THE TWO RIVERS.

461

CHAPTER XLVIII.

THE TWO RIVERS.-ENTRANCE INTO BAGÍRMI.

March 16th. It was ten o'clock in the morning when I left Kárnak Logón in order to penetrate into unknown regions, never before trodden by European foot; and a short time afterward I was sitting in the boat, while our horses, the camel, and the bullock were partly swimming across and partly fording the river. The water was in general shallow, though in the deepest place it measured eight feet and a half. The current was about three miles an hour. The country at that period had a very different appearance from what it presented on my return from Bagírmi. At present all those low grounds, which later in the season are entirely inundated, had a swampy, cheerless aspect, and I hastened onward in order to escape from the unhealthy locality, heated by the rays of the midday sun. Only now and then a small patch of cotton-ground was seen between the tall jungle. Close to the river there is scarcely a single tree; but, farther on, where the country becomes more cultivated, isolated karáge-trees, together with straggling groups of cottages, were seen here and there. Not having exposed myself to the midday sun during the last few days, and the heat being very great, I looked for a place to pass the hottest hours of the day, and, to the disappointment of my companions, who were anxious for a good dinner, I dismounted under the cool shade of a beautiful wide-spreading fig-tree, "ngábbere" or "zérra," as the people of Logón call it, at some distance from a little village called Sóso, situated toward the north, while on our right there was a water-course winding along through a shallow depression in the green meadow-grounds, without any visible inclination. These shallow water-courses are, as I have already had occasion to mention on my journey to Músgu, one of the most characteristic

features in this part of Central Africa, which formerly was thought to be a dry, elevated waste. Naked young lads were splashing and playing about in the water, together with wild hogs, in the greatest harmony; never in any part of Negroland have I seen this animal in such numbers as here about the Shárí. Calves and goats were pasturing in the fields, with wild hogs in the midst of them.

When we pursued our march at two o'clock in the afternoon, I was greatly pleased to see numbers of fine horses round the groups of Shúwa villages which bordered the water-course, while the whole scenery was enlivened by the rich foliage of wide-spreading trees. Onions likewise were cultivated here in considerable quantities. On the right of our path were very extensive fields of a peculiar kind of winter-corn, called “sáffará" by the people of Logón, and "kérirám” by the Kanúri. This belongs to the ruler of the country; but, in general, very little grain is raised in this part of Logón, the inhabitants being afraid of the people of Bagírmi, who used to gather the harvest of what they themselves have sown. But small cotton grounds are occasionally observed.

After a march of about nine miles we reached a place called Báta, half deserted, and surrounded by a clay wall in a very decayed state. Nevertheless, the few cottages that remained, simple and unpretending though they were, testified to some degree of industry and cleanliness. Of hospitality, however, we received no proof, and the authority of the Míyará Y'suf seemed to be naught indeed, these poor people affirming, with some show of reason, that as the ruler did not protect them against the unjust exactions of their neighbors, they need not respect his commands. There was, therefore, little necessity for the servant of the sultan accompanying me any farther, for if they did not respect his orders here they would certainly not do so farther on.

Wednesday, March 17th. We continued our march alone. On the east side of the town a little cultivation was to be seen, the country here being very swampy, and inundated during the rainy season. It is covered with a dense jungle, and wild beasts

THE REAL SHA'RI'.

463 in great numbers. Water is close under the surface of the ground, and the well that we passed, near a Shúwa village, was only three fathoms deep. Near the village of Atmarchári, which we left on our right, there were traces of cultivation, trees being cut down and the ground cleared to make room for corn-fields; the village is inhabited by Kanúri people. Soon after, the forest became denser than before, climbing plants running up the trees, and hanging down in festoons from the branches. Here it was that I first saw the footprints of the rhinoceros, an animal which is unheard of in all the western parts of Negroland. The people of this part of Logón call the animal “bírní,” the name usual in Bagírmi, while the real name in the language of the country is "ngirmé." The Kanúri call it "kárgadán" or "barkaján❞—the very name mentioned already by El Edrísi.* It is greatly feared by the inhabitants, who sometimes encounter these ferocious animals on the narrow footpaths which wind through the thick forests of their country.

I had gone on a little in advance, when suddenly I beheld through the branches of the trees the splendid sheet of a large river, far larger than that of Logón. All was silence, and the pellucid surface of the water undisturbed by the slightest breeze; no vestiges of human or animal life were to be seen, with the exception of two river-horses (called "niyé" by the people of Logón), which, having been basking in the sun on the shore, plunged into the water at our approach. This, then, was the real Shárí, that is to say, the great river of the Kótokó (for Shárí, as I have said before, means nothing else but river), which, augmented by the smaller but very considerable River of Logón, forms that large basin which gives to this part of Negroland its characteristic feature. The river at this spot runs from S. 30° W. to N. 30° E., but its general course is rather winding, coming farther upward from the south, and beyond forming a reach from E. 380 N.

The shore where I stood enjoying the tranquil but beautiful scenery is close approached by the forest, and has an elevation

* Sheríf el Edrísi, trad. Jaubert, vol. i., p. 72. S.

of about fifteen feet. No human habitation was to be seen, with the exception of a small village on the other side. The surface of the water was undisturbed, except now and then by a fish leaping up; no water-fowl enlivened the banks; not a single boat was to be seen, till at length we observed the ferrymen on the opposite shore, where it formed a flat and sandy beach, making us a sign that we were to proceed a little higher up the river, in order not to miss the landing-place when carried down by the current. We therefore went about 800 yards further up; and I made myself comfortable under the shade of a tree, awaiting the boat, and indulging in the thought that I was soon to enter a new country, never before trodden by European foot.

At length the boat came, but the ferrymen, as soon as they saw who we were, behaved in a strange and mysterious manner, and told us they could not take us across the river before they had informed their master. However uncommon such a precaution seemed to be, I had as yet no idea of the real state of affairs. We therefore sat down patiently to await the answer. which we thought a mere matter of form. The atmosphere was very sultry, and the sky overcast; clouds were hanging over the river as forerunners of the rainy season. In order to keep off the deadly stings of the blood-flies from our horses, we made a large fire. The sting of this fly is almost as fatal as that of the "tsetse" in the southern parts of this continent, and many travelers lose all their horses on the shore of this river.

I was suddenly aroused from my tranquil repose by the arrival of a numerous troop of pilgrims on their way to Mekka: all of them belonged to the tribe of the Fúlbe or Felláta, mostly from the western parts of Negroland, and some from Góttokó, the little-known country between Bámbara and Kong. Among them were also the people who had accompanied me on my journey to A'damáwa, and whom I had again met a second time near the town of Logón. I made them a present of needles in order to assist them in their praiseworthy undertaking. While we were chatting together the boatmen returned, bringing with them the astounding answer that the chief of the village, A'su, would not allow me to cross the river.