Journey from Mullu to Annee, general direction, W.S.W., time marching,
six hours.—Proceed over Plain of Mullu.—Halt in sight of
Berdudda.—Muditu kraal and funeral.—Hare hunt.—Arrive at
Annee.—Muditu visitors.—Moonlight scene.—_May 19th_, Staying at
Berdudda.—Visit to camp of Hittoo Galla women.—Attack of formidable
caterpillar.—Situation of halting-place at Annee.
_May 17th._—We started before sunrise, still keeping in the van of the
immense Kafilah, that, by a passive kind of physical force movement, was
forcing a passage through an enemy’s country. We soon left the grassy
plain of Mullu, and entered upon an undulating country, dotted with
dwarf mimosas. Numerous antelopes, their fore feet resting upon the
lower branches, were feeding upon the green leaves and clustered curling
seed-pods; whilst the surface of the ground was black with numerous
flocks of guinea-fowl, that tempted me frequently to turn some yards
from the road, and add a few of these finely-flavoured birds to our
other provisions.
We halted for a short time in sight of a large kraal, until the several
Kafilahs whom we had preceded had come up, and after allowing them to
pass us, we recommenced our march in the rear. This was owing to the bad
character of the inhabitants of the village, who belonged to the
Assa-hemerah Muditu, and as a good many of my companions kept calling my
attention to them by repeating their name, and adding, with the usual
oath, “Whalla (by God), they are bad men!” we may safely conclude they
were no better than the other Dankalli tribes.
We very soon came upon a party of the tribe, who were employed in
burying a dead man. The grave was about one hundred yards from our road,
but the two men who appeared to have been making it by their soiled
skins, approached us in a very respectful manner, and told us how they
were engaged. The Kafilah people, as they came up, generally went a
short distance in the direction pointed out, and, with faces turned
towards Mecca, appeared to offer up a prayer. Ohmed Medina, to whom, a
few mornings previously, I had been talking upon the subject of burying
the dead among the Dankalli, took hold of my mule’s bridle, and led me
to the grave, which was being filled up by four or five other men. Ohmed
Medina muttered a prayer, and I also added a short one for the repose of
the soul of the deceased.
It was the usual mode of burial practised among the Mahomedans, except
that the grave was nearly circular. The diameter was so short, that I
asked if the body were buried sitting, and was told that it was not, but
that a low excavation on one side, at the bottom, received it in a kind
of tomb. Near this were other graves, all marked by a little conical
heap of loose stones five or six feet high, the top being finished off
by two small upright stones placed about a foot apart. Some of these
little pyramids, in other situations, I have seen exceeding ten or
fifteen feet in height; and one, a prominent landmark for several days’
journey, situated upon the eastern extremity of the ridge of San-karl,
to the south of the valley of Gobard, must be at least one hundred feet
high.
As we passed in front of the village, which consisted of not less than
fifty huts, a numerous assembly of the Muditu came out, the chiefs of
whom saluted us in gloomy silence with a passing slide of the hand. As I
rode on my mule, I kept giving my hand, letting it slip gently off
theirs, and keeping a sharp look-out that they did not take the
opportunity of pulling me off the mule, which many of them seemed
inclined to do. Never did I see such a suppressed feeling of animosity
so apparent in the scowling look and silent salute of both parties;
whilst sundry nods and winks of the eye exchanged by many of my escort,
and by nearly all the Tajourah people, told their quiet enjoyment of the
great disappointment of these fellows, in not having a chance of
obtaining even a present for their chief from us; a fact made very
evident by the saucy look of confidence assumed by our Ras, Ohmed
Mahomed, secure in the number of supporters whom he mustered around him.
The country we marched through to-day was called Berdudda. Towards the
end of the journey, we passed an elevated plateau of no great height or
extent, apparently of an upheaved alluvial stratum similar to that
beneath our feet, but altered in its geological character by the action
of heat. Birds of every hue abounded, brightly reflecting the sun’s rays
from their bronzed or golden plumage; whilst the most beautifully
painted butterflies added their kaleidoscopic colouring to the more
immediate vicinity of our path.
