der. There is another village, called Gazawa, one
day south of Tesaoua. The inhabitants of these places are half
Mahommedans and half pagans; the latter do not offer human sacrifices;
their religious rites consist principally in worshipping trees, to which
they sacrifice at certain seasons. The Fellatahs are always at war with
the people of Maradee, but Gouber is at peace with Sakkatou. In
Maradee there is one large stone-and-mud house for the Sultan; all
the rest of the houses are bell-shaped huts. The place has a numerous
population. Tesaoua is also independent and self-governed, as are most
of the places hereabouts.
I had a visit from two itinerant schoolmasters, natives of Bornou. From
these I learned that there does exist a little education amongst the
Kailouees. There is a village near called Amurgeen, three hours from
Tintalous, where children are sent from all the places around, so that
it forms a species of college or university. It is to this college that
En-Noor sends his sons and grandsons. These itinerant pedagogues are
negroes; and it is certainly a curious circumstance that from Central
Africa instruction should migrate northwards. But the Kailouees have
little pride in this respect; although boasting of the name of Tuaricks,
and accounting themselves _white_ people, or allied with the whites,
they do not scruple to receive education from the negroes of Bornou,
whilst certainly it would be very easy to have Kailouee schoolmasters.
I heard from my friend Tibbaou that En-Noor's territory in Tesaoua is
simply a village at some distance from the medeeneh, or city, where
there is a native and independent sultan of some power. His territory in
Damerghou is also a mere village. Nevertheless, the possession of these
places extends the political influence of the Kailouees in Soudan. The
neighbourhood of Damerghou, especially the western side, seems
celebrated for a tribe, or factions of tribes, consisting of bad
Tuaricks. This race is evidently spreading in Soudan; there are great
numbers in Gouber and the countries near.
I purchased from the itinerant pedagogues of Bornou two of their
ink-bottles, which are made of small calabashes. They wrote for me some
specimens of their penmanship, a charm, _fatah_, or first chapter of the
Koran. They wrote and formed their letters sideways, as some lawyers'
clerks do in England.
Dambaba Makersee took the liberty of informing me to-day, as if I did
not know it before,
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