FIRST INTERVIEW WITH THE SHEIKH. 309 countenance itself bore testimony to a straightforward and manly character; both which qualities I had found so sadly wanting in his younger brother, Sídi A'lawáte. Cheered by the expression of good-nature in his countenance as he rose from his seat to receive me, and, relieved from all anxiety, I paid him my compliments with entire confidence, and entered into a conversation, which was devoid of any affected and empty ceremonious phrases, but from the first moment was an unrestrained exchange of thoughts between two persons who, with great national diversity of manners and ideas, meet for the first time. The pistol, however, with which I presented him, soon directed our conversation to the subject of the superiority of Europeans in manufacturing skill, and in the whole scale of human existence; and one of the first questions which my host put to me was, whether it was true, as the Ráís (Major Laing) had informed his father, Sídi Mohammed, during his stay in A'zawád, that the сарital of the British empire contained twenty times 100,000 people. I then learned to my great satisfaction what I afterward found confirmed by the facts stated in Major Laing's correspondence,* that this most enterprising but unfortunate traveler, having been plundered and almost killed by the Tawárek† in the valley Ahénnet, on his way from Tawát, was conducted by his guides to, and made a long stay at the camp or station of the sheikh's father, Sídi Mohammed, in the hillet Sídi el Mukhtar, the place generally called by Major Laing Beled Sídi Mohammed, but sometimes Beled Sídi Mooktar, the major being evidently puz-1 zled as to these names, and apt to confound the then head of the family, Sídi Mohammed, with the ancestor Sídi Mukhtár, after whom that holy place has been called. It is situated half a day's journey from the frequented well Bel Mehán, on the great northerly road, but is at present deserted.‡ * See Major Laing's Letters in the Edinburgh Review, vol. xxxviii., 1828, p. 101, et seq., and vol. xxxix. There can not be the least doubt that, in addition to the love of plunder, it was also a certain feeling of revenge for the mischief inflicted upon their countrymen by the heroic Mungo Park which prompted this ferocious act of the Tawárek; and it is very curious to observe the presentiment that Major Laing had, on setting out from Tawát, of what awaited him, as most distinctly embodied in some of his letters, dated Tawát, January, 1826, especially in a letter addressed to James Bandinel, Esq., which General Edward Sabine, the great friend of the distinguished traveler, kindly allowed me to inspect. Instead of communicating the itinerary from Timbuktu to the hillet in my collection of itineraries through the western half of the desert, at the end of the fol We thus came to speak of Major Laing, here known under the name of E' Ráís (the Major), the only Christian that my host and most of the people hereabouts had ever seen; the French traveler, Réné Caillié, who traversed this tract in 1828, having, in his poor disguise, entirely escaped their observation, not to speak of the sailors Adams and Scott, who are said to have visited this place, although their narrative does not reveal a single trait which can be identified with its features. Major Laing, during the whole time of our intercourse, formed one of the chief topics of conversation, and my noble friend never failed to express his admiration, not only of the major's bodily strength, but of his noble and chivalrous character.* I made immediate inquiries with regard to Major Laing's papers, but unfortunately, not being provided with a copy of the blue book containing all the papers relating to that case, I had not the means of establishing all the points disputed. I only learned that at the time none of those papers were in existence, although the sheikh himself told me that the major, while staying in Aʼzawád, had drawn up a map of the whole northerly part of the desert from Tawát as far south as the hillet or the place of residence of his father. Meanwhile, while we were conversing about the fate of my precursor in the exploration of these regions, my host assured me repeatedly of my own perfect safety in the place, and promised that he would send the most faithful of his followers, Mohammed el lowing volume, where it would be overlooked by the general reader, I prefer inserting it in this place: 1 day, Tenég el hay, or Tenég el háj, a well where all the roads meet. A great many celebrated localities along this part of the road. 1 day, Tin-tahón, about the heat of the day; a locality so called from an eminence, "tahón." 1 day, Worozíl, a well with a rich supply of water, about the same time. 1 day, E'n-eláhi, a whole day. From hence to the small town Bú-Jebéha, passing by the well e' Twíl, 2 days. 2 days, Erúk; 3 days from A'rawán; 1 from Bú-Jebéha. Close to Erúk is Mérizík. 1 day, Bel-Mehán, a rich and famous well; a long day, keeping along a valley inclosed between the sand-hills, "E'gif," toward the W., and the black mountains of A'derár toward the E. 1 day, Hillet e' Sheikh. * It is highly interesting and satisfactory to observe how Major Laing himself, in the letters published in the Edinburgh Review, speaks of the kind reception given to him, when severely wounded, by the sheikh and maraboot (Merábat) Mooktar, or rather Sídi Mohammed. See, especially, p. 105. PRESENTS.-ILLNESS. 311 'Aísh, with me to the Tawárek, from whence I might continue my journey in the company of my former companion. Such, I think, was really his intention at the time, but circumstances, which I am soon to detail, were to change all these premature plans. Having returned to my quarters I sent my host his present, which consisted of three bernúses, viz., one heláli, or white silk and cotton mixed, and two of the finest cloth, one of green and the other of red color; two cloth kaftáns, one black and the other yellow; a carpet from Constantinople; four tobes, viz., one very rich, of the kind called "harír," and bought for 30,000 shells, or twelve dollars, one of the kind called filfil, and two best black tobes; twenty Spanish dollars in silver; three black shawls, and several smaller articles, the whole amounting to the value of about £30. He then sent a message to me, expressing his thanks for the liberality of the government in whose service I was visiting him, and stating that he did not want any thing more from me; but he begged that after my safe return home, I would not forget him, but