Journey to Ambabboo, distance three miles, general direction south-west,
along the sea-shore.—Halt for the night.—Journey to Dulhull, distance
seven miles, general direction nearly south-west.—Staying at Dulhull.
WE first passed a small stream which a shower among the hills during the
preceding night had produced, and which was now running directly into
the sea: then the well, with the usual crowd of laughing water-bearers,
who in groups were commenting upon the Feringee Kafilah, and as I passed
saluted me with an abundance of salaams (peace). Cassim was the only one
of the group of five natives that accompanied me who was mounted, and he
was unarmed, except with the common dagger of his countrymen. The
remainder, excepting Ibrahim Shaitan, who had made himself particularly
disagreeable in Tajourah, were strangers to me. I was given to
understand they formed a part of the escort of ten men who were engaged
to accompany me on the journey. They were certainly the most cut-throat
looking individuals I had ever seen; their suspicious glances, low
whispers, and rumoured characters, for they were some Bedouins of the
interior, made me feel rather uncomfortable at first, and I almost felt
inclined to get off my mule, and go to prayers with Cassim, when I saw
him dismount as we rode along the beach and commence his ablutions for
that purpose. As, however, he made no signal for me to halt, I proceeded
quietly along with the rest of the party till we passed a broad current,
some feet wide, of small hermit crabs, that were marching along, at a
great pace, from the sea, towards the north, in which direction, it must
be observed, Mecca lay. I pulled up my mule to observe what could
possibly be the reason of such an array passing along, and my
wild-looking friends coming up, Ibrahim, whose knowledge of Arabic
rivalled mine, looked in my face inquiringly, and pointing to the crabs,
remarked, “fennah rah?” (where go) to which I replied in equally good
Arabic, “hadge” (pilgrimage), at which he raised a loud laugh, and
telling his friends in their language, they seemed to enjoy the joke
exceedingly. After this incident I got a little more confidence, and was
just going to ask Ibrahim some question relative to the time we should
be on the journey, when a sudden turn brought us to a little savannah,
surrounded with date and mimosa trees, whilst beyond, rising high above
the bright green foliage, was a pretty regular amphitheatre of high
conical hills. As we had been scarcely an hour reaching this place, and
I saw by the boxes being piled up that a halt was intended, I was rather
astonished at finding our first day’s march so very short, and Cassim
riding up, I put the question to him if it were intended to start again
in the night, as is frequently the case with Kafilahs to avoid the heat
of the day. Cassim, however, told me that we should not start again
until the next morning very early, a number of camels and men not having
joined who intended to accompany us to Abasha. My new servant Zaido, a
slave of Ohmed Mahomed, was here introduced to me. He had been engaged
to attend me on the road for twenty dollars, to be paid on our arrival
in Shoa. He was a tall good-natured sort of a fellow, but the greatest
coward I ever met among these brave people, and the very reverse in this
respect to his much shorter fellow-slave, Allee Ohmed, who also had been
ordered by his master to look after my mule, and who was ever ready to
perform other services for me in the expectation of a few gilt buttons,
and a boxeish, or present, at parting. Neither of them was much more
than twenty years old, but Allee had proved himself a man of some
courage in a battle with the Issah Soumaulee, in which he had killed his
opponent.
Immediately on arriving at the halting-place, Allee took my mule, and
Zaido brought me my carpet, with my Scotch plaid and Arab cloak, which
were rolled up in it, and arranged my bed for the night in an open part
of the savannah, placing my saddle under my head to serve for a pillow.
Cassim took up his position on one side of me, and Ibrahim on the other
side of Cassim, whilst during the night Alee and Zaido lay, one at my
feet, and the other at my head, to guard against any attempt to
assassinate me during the night, it being known that many of the Debenee
tribe had declared that no white man should pass again through their
country, owing to a dispute about the division of five or six thousand
dollars they asserted the Sultaun had received from the English, in
payment for the purchase of some small islands in the Bay of Tajourah.
The murder of three of Capt. Harris’s European escort, eight or nine
days’ journey inland, was a painful evidence of the vindictive spirit
thus excited. From the Debenee I was afterwards told I had more to fear
than from any other tribe I should have to pass through.
During the night, I received a note from Mr. Cruttenden, which I read
and answered by the light of the moon. A slight shower of rain gave
promise of an abundant supply of water during our journey, and was
hailed by all as a very propitious omen.
