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diff --git a/old/7ffea10.txt b/old/7ffea10.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 8cabf0b..0000000 --- a/old/7ffea10.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,12793 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of First footsteps in East Africa -by Richard F. Burton - -Copyright laws are changing all over the world. Be sure to check the -copyright laws for your country before downloading or redistributing -this or any other Project Gutenberg eBook. - -This header should be the first thing seen when viewing this Project -Gutenberg file. Please do not remove it. Do not change or edit the -header without written permission. - -Please read the "legal small print," and other information about the -eBook and Project Gutenberg at the bottom of this file. Included is -important information about your specific rights and restrictions in -how the file may be used. You can also find out about how to make a -donation to Project Gutenberg, and how to get involved. - - -**Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts** - -**eBooks Readable By Both Humans and By Computers, Since 1971** - -*****These eBooks Were Prepared By Thousands of Volunteers!***** - - -Title: First footsteps in East Africa - -Author: Richard F. Burton - -Release Date: November, 2004 [EBook #6886] -[This file was first posted on February 7, 2003] - -Edition: 10 - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK, FIRST FOOTSTEPS IN EAST AFRICA *** - - - - -Anne Soulard, Carlo Traverso and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. - - - - -This file was produced from images generously made available by the -Bibliotheque nationale de France (BnF/Gallica) at http://gallica.bnf.fr.) - - - -[Illustration: HARAR FROM THE COFFE STREAM] - -FIRST FOOTSTEPS IN EAST AFRICA; OR, AN EXPLORATION OF HARAR. - -BY -RICHARD F. BURTON - - - - -TO -THE HONORABLE -JAMES GRANT LUMSDEN, -MEMBER OF COUNCIL, ETC. ETC. BOMBAY. - - -I have ventured, my dear Lumsden, to address you in, and inscribe to you, -these pages. Within your hospitable walls my project of African travel was -matured, in the fond hope of submitting, on return, to your friendly -criticism, the record of adventures in which you took so warm an interest. -Dis aliter visum! Still I would prove that my thoughts are with you, and -thus request you to accept with your wonted _bonhommie_ this feeble token -of a sincere good will. - - - - -PREFACE. - - -Averse to writing, as well as to reading, diffuse Prolegomena, the author -finds himself compelled to relate, at some length, the circumstances which -led to the subject of these pages. - -In May 1849, the late Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Malcolm, formerly -Superintendent of the Indian Navy, in conjunction with Mr. William John -Hamilton, then President of the Royal Geographical Society of Great -Britain, solicited the permission of the Court of Directors of the -Honorable East India Company to ascertain the productive resources of the -unknown Somali Country in East Africa. [1] The answer returned, was to the -following effect:-- - -"If a fit and proper person volunteer to travel in the Somali Country, he -goes as a private traveller, the Government giving no more protection to -him than they would to an individual totally unconnected with the service. -They will allow the officer who obtains permission to go, during his -absence on the expedition to retain all the pay and allowances he may be -enjoying when leave was granted: they will supply him with all the -instruments required, afford him a passage going and returning, and pay -the actual expenses of the journey." - -The project lay dormant until March 1850, when Sir Charles Malcolm and -Captain Smyth, President of the Royal Geographical Society of Great -Britain, waited upon the chairman of the Court of Directors of the -Honorable East India Company. He informed them that if they would draw up -a statement of what was required, and specify how it could be carried into -effect, the document should be forwarded to the Governor-General of India, -with a recommendation that, should no objection arise, either from expense -or other causes, a fit person should be permitted to explore the Somali -Country. - -Sir Charles Malcolm then offered the charge of the expedition to Dr. -Carter of Bombay, an officer favourably known to the Indian world by his -services on board the "Palinurus" brig whilst employed upon the maritime -survey of Eastern Arabia. Dr. Carter at once acceded to the terms proposed -by those from whom the project emanated; but his principal object being to -compare the geology and botany of the Somali Country with the results of -his Arabian travels, he volunteered to traverse only that part of Eastern -Africa which lies north of a line drawn from Berberah to Ras Hafun,--in -fact, the maritime mountains of the Somal. His health not permitting him -to be left on shore, he required a cruizer to convey him from place to -place, and to preserve his store of presents and provisions. By this means -he hoped to land at the most interesting points and to penetrate here and -there from sixty to eighty miles inland, across the region which he -undertook to explore. - -On the 17th of August, 1850, Sir Charles Malcolm wrote to Dr. Carter in -these terms:--"I have communicated with the President of the Royal -Geographical Society and others: the feeling is, that though much valuable -information could no doubt be gained by skirting the coast (as you -propose) both in geology and botany, yet that it does not fulfil the -primary and great object of the London Geographical Society, which was, -and still is, to have the interior explored." The Vice-Admiral, however, -proceeded to say that, under the circumstances of the case, Dr. Carter's -plans were approved of, and asked him to confer immediately with Commodore -Lushington; then Commander in Chief of the Indian Navy. - -In May, 1851, Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Malcolm died: geographers and -travellers lost in him an influential and an energetic friend. During the -ten years of his superintendence over the Indian Navy that service rose, -despite the incubus of profound peace, to the highest distinction. He -freely permitted the officers under his command to undertake the task of -geographical discovery, retaining their rank, pay, and batta, whilst the -actual expenses of their journeys were defrayed by contingent bills. All -papers and reports submitted to the local government were favourably -received, and the successful traveller looked forward to distinction and -advancement. - -During the decade which elapsed between 1828 and 1838, "officers of the -Indian Navy journeyed, as the phrase is, _with their lives in their -hands_, through the wildest districts of the East. Of these we name the -late Commander J. A. Young, Lieutenants Wellsted, Wyburd, Wood, and -Christopher, retired Commander Ormsby, the present Capt. H. B. Lynch C.B., -Commanders Felix Jones and W. C. Barker, Lieutenants Cruttenden and -Whitelock. Their researches extended from the banks of the Bosphorus to -the shores of India. Of the vast, the immeasurable value of such -services," to quote the words of the Quarterly Review (No. cxxix. Dec. -1839), "which able officers thus employed, are in the mean time rendering -to science, to commerce, to their country, and to the whole civilized -world, we need say nothing:--nothing we could say would be too much." - -"In five years, the admirable maps of that coral-bound gulf--the Red Sea-- -were complete: the terrors of the navigation had given place to the -confidence inspired by excellent surveys. In 1829 the Thetis of ten guns, -under Commander Robert Moresby, convoyed the first coal ship up the Red -Sea, of the coasts of which this skilful and enterprising seaman made a -cursory survey, from which emanated the subsequent trigonometrical -operations which form our present maps. Two ships were employed, the -'Benares' and 'Palinurus,' the former under Commander Elwon, the latter -under Commander Moresby. It remained, however, for the latter officer to -complete the work. Some idea may be formed of the perils these officers -and men went through, when we state the 'Benares' was forty-two times -aground. - -"Robert Moresby, the genius of the Red Sea, conducted also the survey of -the Maldive Islands and groups known as the Chagos Archipelago. He -narrowly escaped being a victim to the deleterious climate of his station, -and only left it when no longer capable of working. A host of young and -ardent officers,--Christopher, Young, Powell, Campbell, Jones, Barker, and -others,--ably seconded him: death was busy amongst them for months and so -paralyzed by disease were the living, that the anchors could scarcely be -raised for a retreat to the coast of India. Renovated by a three months' -stay, occasionally in port, where they were strengthened by additional -numbers, the undaunted remnants from time to time returned to their task; -and in 1837, gave to the world a knowledge of those singular groups which -heretofore--though within 150 miles of our coasts--had been a mystery -hidden within the dangers that environed them. The beautiful maps of the -Red Sea, drafted by the late Commodore Carless [2], then a lieutenant, -will ever remain permanent monuments of Indian Naval Science, and the -daring of its officers and men. Those of the Maldive and Chagos groups, -executed by Commander then Acting Lieutenant Felix Jones, were, we hear, -of such a high order, that they were deemed worthy of special inspection -by the Queen." - -"While these enlightening operations were in progress, there were others -of this profession, no less distinguished, employed on similar -discoveries. The coast of Mekran westward from Scinde, was little known, -but it soon found a place in the hydrographical offices of India, under -Captain, then Lieutenant, Stafford Haines, and his staff, who were engaged -on it. The journey to the Oxus, made by Lieut. Wood, Sir. A. Burnes's -companion in his Lahore and Afghan missions, is a page of history which -may not be opened to us again in our own times; while in Lieut. Carless's -drafts of the channels of the Indus, we trace those designs, that the -sword of Sir Charles Napier only was destined to reveal." - -"The ten years prior to that of 1839 were those of fitful repose, such as -generally precedes some great outbreak. The repose afforded ample leisure -for research, and the shores of the island of Socotra, with the south -coast of Arabia, were carefully delineated. Besides the excellent maps of -these regions, we are indebted to the survey for that unique work on Oman, -by the late Lieut. Wellsted of this service, and for valuable notices from -the pen of Lieut. Cruttenden. [3] - -"Besides the works we have enumerated, there were others of the same -nature, but on a smaller scale, in operation at the same period around our -own coasts. The Gulf of Cambay, and the dangerous sands known as the -Molucca Banks, were explored and faithfully mapped by Captain Richard -Ethersey, assisted by Lieutenant (now Commander) Fell. Bombay Harbour was -delineated again on a grand scale by Capt. R. Cogan, assisted by Lieut. -Peters, now both dead; and the ink of the Maldive charts had scarcely -dried, when the labours of those employed were demanded of the Indian -Government by Her Majesty's authorities at Ceylon, to undertake -trigonometrical surveys of that Island, and the dangerous and shallow -gulfs on either side of the neck of sand connecting it with India. They -were the present Captains F. F. Powell, and Richard Ethersey, in the -Schooner 'Royal Tiger' and 'Shannon,' assisted by Lieut. (now Commander) -Felix Jones, and the late Lieut. Wilmot Christopher, who fell in action -before Mooltan. The first of these officers had charge of one of the -tenders under Lieut. Powell, and the latter another under Lieut. Ethersey. -The maps of the Pamban Pass and the Straits of Manaar were by the hand of -Lieut. Felix Jones, who was the draftsman also on this survey: they speak -for themselves." [4] - -In 1838 Sir Charles Malcolm was succeeded by Sir Robert Oliver, an "old -officer of the old school"--a strict disciplinarian, a faithful and honest -servant of Government, but a violent, limited, and prejudiced man. He -wanted "sailors," individuals conversant with ropes and rigging, and -steeped in knowledge of shot and shakings, he loved the "rule of thumb," -he hated "literary razors," and he viewed science with the profoundest -contempt. About twenty surveys were ordered to be discontinued as an -inauguratory measure, causing the loss of many thousand pounds, -independent of such contingencies as the "Memnon." [5] Batta was withheld -from the few officers who obtained leave, and the life of weary labour on -board ship was systematically made monotonous and uncomfortable:--in local -phrase it was described as "many stripes and no stars." Few measures were -omitted to heighten the shock of contrast. No notice was taken of papers -forwarded to Government, and the man who attempted to distinguish himself -by higher views than quarter-deck duties, found himself marked out for the -angry Commodore's red-hot displeasure. No place was allowed for charts and -plans: valuable original surveys, of which no duplicates existed, lay -tossed amongst the brick and mortar with which the Marine Office was being -rebuilt. No instruments were provided for ships, even a barometer was not -supplied in one case, although duly indented for during five years. Whilst -Sir Charles Malcolm ruled the Bombay dockyards, the British name rose high -in the Indian, African, and Arabian seas. Each vessel had its presents-- -guns, pistols, and powder, Abbas, crimson cloth and shawls, watches, -telescopes, and similar articles--with a suitable stock of which every -officer visiting the interior on leave was supplied. An order from Sir -Robert Oliver withdrew presents as well as instruments: with them -disappeared the just idea of our faith and greatness as a nation -entertained by the maritime races, who formerly looked forward to the -arrival of our cruizers. Thus the Indian navy was crushed by neglect and -routine into a mere transport service, remarkable for little beyond -constant quarrels between sea-lieutenants and land-lieutenants, sailor- -officers and soldier-officers, their "passengers." And thus resulted that -dearth of enterprise--alluded to _ex cathedra_ by a late President of the -Royal Geographical Society of Great Britain--which now characterises -Western India erst so celebrated for ardour in adventure. - -To return to the subject of East African discovery. Commodore Lushington -and Dr. Carter met in order to concert some measures for forwarding the -plans of a Somali Expedition. It was resolved to associate three persons, -Drs. Carter and Stocks, and an officer of the Indian navy: a vessel was -also warned for service on the coast of Africa. This took place in the -beginning of 1851: presently Commodore Lushington resigned his command, -and the project fell to the ground. - -The author of these pages, after his return from El Hajaz to Bombay, -conceived the idea of reviving the Somali Expedition: he proposed to start -in the spring of 1854, and accompanied by two officers, to penetrate _via_ -Harar and Gananah to Zanzibar. His plans were favourably received by the -Right Hon. Lord Elphinstone, the enlightened governor of the colony, and -by the local authorities, amongst whom the name of James Grant Lumsden, -then Member of Council, will ever suggest the liveliest feelings of -gratitude and affection. But it being judged necessary to refer once more -for permission to the Court of Directors, an official letter bearing date -the 28th April 1854 was forwarded from Bombay with a warm recommendation. -Lieut. Herne of the 1st Bombay European Regiment of Fusileers, an officer -skilful in surveying, photography, and mechanics, together with the -writer, obtained leave, pending the reference, and a free passage to Aden -in Arabia. On the 23rd August a favourable reply was despatched by the -Court of Directors. - -Meanwhile the most painful of events had modified the original plan. The -third member of the Expedition, Assistant Surgeon J. Ellerton Stocks, -whose brilliant attainments as a botanist, whose long and enterprising -journeys, and whose eminently practical bent of mind had twice recommended -him for the honors and trials of African exploration, died suddenly in the -prime of life. Deeply did his friends lament him for many reasons: a -universal favourite, he left in the social circle a void never to be -filled up, and they mourned the more that Fate had not granted him the -time, as it had given him the will and the power, to trace a deeper and -more enduring mark upon the iron tablets of Fame. - -No longer hoping to carry out his first project, the writer determined to -make the geography and commerce of the Somali country his principal -objects. He therefore applied to the Bombay Government for the assistance -of Lieut. William Stroyan, I. N., an officer distinguished by his surveys -on the coast of Western India, in Sindh, and on the Panjab Rivers. It was -not without difficulty that such valuable services were spared for the -deadly purpose of penetrating into Eastern Africa. All obstacles, however, -were removed by their ceaseless and energetic efforts, who had fostered -the author's plans, and early in the autumn of 1854, Lieut. Stroyan -received leave to join the Expedition. At the same time, Lieut. J. H. -Speke, of the 46th Regiment Bengal N. I., who had spent many years -collecting the Fauna of Thibet and the Himalayan mountains, volunteered to -share the hardships of African exploration. - -In October 1854, the writer and his companions received at Aden in Arabia -the sanction of the Court of Directors. It was his intention to march in a -body, using Berberah as a base of operations, westwards to Harar, and -thence in a south-easterly direction towards Zanzibar. - -But the voice of society at Aden was loud against the expedition. The -rough manners, the fierce looks, and the insolent threats of the Somal-- -the effects of our too peaceful rule--had pre-possessed the timid colony -at the "Eye of Yemen" with an idea of extreme danger. The Anglo-Saxon -spirit suffers, it has been observed, from confinement within any but -wooden walls, and the European degenerates rapidly, as do his bull-dogs, -his game-cocks, and other pugnacious animals, in the hot, enervating, and -unhealthy climates of the East. The writer and his comrades were -represented to be men deliberately going to their death, and the Somal at -Aden were not slow in imitating the example of their rulers. The savages -had heard of the costly Shoa Mission, its 300 camels and 50 mules, and -they longed for another rehearsal of the drama: according to them a vast -outlay was absolutely necessary, every village must be feasted, every -chief propitiated with magnificent presents, and dollars must be dealt out -by handfuls. The Political Resident refused to countenance the scheme -proposed, and his objection necessitated a further change of plans. - -Accordingly, Lieut. Herne was directed to proceed, after the opening of -the annual fair-season, to Berberah, where no danger was apprehended. It -was judged that the residence of this officer upon the coast would produce -a friendly feeling on the part of the Somal, and, as indeed afterwards -proved to be the case, would facilitate the writer's egress from Harar, by -terrifying the ruler for the fate of his caravans. [6] Lieut. Herne, who -on the 1st of January 1855, was joined by Lieut. Stroyan, resided on the -African coast from November to April; he inquired into the commerce, the -caravan lines, and the state of the slave trade, visited the maritime -mountains, sketched all the places of interest, and made a variety of -meteorological and other observations as a prelude to extensive research. - -Lieut. Speke was directed to land at Bunder Guray, a small harbour in the -"Arz el Aman," or "Land of Safety," as the windward Somal style their -country. His aim was to trace the celebrated Wady Nogal, noting its -watershed and other peculiarities, to purchase horses and camels for the -future use of the Expedition, and to collect specimens of the reddish -earth which, according to the older African travellers, denotes the -presence of gold dust. [7] Lieut. Speke started on the 23rd October 1854, -and returned, after about three months, to Aden. He had failed, through -the rapacity and treachery of his guide, to reach the Wady Nogal. But he -had penetrated beyond the maritime chain of hills, and his journal -(condensed in the Appendix) proves that he had collected some novel and -important information. - -Meanwhile the author, assuming the disguise of an Arab merchant, prepared -to visit the forbidden city of Harar. He left Aden on the 29th of October -1854, arrived at the capital of the ancient Hadiyah Empire on the 3rd -January 1855, and on the 9th of the ensuing February returned in safety to -Arabia, with the view of purchasing stores and provisions for a second and -a longer journey. [8] What unforeseen circumstance cut short the career of -the proposed Expedition, the Postscript of the present volume will show. - -The following pages contain the writer's diary, kept daring his march to -and from Harar. It must be borne in mind that the region traversed on this -occasion was previously known only by the vague reports of native -travellers. All the Abyssinian discoverers had traversed the Dankali and -other northern tribes: the land of the Somal was still a _terra -incognita_. Harar, moreover, had never been visited, and few are the -cities of the world which in the present age, when men hurry about the -earth, have not opened their gates to European adventure. The ancient -metropolis of a once mighty race, the only permanent settlement in Eastern -Africa, the reported seat of Moslem learning, a walled city of stone -houses, possessing its independent chief, its peculiar population, its -unknown language, and its own coinage, the emporium of the coffee trade, -the head-quarters of slavery, the birth-place of the Kat plant, [9] and -the great manufactory of cotton-cloths, amply, it appeared, deserved the -trouble of exploration. That the writer was successful in his attempt, the -following pages will prove. Unfortunately it was found impossible to use -any instruments except a pocket compass, a watch, and a portable -thermometer more remarkable for convenience than correctness. But the way -was thus paved for scientific observation: shortly after the author's -departure from Harar, the Amir or chief wrote to the Acting Political -Resident at Aden, earnestly begging to be supplied with a "Frank -physician," and offering protection to any European who might be persuaded -to visit his dominions. - -The Appendix contains the following papers connected with the movements of -the expedition in the winter of 1854. - -1. The diary and observations made by Lieut. Speke, when attempting to -reach the Wady Nogal. - -2. A sketch of the grammar, and a vocabulary of the Harari tongue. This -dialect is little known to European linguists: the only notices of it -hitherto published are in Salt's Abyssinia, Appendix I. p. 6-10.; by Balbi -Atlas Ethnogr. Tab. xxxix. No. 297.; Kielmaier, Ausland, 1840, No. 76.; -and Dr. Beke (Philological Journal, April 25. 