AN INGENIOUS BED -- EN ROUTE FOR THE COAST -- A SAD PLIGHT --
UNPLEASANT TRAVELLING -- FRIENDS -- FORCIBLE PERSUASION -- AN
AMUSING ENCOUNTER -- AN ADVENTURE -- I OPEN A BAZAAR -- PRICES --
HOSPITALITY -- HAGGLING -- REINFORCEMENT -- LETTERS FROM HOME --
A MISERABLE NIGHT -- FALSE RUMOURS -- I SELL TWO DONKEYS -- "HARD
UP" -- GEESE AND HORNBILLS -- ILL-TIMED THEFT -- STRANGE QUARTERS
-- TOOTH-BRUSHES.
_March 8._--I was very bad all last night; I think I had eaten too
much meat at dinner. I am writing my journal with a pen made out of a
guinea-fowl quill, and with ink composed of some gunpowder, preserved
milk and water, mixed up together--rather a curious combination. My
little camp bed is so small that I asked Mahomet, my bearer, if he
could make me any sort of bed rather bigger. He said, "I make bed
Abyssinian fashion?" and I replied "Yes." He set to work, with the
help of Goubasee and Guyndem, to make an _inchat algar_, which is
their word for a wooden bed. They cut four short forked poles and
stuck them upright in the ground; the holes they put them into were
grubbed out with the iron tent pegs. They then tied sticks on to the
four posts, so as to make a sort of hollow oblong. These sticks were
tied with plaited bark or fibre. Inside, these oblong sticks were
lashed both to the foot and head of the bed. Of course such a bed can
be made of any height and any length. They then cut a quantity of dry
grass and laid it across the frame, and my rugs spread over the dry
grass made an excellent, comfortable, springy couch. I should think
such beds would be very good for impromptu hospitals on a campaign,
using hay or straw instead of grass; they are exceedingly warm and
well ventilated. It took about two hours and a half for four servants
to do the whole thing; that is, for cutting the wood and grass,
grubbing the holes, tying the sticks, and completing it.
I have determined to start for home, as I get no better here. I am
indeed an unlucky sportsman, and I always was. Perhaps it is all for
the best. I do not know what H. will say to this. I went out for a
little walk on the plain yesterday, and saw the herd of hartebeest in
the distance, but I did not feel up to stalking them.
_March 9._--I am a little better to-day, and the provisions I sent for
to Barrakee's village have arrived all safe; so I start for Azho, a
large frontier village, to-day. I hope to catch the steamer which I
believe leaves Massowah for Suez about the 24th of March. To-day I
shot a large bare-necked vulture, which was hovering over the camp
last evening, and I am writing my journal with one of its quills, as
Petros, in sweeping out my "das," chanced to lose my guinea-fowl pen.
The vulture I thought to be a bird of ill-omen, and so knocked him
down. In the evening I went out close to the water and shot one of the
sand-grouse which came to drink, but it was so dark I could not find
the bird. No one can have any idea how miserable it is to be sick in
the bush, away from everybody and everything--no one to speak to but
your servant, who generally talks the vilest of negro English.
However, I was homeward-bound to-day, my servants having made me a
rough sort of palanquin, in which I intended to be carried, as I meant
to try and avoid either walking or riding. I hoped to get fresh eggs,
milk, and chickens at the village of Azho, which might improve me; as
in reality it was good food that I wanted. I had sent on some of my
baggage with Guyndem and another servant, and with orders to build me
a "das" at Azho, and let the people know that I was coming. I proposed
to stop half-way on the road at Maidarou.
