Journey from Sagagahdah to Mokoito, general direction W.S.W., time
marching four hours.—Meet old friends.—Conversation upon origin of the
Dankalli people.—Journey from Mokoito to Ahmahguloff, general
direction W.N.W., time marching three hours.—Description of
halting-place.
_April 20th._—On getting ready to start this morning, I found all had
been arranged for the immediate return of Lohitu, evidently, as had been
intimated by Ohmed Mahomed, for the purpose of interfering with the
peaceable progress of the Kafilah of Mahomed Allee through the country
of the Debenee. The latter, fortunately, came up to bid me farewell, as
I was superintending the saddling of my mule. He had taken the
precaution to bring with him a number of his friends. I took the
opportunity of a single moment when I saw that I was not watched, to say
to him one word, “Lohitu!” at the same time drawing my hand across my
throat, with a look that sufficiently told him the whole conspiracy. His
reply was merely the same word, “Lohitu?” as if to ask me if I were
quite sure; and taking my nod in the proper sense, he shook hands with
me, English fashion, saying, “Tihebe,” (good) and away he hurried with
his friends, who, if they were as brave as himself, would, with the
others of his Kafilah to aid them, I had no doubt, prove more than a
match for even the daring Lohitu and his numerous tribe.
Having mounted my mule, I rode up to Lohitu, and taking out my only
remaining spoon, which I knew he coveted, I gave it to him, with two
dollars I had ready for the purpose. As I presented them I pointed to
Mahomed Allee, mentioning his name, and putting my hand to my breast,
said, in the Dankalli language, “Occo,” (friend). Lohitu, with the quick
perception characteristic of the whole nation, comprehended me at once,
and receiving my present, put his hand to his breast in the same manner
he had seen me do, and repeated the same word, “Occo,” in a tone of
sincerity that at once removed my fears for Mahomed Allee. The pleasure
I felt in consequence, at having thus frustrated the infamous design of
my Tajourah friends, who stood scowling by, enabled me to return with
interest their looks of disdain, as I rode alone for above an hour
afterwards, before any of them chose to come up and speak to me. At last
Ebin Izaak trotted his mule up to my side, and after riding a little
time in silence, produced from beneath his shield, which hung as usual
over the left knee from the bow of his saddle, the three bones of a leg
of a sheep, united by the ligaments of the joint, and with scarcely any
meat upon them. Pushing one extremity of the continuous bones towards
me, he said very abruptly, “Yarcul” (eat). I could not help smiling at
the scanty appearance of the repast, but immediately assented to the
proposal, and catching hold of my end, we began twisting and pulling to
separate the bones, till at last when they did go, and I got possession
of the thigh bone for my share, both of us nearly lurched over on
opposite sides of our mules, and we had each to grip fast hold of the
mane, with the hand that was at liberty, to retain our seats in the
saddle. What little meat was on the bones was soon stript off with our
teeth, during which time Ebin Izaak accounted for his possession of the
treat, no sheep having been killed in our Kafilah, by saying that it was
the generous gift of some valued friend, belonging to the Kafilah of
Mahomed Allee.
Our road lay along a smooth level plain of yellow marl, cracked in every
direction by the baking heat of the sun, whilst the mirage before us
mocked the dryness of the soil, by the affectation of the appearance of
nature’s most refreshing gift, either to animals or to the equally
thirsty earth.
The distortion of all objects that could be perceived in the mirage was
very remarkable; small stones became huge rocks, and thin tufts of grass
assumed the figure of ostriches; and I was taken in most certainly, much
to the amusement of Ebin Izaak, who told me as I went after them that
they were nothing but grass; yet so distinct was the appearance, and so
natural the motion given to their well-defined image by the flickering
of the vapour, that I did not hesitate to go in pursuit, feeling
convinced that he must be mistaken.
Izaak, after stripping everything eatable off the bones, very carefully
deposited them again in the hollow of his shield, observing, at the same
time, they would do for a boxeish for some of the camel-drivers. We now
proceeded in very friendly conversation, respecting the likelihood of a
marriage taking place between my Queen and Salie Selasse, the King of
Shoa, which some of the wiser people of Tajourah could alone surmise, as
the probable cause of the numerous valuable presents, which had been
sent up to that monarch. Whilst I was endeavouring to explain the
impossibility of such a thing, and turning in my mind to what reasonable
object I could attribute our present intercourse with Shoa, we were
suddenly hailed by a voice I knew, and looking in the direction from
whence it proceeded, saw before us, in a low jungle, the slave-boy of
Ohmed Mahomed, who was evidently on the watch for our approach.
