Journey from Hiero Murroo to Mettah.—General direction, W.S.W., time
marching four hours and a-half.—Conversation upon different roads
through Adal to Shoa.—Commercial jealousy between the Muditu and the
Dankalli.—Battle of Hihillo.—Surprise sleeping friend.—Frighten my
servant Allee.—Halt near Assa-hemerah kraal.
_May 12th._—We were up and away long before sunrise. Ohmed Medina and I
were accompanied by a crowd of the escort and Kafilah men, all
discoursing upon some great engagement that had taken place some few
years before, when Lohitu led the combined Dankalli tribes against the
Assa-hemerah Muditu, who occupied the whole country on the east of the
Hawash, from Owssa to the ford of Mulkukuyu, where our road crossed the
Hawash. The scene of this sanguinary conflict was about two hours’ march
to the north-west of where we were, at the base of a high conical
mountain which now came into sight, having previously been shut from the
view by the small range of Abhidah. Almost all my Hy Soumaulee escort
had been present in the battle, and I received long accounts, during the
march, through the interpreting medium of Ohmed Medina, who himself was
not there, but who took as much interest in the relations as I did.
It appears that for some years previous to 1839, the road to Shoa had
been closed to the merchants of Tajourah and of Ambabboo, who previously
had carried on an extensive trade with that country, taking up salt from
Lake Assal, and receiving in return Abyssinian slaves, who were sold to
great advantage in the Mahomedan ports on the shores of the Red Sea. The
Assa-hemerah live on the north side of the more western portion of the
road through Adal, and although speaking the same language, deny their
nationality with the Dankalli tribes. This was their plea for extorting
exorbitant duties for many years previous to 1839, but having at length
fully established an intercourse with Shoa through their own country, by
another passage of the river Hawash, north of Mulkukuyu, they
endeavoured to monopolize the trade in salt and slaves. To effect this,
they seized the whole country to the north of the road to Bahr Assal,
and allowed no Tajourah Kafilah either to load with salt at the lake, or
to proceed for slaves to Shoa.
For several years the Assa-hemerah had thus excluded all but their own
Kafilahs from entering Shoa by the direct road, attacking and plundering
all other Kafilahs that attempted it. I make the observation “direct
road,” for we learn from the journal of Isenberg and Krapf, published by
the Church Missionary Society, that the Tajourah people had some
communication still with the kingdom of Shoa. They were, however,
obliged to move with their camels along the sea-shore to the head of
Goobat ul Khhrab, then, during the night, pass rapidly over the five or
six miles which intervene between the sea in this situation and the salt
lake. Loading their camels with the salt, they then returned to
Tajourah. From this town they proceeded to Zeilah in bogalows, or native
boats, and by a circuitous route through the country of the Issah
Soumaulee, at length reached Shoa.
It was not likely such a palmy state of things, for the Assa-hemerah
people, would be allowed to flourish long, without exciting some envy
and jealousy, especially among the inhabitants of Tajourah and Owssa,
who had not forgotten the great advantages that accrued to them when an
uninterrupted road allowed them to carry on a direct trade with the
populous countries to the west of the Hawash. Accordingly, through the
machinations of some of the wise men of Tajourah, the braves of all the
Dankalli tribes in the interior, consented to combine their forces under
one leader, and Lohitu, the Debenee chief, was unanimously chosen to
fill that post. Owssa is inhabited by a Muditu tribe, but on this
occasion they assisted the Tajourah people, because of their dependence
upon that port, to enable them to communicate with foreign markets, as
the Owssa Muditu carry on a considerable trade with Gondah and Central
Abyssinia. The other leagued tribes were the Issah Soumaulee, the
Wahama, the Hy Soumaulee, the Debenee, and a mixed multitude of minor
subdivisions that could scarcely be considered separate tribes. Tajourah
and Ambabboo also sent their warriors; but Ohmed Medina laughed when he
said they only sent ten men between them. Altogether the combined forces
amounted to one thousand men, who were gathered together on San-karl to
the west of the valley of Gobard, and which I recollected to have been
pointed out to me by Lohitu himself as the rendezvous of his tribe on
such occasions.