_March 10._--I had an awful journey on the previous night. I started
from the other side of the plain of Coom-Coom-Dema at five o'clock by
my little sundial, and got to Maidarou, our old camping-place, about 9
P.M. Of course I could not say if this time was correct; it struck me
as being a good deal later. Taiou, one of our coolies--a man who had
been with an Englishman named Flood that had lived in the country some
time before--lost the donkey on which my bed was strapped, just before
we came into camp. It was very dark when we came to Maidarou, and
Goubasee, who was carrying my palanquin, and who was in front, tumbled
into a hole and shot me and my gun and books on to the ground. This
was rather unpleasant, considering the state of health I was in, but
there was no alternative but to get up and laugh and go on. At last I
saw the twinkling light of a fire, and I soon found myself at the top
of the little rocky hill where we had camped before. But although I
had arrived at the halting-place there was no bed for me to sleep on;
so I bade them put all the skin bags I had with me down at the end of
the tent, then I put some big stones alongside, and covered the whole
with some dry cut grass. This made a capital bed, and I slept better
than I had done for the last two weeks, as I was completely tired and
done up. Curiously enough, the caravan that afforded me some flour
when my servants were almost starving had just arrived, on their way
back to Adiaboo with cotton from Walkait. Zaroo, the man who behaved
so kindly to me before and gave me some bread of his own, said, as I
was so ill, he would induce some of the people of the caravan to
carry me in my palanquin. I here wrote my journal lying on my bags and
straw under the shade of two beautiful trees, a luxury one appreciates
in this hot climate. I am much better, I think, to-day.
That afternoon I started for Azho; the chief of the caravan, by
threats and persuasions, making his people carry me. I was jolted
along somehow or other; and the journey was not eventful, with one
exception. One old gentleman declined the honour of carrying me, and
made a great row. I found myself and my palanquin placed on the
ground, with every prospect of being left there. I said, if they would
not take me on to the next camping-place I would shoot them, and I let
off my revolver in the air, but still the old native refused to take
up the burden, and told the other people not to carry me. I here
leaped up and knocked him backwards with "one in the eye;" he tripped
up over his load of cotton, that he had placed down beside him, and
turned a complete summersault. The rest, seeing what had become of
him, and being rather astonished at a sick man getting well enough to
do this, picked up me and my palanquin and carried me off. It was
getting late, and the men carrying me were going very slow, so I rode
the mule belonging to Ali the cook, for a little way, but found I
should not be able to get to Azho that night, and I stopped at some
water half-way. I was better, so I told the chief I would not bother
him or his people to carry me any farther; and he came the last thing
in the evening to say good-bye to me, as they were going to start at
daybreak.
Last night Ali and Mahomet had a difference of opinion about an order
I had given with regard to some food. One of them had told a lie, and
they both accused each other of lying. I said I could not allow this,
as nothing would be done if things went on in this sort of way; so, in
the morning, after the caravan had gone on, I said they were to settle
their dispute with two sticks. I made Goubasee cut two long sticks,
and the scene which ensued beat anything I ever saw. They were so
frightened of each other that neither of them dared at first to hit
very hard, but at length, when either of them did so, the other
flinched most dreadfully and then returned the blow with compound
interest. When one blow was harder than another a yell in proportion
followed its infliction. I made myself quite ill with laughing at
them, and the servants were in convulsions too. At last they begged of
me to let them off; and so I said they ought to be satisfied with each
other now.
_March 11._--Started for Azho in the afternoon, riding Ali's mule,
and, after a tiring march, I came in sight of the village at sunset.
Some of the villagers, who had heard I was coming up, came out to
meet me and say "How do you do?" I found that Guyndem, whom I had sent
on, had not built a "das," as the people would not lend him any tools
for making it, or give him any assistance. I went straight up to a
cluster of houses, and said I should pitch my tent inside the hedge
which surrounded them. The people were very civil at first, and
brought some milk. I asked them to give me some dry grass, which they
used for thatching their houses, to put on an _angareb_ which they had
lent me.[14] I was in great pain at the time, and was very much
annoyed at their not bringing this grass, so I sprang up with my
revolver in my hand. Before going any farther I must tell the reader
that the adventure which followed nearly cost me my life, and it was
all owing to my own foolishness. It is a great mistake to flash your
weapons if you really do not mean to use them. I ran down among some
houses where my servants were talking trying to persuade the people to
give me some dried grass, and said if they did not give me some I
would shoot them. It was getting rather dark, and I fired my revolver
off in the air. The women screamed, and in a minute the whole village
was up in arms. Some of the men had spears, and the others guns: they
completely surrounded me, and one seized me by the wrist and tried to
drag me off. I snatched myself out of his grasp and backed against a
straw hut. Another man kept pointing at me with a loaded gun about a
foot off my head, calling me _shifter_--which means robber. At this
moment a very tall Abyssinian pushed his way through the crowd and
came up to me, putting his hand over his mouth, which was to give me
to understand that I was to hold my tongue and not make a noise. He
took me by the hand and led me away, the crowd hooting and shouting at
me. One fellow ran in front and aimed his spear at me, but the tall
Abyssinian, who seemed to be my friend, raised his spear, and the
fellow took to his heels. As is very often the case with most of these
disputes, it all ended in smoke. I got the straw for my bed after all,
and went to sleep. They came to me and told me I must take my tent
outside their village, but I replied that I would not move it, and
that it did no harm there; so it stopped there for the night.