would request her majesty's government to send him some good fire-arms and some Arabic books; and I considered myself authorized in assuring him that I had no doubt the English government would not fail to acknowledge his services, if he acted in a straightforward manner throughout. Pleasant and cheering as was this whole interview, nevertheless, in consequence of the considerable excitement which it caused me in my weak state, I felt my head greatly affected; and I was seized with a shivering fit about noon the following day, just as I was going to pay another visit to my friend. On the last day of September I entered into a rather warm dispute with A'lawáte, whom I met at his brother's house, and whose ungenerous conduct I could not forget. My protector not possessing sufficient energy, and, in his position, not feeling independent enough to rebuke his brother for the trouble which he had caused me, begged me repeatedly to bear patiently his importunities, though he was aware of my reasons for disliking him. On another occasion he made me fire off the six-barreled pistol in front of his house, before a numerous assemblage of people. This caused extraordinary excitement and astonishment among the people, and exercised a great influence upon my future safety, as it made them believe that I had arms all over my person, and could fire as many times as I liked. Thus the month of September concluded satisfactorily and most auspiciously, as it seemed. For I had not only succeeded in reaching in safety this city, but I was also well received on the whole; and the only question seemed to be how I was to return home by the earliest opportunity and the safest route. But all my prospects changed with the first of the ensuing month, when the difficulties of my situation increased, and all hopes of a speedy departure appeared to be at an end. For in the afternoon of the first of October, a considerable troop of armed men, mustering about twenty muskets, arrived from Hamda-Alláhi, the residence of the Shekho A'hmedu ben Ahmedu, to whose nominal sway the town of Timbuktu and the whole province has been subjected since the conquest of the town in the beginning of the year 1826. These people brought with them an order from the capital to drive me out of the town; and Hammádi, the nephew and rival of the Sheikh el Bakáy, feeling himself strengthened by the arrival of such a force, availed himself of so excellent an opportunity of enhancing his influence, and, in consequence, issued a proclamation to the inhabitants of the town, commanding them, in stringent terms, to attend to the orders of the emír, and, in the event of my offering resistance, not even to spare my life. There can scarcely be any doubt that my protector, as far as a man of a rather weak character was capable of any firm resolution, had intended to send me off by the very first opportunity that should offer; but the order issued by the emír of HamdaAlláhi (to whose authority he was vehemently opposed), that I should be forthwith driven out of the town or slain, roused his spirit of opposition. He felt, too, that the difficulties of my leaving this place in safety were thus greatly augmented. All thoughts of my immediate departure were therefore set aside; partly, no doubt, from regard to my security, but much more from an anxious desire to show the Fullán, or Fúlbe, that he was able to keep me here, notwithstanding their hostile disposition and their endeavors to the contrary. There were, besides, the intrigues of the Waláti, my guide on the journey from Yágha, who, finding that the sheikh did not approve of his dishonest. conduct toward me, endeavored to get me out of his hands, in order that he might deal with me as he liked. My broker, too, 'Alí el A'geren, seeing the difficulties of my situation, gave me entirely up, making his own safety the only object of his thoughts. The sheikh, when he had fully understood what I had told him INTRIGUES SUCCESSFULLY OVERCOME. 313 with regard to the power and the political principles of the sovereign of Great Britain, had determined to write a letter with his own hand, expressing his satisfaction that I had come to pay him my compliments, and in order to endeavor to counteract the discouraging effects produced by the account of Major Laing's death, and if possible to obtain for himself a few presents. This letter, it was understood in the beginning, I myself should take with me; but in the evening of the third of October, I suddenly, to my great amazement, received the intelligence that I was to send my man, 'Alí el A'geren, to Ghadámes or Tripoli with this letter, accompanying it with a note from my own hand, while I myself remained behind, as a kind of hostage, in Timbúktu, until the articles which the Sheikh el Bakáy had written for were received. But I was not to be treated in this way by intrigues of my own people; and the following morning I sent a simple protest to the sheikh, stating that as for himself he might do just as he liked, and if he chose to keep me as a prisoner or hostage he might do so as long as he thought fit, but that he must not expect to receive so much as a needle from the government that had sent me until I myself should have returned in safety. My host, too, had just before intimated to me that it would be best to deliver my horse and my gun into his hands; but I sent him an answer that neither the one nor the other should leave my house until my head had left my shoulders. It was rather remarkable that a person of so mean a character as the Waláti should for a moment gain the upper hand of a man of such an excellent disposition as the sheikh; but it was quite natural that this clever rogue should continually incite Sídi A'lawáte to make new demands upon my small store of valuable articles. Meanwhile, while I was thus kept in a constant state of excitement, I was not free from anxiety in other respects. A thunderstorm, accompanied by the most plentiful rain which I had experienced during my stay in this place, had in the afternoon of the 3d October inundated my house, and, breaking through the wall of my store-room, had damaged the whole of my luggage, my books, and medicines, as well as my presents and articles of exchange. But my situation was soon to improve, as the sheikh became aware of the faithless and despicable character of my former companion and guide; and while he ordered the latter to fetch my camels from A'ribínda, which it was now but too apparent he had sold on his own account instead of having them taken |