1845.) - -3. Meteorological observations in the cold season of 1854-55 by Lieuts. -Herne, Stroyan, and the Author. - -4. A brief description of certain peculiar customs, noticed in Nubia, by -Brown and Werne under the name of fibulation. - -5. The conclusion is a condensed account of an attempt to reach Harar from -Ankobar. [10] On the 14th October 1841, Major Sir William Cornwallis -Harris (then Captain in the Bombay Engineers), Chief of the Mission sent -from India to the King of Shoa, advised Lieut. W. Barker, I. N., whose -services were imperatively required by Sir Robert Oliver, to return from -Abyssinia _via_ Harar, "over a road hitherto untrodden by Europeans." As -His Majesty Sahalah Selassie had offered friendly letters to the Moslem -Amir, Capt. Harris had "no doubt of the success of the enterprise." -Although the adventurous explorer was prevented by the idle fears of the -Bedouin Somal and the rapacity of his guides from visiting the city, his -pages, as a narrative of travel, will amply reward perusal. They have been -introduced into this volume mainly with the view of putting the reader in -possession of all that has hitherto been written and not published, upon -the subject of Harar. [11] For the same reason the author has not -hesitated to enrich his pages with observations drawn from Lieutenants -Cruttenden and Rigby. The former printed in the Transactions of the Bombay -Geographical Society two excellent papers: one headed a "Report on the -Mijjertheyn Tribe of Somallies inhabiting the district forming the North -East Point of Africa;" secondly, a "Memoir on the Western or Edoor Tribes, -inhabiting the Somali coast of North East Africa; with the Southern -Branches of the family of Darood, resident on the banks of the Webbe -Shebayli, commonly called the River Webbe." Lieut. C. P. Rigby, 16th -Regiment Bombay N. I., published, also in the Transactions of the -Geographical Society of Bombay, an "Outline of the Somali Language, with -Vocabulary," which supplied a great lacuna in the dialects of Eastern -Africa. - -A perusal of the following pages will convince the reader that the -extensive country of the Somal is by no means destitute of capabilities. -Though partially desert, and thinly populated, it possesses valuable -articles of traffic, and its harbours export the produce of the Gurague, -Abyssinian, Galla, and other inland races. The natives of the country are -essentially commercial: they have lapsed into barbarism by reason of their -political condition--the rude equality of the Hottentots,--but they appear -to contain material for a moral regeneration. As subjects they offer a -favourable contrast to their kindred, the Arabs of El Yemen, a race -untameable as the wolf, and which, subjugated in turn by Abyssinian, -Persian, Egyptian, and Turk, has ever preserved an indomitable spirit of -freedom, and eventually succeeded in skaking off the yoke of foreign -dominion. For half a generation we have been masters of Aden, filling -Southern Arabia with our calicos and rupees--what is the present state of -affairs there? We are dared by the Bedouins to come forth from behind our -stone walls and fight like men in the plain,--British _proteges_ are -slaughtered within the range of our guns,--our allies' villages have been -burned in sight of Aden,--our deserters are welcomed and our fugitive -felons protected,--our supplies are cut off, and the garrison is reduced -to extreme distress, at the word of a half-naked bandit,--the miscreant -Bhagi who murdered Capt. Mylne in cold blood still roams the hills -unpunished,--gross insults are the sole acknowledgments of our peaceful -overtures,--the British flag has been fired upon without return, our -cruizers being ordered to act only on the defensive,--and our forbearance -to attack is universally asserted and believed to arise from mere -cowardice. Such is, and such will be, the character of the Arab! - -The Sublime Porte still preserves her possessions in the Tahamah, and the -regions conterminous to Yemen, by the stringent measures with which -Mohammed Ali of Egypt opened the robber-haunted Suez road. Whenever a Turk -or a traveller is murdered, a few squadrons of Irregular Cavalry are -ordered out; they are not too nice upon the subject of retaliation, and -rarely refuse to burn a village or two, or to lay waste the crops near the -scene of outrage. - -A civilized people, like ourselves, objects to such measures for many -reasons, of which none is more feeble than the fear of perpetuating a -blood feud with the Arabs. Our present relations with them are a "very -pretty quarrel," and moreover one which time must strengthen, cannot -efface. By a just, wholesome, and unsparing severity we may inspire the -Bedouin with fear instead of contempt: the veriest visionary would deride -the attempt to animate him with a higher sentiment. - -"Peace," observes a modern sage, "is the dream of the wise, war is the -history of man." To indulge in such dreams is but questionable wisdom. It -was not a "peace-policy" which gave the Portuguese a seaboard extending -from Cape Non to Macao. By no peace policy the Osmanlis of a past age -pushed their victorious arms from the deserts of Tartary to Aden, to -Delhi, to Algiers, and to the gates of Vienna. It was no peace policy -which made the Russians seat themselves upon the shores of the Black, the -Baltic, and the Caspian seas: gaining in the space of 150 years, and, -despite war, retaining, a territory greater than England and France -united. No peace policy enabled the French to absorb region after region -in Northern Africa, till the Mediterranean appears doomed to sink into a -Gallic lake. The English of a former generation were celebrated for -gaining ground in both hemispheres: their broad lands were not won by a -peace policy, which, however, in this our day, has on two distinct -occasions well nigh lost for them the "gem of the British Empire"--India. -The philanthropist and the political economist may fondly hope, by outcry -against "territorial aggrandizement," by advocating a compact frontier, by -abandoning colonies, and by cultivating "equilibrium," to retain our rank -amongst the great nations of the world. Never! The facts of history prove -nothing more conclusively than this: a race either progresses or -retrogrades, either increases or diminishes: the children of Time, like -their sire, cannot stand still. - -The occupation of the port of Berberah has been advised for many reasons. - -In the first place, Berberah is the true key of the Red Sea, the centre of -East African traffic, and the only safe place for shipping upon the -western Erythroean shore, from Suez to Guardafui. Backed by lands capable -of cultivation, and by hills covered with pine and other valuable trees, -enjoying a comparatively temperate climate, with a regular although thin -monsoon, this harbour has been coveted by many a foreign conqueror. -Circumstances have thrown it as it were into our arms, and, if we refuse -the chance, another and a rival nation will not be so blind. - -Secondly, we are bound to protect the lives of British subjects upon this -coast. In A.D. 1825 the crew of the "Mary Ann" brig was treacherously -murdered by the Somal. The consequence of a summary and exemplary -punishment [12] was that in August 1843, when the H.E.I.C.'s war-steamer -"Memnon" was stranded at Ras Assayr near Cape Guardafui, no outrage was -attempted by the barbarians, upon whose barren shores our seamen remained -for months labouring at the wreck. In A.D. 1855 the Somal, having -forgotten the old lesson, renewed their practices of pillaging and -murdering strangers. It is then evident that this people cannot be trusted -without supervision, and equally certain that vessels are ever liable to -be cast ashore in this part of the Red Sea. But a year ago the French -steam corvette, "Le Caiman," was lost within sight of Zayla; the Bedouin -Somal, principally Eesa, assembled a fanatic host, which was, however, -dispersed before blood had been drawn, by the exertion of the governor and -his guards. It remains for us, therefore, to provide against such -contingencies. Were one of the Peninsular and Oriental Company's vessels -cast by any accident upon this inhospitable shore, in the present state of -affairs the lives of the passengers, and the cargo, would be placed in -imminent peril. - -In advocating the establishment of an armed post at Berberah no stress is -laid upon the subject of slavery. To cut off that traffic the possession -of the great export harbour is by no means necessary. Whenever a British -cruizer shall receive positive and _bona fide_ orders to search native -craft, and to sell as prizes all that have slaves on board, the trade will -receive a death-blow. - -Certain measures have been taken during the last annual fair to punish the -outrage perpetrated by the Somal at Berberah in A.D. 1855. The writer on -his return to Aden proposed that the several clans implicated in the -offence should at once be expelled from British dominions. This -preliminary was carried out by the Acting Political Resident at Aden. -Moreover, it was judged advisable to blockade the Somali coast, from -Siyaro to Zayla, not concluded, until, in the first place, Lieut. -Stroyan's murderer, and the ruffian who attempted to spear Lieut. Speke in -cold blood, should be given up [13]; and secondly, that due compensation -for all losses should be made by the plunderers. The former condition was -approved by the Right Honorable the Governor-General of India, who, -however, objected, it is said, to the money-demand. [14] At present the -H.E. I.C.'s cruizers "Mahi," and "Elphinstone," are blockading the harbour -of Berberah, the Somal have offered 15,000 dollars' indemnity, and they -pretend, as usual, that the murderer has been slain by his tribe. - -To conclude. The writer has had the satisfaction of receiving from his -comrades assurances that they are willing to accompany him once more in -task of African Exploration. The plans of the Frank are now publicly known -to the Somali. Should the loss of life, however valuable, be an obstacle -to prosecuting them, he must fall in the esteem of the races around him. -On the contrary, should he, after duly chastising the offenders, carry out -the original plan, he will command the respect of the people, and wipe out -the memory of a temporary reverse. At no distant period the project will, -it is hoped, be revived. Nothing is required but permission to renew the -attempt--an indulgence which will not be refused by a Government raised by -energy, enterprise, and perseverance from the ranks of merchant society to -national wealth and imperial grandeur. - -14. St. James's Square, -10th February, 1856. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] It occupies the whole of the Eastern Horn, extending from the north of -Bab el Mandeb to several degrees south of Cape Guardafui. In the former -direction it is bounded by the Dankali and the Ittoo Gallas; in the latter -by the Sawahil or Negrotic regions; the Red Sea is its eastern limit, and -westward it stretches to within a few miles of Harar. - -[2] In A.D. 1838, Lieut. Carless surveyed the seaboard of the Somali -country, from Ras Hafun to Burnt Island; unfortunately his labours were -allowed by Sir Charles Malcolm's successor to lie five years in the -obscurity of MS. Meanwhile the steam frigate "Memnon," Capt. Powell -commanding, was lost at Ras Assayr; a Norie's chart, an antiquated -document, with an error of from fifteen to twenty miles, being the only -map of reference on board. Thus the Indian Government, by the dilatoriness -and prejudices of its Superintendent of Marine, sustained an unjustifiable -loss of at least 50,000_l._ - -[3] In A.D. 1836-38, Lieut. Cruttenden published descriptions of travel, -which will be alluded to in a subsequent part of this preface. - -[4] This "hasty sketch of the scientific labours of the Indian navy," is -extracted from an able anonymous pamphlet, unpromisingly headed -"Grievances and Present Condition of our Indian Officers." - -[5] In A.D. 1848, the late Mr. Joseph Hume called in the House of Commons -for a return of all Indian surveys carried on during the ten previous -years. The result proved that no less than a score had been suddenly -"broken up," by order of Sir Robert Oliver. - -[6] This plan was successfully adopted by Messrs. Antoine and Arnauld -d'Abbadie, when travelling in dangerous parts of Abyssinia and the -adjacent countries. - -[7] In A.D. 1660, Vermuyden found gold at Gambia always on naked and -barren hills embedded in a reddish earth. - -[8] The writer has not unfrequently been blamed by the critics of Indian -papers, for venturing into such dangerous lands with an outfit nearly -1500_l._ in value. In the Somali, as in other countries of Eastern Africa, -travellers must carry not only the means of purchasing passage, but also -the very necessaries of life. Money being unknown, such bulky articles as -cotton-cloth, tobacco, and beads are necessary to provide meat and milk, -and he who would eat bread must load his camels with grain. The Somal of -course exaggerate the cost of travelling; every chief, however, may demand -a small present, and every pauper, as will be seen in the following pages, -expects to be fed. - -[9] It is described at length in Chap. III. - -[10] The author hoped to insert Lieut. Berne's journal, kept at Berberah, -and the different places of note in its vicinity; as yet, however, the -paper has not been received. - -[11] Harar has frequently been described by hearsay; the following are the -principal authorities:-- - -Rochet (Second Voyage Dans le Pays des Adels, &c. Paris, 1846.), page 263. - -Sir. W. Cornwallis Harris (Highlands of AEthiopia, vol. i. ch. 43. et -passim). - -Cruttenden (Transactions of the Bombay Geological Society A.D. 1848). - -Barker (Report of the probable Position of Harar. Vol. xii. Royal -Geographical Society). - -M'Queen (Geographical Memoirs of Abyssinia, prefixed to Journals of Rev. -Messrs. Isenberg and Krapf). - -Christopher (Journal whilst commanding the H. C.'s brig "Tigris," on the -East Coast of Africa). - -Of these by far the most correct account is that of Lieut. Cruttenden. - -[12] In A.D. 1825, the Government of Bombay received intelligence that a -brig from the Mauritius had been seized, plundered, and broken up near -Berberah, and that part of her crew had been barbarously murdered by the -Somali. The "Elphinstone" sloop of war (Capt. Greer commanding) was sent -to blockade the coast; when her guns opened fire, the people fled with -their wives and children, and the spot where a horseman was killed by a -cannon ball is still shown on the plain near the town. Through the -intervention of El Hajj Sharmarkay, the survivors were recovered; the -Somal bound themselves to abstain from future attacks upon English -vessels, and also to refund by annual instalments the full amount of -plundered property. For the purpose of enforcing the latter stipulation it -was resolved that a vessel of war should remain upon the coast until the -whole was liquidated. When attempts at evasion occurred, the traffic was -stopped by sending all craft outside the guard-ship, and forbidding -intercourse with the shore. The "Coote" (Capt. Pepper commanding), the -"Palinurus" and the "Tigris," in turn with the "Elphinstone," maintained -the blockade through the trading seasons till 1833. About 6000_l._ were -recovered, and the people were strongly impressed with the fact that we -had both the will and the means to keep their plundering propensities -within bounds. - -[13] The writer advised that these men should be hung upon the spot where -the outrage was committed, that the bodies should be burned and the ashes -cast into the sea, lest by any means the murderers might become martyrs. -This precaution should invariably be adopted when Moslems assassinate -Infidels. - -[14] The reason of the objection is not apparent. A savage people is -imperfectly punished by a few deaths: the fine is the only true way to -produce a lasting impression upon their heads and hearts. Moreover, it is -the custom of India and the East generally, and is in reality the only -safeguard of a traveller's property. - - -[Illustration: Map to illustrate LIEUT. BURTON'S Route to HARAR _from a -Sketch by the late Lieut. W. Stroyan, Indian Navy._] - -[Illustration: BERBERAH] - - - - -CONTENTS. - - -PREFACE - -CHAPTER I. -Departure from Aden - -CHAP. II. -Life in Zayla - -CHAP. III. -Excursions near Zayla - -CHAP. IV. -The Somal, their Origin and Peculiarities - -CHAP. V. -From Zayla to the Hills - -CHAP. VI. -From the Zayla Hills to the Marar Prairie - -CHAP. VII. -From the Marar Prairie to Harar - -CHAP. VIII. -Ten Days at Harar - -CHAP. IX. -A Ride to Berberah - -CHAP. X. -Berberah and its Environs - -POSTSCRIPT - -APPENDICES - - - - -LIST OF PLATES. - - -Harar, from the Coffe Stream -Map of Berberah -Route to Harar -The Hammal -Costume of Harar -H. H. Ahmed Bin Abibakr, Amir of Harar - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -DEPARTURE FROM ADEN. - - -I doubt not there are many who ignore the fact that in Eastern Africa, -scarcely three hundred miles distant from Aden, there is a counterpart of -ill-famed Timbuctoo in the Far West. The more adventurous Abyssinian -travellers, Salt and Stuart, Krapf and Isenberg, Barker and Rochet,--not -to mention divers Roman Catholic Missioners,--attempted Harar, but -attempted it in vain. The bigoted ruler and barbarous people threatened -death to the Infidel who ventured within their walls; some negro Merlin -having, it is said, read Decline and Fall in the first footsteps of the -Frank. [1] Of all foreigners the English were, of course, the most hated -and dreaded; at Harar slavery still holds its head-quarters, and the old -Dragon well knows what to expect from the hand of St. George. Thus the -various travellers who appeared in beaver and black coats became persuaded -that the city was inaccessible, and Europeans ceased to trouble themselves -about Harar. - -It is, therefore, a point of honor with me, dear L., to utilise my title -of Haji by entering the city, visiting the ruler, and returning in safety, -after breaking the guardian spell. - -The most auspicious day in the Moslem year for beginning a journey is, -doubtless, the 6th of the month Safar [2], on which, quoth the Prophet, El -Islam emerged from obscurity. Yet even at Aden we could not avail -ourselves of this lucky time: our delays and difficulties were a fit -prelude for a journey amongst those "Blameless Ethiopians," with whom no -less a personage than august Jove can dine and depart. [3] - -On Sunday, the 29th October, 1854, our manifold impediments were -pronounced complete. Friend S. threw the slipper of blessing at my back, -and about 4 P.M. embarking from Maala Bunder, we shook out our "muslin," -and sailed down the fiery harbour. Passing the guard-boat, we delivered -our permit; before venturing into the open sea we repeated the Fatihah- -prayer in honor of the Shaykh Majid, inventor of the mariners' compass -[4], and evening saw us dancing on the bright clear tide, whose "magic -waves," however, murmured after another fashion the siren song which -charmed the senses of the old Arabian voyagers. [5] - -Suddenly every trace of civilisation fell from my companions as if it had -been a garment. At Aden, shaven and beturbaned, Arab fashion, now they -threw off all dress save the loin cloth, and appeared in their dark -morocco. Mohammed filled his mouth with a mixture of coarse Surat tobacco -and ashes,--the latter article intended, like the Anglo-Indian soldier's -chili in his arrack, to "make it bite." Guled uncovered his head, a member -which in Africa is certainly made to go bare, and buttered himself with an -unguent redolent of sheep's tail; and Ismail, the rais or captain of our -"foyst," [6] the Sahalah, applied himself to puffing his nicotiana out of -a goat's shank-bone. Our crew, consisting of seventy-one men and boys, -prepared, as evening fell, a mess of Jowari grain [7] and grease, the -recipe of which I spare you, and it was despatched in a style that would -have done credit to Kafirs as regards gobbling, bolting, smearing lips, -licking fingers, and using ankles as napkins. Then with a light easterly -breeze and the ominous cliffs of Little Aden still in sight, we spread our -mats on deck and prepared to sleep under the moon. [8] - -My companions, however, felt, without perhaps comprehending, the joviality -arising from a return to Nature. Every man was forthwith nicknamed, and -pitiless was the raillery upon the venerable subjects of long and short, -fat and thin. One sang a war-song, another a love-song, a third some song -of the sea, whilst the fourth, an Eesa youth, with the villanous -expression of face common to his tribe, gave us a rain measure, such as -men chaunt during wet weather. All these effusions were _naive_ and -amusing: none, however, could bear English translation without an amount -of omission which would change their nature. Each effort of minstrelsy was -accompanied by roars of laughter, and led to much manual pleasantry. All -swore that they had never spent, intellectually speaking, a more charming -_soiree_, and pitied me for being unable to enter thoroughly into the -spirit of the dialogue. Truly it is not only the polished European, as was -said of a certain travelling notability, that lapses with facility into -pristine barbarism. - -I will now introduce you to my companions. The managing man is one -Mohammed Mahmud [9], generally called El Hammal or the porter: he is a -Havildar or sergeant in the Aden police, and was entertained for me by -Lieut. Dansey, an officer who unfortunately was not "confirmed" in a -political appointment at Aden. The Hammal is a bull-necked, round-headed -fellow of lymphatic temperament, with a lamp-black skin, regular features, -and a pulpy figure,--two rarities amongst his countrymen, who compare him -to a Banyan. An orphan in early youth, and becoming, to use his own -phrase, sick of milk, he ran away from his tribe, the Habr Gerhajis, and -engaged himself as a coaltrimmer with the slaves on board an Indian war- -steamer. After rising in rank to the command of the crew, he became -servant and interpreter to travellers, visited distant lands--Egypt and -Calcutta--and finally settled as a Feringhee policeman. He cannot read or -write, but he has all the knowledge to be acquired by fifteen or twenty -years, hard "knocking about:" he can make a long speech, and, although he -never prays, a longer prayer; he is an excellent mimic, and delights his -auditors by imitations and descriptions of Indian ceremony, Egyptian -dancing, Arab vehemence, Persian abuse, European vivacity, and Turkish -insolence. With prodigious inventiveness, and a habit of perpetual -intrigue, acquired