On both sides of the river Gochob, there exist in various quarters
isolated communities professing the Christianity of Ethiopia, who, for a
long period of years, have successfully held their position among the
mountain fastnesses in the very heart of the now Pagan and Mohammadan
country. One of the most remarkable of these seats is in the lake
Zooai, called _Laki_ in the Galla language, and in that of Gurague,
_Chillaloo_. Here, in the church of Emanuel, are deposited the holy
arks, umbrellas, drums, gold and silver chairs, and other furniture
belonging to all the sacred edifices of southern Abyssinia; which, with
numerous manuscripts no longer extant, were here deposited by Nebla
Dengel, at the period of Graan's invasion.
Five rivers empty themselves into this lake. It is described to be a
noble sheet of water, teeming with hippopotami, which frequently destroy
the frail bamboo rafts employed in maintaining communication betwixt the
shore and the Five Islands, Tudduchu, Debra Tehoon, Debra Seena, Goragi,
and Amshoot. They are covered with lofty trees, and contain upwards of
three thousand Christian houses, constructed of lime and stone. In
religion, the population are said by the clergy of Shoa to have sadly
degenerated; but although destitute of priests, the churches are
preserved inviolate, and monks and monasteries abound.
In Gurague, the population are almost exclusively Christian. Twelve
isolated churches, previously unheard of, were discovered a few years
since, on the conquest of Yeya by Sahela Selassie; and between Garro and
Metcha, where forest commences in the south of Shoa, is a small tract
peopled by Christians, who reside entirely in caves among the mountains,
as a measure of security against the heathen, by whom they are compassed
in on every side.
Eight days' journey from Aimellele on the frontier of Gurague, is
Cambat, a small mountainous province, lying due east of Zingero. With
exception of a few Mohammadan rovers, this independent state is
inhabited solely by Christians, who have fifteen churches, and numerous
monasteries, but, like the people of Zooai, are without priests. The
capital, Karempza, is constructed on the summit of a lofty hill of the
same name, and Degoyey, the king, who is extremely advanced in years, is
represented as a just and upright ruler, very hospitable to strangers,
and a great warrior. But between Aimellele, which is a dependency of
Sahela Selassie, and Cambat, the road passes through the Adeea and Alaba
Galla, the latter governed by a queen whose notorious treachery renders
the passage unsafe.
Wollamo is another Christian province under an independent sovereign,
lying below Cambat to the south-eastward of Zingero, and at constant war
with both these states. The country is extremely mountainous, and the
inhabitants, who are purchased for twenty pieces of salt, and frequently
brought by the slave-dealers to Shoa, are of a fair complexion, and
speak a distinct language. Wofana is the capital, and the province is
watered by a considerable river termed the Ooma--the surrounding tribes
being the Koolloo, Woradda, Assoo, and Jimma. Eight days' journey
beyond Zingero is the country of Mager, the king of which is represented
to be a very powerful monarch. Korchassie, which is famous for the
great river Wabi, flowing to the Indian ocean, is peopled by Christians,
as is Sidama also, and both are surrounded by the heathen.
But of all the isolated remnants of the ancient Ethiopic empire to the
south of Abyssinia, Susa would appear to be the most important and the
most powerful. This kingdom is situated beyond Caffa, and extends to
the head of the Gitche, which rises in Chara-Nara, and is one of the
principal sources of the Gochob. The rains are violent during three
months of the year, and the climate is excessively cold, the elevation
being much greater than that of Shoa, whilst beyond are mountains which
"seem to touch the skies, and are covered with perpetual snow."
Sugga Surroo was king over Susa. He was a Pagan; but wore a "mateb," as
many of the heathen tribes are wont to do. Hoti and Beddoo were his
sons; and on his death-bed he bequeathed the sceptre to the former, who,
after a reign of ten years marked by the most galling tyranny, was
deposed by the people, and Beddoo elevated to the throne. Turning his
attention to Christianity, which had greatly degenerated, he revived the
custom of bathing the holy cross on Christmas-day, in the river Gitche,
where all the surrounding Galla tribes perform the same ceremony without
knowing why.
