G. F. Lyon

“ There are many auctioneers, as well for slaves, as for other articles of trade; each runs from side to side of the street, crying in a shrill voice the price last bidden, and standing on tiptoes: should he be selling a slave, the poor creature follows him at a trot, like a dog, to the different groups of merchants who are sitting on the sand.
Aboo Becker Boukhalloum ابوبكربوخلّوم, the Sultan’s head man, arrived from Tripoli, bringing with him the Bashaw’s Teskera, continuing Mukni in the command of Fezzan for three years, on condition of his paying to the Bashaw 80,000 dollars. ”

“ As we sat round our little fires, during our march over the desert, we amused ourselves with a variety of Arab games and puzzles, and a few clumsy tricks with date stones, and much laughing and joking passed off our evening very pleasantly, until sleep seized us, and we then laid ourselves down on the sand round the fire until morning. ”

“ The news of the return of the army had so frightened the people here, that I could not find either a sheep or goat, and was obliged to kill a beautiful Majiggri (which I had brought from Tegerry, and intended taking to England) to make soup for poor Belford.—My hostess informed me that she had lost three children in three successive years by the sting of scorpions. Each child was, at the time it died, two years of age: all were boys, and all had received the sting in the room in which we were.
The fondness of these people for show is quite as great as at Tripoli. ”

“ It is remarkable that no Arab will take a knife or scissars from the hands of any one, as (from some superstitious prejudice) such an action is considered highly unfortunate; but they require that the instrument should be first laid on the ground, whence they readily take it up without fear.
The Arabs have but few amusements beyond Dancing and a Game called Helga, which resembles draughts, and is played with camels’ dung or date stones, in holes made in the sand. The noise uttered by these people at their festivals, or on any joyful occasion, is most extraordinary ”

“ Mukni is absolute while in his hired government, though in Tripoli he is considered only as a private individual. He derives his power from a few armed followers, of whom I have spoken, and from the fear which the people have of the Bashaw in their present state of weakness; but above all, from the great dread they have of himself. He governs with a rod of iron, punishes most severely, and his opinion is the law; money is his chief aim, and he leaves no means untried to extort it from his miserably oppressed subjects. ”

“ Should the female slave of one man be with child by the male slave of another, the infant so born becomes the property of the master of the female, and can, as well as its mother, be sold.
A child, the offspring of a free woman by a slave, partakes of its mother’s state, and is free.
It not unfrequently happens that masters allow family slaves to marry without liberating them; but their children are slaves, and can be sold, although it is not considered honourable so to dispose of them. ”

“ The hero of the piece is one of the Waled Suliman; he is riding to see a girl whom he admires, but who belongs to another tribe.—As nearly as I can recollect, the words ran thus:
[174] “Here I am, well mounted, on a horse whose ears are like pens, who runs like an antelope, and knows none but his master. My new red cap becomes me well; my sword is sharp, my pistols well cleaned, and my belt shines in the sun. As the heart of a pigeon beats when she finds she is robbed of her young, so will my love’s heart beat when she sees me. ”

“ The suite of the youngest boy in particular forms a very amusing group, few of them exceeding five years of age. One bears his master’s Bornouse, another holds one shoe, walking next to the boy who carries its fellow. Some are in fine cast off clothes with tarnished embroidery, whilst others are quite, or nearly naked, without even a cap on their heads; and the procession is closed by a boy tottering under the weight of his master’s state gun, which is never allowed to be fired off. ”

“ Those who come to traffic for their gold, lay their merchandise in heaps, and retire. In the morning, they find a certain quantity of gold dust placed against every heap, which, if they think sufficient, they leave the goods; if not, they let both remain until more of the precious ore is added. These traders in gold dust are by many supposed to be devils, who are very fond of red cloth, the favourite article of exchange. I cannot conceive Arabs to be the merchants, for assuredly they would, least of all people, refrain from stealing the gold thus temptingly placed in their view. ”

“ Beyond Dagomba the country is low and marshy, and at certain seasons is overflowed. All the people, who are not Moslems, in Soudan, Bornou, or indeed over the greater part of the interior, are called Kerdi, which means Kaffir, or “unbeliever,” and is considered as a term of reproach; but no distinct tribe called by that name exists.
The women of the whole of the interior have no hand-mills to grind their corn, but pound it in large wooden mortars, enlivening their labour by songs. The want of salt is much felt. ”

“ When the Bashaw rides to the Messhia, or gardens behind the town, he is accompanied by his sons, and a large troop of horsemen, consisting of Mamlukes and the principal people of his court, well mounted and splendidly attired. They ride in a confused body round his person, and have no idea of regularity in their motions. A few occasionally leave the main troop at full speed, screaming and making flourishes with their muskets, which they discharge, and then return to their ranks. ”