_March 28th._—Up and off two hours before sunrise. I would not wait for
my mule, but walked on with Cassim and Ibrahim whilst the camels were
being loaded. Our march lay along the sands, where, for a short time, I
sat under the shade of some date-palms, whilst my companions bathed and
performed their first prayers for the day. I saw an abundance of game,
chiefly guinea-fowl, and the small antelope mentioned by Salt, a
graceful little thing, scarcely twelve inches high, of a greyish
fawn-colour, with beautifully formed head and large prominent black
eyes. My double-barrelled carabine being loaded with ball, I would not
shoot at them, fearing that I might miss, and I could not well afford to
lose my character as a marksman among the people I was now living with,
who consider every white man to be naturally a good shot.
Prayers being over, we again started, and soon passed a small native
village of about eight houses, called Ambabboo, where we met some
Bedouins with two or three camels who had come with the intention of
joining our Kafilah. A little girl here brought me some milk in one of
their curiously constructed baskets, and her brother, dragging along a
young kid, wanted me to accept it. Cassim, who suspected the real
meaning of all this generosity, objected to the kid on the plea of
inconvenience. I, however, made them both happy by giving them a few
beads and a couple of needles.
Leaving the coast, we entered a wood of low mimosa-trees, the thorny
boughs of which I was obliged to be continually throwing from before my
face. We soon came to a fordable part of a small creek communicating
with the sea, and which I then found had caused the detour. The water
where we passed was about two feet deep, and after crossing we reached
the sea-shore again in a short time, and travelled along the sands until
we came to an open bare spot, over which I could see, by the drift wood
and large rolled stones, that during the wet season a torrent must rush
into the sea. Here we were to halt for the rest of the day. A large
Kafilah of natives going to Tajourah had spent the night in the same
place, and were just leaving as our small party of pedestrians arrived,
the time being the dawn of day, and we having been two hours on the
march.
The name of this halting-place was Dulhull. I sat down on a large stone,
at a short turn in the otherwise nearly direct line of the sea-shore
from east to west, which admitted of a fine view of the Bay of Tajourah
and the distant sea. The sun, “from ocean rising,” quickly dissolved the
last shades of night, and one of the most lovely scenes my eyes ever
beheld extended before me. All the azure and golden tinting of that
imaginative painter, Turner, was realized, and I silently acknowledged
the injustice of my premature judgment, in considering his pictures very
pleasing, but most unnatural. The gorgeous apparel of the cloud-robed
sun, the silvery play of the nearly calm reflecting surface of the sea;
the blue rocks of the opposite Soumaulee shore; the palm-tree fringe of
the waving line of coast, along which I had just been travelling; the
distant view of Tajourah, and the quiet of its little merchant fleet,
aided in producing an effect of enjoyment in my mind, that perhaps owed
some portion of its charm to the feeling of having at last entered upon
the long wished-for life of novel and wild adventure which, from a boy,
I had so ardently desired. Behind me rose a succession of bare rugged
hills, gradually increasing in height till at the peak of Jibel Goodee,
about six miles off, they attained an elevation of 6,000 feet, all
evidently of volcanic origin, save the little low heaps of recent
sandstone close to the shores of the bay which had been upheaved,
probably at the same period with the more imposing rocks beyond them.
One of these hills of stratified sandstone had been impregnated with the
vapour of a cupras sublimation, until it had assumed a light green
colour; and upon the strength of about five per cent. of copper, some
travellers had represented that it was a _Jibel Narse_, or hill of
copper. Many of the natives were firmly impressed with an idea that it
was for the promise thus held out of an abundant supply of this metal,
that had induced the English to attempt the purchase of Tajourah and the
neighbouring country from the Sultaun Mahomed. I may here observe, that
a purchase had been effected between this chief and the Indian
Government of the two islands; one at the entrance of the bay, and
another much smaller, lying in the little channel leading into Goobatul
Khhrab, and for which, I believe, the Sultan received some five or six
thousand dollars.