From San-karl they proceeded to Kuditee, and slept there the night
preceding the engagement. The next morning they entered the country of
the Assa-hemerah, two thousand of whom had collected upon the flank of
the mountain Hyhilloo, to give battle to the invaders. Lohitu led his
men directly to their front, and after a few personal combats, in which
the leader and my little Tajourah acquaintance, Ibrahim Shatan,
particularly distinguished themselves, the battle became general, and in
less than one hour after they had first seen the Muditu, the latter
fled, leaving more than one half their number slain.
Of the allies, I was informed, the Issah Soumaulee lost the greatest
number, one hundred of them having been killed. The Debenee lost sixty,
the Wahama eighty, the Hy Soumaulee, a very small tribe, thirty, and the
Owssa Muditu fifty. The Tajourah people lost but one man; whilst of all
the others who fought under Lohitu, not as particular tribes, but as
amateurs, about twenty were killed, making a total of three hundred and
forty-one, and considering the manner in which battles are fought among
these people, I can easily conceive how so few, comparatively, of the
victorious party were slain.
One interesting ethnological fact may be gleaned from this relation;
that is, the presence of the Issah Soumaulee on this occasion, which is
another evidence to prove, the intimate relationship of the Dankalli
with that people.
Conversing upon the subject of this fight, we kept marching on for
nearly five hours, but as we were in the rear of the Kafilah, and
obliged to restrict ourselves to the slow pace of the camels, I do not
think we accomplished more than ten miles during that time. We halted at
a place called Mettah, or Maida, and the appearance of the country
suggested, the appropriateness of the name, which I was given to
understand, signified the same as the English word meadow.
Our march had been all the morning along a narrow plain, confined by low
level ridges of black lava, about a mile distant from each other.
Through the centre, but in a very serpentine course, a shallow channel
had been cut through the fine alluvial soil, by an occasional stream,
which flows towards the north and east. When we passed along its banks
we only found a few shallow stagnant pools in its bed.
On leaving the line of march with Ohmed Medina to examine the stream
more closely, we found, in its dry bed, very soundly sleeping, a man
wrapt up in his tobe, his shield being secured by it over his stomach
and bowels. Instinct, or something like it, had taught me the very same
method of partially securing myself from assassination, whenever I
expected foul play, or have had reason to suspect those, whom I well
knew, would have been glad of an opportunity to take away my life,
without danger to themselves from my firearms. Putting my hand to the
heavy Adal knife I wore in my girdle, I turned to Ohmed Medina, to ask
him if I should bury it in the heart of the unconscious sleeper. He
taking my proposal to be serious, instantly interposed with the common
Arabic negative, “La! la!” but which, in the usual amusing manner of an
Adal interpretation, he prolonged to five or six repetitions. This awoke
the man, who certainly looked as if he thought he were about to be put
to death, and scowled most desperately, as in a moment he put himself
behind his shield, and raised his spear for the attack. Ohmed Medina
calmed his apprehensions by a word or two, but he also took care to drop
behind his shield, as he spoke from the overhanging bank. The man,
however, recovered confidence, let fall his weapon to the ground, and
stood upright, and in a very short time we were all three walking back
to the Hy Soumaulee, some of whom came to meet us, to inquire from
whence our new friend had sprung. It seemed he belonged to the Wahama
tribe, but from some cause or other was obliged to be very select in his
lodgings, probably from having had a recent quarrel, which would have
insured his death, had he been discovered by his enemy asleep.
At Mettah, the narrow plain we had travelled along spread out into an
open level country, which appeared bounded by an extensive sea, so
perfectly delusive was the appearance of the distant mirage, in which
small eminences, here and there appearing, looked like islets standing
amidst the waters. Large sand-pillars, their bases hidden in the mirage,
rising like spirits from the vasty deep, until their tall summits were
lost in the blue sky, moved steadily across, acted upon by some stronger
current of air, and added one more circumstance to strengthen the
delusion, by reminding the travelled spectator, of the water-spouts he
has witnessed at sea. After all my experience I persisted in believing
that there must be water before me, especially as it lay in the
situation of a lake, Murroo, I had heard Lieut. Barker speak of, but
Ohmed Medina very quietly referred me, to the stream and its course in
an opposite direction, to corroborate his statement of its being “a
great lie.”