in his travels, he might be called a "knowing" man, but -for the truly Somali weakness of showing in his countenance all that -passes through his mind. This people can hide nothing: the blank eye, the -contracting brow, the opening nostril and the tremulous lip, betray, -despite themselves, their innermost thoughts. - -The second servant, whom I bring before you is Guled, another policeman at -Aden. He is a youth of good family, belonging to the Ismail Arrah, the -royal clan of the great Habr Gerhajis tribe. His father was a man of -property, and his brethren near Berberah, are wealthy Bedouins: yet he ran -away from his native country when seven or eight years old, and became a -servant in the house of a butter merchant at Mocha. Thence he went to -Aden, where he began with private service, and ended his career in the -police. He is one of those long, live skeletons, common amongst the Somal: -his shoulders are parallel with his ears, his ribs are straight as a -mummy's, his face has not an ounce of flesh upon it, and his features -suggest the idea of some lank bird: we call him Long Guled, to which he -replies with the Yemen saying "Length is Honor, even in Wood." He is brave -enough, because he rushes into danger without reflection; his great -defects are weakness of body and nervousness of temperament, leading in -times of peril to the trembling of hands, the dropping of caps, and the -mismanagement of bullets: besides which, he cannot bear hunger, thirst, or -cold. - -The third is one Abdy Abokr, also of the Habr Gerhajis, a personage whom, -from, his smattering of learning and his prodigious rascality, we call the -Mulla "End of Time." [10] He is a man about forty, very old-looking for -his age, with small, deep-set cunning eyes, placed close together, a hook -nose, a thin beard, a bulging brow, scattered teeth, [11] and a short -scant figure, remarkable only for length of back. His gait is stealthy, -like a cat's, and he has a villanous grin. This worthy never prays, and -can neither read nor write; but he knows a chapter or two of the Koran, -recites audibly a long Ratib or task, morning and evening [12], whence, -together with his store of hashed Hadis (tradition), he derives the title -of Widad or hedge-priest. His tongue, primed with the satirical sayings of -Abn Zayd el Helali, and Humayd ibn Mansur [13], is the terror of men upon -whom repartee imposes. His father was a wealthy shipowner in his day; but, -cursed with Abdy and another son, the old man has lost all his property, -his children have deserted him, and he now depends entirely upon the -charity of the Zayla chief. The "End of Time" has squandered considerable -sums in travelling far and wide from Harar to Cutch, he has managed -everywhere to perpetrate some peculiar villany. He is a pleasant -companion, and piques himself upon that power of quotation which in the -East makes a polite man. If we be disposed to hurry, he insinuates that -"Patience is of Heaven, Haste of Hell." When roughly addressed, he -remarks,-- - - "There are cures for the hurts of lead and steel, - But the wounds of the tongue--they never heal!" - -If a grain of rice adhere to our beards, he says, smilingly, "the gazelle -is in the garden;" to which we reply "we will hunt her with the five." -[14] Despite these merits, I hesitated to engage him, till assured by the -governor of Zayla that he was to be looked upon as a son, and, moreover, -that he would bear with him one of those state secrets to an influential -chief which in this country are never committed to paper. I found him an -admirable buffoon, skilful in filling pipes and smoking them; _au reste_, -an individual of "many words and little work," infinite intrigue, -cowardice, cupidity, and endowed with a truly evil tongue. - -The morning sun rose hot upon us, showing Mayyum and Zubah, the giant -staples of the "Gate under the Pleiades." [15] Shortly afterwards, we came -in sight of the Barr el Ajam (barbarian land), as the Somal call their -country [16], a low glaring flat of yellow sand, desert and heat-reeking, -tenanted by the Eesa, and a meet habitat for savages. Such to us, at -least, appeared the land of Adel. [17] At midday we descried the Ras el -Bir,--Headland of the Well,--the promontory which terminates the bold -Tajurrah range, under which lie the sleeping waters of the Maiden's Sea. -[18] During the day we rigged out an awning, and sat in the shade smoking -and chatting merrily, for the weather was not much hotter than on English -summer seas. Some of the crew tried praying; but prostrations are not -easily made on board ship, and El Islam, as Umar shrewdly suspected, was -not made for a seafaring race. At length the big red sun sank slowly -behind the curtain of sky-blue rock, where lies the not yet "combusted" -village of Tajurrah. [19] We lay down to rest with the light of day, and -had the satisfaction of closing our eyes upon a fair though captious -breeze. - -On the morning of the 31st October, we entered the Zayla Creek, which -gives so much trouble to native craft. We passed, on the right, the low -island of Masha, belonging to the "City of the Slave Merchant,"-- -Tajurrah,--and on the left two similar patches of seagirt sand, called -Aybat and Saad el Din. These places supply Zayla, in the Kharif or hot -season [20], with thousands of gulls' eggs,--a great luxury. At noon we -sighted our destination. Zayla is the normal African port,--a strip of -sulphur-yellow sand, with a deep blue dome above, and a foreground of the -darkest indigo. The buildings, raised by refraction, rose high, and -apparently from the bosom of the deep. After hearing the worst accounts of -it, I was pleasantly disappointed by the spectacle of white-washed houses -and minarets, peering above a long low line of brown wall, flanked with -round towers. - -As we slowly threaded the intricate coral reefs of the port, a bark came -scudding up to us; it tacked, and the crew proceeded to give news in -roaring tones. Friendship between the Amir of Harar and the governor of -Zayla had been broken; the road through the Eesa Somal had been closed by -the murder of Masud, a favourite slave and adopted son of Sharmarkay; all -strangers had been expelled the city for some misconduct by the Harar -chief; moreover, small-pox was raging there with such violence that the -Galla peasantry would allow neither ingress nor egress. [21] I had the -pleasure of reflecting for some time, dear L., upon the amount of -responsibility incurred by using the phrase "I will;" and the only -consolation that suggested itself was the stale assurance that - - "Things at the worst most surely mend." - -No craft larger than a canoe can ride near Zayla. After bumping once or -twice against the coral reefs, it was considered advisable for our good -ship, the Sahalat, to cast anchor. My companions caused me to dress, put -me with my pipe and other necessaries into a cock-boat, and, wading -through the water, shoved it to shore. Lastly, at Bab el Sahil, the -Seaward or Northern Gate, they proceeded to array themselves in the -bravery of clean Tobes and long daggers strapped round the waist; each man -also slung his targe to his left arm, and in his right hand grasped lance -and javelin. At the gate we were received by a tall black spearman with a -"Ho there! to the governor;" and a crowd of idlers gathered to inspect the -strangers. Marshalled by the warder, we traversed the dusty roads--streets -they could not be called--of the old Arab town, ran the gauntlet of a -gaping mob, and finally entering a mat door, found ourselves in the -presence of the governor. - -I had met Sharmarkay at Aden, where he received from the authorities -strong injunctions concerning my personal safety: the character of a -Moslem merchant, however, requiring us to appear strangers, an -introduction by our master of ceremonies, the Hammal, followed my -entrance. Sharmarkay was living in an apartment by no means splendid, -preferring an Arish or kind of cow-house,--as the Anglo-Indian Nabobs do -the bungalow - - "with mat half hung, - The walls of plaster and the floors of * * * *," - ---to all his substantial double-storied houses. The ground was wet and -comfortless; a part of the reed walls was lined with cots bearing -mattresses and silk-covered pillows, a cross between a divan and a couch: -the only ornaments were a few weapons, and a necklace of gaudy beads -suspended near the door. I was placed upon the principal seat: on the -right were the governor and the Hammal; whilst the lowest portion of the -room was occupied by Mohammed Sharmarkay, the son and heir. The rest of -the company squatted upon chairs, or rather stools, of peculiar -construction. Nothing could be duller than this _assemblee_: pipes and -coffee are here unknown; and there is nothing in the East to act -substitute for them. [22] - -The governor of Zayla, El Hajj Sharmarkay bin Ali Salih, is rather a -remarkable man. He is sixteenth, according to his own account, in descent -from Ishak el Hazrami [23], the saintly founder of the great Gerhajis and -Awal tribes. His enemies derive him from a less illustrious stock; and the -fairness of his complexion favours the report that his grandfather Salih -was an Abyssinian slave. Originally the Nacoda or captain of a native -craft, he has raised himself, chiefly by British influence, to the -chieftainship of his tribe. [24] As early as May, 1825, he received from -Captain Bagnold, then our resident at Mocha, a testimonial and a reward, -for a severe sword wound in the left arm, received whilst defending the -lives of English seamen. [25] He afterwards went to Bombay, where he was -treated with consideration; and about fifteen years ago he succeeded the -Sayyid Mohammed el Barr as governor of Zayla and its dependencies, under -the Ottoman Pasha in Western Arabia. - -The Hajj Sharmarkay in his youth was a man of Valour: he could not read or -write; but he carried in battle four spears [26], and his sword-cut was -recognisable. He is now a man about sixty years old, at least six feet two -inches in stature, large-limbed, and raw-boned: his leanness is hidden by -long wide robes. He shaves his head and upper lip Shafei-fashion, and his -beard is represented by a ragged tuft of red-stained hair on each side of -his chin. A visit to Aden and a doctor cost him one eye, and the other is -now white with age. His dress is that of an Arab, and he always carries -with him a broad-bladed, silver-hilted sword. Despite his years, he is a -strong, active, and energetic man, ever looking to the "main chance." With -one foot in the grave, he meditates nothing but the conquest of Harar and -Berberah, which, making him master of the seaboard, would soon extend his -power as in days of old even to Abyssinia. [27] To hear his projects, you -would fancy them the offspring of a brain in the prime of youth: in order -to carry them out he would even assist in suppressing the profitable -slave-trade. [28] - -After half an hour's visit I was led by the Hajj through the streets of -Zayla [29], to one of his substantial houses of coralline and mud -plastered over with glaring whitewash. The ground floor is a kind of -warehouse full of bales and boxes, scales and buyers. A flight of steep -steps leads into a long room with shutters to exclude the light, floored -with tamped earth, full of "evening flyers" [30], and destitute of -furniture. Parallel to it are three smaller apartments; and above is a -terraced roof, where they who fear not the dew and the land-breeze sleep. -[31] I found a room duly prepared; the ground was spread with mats, and -cushions against the walls denoted the Divan: for me was placed a Kursi or -cot, covered with fine Persian rugs and gaudy silk and satin pillows. The -Hajj installed us with ceremony, and insisted, despite my remonstrances, -upon occupying the floor whilst I sat on the raised seat. After ushering -in supper, he considerately remarked that travelling is fatiguing, and -left us to sleep. - -The well-known sounds of El Islam returned from memory. Again the -melodious chant of the Muezzin,--no evening bell can compare with it for -solemnity and beauty,--and in the neighbouring mosque, the loudly intoned -Amin and Allaho Akbar,--far superior to any organ,--rang in my ear. The -evening gun of camp was represented by the Nakkarah, or kettle-drum, -sounded about seven P.M. at the southern gate; and at ten a second -drumming warned the paterfamilias that it was time for home, and thieves, -and lovers,--that it was the hour for bastinado. Nightfall was ushered in -by the song, the dance, and the marriage festival,--here no permission is -required for "native music in the lines,"--and muffled figures flitted -mysteriously through the dark alleys. - - * * * * * - -After a peep through the open window, I fell asleep, feeling once more at -home. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] "A tradition exists," says Lieut. Cruttenden, "amongst the people of -Harar, that the prosperity of their city depends upon the exclusion of all -travellers not of the Moslem faith, and all Christians are specially -interdicted." These freaks of interdiction are common to African rulers, -who on occasions of war, famine or pestilence, struck with some -superstitious fear, close their gates to strangers. - -[2] The 6th of Safar in 1864 corresponds with our 28th October. The Hadis -is [Arabic] "when the 6th of Safar went forth, my faith from the cloud -came forth." - -[3] The Abyssinian law of detaining guests,--Pedro Covilhao the first -Portuguese envoy (A.D. 1499) lived and died a prisoner there,--appears to -have been the Christian modification of the old Ethiopic rite of -sacrificing strangers. - -[4] It would be wonderful if Orientals omitted to romance about the origin -of such an invention as the Dayrah or compass. Shaykh Majid is said to -have been a Syrian saint, to whom Allah gave the power of looking upon -earth, as though it were a ball in his hand. Most Moslems agree in -assigning this origin to the Dayrah, and the Fatihah in honor of the holy -man, is still repeated by the pious mariner. - -Easterns do not "box the compass" after our fashion: with them each point -has its own name, generally derived from some prominent star on the -horizon. Of these I subjoin a list as in use amongst the Somal, hoping -that it may be useful to Oriental students. The names in hyphens are those -given in a paper on the nautical instrument of the Arabs by Jas. Prinseps -(Journal of the As. Soc., December 1836). The learned secretary appears -not to have heard the legend of Shaykh Majid, for he alludes to the -"Majidi Kitab" or Oriental Ephemeris, without any explanation. - -North Jah [Arabic] East Matla [Arabic] -N. by E. Farjad [Arabic] E. by S. Jauza [Arabic] - (or [Arabic]) E.S.E. Tir [Arabic] -N.N.E. Naash [Arabic] S.E. by E. Iklil [Arabic] -N.E. by E. Nakab [Arabic] S.E. Akrab [Arabic] -N.E. Ayyuk [Arabic] S.E. by S. Himarayn [Arabic] -N.E. by E. Waki [Arabic] S.S.E. Suhayl [Arabic] -E.N.E. Sumak [Arabic] S. by E. Suntubar [Arabic] -E. by N. Surayya [Arabic] (or [Arabic]) - -The south is called El Kutb ([Arabic]) and the west El Maghib ([Arabic]). -The western points are named like the eastern. North-east, for instance is -Ayyuk el Matlai; north-west, Ayyuk el Maghibi. Finally, the Dayrah Jahi is -when the magnetic needle points due north. The Dayrah Farjadi (more common -in these regions), is when the bar is fixed under Farjad, to allow for -variation, which at Berberah is about 4o 50' west. - -[5] The curious reader will find in the Herodotus of the Arabs, El -Masudi's "Meadows of gold and mines of gems," a strange tale of the blind -billows and the singing waves of Berberah and Jofuni (Cape Guardafui, the -classical Aromata). - -[6] "Foyst" and "buss," are the names applied by old travellers to the -half-decked vessels of these seas. - -[7] Holcus Sorghum, the common grain of Africa and Arabia: the Somali call -it Hirad; the people of Yemen, Taam. - -[8] The Somal being a people of less nervous temperament than the Arabs -and Indians, do not fear the moonlight. - -[9] The first name is that of the individual, as the Christian name with -us, the second is that of the father; in the Somali country, as in India, -they are not connected by the Arab "bin"--son of. - -[10] Abdy is an abbreviation of Abdullah; Abokr, a corruption of Abubekr. -The "End of Time" alludes to the prophesied corruption of the Moslem -priesthood in the last epoch of the world. - -[11] This peculiarity is not uncommon amongst the Somal; it is considered -by them a sign of warm temperament. - -[12] The Moslem should first recite the Farz prayers, or those ordered in -the Koran; secondly, the Sunnat or practice of the Prophet; and thirdly -the Nafilah or Supererogatory. The Ratib or self-imposed task is the last -of all; our Mulla placed it first, because he could chaunt it upon his -mule within hearing of the people. - -[13] Two modern poets and wits well known in Yemen. - -[14] That is to say, "we will remove it with the five fingers." These are -euphuisms to avoid speaking broadly and openly of that venerable feature, -the beard. - -[15] Bab el Mandeb is called as above by Humayd from its astronomical -position. Jebel Mayyum is in Africa, Jebel Zubah or Muayyin, celebrated as -the last resting-place of a great saint, Shaykh Said, is in Arabia. - -[16] Ajam properly means all nations not Arab. In Egypt and Central Asia -it is now confined to Persians. On the west of the Red Sea, it is -invariably used to denote the Somali country: thence Bruce draws the Greek -and Latin name of the coast, Azamia, and De Sacy derives the word "Ajan," -which in our maps is applied to the inner regions of the Eastern Horn. So -in Africa, El Sham, which properly means Damascus and Syria, is applied to -El Hejaz. - -[17] Adel, according to M. Krapf, derived its name from the Ad Ali, a -tribe of the Afar or Danakil nation, erroneously used by Arab synecdoche -for the whole race. Mr. Johnston (Travels in Southern Abyssinia, ch. 1.) -more correctly derives it from Adule, a city which, as proved by the -monument which bears its name, existed in the days of Ptolemy Euergetes -(B.C. 247-222), had its own dynasty, and boasted of a conqueror who -overcame the Troglodytes, Sabaeans, Homerites, &c., and pushed his -conquests as far as the frontier of Egypt. Mr. Johnston, however, -incorrectly translates Barr el Ajam "land of fire," and seems to confound -Avalites and Adulis. - -[18] Bahr el Banatin, the Bay of Tajurrah. - -[19] A certain German missionary, well known in this part of the world, -exasperated by the seizure of a few dollars and a claim to the _droit -d'aubaine_, advised the authorities of Aden to threaten the "combustion" -of Tajurrah. The measure would have been equally unjust and unwise. A -traveller, even a layman, is bound to put up peaceably with such trifles; -and to threaten "combustion" without being prepared to carry out the -threat is the readiest way to secure contempt. - -[20] The Kharif in most parts of the Oriental world corresponds with our -autumn. In Eastern Africa it invariably signifies the hot season preceding -the monsoon rains. - -[21] The circumstances of Masud's murder were truly African. The slave -caravans from Abyssinia to Tajurrah were usually escorted by the Rer -Guleni, a clan of the great Eesa tribe, and they monopolised the profits -of the road. Summoned to share their gains with their kinsmen generally, -they refused upon which the other clans rose about August, 1854, and cut -off the road. A large caravan was travelling down in two bodies, each of -nearly 300 slaves; the Eesa attacked the first division, carried off the -wives and female slaves, whom they sold for ten dollars a head, and -savagely mutilated upwards of 100 wretched boys. This event caused the -Tajurrah line to be permanently closed. The Rer Guleni in wrath, at once -murdered Masud, a peaceful traveller, because Inna Handun, his Abban or -protector, was of the party who had attacked their proteges: they came -upon him suddenly as he was purchasing some article, and stabbed him in -the back, before he could defend himself. - -[22] In Zayla there is not a single coffee-house. The settled Somal care -little for the Arab beverage, and the Bedouins' reasons for avoiding it -are not bad. "If we drink coffee once," say they, "we shall want it again, -and then where are we to get it?" The Abyssinian Christians, probably to -distinguish themselves from Moslems, object to coffee as well as to -tobacco. The Gallas, on the other hand, eat it: the powdered bean is mixed -with butter, and on forays a lump about the size of a billiard-ball is -preferred to a substantial meal. - -[23] The following genealogical table was given to me by Mohammed -Sharmarkay:-- - - 1. Ishak (ibn Ahmed ibn Abdillah). - 2. Gerhajis (his eldest son). - 3. Said (the eldest son; Daud being the second). - 4. Arrah, (also the eldest; Ili, _i.e._ Ali, being the second). - 5. Musa (the third son: the eldest was Ismail; then, in - succession, Ishak, Misa, Mikahil, Gambah, Dandan, &c.) - 6. Ibrahim. - 7. Fikih (_i.e._ Fakih.) - 8. Adan (_i.e._ Adam.) - 9. Mohammed. - 10. Hamid. - 11. Jibril (_i.e._ Jibrail). - 12. Ali. - 13. Awaz. - 14. Salih. - 15. Ali. - 16. Sharmarkay. - -The last is a peculiarly Somali name, meaning "one who sees no harm."-- -Shar-ma-arkay. - -[24] Not the hereditary chieftainship of the Habr Gerhajis, which belongs -to a particular clan. - -[25] The following is a copy of the document:-- - -"This Testimonial, together with an Honorary Dress, is presented by the -British Resident at Mocha to Nagoda Shurmakey Ally Sumaulley, in token of -esteem and regard for his humane and gallant conduct at the Port of -Burburra, on the coast of Africa, April 10. 