Poems & One Letter by Arthur Rimbaud
Letter to Vice Consul Gaspary
Arthur Rimbaud
Aden, November 9, 1887
Monsieur,
I received your letter of the 8th and take note of your observations.
I am sending you the copy of the expenses of Labatut's caravan, but must keep the original because the caravan leader who signed it later stole part of the funds that the Azzaze gave him for the purchasing of camels. The Azzaze is stubborn about never paying the caravan expenses for the Europeans who can easily pay: the Danakils discovered the perfect opportunity to scandalize both the Azzaze and the foreigners there at the time, and every European there has seen the Bedouins take 75% on top of caravan expenses. Meanwhile, the Azzaze and Ménélik have been supporting the Bedouins in their conflicts with the foreigners since before the opening of the road to Harar.
Warned of all this, I had the idea of entrusting funds to my caravan leader. This did not stop him from taking me before the King right when I was departing, and asking for some 400 thalers in addition to the funds approved by him! On this occasion he had for his lawyer the dreadful bandit Mohammed Abou Béker, enemy of European travelers and traders in Shoa.
But the King, without considering the signature of the Bedouin (for paperwork is nothing at all in Shoa), and knowing that he lied, happened to insult Mohammed, who furiously struggled against me, then sentenced me to only pay a sum of 30 thalers and a Remington rifle: but I paid nothing at all. I later learned that the caravan leader had withdrawn 400 thalers from the Azzaze's own pocket, which was set aside for payments to the Bedouins, and that he had employed this money in the buying of slaves that he sent with the caravan of M. Savouré, M. Dimitri and M. Brémond, and they all died on the way. So Mohammed ran off to hide in Abba-Djifar, Djimma, where they say he died from dysentery. Thus, a month after my departure, the Azzaze had to reimburse those 400 thalers to the Bedouins—but if I would've been there he would've told him to pay me.
In all three instances, the most dangerous enemies of the Europeans are the Abou-Békers, because of their easy access to the Azzaze and the King, so as to slander us, disparage our ways and pervert our intentions. For the Danakil Bedouins, the Abou-Békers shamelessly set an example of theft, as they advise them in pillaging and murder. Impunity is guaranteed to the Abou-Békers by the Abyssinian and European authorities on the coasts, who crudely deceive each other. There are also some French in Shoa who get robbed on the road by Mohammed and are still subjected to his schemes, but nevertheless, they'll tell you: "Mohammed's a good boy!" even though the rest of the Europeans left in Shoa and Harar, aware of the politics and customs of the Abou-Békers (loathed by all the Danakil, Galla and Amharan people) still flee them like the plague.
The 34 Abyssinians in my escort had me good. In Sajalo, before departing, they made me sign an agreement to pay them 15 thalers each for the road plus two months of back-pay, but in Ankober, annoyed by their insolent demands, I seized the paper and tore it up in front of them. Consequently, someone complained to the Azzaze, etc. Besides, we never take receipts for wages paid to servants in Shoa: they'd consider this act quite strange and believe themselves to be in danger of who knows what.
I wouldn't have paid the Azzaze the 300 thalers for Labatut if I didn't discover, in an old notebook found in Mme. Labutut's shack, an annotation in the writings of Labatut showing a receipt from the Azzaze for almost 5 okiètes of ivory. Labatut was actually writing his memoirs: I gathered 34 volumes, or 34 notebooks, in the home of his widow, and despite the cursings of the latter, I offered them to the flames. I was told this was a great misfortune. There were a few deeds inserted between these confessions which, briefly perused, did not appear worthy of serious examination.
Moreover, this Azzaze sycophant appeared in Farri with his burrows at the same time I was coming in with my camels, and immediately suggested to me, after exchanging greetings, that the foreigner I represented had a huge account with him, and he asked me for the entire caravan as security. I appeased him temporarily by offering him a telescope of mine and some bottles of candy-coated laxatives. I later sent him from afar what I thought he really deserved. He was bitterly disillusioned and always acted hostile toward me. Among other things, he stopped the other sycophant, a high priest, from paying me for a load of raisins that I brought him for making homemade wine for Mass.
As for the various debts I paid for Labatut, it happened in the following manner:
A Dedjatch came to my house and sat down to drink my meed, boasting of the noble qualities of his friend (the late Labutut!), while expressing the hope of discovering the same virtues in me. Upon seeing a mule grazing on the lawn, he declared, "There's that mule I gave to Labatut!" (he neglected to mention that the cloak he was wearing was also given to him by Labatut!). "Besides," he added, "he owes me 70 thalers (or 50, or 60, etc.!)" He insisted on this demand so much that I dismissed the noble bandit by telling him, "Go to the King!" (which is pretty much to say "Go to the Devil!"). But the King made me pay part of the claim, hypocritically adding that he would pay the rest!