My mule breaking loose, in consequence of not having been properly
secured by Allee, strayed to a considerable distance towards the
opposite side of the plain, and a large party went out to protect Zaido,
and both Allees, who were sent to bring her in, for it appeared our
movements were being watched by a party of men, squatting on the
extremity of the ridge where it projected into the plain. So nearly
approaching to the colour of these rocks, were the dark skins of the
natives, that it was sometime before I could make them out, or the cause
of all the bustle that seemed to have taken possession of the previously
quiet camp. I thought at first it was some leopard or hyena,
preparations were being made to hunt, that had occasioned the stir, and
came out of my hut to see the anticipated sport. When I did discover the
men I was surprised that such a number could have approached so close,
and not have been discovered before. They must have marched parallel to
us, covered by the ridge on our left, and the circumstance of its
terminating opposite to where we had halted, prevented them continuing
their ambush for any purposes of surprise, and our increased numbers
made an open attack by them, out of the question. After the mule was
driven in, they retired, but upon a report spreading that a large kraal
of the Assa-hemerah lay over the other side of the ridge, my Hy
Soumaulee friends, and most of the young men of the Kafilah, determined
to proceed thither for the purpose, as they said on my protesting
against it, to purchase milk. As, however, I knew that robbery was
intended, and that murder would probably ensue, I offered them a bullock
to remain, which they very reluctantly accepted. On my expostulating
with Ohmed Medina, he admitted it was not right, and said very candidly,
“What are my countrymen but wild beasts?”
Allee the First, now came into my hut to claim damages, showing a bruise
upon his face, which he asserted had been inflicted by the mule, whilst
catching her to bring her back to the camp. I said it was no such thing;
for ever since her back had been almost broken by the butt-end of the
spear of a fat Dankalli, whom she kicked in the belly, I observed she
had improved very much in her disposition, and was very cautious how she
attempted anything of the sort. However, I told him I would look in my
book and see if his tale were correct. Opening, with a very grave
countenance, Mr. M‘Queen’s Survey of Africa, which I had just been
consulting, I looked up, after having examined it, and said, “Allee,
Allee, you are a story-teller, for Ohmed Mahomed hit you that blow in
your face.” I never shall forget the consternation that appeared in his
face, as ejaculating “Whallah!” (By God), he backed out of my hut,
thinking, I really believe, that I should metamorphose him into
something or other before he could get away, for his attempted
imposition. Having got safe out of my hut, however, he recovered from
his fright, and, as if recollecting himself, said, “Ahkeem, will you
tell me who stole my fedeenah?” alluding to the wooden prop or pillow
for the head, I have before observed, as being so generally used by
these people. By a singular accident this very fedeenah had been placed
under my head by one of the Hy Soumaulee, as I slept out upon the
hillside amongst them at Kuditee, whilst expecting the Wahama would
attack us. When I was awakened by Ohmed Mahomed in the middle of the
night, and told to return to my hut, the man who carried my mat for me
brought away the pillow; whose it was I did not know, but as no
inquiries were made about it, I always afterwards rolled it up in my
Arab cloak for myself, as I found it very comfortable after a little
use. I instantly suspected that this was the one respecting which Allee
wanted information, and so, affecting to know all about it, I told him I
would not tell him who the thief was, for the sake of peace, but that if
he came in the evening I would return it myself to him. This, of course,
I did, and quite convinced Allee of my immense power over the Jinn. The
evil that resulted from this was, that a rumour was spread among the
Kafilah that I had dealings with these spirits of fire, Allee swearing
positively I carried one with me confined in a bottle, and that he had
frequently seen me consulting it. The simple fellow meant my
thermometer.
After sunset a large drove of camels, sheep, and goats, were seen moving
towards the Assa-hemerah village behind the ridge, but we saw nothing
more of the inhabitants. They were evidently influenced by some hostile
feeling towards us, for on every other occasion of being in an inhabited
neighbourhood, the women, or at least the children, would bring in milk
or young kids as presents, or for sale.
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