To The Heart Of The Nile

by Shipman, Pat

• ISBN13: 9780060505578
• ISBN10: 0060505575
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-12-08
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publications

Summary

In 1859, at age fourteen, Florence Szfsz stood before a room full of men and waited to be auctioned to the highest bidder. But slavery and submission were not to be her destiny: Sam Baker, a wealthy English gentleman and eminent adventurer, was moved by compassion and an immediate, overpowering empathy for the young woman, and braved extraordinary perils to help her escape. Together, Florence and Sam -- whose love would remain passionate and constant throughout their lives -- forged into literally uncharted territory in a glorious attempt to unravel a mysterious and magnificent enigma called Africa. A stunning achievement, To the Heart of the Nile is an unforgettable portrait of an unforgettable woman: a story of discovery, bravery, determination, and love, meticulously reconstructed through journals, documents, and private papers, and told in the inimitable narrative style that has already won Pat Shipman resounding international acclaim.

Author Biography

Pat Shipman is currently an adjunct professor of anthropology at Pennsylvania State University and lives in State College, Pennsylvania

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	ix
Author's Note	xiii
Timeline	xv
1. I Am Not a Slave	1	(17)
2. Shots, Knives, Yells, Corpses, and Fire	18	(19)
3. Like a Hawk After a Mouse	37	(11)
4. A Girl from the Harem	48	(21)
5. So Absurd an Errand	69	(19)
6. Heart of a Lion	88	(17)
7. Sitt, I Be Your Boy	105	(20)
8. A Perfect Hell	125	(19)
9. Are the Men Willing to March?	144	(18)
10. A Gorilla in London	162	(17)
11. Tock-tock-tock	179	(10)
12. The Water Cabbages Are Moving	189	(11)
13. My Legs Are But Useless Things	200	(14)
14. Life So Uncertain Here	214	(19)
15. A Courageous Lady	233	(14)
16. Supreme and Absolute Power	247	(28)
17. My Lady and I Shall Proceed Alone	275	(20)
18. Not a Gentleman in the Whole of Africa	295	(23)
19. The Legendary Reputation for Amazonian Qualities	318	(17)
20. That Disgraceful Outrage	335	(8)
21. You Promised You Would Never Return Without Me	343	(17)
22. How Can I Live?	360	(13)
23. March 1916	373	(4)
Notes	377	(28)
Bibliography	405	(6)
A Note on Archives	411	(2)
Illustration Credits	413	(4)
Index	417

Excerpts

To the Heart of the Nile
Lady Florence Baker and the Exploration of Central Africa

Chapter One

I Am Not A Slave

The nubile girls would be sold in January 1859. It wasthe wish of the matriarch of the Finjanjian family,Finjanjian Hanim. She was one of Viddin's top licenseddealers in white slaves and prided herself on her merchandise.Finjanjian Hanim had an uncanny ability to spot apromising girl at a very early age, train her for the harem,and then sell her at puberty for a top price.

Admittedly, Viddin was not the site of a major trade inwhite slaves, even within the Ottoman Empire in Europe.Men who were sent to Viddin as pasha, or governor, werebeing punished for some misdeed. The hanim had not thestature of the members of the Slave Traders Guild in Constantinopleor Cairo, who might manage to place a girl inthe Imperial Harem. Viddin had no equivalent of the incredibleTopkapi Palace with its extensive harem. However,Finjanjian Hanim had succeeded in producing some girls ofexcellent quality who had gone into large and prestigiousharems, enhancing the wealth and social standing of theFinjanjian family. They had climbed far from the days whenthey were simple porcelain sellers, the trade that gave themtheir family name.

