Travels and discoveries in North and Central Africa, Vol. 4 (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. 4 (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
On leaving the turbulent town of Dóre, a great many armed people
accompanied me, much against my inclination; and their conduct was so
suspicious that we were obliged to make a halt and send them about their
business: for the inhabitants of this place, not long before, had robbed
and killed, in a similar manner, a wealthy sheríf, whom they pretended
to escort, on his way from Sansándi. Just in crossing the shallow
concavity where every year a very extensive sheet of water is formed,
which often assumes the dimensions of an immense lake, and even now was
covered with fine fresh turf, we met a large caravan of Mósi traders
from Bússumo, their asses heavily laden with immense bundles of tári, or
cotton strips, and with Kóla nuts. Further on, where a little
cultivation of cotton appeared, the monkey-bread or baobab tree became
predominant. Altogether the whole province seemed to be in a miserable
state; and the village Dánandé, which we passed after a march of about
seven miles, bore evident traces of having suffered from the effects of
war. The monotony of the country was pleasingly broken by a small
rivulet, which we crossed a few yards beyond the village, and which was
bordered by some very fine trees of the “mur” kind, which I have
mentioned on a former occasion as affording excellent timber for boat-
building. The baobab trees, also, were here greatly distinguished, both
by their size and their fine foliage.
We took up our quarters this day in Wúlu, a village situated beyond a
large sheet of water, or, as it is here called, “wéndu,” overgrown by
the finest trees. The place is inhabited by Tawárek slaves, who are
_trilingues_, speaking Temáshight as well as Songhay and Fulfúlde; but
their huts were very miserable indeed, and of mosquitoes there was no
end, and we had likewise great difficulty in finding a supply of corn.
The hut in which I took up my quarters had been recently built, and on
the whole was not so bad, but so choke-full of simple furniture, such as
large jars, pots, dishes, saddles, provision-bags, and numerous other
articles, that I could scarcely find room for myself, while the
proprietor, when he returned from the fields and found a stranger
quartered in the midst of all his treasures, felt so anxious, that he
did not stir from the door. However, the west side of the village being
bordered by a large sheet of water, or tebki, richly adorned with trees
and herbage, I did not remain long in my close quarters, but hastened
towards this green open spot, which was delicious in the extreme, but
gave birth to a legion of mosquitoes.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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