Download PDF The Nile Tributaries Of Abyssinia: And The Sword Hunters Of The Hamran Arabs, by Samuel W. Baker
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The Nile Tributaries Of Abyssinia: And The Sword Hunters Of The Hamran Arabs, by Samuel W. Baker
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Originally published in 1867, Sir Samuel Baker's journal chronicles his exploratory venture to Africa in search of the source of the Nile and is perhaps the greatest adventure story ever written. Baker, who was one of the most significant and noted British explorers of the nineteenth century, commenced upon a one year journey to study every individual pathway to the Nile, fully accompanied by his wife Florence (whom he had first encountered in an Ottoman slave market). Testing himself to the limit and testament to his strength of character, Baker's highly descriptive, often humorous and fluid writing documents this treacherous and arduous undertaking, recounting highly interesting stories of the native people as well as conveying the details of his exploration. From his hunting expeditions with the Hamran Arabs to his extensive journeys on camel-back and his life at camp, Baker's experiences are far removed from the modern world, and his eloquent and highly readable depictions offer the reader with an inestimable illumination into what life and survival was really like in Africa in the mid-nineteenth century.
PREFACE CHAPTER I. ABOVE THE CATARACT CHAPTER II CHAPTER III. WILD ASSES OF THE DESERT CHAPTER IV. ROUTE FROM CASSALA TO SOUAKIM CHAPTER V. THE STORM CHAPTER VI. SHEIK ACHMET ABOU SINN CHAPTER VII. THE DEPARTURE CHAPTER VIII. THE PLAGUES OF EGYPT CHAPTER IX. FORM A RAFT WITH THE SPONGING BATH CHAPTER X. A FEW NOTES AT EHETILLA CHAPTER XI. THE FORD CHAPTER XII. OLD NEPTUNE JOINS THE PARTY CHAPTER XIII. THE LIONS FIND THE BUFFALO CHAPTER XIV. A FOREBODING OF EVIL CHAPTER XV. ANTELOPES ON THE SETTITE CHAPTER XVI. ABOU DO IS GREEDY CHAPTER XVII. WE REACH THE ROYAN CHAPTER XVIII. A CAMEL FALLS, AND DIES CHAPTER XIX. SEND A PARTY TO RECONNOITRE CHAPTER XX. ARRIVAL AT METEMMA, OR GALLABAT CHAPTER XXI. FERTILITY OF THE COUNTRY ON THE BANKS OF THE RAHAD CHAPTER XXII. WE LEAVE THE DINDER
"This day a herd of twenty-eight giraffes tantalized me by descending a short distance below the level flats, and I was tempted at all hazards across the river. Accordingly preparations were immediately made for a start. The sheik of the village and several of the Arabs were hippopotami hunters by profession; these fellows could swim like otters, and, despite the crocodiles, they seemed as much at home in the water as on land. We prepared an impromptu raft. My angarep (bedstead) was quickly inverted; six water-skins were inflated, and lashed, three on either side. A shallow packing-case, lined with tin, containing my gun, was fastened in the centre of the angarep, and two tow-lines were attached to the front part of the raft, by which swimmers were to draw it across the river. Two men were to hang on behind, and, if possible, keep it straight in the rapid current.
"There was not much delay in the launch. I stepped carefully into my coffin-shaped case, and squatted down, with a rifle on either side, and my ammunition at the bottom of the tin-lined water-proof case; thus, in case of an upset, I was ready for a swim. Off we went!"
- Sales Rank: #3642719 in Books
- Published on: 2014-09-07
- Original language: English
- Dimensions: 11.00" h x .54" w x 8.50" l,
- Binding: Paperback
- 238 pages
About the Author
Sir Samuel White Baker, KCB, FRS, FRGS was a British explorer, officer, naturalist, big game hunter, engineer, writer and abolitionist. He also held the titles of Pasha and Major-General in the Ottoman Empire and Egypt. (Wikipedia)
Excerpt. � Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
"This being a concise summary of the Nile system, I shall describe twelve months' exploration, during which I examined every individual river that is tributary to the Nile from Abyssinia, including the Atbara, Settite, Royan, Salaam, Angrab, Rahad, Dinder, and the Blue Nile."
Sir Samuel Baker, who had spent a number of years in Ceylon in the mid-19th century was eager to explore new territories. The source of the Nile was still a great mystery in the 1800's. European speculation about Africa had long existed: ancient authors like Herodotus and Strabo wrote about it, and British schoolboys grew up wildly excited and eager to go there from reading these authors. David Livingstone, Richard Burton, John Speke, and Samuel Baker, among others, would base their expeditions partially upon these ancient texts. (Now aren't you sorry that you didn't learn Latin?)
Baker's earlier travels through Africa had led him to the lake that he named after Prince Albert. Now he was back in Africa to continue not only his exploration of the Nile and its tributaries, but also for ethnographic research, and hunting. Well, actually for hunting along the Nile tributaries.
He spent many hours with the Arabs of the region, and the book is full of his trenchant observations about their customs. He was especially thrilled when he found the Harman sword hunters, for he had heard of their skill in elephant hunting by sword alone. Here is his description of that important weapon:
"The Arabs are extremely proud of a good sword, and a blade of great value is carefully handed down through many generations. The sheiks and principal people wear silver-hilted swords. The scabbards are usually formed of two thin strips of elastic but soft wood, covered with leather. No Arab would accept a metal scabbard, as it would destroy the keen edge of his weapon. The greatest care is taken in sharpening the swords. While on the march, the Arab carries his weapon slung on the pommel of his saddle, from which it passes beneath his thigh. There are two projecting pieces of leather, about twelve inches apart, upon the scabbard, between which the thigh of the horseman fits, and thus prevents the sword from slipping from its place. Carried in this position at full speed, there is an absence of that absurd dangling and jumping of the sword that is exhibited in our British cavalry, and the weapon seems to form a portion of the rider."
