My Kalulu, Prince, King and Slave A Story of Central Africa   By: Henry M. Stanley (1841-1904)

MY KALULU, PRINCE, KING AND SLAVE, BY HENRY M. STANLEY.

CHAPTER ONE.

THE BEAUTIFUL AMINA, SHEIKH AMER'S WIFE ARABS IN CONSULTATION THE COUNTRY OF RUA BEAUTIFUL WOMEN OF RUA THE CONSUL'S SON SELIM AND ISA ARE PERMITTED TO JOIN THE EXPEDITION LUDHA DAMHA OFFERS TO LEND MONEY SELIM TELLS HIS MOTHER SELIM'S MANLINESS AROUSED SELIM ARGUES WITH HIS MOTHER THE EXPEDITION SETS SAIL FOR BAGAMOYO.

About four miles north of the city of Zanzibar, and about half a mile removed from a beautiful bay, lived, not many years ago, surrounded by his kinsmen and friends, a noble Arab of the tribe of Beni Hassan, Sheikh Amer bin Osman. [Amer bin Osman means, Amer, son of Osman.]

Sheikh Amer was a noble by descent and untarnished blood from a long line of illustrious Arab ancestry; he was noble in disposition, noble in his large liberal charity, and noble in his treatment of his numerous black dependents.

Amer's wife his favourite wife was the sweet gazelle eyed daughter of Othman bin Ghees, of the tribe of the Beni Abbas. She was her husband's counterpart in disposition and temper, and was qualified to reign queen of his heart and harem for numerous other virtues.

Though few Arabs spoke of her in presence of her husband, or asked about her health or well being as it is contrary to the custom of the Arabs still the friends of Amer knew well what transpired under his roof. The faithful slaves of Amer never omitted an opportunity to declare the goodness and many virtues of Amina, Amer's wife.

A young European, chancing to ride on one of Prince Majid's horses by the estate of Amer, one afternoon, casually obtained a glance at the sweet face of Amina, which made such an impression on his mind that he continually dwelt upon it as on a happy dream. Some of this young European's phrases deserve to be repeated in justice to the Arab lady whom he so admired. "She was the most beautiful woman my eyes ever rested upon. I felt a shock of admiration as I caught that one short view of her face. I felt a keen regret that I could see no more of the exquisite features of her extraordinary face. If I were a painter, I know I should be for ever endeavouring to preserve a trace of the divine beauty of that Arab woman; my brush would ever hover about the eyes in a vain hope that I could transmit to canvas the marvellously limpid, yet glowing look of her eyes, or near the finely chiselled lips, tinting them with the rubiest of colours, or ever trying to imitate the pure complexion, yet always despairing to approach the perfection, one glance indelibly fixed on my memory."

Around Amer's large roomy mansion grew a grove of orange and mangoe trees. The fields of his estate numbered many acres, well tilled and planted with cinnamon, cloves, oranges, mangoes, pomegranates, guavas, and numerous other fruit trees; they produced also every variety of vegetable and grain known on the Island of Zanzibar. By dint of labour, and personal exertion, and superintendence of the proprietor the estate was considered to be one of the most flourishing on the island. A sacrifice of a large amount of ready money had so improved and embellished the mansion, that the oldest inhabitant who remembered Osman, Amer's father, hardly recognised it as the house of Osman. A large marble courtyard, in the centre of which stood a handsome fountain of the same costly stone, was one of the many additions made to the house by Amer after the demise of his father. Marble troughs outside the mansion had also been erected for the use of the Moslemised slaves, that they might wash their feet and hands before attending the prayers in the mesdjid [Chapel or church] of the mansion, which were rigidly observed with all the ceremonies usual in Moslem temples.