Notes taken during travels in Africa / By the late John Davidson.

  • John Davidson
Date:
1839
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Notes taken during travels in Africa / By the late John Davidson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    fears for his health ; he cannot bear fatigue, and has been attacked with ophthalmia. The whole of the Soudan people know him, and tell me he will prove a certain passport ; that he is a cousin of Hamed Libboo; and another of his cousins, Ali, called Koutouk, the warrior, is now king of Kong, and that many of his family are at Kong, all rich and in power. ‘Hoping this will find your Royal Highness in the enjoyment of perfect health, and trusting shortly to have the honour of addressing your Royal Highness from Soudan, “ T have the honour to be, &e. &c. * Joun Davipson.”’ In the territory of Wad Nun the traveller’s patience was severely put to the test. He was detained there from April till November. From Glamiz he wrote to his brother, on the 25th September, as follows :— “¢ Since my last letter, I have made three ineffectual attempts at getting on, although I now begin to feel somewhat confident that Sheik Beyrock, with whom TI still am, never intended sending me till the end of this month, he being so fully pledged for my safety and due arrival, that fearing the heat and the unsettled, nay warring, state of the tribes, did not choose to run these double additional risks. On the 25th of this month there is, by mutual consent, a general cessation of hostilities, to enable the tribes to attend the great Socco* of El Shig, held at ten hours’ ride from this place, and at which the Arabs dispose of the produce of their flocks and tents, and lay in their provisions for the whole year. The armistice lasts for six days, to give time for going and returning, the market occurring on the 28th and 29th. Of this it is intended I should take advantage, and as my people do not purchase anything, but merely come as a cloak and take me off, we shall get full three days’ start, and be nearly out of the reach of danger. I am now going on in a very different style from that mentioned in my last, partly by taunting the Tajacanths as being cowards, and more perhaps by holding out to them the rich harvest they may gain by having the whole market for salt, purchased at 'Toudeyny, which supplies Soudan, to themselves. Paying, as I am, an enormous sum to go on, and® advancing money for the purchase of salt, to be repaid on arrival at Timbuctoo, or, in the event of an accident, to be feturned to Sheik Beyrock, who is to replace it in the hands of the Vice-Consul at Mogador, I now take the whole of this portion of the Tajacanths, to the number of two hundred men and six hundred camels. Our arrange- ment is as follows: On the 25th, when the Sheiks with two hundred camels and sixty men start, as if to visit the Socco, two hundred camels with corn and water will proceed direct to the Sahara; thirty camels will be detached from those accompanying the two Sheiks, and come here for my baggage, which by this, you will say, is no trifle, the 1 # S6k, or stk, 7.e. market or fair,
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