Baker crossed deserts littered with camel skeletons, camped along riverbeds near hippopotami, and hunted the numerous animals of the Nile basin. From desert nomads he learned how Arab women perfume themselves, and from conversation with sheiks he learned the histories of the various tribes. And oh for the resourcefulness of the traveler:
"This day a herd of twenty-eight giraffes tantalized me by descending a short distance below the level flats, and I was tempted at all hazards across the river. Accordingly preparations were immediately made for a start. The sheik of the village and several of the Arabs were hippopotami hunters by profession; these fellows could swim like otters, and, despite the crocodiles, they seemed as much at home in the water as on land. We prepared an impromptu raft. My angarep (bedstead) was quickly inverted; six water-skins were inflated, and lashed, three on either side. A shallow packing-case, lined with tin, containing my gun, was fastened in the centre of the angarep, and two tow-lines were attached to the front part of the raft, by which swimmers were to draw it across the river. Two men were to hang on behind, and, if possible, keep it straight in the rapid current.
"There was not much delay in the launch. I stepped carefully into my coffin-shaped case, and squatted down, with a rifle on either side, and my ammunition at the bottom of the tin-lined water-proof case; thus, in case of an upset, I was ready for a swim. Off we went!"
Baker does describe the Nile tributaries but the majority of his time seems to be taken up with his hunting: wild game and people are just more interesting to him. Yes, he can be pompous, but the world has shrunk since Baker's day, and his book captures all the excitement of being in new territory. And if you also need to know how to ford a swift river with a horse, you will find the technique in chapter 15.
Most helpful customer reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful.
Early African Adventure as Only a Brit Could Tell It
By Jena Ball
You've got to like the sometimes tedious, journal-style approach of early explorers, or at least be willing to put up with it, to appreciate this book. However, it holds some remarkable writing, insight and yes adventure. Baker was a contemporary of Richard Burton, John Henning Speke, Henry Morton Stanley and David Livingstone, all famous for their searches for the source of the Nile River in Africa. If you know anything about this time in history and about Africa itself, then you know that Africa was almost always fatal. Few who went into the interior returned, and those who did usually paid with their health. Not a pretty picture. Into this scene walks Samuel Baker, a wealthy, larger than life British aristocrat with a passion for exploration and excitement.
Baker was a man who tackled rather than simply lived life. A fine linguist, writer, artist and sportsman who hunted with a knife because it was too easy to kill with a gun, he was also extremely practical with a "let's get on with it" attitude towards his travels. Nothing but determined, he presses forward when others would have said, "enough." Are you surprised that he succeeds where others have failed? I wasn't.
What I like about Baker's writing is that he knows how to tell a story. He is as interested in the people as he is in the facts of what happened. It also helps that Baker himself edited this book, picking and choosing the entries from his longer journal. If Baker is pompous and full of his own superiority at times, he can be forgiven. All in all this is a good read. It helps, however to have read his first book "The Albert N'yanza Great Basic of the Nile" first.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful.
One of the greatest adventures of all time
By B. C. Richards
I like to read about exploring and hunting in Africa, authors like Ruark, Capstick, & Hemingway. The reason I hunted down this book is because Hemingway said it was the best book he ever read about Africa. I figured he would know.
I enjoyed this book immensely. Baker describes his explorations, hunting expeditions, and encounters with the natives in experiences that now can only be dreamed about. He talks about his extensive hunting trips with the Hamram Arabs, who hunted elephants with swords from horseback. He tells about traveling hundreds of miles on the backs of camels, and about rescuing one pack camel that had fallen off the side of a cliff by wrapping ropes around it and lowering it to the bottom of the canyon. Even much of the day to day camp life is very interesting, as the party had to provide for all of their needs for themselves.
It is worth noting, that apparently modern readers must be somewhat put off by a supposed tone of superiority. One reviewer indicates this way, and in the version I have, the publisher actually attempts a vague apology on the back of the book. I didn't notice anything in Sir Samuel Baker's tone, but if someone can read this book and not conclude from the narrative that Baker actually is superior to the vast majority of mortals, they must have a better imagination than I do.
One of the most interesting aspects of Baker's explorations is that he had his wife, Lady Florence, with him the entire time. One of my favorite stories is about a night when he was awakened by a gentle tug on his sleeve, which was always his wife's signal that something was wrong. Without rolling over he reached under his cot and got his rifle first, and then his wife indicated that a hyena had just stuck it's head in the door of the tent. He waited a few minutes, and when the hyena took another look, he dispatched it there in the tent in the middle of the night.
If you like to read about Africa, or about exploration, hunting, or high adventure, I think you will enjoy this book very much.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful.
Samuel Baker - some character
By Bri
This book makes fascinating reading for anyone interested in 19th century Africa. Above all, it gives a clear insight into how Africa and, in particular, the Nile was viewed by European adventurers and hunters at the time. Samuel Baker was a very able writer and his fluid style and keen eye for scientific detail make this book a pleasure to read. Perhaps the only negative aspect of the book is that it goes into too much detail on Baker's hunting expeditions and the modern reader may find some of these episodes quite savage and cruel. Apart from that, it is a book which is well worth reading and which gives the reader a much better understanding of how life really was in these remote areas in the late 19th century.
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