Hoti was exiled in Goma; and having contrived to raise three hundred
cavalry, he set out to recover his throne, but was pursued and slain by
Abba Rebo. Beddoo is brother to Balee, the Queen of Caffa; and it is
now six years since he gave his daughter Shash in marriage to the King
of Enarea, through whose country a constant traffic has since been
carried on with Northern Abyssinia--numbers of muskets and matchlocks
being annually imported, and exchanged for civet, ivory, gold dust,
horses, and slaves.
The road being thus opened, the priests proceeded to Gondar to the
patriarch of the Abyssinian church, who breathed the breath of the Holy
Ghost into a leathern bag, which was safely conveyed back to Susa, and
hung up in the cathedral. Ecclesiastics in great numbers have been
since ordained by the process of opening this bag, and causing a puff to
pass across the face. They are distinguished by antique robes and
silver mitres, and the churches and religious observances would appear
to be similar in every respect to those of Shoa.
The King of Susa is described as a tall, fair, and very handsome man of
five and thirty, without beard or moustaches, and wearing the hair in
the bushy wig-like form of the Amhara. He carries state umbrellas of
yellow silk, surmounted by golden globes, wears a sword with a massive
golden scabbard, and bears a shield decorated with radii and crosses of
the same metal. The government is not despotic. No subject can be put
to death unless condemned by the judges. Property is free; and there is
no restriction upon dress save in the article of gold, to wear which is
the exclusive privilege of royalty.
Bonga is the principal town and capital of Susa; and there the king
principally resides, in a stone house of two stories. His queen is
Meytee, but he has besides "concubines as numerous as the hairs of the
head." The banqueting-hall is a long building similar to those of
Sahela Selassie, and it is the scene of similar revels. His Majesty
presides daily at the feast, but is concealed from the gaze of his
carousing subjects by an intervening curtain, whilst the Dedj Agafari,
styled "Gubburchu," acts as master of the ceremonies. Public audience
is daily given, when the decisions of the judges are confirmed or
annulled from a raised throne of solid gold concealed by velvet
draperies.
Susa is a kingdom of much greater extent than Shoa, but in manners and
customs nearly similar. The monarch is approached with shoulders bared,
and three prostrations to the earth. On the festival of _Maskal_ an
annual review takes place at Booretta. Oxen are then slain for the
soldiery, and each warrior receives a jar of beer from the royal
cellars. The herald proclaims the approaching expedition to the sound
of the _nugareet_. The foray resembles that of the Amhara rabble--the
same lack of discipline on the march--the same band of flutes and
kettle-drums--the same female culinary establishment. The warriors are
similarly armed, and adopt the green sprig of asparagus in token of
deeds of blood; and the only existing difference would appear to be,
that the booty captured in war is not monopolised by the crown.
Tribute is paid to Beddoo by the chiefs of many surrounding Countries,
and principally by the Shankela with tattooed breasts. He annually
extends his dominions by murderous inroads, directed chiefly against the
Sooroo, a tribe of naked negroes inhabiting the wild valleys of Sasa.
The Gumroo, a wild people clothed in hides, and rich in flocks and
herds, are also frequently invaded, and hundreds swept into captivity.
The chief mountain ranges of Susa are Decha, Gobo, and Saadee; and the
principal rivers are the Gitche, Cheso, and Adiyo. Large slave caravans
pass through the realm at all seasons from the most remote parts of the
interior, the Mohammadan rovers being frequently absent from one to two
years.
The costume of the male portion of the population consists of a robe of
striped red and blue cotton in alternate bands, with tight trousers and
a loose kilt of the same colours and material. The hair is worn _en
"goferi_," as in Shoa, unless after the slaughter of a foe, when it is
braided in long tresses like the ancient Egyptians. Copper and ivory
bracelets decorate the successful warrior; and a ring of silver is worn
in the ear by those who have slain the giant amongst mammalia.