“ When leaving their houses, and walking to the market or gardens, a Jereed or Aba is thrown round them, and a red cap, or a neatly quilted white cotton one, completes the dress: on Fridays they perhaps add a turban, and appear in yellow slippers. In the gardens, men and women wear large broad-brimmed straw hats to defend their eyes from the sun, and sandals made from the leaves and fibres of the palm-tree. ”

“ The Tuarick, or more properly tribes of them, are always at war with the Soudan states, and carry off from them incalculable numbers of slaves. They are so completely masters of their weapons, and so very courageous, that they are much dreaded, which enables them to traverse unmolested, and in very small bodies, countries full of armed people. Each tribe has some peculiarity in its dress, or manner of riding and making war. The nearest Tuarick to Fezzan are at Ghraat, which is ten days from Morzouk, and from Oubari, the most western village in the Wadey Shiati. ”

“ I persuaded Belford, who always entered into my views, to try what change of air would do for him as well as for myself, and he agreed to accompany me, although we more resembled two men going to the grave, than fit persons to travel over strange countries. Yussuf ben el Hadge Khaleel kindly lent us his little boy, Barca, who was to act as our servant, and to lead our camel. ”

“ The Bedouins of Barbary are not to be compared with those of Egypt, either for enterprise, ingenuity, or good qualities; since whatever they may have been, they are now, by the tyranny of their masters, fallen from their once high character, and are not in [42] any respect better than slaves. One or two tribes are yet independent, but are likely soon to fall. Each tribe, or even set of tents, is governed by a Sheikh, who, being an old man, or one appointed by the Bashaw, is looked up to as a superior; though his business is chiefly to collect the requisite sums of money from his people. ”

“ One singularity I must remark of Fezzan, which is that fleas are unknown there, and those of the inhabitants who have not been on the sea coast cannot imagine what they are like. Bugs are very numerous, and it is extraordinary that they are called by the same name as with us. There is a species of them which is found in the sands, where kafflés are in the habit of stopping; they bite very sharply, and fix in numbers round the coronet of a horse: the animals thus tormented often become so outrageous as to break their tethers. ”

“ On each side of the head, they wear an ornament of gold and rough cut agate, and round it, above the ears, a bandeau of coral, cowrie shells, or agates; several light chains of silver, having round bells at the end of them, are attached to the hair, and when dancing, produce a pleasing sound. Their necks are loaded with gaudy necklaces, and one-half of their well-formed bosoms is shown by the arrangement of their drapery: their arms are bare to the shoulders, having above the elbow neat silver rings of the thickness of a goosequill, and on the wrists one or two broader and flatter. ”

“ Nothing, in fact, can exceed in prettiness an Arab girl; but the old women are, without exception, the most disgusting and hideous creatures I ever beheld. Both sexes blacken their eyelids with Kohol, or lead ore powdered, which adds much to the brilliancy of the eye, and makes it appear larger than it really is. They all wear an immense quantity of Agebs عجب, or Charms, against disorders and misfortunes.
The arms of the Arabs are the same as those of the natives of Tripoli, viz. guns, pistols, swords, and daggers. They are good shots, when able to rest their guns ”

“ One of the great lounges is on the seats in front of the Mosque; and every morning and evening, they are full of idle people, who converse on the state of the markets, and on their own private affairs; or, in a fearful whisper, canvass the Sultan’s conduct.
The men of Morzouk, of the better sort, dress nearly like the [170] people of Tripoli; the lower orders wear a large shirt of white or blue cotton with long loose sleeves, trowsers of the same, and sandals of camels’ hide: the shirts being long, many wear no other covering. ”

“ The neat appearance of the men, in general, is very striking, compared with that of the Arabs about the coast. The women are considered exceedingly handsome; indeed, one or two whom I saw at Fatma’s were really so, and as fair as Europeans; but they are noted for their profligacy and love of intrigue.
When the kingdom of Fezzan was governed by a native Prince, this town and the two neighbouring ones were, in a manner, independent; the distance from their own capital, as well as from Tripoli, securing them from surprise. ”

“ There is little chance, therefore, that amongst such men, any struggles for liberty should be made; and it never enters their heads to take advantage of the power they possess from their situation in the desert to render themselves independent of Tripoli. The Arabs, and particularly those of the tribe Waled Suliman, of whom I have already spoken, were once dangerous, lawless freebooters, but are now at an end. When the Sultan goes to Tripoli, which he generally does once a year, he leaves his eldest son to command in his absence, under charge of whoever may, at the moment, be most in favour ”

“ I observed, that we never required water if we abstained from eating in the early part of the day, and I thus account for the Arabs drinking so little: on the contrary, if any quantity of water is taken on an empty stomach, the person who indulges in it suffers great thirst for the remainder of the day. When hot, it is much better to drink from the palm of the hand, which prevents the possibility of taking too great a draught at once. It is very refreshing after a long day’s journey, to be well oiled all over ”

