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
K. Jefára is also called Karabúli, from the name of a Mamlúk who, in the
time of Yusuf Basha, built here a sort of convent or chapel. It is rather
a “funduk,” or caravanserai, than a “kasr,” or castle, and the gates are
always left open; but its situation is important, and it is the residence
of a judge or kaíd. A battle between Ghóma and the Turks was fought in
1855 at no great distance from it. The country around is a monotonous
plain, enlivened only by three small clusters of palm-trees towards the
north. The following morning we proceeded, and encamped on the eastern
side of Wady Raml. On Tuesday we returned to Tripoli well satisfied with
our little excursion, and convinced that the Regency of Tripoli is not by
any means so poor and miserable as it is generally believed to be.
CHAPTER IV.
DEPARTURE FOR THE INTERIOR.—ARRIVAL AT MIZDA.—REMAINS OF A CHRISTIAN
CHURCH.
Meanwhile the instruments provided by Government had arrived, and proved
in general well adapted for their purposes.[6] But the tents and arms
had not yet reached us; and I thought it better to provide a strong,
spacious, and low tent, which, even after the Government tents arrived,
did not prove superfluous, although perhaps rather too heavy. All tents
intended for travellers in hot climates should be well lined, and not
high. Those which we received were quite unfit for the country whither we
were going, and while they were so light that they could hardly withstand
a strong blast of wind, they scarcely excluded the sun, particularly
after a little wear and tear. All the tents ought also to have top-ropes,
which can alone secure them in a tornado such as are common in those
climates. Mr. Richardson was soon obliged to provide himself with another
tent, so that in the course of our journey we had altogether five tents,
but generally pitched only two, or, where we encamped for a greater
length of time, four.
Mr. Overweg and I sustained a heavy loss in the secession of our black
servant Ibrahím, who might have proved of great service to us in the
interior, as he spoke the Bórnu and Bagrímma languages, and had himself
wandered about a good deal in those little-known districts between
Mándara and Bagírmi. But he declared that he could not remain in our
service along with our servant Mohammed ben Belál, the son of a liberated
Góber slave, who was a very clever but unscrupulous and haughty fellow,
and bore the character of a libertine. But another cause of detention
was the protest of his wives, who would not allow him to go unless he
divorced them. We tried every means of settling the matter, but without
success; so that we had only two servants, one of whom, Mohammed eʾ
Zintáni, the lad I have mentioned before, would certainly not go further
than Fezzán.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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