I was now joined by some of our Kafilah, which had in the meantime come
up and commenced unlading. Zaido placed two mats under the shade of some
closely-growing mimosa-trees, and one or two of the escort, who seemed
willing to patronize me for the sake of the few buttons or needles I
could bestow upon them, brought their mats and laid them down all around
me. A rude sense of politeness seemed to prevent their pressing
inconveniently near me; but I suspected that it was merely the hollow
affectation of courtesy by the most cold-blooded assassins I ever met or
ever read of. By their own showing, not one of them that wore a small
tuft of hair upon the boss of his shield but had killed and murdered ten
or twelve individuals, which, if only understood as two or three, the
men surrounding me must have caused the death of at least a score of
their fellow-beings; and the delight and evident zest with which they
spoke of or listened to the several struggles in which they had been
engaged, told the fierce and cruel character of these demons in human
shape. “Neither the hospitality nor the high sense of honour that
characterizes the savage of America or of the Oceanic Islands, is to be
found among the Dankalli tribes. Murder is equally productive of renown
as is the most honourable fight; and the same triumphant badges are worn
by the valiant soldier and the cowardly assassin. The companion of the
day and the sharer of your food will, under cover of night, strike
without remorse his knife into your throat; and of all the savage people
that inhabit this benighted land of Africa, the Dankalli are allowed by
all to be the most treacherous and cruel.” This was the character I had
received of my present companions; and it was necessary therefore that I
should be careful to give them no excuse for attempting my life, acting
as courteously as possible, distributing needles and bits of paper,
loading and firing my pistols repeatedly for their amusement during the
day. Having smashed, on one occasion, an earthen coffee-pot that the
owner had challenged me to fire at, they were quite satisfied that I
could as easily demolish an elephant with one of the little
insignificant looking things that they saw I always wore at my waist,
and this feeling I did not endeavour to dissipate, as I saw it had a
very good effect upon the bearing of these men towards me. An accident
that happened also, by which one of them was nearly shot, made them not
over anxious to trust themselves too near to me, or my pistols, and
turned out to be a fortunate circumstance, by preventing them from
closing and crowding around me.
As evening drew on, Zaido, who had prepared me a breakfast in the
morning of boiled rice and dates, now cooked me some kid’s flesh, a
portion of another present I had received in the course of the day from
some Bedouin shepherds who were tending their flocks of sheep and goats
in the neighbourhood, and who had sent it in by some of their children.
The men did not appear themselves, for among our Kafilah were some
individuals of a tribe with whom this Bedouin family had a blood feud.
During the whole day I observed several of them assembled on a spur of
Jibel Goodee, awaiting the result of our arrival with spear and shield
in hand, as if they expected an attack. After supper I directed Allee
and Zaido to make a little fort of boxes, as I saw I had nothing to
trust to but the greatest precaution on my part. I was only afraid of
night attacks, for during the day I felt pretty well assured that I
should be quite free from any molestation, but even this partial idea of
security led me subsequently into considerable danger; and, as I hope my
experience may be of service to future travellers, my errors shall be
duly paraded with the same fairness as those incidents I shall no doubt
speak of, from which I expect any credit may arise.
The roof of my box-fort or hut was made by placing the long camel
saddle-sticks across from side to side, over which I threw my carpet,
and on this piled camel saddles, mats, and everything calculated to
awaken me by making a noise in case of any one attempting to uncover my
retreat. A good palanquin with locks on the doors would not be a bad
carriage for such a country as Adal. The dilemma would be to procure
bearers, for I do not think the native Dankalli could by any means be
induced to the exercise of such a long-continued labour as the patient
dauk carriers upon the roads of India.
Neither Ohmed Mahomed nor Ebin Izaak was to be seen to-day, and I found
that they had returned during the past night to Tajourah, to spend
another last day with their families, leaving Cassim in charge of the
Kafilah. He sometimes walked up to the trees under which I lay during
the day, to see that everything was right with me. A Bedouin, who had
kept close to me the entire day, had placed himself at the entrance of
my hut when I retired; and Zaido told me he was one of the escort who
had sworn to Izaak not to let me go out of his sight, upon the promise
of receiving a cloth from his son in Abasha. As he was a very
superior-looking man, at least forty years of age, very quiet, and less
importunate for trifles than the rest of his countrymen, I thanked him,
as well as I could, for his attention, and gave him a cotton
handkerchief.
After looking suspiciously to the right and left, creeping a little way
into my hut he secured the gift in a dirty rag to the handle of his
shield, which he hung up in my hut to be taken care of, by signs
intimating that it would rain, and also that he was my very good friend,
insisting at the same time, that I should write his name, Garahmee, down
in my note-book. He then turned away to get some boiled rice with Zaido
and Allee, whilst I turned in upon my mat, covered myself with my plaid
and Arab cloak, and composed myself to sleep.