1825, in saving the lives of -Captain William Lingard, chief officer of the Brig Mary Anne, when that -vessel was attacked and plundered by the natives. The said Nagoda is -therefore strongly recommended to the notice and good offices of Europeans -in general, but particularly so to all English gentlemen visiting these -seas." - -[26] Two spears being the usual number: the difficulty of three or four -would mainly consist in their management during action. - -[27] In July, 1855, the Hajj Sharmarkay was deposed by the Turkish Pasha -of Hodaydah, ostensibly for failing to keep some road open, or, according -to others, for assisting to plunder a caravan belonging to the Dankali -tribe. It was reported that he had been made a prisoner, and the Political -Resident at Aden saw the propriety of politely asking the Turkish -authorities to "be easy" upon the old man. In consequence of this -representation, he was afterwards allowed, on paying a fine of 3000 -dollars, to retire to Aden. - -I deeply regret that the Hajj should have lost his government. He has ever -clung to the English party, even in sore temptation. A few years ago, the -late M. Rochet (soi-disant d'Hericourt), French agent at Jeddah, paying -treble its value, bought from Mohammed Sharmarkay, in the absence of the -Hajj, a large stone house, in order to secure a footing at Zayla. The old -man broke off the bargain on his return, knowing how easily an Agency -becomes a Fort, and preferring a considerable loss to the presence of -dangerous friends. - -[28] During my residence at Zayla few slaves were imported, owing to the -main road having been closed. In former years the market was abundantly -stocked; the numbers annually shipped to Mocha, Hodaydah, Jeddah, and -Berberah, varied from 600 to 1000. The Hajj received as duty one gold -"Kirsh," or about three fourths of a dollar, per head. - -[29] Zayla, called Audal or Auzal by the Somal, is a town about the size -of Suez, built for 3000 or 4000 inhabitants, and containing a dozen large -whitewashed stone houses, and upwards of 200 Arish or thatched huts, each -surrounded by a fence of wattle and matting. The situation is a low and -level spit of sand, which high tides make almost an island. There is no -Harbour: a vessel of 250 tons cannot approach within a mile of the -landing-place; the open roadstead is exposed to the terrible north wind, -and when gales blow from the west and south, it is almost unapproachable. -Every ebb leaves a sandy flat, extending half a mile seaward from the -town; the reefy anchorage is difficult of entrance after sunset, and the -coralline bottom renders wading painful. - -The shape of this once celebrated town is a tolerably regular -parallelogram, of which the long sides run from east to west. The walls, -without guns or embrasures, are built, like the houses, of coralline -rubble and mud, in places dilapidated. There are five gates. The Bab el -Sahil and the Bab el Jadd (a new postern) open upon the sea from the -northern wall. At the Ashurbara, in the southern part of the enceinte, the -Bedouins encamp, and above it the governor holds his Durbar. The Bab Abd -el Kadir derives its name from a saint buried outside and eastward of the -city, and the Bab el Saghir is pierced in the western wall. - -The public edifices are six mosques, including the Jami, or cathedral, for -Friday prayer: these buildings have queer little crenelles on whitewashed -walls, and a kind of elevated summer-house to represent the minaret. Near -one of them are remains of a circular Turkish Munar, manifestly of modern -construction. There is no Mahkamah or Kazi's court; that dignitary -transacts business at his own house, and the Festival prayers are recited -near the Saint's Tomb outside the eastern gate. The northeast angle of the -town is occupied by a large graveyard with the usual deleterious -consequences. - -The climate of Zayla is cooler than that of Aden, and, the site being open -all around, it is not so unhealthy. Much spare room is enclosed by the -town walls: evaporation and Nature's scavengers act succedanea for -sewerage. - -Zayla commands the adjacent harbour of Tajurrah, and is by position the -northern port of Aussa (the ancient capital of Adel), of Harar, and of -southern Abyssinia: the feuds of the rulers have, however, transferred the -main trade to Berberah. It sends caravans northwards to the Dankali, and -south-westwards, through the Eesa and Gudabirsi tribes as far as Efat and -Gurague. It is visited by Cafilas from Abyssinia, and the different races -of Bedouins, extending from the hills to the seaboard. The exports are -valuable--slaves, ivory, hides, honey, antelope horns, clarified butter, -and gums: the coast abounds in sponge, coral, and small pearls, which Arab -divers collect in the fair season. In the harbour I found about twenty -native craft, large and small: of these, ten belonged to the governor. -They trade with Berberah, Arabia, and Western India, and are navigated by -"Rajput" or Hindu pilots. - -Provisions at Zayla are cheap; a family of six persons live well for about -30_l._ per annum. The general food is mutton: a large sheep costs one -dollar, a small one half the price; camels' meat, beef, and in winter kid, -abound. Fish is rare, and fowls are not commonly eaten. Holcus, when dear, -sells at forty pounds per dollar, at seventy pounds when cheap. It is -usually levigated with slab and roller, and made into sour cakes. Some, -however, prefer the Arab form "balilah," boiled and mixed with ghee. Wheat -and rice are imported: the price varies from forty to sixty pounds the -Riyal or dollar. Of the former grain the people make a sweet cake called -Sabaya, resembling the Fatirah of Egypt: a favourite dish also is -"harisah"--flesh, rice flour, and boiled wheat, all finely pounded and -mixed together. Milk is not procurable during the hot weather; after rain -every house is full of it; the Bedouins bring it in skins and sell it for -a nominal sum. - -Besides a large floating population, Zayla contains about 1500 souls. They -are comparatively a fine race of people, and suffer from little but fever -and an occasional ophthalmia. Their greatest hardship is the want of the -pure element: the Hissi or well, is about four miles distant from the -town, and all the pits within the walls supply brackish or bitter water, -fit only for external use. This is probably the reason why vegetables are -unknown, and why a horse, a mule, or even a dog, is not to be found in the -place. - -[30] "Fid-mer," or the evening flyer, is the Somali name for a bat. These -little animals are not disturbed in houses, because they keep off flies -and mosquitoes, the plagues of the Somali country. Flies abound in the -very jungles wherever cows have been, and settle in swarms upon the -traveller. Before the monsoon their bite is painful, especially that of -the small green species; and there is a red variety called "Diksi as," -whose venom, according to the people, causes them to vomit. The latter -abounds in Gulays and the hill ranges of the Berberah country: it is -innocuous during the cold season. The mosquito bites bring on, according -to the same authority, deadly fevers: the superstition probably arises -from the fact that mosquitoes and fevers become formidable about the same -time. - -[31] Such a building at Zayla would cost at most 500 dollars. At Aden, -2000 rupees, or nearly double the sum, would be paid for a matted shed, -which excludes neither sun, nor wind, nor rain. - - - - -CHAP. II. - -LIFE IN ZAYLA. - - -I will not weary you, dear L., with descriptions of twenty-six quiet, -similar, uninteresting days,--days of sleep, and pipes, and coffee,--spent -at Zayla, whilst a route was traced out, guides were propitiated, camels -were bought, mules sent for, and all the wearisome preliminaries of -African travel were gone through. But a _journee_ in the Somali country -may be a novelty to you: its events shall be succinctly depicted. - -With earliest dawn we arise, thankful to escape from mosquitoes and close -air. We repair to the terrace where devotions are supposed to be -performed, and busy ourselves in watching our neighbours. Two in -particular engage my attention: sisters by different mothers. The daughter -of an Indian woman is a young person of fast propensities,--her chocolate- -coloured skin, long hair, and parrot-like profile [1] are much admired by -the _elegants_ of Zayla; and she coquettes by combing, dancing, singing, -and slapping the slave-girls, whenever an adorer may be looking. We sober- -minded men, seeing her, quote the well-known lines-- - - "Without justice a king is a cloud without rain; - Without goodness a sage is a field without fruit; - Without manners a youth is a bridleless horse; - Without lore an old man is a waterless wady; - Without modesty woman is bread without salt." - -The other is a matron of Abyssinian descent, as her skin, scarcely darker -than a gipsy's, her long and bright blue fillet, and her gaudily fringed -dress, denote. She tattoos her face [2]: a livid line extends from her -front hair to the tip of her nose; between her eyebrows is an ornament -resembling a _fleur-de-lis_, and various beauty-spots adorn the corners of -her mouth and the flats of her countenance. She passes her day -superintending the slave-girls, and weaving mats [3], the worsted work of -this part of the world. We soon made acquaintance, as far as an exchange -of salams. I regret, however, to say that there was some scandal about my -charming neighbour; and that more than once she was detected making -signals to distant persons with her hands. [4] - -At 6 A.M. we descend to breakfast, which usually consists of sour grain -cakes and roast mutton--at this hour a fine trial of health and cleanly -living. A napkin is passed under my chin, as if I were a small child, and -a sound scolding is administered when appetite appears deficient. Visitors -are always asked to join us: we squat on the uncarpeted floor, round a -circular stool, eat hard, and never stop to drink. The appetite of Africa -astonishes us; we dispose of six ounces here for every one in Arabia,-- -probably the effect of sweet water, after the briny produce of the "Eye of -Yemen." We conclude this early breakfast with coffee and pipes, and -generally return, after it, to the work of sleep. - -Then, provided with some sanctified Arabic book, I prepare for the -reception of visitors. They come in by dozens,--no man having apparently -any business to occupy him,--doff their slippers at the door, enter -wrapped up in their Tobes or togas [5], and deposit their spears, point- -upwards, in the corner; those who have swords--the mark of respectability -in Eastern Africa--place them at their feet. They shake the full hand (I -was reproved for offering the fingers only); and when politely disposed, -the inferior wraps his fist in the hem of his garment. They have nothing -corresponding with the European idea of manners: they degrade all ceremony -by the epithet Shughl el banat, or "girls' work," and pique themselves -upon downrightness of manner,--a favourite mask, by the by, for savage -cunning to assume. But they are equally free from affectation, shyness, -and vulgarity; and, after all, no manners are preferable to bad manners. - -Sometimes we are visited at this hour by Mohammed Sharmarkay, eldest son -of the old governor. He is in age about thirty, a fine tall figure, -slender but well knit, beardless and of light complexion, with large eyes, -and a length of neck which a lady might covet. His only detracting feature -is a slight projection of the oral region, that unmistakable proof of -African blood. His movements have the grace of strength and suppleness: he -is a good jumper, runs well, throws the spear admirably, and is a -tolerable shot. Having received a liberal education at Mocha, he is held a -learned man by his fellow-countrymen. Like his father he despises -presents, looking higher; with some trouble I persuaded him to accept a -common map of Asia, and a revolver. His chief interest was concentrated in -books: he borrowed my Abu Kasim to copy [6], and was never tired of -talking about the religious sciences: he had weakened his eyes by hard -reading, and a couple of blisters were sufficient to win his gratitude. -Mohammed is now the eldest son [7]; he appears determined to keep up the -family name, having already married ten wives: the issue, however, two -infant sons, were murdered by the Eesa Bedouins. Whenever he meets his -father in the morning, he kisses his hand, and receives a salute upon the -forehead. He aspires to the government of Zayla, and looks forward more -reasonably than the Hajj to the day when the possession of Berberah will -pour gold into his coffers. He shows none of his father's "softness:" he -advocates the bastinado, and, to keep his people at a distance, he has -married an Arab wife, who allows no adult to enter the doors. The Somal, -Spaniard-like, remark, "He is one of ourselves, though a little richer;" -but when times change and luck returns, they are not unlikely to find -themselves mistaken. - -Amongst other visitors, we have the Amir el Bahr, or Port Captain, and the -Nakib el Askar (_Commandant de place_), Mohammed Umar el Hamumi. This is -one of those Hazramaut adventurers so common in all the countries -bordering upon Arabia: they are the Swiss of the East, a people equally -brave and hardy, frugal and faithful, as long as pay is regular. Feared by -the soft Indians and Africans for their hardness and determination, the -common proverb concerning them is, "If you meet a viper and a Hazrami, -spare the viper." Natives of a poor and rugged region, they wander far and -wide, preferring every country to their own; and it is generally said that -the sun rises not upon a land that does not contain a man from Hazramaut. -[8] This commander of an army of forty men [9] often read out to us from -the Kitab el Anwar (the Book of Lights) the tale of Abu Jahl, that Judas -of El Islam made ridiculous. Sometimes comes the Sayyid Mohammed el Barr, -a stout personage, formerly governor of Zayla, and still highly respected -by the people on acount of his pure pedigree. With him is the Fakih Adan, -a savan of ignoble origin. [10] When they appear the conversation becomes -intensely intellectual; sometimes we dispute religion, sometimes politics, -at others history and other humanities. Yet it is not easy to talk history -with a people who confound Miriam and Mary, or politics to those whose -only idea of a king is a robber on a large scale, or religion to men who -measure excellence by forbidden meats, or geography to those who represent -the earth in this guise. Yet, though few of our ideas are in common, there -are many words; the verbosity of these anti-Laconic oriental dialects [11] -renders at least half the subject intelligible to the most opposite -thinkers. When the society is wholly Somal, I write Arabic, copy some -useful book, or extract from it, as Bentley advised, what is fit to quote. -When Arabs are present, I usually read out a tale from "The Thousand and -One Nights," that wonderful work, so often translated, so much turned -over, and so little understood at home. The most familiar of books in -England, next to the Bible, it is one of the least known, the reason being -that about one fifth is utterly unfit for translation; and the most -sanguine orientalist would not dare to render literally more than three -quarters of the remainder. Consequently, the reader loses the contrast,-- -the very essence of the book,--between its brilliancy and dulness, its -moral putrefaction, and such pearls as - - "Cast the seed of good works on the least fit soil. - Good is never wasted, however it may be laid out." - -And in a page or two after such divine sentiment, the ladies of Bagdad sit -in the porter's lap, and indulge in a facetiousness which would have -killed Pietro Aretino before his time. - -[Illustration] - -Often I am visited by the Topchi-Bashi, or master of the ordnance,--half a -dozen honeycombed guns,--a wild fellow, Bashi Buzuk in the Hejaz and -commandant of artillery at Zayla. He shaves my head on Fridays, and on -other days tells me wild stories about his service in the Holy Land; how -Kurdi Usman slew his son-in-law, Ibn Rumi, and how Turkcheh Bilmez would -have murdered Mohammed Ali in his bed. [12] Sometimes the room is filled -with Arabs, Sayyids, merchants, and others settled in the place: I saw -nothing amongst them to justify the oft-quoted saw, "Koraysh pride and -Zayla's boastfulness." More generally the assembly is one of the Somal, -who talk in their own tongue, laugh, yell, stretch their legs, and lie -like cattle upon the floor, smoking the common Hukkah, which stands in the -centre, industriously cleaning their teeth with sticks, and eating snuff -like Swedes. Meanwhile, I occupy the Kursi or couch, sometimes muttering -from a book to excite respect, or reading aloud for general information, -or telling fortunes by palmistry, or drawing out a horoscope. - -It argues "peculiarity," I own, to enjoy such a life. In the first place, -there is no woman's society: El Islam seems purposely to have loosened the -ties between the sexes in order to strengthen the bonds which connect man -and man. [13] Secondly, your house is by no means your castle. You must -open your doors to your friend at all hours; if when inside it suit him to -sing, sing he will; and until you learn solitude in a crowd, or the art of -concentration, you are apt to become _ennuye_ and irritable. You must -abandon your prejudices, and for a time cast off all European -prepossessions in favour of Indian politeness, Persian polish, Arab -courtesy, or Turkish dignity. - - "They are as free as Nature e'er made man;" - -and he who objects to having his head shaved in public, to seeing his -friends combing their locks in his sitting-room, to having his property -unceremoniously handled, or to being addressed familiarly by a perfect -stranger, had better avoid Somaliland. - -You will doubtless, dear L., convict me, by my own sentiments, of being an -"amateur barbarian." You must, however, remember that I visited Africa -fresh from Aden, with its dull routine of meaningless parades and tiresome -courts martial, where society is broken by ridiculous distinctions of -staff-men and regimental-men, Madras-men and Bombay-men, "European" -officers, and "black" officers; where literature is confined to acquiring -the art of explaining yourself in the jargons of half-naked savages; where -the business of life is comprised in ignoble official squabbles, dislikes, -disapprobations, and "references to superior authority;" where social -intercourse is crushed by "gup," gossip, and the scandal of small colonial -circles; where--pleasant predicament for those who really love women's -society!--it is scarcely possible to address fair dame, preserving at the -same time her reputation and your own, and if seen with her twice, all -"camp" will swear it is an "affair;" where, briefly, the march of mind is -at a dead halt, and the march of matter is in double quick time to the -hospital or sick-quarters. Then the fatal struggle for Name, and the -painful necessity of doing the most with the smallest materials for a -reputation! In Europe there are a thousand grades of celebrity, from -statesmanship to taxidermy; all, therefore, co-exist without rivalry. -Whereas, in these small colonies, there is but one fame, and as that leads -directly to rupees and rank, no man willingly accords it to his neighbour. -And, finally, such semi-civilised life abounds in a weary ceremoniousness. -It is highly improper to smoke outside your bungalow. You shall pay your -visits at 11 A.M., when the glass stands at 120o. You shall be generally -shunned if you omit your waistcoat, no matter what the weather be. And if -you venture to object to these Median laws,--as I am now doing,--you -elicit a chorus of disapproval, and acquire some evil name. - -About 11 A.M., when the fresh water arrives from the Hissi or wells, the -Hajj sends us dinner, mutton stews, of exceeding greasiness, boiled rice, -maize cakes, sometimes fish, and generally curds or milk. We all sit round -a primitive form of the Round Table, and I doubt that King Arthur's -knights ever proved doughtier trenchermen than do my companions. We then -rise to pipes and coffee, after which, excluding visitors, my attendants -apply themselves to a siesta, I to my journal and studies. - -At 2 P.M. there is a loud clamour at the door: if it be not opened in -time, we are asked if we have a Nazarene inside. Enters a crowd of -visitors, anxious to pass the afternoon. We proceed with a copy of the -forenoon till the sun declines, when it is time to escape the flies, to -repair to the terrace for fresh air, or to dress for a walk. Generally our -direction is through the town eastwards, to a plain of dilapidated graves -and salt sand, peopled only by land-crabs. At the extremity near the sea -is a little mosque of wattle-work: we sit there under the shade, and play -a rude form of draughts, called Shantarah, or at Shahh, a modification of -the former. [14] More often, eschewing these effeminacies, we shoot at a -mark, throw the javelin, leap, or engage in some gymnastic exercise. The -favourite Somali weapons are the spear, dagger, and war-club; the bow and -poisoned arrows are peculiar to the servile class, who know - - "the dreadful art - To taint with deadly drugs the barbed dart;" - -and the people despise, at the same time that they fear firearms, -declaring them to be cowardly weapons [15] with which the poltroon can -slay the bravest. - -The Somali spear is a form of the Cape Assegai. A long, thin, pliant and -knotty shaft of the Dibi, Diktab, and Makari trees, is dried, polished, -and greased with rancid butter: it is generally of a dull yellow colour, -and sometimes bound, as in Arabia, with brass wire for ornament. Care is -applied to make the rod straight, or the missile flies crooked: it is -garnished with an iron button at the head, and a long thin tapering head -of coarse bad iron [16], made at Berberah and other places by the Tomal. -The length of the shaft may be four feet eight inches; the blade varies -from twenty to twenty-six inches, and the whole weapon is about seven feet -long. Some polish the entire spear-head, others only its socket or ferule; -commonly, however, it is all blackened by heating it to redness, and -rubbing it with cow's horn. In the towns, one of these weapons is carried; -on a journey and in battle two, as amongst the Tibboos,--a small javelin -for throwing and a large spear reserved for the thrust. Some warriors -especially amongst the Eesa, prefer a coarse heavy lance, which never -leaves the hand. The Somali spear is held in various ways: generally the -thumb and forefinger grasp the third nearest to the head, and the shaft -resting upon the palm is made to quiver. In action, the javelin is rarely -thrown at a greater distance than six or seven feet, and the heavier -weapon is used for "jobbing." Stripped to his waist, the thrower runs -forward with all the action of a Kafir, whilst the attacked bounds about -and crouches to receive it upon the round targe, which it cannot pierce. -He then returns the compliment, at the same time endeavouring to break the -weapon thrown at him by jumping and stamping upon it. The harmless -missiles being exhausted, both combatants draw their daggers, grapple with -the left hand, and with the right dig hard and swift at each other's necks -and shoulders. When matters come to this point, the duel is soon decided, -and the victor, howling his slogan, pushes away from his front the dying -enemy, and rushes off to find another opponent. A puerile weapon during -the day, when a steady man can easily avoid it, the spear is terrible in -night attacks or in the "bush," whence it can be hurled unseen. For -practice, we plant a pair of slippers upright in the ground, at the -distance of twelve yards, and a skilful spearman hits the mark once in -every three throws. - -The Somali dagger is an iron blade about eighteen inches long by two in -breadth, pointed and sharp at both edges. The handle is of buffalo or -other horn, with a double scoop to fit the grasp; and at the hilt is a -conical ornament of zinc. It is worn strapped round the waist by a thong -sewed to the sheath, and long enough to encircle the body twice: the point -is to the right, and the handle projects on the left. When in town, the -Somal wear their daggers under the Tobe: in battle, the strap is girt over -the cloth to prevent the