Travels and discoveries in North and Central Africa, Vol. 1 (of 5) : $b being a journal of an expedition undertaken under the auspices of H.B.M.'s Government, in the years 1849-1855Barth, Heinrich
History
Travels and discoveries in North and Central Africa, Vol. 1 (of 5) : $b being a journal of an expedition undertaken under the auspices of H.B.M.'s Government, in the years 1849-1855
Barth, Heinrich
Africa, Central -- Description and travel; Africa, North -- Description and travel
The amount of the spoil taken from us was regulated by the sum which we
had paid to our Kél-owí escort, the party concerned presuming that they
had just the same demands upon us as our companions. The principal, if
not the only, actors in this affair were the Merábetín; and Ánnur the
chief of Tin-téllust afterwards stated to us that it was to them we had
to attribute all our losses and mishaps. There was also just at this
period a young sheríf from Medína at Tin-tagh-odé, with whom we
afterwards came into intimate relations, and who confessed to us that he
had contributed his part to excite the hatred of the people against the
Christian intruders. Experienced travellers have very truly remarked
that this sort of sherífs are at the bottom of every intrigue. To the
honour of Bóro Serki-n-turáwa, I have to state that he was ashamed of
the whole affair, and tried to protect us to the best of his power,
although in the beginning he had certainly done all that he could to
bring us into difficulties.
It was one of the defects of the expedition, that our merchandise,
instead of comprising a few valuable things, was for the most part
composed of worthless bulky objects, and that it made all the people
believe that we were carrying with us enormous wealth, while the whole
value of our things scarcely amounted to two hundred pounds. We had
besides about ten large iron cases filled with dry biscuit, but which
all the ignorant people believed to be crammed with money. The
consequence was that the next morning, when all the claims had at length
been settled, and we wanted to move on, there was still great danger
that the rabble, which had not yet dispersed, would fall upon the rest
of our luggage; and we were greatly obliged to the Sfaksi, who not only
passed some of our luggage as his own, but also dashed to pieces one of
the iron cases, when, to the astonishment of the simple people, instead
of heaps of dollars, a dry and tasteless sort of bread came forth from
the strong inclosure.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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