January was the usual time for selling the most attractive girls, and thehanim now had a girl of exceptional quality to sell: Florenz. A young blondbeauty, Florenz had been raised and trained most carefully for ten years.She took lessons in mathematics, reading and writing, geography, music,and all the womanly arts alongside the hanim's own granddaughters in theharem. Finjanjian Hanim had taken great care to see that Florenz retainedher knowledge of Hungarian and German, the languages of her natalfamily, as well as learning Arabic, the lingua franca of the harem. KnowingEuropean languages was a highly prized accomplishment in girls thesedays. Watching the girl with a critical eye in the hamman, the baths, thehanim was sure Florenz had reached puberty and the height of her attractiveness.It was time for her to put on the veil in public.

Another year might put a fuller bosom and a more womanly shapeon the girl, but Finjanjian Hanim had another reason for deciding to sellFlorenz now. A new immigration law had been passed in Constantinople,which offered highly favorable terms to those who would immigrate tothe Ottoman Empire. As long as the immigrants pledged their loyalty tothe empire, they would even be permitted to practice their own religionsfreely. Finjanjian Hanim feared that this opportunity would tempt a floodof immigrants from Circassia and Georgia, where ethnic Russians wereharassing the natives and trying to drive them out.

As concubines, Circassian and Georgian girls were always much soughtafter because of their fair coloring and beauty. Sometimes they were kidnappedfor the harem trade, abducted in raids, or taken as trophies of war.Circassian or Georgian girls were also sold by their parents, which carriedno dishonor. A life in the harem was much easier and more luxurious thanthe ceaseless work that awaited girls as the wives of poor farmers. Andif such families came into the province in numbers, what better way wasthere for them to raise cash for a new start than to offer a fair daughter toa slave trader? The market in white slave girls could be ruined by an influxof Circassians and Georgians; better to sell Florenz now than wait.

She notified the other members of the Slave Traders Guild first of all,in case they wanted to enter girls of their own into the sale. A number ofgirls of lesser quality would fatten the audience and make Florenz lookbetter by comparison. Discreet notices were placed in the newspapers inConstantinople, Sofia, Viddin, and Vienna. Brochures were sent to potential buyers, and gossip carried the news farther into Europe. FinjanjianHanim fantasized happily about the possible attendees and the money shewould make.

As the mother of the master of the household, Finjanjian Hanim ruledover the haremlik, the secluded part of the house where all the womenand children lived in cloistered isolation. Her title in the harem was SultanaValidé, and she was esteemed more highly than anyone else, eventhe master's first wife. A favorite Turkish proverb said "A man has butone mother but might have many wives." She decided who would be soldand when. She decided who lived where in the haremlik and who got anextra supplement to her pasmalik, or "slipper money." Now she thoughtthat Florenz should be allowed the great privilege of new and expensiveclothes for the auction.

Florenz did not know why she was being so favored, but some of theother girls of the harem were given clothes too. Her friend, the SultanaValidé's granddaughter, had been given beautiful new garments only a fewweeks earlier before she received a visit from a goruçu, one of the olderwomen who acted as marriage brokers. Florenz wondered if she toowould soon receive a visit from a goruçu. She did not much like the idea,but she had to marry, she supposed, and that was how it was done. Heronly hope was that the husband the Finjanjians found for her would be akind and lovable man. The Sultana Validé, a woman of some perception,never mentioned the upcoming sale to Florenz, thinking the girl mightmake trouble.

As soon as the date of the sale was announced, the kitchen slaves beganworking extra hours, preparing pastries and other delicacies, squeezingfruits for juice and sherbet concoctions. The finest coffee sets were takenout of storage and cleaned meticulously, the supply of delicately embroideredsilk napkins refreshed. Silver utensils were polished to a high shine.Musicians practiced frantically, as they would be stationed discreetly inthe main reception room of the selamlik, the public area of the householdwhere men might go, to fill the room with music ...

To the Heart of the Nile
Lady Florence Baker and the Exploration of Central Africa. Copyright © by Pat Shipman. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.

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Excerpted from To the Heart of the Nile: Lady Florence Baker and the Exploration of Central Africa by Pat Shipman
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