_March 12._--To-day I made Petros sit outside the door of the big
round Abyssinian hut that I had taken possession of during the heat of
the day and "make bazaar," as he calls it; that is to say, he took my
handkerchiefs and beads and red cloth which I had with me, and
exchanged them for chickens and eggs, of which I was in great need.
It may interest some of my readers to know what the rate of exchange
was: one Manchester cotton pocket-handkerchief for one chicken and six
eggs. The haggling and bargaining over these important mercantile
transactions was very amusing, but Petros seemed up to everything; in
fact, his usual occupation was that of a merchant in the bazaar at
Suez. In the afternoon the man who had pointed the gun at me and
called me a robber came to pay me a visit. I asked why he had called
me a robber. He said that when he heard the shot fired, the people
told him I had shot his brother. He had brought me half a large
pumpkin as a sort of peace-offering. I said to him, if he would bring
me a whole one I would give him a red pocket-handkerchief. He went
away and fetched a large pumpkin, and I gave him a red handkerchief,
and then told him I was not accustomed to be called a robber, and
that, although I was very sick, if he would get two thick sticks I
would go outside the village with him and give him an excellent
thrashing. My friend sneaked off at this, and another Abyssinian, who
was standing by, seemed much amused. I had not got rid of the horrid
complaint that troubled me, and I was afraid that dysentery had set in
in earnest. I sent back a coolie from here to H., with a letter to say
that I had really started for the coast. I heard no more of him till I
got to England; the account of the sport he had I give hereafter.
Towards the evening I started for Adikai, a village we had camped in
before. The man who had accused me of shooting his brother and called
me a robber came to say good-bye to me, and we parted the best of
friends. I tried to find out who the tall Abyssinian was who had
helped me out of the scrape and had taken me by the hand and led me
through the crowd, but he had disappeared, and no one knew who or
where he was; I believe he was a king's soldier who was stationed here
to collect the customs. I had an easy march to Adikai, and when I got
to the village my servants told me that Zaroo, my old friend the chief
of the caravan, who had made his people carry my palanquin, lived
close by. Shortly afterwards he came to see me, and brought me some
Dargousa beer, which had been kept for some time and which was pretty
good. I was kept awake half the night by the barking of the village
curs: at last, at my entreaties, some ballagas turned out and tried to
stop them, but it was of no use. A crying baby in a hut close by also
enlivened the night by its yells; so I sent to the mother of the child
and told her to give it some milk, which seemed to quiet it.
_March 13._--The people of this village were much more civil to me,
and one of two men who had behaved very well at Azho, and who had come
up with me, sent off to a village close by and got me twelve eggs. The
Abyssinians, curiously enough, do not care for eggs; they sometimes
make a sort of curry of them with red pepper. After this man brought
me the eggs, which was early in the morning, he went on to Adiaboo,
where it was market-day. Zaroo came to me this morning, and I talked
with him over my journey to the coast, as he knew the road very well.
He told me he was acquainted with a much nearer way to Koudoofellassie
than that I had come by, and I asked him if he would come with me to
show it: at first he said he would, and then he asked me what I would
give him. I only had five dollars with me, so it was of very little
use offering him that. I said I would give him a revolver; but he told
me this would be of no use to him. What he really wanted was one of my
muzzle-loading pistols, of which I had a pair of very good ones, which
I had bought of Rigby in St. James's Street, and which I particularly
did not want to part with. After haggling with him a long time I was
quite disappointed, as he had at first assured me he did not want
anything for showing me the way. I then told him I would trust to
myself and go back the same way I had come, and thanked him for his
former kindness.