But I have paid on some legitimate claims as well. For example, I paid the wages of Labatut's dead servants to their wives. There were also some reimbursements of 30, 15 and 12 thalers, to some peasants that Labatut took money from, promising them guns, fabric, etc., in return. Since these poor people are always of good faith, I felt for them and I paid. I was also ordered to pay a sum of 20 thalers to M. Dubois. I saw that this was just and I paid, adding a pair of my shoes for interest. The poor devil had been complaining about going barefoot.
The news of my virtuous behavior started spreading far and wide. There arose, here and there, a series of Labatut's creditors, in groups, in hordes, with their embarrassing routines, and this modified my benevolent disposition. I became determined to hurry up and get out of Shoa. I remember the morning of my departure: while trotting toward the NNE I saw an emissary of a wife of a friend of Labatut leap from a bush, requesting from me, in the name of the Virgin Mary, a sum of 19 thalers. Then, further on, appearing on top of a cliff, a strange individual in a sheepskin cloak asked me if I paid 12 thalers to his brother that were borrowed from Labatut, etc. I yelled at these people that it was too late!
When I was going to Ankober, Labatut's widow began proceedings against me with the Azzaze in a scathing trial hinging on her claim of inheritance. M. Hénon, a French explorer, made himself her lawyer in this noble task, and he summoned me and dictated to the widow the statement of his pretensions with the aid of two old-lady Arab attorneys. After odious debates wherein I sometimes had the upper hand, and sometimes the lower, the Azzaze ordered me to seize the houses of the deceased. But the widow had already hidden a few thalers of merchandise, personal effects and curios left by him. During the seizure of these things, which didn't happen without resistance, I found some old pairs of underwear that the old widow took with impassioned tears along with some bullet molds and a dozen pregnant slaves I declined.
M. Hénon began proceedings for an appeal on behalf of the widow, and the Azzaze, dumbfounded, left it to the judgement of the foreigners in Ankober. My business already appearing disastrous, M. Brémond then decided that I would only have to give up the land, gardens and livestock of the deceased to this shrew, and that upon my departure, the Europeans would collect a sum of 100 thalers to give to the wife. M. Hénon, representing the plaintiff, put himself in charge of the operation and stayed in Ankober.
The eve of my departure from Entotto, going up to the Monarch's with M. Ilg to get the bill from the Dedjatch of Harar, I saw behind me in the mountains the helmet of M. Hénon, who, aware of my departure, rapidly traversed the 120 kilometers from Ankober to Entotto. And behind him I saw the cloak of the frenetic widow winding along the precipice. At the King's, I waited a few hours in the antechamber as they desperately appealed to him. But when I was introduced, M. Ilg swiftly told me that they did not succeed. The Monarch declared that he had been the friend of Labatut and that he had intended to pursue his friendship with his descendants, and to prove it, he immediately withdrew the fruits of the land from the widow, which he had given to Labatut!
M. Hénon's goal was to make me pay the 100 thalers that he himself had to collect from the Europeans for the widow. I learned that after my departure the deal was never finalized!
M. Ilg, because of his knowledge of languages and his honesty, is employed by the King in the basic handling of European affairs with the royal court. He made me understand that Ménélik pretended that Labatut was deeply in debt to him. Actually, the day when my capital was calculated, Ménélik said that Labatut owed him quite a lot, so I responded by demanding evidence. It was a Saturday and the King replied that we should consult the accounts. On Monday, after having unrolled the archival scrolls, the King declared that he had discovered a sum of about 3500 thalers which he expressed should be subtracted from my account. In addition to this, he declared that realistically, all Labatut's goods should be returned to him. All this came from a tone that could not be refuted. I noted the European creditors and finally my credit, and due to the objections of M. Ilg, the King hypocritically consented to drop 3/8ths of his demand.
I am convinced that the Abyssinian Emperor stole from me and that his merchandise is circulating on roads that I am still condemned to wander. I hope I can get it back one day for the value of what he owes me, and likewise, I must get a hold of Ras Govana for a sum of 600 thalers in case he persists in his demands, since I heard that the King spoke to him about keeping quiet; this is what he always says after he has already paid himself.
Such is the situation, Monsieur Consul, of my payments on the debts of Labatut's caravan to the natives. Excuse me for doing it in this manner, to distract myself from the nature of the memories this affair created for me, which are, all in all, very disagreeable.
With my utmost respect,
Rimbaud
Translated by Mark Spitzer