Hares also were so numerous that they seemed to spring out of every bush
and tuft of grass we came near. The Dankalli profess not to eat them,
but this is a prejudice, I think, that has been introduced with the
Mahomedan religion, the laws of which, respecting clean and unclean
meats, are the same with those of Moses. That they kill hares, and take
some little trouble to do so by running them down, I had frequent
proofs. One to-day was put up, unfortunately, in such a situation, that
in whatever way she ran, she was headed by some party or other of the
Kafilah men. Though so insignificant an animal, the excitement of the
chase she occasioned spread along the whole line of march, and men and
boys, I, as well as the rest, were soon in hot pursuit of puss. She gave
some excellent sport of the kind, doubling under the feet of one man,
starting up suddenly behind another who had overrun her, and now leaping
right into the face of a third, upsetting him by the suddenness of the
shock, among his laughing companions. Her moments were, however,
numbered, an unlucky stone thrown by a boy, struck her upon the head,
and extended her upon the ground, where she lay for some minutes,
throwing out her legs convulsively in vain struggles to escape from us
and death. Having two fine guinea-fowls suspended from my saddle, I had
so much consciousness of what was due to humanity as to feel some sorrow
for this unnecessary destruction of life; for, after all our exertions
to kill it, unless I made my supper of the hare, we should have been
obliged to have left it to become the prey of some prowling beast or
bird. Accordingly, I determined to bury my conscience in my stomach,
bestowed the guinea-fowls upon my companions, and picking up the hare,
inserted my knife between the back tendons of one hind leg, pushed the
other through the orifice, and by the loop thus formed, suspended it
from the bow of my saddle in regular sportsman-like manner.
We proceeded about six miles farther towards the south-west, and arrived
at a place called Annee, an open gravelly spot, with high mimosa-trees
standing at some distance from each other. Just beyond us was a pool of
dirty water, not made any cleaner by a number of camels getting into and
rolling themselves over in it.
Soon after we were settled for the day, and I was putting off as long as
possible, the unpleasant necessity of drinking a large draught of the
yellow solution contained in my little kid-skin bag, some Assa-hemerah
women came in with loads of “nature’s” particularly delicious
“beverage,” milk. “Oh! what lovely damsels! only a handful of tobacco
for all that!” and how they patted their fingers against their thin lips
in mute astonishment, as I transferred their burdens into a skin of my
own, which, by the accidents and incidents of my journey, had become not
much fairer than their own. Two strap-buttons (nearly all those from the
top of my trousers had gone long previously) purchased me also half a
leopard’s skin that had been brought into camp for sale, and a
head-cover of blue sood was given for a fine goat, which I intended to
take on with me to Shoa.
None of the male inhabitants of the neighbouring extensive kraal
ventured to come into camp, but a large circle of forty or fifty were
sitting in council not far from us; and between them and the stores, the
Tajourah people and the Hy Soumaulee also held a calahm in one large
body. From the country being more open here than at Murroo, I could see
more of our consort Kafilahs, that, in groups at some distance from each
other, were dotted all over the plain.
The day passed very quietly, and some ostriches coming in sight, it was
even proposed that I should go out with a party to shoot one. Ohmed
Medina and the greater part of my escort, were as anxious as possible
for me to do so, but the more cautious of the Tajourah people, with
Ohmed Mahomed at the head, objected, from the chances of our coming into
collision with the Assa-hemerah: a very general feeling among the Hy
Soumaulee and the Owssa Muditu Kafilahs with us being, to take this
opportunity of retaliating some recent outrage upon a Kafilah of their
friends that attempted to proceed to Shoa, but had been obliged to
return by this very tribe. Much to the gratification of Carmel Ibrahim,
I gave him the half leopard’s skin I had purchased here, as a return for
his attention to me on several little hunting excursions, for next to
Ohmed Medina, he possessed more of my confidence than any of the rest of
the Kafilah.