latter being lost. They always stab from above: -this is as it should be, a thrust with a short weapon "underhand" may be -stopped, if the adversary have strength enough to hold the stabber's -forearm. The thrust is parried with the shield, and a wound is rarely -mortal except in the back: from the great length of the blade, the least -movement of the man attacked causes it to fall upon the shoulder-blade. - -The "Budd," or Somali club, resembles the Kafir "Tonga." It is a knobstick -about a cubit long, made of some hard wood: the head is rounded on the -inside, and the outside is cut to an edge. In quarrels, it is considered a -harmless weapon, and is often thrown at the opponent and wielded viciously -enough where the spear point would carefully be directed at the buckler. -The Gashan or shield is a round targe about eighteen inches in diameter; -some of the Bedouins make it much larger. Rhinoceros' skin being rare, the -usual material is common bull's hide, or, preferably, that of the Oryx, -called by the Arabs Waal, and by the Somal, Baid. These shields are -prettily cut, and are always protected when new with a covering of -canvass. The boss in the centre easily turns a spear, and the strongest -throw has very little effect even upon the thinnest portion. When not -used, the Gashan is slung upon the left forearm: during battle, the -handle, which is in the middle, is grasped by the left hand, and held out -at a distance from the body. - -We are sometimes joined in our exercises by the Arab mercenaries, who are -far more skilful than the Somal. The latter are unacquainted with the -sword, and cannot defend themselves against it with the targe; they know -little of dagger practice, and were beaten at their own weapon, the -javelin, by the children of Bir Hamid. Though unable to jump for the -honour of the turban, I soon acquired the reputation of being the -strongest man in Zayla: this is perhaps the easiest way of winning respect -from a barbarous people, who honour body, and degrade mind to mere -cunning. - -When tired of exercise we proceed round the walls to the Ashurbara or -Southern Gate. Here boys play at "hockey" with sticks and stones -energetically as in England: they are fine manly specimens of the race, -but noisy and impudent, like all young savages. At two years of age they -hold out the right hand for sweetmeats, and if refused become insolent. -The citizens amuse themselves with the ball [17], at which they play -roughly as Scotch linkers: they are divided into two parties, bachelors -and married men; accidents often occur, and no player wears any but the -scantiest clothing, otherwise he would retire from the conflict in rags. -The victors sing and dance about the town for hours, brandishing their -spears, shouting their slogans, boasting of ideal victories,--the -Abyssinian Donfatu, or war-vaunt,--and advancing in death-triumph with -frantic gestures: a battle won would be celebrated with less circumstance -in Europe. This is the effect of no occupation--the _primum mobile_ of the -Indian prince's kite-flying and all the puerilities of the pompous East. - -We usually find an encampment of Bedouins outside the gate. Their tents -are worse than any gipsy's, low, smoky, and of the rudest construction. -These people are a spectacle of savageness. Their huge heads of shock -hair, dyed red and dripping with butter, are garnished with a Firin, or -long three-pronged comb, a stick, which acts as scratcher when the owner -does not wish to grease his fingers, and sometimes with the ominous -ostrich feather, showing that the wearer has "killed his man:" a soiled -and ragged cotton cloth covers their shoulders, and a similar article is -wrapped round their loins.[18] All wear coarse sandals, and appear in the -bravery of targe, spear, and dagger. Some of the women would be pretty did -they not resemble the men in their scowling, Satanic expression of -countenance: they are decidedly _en deshabille,_ but a black skin always -appears a garb. The cantonment is surrounded by asses, camels, and a troop -of naked Flibertigibbets, who dance and jump in astonishment whenever they -see me: "The white man! the white man!" they shriek; "run away, run away, -or we shall be eaten!" [19] On one occasion, however, my _amour propre_ -was decidedly flattered by the attentions of a small black girl, -apparently four or five years old, who followed me through the streets -ejaculating "Wa Wanaksan!"--"0 fine!" The Bedouins, despite their fierce -scowls, appear good-natured; the women flock out of the huts to stare and -laugh, the men to look and wonder. I happened once to remark, "Lo, we come -forth to look at them and they look at us; we gaze at their complexion and -they gaze at ours!" A Bedouin who understood Arabic translated this speech -to the others, and it excited great merriment. In the mining counties of -civilised England, where the "genial brickbat" is thrown at the passing -stranger, or in enlightened Scotland, where hair a few inches too long or -a pair of mustachios justifies "mobbing," it would have been impossible -for me to have mingled as I did with these wild people. - -We must return before sunset, when the gates are locked and the keys are -carried to the Hajj, a vain precaution, when a donkey could clear half a -dozen places in the town wall. The call to evening prayer sounds as we -enter: none of my companions pray [20], but all when asked reply in the -phrase which an Englishman hates, "Inshallah Bukra"--"if Allah please, to- -morrow!"--and they have the decency not to appear in public at the hours -of devotion. The Somal, like most Africans, are of a somewhat irreverent -turn of mind. [21] When reproached with gambling, and asked why they -persist in the forbidden pleasure, they simply answer "Because we like." -One night, encamped amongst the Eesa, I was disturbed by a female voice -indulging in the loudest lamentations: an elderly lady, it appears, was -suffering from tooth-ache, and the refrain of her groans was, "O Allah, -may thy teeth ache like mine! O Allah, may thy gums be sore as mine are!" -A well-known and characteristic tale is told of the Gerad Hirsi, now chief -of the Berteri tribe. Once meeting a party of unarmed pilgrims, he asked -them why they had left their weapons at home: they replied in the usual -phrase, "Nahnu mutawakkilin"--"we are trusters (in Allah)." That evening, -having feasted them hospitably, the chief returned hurriedly to the hut, -declaring that his soothsayer ordered him at once to sacrifice a pilgrim, -and begging the horror-struck auditors to choose the victim. They cast -lots and gave over one of their number: the Gerad placed him in another -hut, dyed his dagger with sheep's blood, and returned to say that he must -have a second life. The unhappy pilgrims rose _en masse_, and fled so -wildly that the chief, with all the cavalry of the desert, found -difficulty in recovering them. He dismissed them with liberal presents, -and not a few jibes about their trustfulness. The wilder Bedouins will -inquire where Allah is to be found: when asked the object of the question, -they reply, "If the Eesa could but catch him they would spear him upon the -spot,--who but he lays waste their homes and kills their cattle and -wives?" Yet, conjoined to this truly savage incapability of conceiving the -idea of a Supreme Being, they believe in the most ridiculous -exaggerations: many will not affront a common pilgrim, for fear of being -killed by a glance or a word. - -Our supper, also provided by the hospitable Hajj, is the counterpart of -the midday dinner. After it we repair to the roof, to enjoy the prospect -of the far Tajurrah hills and the white moonbeams sleeping upon the nearer -sea. The evening star hangs like a diamond upon the still horizon: around -the moon a pink zone of light mist, shading off into turquoise blue, and a -delicate green like chrysopraz, invests the heavens with a peculiar charm. -The scene is truly suggestive: behind us, purpling in the night-air and -silvered by the radiance from above, lie the wolds and mountains tenanted -by the fiercest of savages; their shadowy mysterious forms exciting vague -alarms in the traveller's breast. Sweet as the harp of David, the night- -breeze and the music of the water come up from the sea; but the ripple and -the rustling sound alternate with the hyena's laugh, the jackal's cry, and -the wild dog's lengthened howl. - -Or, the weather becoming cold, we remain below, and Mohammed Umar returns -to read out more "Book of Lights," or some pathetic ode. I will quote in -free translation the following production of the celebrated poet Abd el -Rahman el Burai, as a perfect specimen of melancholy Arab imagery: - - "No exile is the banished to the latter end of earth, - The exile is the banished to the coffin and the tomb - - "He hath claims on the dwellers in the places of their birth - Who wandereth the world, for he lacketh him a home. - - "Then, blamer, blame me not, were my heart within thy breast, - The sigh would take the place of thy laughter and thy scorn. - - "Let me weep for the sin that debars my soul of rest, - The tear may yet avail,--all in vain I may not mourn! [22] - - "Woe! woe to thee, Flesh!--with a purer spirit now - The death-day were a hope, and the judgment-hour a joy! - - "One morn I woke in pain, with a pallor on my brow, - As though the dreaded Angel were descending to destroy: - - "They brought to me a leech, saying, 'Heal him lest he die!' - On that day, by Allah, were his drugs a poor deceit! - - "They stripped me and bathed me, and closed the glazing eye, - And dispersed unto prayers, and to haggle for my sheet. - - "The prayers without a bow [23] they prayed over me that day, - Brought nigh to me the bier, and disposed me within. - - "Four bare upon their shoulders this tenement of clay, - Friend and kinsmen in procession bore the dust of friend and kin. - - "They threw upon me mould of the tomb and went their way-- - A guest, 'twould seem, had flitted from the dwellings of the tribe! - - "My gold and my treasures each a share they bore away, - Without thanks, without praise, with a jest and with a jibe. - - "My gold and my treasures each his share they bore away, - On me they left the weight!--with me they left the sin! - - "That night within the grave without hoard or child I lay, - No spouse, no friend were there, no comrade and no kin. - - "The wife of my youth, soon another husband found-- - A stranger sat at home on the hearthstone of my sire. - - "My son became a slave, though not purchased nor bound, - The hireling of a stranger, who begrudged him his hire. - - "Such, alas, is human life! such the horror of his death! - Man grows like a grass, like a god he sees no end. - - "Be wise, then, ere too late, brother! praise with every breath - The hand that can chastise, the arm that can defend: - - "And bless thou the Prophet, the averter of our ills, - While the lightning flasheth bright o'er the ocean and the hills." - -At this hour my companions become imaginative and superstitious. One -Salimayn, a black slave from the Sawahil [24], now secretary to the Hajj, -reads our fortunes in the rosary. The "fal" [25], as it is called, acts a -prominent part in Somali life. Some men are celebrated for accuracy of -prediction; and in times of danger, when the human mind is ever open to -the "fooleries of faith," perpetual reference is made to their art. The -worldly wise Salimayn, I observed, never sent away a questioner with an -ill-omened reply, but he also regularly insisted upon the efficacy of -sacrifice and almsgiving, which, as they would assuredly be neglected, -afforded him an excuse in case of accident. Then we had a recital of the -tales common to Africa, and perhaps to all the world. In modern France, as -in ancient Italy, "versipelles" become wolves and hide themselves in the -woods: in Persia they change themselves into bears, and in Bornou and Shoa -assume the shapes of lions, hyenas, and leopards. [26] The origin of this -metamorphic superstition is easily traceable, like man's fetisism or -demonology, to his fears: a Bedouin, for instance, becomes dreadful by the -reputation of sorcery: bears and hyenas are equally terrible; and the two -objects of horror are easily connected. Curious to say, individuals having -this power were pointed out to me, and people pretended to discover it in -their countenances: at Zayla I was shown a Bedouin, by name Farih Badaun, -who notably became a hyena at times, for the purpose of tasting human -blood. [27] About forty years ago, three brothers, Kayna, Fardayna, and -Sollan, were killed on Gulays near Berberah for the crime of -metamorphosis. The charge is usually substantiated either by the bestial -tail remaining appended to a part of the human shape which the owner has -forgotten to rub against the magic tree, or by some peculiar wound which -the beast received and the man retained. Kindred to this superstition is -the belief that many of the Bedouins have learned the languages of birds -and beasts. Another widely diffused fancy is that of the Aksar [28], which -in this pastoral land becomes a kind of wood: wonderful tales are told of -battered milk-pails which, by means of some peg accidentally cut in the -jungle, have been found full of silver, or have acquired the qualities of -cornucopiae. It is supposed that a red heifer always breaks her fast upon -the wonderful plant, consequently much time and trouble have been expended -by the Somal in watching the morning proceedings of red heifers. At other -times we hear fearful tales of old women who, like the Jigar Khwar of -Persia, feed upon man's liver: they are fond of destroying young children; -even adults are not ashamed of defending themselves with talismans. In -this country the crone is called Bidaa or Kumayyo, words signifying a -witch: the worst is she that destroys her own progeny. No wound is visible -in this vampyre's victim: generally he names his witch, and his friends -beat her to death unless she heal him: many are thus martyred; and in -Somali land scant notice is taken of such a peccadillo as murdering an old -woman. The sex indeed has by no means a good name: here, as elsewhere, -those who degrade it are the first to abuse it for degradation. At Zayla -almost all quarrels are connected with women; the old bewitch in one way, -the young in another, and both are equally maligned. "Wit in a woman," -exclaims one man, "is a habit of running away in a dromedary." "Allah," -declares another, "made woman of a crooked bone; he who would straighten -her, breaketh her." Perhaps, however, by these generalisms of abuse the -sex gains: they prevent personal and individual details; and no society of -French gentlemen avoids mentioning in public the name of a woman more -scrupulously than do the misogynist Moslems. - -After a conversazione of two hours my visitors depart, and we lose no -time--for we must rise at cockcrow--in spreading our mats round the common -room. You would admire the Somali pillow [29], a dwarf pedestal of carved -wood, with a curve upon which the greasy poll and its elaborate _frisure_ -repose. Like the Abyssinian article, it resembles the head-rest of ancient -Egypt in all points, except that it is not worked with Typhons and other -horrors to drive away dreadful dreams. Sometimes the sound of the -kettledrum, the song, and the clapping of hands, summon us at a later hour -than usual to a dance. The performance is complicated, and, as usual with -the trivialities easily learned in early youth, it is uncommonly difficult -to a stranger. Each dance has its own song and measure, and, contrary to -the custom of El Islam, the sexes perform together. They begin by clapping -the hands and stamping where they stand; to this succeed advancing, -retiring, wheeling about, jumping about, and the other peculiarities of -the Jim Crow school. The principal measures are those of Ugadayn and -Batar; these again are divided and subdivided;--I fancy that the -description of Dileho, Jibwhayn, and Hobala would be as entertaining and -instructive to you, dear L., as Polka, Gavotte, and Mazurka would be to a -Somali. - -On Friday--our Sunday--a drunken crier goes about the town, threatening -the bastinado to all who neglect their five prayers. At half-past eleven a -kettledrum sounds a summons to the Jami or Cathedral. It is an old barn -rudely plastered with whitewash; posts or columns of artless masonry -support the low roof, and the smallness of the windows, or rather air- -holes, renders its dreary length unpleasantly hot. There is no pulpit; the -only ornament is a rude representation of the Meccan Mosque, nailed like a -pothouse print to the wall; and the sole articles of furniture are ragged -mats and old boxes, containing tattered chapters of the Koran in greasy -bindings. I enter with a servant carrying a prayer carpet, encounter the -stare of 300 pair of eyes, belonging to parallel rows of squatters, recite -the customary two-bow prayer in honor of the mosque, placing sword and -rosary before me, and then, taking up a Koran, read the Cow Chapter (No. -18.) loud and twangingly. At the Zohr or mid-day hour, the Muezzin inside -the mosque, standing before the Khatib or preacher, repeats the call to -prayer, which the congregation, sitting upon their shins and feet, intone -after him. This ended, all present stand up, and recite every man for -himself, a two-bow prayer of Sunnat or Example, concluding with the -blessing on the Prophet and the Salam over each shoulder to all brother -Believers. The Khatib then ascends his hole in the wall, which serves for -pulpit, and thence addresses us with "The peace be upon you, and the mercy -of Allah, and his benediction;" to which we respond through the Muezzin, -"And upon you be peace, and Allah's mercy!" After sundry other religious -formulas and their replies, concluding with a second call to prayer, our -preacher rises, and in the voice with which Sir Hudibras was wont - - "To blaspheme custard through the nose," - -preaches El Waaz [30], or the advice-sermon. He sits down for a few -minutes, and then, rising again, recites El Naat, or the Praise of the -Prophet and his Companions. These are the two heads into which the Moslem -discourse is divided; unfortunately, however, there is no application. Our -preacher, who is also Kazi or Judge, makes several blunders in his Arabic, -and he reads his sermons, a thing never done in El Islam, except by the -_modice docti_. The discourse over, our clerk, who is, if possible, worse -than the curate, repeats the form of call termed El Ikamah; then entering -the Mihrab or niche, he recites the two-bow Friday litany, with, and in -front of, the congregation. I remarked no peculiarity in the style of -praying, except that all followed the practice of the Shafeis in El -Yemen,--raising the hands for a moment, instead of letting them depend -along the thighs, between the Rukaat or bow and the Sujdah or prostration. -This public prayer concluded, many people leave the mosque; a few remain -for more prolonged devotions. - -There is a queer kind of family likeness between this scene and that of a -village church, in some quiet nook of rural England. Old Sharmarkay, the -squire, attended by his son, takes his place close to the pulpit; and -although the _Honoratiores_ have no padded and cushioned pews, they -comport themselves very much as if they had. Recognitions of the most -distant description are allowed before the service commences: looking -around is strictly forbidden during prayers; but all do not regard the -prohibition, especially when a new moustache enters. Leaving the church, -men shake hands, stand for a moment to exchange friendly gossip, or -address a few words to the preacher, and then walk home to dinner. There -are many salient points of difference. No bonnets appear in public: the -squire, after prayers, gives alms to the poor, and departs escorted by two -dozen matchlock-men, who perseveringly fire their shotted guns. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] This style of profile--highly oval, with the chin and brow receding-- -is very conspicuous in Eastern Africa, where the face, slightly -prognathous, projects below the nose. - -[2] Gall-nuts form the base of the tattooing dye. It is worked in with a -needle, when it becomes permanent: applied with a pen, it requires to be -renewed about once a fortnight. - -[3] Mats are the staple manufacture in Eastern, as in many parts of -Western, Africa. The material is sometimes Daum or other palm: there are, -however, many plants in more common use; they are made of every variety in -shape and colour, and are dyed red, black, and yellow,--madder from -Tajurrah and alum being the matter principally used. - -[4] When woman addresses woman she always uses her voice. - -[5] The Tobe, or Abyssinian "Quarry," is the general garment of Africa -from Zayla to Bornou. In the Somali country it is a cotton sheet eight -cubits long, and two breadths sewn together. An article of various uses, -like the Highland plaid, it is worn in many ways; sometimes the right arm -is bared; in cold weather the whole person is muffled up, and in summer it -is allowed to full below the waist. Generally it is passed behind the -back, rests upon the left shoulder, is carried forward over the breast, -surrounds the body, and ends hanging on the left shoulder, where it -displays a gaudy silk fringe of red and yellow. This is the man's Tobe. -The woman's dress is of similar material, but differently worn: the edges -are knotted generally over the right, sometimes over the left shoulder; it -is girdled round the waist, below which hangs a lappet, which in cold -weather can be brought like a hood over the head. Though highly becoming, -and picturesque as the Roman toga, the Somali Tobe is by no means the most -decorous of dresses: women in the towns often prefer the Arab costume,--a -short-sleeved robe extending to the knee, and a Futah or loin-cloth -underneath. - -As regards the word Tobe, it signifies, in Arabic, a garment generally: -the Somal call it "Maro," and the half Tobe a "Shukkah." - -[6] Abu Kasim of Gaza, a well known commentator upon Abu Shujaa of -Isfahan, who wrote a text-book of the Shafei school. - -[7] The Hajj had seven sons, three of whom died in infancy. Ali and -Mahmud, the latter a fine young man, fell victims to small pox: Mohammed -is now the eldest, and the youngest is a child called Ahmed, left for -education at Mocha. The Hajj has also two daughters, married to Bedouin -Somal. - -[8] It is related that a Hazrami, flying from his fellow-countrymen, -reached a town upon the confines of China. He was about to take refuge in -a mosque, but entering, he stumbled over the threshold. "Ya Amud el Din"-- -"0 Pillar of the Faith!" exclaimed a voice from the darkness, calling upon -the patron saint of Hazramaut to save a Moslem from falling. "May the -Pillar of the Faith break thy head," exclaimed the unpatriotic traveller, -at once rising to resume his vain peregrinations. - -[9] Mercenaries from Mocha, Hazramaut, and Bir Hamid near Aden: they are -armed with matchlock, sword, and dagger; and each receives from the -governor a monthly stipend of two dollars and a half. - -[10] The system of caste, which prevails in El Yemen, though not in the -northern parts of Arabia, is general throughout the Somali country. The -principal families of outcasts are the following. - -The Yebir correspond with the Dushan of Southern Arabia: the males are -usually jesters to the chiefs, and both sexes take certain parts at -festivals, marriages, and circumcisions. The number is said to be small, -amounting to about 100 families in the northern Somali country. - -The Tomal or Handad, the blacksmiths, originally of Aydur race, have -become vile by intermarriage with serviles. They mast now wed maidens of -their own class, and live apart from the community: their magical -practices are feared by the people,--the connection of wits and witchcraft -is obvious,--and all private quarrels are traced to them. It has been -observed that the blacksmith has ever been looked upon with awe by -barbarians on the same principle that made Vulcan a deity. In Abyssinia -all artisans are Budah, sorcerers, especially the blacksmith, and he is a -social outcast as among the Somal; even in El Hejaz, a land, unlike Yemen, -opposed to distinctions amongst Moslems, the Khalawiyah, who work in -metal, are considered vile. Throughout the rest of El Islam the blacksmith -is respected as treading in the path of David, the father of the craft. - -The word "Tomal," opposed to Somal, is indigenous. "Handad "is palpably a -corruption of the Arabic "Haddad," ironworker. - -The Midgan, "one-hand," corresponds with the Khadim of Yemen: he is called -Kami or "archer" by the Arabs. There are three distinct tribes of this -people, who are numerous in the Somali country: the best genealogists -cannot trace their origin, though some are silly enough to derive them, -like the Akhdam, from Shimr. All, however, agree in expelling the Midgan -from the gentle blood of Somali land, and his position has been compared -to that of Freedman amongst the Romans. These people take service under -the different chiefs, who sometimes entertain great numbers to aid in -forays and frays; they do not, however, confine themselves to one craft. -Many Midgans employ themselves in hunting and agriculture. Instead of -spear and shield, they carry bows and a quiver full of diminutive arrows, -barbed and poisoned with the Waba,--a weapon used from Faizoghli to the -Cape of Good Hope. Like the Veddah of Ceylon, the Midgan is a poor shot, -and scarcely strong enough to draw his stiff bow. He is accused of -maliciousness; and the twanging of his string will put to flight a whole -village. The poison is greatly feared: it causes, say the people, the hair -and nails to drop off, and kills a man in half an hour. The only treatment -known is instant excision of the part; and this is done the more -frequently, because here, as in other parts of Africa, such _stigmates_ -are deemed ornamental. - -In appearance the Midgan is dark and somewhat stunted; he is known to the -people by peculiarities of countenance and accent. - -[11] The reason why Europeans fail to explain their thoughts to Orientals -generally is that they transfer the Laconism of Western to Eastern -tongues. We for instance say, "Fetch the book I gave you last night." This -in Hindostani, to choose a well-known tongue, must be smothered with words -thus: "What book was by me given to you yesterday by night, that book -bringing to me, come!" - -[12] I have alluded to these subjects in a previous work upon the subject -of Meccah and El Medinah. - -[13] This is one of the stock complaints against the Moslem scheme. Yet is -it not practically the case with ourselves? In European society, the best -are generally those who prefer the companionship of their own sex; the -"ladies' man" and the woman who avoids women are rarely choice specimens. - -[14] The Shantarah board is thus made, with twenty-five points technically -called houses. [Illustration] The players have twelve counters a piece, -and each places two at a time upon any of the unoccupied angles, till all -except the centre are filled up. The player who did not begin the game -must now move a man; his object is to inclose one of his adversary's -between two of his own, in which case he removes it, and is entitled to -continue moving till he can no longer take. It is a game of some skill, -and perpetual practice enables the Somal to play it as the Persians do -backgammon, with great art and little reflection. The game is called -Kurkabod when, as in our draughts, the piece passing over one of the -adversary's takes it. - -Shahh is another favourite game. The board is made thus, [Illustration] -and the pieces as at Shantarah are twelve in number. The object is to -place three men in line,--as the German Muhle and the Afghan "Kitar,"-- -when any one of the adversary's pieces may be removed. - -Children usually prefer the game called indifferently Togantog and -Saddikiya. A double line of five or six holes is made in the ground, four -counters are placed in each, and when in the course of play four men meet -in the same hole, one of the adversary's is removed. It resembles the -Bornou game, played with beans and holes in the sand. Citizens and the -more civilised are fond of "Bakkis," which, as its name denotes, is a -corruption of the well-known Indian Pachisi. None but the travelled know -chess, and the Damal (draughts) and Tavola (backgammon) of the Turks. - -[15] The same objection against "villanous saltpetre" was made by -ourselves in times of old: the French knights called gunpowder the Grave -of Honor. This is natural enough, the bravest weapon being generally the -shortest--that which places a man hand to hand with his opponent. Some of -the Kafir tribes have discontinued throwing the Assegai, and enter battle -wielding it as a pike. Usually, also, the shorter the weapon is, the more -fatal are the conflicts in which it is employed. The old French "Briquet," -the Afghan "Charay," and the Goorka "Kukkri," exemplify this fact in the -history of arms. - -[16] In the latter point it differs from the Assegai, which is worked by -the Kafirs to the finest temper. - -[17] It is called by the Arabs Kubabah, by the Somal Goasa. Johnston -(Travels in Southern Abyssinia, chap. 8.) has described the game; he errs, -however, in supposing it peculiar to the Dankali tribes. - -[18] This is in fact the pilgrim dress of El Islam; its wide diffusion to -the eastward, as well as west of the Red Sea, proves its antiquity as a -popular dress. - -[19] I often regretted having neglected the precaution of a bottle of -walnut juice,--a white colour is decidedly too conspicuous in this part of -the East. - -[20] The strict rule of the Moslem faith is this: if a man neglect to -pray, he is solemnly warned to repent. Should he simply refuse, without, -however, disbelieving in prayer, he is to be put to death, and receive -Moslem burial; in the other contingency, he is not bathed, prayed for, or -interred in holy ground. This severe order, however, lies in general -abeyance. - -[21] "Tuarick grandiloquence," says Richardson (vol. i. p. 207.), "savours -of blasphemy, e.g. the lands, rocks, and mountains of Ghat do not belong -to God but to the Azghar." Equally irreverent are the Kafirs of the Cape. -They have proved themselves good men in wit as well as war; yet, like the -old Greenlanders and some of the Burmese tribes, they are apparently -unable to believe in the existence of the Supreme. A favourite question to -the missionaries was this, "Is your God white or black?" If the European, -startled by the question, hesitated for a moment, they would leave him -with open signs of disgust at having been made the victims of a hoax. - -The assertion generally passes current that the idea of an Omnipotent -Being is familiar to all people, even the most barbarous. My limited -experience argues the contrary. Savages begin with fetisism and demon- -worship, they proceed to physiolatry (the religion of the Vedas) and -Sabaeism: the deity is the last and highest pinnacle of the spiritual -temple, not placed there except by a comparatively civilised race of high -development, which leads them to study and speculate upon cosmical and -psychical themes. This progression is admirably wrought out in Professor -Max Muller's "Rig Veda Sanhita." - -[22] The Moslem corpse is partly sentient in the tomb, reminding the -reader of Tennyson: - - "I thought the dead had peace, but it is not so; - To have no peace in the grave, is that not sad?" - -[23] The prayers for the dead have no Rukaat or bow as in other orisons. - -[24] The general Moslem name for the African coast from the Somali -seaboard southwards to the Mozambique, inhabited by negrotic races. - -[25] The Moslem rosary consists of ninety-nine beads divided into sets of -thirty-three each by some peculiar sign, as a bit of red coral. -[Illustration] The consulter, beginning at a chance place, counts up to -the mark: if the number of beads be odd, he sets down a single dot, if -even, two. This is done four times, when a figure is produced as in the -margin. Of these there are sixteen, each having its peculiar name and -properties. The art is merely Geomancy in its rudest shape; a mode of -vaticination which, from its wide diffusion, must be of high antiquity. -The Arabs call it El Baml, and ascribe its present form to the Imam Jaafar -el Sadik; amongst them it is a ponderous study, connected as usual with -astrology. Napoleon's "Book of Fate" is a specimen of the old Eastern -superstition presented to Europe in a modern and simple form. - -[26] In this country, as in Western and Southern Africa, the leopard, not -the wolf, is the shepherd's scourge. - -[27] Popular superstition in Abyssinia attributes the same power to the -Felashas or Jews. - -[28] Our Elixir, a corruption of the Arabic El Iksir. - -[29] In the Somali tongue its name is Barki: they make a stool of similar -shape, and call it Barjimo. - -[30] Specimens of these discourses have been given by Mr. Lane, Mod. -Egypt, chap. 3. It is useless to offer others, as all bear the closest -resemblance. - - - - -CHAP. III. - -EXCURSIONS NEAR ZAYLA. - - -We determined on the 9th of November to visit the island of Saad el Din, -the larger of the two patches of ground which lie about two miles north of -the town. Reaching our destination, after an hour's lively sail, we passed -through a thick belt of underwood tenanted by swarms of midges, with a -damp chill air crying fever, and a fetor of decayed vegetation smelling -death. To this succeeded a barren flat of silt and sand, white with salt -and ragged with salsolaceous stubble, reeking with heat, and covered with -old vegetation. Here, says local tradition, was the ancient site of Zayla -[1], built by Arabs from Yemen. The legend runs that when Saad el Din was -besieged and slain by David, King of Ethiopia, the wells dried up and the -island sank. Something doubtless occurred which rendered a removal -advisable: the sons of the Moslem hero fled to Ahmed bin El Ashraf, Prince -of Senaa, offering their allegiance if he would build fortifications for -them and aid them against the Christians of Abyssinia. The consequence was -a walled circuit upon the present site of Zayla: of its old locality -almost may be said "periere ruinae." - -During my stay with Sharmarkay I made many inquiries about historical -works, and the Kazi; Mohammed Khatib, a Harar man of the Hawiyah tribe, -was at last persuaded to send his Daftar, or office papers, for my -inspection. They formed a kind of parish register of births, deaths, -marriages, divorces, and manumissions. From them it appeared that in A.H. -1081 (A.D. 1670-71) the Shanabila Sayyids were Kazis of Zayla and retained -the office for 138 years. It passed two generations ago into the hands of -Mohammed Musa, a Hawiyah, and the present Kazi is his nephew. - -The origin of Zayla, or, as it is locally called, "Audal," is lost in the -fogs of Phoenician fable. The Avalites [2] of the Periplus and Pliny, it -was in earliest ages dependent upon the kingdom of Axum. [3] About the -seventh century, when the Southern Arabs penetrated into the heart of -Abyssinia [4], it became the great factory of the eastern coast, and rose -to its height of splendour. Taki el Din Makrizi [5] includes under the -name of Zayla, a territory of forty-three days' march by forty, and -divides it into seven great provinces, speaking about fifty languages, and -ruled by Amirs, subject to the Hati (Hatze) of Abyssinia. - -In the fourteenth century it became celebrated by its wars with the kings -of Abyssinia: sustaining severe defeats the Moslems retired upon their -harbour, which, after an obstinate defence fell into the hands of the -Christians. The land was laid waste, the mosques were converted into -churches, and the Abyssinians returned to their mountains laden with -booty. About A.D. 1400, Saad el Din, the heroic prince of Zayla, was -besieged in his city by the Hatze David the Second: slain by a spear- -thrust, he left his people powerless in the hands of their enemies, till -his sons, Sabr el Din, Ali, Mansur, and Jemal el Din retrieved the cause -of El Islam. - -Ibn Batuta, a voyager of the fourteenth century, thus describes the place: -"I then went from Aden by sea, and after four days came to the city of -Zayla. This is a settlement, of the Berbers [6], a people of Sudan, of the -Shafia sect. Their country is a desert of two months' extent; the first -part is termed Zayla, the last Makdashu. The greatest number of the -inhabitants, however, are of the Rafizah sect. [7] Their food is mostly -camels' flesh and fish. [8] The stench of the country is extreme, as is -also its filth, from the stink of the fish and the blood of camels which -are slaughtered in its streets." - -About A.D. 1500 the Turks conquered Yemen, and the lawless Janissaries, -"who lived upon the very bowels of commerce" [9], drove the peaceable Arab -merchants to the opposite shore. The trade of India, flying from the same -enemy, took refuge in Adel, amongst its partners. [10] The Turks of -Arabia, though they were blind to the cause, were sensible of the great -influx of wealth into the opposite kingdoms. They took possession, -therefore, of Zayla, which they made a den of thieves, established there -what they called a custom-house [11], and, by means of that post and -galleys cruising in the narrow straits of Bab el Mandeb, they laid the -Indian trade to Adel under heavy contributions that might indemnify them -for the great desertion their violence and injustice had occasioned in -Arabia. - -This step threatened the very existence both of Adel and Abyssinia; and -considering the vigorous government of the one, and the weak politics and -prejudices of the other, it is more than probable that the Turks would -have subdued both, had they not in India, their chief object, met the -Portuguese, strongly established. - -Bartema, travelling in A.D. 1503, treats in his 15th chapter of "Zeila in -AEthiopia and the great fruitlessness thereof, and of certain strange -beasts seen there." - -"In this city is great frequentation of merchandise, as in a most famous -mart. There is marvellous abundance of gold and iron, and an innumerable -number of black slaves sold for small prices; these are taken in War by -the Mahomedans out of AEthiopia, of the kingdom of Presbyter Johannes, or -Preciosus Johannes, which some also call the king of Jacobins or Abyssins, -being a Christian; and are carried away from thence into Persia, Arabia -Felix, Babylonia of Nilus or Alcair, and Meccah. In this city justice and -good laws are observed. [12] ... It hath an innumerable multitude of -merchants; the walls are greatly decayed, and the haven rude and -despicable. The King or Sultan of the city is a Mahomedan, and -entertaineth in wages a great multitude of footmen and horsemen. They are -greatly given to war, and wear only one loose single vesture: they are of -dark ash colour, inclining to black." - -In July 1516 Zayla was taken, and the town burned by a Portuguese -armament, under Lopez Suarez Alberguiera. When the Turks were compelled -to retire from Southern Arabia, it became subject to the Prince of Senaa, -who gave it in perpetuity to the family of a Senaani merchant. - -The kingdom of Yemen falling into decay, Zayla passed under the authority -of the Sherif of Mocha, who, though receiving no part of the revenue, had -yet the power of displacing the Governor. By him it was farmed out to the -Hajj Sharmarkay, who paid annually to Sayyid Mohammed el Barr, at Mocha, -the sum of 750 crowns, and reserved all that he could collect above that -sum for himself. In A.D. 1848 Zayla was taken from the family El Barr, and -farmed out to Sharmarkay by the Turkish Governor of Mocha and Hodaydah. - -The extant remains at Saad el Din are principally those of water-courses, -rude lines of coralline, stretching across the plain towards wells, now -lost [13], and diminutive tanks, made apparently to collect rain water. -One of these latter is a work of some art--a long sunken vault, with a -pointed arch projecting a few feet above the surface of the ground; -outside it is of rough stone, the interior is carefully coated with fine -lime, and from the roof long stalactites depend. Near it is a cemetery: -the graves are, for the most part, provided with large slabs of close -black basalt, planted in the ground edgeways, and in the shape of a small -oblong. The material was most probably brought from the mountains near -Tajurrah: at another part of the island I found it in the shape of a -gigantic mill-stone, half imbedded in the loose sand. Near the cemetery we -observed a mound of rough stones surrounding an upright pole; this is the -tomb of Shaykh Saad el Din, formerly the hero, now the favourite patron -saint of Zayla,--still popularly venerated, as was proved by the remains -of votive banquets, broken bones, dried garbage, and stones blackened by -the fire. - -After wandering through the island, which contained not a human being save -a party of Somal boatmen, cutting firewood for Aden, and having massacred -a number of large fishing hawks and small sea-birds, to astonish the -natives, our companions, we returned to the landing-place. Here an awning -had been spread; the goat destined for our dinner--I have long since -conquered all dislike, dear L., to seeing dinner perambulating--had been -boiled and disposed in hunches upon small mountains of rice, and jars of -sweet water stood in the air to cool. After feeding, regardless of -Quartana and her weird sisterhood, we all lay down for siesta in the light -sea-breeze. Our slumbers were heavy, as the Zayla people say is ever the -case at Saad el Din, and the sun had declined low ere we awoke. The tide -was out, and we waded a quarter of a mile to the boat, amongst giant crabs -who showed grisly claws, sharp coralline, and sea-weed so thick as to -become almost a mat. You must believe me when I tell you that in the -shallower parts the sun was painfully hot, even to my well tried feet. We -picked up a few specimens of fine sponge, and coral, white and red, which, -if collected, might be valuable to Zayla, and, our pic-nic concluded, we -returned home. - -On the 14th November we left the town to meet a caravan of the Danakil -[14], and to visit the tomb of the great saint Abu Zarbay. The former -approached in a straggling line of asses, and about fifty camels laiden -with cows' hides, ivories and one Abyssinian slave-girl. The men were wild -as ourang-outangs, and the women fit only to flog cattle: their animals -were small, meagre-looking, and loosely made; the asses of the Bedouins, -however, are far superior to those of Zayla, and the camels are, -comparatively speaking, well bred. [15] In a few minutes the beasts were -unloaded, the Gurgis or wigwams pitched, and all was prepared for repose. -A caravan so extensive being an unusual event,--small parties carrying -only grain come in once or twice a week,--the citizens abandoned even -their favourite game of ball, with an eye to speculation. We stood at -"Government House," over the Ashurbara Gate, to see the Bedouins, and we -quizzed (as Town men might denounce a tie or scoff at a boot) the huge -round shields and the uncouth spears of these provincials. Presently they -entered the streets, where we witnessed their frantic dance in presence of -the Hajj and other authorities. This is the wild men's way of expressing -their satisfaction that Fate has enabled them to convoy the caravan -through all the dangers of the desert. - -The Shaykh Ibrahim Abu Zarbay [16] lies under a whitewashed dome close to -the Ashurbara Gate of Zayla: an inscription cut in wood over the doorway -informs us that the building dates from A.H. 1155=AD. 1741-2. It is now -dilapidated, the lintel is falling in, the walls are decaying, and the -cupola, which is rudely built, with primitive gradients,--each step -supported as in Cashmere and other parts of India, by wooden beams,-- -threatens the heads of the pious. The building is divided into two -compartments, forming a Mosque and a Mazar or place of pious visitation: -in the latter are five tombs, the two largest covered with common chintz -stuff of glaring colours. Ibrahim was one of the forty-four Hazrami saints -who landed at Berberah, sat in solemn conclave upon Auliya Kumbo or Holy -Hill, and thence dispersed far and wide for the purpose of propagandism. -He travelled to Harar about A.D. 1430 [17], converted many to El Islam, -and left there an honored memory. His name is immortalised in El Yemen by -the introduction of El Kat. [17] - -Tired of the town, I persuaded the Hajj to send me with an escort to the -Hissi or well. At daybreak I set out with four Arab matchlock-men, and -taking a direction nearly due west, waded and walked over an alluvial -plain flooded by every high tide. On our way we passed lines of donkeys -and camels carrying water-skins from the town; they were under guard like -ourselves, and the sturdy dames that drove them indulged in many a loud -joke at our expense. After walking about four miles we arrived at what is -called the Takhushshah--the sandy bed of a torrent nearly a mile broad -[19], covered with a thin coat of caked mud: in the centre is a line of -pits from three to four feet deep, with turbid water at the bottom. Around -them were several frame-works of four upright sticks connected by -horizontal bars, and on these were stretched goats'-skins, forming the -cattle-trough of the Somali country. About the wells stood troops of -camels, whose Eesa proprietors scowled fiercely at us, and stalked over -the plain with their long, heavy spears: for protection against these -people, the citizens have erected a kind of round tower, with a ladder for -a staircase. Near it are some large tamarisks and the wild henna of the -Somali country, which supplies a sweet-smelling flower, but is valueless -as a dye. A thick hedge of thorn-trees surrounds the only cultivated -ground near Zayla: as Ibn Said declared in old times, "the people have no -gardens, and know nothing of fruits." The variety and the luxuriance of -growth, however, prove that industry is the sole desideratum. I remarked -the