I sent on the donkeys with the tent to Maihumloo, a little river where
we had camped before, at the end of the Sememmar Plain, meaning to go
on in the afternoon. I tried at this village to get two men to carry
some of my things, but they asked a great deal too much, and so we
could not come to terms. On my way to Adiaboo, Goubasee stopped an old
man, and his wife and daughter, and asked the old gentleman if he
would help to carry the load Goubasee had with him. The old patriarch
asked where we were going to; Goubasee replied Sememmar, and that he
would get a dollar if he carried the load; upon which, without a
moment's hesitation, notwithstanding the entreaties of his wife and
daughter, he picked up the load and carried it along. His daughter
then began to cry, and said she would not leave him, so they both
joined our little party. This was a great piece of luck for me, as it
relieved Goubasee of a large part of his load.
The market was just over as I passed through Adiaboo. I tried to find
some man to guide me the short way of which Zaroo had told me, but
none of them would go, as they said it was a bad road, the stages were
long, and there was very little water. While I was talking to these
people a young man came up and said that he had letters for Rass Mayo,
which was the name I went by in Abyssinia; upon which my servants
told him he was to give them to me immediately. This was the man that
the head of the Mahomedan village had sent off with my letters. He had
sent them by the steamer and had brought me back letters from home. I
was delighted to get them, and for the rest of my march across the
large plain which lies between Adiaboo and Sememmar I occupied myself
in reading the good news from home. I had miscalculated the distance
from Adiaboo to Maihumloo; it was a great deal too far, and we had
started late, having been delayed in the market-place. I was getting
more and more exhausted, and it was rapidly becoming dark. Just as
night closed in a thunder-storm came on, Goubasee, who had been our
guide, completely lost his way, and I was dreadfully ill and weary, so
we had to stop in the middle of the jungle. I managed with great
difficulty to light a fire, and make a little soup out of Liebig's
extract of meat. The poor girl that had accompanied her father, who
was carrying some of my baggage, had sprained her ankle, or sustained
a similar injury, and it was a miserable sight to see her sitting
shivering over the fire and crying piteously with pain. I also
suffered very much from illness all night.
_March 14._--At last morning came, and I determined to move on to
Maihumloo the first thing, in hopes of finding the donkeys with the
tent and some food. Some travellers came by, whom my servants rushed
at and despoiled of some of the bread they had with them; thus at any
rate my retinue ate some breakfast. I stopped at some houses, which
were only a very short way from the place where we had lain out for
the night, but during and after the thunder-storm it had been so dark
that we could not see around us. The inhabitants of these huts gave me
some eggs, which provided material for my breakfast. When I got to
Maihumloo there was no sign of either tent or donkeys, which had gone
on before us, so I stayed in the dry bed of a watercourse that was
very pleasantly shaded over. I succeeded in making a fire and cooking
my eggs for breakfast, and sent Goubasee off to look for the donkeys.
He seemed to think that they had gone on in front of us to the village
of Sememmar, so he went up there to look for them, and returned
without having found them; but shortly afterwards they all appeared.
Hadji Mahomet, who had charge of them, had taken good care not to
sleep out in the jungle like ourselves, but had halted in a village
not far off and stayed there for the night. I sent them on, in the
afternoon, to Sememmar, and from thence they were to go on to
Zadawalka.
After the heat of the day, and when I had rested myself by lying in
the shade, I started after the tent and donkeys. I called at the
house of the chicker of the village of Sememmar, told him who I was,
and said that I wanted some chickens and eggs; he was very civil, and
gave them to me at once without any palaver. I asked him if he knew of
any news in the country, and I was told that they had heard that
Mimleck, the king of Shoa, with whom the king of Abyssinia was at war,
had fought and beaten Johannes, the king: I heard afterwards there was
no truth in this. Again I travelled on, and, after having passed the
place where the market of Sememmar is held, I came upon Hadji Mahomet
and the donkeys, with the tent pitched and everything ready. He told
me it would be impossible to go on to Zadawalka that day, so I
resolved to stop here, as everything was comfortable and there was
plenty to eat. Our encampment was just below a pretty little
Abyssinian church, which was surrounded by large Qualqual trees. Most
of the churches here are built in little groves of these queer-shaped
trees.