_March 29._—I found we should not leave Dulhull to-day; neither Ohmed
Mahomed, nor Ebin Izaak, having yet arrived, Garahmee and a new Bedouin
friend, Moosa Gra, proposed to accompany me if I chose to bathe in the
sea, but as it was in front of and in sight of the Kafilah, I told them
I did not require their attendance. After bathing I took my yesterday
morning’s position upon the stone on the sea-shore, and again looked
with pleasure upon the lovely picture before me. While still enjoying
the scene, a sudden flash from the beach in front of Tajourah followed
in a few minutes by a booming report, told the departure of Mr.
Cruttenden for Berberah, and scarcely had his little vessel returned the
salute of the town, and raised her long lateen sail, than she flew as if
impatient from the land, and at our distance seemed not unlike a large
white bird scudding over the surface of the sea.
Mr. Cruttenden having left Tajourah, Cassim and Ibrahim, who had been, I
could see, anxiously awaiting the report, thought they could go back to
their homes without further trouble. Their protestations of anxiety for
my safety, and desire to see me well started on my journey, having been
sheer humbug, but by which of course they had secured proportionate
rewards. I had scarcely recovered from the fit of musing, the
circumstance of my having witnessed the departure of Mr. Cruttenden had
occasioned, when these worthies came up to announce their own intention
of immediately returning to Tajourah. Ibrahim, who had a raw kidney in
his hand, offered part of it to me with the most innocent politeness,
but which I having with a graceful bow declined, he handed to Cassim,
who made but two mouthfuls of it. They amused themselves with my evident
surprise at their indulging in such a delicacy as they undoubtedly
considered it; and having put me, as they thought, into a good humour
with them, proposed their return. I made no observation in reply, for I
was only too glad to get Ibrahim away, as he very evidently disliked me,
and all that were of my colour. I had nearly quarrelled with him the
evening before, through resisting his attempts to cut the leaves out of
a copy of Mr. M‘Queen’s survey of Africa, in an Appendix of which was
contained an extract of the route through this country, from the
journals of Messrs. Isenberg and Krapf, and which I had been comparing
with the accounts I was receiving of the road from the natives who
surrounded me. Upon learning that the account was that of the
missionaries, Ibrahim, for some reason or other, drew his knife, and
stated his intention of cutting the book up, but upon my putting it
immediately into my saddle-bag, with a very significant expression, the
by-standers took Ibrahim away. To all appearance, the circumstance was
soon forgotten, for he appeared in a short time afterwards, and asked me
to give him some lucifer matches, with which request I immediately
complied, and in this manner established peace again between us.
On the present occasion Cassim began the conversation by saying, how
anxious he was for the Kafilah to proceed, which was false; as Zaido had
told me but a short time before that we were waiting for some friends of
Cassim himself, who were going to join our Kafilah with a few camels,
which they intended to load with salt for the Shoan market at the Bahr
Assal, and that they would not be ready till the next day. Cassim,
however, went on to state, that he was exceedingly angry with his
brother, Ohmed Mahomed, for detaining us, and that it was his intention
to go back to Tajourah to hasten him on to rejoin the Kafilah; and
added, that Ibrahim would also accompany him for mutual protection on
the road. He concluded, by representing that the smallest offering would
be gladly accepted, but hinted his expectation of a considerable boxeish
for his attendance so far, and proportionate to the very important
position he held among the Tajourah people, which, he said, would be
considerably diminished, if what I should give him were not what his
admirers might expect. As I was not in a humour to understand all this,
my little knowledge of Arabic wonderfully diminished, and it was absurd
to see the grave personage Cassim, in consequence, throwing his hands
and arms about, strutting and looking pompous, and then most benign, to
convey to my obtuse understanding the impression most favourable for his
wishes. Ibrahim stood very quietly by, cleaning his extremely white
teeth with the ever accompanying stick of a singular kind of tree called
Woomen, growing in the neighbourhood of Dulhull. He, however, made no
observation until Cassim had finished, and had seen him receive four
dollars, then his turn came.