In the cool of the evening, when the Assa-hemerah council had broken up,
and our men were preparing for rest, I sat some time upon the boxes
forming my hut, and beneath a beautifully bright moon, indulged in
reveries that grew out of my strange situation. These musings, which I
always recollect as the most unalloyed of all the enjoyments of my
desert life, were a sufficient equivalent of themselves, for all the
hardships and exposure consequent upon such wanderings. New ideas, fresh
feelings, and novel truths pressed themselves forward with scarcely an
exertion of thought, surrounded as I was by fields of unexplored nature,
new to me in her vegetation, in her animal kingdom, and in the character
of her principal phenomena. Of these I had certainly read, but I now
looked upon reality, and saw that abundance of facts in previous
descriptions had been overlooked, and still remain to requite a patient
pursuer of truth, more competent to observe and reflect, than a mere
beginner, like myself, in the study of natural history.
I certainly am affected by the still quiet of a moonlight night, and
very readily believe, that if it can produce the moody calms and
melancholy enjoyment it does on my particular disposition, that on some
others it may have more exaggerated effects, and “moon-stricken lunacy”
may not, perhaps, be improperly attributed to such an influence.
However, I am not now sitting on the top of some piled up boxes, pistols
around my waist, and a dagger ready to my hand, nor am I surrounded by
the mummy-like forms of sleeping savages wrapt closely up in their
tobes, whilst champing ruminating camels, with large goggle eyes, and
goose looks, appear almost as contemplative as myself. I am not now the
half-Bedouin, half-moss-trooper of the time I spent in Adal, and
incidents will be more interesting to my reader, than any account of the
dreamy castles that reared their airy turrets to amuse me in my
solitude.
To aid reminiscences of other days, not from any want of thought, I
began to whistle a favourite air, but being overheard by Moosa, he sat
upon his mat, and tried, by calling out, “Ahkeem,” two or three times,
to intimate that it was not exactly proper; but as I still continued,
Zaido also awakened, and supposing I did not understand Moosa, put his
hand up from where he lay by the side of the hut, and shook me by the
foot, saying, “Ahkeem, that is very bad; all the Jinn in this country
will seize the camels, if you whistle in that manner.” As he was
evidently in earnest, and as I was getting tired, I slipped down from
off the boxes, crept into my hut, and was very soon as quiet as they
could wish me.
_May 19th._—I was awakened some time before sunrise, by the usual loud
summons of Ohmed Mahomed, for the Kafilah “to up and saddle,” but which,
from the pitch and prolonged tone, I knew was intended to mean just the
contrary. The very last thing, in fact, that Allee told me the night
before was, that we should not start to-day, and wanted me to bet to the
contrary half a dozen small gilt buttons, against a milk basket hung
round with shells I had taken a fancy to. The truth was, that the
country so abounded with vegetation, not having been exposed for some
months to any grazing exhaustion by passing Kafilahs, that one and all
composing our army decided upon remaining here to-day, whether the tribe
we were among would like it or not; especially as the next three marches
would be long and forced ones across the country of the Hittoo Gallas, a
people much more numerous and fierce than the Assa-hemerah. Ohmed
Mahomed’s signal cry was raised to deceive the people of Annee, up to
the very last moment, with the idea that we were going to leave this
morning, to prevent them collecting their friends, which they would have
gone about very early, had they had any idea we should have remained a
day longer with them.
During the day some unlocked for visitors came into camp, being three
old women belonging to the Hittoo Galla. They accompanied a Kafilah of
seven or eight donkeys, laden with tobacco and well made hempen ropes,
which they offered for sale among our people. They received in exchange
some white cotton cloth, and a little brass wire. They were very old and
excessively ugly. These women did not wear the blue covering for the
head common to the grown up Dankalli and Soumaulee females. The hair,
however, was dressed in the same manner, hanging around the sides and
back of the head like a small curtain, from the numerous little plaited
locks being connected by bands of interwoven cotton thread. I need not
mention that grease had been used with no sparing hand at their toilet.
They wore the same kind of soft leather petticoat, as the Adal ladies;
and their feet were protected by the simple sandal formed of one piece
of dried ox-skin, secured to the sole of the foot by a loop into which
one toe is inserted, and by a tie or thong of leather passed in front
and around the ancles to the side lappels. Whilst bartering their goods
they occupied themselves also in twisting a bundle of hemp, fastened to
the front of their girdle, into an excellent rope, which, as it was
made, was secured behind them upon their loins.