“ Our friend and travelling companion, Sadig, who had always been very agreeable and cheerful, this day left us, to our great regret, on his return to his native town, Wadan; whither he invited me to accompany him, assuring me that I should drink nothing but sweet milk and Lackbi, and that at every meal a new dish of whatever description I chose should be prepared for me. It was his intention to send his slaves to Mesurata on the sea-coast, to exchange them for sheep. ”

“ I observed a singular custom to be prevalent amongst all Moors and Arabs, from the Bashaw down to the poorest camel-driver, which is that of eructation, and which they perform as often and as loudly as possible. Great men go through this ceremony with a solemnity and dignity altogether imposing ”

“ As the natives live, as I have observed, under-ground, a person unacquainted with the circumstance might cross the mountain without once suspecting that it was inhabited. All the dwelling-places being formed in the same manner, a description of the Sheikh’s may suffice for the rest. The upper soil is sandy earth, of about four feet in depth; under this sand, and in some places limestone, a large hole is dug, to the depth of twenty-five or thirty feet, and its breadth in every direction is about the same, being as nearly as can be made, a perfect square. ”

“ In justice to the poor unenlightened beings whom they make their prey, I must say that I never witnessed such innocence, tenderness, and mildness as most of them evince when brought to Morzouk, particularly at the death of any of their companions in adversity. On these occasions they do not, like their persecutors, scream and make an insincere wailing; but sit silent and in tears, and often refuse their little allowance of food. Should one of the females fall sick, the others nurse, feed, comfort, and very often give up the whole of their scanty meal to the sufferer. ”

“ By means of bushes, almost every tent has an inclosure adjoining it, for securing sheep or goats at night; and stakes are driven in the ground, to which the horses are fastened, though sometimes these animals are allowed a portion of the tents of their masters. The Arabs are generous to their own kinsmen; and should a stranger come amongst them, they never deny him the rights of hospitality, provided they are themselves eating; but should that not be the case, they make no attempt to prepare food expressly for him: an acquaintance, however, is always sure of a good reception. ”

“ The males are not so carefully attended to, having generally only a long shirt and barracan. Both sexes have sandals of camel’s hide; the girls walk by themselves, and the men follow the camels. At one o’clock they are all watered like cattle, out of large bowls, placed on the ground, from which they kneel and drink. Children are thrown with the baggage on the camels, if unable to walk; but if five or six years of age, the poor little creatures are obliged to trot on all day, even should no stop be made for fourteen or fifteen hours, as I have sometimes witnessed. ”

“ A great article of commerce is the fat which the shepherds procure from the sheep they kill. They cut it from every part of the body, salt it, and lay it by until a large quantity is collected, when, whether putrid or not, they boil it, until it bear some resemblance to the grease used by tallow-chandlers; it is then poured into [46] skins, and is fit for use. In the interior it sells at about a shilling a pound; but at Tripoli it is much cheaper. It is put into almost every article of food by the Arabs, and though not very savoury, we soon became accustomed to its taste. ”

“ In Fezzan the punishment for crimes is as in Tripoli, though hanging is not commonly practised, strangling being more to the Sultan’s taste. If a man is found murdered, and the authors or instigators of his death are unknown or unconvicted, the inhabitants of the town, in or near which the body is found, are obliged to pay to the Sultan a fine of 2000 dollars. If a corpse is found on the desert with marks of violence on it, the people of the districts which border that desert must pay the requisite sum. ”

“ The Kadi of Morzouk is a black man, named Mohammed el Habeeb; he is able to read pretty fluently, is very superstitious, and writes charms of more efficacy than any other man in the country. All the principal towns have Kadis; but the office is not, as in the capital, hereditary. The better class of the people, or those who have some property, [280] are distinguished from the poor by being admitted into the Sultan’s presence, and living in every respect better than the Arabs and the other natives. They have great power to oppress and ill treat their inferiors ”

“ The Tibboo and those Arabs who inhabit the southern districts of Fezzan, are distinct from each other; and the native people, living in towns, cannot have the appellation of tribes applied to them.
No Barbary or Negro Chief, or indeed any of their people, are able to resist a bribe; much might therefore be done by securing the good will of the Sultans of the interior kingdoms; and they might, by presents properly applied, form together such a barrier against the inroads of Mukni, as would enable them to secure their independence, and prevent the annual seizure of multitudes of their subjects. ”

“ The wants of the people are easily supplied; a few skins of water being brought at stated times by a camel, and economised with great care. I have remarked, that not only the Arabs and their camels, but all animals in this country have the power of remaining a great length of time without water. Sheep, (provided they have tolerable herbage) , will pass even a month without drinking. Antelopes and buffaloes, I should conceive, in some cases never taste water, none being found on the surface of the desert, and they are unable to obtain that which is in the wells. ”