Travels in the Great Desert of Sahara, in the Years of 1845 and 1846Richardson, James
History
Travels in the Great Desert of Sahara, in the Years of 1845 and 1846
Richardson, James
Sahara -- Description and travel
retorted, "Why, what are you? You are nothing but a Wahabite." He was so
angry that he was about to draw his knife at me, when the people seized
hold of him, and one of my friends knocked him down.
Rais heard of the affair, and said as he was a foreign Arab he should
leave the oasis. He came afterwards to me to beg my pardon, and I gave
him some coffee to make him merry. He then told me all about the
Wahabites, not forgetting to abuse all the other sects. He said the Arabs
of his mountain had no objection to the Turks if they would become
Wahabites. He was also of the Abadeeah, "white-caps," and declaimed
against the "red"-capped Wahabites. The controversy is as nearly as
possible the same as that of our white and black-gowned clergy of the
Established Church, introduced by the Puseyites.
Begin now to have some trouble with Said. He gets sulky and saucy, and
sometimes says he will stop in Ghadames and eat dates. I am obliged to
box his ears. Then he gets very frightened at the Touaricks, and begins
to blubber, "I shall be made a slave again, and you yourself will be
killed." Then he would complain that the Rais's servants and slaves had
better clothes than himself. I always found it was the better way to let
him have a _sfogo_, or "vent," for his temper, and afterwards he was
himself again. He never could keep a _para_ in his pocket, but would give
his money to the first person who would ask him for it. I am obliged to
buy him snuff every week, and a stock for the journey. With this he is
accustomed to treat everybody, and is therefore very popular. Even the
Governor thinks him the best Negro he ever knew. As is natural enough, he
is a great favourite amongst the Negresses, and even amongst the Touarick
ladies. I found him crying one day, and asked,--
"Said, what's the matter?"
"I now recollect my wife whom I left in Jerba," he sighed out.
Before this, I didn't know he was married; he was about thirty years of
age. My turjeman and Said were two great cronies, and they discussed all
the town's affairs in general, and everybody's affairs in particular. At
first, I had not the remotest idea Said had so much wit, and was pleased
to hear his remarks and criticisms. One of these was capital, and had a
particular reference to his own case. He stared at me, observing, "We
can't put the slave-trade down whilst the Jews in Tripoli lend the
merchants here goods to carry it on." He was so fond of the turjeman
that, on leaving Ghadames, he gave him all the money he had, and said to
me when I scolded him, "We don't want any money in The Desert," adding,
"Where are the shops?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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