At his request we dismounted, and leaving the mules in his charge, we
pushed aside the strong thorny boughs of myrrh and young mimosa-trees,
and made our way to the edge of a small stream that crept along, shaded
from the sun by the grateful bushes it nourished. Here, in a natural
arbour, we found fast asleep our two friends, Ohmed Medina and Garahmee,
each with his tobe wrapped closely around the body, and also covering
the head, which was supported upon a small wooden pillow. Their spears
lay upon the ground close to their right hands, and their shields were
suspended amidst the bending boughs of the rude bower, which concealed
them from the observation of any passing native. The boy, as I supposed,
had been posted to watch for our arrival.
The noise we made awakened Garahmee, who, after the usual lengthened
salutations, gave Ebin Izaak an account of their journey to Owssa, from
whence it appeared they had travelled during the last night, having
arrived where we found them some hours before us. Others of the Kafilah
now joining us, Ohmed Medina was roused from his slumbers. Finding
Lohitu not accompanying us, I could hear him making some inquiries
respecting that chief; and not being satisfied with the information he
obtained, as soon as he had arranged his dress, he entered into
conversation with me, wanting to know what present I had given to
Lohitu, and if I were pleased with him. He then directed my attention to
a new shield he had, and which he told me had been given to him by the
generous Chief, whose many excellent qualities were now his theme for
some time. Among other things, he said, improving upon the idea of Ebin
Izaak respecting the Queen and Salie Selasse, that the best thing she
could do was to marry Lohitu; and the English, and the Dankalli would
then be one people. I smiled at the honour so seriously intended, but I
laughed outright, when Ohmed Medina, pointing to the slave-boy, to whom
Ebin Izaak as a mark of favour had given the two bones, asked me if my
lady Queen smoked like that. Only imagine a thin bushy-headed black,
whose entire dress consisted of a narrow strip of dirty cloth thrown
across the shoulders, sitting apart, that he might not be importuned to
share with others, the luxury he was indulging in. His pipe, the long
shank bone of a leg of mutton, having the smaller end broken off with a
stone, whilst the broader extremity was bruised into a concavity, that
admitted a small portion of tobacco to be lodged in its cellular
structure. Through this novel meerschaum was the fragrant weed being
inhaled, and to the appearance of this party I was referred in order to
understand fully the question, “Does your Queen smoke like that?” said
in a manner, too, that intimated such an accomplishment on her part
would be a great recommendation to the Dankalli, in case of the wedding.
I was obliged to say she did not, and looked as if I thought the
country, hardly worth the trouble of learning to smoke out of a
sheepshank, on purpose to obtain possession of it. Observing, or
suspecting this, Ohmed Medina rather sharply closed the conversation, by
remarking, “Ah, I see, she does not want a country of stones like this.”
The Kafilah halted for the day close under the southern bank of the
plain, a precipitous cliff of an easily disintegrated volcanic stone,
the debris of which, from detached rocks of several tons weight to small
angular fragments, were strewed along its base some distance into the
plain. A little stream was the chief agent of denudation; in a very
serpentine course, it flowed towards the other side, each bank fringed
with dwarf shrubs, and its crystal waters set in a bright enamel of a
most delicate kind of grass, which, like a bed of green soft moss,
extended along its borders. It burst through a narrow and very recently
formed channel from the lava-strewn plateau of Mahree above, and in the
rear of our camp passed with a rushing impetuosity, which gradually
decreased into the gentlest ripple, as it flowed over its pebbly bed
near to the spot where, on our first arrival, we found our friends Ohmed
Medina and Garahmee.
Here, among the thick bushes, I took up my residence for the day,
surrounded by the Hy Soumaulee, whose heavy war-knives I had undertaken
to improve in outward appearance, by fixing a bright dress naval button
into a hollow piece of brass, usually placed as an ornament upon the end
of the scabbard, but which, without the button to cover the otherwise
bare extremity, presented an appearance that was not satisfactory to my
educated _Birmingham_ ideas of what constituted elegance. When I pointed
out the defect, and suggested the improvement, it was surprising to
observe the numbers who applied for the decoration. The order of the
button, in fact, became quite the rage, and it was not until it had
become very general indeed, that I lost the popularity which its first
establishment had occasioned. Like knighthood, to have been respected,
it ought to have been kept select, and the braves alone should have been
thus rewarded; but when, moved by selfish considerations, I bestowed it
upon Zaido, whose cowardice was the laugh of the whole Kafilah, I found
the moral of my influence gone, and the previously much-prized button
became valued only as an article of commerce. But the mean in spirit
have no idea of personal distinction, as I confessed to myself when I
heard, that Zaido had sold honour’s bright badge, for a small bag of
tobacco.
The halting-place was called Dulhull, although I found afterwards that
this, properly speaking, was the name of the ridge to the north, which
alone separated us from the Lake Abhibhad. From one informant I received
the name Mokoito as that of the plain, and the ridge under which our
encampment lay was still called Mahree.
