A Popular Description of Africa: Geographical, Historical, and Topographical, Volume 2J. Duncan and T. Tegg, 1830 |
Expressions et termes fréquents
Africa appearance Arabs Badagry Bahr Bahr-el-Ghazal basalt Bashaw beautiful Begharmi Berber Bilma Birnie Borgoo Bornou Bornouese built caboceer called camels capital Captain Clapperton Captain Lyon castle clay cloth Colonel Keatinge colour corn covered desert distance dress eastward Egypt feet Felatahs Fezzan Foor gates Ghadamis granite head height hills Horneman horse houses huts inhabitants Jackson Jannah journey kafila Kanem Katagum Kordofan Kouka Lake Tchad latitude Major Denham Mandara Mazagan Mequinez miles Mogodore Moors Morocco mosque mountains Mourzouk Muley natives nearly negro Oudney pass plain reached residence river road rocks round route ruins sand says seen Shary Sheikh Shouaas side Sidi situated slaves Sockna soil Soudan stone Sultan surrounded tains Tangier Tchad thick Tibboo town Traveller trees tribe Tripoli trona Tuaricks valley villages Waday wady walls women wood yards Youriba Zuela
Fréquemment cités
Page 316 - The market is crowded from sunrise to sunset every day, not excepting their Sabbath, which is kept on Friday. The merchants understand the benefits of monopoly as well as any people in the world ; they take good care never to overstock the market, and, if any thing falls in price, it is immediately withdrawn for a few days.
Page 224 - Adam should not sell one another, and you know every thing! God has given you all great talents, but what are we to do? The Arabs who come here will have nothing else but slaves: why don't you send us your merchants? You know us now; and let them bring their women with them, and live amongst us, and teach us what you talk to me about so often, to build houses and boats, and make rockets.
Page 141 - My naturally sanguine mind, however, and above all, my firm reliance on that Power which had so mercifully protected me on so many trying occasions, prevented my giving way to despondency ; and, Belford beginning soon to rally a little, we united, and took turns in nursing and attending on our poor companion. At this time having no servant, we performed for Mr. Ritchie and for ourselves the most menial offices, Mr. Ritchie being wholly unable to assist himself.
Page 221 - Bornou carries no arms, and it is beneath his dignity to defend himself: sitting down, therefore, under a tree, with his people around him, he received his enemies, and hiding his face in the shawl which covered his head, was pierced with a hundred spears. Ibrahim, his brother, succeeded him, who is now not more than twenty-two years old. The sultanship of Bornou, however, is but a name : the court still keeps up considerable state, and adheres strictly to its ancient customs, and this is the only...
Page 252 - ... liffa, the worst kind of serpent this country produces, rose from its coil, as if in the very act of striking. I was horror-struck, and deprived for a moment of all recollection — the branch slipped from my hand, and I tumbled headlong into the water beneath ; this shock, however, revived me, and with three strokes of my arms I reached the opposite bank, which, with difficulty, I crawled up ; and then, for the first time, felt myself safe from my pursuers.
Page 212 - ... flanks, and surrounded the little body of Arab warriors so completely, as to give the compliment of welcoming them very much the appearance of a declaration of their contempt for their weakness. I am quite sure this was premeditated ; we were all so closely pressed as to be nearly smothered, and in some danger from the crowding of the horses and clashing of the spears. Moving on was impossible ; and we therefore came to a full stop : our chief was much enraged, but it was all to no purpose ;...
Page 314 - The native butchers are fully as knowing as our own, for they make a few slashes to show the fat, blow up meat, and sometimes even stick a little sheep's wool on a leg of goat's flesh, to make it pass with the ignorant for mutton.
Page 102 - With discharges of musketry, and the train of horsemen, &c., she is then conveyed to the bridegroom's house, upon which it is necessary for her to appear greatly surprised, and refuse to dismount; the women scream, and the men shout, and she is at length persuaded to enter...
Page 313 - ... cowries, according to the standard exchange between silver money and this shell currency. There is another custom regulated with equal certainty and in universal practice : the seller returns to the buyer a stated part of the price, by way of blessing, as they term it, or of luck-penny, according to our less devout phraseology. This is a discount of two per cent, on the purchase money ; but if the bargain is made in a hired house, it is the landlord who receives the luck-penny. I may here notice...
Page 250 - ... his side as he pushed on quite into the town, and a very desperate skirmish took place between Barca Gana's people and a small body of the Felatahs. These warriors throw the spear with great dexterity; and three times I saw the man transfixed to the earth who. was dismounted for the purpose of firing the town, and as often were those who rushed forward for that purpose sacrificed for their temerity, by the Felatahs. Barca Gana, whose muscular arm was almost gigantic, threw eight spears, which...