The Albert N'Yanza, Great Basin of the Nile, Samuel White Baker [inspirational novels .TXT] 📗

young wives, the eldest son takes the place of his father and

becomes his substitute. To every herd of cattle there is a sacred bull,

which is supposed to exert an influence over the prosperity of the

flocks; his horns are ornamented with tufts of feathers, and frequently

with small bells, and he invariably leads the great herd to pasture. On

starting in the early morning from the cattle kraal the natives address

the bull, telling him “to watch over the herd; to keep the cows from

straying; and to lead them to the sweetest pastures, so that they shall

give abundance of milk,” &c.

 

Jan. 21st.—Last night a sudden squall carried away Koorshid Aga’s

mast by the deck, leaving him a complete wreck. The weather to-day is

dull, oppressive, and dead calm. As usual, endless marshes, and

mosquitoes. I never either saw or heard of so disgusting a country as

that bordering the White Nile from Khartoum to this point. Course S.E.

as nearly as I can judge, but the endless windings, and the absence of

any mark as a point, make it difficult to give an accurate course—the

river about a hundred yards in width of clear water; alive with floating

vegetation, with a current of about two miles per hour.

 

Jan. 22d.—The luxuries of the country as usual—malaria, marshes,

mosquitoes, misery; far as the eye can reach, vast treeless marshes

perfectly lifeless. At times progressing slowly by towing, the men

struggling through the water with the rope; at other times by running

round the boat in a circle, pulling with their hands at the grass, which

thus acts like the cogs of a wheel to move us gradually forward. One of

my horses, “Filfil,” out of pure amusement kicks at the men as they

pass, and having succeeded several times in kicking them into the river,

he perseveres in the fun, I believe for lack of other employment.

 

Hippopotami are heard snorting in the high reeds both day and night, but

we see very few. The black women on board are daily quarrelling together

and fighting like bull-dogs; little Gaddum Her is a regular black toy

terrier, rather old, wonderfully strong, very short, but making up in

spirit for what she lacks in stature; she is the quintessence of vice,

being ready for a stand-up fight at the shortest notice. On one occasion

she fought with her antagonist until both fell down the hold, smashing

all my water jars; on another day they both fell into the river. The

ennui of this wretched voyage appears to try the temper of both man and

beast; the horses, donkeys, and camels are constantly fighting and

biting at all around.

 

Jan. 23d.—At 8 a.m. arrived at Aboukooka, the establishment of a

French trader. It is impossible to describe the misery of the land; in

the midst of the vast expanse of marsh is a little plot of dry ground

about thirty-five yards square, and within thirty yards of the river,

but to be reached only by wading through the swamp. The establishment

consisted of about a dozen straw huts, occupied by a wretched

fever-stricken set of people; the vakeel, and others employed, came to

the boats to beg for corn. I stopped for ten minutes at the charming

watering-place Aboukooka to obtain the news of the country. The current

at this point is as usual very strong, being upwards of two and a half

miles per hour; the river is quite bank-full although not actually

flooding, the windings endless; one moment our course is due north, then

east, then again north, and as suddenly due south; in fact, we face

every point of the compass within an hour. Frequently the noggurs that

are far in the rear appear in advance; it is a heartbreaking river

without a single redeeming point; I do not wonder at the failure of all

expeditions in this wretched country. There is a breeze to-day, thus the

oppressive heat and stagnated marsh atmosphere is relieved. I have

always remarked that when the sky is clouded we suffer more from heat

and oppression than when the day is clear; there is a weight in the

atmosphere that would be interesting if tested by the barometer.

 

The water is excessively bad throughout the White Nile, especially

between the Shillook and the Kytch tribes; that of the Bahr Gazal is

even worse. The reis Diabb tells me that the north wind always fails

between the Nuehr and the upper portion of the Kytch. I could not

believe that so miserable a country existed as the whole of this land.

There is no game to be seen at this season, few birds, and not even

crocodiles show themselves; all the water-animals are hidden in the high

grass; thus there is absolutely nothing living to be seen, but day after

day is passed in winding slowly through the labyrinth of endless marsh,

through clouds of mosquitoes.

 

At 4.20 a.m. arrived at the Austrian mission-station of St. Croix, and

I delivered a letter to the chief of the establishment, Herr Morlang.

 

Jan. 24th.—Took observations of the sun, making latitude 6 degrees

39’.

 

The mission-station consists of about twenty grass huts on a patch of

dry ground close to the river. The church is a small hut, but neatly

arranged. Herr Morlang acknowledged, with great feeling, that the

mission was absolutely useless among such savages; that he had worked

with much zeal for many years, but that the natives were utterly

impracticable. They were far below the brutes, as the latter show signs

of affection to those who are kind to them; while the natives, on the

contrary, are utterly obtuse to all feelings of gratitude. He described

the people as lying and deceitful to a superlative degree; the more they

receive the more they desire, but in return they will do nothing.