castor-plant,--no one knows its name or nature [20],--the Rayhan or -Basil, the Kadi, a species of aloe, whose strongly scented flowers the -Arabs of Yemen are fond of wearing in their turbans. [21] Of vegetables, -there were cucumbers, egg-plants, and the edible hibiscus; the only fruit -was a small kind of water-melon. - -After enjoying a walk through the garden and a bath at the well, I -started, gun in hand, towards the jungly plain that stretches towards the -sea. It abounds in hares, and in a large description of spur-fowl [22]; -the beautiful little sand antelope, scarcely bigger than an English rabbit -[23], bounded over the bushes, its thin legs being scarcely perceptible -during the spring. I was afraid to fire with ball, the place being full of -Bedouins' huts, herds, and dogs, and the vicinity of man made the animals -too wild for small shot. In revenge, I did considerable havoc amongst the -spur-fowl, who proved equally good for sport and the pot, besides knocking -over a number of old crows, whose gall the Arab soldiers wanted for -collyrium. [24] Beyond us lay Warabalay or Hyaenas' hill [25]: we did not -visit it, as all its tenants had been driven away by the migration of the -Nomads. - -Returning, we breakfasted in the garden, and rain coming on, we walked out -to enjoy the Oriental luxury of a wetting. Ali Iskandar, an old Arab -mercenary, afforded us infinite amusement: a little opium made him half -crazy, when his sarcastic pleasantries never ceased. We then brought out -the guns, and being joined by the other escort, proceeded to a trial of -skill. The Arabs planted a bone about 200 paces from us,--a long distance -for a people who seldom fire beyond fifty yards;--moreover, the wind blew -the flash strongly in their faces. Some shot two or three dozen times wide -of the mark and were derided accordingly: one man hit the bone; he at once -stopped practice, as the wise in such matters will do, and shook hands -with all the party. He afterwards showed that his success on this occasion -had been accidental; but he was a staunch old sportsman, remarkable, as -the Arab Bedouins generally are, for his skill and perseverance in -stalking. Having no rifle, I remained a spectator. My revolvers excited -abundant attention, though none would be persuaded to touch them. The -largest, which fitted with a stock became an excellent carbine, was at -once named Abu Sittah (the Father of Six) and the Shaytan or Devil: the -pocket pistol became the Malunah or Accursed, and the distance to which it -carried ball made every man wonder. The Arabs had antiquated matchlocks, -mostly worn away to paper thinness at the mouth: as usual they fired with -the right elbow raised to the level of the ear, and the left hand grasping -the barrel, where with us the breech would be. Hassan Turki had one of -those fine old Shishkhanah rifles formerly made at Damascus and Senaa: it -carried a two-ounce ball with perfect correctness, but was so badly -mounted in its block-butt, shaped like a Dutch cheese, that it always -required a rest. - -On our return home we met a party of Eesa girls, who derided my colour and -doubted the fact of my being a Moslem. The Arabs declared me to be a -Shaykh of Shaykhs, and translated to the prettiest of the party an -impromptu proposal of marriage. She showed but little coyness, and stated -her price to be an Audulli or necklace [26], a couple of Tobes,--she asked -one too many--a few handfuls of beads, [27] and a small present for her -papa. She promised, naively enough, to call next day and inspect the -goods: the publicity of the town did not deter her, but the shamefacedness -of my two companions prevented our meeting again. Arrived at Zayla after a -sunny walk, the Arab escort loaded their guns, formed a line for me to -pass along, fired a salute, and entered to coffee and sweetmeats. - -On the 24th of November I had an opportunity of seeing what a timid people -are these Somal of the towns, who, as has been well remarked, are, like -the settled Arabs, the worst specimens of their race. Three Eesa Bedouins -appeared before the southern gate, slaughtered a cow, buried its head, and -sent for permission to visit one of their number who had been imprisoned -by the Hajj for the murder of his son Masud. The place was at once thrown -into confusion, the gates were locked, and the walls manned with Arab -matchlock men: my three followers armed themselves, and I was summoned to -the fray. Some declared that the Bedouins were "doing" [28] the town; -others that they were the van of a giant host coming to ravish, sack, and -slay: it turned out that these Bedouins had preceded their comrades, who -were bringing in, as the price of blood [29], an Abyssinian slave, seven -camels, seven cows, a white mule, and a small black mare. The prisoner was -visited by his brother, who volunteered to share his confinement, and the -meeting was described as most pathetic: partly from mental organisation -and partly from the peculiarities of society, the only real tie -acknowledged by these people is that which connects male kinsmen. The -Hajj, after speaking big, had the weakness to let the murderer depart -alive: this measure, like peace-policy in general, is the best and surest -way to encourage bloodshed and mutilation. But a few months before, an -Eesa Bedouin enticed out of the gates a boy about fifteen, and slaughtered -him for the sake of wearing the feather. His relations were directed to -receive the Diyat or blood fine, and the wretch was allowed to depart -unhurt--a silly clemency! - -You must not suppose, dear L., that I yielded myself willingly to the -weary necessity of a month at Zayla. But how explain to you the obstacles -thrown in our way by African indolence, petty intrigue, and interminable -suspicion? Four months before leaving Aden I had taken the precaution of -meeting the Hajj, requesting him to select for us an Abban [30], or -protector, and to provide camels and mules; two months before starting I -had advanced to him the money required in a country where nothing can be -done without a whole or partial prepayment. The protector was to be -procured anywhere, the cattle at Tajurrah, scarcely a day's sail from -Zayla: when I arrived nothing was forthcoming. I at once begged the -governor to exert himself: he politely promised to start a messenger that -hour, and he delayed doing so for ten days. An easterly wind set in and -gave the crew an excuse for wasting another fortnight. [31] Travellers are -an irritable genus: I stormed and fretted at the delays to show -earnestness of purpose. All the effect was a paroxysm of talking. The Hajj -and his son treated me, like a spoilt child, to a double allowance of food -and milk: they warned me that the small-pox was depopulating Harar, that -the road swarmed with brigands, and that the Amir or prince was certain -destruction,--I contented myself with determining that both were true -Oriental hyperbolists, and fell into more frequent fits of passion. The -old man could not comprehend my secret. "If the English," he privately -remarked, "wish to take Harar, let them send me 500 soldiers; if not, I -can give all information concerning it." When convinced of my -determination to travel, he applied his mind to calculating the benefit -which might be derived from the event, and, as the following pages will -show, he was not without success. - -Towards the end of November, four camels were procured, an Abban was -engaged, we hired two women cooks and a fourth servant; my baggage was -reformed, the cloth and tobacco being sewn up in matting, and made to fit -the camels' sides [32]; sandals were cut out for walking, letters were -written, messages of dreary length,--too important to be set down in black -and white,--were solemnly entrusted to us, palavers were held, and affairs -began to wear the semblance of departure. The Hajj strongly recommended us -to one of the principal families of the Gudabirsi tribe, who would pass us -on to their brother-in-law Adan, the Gerad or prince of the Girhi; and he, -in due time, to his kinsman the Amir of Harar. The chain was commenced by -placing us under the protection of one Raghe, a petty Eesa chief of the -Mummasan clan. By the good aid of the Hajj and our sweetmeats, he was -persuaded, for the moderate consideration of ten Tobes [33], to accompany -us to the frontier of his clan, distant about fifty miles, to introduce us -to the Gudabirsi, and to provide us with three men as servants, and a -suitable escort, a score or so, in dangerous places. He began, with us in -an extravagant manner, declaring that nothing but "name" induced him to -undertake the perilous task; that he had left his flocks and herds at a -season of uncommon risk, and that all his relations must receive a certain -honorarium. But having paid at least three pounds for a few days of his -society, we declined such liberality, and my companions, I believe, -declared that it would be "next time:"--on all such occasions I make a -point of leaving the room, since for one thing given at least five are -promised on oath. Raghe warned us seriously to prepare for dangers and -disasters, and this seemed to be the general opinion of Zayla, whose timid -citizens determined that we were tired of our lives. The cold had driven -the Nomads from the hills to the warm maritime Plains [34], we should -therefore traverse a populous region; and, as the End of Time aptly -observed, "Man eats you up, the Desert does not." Moreover this year the -Ayyal Nuh Ismail, a clan of the Habr Awal tribe, is "out," and has been -successful against the Eesa, who generally are the better men. They sweep -the country in Kaum or Commandos [35], numbering from twenty to two -hundred troopers, armed with assegai, dagger, and shield, and carrying a -water skin and dried meat for a three days' ride, sufficient to scour the -length of the low land. The honest fellows are not so anxious to plunder -as to ennoble themselves by taking life: every man hangs to his saddle bow -an ostrich [36] feather,--emblem of truth,--and the moment his javelin has -drawn blood, he sticks it into his tufty pole with as much satisfaction as -we feel when attaching a medal to our shell-jackets. It is by no means -necessary to slay the foe in fair combat: Spartan-like, treachery is -preferred to stand-up fighting; and you may measure their ideas of honor, -by the fact that women are murdered in cold blood, as by the Amazulus, -with the hope that the unborn child may prove a male. The hero carries -home the trophy of his prowess [37], and his wife, springing from her -tent, utters a long shrill scream of joy, a preliminary to boasting of her -man's valour, and bitterly taunting the other possessors of _noirs -faineants_: the derided ladies abuse their lords with peculiar virulence, -and the lords fall into paroxysms of envy, hatred, and malice. During my -short stay at Zayla six or seven murders were committed close to the -walls: the Abban brought news, a few hours before our departure, that two -Eesas had been slaughtered by the Habr Awal. The Eesa and Dankali also -have a blood feud, which causes perpetual loss of life. But a short time -ago six men of these two tribes were travelling together, when suddenly -the last but one received from the hindermost a deadly spear thrust in the -back. The wounded man had the presence of mind to plunge his dagger in the -side of the wayfarer who preceded him, thus dying, as the people say, in -company. One of these events throws the country into confusion, for the -_vendetta_ is rancorous and bloody, as in ancient Germany or in modern -Corsica. Our Abban enlarged upon the unpleasant necessity of travelling -all night towards the hills, and lying _perdu_ during the day. The most -dangerous times are dawn and evening tide: the troopers spare their horses -during the heat, and themselves during the dew-fall. Whenever, in the -desert,--where, says the proverb, all men are enemies--you sight a fellow -creature from afar, you wave the right arm violently up and down, -shouting "War Joga! War Joga!"--stand still! stand still! If they halt, -you send a parliamentary to within speaking distance. Should they advance -[38], you fire, taking especial care not to miss; when two saddles are -emptied, the rest are sure to decamp. - -I had given the Abban orders to be in readiness,--my patience being -thoroughly exhausted,--on Sunday, the 26th of November, and determined to -walk the whole way, rather than waste another day waiting for cattle. As -the case had become hopeless, a vessel was descried standing straight from -Tajurrah, and, suddenly as could happen in the Arabian Nights, four fine -mules, saddled and bridled, Abyssinian fashion, appeared at the door. [39] - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] Brace describes Zayla as "a small island, on the very coast of Adel." -To reconcile discrepancy, he adopts the usual clumsy expedient of -supposing two cities of the same name, one situated seven degrees south of -the other. Salt corrects the error, but does not seem to have heard of old -Zayla's insular position. - -[2] The inhabitants were termed Avalitae, and the Bay "Sinus Avaliticus." -Some modern travellers have confounded it with Adule or Adulis, the port -of Axum, founded by fugitive Egyptian slaves. The latter, however, lies -further north: D'Anville places it at Arkiko, Salt at Zula (or Azule), -near the head of Annesley Bay. - -[3] The Arabs were probably the earliest colonists of this coast. Even the -Sawahil people retain a tradition that their forefathers originated in the -south of Arabia. - -[4] To the present day the district of Gozi is peopled by Mohammedans -called Arablet, "whose progenitors," according to Harris, "are said by -tradition to have been left there prior to the reign of Nagasi, first King -of Shoa. Hossain, Wahabit, and Abdool Kurreem, generals probably detached -from the victorious army of Graan (Mohammed Gragne), are represented to -have come from Mecca, and to have taken possession of the country,--the -legend assigning to the first of these warriors as his capital, the -populous village of Medina, which is conspicuous on a cone among the -mountains, shortly after entering the valley of Robi." - -[5] Historia Regum Islamiticorum in Abyssinia, Lugd. Bat. 1790. [6] The -affinity between the Somal and the Berbers of Northern Africa, and their -descent from Canaan, son of Ham, has been learnedly advanced and refuted -by several Moslem authors. The theory appears to have arisen from a -mistake; Berberah, the great emporium of the Somali country, being -confounded with the Berbers of Nubia. - -[7] Probably Zaidi from Yemen. At present the people of Zayla are all -orthodox Sunnites. - -[8] Fish, as will be seen in these pages, is no longer a favourite article -of diet. - -[9] Bruce, book 8. - -[10] Hence the origin of the trade between Africa and Cutch, which -continues uninterrupted to the present time. Adel, Arabia, and India, as -Bruce remarks, were three partners in one trade, who mutually exported -their produce to Europe, Asia, and Africa, at that time the whole known -world. - -[11] The Turks, under a show of protecting commerce, established these -posts in their different ports. But they soon made it appear that the end -proposed was only to ascertain who were the subjects from whom they could -levy the most enormous extortions. Jeddah, Zebid, and Mocha, the places of -consequence nearest to Abyssinia on the Arabian coast, Suakin, a seaport -town on the very barriers of Abyssinia, in the immediate way of their -caravan to Cairo on the African side, were each under the command of a -Turkish Pasha and garrisoned by Turkish troops sent thither from -Constantinople by the emperors Selim and Sulayman. - -[12] Bartema's account of its productions is as follows: "The soil beareth -wheat and hath abundance of flesh and divers other commodious things. It -hath also oil, not of olives, but of some other thing, I know not what. -There is also plenty of honey and wax; there are likewise certain sheep -having their tails of the weight of sixteen pounds, and exceeding fat; the -head and neck are black, and all the rest white. There are also sheep -altogether white, and having tails of a cubit long, and hanging down like -a great cluster of grapes, and have also great laps of skin hanging down -from their throats, as have bulls and oxen, hanging down almost to the -ground. There are also certain kind with horns like unto harts' horns; -these are wild, and when they be taken are given to the Sultan of that -city as a kingly present. I saw there also certain kind having only one -horn in the midst of the forehead, as hath the unicorn, and about a span -of length, but the horn bendeth backward: they are of bright shining red -colour. But they that have harts' horns are inclining to black colour. -Living is there good and cheap." - -[13] The people have a tradition that a well of sweet water exists unseen -in some part of the island. When Saad el Din was besieged in Zayla by the -Hatze David, the host of El Islam suffered severely for the want of the -fresh element. - -[14] The singular is Dankali, the plural Danakil: both words are Arabic, -the vernacular name being "Afar" or "Afer," the Somali "Afarnimun." The -word is pronounced like the Latin "Afer," an African. - -[15] Occasionally at Zayla--where all animals are expensive--Dankali -camels may be bought: though small, they resist hardship and fatigue -better than the other kinds. A fair price would be about ten dollars. The -Somal divide their animals into two kinds, Gel Ad and Ayyun. The former is -of white colour, loose and weak, but valuable, I was told by Lieut. Speke, -in districts where little water is found: the Ayyun is darker and -stronger; its price averages about a quarter more than the Gel Ad. - -To the Arabian traveller nothing can be more annoying than these Somali -camels. They must be fed four hours during the day, otherwise they cannot -march. They die from change of food or sudden removal to another country. -Their backs are ever being galled, and, with all precautions, a month's -march lays them up for three times that period. They are never used for -riding, except in cases of sickness or accidents. - -The Somali ass is generally speaking a miserable animal. Lieut. Speke, -however, reports that on the windward coast it is not to be despised. At -Harar I found a tolerable breed, superior in appearance but inferior in -size to the thoroughbred little animals at Aden. They are never ridden; -their principal duty is that of carrying water-skins to and from the -walls. - -[16] He is generally called Abu Zerbin, more rarely Abu Zarbayn, and Abu -Zarbay. I have preferred the latter orthography upon the authority of the -Shaykh Jami, most learned of the Somal. - -[17] In the same year (A.D. 1429-30) the Shaykh el Shazili, buried under a -dome at Mocha, introduced coffee into Arabia. - -[18] The following is an extract from the Pharmaceutical Journal, vol. -xii. No. v. Nov. 1. 1852. Notes upon the drugs observed at Aden Arabia, by -James Vaughan, Esq., M.R.C.S.E., Assist. Surg., B.A., Civil and Port. -Surg., Aden, Arabia. - -"Kat [Arabic], the name of a drug which is brought into Aden from the -interior, and largely used, especially by the Arabs, as a pleasurable -excitant. It is generally imported in small camel-loads, consisting of a -number of parcels, each containing about forty slender twigs with the -leaves attached, and carefully wrapped so as to prevent as much as -possible exposure to the atmosphere. The leaves form the edible part, and -these, when chewed, are said to produce great hilarity of spirits, and an -agreeable state of wakefulness. Some estimate may be formed of the strong -predilection which the Arabs have for this drug from the quantity used in -Aden alone, which averages about 280 camel-loads annually. The market -price is one and a quarter rupees per parcel, and the exclusive privilege -of selling it is farmed by the government for 1500 rupees per year. -Forskal found the plant growing on the mountains of Yemen, and has -enumerated it as a new genus in the class Pentandria, under the name of -Catha. He notices two species, and distinguishes them as _Catha edulis_ -and _Catha spinosa_. According to his account it is cultivated on the same -ground as coffee, and is planted from cuttings. Besides the effects above -stated, the Arabs, he tells us, believe the land where it grows to be -secure from the inroads of plague; and that a twig of the Kat carried in -the bosom is a certain safeguard against infection. The learned botanist -observes, with respect to these supposed virtues, 'Gustus foliorum tamen -virtutem tantam indicare non videtur.' Like coffee, Kat, from its -acknowledged stimulating effects, has been a fertile theme for the -exercise of Mahomedan casuistry, and names of renown are ranged on both -sides of the question, whether the use of Kat does or does not contravene -the injunction of the Koran, Thou shalt not drink wine or anything -intoxicating. The succeeding notes, borrowed chiefly from De Sacy's -researches, may be deemed worthy of insertion here. - -"Sheikh Abdool Kader Ansari Jezeri, a learned Mahomedan author, in his -treatise on the use of coffee, quotes the following from the writings of -Fakr ood Deen Mekki:--'It is said that the first who introduced coffee was -the illustrious saint Aboo Abdallah Mahomed Dhabhani ibn Said; but we have -learned by the testimony of many persons that the use of coffee in Yemen, -its origin, and first introduction into that country are due to the -learned All Shadeli ibn Omar, one of the disciples of the learned doctor -Nasr ood Deen, who is regarded as one of the chiefs among the order -Shadeli, and whose worth attests the high degree of spirituality to which -they had attained. Previous to that time they made coffee of the vegetable -substance called Cafta, which is the same as the leaf known under the name -of Kat, and not of Boon (the coffee berry) nor any preparation of Boon. -The use of this beverage extended in course of time as far as Aden, but in -the days of Mahomed Dhabhani the vegetable substance from which it was -prepared disappeared from Aden. Then it was that the Sheik advised those -who had become his disciples to try the drink made from the Boon, which -was found to produce the same effect as the Kat, inducing sleeplessness, -and that it was attended with less expense and trouble. The use of coffee -has been kept up from that time to the present.' - -"D'Herbelot states that the beverage called Calmat al Catiat or Caftah, -was prohibited in Yemen in consequence of its effects upon the brain. On -the other hand a synod of learned Mussulmans is said to have decreed that -as beverages of Kat and Cafta do not impair the health or impede the -observance of religious duties, but only increase hilarity and good- -humour, it was lawful to use them, as also the drink made from the boon or -coffee-berry. I am not aware that Kat is used in Aden in any other way -than for mastication. From what I have heard, however, I believe that a -decoction resembling tea is made from the leaf by the Arabs in the -interior; and one who is well acquainted with our familiar beverage -assures me that the effects are not unlike those produced by strong green -tea, with this advantage in favour of Kat, that the excitement is always -of a pleasing and agreeable kind. [Note: "Mr. Vaughan has transmitted two -specimens called Tubbare Kat and Muktaree Kat, from the districts in which -they are produced: the latter fetches the lower price. Catha edulis -_Forsk._, Nat. Ord. Celastraceae, is figured in Dr. Lindley's Vegetable -Kingdom, p. 588. (London, 1846). But there is a still more complete -representation of the plant under the name of Catha Forskalii _Richard_, -in a work published under the auspices of the French government, entitled, -'Voyage en Abyssinie execute pendant les annees 1839-43, par une -commission scientifique composee de MM. Theophile Lefebvre, Lieut. du -Vaisseau, A. Petit et Martin-Dillon, docteurs medecins, naturalistes du -Museum, Vignaud dessinateur.' The botanical portion of this work, by M. -Achille Richard, is regarded either as a distinct publication under the -title of Tentamen Florae Abyssinicae, or as a part of the Voyage en -Abyssinie. M. Richard enters into some of the particulars relative to the -synonyms of the plant, from which it appears that Vahl referred Forskal's -genus Catha to the Linnaean genus Celastrus, changing the name of Catha -edulis to Celastrus edulis. Hochstetter applied the name of Celastrus -edulis to an Abyssinian species (Celastrus obscurus _Richard_), which he -imagined identical with Forskal's Catha edulis, while of the real Catha -edulis _Forsk._, he formed a new genus and species, under the name of -Trigonotheca serrata _Hochs_. Nat. Ord. Hippocrateaceae. I quote the -following references from the Tentamen Florae Abyssinicae, vol. i. p. 134.: -'Catha Forskalii _Nob._ Catha No. 4. Forsk. loc. cit, (Flor. AEgypt. Arab. -p. 63.) Trigonotheca serrata _Hochs._ in pl. Schimp. Abyss. sect. ii, No. -649. Celastrus edulis _Vahl, Ecl._ 1. 