_March 15._--I went to bed shortly after I got into camp last night,
and this morning I found myself better, yet still very ill. I think I
must have lost at least a stone in weight, having become dreadfully
thin. It was very pleasant to wake up and find oneself in a
comfortable little camp-bed, instead of being chilled and cold lying
by the half-consumed sticks of a small camp fire, my experience of
the previous day. Two donkeys were completely worn out, so the
servants recommended me to sell them here for what I could get. Some
of the villagers standing near were informed that I had donkeys for
sale; we had a short bargain over the matter, and at last the two went
for four dollars. My fortune, that was to last me until I got to
Massowah, where 100_l._ was awaiting me, now consisted of seven
dollars, and, as my readers will see later, I experienced great
inconvenience in consequence of not having more money with me.
In the afternoon, having first started the remaining donkeys in front,
I went up to the village of Zadawalka. It was a long march, but very
pleasant and cool, the day being cloudy, and the country we were
travelling through furnished a succession of beautiful scenes. There
was a heavy thunder-shower in the middle of the day, which soaked us
through. On the way I had a shot with my Express at a jackal which
crossed the path, but I could not succeed in hitting so small an
animal with a bullet. Just after the rain had ceased, we crossed a
small stream; Goubasee, who was in front of me, suddenly stopped, and
I saw swimming slowly up the little river two fine geese. I jumped off
my mule, got my 16-bore gun, fired, and killed the gander. A cartridge
which had some time previously stuck in one of the barrels of my gun
obliged me to load again, and after my first shot the goose only flew
a short way up the river and dropped, when I bagged her too. These
were two lucky shots, as they provided me with fresh meat, of which I
stood in great need. Not long before I arrived at the village of
Zadawalka I saw five enormous hornbills feeding in a field close to
the path. They are called in Abyssinia Aba Gouma. They were an unusual
sight stalking about in different directions, and picking up what
insects and beetles they could find.
When I got to Zadawalka I rode up at once to the Shum's house. I went
in and introduced myself, and said I wanted bread and lodging for our
party that night. By way of putting ourselves on a pleasant footing
with our new hosts, my followers, who I am sorry to say had now become
rather a rough set, seeing a jar of beer standing close by,
immediately seized it, handed it round, and the thirsty souls
swallowed the beverage almost before the rightful owner had time to
look about. The people of the house assured me I could not stop there
that night, but said they would provide me with a house a little way
off. I made them swear by the king's death, Johannesee Mut, which is
the form of oath in Abyssinia, that they would do what they promised.
The donkeys and tent did not appear, so I had to sleep in an
Abyssinian hut, where I could see the moon shining through the roof,
and insects and creeping things paid me unwelcome visits. The door of
this hut was so low that entrance had to be effected on the hands and
knees. Notwithstanding all these little inconveniences, I managed to
sleep pretty well, after a good dinner made of the two geese's livers,
which were both large and excellent, and brought to mind _pâté de foie
gras_--without truffles.
_March 16._--This morning I was not troubled with the very violent
pain which I usually experienced, and altogether I felt in better
condition. I asked the chief of the village if he could give me two
coolies to guide our party as far as Gundet, as I proposed adopting a
new and shorter route, which would save a day's march. He at length
found two men, who for two dollars each were to go with me; one dollar
each I had to pay before they started, and the balance was to be given
them on arrival. The villagers brought up plenty of fresh eggs for
breakfast--they were the only things which really seemed to agree with
me. A great crowd of Abyssinians watched me as I got up in the morning
and performed my toilet: what seemed to excite their attention most
was the operation of washing my teeth with a tooth-brush and some
charcoal. They could not make out what I could possibly be doing, as
their mode of cleaning their teeth is by chewing a stick and rubbing
their grinders with the frayed end. About eleven o'clock I started for
Adavartee. This village is only one day's march from Adowa; in fact,
from Adavartee you can see the peculiarly-shaped conical-pointed hill
which marks the neighbourhood of the Abyssinian capital. Before
reaching Adavartee I stopped at a house on the road which was tenanted
by very civil people, who brought my servants beer to drink. Petros
cooked some eggs and bacon for my lunch, after which we rested a
little while and then went on. We were unable to reach Adavartee at
all, but were obliged to stop at a village called Adoqual. The
donkeys, with the tent, came up just before it was dark, and, instead
of my having to sleep in the village, I moved to the tent outside, and
slept comfortably there. The geese were roasted for dinner, and proved
capital food.
FOOTNOTES:
[14] _Angareb_ is an Arabic word for an oblong framework raised on
legs; a network of raw hide is stretched on the frame, and the whole
forms the sort of bed that is used nearly all over the East.