 

Twenty or thirty of these disgusting, ash-smeared, stark naked brutes,

armed with clubs of hard wood brought to a point, were lying idly about

the station. The mission having given up the White Nile as a total

failure, Herr Morlang sold the whole village and mission-station to

Koorshid Aga this morning for 3,000 piastres, 30 pounds! I purchased a

horse of the missionaries for 1,000 piastres, which I christened

“Priest” as coming from the mission; he is a good-looking animal, and

has been used to the gun, as the unfortunate Baron Harnier rode him

buffalo-hunting. This good sportsman was a Prussian nobleman, who with

two European attendants, had for some time amused himself by collecting

objects of natural history and shooting in this neighbourhood. Both his

Europeans succumbed to marsh fever.

 

The end of Baron Harnier was exceedingly tragic. Having wounded a

buffalo, the animal charged a native attendant and threw him to the

ground; Baron Harnier was unloaded, and with great courage he attacked

the buffalo with the butt-end of his rifle to rescue the man then

beneath the animal’s horns. The buffalo left the man and turned upon his

new assailant. The native, far from assisting his master, who had thus

jeopardized his life to save him, fled from the spot. The unfortunate

baron was found by the missionaries trampled and gored into an

undistinguishable mass; and the dead body of the buffalo was found at a

short distance, the animal having been mortally wounded. I went to see

the grave of this brave Prussian, who had thus sacrificed so noble a

life for so worthless an object as a cowardly native. It had been well

cared for by the kind hands of the missionaries and was protected by

thorn bushes laid around it, but I fear it will be neglected now that

the mission has fallen into unholy hands. It is a pitiable sight to

witness the self-sacrifice that many noble men have made in these

frightful countries without any good results. Near to the grave of Baron

Harnier are those of several members of the mission, who have left their

bones in this horrid land, while not one convert has been made from the

mission of St. Croix.

 

The river divides into two branches, about five miles above this

station, forming an island. Upon this is a fishing-station of the

natives; the native name of the spot is Pomone. The country is swampy

and scantily covered with bushes and small trees, but no actual timber.

As usual, the entire country is dead flat; it abounds with elephants a

few miles inland. Herr Morlang describes the whole of the White Nile

traders as a mere colony of robbers, who pillage and shoot the natives

at discretion. On the opposite side of the river there is a large

neglected garden, belonging to the mission. Although the soil is

extremely rich, neither grapes nor pomegranate will succeed; they bear

fruit, but of a very acrid flavour. Dates blossom, but will not fruit.

 

Jan. 25th.—Started at 7 A.M. Course S.E.

 

Jan. 26th.—The Bohr tribe on the east bank. No wind. The current

nearly three miles per hour. The river about a hundred and twenty yards

wide in clear water. Marshes and flats, as usual. Thermometer throughout

the journey, at 6 A.M., 68 degrees Fahr., and at noon 86 to 93 degrees

Fahr.

 

Jan. 27th.—One day is a repetition of the preceding.

 

Jan. 28th.—Passed two bivouacs of the Aliab tribe, with great herds

of cattle on the west bank. The natives appeared to be friendly, dancing

and gesticulating as the boats passed. The White Nile tribe not only

milk their cows, but they bleed their cattle periodically, and boil the

blood for food. Driving a lance into a vein in the neck, they bleed the

animal copiously, which operation is repeated about once a month.

 

Jan. 29th.—Passed a multitude of cattle and natives on a spot on the

right bank, in clouds of smoke as a “chasse des moustiques.” They make

tumuli of dung, which are constantly on fire, fresh fuel being

continually added, to drive away the mosquitoes. Around these heaps the

cattle crowd in hundreds, living with the natives in the smoke. By

degrees the heaps of ashes become about eight feet high; they are then

used as sleeping-places and watch-stations by the natives, who, rubbing

themselves all over with the ashes, have a ghastly and devilish

appearance that is indescribable. The country is covered with old tumuli

formed in this manner. A camp may contain twenty or thirty such, in

addition to fresh heaps that are constantly burning. Fires of cowdung

are also made on the leveled tops of the old heaps, and bundles of green

canes, about sixteen feet high, are planted on the summit; these wave in

the breeze like a plume of ostrich feathers, and give shade to the

people during the heat of the day.

 

JAN. 30TH.—Arrived at the “Shir” tribe. The men are, as usual in

these countries, armed with well-made ebony clubs, two lances, a bow

(always strung), and a bundle of arrows; their hands are completely full

of weapons; and they carry a neatly-made miniature stool slung upon

their backs, in addition to an immense pipe. Thus a man carries all that

be most values about his person. The females in this tribe are not

absolutely naked; like those of the Kytch, they wear small lappets of

tanned leather as broad as the hand; at the back of the belt, which

supports this apron, is a tail which reaches to the lower portions of

the thighs; this tail is formed of finely-cut strips of leather, and

the costume has doubtless been the foundation for the report I had

received from the Arabs, “that a tribe in Central Africa had tails like

horses.” The women carry their children very conveniently in a skin

slung from their shoulders across the back, and secured by a thong round

the waist; in this the young savage sits delightfully.