Ibrahim was a little spare man, but commenced with saying, that he was
quite as good as Cassim, that he was my friend, and, besides, was going
to introduce me to another friend of his who would accompany me all the
way, and sooner die than see me injured. This friend’s name he made me
write down in my book with a particular note, that I should not forget
to give him also a boxeish on our arrival in Abasha. As for himself, he
added, he was convinced I should do him justice. To my sense of what was
due to his numerous excellences, therefore, and to the goodness of
Allah, he left all consideration of what bounty I intended to bestow
upon him.
I had made up my mind to divide ten dollars between them at Segallo, the
halting-place where it was originally intended they should leave me, but
as that was at some distance, I thought they should get nothing by the
little deceit they had practised in keeping me at Dulhull until Mr.
Cruttenden had sailed, and then saving themselves any farther trouble,
by returning immediately to Tajourah. As has been observed, I gave
Cassim only four, and to Ibrahim I presented three dollars, observing to
the latter, that I had given him more than the extra dollar Cassim had
received, in beads, needles, buttons, and matches; for of all the
natives, Bedouin, or townspeople, Ibrahim was the most bothering, and
greedy in begging everything he could set his eyes upon. When he could
obtain nothing else, he asked for medicine, and if I had taken him at
his word, and done him full justice, I think I could not have done less
than have seized this opportunity of poisoning him, and so have sent him
to that place from whence he derived his very unamiable “_nom de
guerre_,” among his own countrymen, of “Shaitan.”
Our grief at parting, not being of that excessive kind that would
interfere with any opportunities I had of making observations on the
people I was amongst, as soon as they were gone I had my mat spread
again under the trees, and was soon surrounded by others, who were
retreating from the hot sun to the same friendly shelter.
Some women also came down from among the hills with small skins of
clotted milk, which they gladly exchanged for needles. The younger ones
are very beautiful girls, but of exceedingly slender form, reminding me
strongly of the appearance of the Indian girls in Calcutta, and
strikingly different in figure from the female slaves brought down from
Abyssinia. These latter are particularly plump, with roundly formed and
fleshy limbs, and of rather short stature, whilst the Adal women are
thin, muscular, and tall. The latter, too, were considerably more
vivacious and active, and the characters of their features were as
decidedly different as the chief points of their figure. I have before
observed, that the genuine Dankalli belongs to the Circassian variety;
but I shall not stay here to form farther comparisons with the
Abyssinians, but will wait till I arrive in that country, and can bring
my subjects properly before the reader.
The older women were repulsive looking witches with dependent breasts,
like old black butter skins, lying empty and flat upon the chest. This
disgusting appearance is produced by the constant pressure of the band
placed over the shoulders, and across the breast, and which secures
whatever burden the woman is carrying behind her. They invariably have
something stowed away in this manner, either a child, a bundle of split
doom leaves for plaiting, an odd bundle of salt, or a large skin full of
milk. It is generally suspended from the chest upon the loins, and the
constant pressure, in the course of time has the effect of completely
obliterating the glandular portion of the breasts, leaving only two long
double flaps of black skin, to tell where once the fountains of life had
been. They had a constant habit of tapping the mouth with the tips of
their fingers to express astonishment, and pressing both hands to the
lower part of the face was the very modest manner in which they walked
off their nearly naked bodies, when we came suddenly up to a party of
them, for it was seldom they volunteered to stay in my neighbourhood
unless called upon to do so. A white skin evidently had no charms for
them, and I could only smile at their prejudice and bad taste. The same
kind of feeling makes many a negro happy in London, who, if the truth
were known, looks with an eye of pity or contempt upon the pale faces
that turn in disgust from him.
Mothers, towards evening, came bringing their diseased children into
camp, and when I could be of service, it was some pleasure to assist
them with what little medicine I possessed; but to some who were
irrecoverable, I only suggested such dietary treatment I considered
might be palliative, for I would not risk the danger of having their
death laid to my charge, as it would have been had I administered any
drug, or held out any hopes of recovery. One or two blind people went
away very much disappointed at my not being able to restore them their
sight.
My usual evening meal of rice and kid-flesh being duly prepared, I
returned into my hut, drew out in secret my pewter spoon, the only
remaining one of three, and made a hearty supper. All illness having
apparently left me, appetite and a buoyancy of spirit I had long been a
stranger to, had returned, enabling me fully to enjoy all the pleasures,
if there can be any imagined, of the life I was now leading.
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