CHAPTER XXVI.

M. Périères relates, in his journal, that the caravan had scarcely set foot on the territory of the Niam-Niam than it was surrounded by an inquisitive crowd, which increased every moment. It was a question of who should be the first to see the white man, and, above all, the white woman, the Sultana, at the sight of whom there were universal cries of admiration. The news of the arrival of the _cortége_ spread from hamlet to hamlet, and there was a regular human hedge along the road. The Europeans were not, however, the objects of any hostile demonstration. Some of the chiefs, it is true, demanded a tribute, but as soon as they had received it, they fraternized with the escort, offered their services as guides to the next district, and were often of great use. M. Périères took advantage of this curiosity, which brought him in close contact with the natives, to trace their portraits in a few lines, whilst M. de Morin, on horseback, made a sketch here and there of a picturesque costume, or an original type of countenance.

The portrait of the Zandeys, or Niam-Niam, taken from pen and pencil, and, more important still, after nature, is briefly this—average height, that of Europeans, upper part of the body long, legs short, a disposition towards fat; colour of the skin earthy red, hair thick and frizzy, but of extraordinary length and falling down the back in plaits and tufts, head round and broad. The almond-shaped eyes have clearly defined eyebrows; the lips are not deformed by any so-called ornaments, and the Zandeys, who take very good care not to imitate the Dinkas, do not deprive themselves of any teeth, but they file their incisors to a point, after the fashion of their brother cannibals and their western relatives, the Pahaouins.

Their costume is composed of skins, fastened round the waist and reaching to the knees, or in some cases of a girdle of hippopotamus hide, to which hangs a small gourd filled with the fat used to anoint the body. On their shoulders they also carry a sort of pouch filled with provisions, for, acting up to his reputation as a large eater, the Niam-Niam never stirs away from his home without a stock of eatables. That portion of the body which is uncovered is ornamented by a variety of tattooed patterns, and sometimes, in addition, by necklets of wood or iron, or formed from the teeth of animals. The head is bare, except in the case of the chiefs, who, in spite of the heat, wear a species of fur hood.

As for the dress of the women, M. Périères describes that in four words—they have not any. The Zandey females, adds the historian of the expedition, would show far better taste if they did dress themselves a little more, for, with the exception of a few of the young ones, who are tolerably well-made and good looking, none of the women are attractive, although they are never deformed, nor have they any of the repulsive characteristics common to their Bongo neighbours. Their ugliness does not, however, prevent their being loved, since in no other part of Africa can such good husbands be found as the Niam-Niam, who, notwithstanding that polygamy is in vogue amongst them, as amongst all the contiguous tribes, have a real affection for their wives. It must also be recorded that the women are remarkable for their modesty, and on this point we may be allowed to call Schweinfurth to witness. "The social position of the Niam-Niam women," says the German traveller, "differs materially from what is found amongst other heathen negroes in Africa. The Bongo and Mittoo women are on the same familiar terms with the foreigner as the men, and the Monbuttoo ladies are as forward, inquisitive, and prying as can be imagined; but the women of the Niam-Niam treat every stranger with great reserve. Whenever I met any women coming along a narrow pathway in the woods or on the steppes, I noticed that they always made a wide circuit to avoid me, and returned into the path farther on; and many a time I saw them waiting at a distance, with averted faces, until I had passed by. This reserve may have originated from one of two opposite reasons. It may, on the one hand, have sprung from the more servile position of the Niam-Niam women themselves; or, on the other, it may have been necessitated by the jealous temperament of their husbands. It is one of the fine traits in the Niam-Niam that they display an affection for their wives which is unparalleled among natives of so low a grade, and of whom it might be expected that they would have been brutalised by their hunting and warlike pursuits. A husband will spare no sacrifice to redeem an imprisoned wife, and the Nubians, being acquainted with this, turn it to profitable account in the ivory trade. They are quite aware that whoever possesses a female hostage can obtain almost any compensation from a Niam-Niam."

The Niam-Niam are governed by chiefs, whose power is absolute. They dispose of the lives of their subjects, inflict corporal punishments, such as the loss of fingers or ears, and decide upon peace or war. Nevertheless, they are careful not to attack a neighbouring power without first consulting their auguries. They take an oily fluid, extracted from a red wood, and administer it to a hen; if the bird dies, the enterprise is doubtful; if it, on the contrary, survives, victory is assured and they take the field. In this latter case the men arm themselves with lances, arrows, shields, and trumbashes, sharp, pointed iron weapons, shaped something like a sickle. Their combats are furious, and they are rather addicted to eating their enemies after having killed them.

The journal of the expedition, however, states that the caravan made its way through the Niam-Niam country without having any of its members eaten, and without even receiving any proposition to that effect. "Joseph, from his corpulence and habitually flabby appearance," says M. Périères, "might well have made a few mouths water. Indeed, I occasionally saw a native cast a longing glance at him, but Joseph at once took refuge very close to us, and the poor Niam-Niam, disappointed of a delicacy, was compelled to fall back upon such ordinary dishes as dogs, monkeys, or reptiles, with manioc flour and sugar-cane juice 'to follow' in the shape of dessert."

In a word, the caravan did not encounter any serious danger, thanks, perhaps, to the number of rifles in its possession. At first, the Zandeys mistook these guns for lances, calling them iron sticks, and laughing at them. But M. de Morin, as much to exercise his men as to make a display of his force, organized a course of target practice. The Niam-Niam were frightened to begin with, and then astonished; from that moment they looked upon the Europeans as superior beings, against whom it was useless to contend.

Miss Beatrice Poles was now, amongst these people, raised to the dignity of a demi-goddess. A box of lucifer matches did this for her. The natives, accustomed to produce fire only after great exertion, by rubbing one stick against another, were overwhelmed with amazement when they saw Miss Poles take a box from her pocket, produce a small match and light it at once. "She can make fire as she pleases," was the general exclamation, and they opened their eyes and mouths to such an extent as to make Joseph shiver in his shoes, for, notwithstanding the impunity which he enjoyed, and the delicacy displayed by the Niam-Niam towards him, he did not like to see their pointed teeth.

We have now given, to a certain extent, a _resumé_ of the journal of the expedition in all that concerns the leading characteristics of the Niam-Niam.

Towards the middle of May, the caravan reached the river which separates the Zandey territory from that of the Monbuttoos, where the serious business of the expedition was to commence, for at last they found themselves in the country where the guide, Nassar, alleged that he had met M. de Guéran eighteen months previously.