ghát as
far as Háusa, and from Alákkos to Timbúktu, are passionately fond of the
tobes and trousers called “tailelt” (the Guinea-fowl), or “fílfil” (the
pepper), on account of their speckled colour. They are made of silk and
cotton interwoven, and look very neat. The lowest part of the trousers,
which forms a narrow band about two inches broad, closing rather tightly,
is embroidered in different colours. None of the Tuarek of pure blood
would, I think, degrade themselves by wearing on their head the red cap.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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