Ohmed Medina had so much to tell the chief people of the Kafilah, about
the business which had taken him to Owssa, that I did not have much of
his conversation during the day, or any opportunity of taking him to
task, for giving me the slip at Arabderah, for I now perceived, that
what I heard in that place of him and Garahmee returning to Gobard, was
a fiction of convenience, to avoid any importunity on my part to
accompany them. Ohmed Mahomed, in a better humour than I expected, after
my morning’s speech to Lohitu in favour of Mahomed Allee, came and sat
with me an hour or two, endeavouring to convince me that he had done
everything for the best, and that Mahomed Allee was a great scoundrel.
He also attempted to give me some information respecting Owssa and
Hurrah, the latter being a celebrated city, once the capital of the
large kingdom of Adea, situated about four days’ journey directly to the
south. Owssa, also, it should have been observed before, was formerly
the seat of the Government of the kingdom of Adal, but for the last
three centuries, these former Amahra or Abyssinian monarchical divisions
of the country of Adgem, Adea, and Adal, have given way to the more
numerous subdivisions required by the system of patriarchal authority,
which alone is recognised among the present barbarous Dankalli
occupants. Ohmed Mahomed failed to enlighten me, on the subject of the
relative geographical position, of these still important emporiums of
the produce of this country, for unfortunately he did not possess, like
Ohmed Medina, that generalizing talent of taking, as it were, a
bird’s-eye view of the intervening country in his mind, and then
depicting a transcript readily upon the sand, to convey at once a
correct idea of the whole to a stranger.
Towards evening, all who had been, during the heat of the day, basking
and sleeping under the cool shade of the bushes, now took up their
wooden pillows, and with mats hanging down from their shoulders,
proceeded to the camp, within the limits of which it is usual for all to
sleep.
_April 21st._—On our starting this morning, I again offered thirty
dollars to induce the Hy Soumaulee to accompany me to Owssa, as Ohmed
Medina said, if they consented, he would also go with us. I received the
usual pantomimic reply of pointing first to their knives, and then to
their throats, with an expressive twist of their features that said how
sorry they should be for such a misfortune to befall us, and Garahmee,
to make the scene still more impressive, holding his spear by its lower
end, and extending it at arm’s length, pointed to the tops of all the
ridges around, as he slowly moved on his heel, and repeated the alarm
cry of “Ko! ko! ko!” telling me as plainly as possible, that our advance
would be the signal for the whole country to be up in arms. I told Ohmed
Medina over and over again, that I might have accompanied him and
Garahmee from Arabderah, but he swore by the Prophet and the name of
Allah that it was quite impossible; for if I had it would have
occasioned the death of the whole party. As it was, they had been
obliged to take the most precipitous roads, and travelled only in the
darkest hours of the night, which, he said, I could not have done, or he
would himself have proposed my going, as he wished me to see and know
everything about the country. I at length dropped the subject, for how
could I disbelieve him in this, who on all other occasions had shown
himself ready to give me every information I required, and frequently
volunteered a great deal more; always valuable when coming from a man of
his good sense and observation.
During the march, passing by some kairns, we began a conversation upon
the Kafirs who formerly occupied this country. Of the ancient religion
Ohmed Medina knew nothing, but he thought it probable, when I pointed
out the constant compass bearing of the graves, and its reference to the
rising sun, that the former inhabitants might have worshipped that
luminary. On asking him what was the belief of the present Soumaulee, he
called them “Monahfuk,” that is, people who knew Allah by name, and who
acknowledged the Prophet, but could not pray, their knowledge of
Islamism extending only to the two expressions of “Ahum d’Allah!”
(“Thanks be to God!”), and “Mahomed Abdurasuel!” (“Mahomed, slave of the
Most High!”)
Ohmed Medina did not deny that the Dankalli and Soumaulee were formerly
one people, although he seemed to admit this with reluctance; but after
I had told him, as he said, a great deal more than he knew previously,
and now learnt for the first time, that differences in the knowledge of
the Mahomedan religion, had been the occasion of their modern
separation; he then confessed, that even at the present day, the
division between the Dankalli and Soumaulee Bedouin tribes was scarcely
recognisable. To illustrate this remark, he informed me, that a great
portion of the Issah Soumaulee acknowledged Lohitu as their Chief, and
bore the Debenee mark upon their breasts. This was the reason that the
man belonging to the Issah, I had seen yesterday speaking to Lohitu,
bore that symbol, or arms of the tribe as it may be called, and for
which I could not before account. Ohmed Medina went on to say, that my
friends the Hy Soumaulee were “Affah,” as much so, as the other
Dankalli, and that the half of the Wahama tribe, to which Mahomed Allee
belonged, were actually Issah Soumaulee. This last observation also
assisted me to explain a plea urged by the Sultaun of Tajourah to
exclude this obnoxious person from that town, it being asserted whilst I
was there that he was an Issah Soumaulee, and consequently ought to take
his Kafilah to Zeila.