The females are described as being fairer and more comely than their
frail sisters of Shoa. They wear red and blue striped trousers,
reaching mid-leg, with a loose shift and a robe, also party-coloured,
the former enclosed by a zone of beads. The hair is dressed, like that
of the Amhara, in the shape of a beehive, with minute rows of elaborate
curls; but the odour of rancid butter with which these are clotted, is
somewhat alleviated by the liberal application of oil of cloves.
Marriage is celebrated without the intervention of the priesthood, and
polygamy is universally exercised at the discretion of the man according
to his worldly substance. The contracting parties simply pledge
fidelity, and in event of subsequent separation, the lady carries off
her portion. Every house possesses its slaves; but those both of king
and subject are permitted to work for themselves one day out of the
seven. All occupation is interdicted on the Sabbath, as well as on the
festivals of Gabriel, Michael, and Georgis, which are the only saints'
days observed in Susa.
The language spoken is quite distinct from that of the Galla, from the
Amharic, and from the ancient Geez or Ethiopic. It possesses a written
character. The houses are constructed upon a circular plan of wattle
and thatch. All classes are warriors, well mounted, and frequently
engaged in the chase--large packs of dogs being kept for the purpose of
hunting the rhinoceros, buffalo, elephant, lion, leopard, giraffe,
zebra, and ostrich, which, with many other animals new to natural
history, are said to abound. Bridles are manufactured of the skin of
the hippopotamus, with which the rivers teem, and numbers of them are
slain by the wandering Wato.
Raw flesh, eaten with pepper, butter, and wheaten bread, forms the
principal diet. Edible fruits are abundant. Citrons, nutmeg, ginger,
coffee, and tea, grow wild over the whole country. The two latter are
taken by the Christians of Susa, as is also snuff; but tobacco is not
inhaled. The grape vine is indigenous and extensively cultivated; and
the Outoo, the Gondweiyo, and the Goddo, are described as aromatic
trees, of which the flowers, possessing the richest perfume, are dried,
pulverised, and amalgamated with civet--the cats producing which are
kept in every house, fed on raw beef, and placed before the fire, as in
Enarea.
Amongst the manifold superstitions of the people of Susa, a new knife,
before being used for cutting meat, must be blown upon by the priest.
Witchcraft has a firm hold upon every mind; and many a luckless worker
in iron is with his whole family condemned to be burnt alive in his
house, as an atonement for evil deeds. Theft is punished by sewing up
the culprit in a green hide, when he is suspended by the heels in the
market-place, with the stolen property about his neck, until the
contraction of the drying skin at length puts a period to his
sufferings--a refinement this upon the cruelty of the Emperor Maximin.
The particulars that I have embodied in this and the two preceding
chapters have been gathered from the concurrent testimony of numerous
individuals of various tribes, ages, and religions, who have either
visited or were natives of the countries referred to, and who, after
attaining to manhood, had been borne away in slavery. Together with
their own language they retained a perfect recollection of the land of
their birth, and of all that had befallen them since the loss of
liberty--a loss by many dated from a very recent period, and which had
resulted either from the lawless violence of the freebooter, or from the
unrestrained cupidity of mercenary relatives. Making due allowance for
superstition and geographical ignorance, the fullest credit may be
accorded--minute cross-examinations of individuals who could have held
no previous communication with each other having corroborated every
point.
Shedding the clearest light over the countries more immediately adjacent
to Shoa, the evidence collected becomes less and less distinct as the
lands and tribes under consideration verge towards the distant edge of
the horizon. It is important to know that the Gochob, in its upper
course, is occupied by so powerful a Christian people, whose sovereign
exercises over the destinies of the surrounding Gentiles an influence
which, if properly directed, could be made to check the rapid spread of
Islamism, instead of fostering the traffic in human beings. The
extensive wildernesses beyond Susa may be concluded to form the barrier
betwixt the unfruitful land of Nigritia and the fair provinces occupying
the most elevated regions of Africa. Seneca relates that two
centurions, who were sent by Nero Caesar to explore the head of the
Nile, were recommended by the King of Ethiopia to the nearest kings
beyond; and that after a long journey they came "even unto the further
countries, to immense morasses, the end of which neither the natives
themselves did know, nor any body else may hope to find."
Volume 3, Chapter XI.