From the hemp and tobacco brought in this manner to our camp, I
concluded that agriculture was carried on to a considerable extent by
the Gallas occupying the fertile plains on each side of the southern
portion of the river Hawash. This struck me at first as being a
characteristic distinction between them and the Dankalli, whom I had
been accustomed to associate only with the care of flocks and herds; but
when I remembered the highly cultivated condition of Owssa, proved by
the great quantities of dates and jowharee grain brought into Tajourah,
either for home use or for exportation, I felt satisfied, that the
physical character of the surface of different parts of the country of
Adal had produced those differences in the mode of life observed in the
herdsman Dankalli, in the agricultural Muditu and Galla, or in the
seafaring Soumaulee, all of whom belong to one family of man.
After remaining about an hour with us the women turned back in the
direction towards their own homes, which I did not at the time notice,
except that I thought they missed a good market by not visiting the
Kafilahs which were in our rear.
That which astonished me as much as anything during my journey, and
which I have omitted to mention before, was the great numbers of
Bedouins who had never, resided in towns, and who yet were able to read
and write Arabic. Several have inscribed their names in my note books.
This I considered a curious fact in mankind lore, to find savages so
situated as the Dankalli, such adepts in an art so foreign to their
pursuits or wants.
Connected with this knowledge of writing, I observed a circumstance that
may afford some solution of the cause, for the different directions in
which various nations are accustomed to write. The Dankalli, for
instance, inscribe the letters from above downwards, which I attribute,
in a great measure, to their resorting generally for practice to the
skin of the left fore arm, which, projecting before them, the elbow
resting upon the stomach, serves as a tablet, upon which a stunted
mimosa thorn acts as a style. The letters are rendered visible by the
pale coloured scarf, the erased transparent epidermis, which marks the
course of the thorn upon the black skin. When the hand and arm are
brought down in a direction across the chest, for the purpose of
examining the writing, it is evident that, to commence with the first
letter, the inscription must be read from the right side, and in this
manner, or some analogous one, making use of, for example, a long narrow
leaf, I endeavour to account for the different directions of writing,
either from the right hand to the left, or _vice versa_, which is
customary among various nations.
Whilst sitting under a tree to-day, a caterpillar fell upon my bare
neck, and feeling a disagreeable kind of tickling, I put my hand upon it
and threw it away. It was a common enough looking butterfly caterpillar,
but it had most annoyingly disagreeable effects, which lasted for an
hour afterwards, being exactly like the irritation that would be
produced by a little of the fine hair of the pods of the _Dolichos
pruriens_ being rubbed over the part. I could not conceive it possible
to be the result of an insect simply crawling upon my neck, so I looked
about to see if there were not some vegetable production in my
neighbourhood that would account for it. Seeing my attentive examination
of the spot, and suspecting the object of my search, by the restless
movements of my neck in the loose collar of my frock, Ohmed Medina,
laughing, pointed out to me several other little animals suspended at
the extremities of long silken filaments from the extreme branches over
my head, and I then recollected the circumstance of having previously
removed one of these caterpillars from my neck.
We were not troubled much by visits from the neighbouring Assa-hemerah,
who seemed to think that the less intercourse they had with us the
better. Three or four women brought their children to me for medicine,
which I gave them, and some old people, blind with age, kneeling, shewed
their sightless orbs, and went away disappointed at my inability to
restore to them the light of day.
A little after sunset, at the request of the Ras ul Kafilah, Ohmed
Mahomed, I fired my guns, as a warning voice for the especial
instruction of any foes to Kafilahs that might be lurking around us.
Immediately to the south of our encamping ground, was a broad shallow
valley, covered with low trees, and called Aleekduggee Kabeer, and which
turned to the east and north in a direction towards Hiero Murroo. The
stream that sometimes runs along it, flows into the temporary lake of
Iruloff, which itself, on occasions of great rains, communicates with
the river of Killaloo. In front of us, to the west, was a slightly
elevated crest, over which was the valley of Aleekduggee Sageer, flowing
towards the north into the Hawash.
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