After a short journey of three hours we arrived at Ahmahguloff, a
halting-place in the plain, exactly similar to the one of yesterday. The
same narrow tract covered with stones which had fallen from the edge of
the wall-like cliff adjoining, and another little stream brawling down
its narrow ravine, and hiding itself in a tortuous green line of bushes
as it traversed the plain. The banks of this stream, however, were too
soft and marshy, to tempt us to seek our retreat from the sun, among the
bowers formed by its overhanging shrubs. My fortalice of boxes was
therefore erected amidst the stores and piles of salt, which, connected
by far-spreading camel saddles, and covered with mats, gave to the camp
the character of a large caravansary. At this place I became acquainted,
very disagreeably, with one of the most noisome of vermin, and which
afterwards I found abounded in the neighbourhood of Kafilah stations. It
was a round flat tic, the size of a split pea, and of a dark red colour.
It attacked indiscriminately men and beasts. No sooner was the mat laid
down, and I had composed myself for rest, than from all quarters I saw
these dirty-looking squat-made insects crawling towards me, converging,
as it were from the circumference of everywhere, to an unfortunate
centre. They most assuredly smelt blood, and that at immense distances.
For this purpose, I suppose, as also for their feeding apparatus, they
were furnished with long pipe-like snouts, some lines in length, with
which, after making a lodgment upon the body, they made their attack.
Six short legs carried the body along at an extraordinary pace, when
aware of the presence of blood in their neighbourhood. The worst was,
there was no way of getting rid of them; and it would have been a long
and tiresome job to have killed all that were seen. My naked companions
protected me in a great measure, for to these the insects directed their
chief attention, whilst upon the first intimation of the presence of the
few, that did venture upon my legs, I pulled up the bottoms of my
trowsers, and with the sharp point of my knife dislodged the little
vampires very quickly. The favourite locality of these pests appears to
be beneath trees where cattle have recently been. The numbers that may
be seen in such situations are incredible, and they very soon drive the
tired traveller from the shelter, where he had hoped to find a friendly
shade from the burning sun. The natives call them “killem,” and a
somewhat similar insect, though much larger, preys exclusively upon the
camel, where their presence is believed by the owner, to indicate health
in the animal.
In this situation I also observed numerous large ant-hills, some of
which were conical-formed eminences, at least six feet high, with a
circumference of several yards. Himyah having fired his matchlock, at a
vulture perched on the top of one of these insect edifices, missed the
bird, but buried the ball deep into the interior. I walked up to examine
the injury done to the walls of clay, and was surprised to find the work
of restoration already commenced, and busily going forward. Had the
little animals the power of speech, I question much if such unanimity of
purpose would have determined the energies of the whole community, so
immediately to the repair of the injury. Had a corresponding one been
committed on a Dankalli kraal, as I observed to Himyah, they would have
had a month’s calahm about it; to which my companion, turning up the end
of his nose, gave an affirmative jerk of the head, at the same time
ejaculating, “Whalla,” “by God,” as if he had never heard a truer thing
than that, in the whole course of his life.
We both stooped over the hole to watch the progress of the work.
Short-legged thick-bodied labouring ants, already bore masses of
moistened earth several times their own weight to close up the orifice
made by the ball; whilst on all sides the easily distinguished soldiers,
were, running about in great numbers, apparently on the look-out for the
fierce invader, who had made such an onslaught on their castle.
We did not remain at Ahmahguloff for the night, but after “asseir,” or
afternoon prayer, the camels were again loaded, and we moved to another
halting-place about six miles farther to the west, but still in the
plain. A Bedouin who had come into the camp during the day, reported
that abundant forage would be found there. Where we were, the
circumstance of the Kafilah of Mahomed Allee having halted here two
evenings before, had caused a great scarcity of vegetation; their
camels, in fact, had eaten up everything in the shape of leaves and
grass.
The road lay along the base of the bounding ridge to the south of the
plain. As during the morning’s march we took care to choose our path
outside of the fallen fragments of rock, and upon ground where scarcely
a stone the size of a bean could be found, except such as had been
thrown by the hand of some idler passing by. It seemed, indeed, to be
the dried bottom of a muddy lake, the waters of which had been recently
evaporated, for not a green leaf could I see upon it during the two
hours we marched across the parched surface, until we arrived at our
halting-ground, where there certainly were a few patches of coarse
grass; and the sloping sides of the ridge on our left, were more
overgrown with myrrh and other bushes, the small twigs and young foliage
of which, the camels are very fond of. The name of Ahmahguloff was still
retained, and I was given to understand, that all the country until we
turned out of the plain was now so called. The hill of Obinoe was in our
front, not more than five or six miles distant, and I could now plainly
perceive the extremities of several other plains terminating at that
height, as at a centre.
------------------------------------------------------------------------