21.' Although In the Flora -AEgyptiaco-Arabica of Forskal no specific name is applied to the Catha at -p. 63, it is enumerated as Catha edulis at p. 107. The reference to -Celastrus edulis is not contained in the Eclogae Americanae of Vahl, but in -the author's Symbolae Botanicae (Hanulae, 1790, fol.) pars i. p. 21. (Daniel -Hanbury signed.)] - -[19] This is probably the "River of Zayla," alluded to by Ibn Said and -others. Like all similar features in the low country, it is a mere surface -drain. - -[20] In the upper country I found a large variety growing wild in the -Fiumaras. The Bedouins named it Buamado, but ignored its virtues. - -[21] This ornament is called Musbgur. - -[22] A large brown bird with black legs, not unlike the domestic fowl. The -Arabs call it Dijajat el Barr, (the wild hen): the Somal "digarin," a word -also applied to the Guinea fowl, which it resembles in its short strong -fight and habit of running. Owing to the Bedouin prejudice against eating -birds, it is found in large coveys all over the country. - -[23] It has been described by Salt and others. The Somal call it Sagaro, -the Arabs Ghezalah: it is found throughout the land generally in pairs, -and is fond of ravines under the hills, beds of torrents, and patches of -desert vegetation. It is easily killed by a single pellet of shot striking -the neck. The Somal catch it by a loop of strong twine hung round a gap in -a circuit of thorn hedge, or they run it down on foot, an operation -requiring half a day on account of its fleetness, which enables it to -escape the jackal and wild dog. When caught it utters piercing cries. Some -Bedouins do not eat the flesh: generally, however, it is considered a -delicacy, and the skulls and bones of these little animals lie strewed -around the kraals. - -[24] The Somal hold the destruction of the "Tuka" next in religious merit -to that of the snake. They have a tradition that the crow, originally -white, became black for his sins. When the Prophet and Abubekr were -concealed in the cave, the pigeon hid there from their pursuers: the crow, -on the contrary, sat screaming "ghar! ghar!" (the cave! the cave!) upon -which Mohammed ordered him into eternal mourning, and ever to repeat the -traitorous words. - -There are several species of crows in this part of Africa. Besides the -large-beaked bird of the Harar Hills, I found the common European variety, -with, however, the breast feathers white tipped in small semicircles as -far as the abdomen. The little "king-crow" of India is common: its bright -red eye and purplish plume render it a conspicuous object as it perches -upon the tall camel's back or clings to waving plants. - -[25] The Waraba or Durwa is, according to Mr. Blyth, the distinguished -naturalist, now Curator of the Asiatic Society's Museum at Calcutta, the -Canis pictus seu venaticus (Lycaon pictus or Wilde Honde of the Cape -Boers). It seems to be the Chien Sauvage or Cynhyene (Cynhyaena venatica) -of the French traveller M. Delegorgue, who in his "Voyage dans l'Afrique -Australe," minutely and diffusely describes it. Mr. Gordon Cumming -supposes it to form the connecting link between the wolf and the hyaena. -This animal swarms throughout the Somali country, prowls about the camps -all night, dogs travellers, and devours every thing he can find, at times -pulling down children and camels, and when violently pressed by hunger, -men. The Somal declare the Waraba to be a hermaphrodite; so the ancients -supposed the hyaena to be of both sexes, an error arising from the peculiar -appearance of an orifice situated near two glands which secrete an -unctuous fluid. - -[26] Men wear for ornament round the neck a bright red leather thong, upon -which are strung in front two square bits of true or imitation amber or -honey stone: this "Mekkawi," however, is seldom seen amongst the Bedouins. -The Audulli or woman's necklace is a more elaborate affair of amber, glass -beads, generally coloured, and coral: every matron who can afford it, -possesses at least one of these ornaments. Both sexes carry round the -necks or hang above the right elbow, a talisman against danger and -disease, either in a silver box or more generally sewn up in a small case -of red morocco. The Bedouins are fond of attaching a tooth-stick to the -neck thong. - -[27] Beads are useful in the Somali country as presents, and to pay for -trifling purchases: like tobacco they serve for small change. The kind -preferred by women and children is the "binnur," large and small white -porcelain: the others are the red, white, green, and spotted twisted -beads, round and oblong. Before entering a district the traveller should -ascertain what may be the especial variety. Some kind are greedily sought -for in one place, and in another rejected with disdain. - -[28] The Somali word "Fal" properly means "to do;" "to bewitch," is its -secondary sense. - -[29] The price of blood in the Somali country is the highest sanctioned by -El Islam. It must be remembered that amongst the pagan Arabs, the Korayah -"diyat," was twenty she-camels. Abd el Muttaleb, grandfather of Mohammed, -sacrificed 100 animals to ransom the life of his son, forfeited by a rash -vow, and from that time the greater became the legal number. The Somal -usually demand 100 she-camels, or 300 sheep and a few cows; here, as in -Arabia, the sum is made up by all the near relations of the slayer; 30 of -the animals may be aged, and 30 under age, but the rest must be sound and -good. Many tribes take less,--from strangers 100 sheep, a cow, and a -camel;--but after the equivalent is paid, the murderer or one of his clan, -contrary to the spirit of El Islam, is generally killed by the kindred or -tribe of the slain. When blood is shed in the same tribe, the full -reparation, if accepted by the relatives, is always exacted; this serves -the purpose of preventing fratricidal strife, for in such a nation of -murderers, only the Diyat prevents the taking of life. - -Blood money, however, is seldom accepted unless the murdered man has been -slain with a lawful weapon. Those who kill with the Dankaleh, a poisonous -juice rubbed upon meat, are always put to death by the members of their -own tribe. - -[30] The Abban or protector of the Somali country is the Mogasa of the -Gallas, the Akh of El Hejaz, the Ghafir of the Sinaitic Peninsula, and the -Rabia of Eastern Arabia. It must be observed, however, that the word -denotes the protege as well as the protector; In the latter sense it is -the polite address to a Somali, as Ya Abbaneh, O Protectress, would be to -his wife. - -The Abban acts at once as broker, escort, agent, and interpreter, and the -institution may be considered the earliest form of transit dues. In all -sales he receives a certain percentage, his food and lodging are provided -at the expense of his employer, and he not unfrequently exacts small -presents from his kindred. In return he is bound to arrange all -differences, and even to fight the battles of his client against his -fellow-countrymen. Should the Abban be slain, his tribe is bound to take -up the cause and to make good the losses of their protege. El Taabanah, -the office, being one of "name," the eastern synonym for our honour, as -well as of lucre, causes frequent quarrels, which become exceedingly -rancorous. - -According to the laws of the country, the Abban is master of the life and -property of his client. The traveller's success will depend mainly upon -his selection: if inferior in rank, the protector can neither forward nor -defend him; if timid, he will impede advance; and if avaricious, he will, -by means of his relatives, effectually stop the journey by absorbing the -means of prosecuting it. The best precaution against disappointment would -be the registering Abbans at Aden; every donkey-boy will offer himself as -a protector, but only the chiefs of tribes should be provided with -certificates. During my last visit to Africa, I proposed that English -officers visiting the country should be provided with servants not -protectors, the former, however, to be paid like the latter; all the -people recognised the propriety of the step. - -In the following pages occur manifold details concerning the complicated -subject, El Taabanah. - -[31] Future travellers would do well either to send before them a trusty -servant with orders to buy cattle; or, what would be better, though a -little more expensive, to take with them from Aden all the animals -required. - -[32] The Somal use as camel saddles the mats which compose their huts; -these lying loose upon the animal's back, cause, by slipping backwards and -forwards, the loss of many a precious hour, and in wet weather become half -a load. The more civilised make up of canvass or "gunny bags" stuffed with -hay and provided with cross bars, a rude packsaddle, which is admirably -calculated to gall the animal's back. Future travellers would do well to -purchase camel-saddles at Aden, where they are cheap and well made. - -[33] He received four cloths of Cutch canvass, and six others of coarse -American sheeting. At Zayla these articles are double the Aden value, -which would be about thirteen rupees or twenty-six shillings; in the bush -the price is quadrupled. Before leaving us the Abban received at least -double the original hire. Besides small presents of cloth, dates, tobacco -and rice to his friends, he had six cubits of Sauda Wilayati or English -indigo-dyed calico for women's fillets, and two of Sauda Kashshi, a Cutch -imitation, a Shukkah or half Tobe for his daughter, and a sheep for -himself, together with a large bundle of tobacco. - -[34] When the pastures are exhausted and the monsoon sets in, the Bedouins -return to their cool mountains; like the Iliyat of Persia, they have their -regular Kishlakh and Yaylakh. - -[35] "Kaum" is the Arabic, "All" the Somali, term for these raids. - -[36] Amongst the old Egyptians the ostrich feather was the symbol of -truth. The Somal call it "Bal," the Arabs "Rish;" it is universally used -here as the sign and symbol of victory. Generally the white feather only -is stuck in the hair; the Eesa are not particular in using black when they -can procure no other. All the clans wear it in the back hair, but each has -its own rules; some make it a standard decoration, others discard it after -the first few days. The learned have an aversion to the custom, -stigmatising it as pagan and idolatrous; the vulgar look upon it as the -highest mark of honor. - -[37] This is an ancient practice in Asia as well as in Africa. The -Egyptian temples show heaps of trophies placed before the monarchs as eyes -or heads were presented in Persia. Thus in 1 Sam. xviii. 25., David brings -the spoils of 200 Philistines, and shows them in full tale to the king, -that he might be the king's son-in-law. Any work upon the subject of -Abyssinia (Bruce, book 7. chap, 8.), or the late Afghan war, will prove -that the custom of mutilation, opposed as it is both to Christianity and -El Islam, is still practised in the case of hated enemies and infidels; -and De Bey remarks of the Cape Kafirs, "victores caesis excidunt [Greek: -_tu aidoui_], quae exsiccata regi afferunt." - -[38] When attacking cattle, the plundering party endeavour with shoots and -noise to disperse the herds, whilst the assailants huddle them together, -and attempt to face the danger in parties. - -[39] For the cheapest I paid twenty-three, for the dearest twenty-six -dollars, besides a Riyal upon each, under the names of custom dues and -carriage. The Hajj had doubtless exaggerated the price, but all were good -animals, and the traveller has no right to complain, except when he pays -dear for a bad article. - - - - -CHAP. IV. - -THE SOMAL, THEIR ORIGIN AND PECULIARITIES. - - -Before leaving Zayla, I must not neglect a short description of its -inhabitants, and the remarkable Somal races around it. - -Eastern Africa, like Arabia, presents a population composed of three -markedly distinct races. - -1. The Aborigines or Hamites, such as the Negro Sawahili, the Bushmen, -Hottentots, and other races, having such physiological peculiarities as -the steatopyge, the tablier, and other developments described, in 1815, by -the great Cuvier. - -2. The almost pure Caucasian of the northern regions, west of Egypt: their -immigration comes within the range of comparatively modern history. - -3. The half-castes in Eastern Africa are represented principally by the -Abyssinians, Gallas, Somals, and Kafirs. The first-named people derive -their descent from Menelek, son of Solomon by the Queen of Sheba: it is -evident from their features and figures,--too well known to require -description,--that they are descended from Semitic as well as Hamitic -progenitors. [1] About the origin of the Gallas there is a diversity of -opinion. [2] Some declare them to be Meccan Arabs, who settled on the -western coast of the Red Sea at a remote epoch: according to the -Abyssinians, however, and there is little to find fault with in their -theory, the Gallas are descended from a princess of their nation, who was -given in marriage to a slave from the country south of Gurague. She bare -seven sons, who became mighty robbers and founders of tribes: their -progenitors obtained the name of Gallas, after the river Gala, in Gurague, -where they gained a decisive victory our their kinsmen the Abyssins. [3] A -variety of ethnologic and physiological reasons,--into which space and -subject prevent my entering,--argue the Kafirs of the Cape to be a -northern people, pushed southwards by some, to us, as yet, unknown cause. -The origin of the Somal is a matter of modern history. - -"Barbarah" (Berberah) [4], according to the Kamus, is "a well known town -in El Maghrib, and a race located between El Zanj--Zanzibar and the -Negrotic coast--and El Habash [5]: they are descended from the Himyar -chiefs Sanhaj ([Arabic]) and Sumamah ([Arabic]), and they arrived at the -epoch of the conquest of Africa by the king Afrikus (Scipio Africanus?)." -A few details upon the subject of mutilation and excision prove these to -have been the progenitors of the Somal [6], who are nothing but a slice of -the great Galla nation Islamised and Semiticised by repeated immigrations -from Arabia. In the Kamus we also read that Samal ([Arabic]) is the name -of the father of a tribe, so called because he _thrust out_ ([Arabic], -_samala_) his brother's eye. [7] The Shaykh Jami, a celebrated -genealogist, informed me that in A.H. 666 = A.D. 1266-7, the Sayyid Yusuf -el Baghdadi visited the port of Siyaro near Berberah, then occupied by an -infidel magician, who passed through mountains by the power of his -gramarye: the saint summoned to his aid Mohammed bin Tunis el Siddiki, of -Bayt el Fakih in Arabia, and by their united prayers a hill closed upon -the pagan. Deformed by fable, the foundation of the tale is fact: the -numerous descendants of the holy men still pay an annual fine, by way of -blood-money to the family of the infidel chief. The last and most -important Arab immigration took place about fifteen generations or 450 -years ago, when the Sherif Ishak bin Ahmed [8] left his native country -Hazramaut, and, with forty-four saints, before mentioned, landed on -Makhar,--the windward coast extending from Karam Harbour to Cape -Guardafui. At the town of Met, near Burnt Island, where his tomb still -exists, he became the father of all the gentle blood and the only certain -descent in the Somali country: by Magaden, a free woman, he had Gerhajis, -Awal, and Arab; and by a slave or slaves, Jailah, Sambur, and Rambad. -Hence the great clans, Habr Gerhajis and Awal, who prefer the matronymic-- -Habr signifying a mother,--since, according to their dictum, no man knows -who may be his sire. [9] These increased and multiplied by connection and -affiliation to such an extent that about 300 years ago they drove their -progenitors, the Galla, from Berberah, and gradually encroached upon them, -till they intrenched themselves in the Highlands of Harar. - -The old and pagan genealogies still known to the Somal, are Dirr, Aydur, -Darud, and, according to some, Hawiyah. Dirr and Aydur, of whom nothing is -certainly known but the name [10], are the progenitors of the northern -Somal, the Eesa, Gudabirsi, Ishak, and Bursuk tribes. Darud Jabarti [11] -bin Ismail bin Akil (or Ukayl) is supposed by his descendants to have been -a noble Arab from El Hejaz, who, obliged to flee his country, was wrecked -on the north-east coast of Africa, where he married a daughter of the -Hawiyah tribe: rival races declare him to have been a Galla slave, who, -stealing the Prophet's slippers [12], was dismissed with the words, Inna- -_tarad_-na-hu (verily we have rejected him): hence his name Tarud -([Arabic]) or Darud, the Rejected. [13] The etymological part of the story -is, doubtless, fabulous; it expresses, however, the popular belief that -the founder of the eastward or windward tribes, now extending over the -seaboard from Bunder Jedid to Ras Hafun, and southward from the sea to the -Webbes [14], was a man of ignoble origin. The children of Darud are now -divided into two great bodies: "Harti" is the family name of the -Dulbahanta, Ogadayn, Warsangali and Mijjarthayn, who call themselves sons -of Harti bin Kombo bin Kabl Ullah bin Darud: the other Darud tribes not -included under that appellation are the Girhi, Berteri, Marayhan, and -Bahabr Ali. The Hawiyah are doubtless of ancient and pagan origin; they -call all Somal except themselves Hashiyah, and thus claim to be equivalent -to the rest of the nation. Some attempt, as usual, to establish a holy -origin, deriving themselves like the Shaykhash from the Caliph Abubekr: -the antiquity, and consequently the Pagan origin of the Hawiyah are proved -by its present widely scattered state; it is a powerful tribe in the -Mijjarthayn country, and yet is found in the hills of Harar. - -The Somal, therefore, by their own traditions, as well as their strongly -marked physical peculiarities, their customs, and their geographical -position, may be determined to be a half-caste tribe, an offshoot of the -great Galla race, approximated, like the originally Negro-Egyptian, to the -Caucasian type by a steady influx of pure Asiatic blood. - -In personal appearance the race is not unprepossessing. The crinal hair is -hard and wiry, growing, like that of a half-caste West Indian, in stiff -ringlets which sprout in tufts from the scalp, and, attaining a moderate -length, which they rarely surpass, bang down. A few elders, savans, and -the wealthy, who can afford the luxury of a turban, shave the head. More -generally, each filament is duly picked out with the comb or a wooden -scratcher like a knitting-needle, and the mass made to resemble a child's -"pudding," an old bob-wig, a mop, a counsellor's peruke, or an old- -fashioned coachman's wig,--there are a hundred ways of dressing the head. -The Bedouins, true specimens of the "greasy African race," wear locks -dripping with rancid butter, and accuse their citizen brethren of being -more like birds than men. The colouring matter of the hair, naturally a -bluish-black, is removed by a mixture of quicklime and water, or in the -desert by a _lessive_ of ashes [15]: this makes it a dull yellowish-white, -which is converted into red permanently by henna, temporarily by ochreish -earth kneaded with water. The ridiculous Somali peruke of crimsoned -sheepskin,--almost as barbarous an article as the Welsh,--is apparently a -foreign invention: I rarely saw one in the low country, although the hill -tribes about Harar sometimes wear a black or white "scratch-wig." The head -is rather long than round, and generally of the amiable variety, it is -gracefully put on the shoulders, belongs equally to Africa and Arabia, and -would be exceedingly weak but for the beauty of the brow. As far as the -mouth, the face, with the exception of high cheek-bones, is good; the -contour of the forehead ennobles it; the eyes are large and well-formed, -and the upper features are frequently handsome and expressive. The jaw, -however, is almost invariably prognathous and African; the broad, turned- -out lips betray approximation to the Negro; and the chin projects to the -detriment of the facial angle. The beard is represented by a few tufts; it -is rare to see anything equal to even the Arab development: the long and -ample eyebrows admired by the people are uncommon, and the mustachios are -short and thin, often twisted outwards in two dwarf curls. The mouth is -coarse as well as thick-lipped; the teeth rarely project as in the Negro, -but they are not good; the habit of perpetually chewing coarse Surat -tobacco stains them [16], the gums become black and mottled, and the use -of ashes with the quid discolours the lips. The skin, amongst the tribes -inhabiting the hot regions, is smooth, black, and glossy; as the altitude -increases it becomes lighter, and about Harar it is generally of a _cafe -au lait_ colour. The Bedouins are fond of raising beauty marks in the -shape of ghastly seams, and the thickness of the epidermis favours the -size of these _stigmates_. The male figure is tall and somewhat ungainly. -In only one instance I observed an approach to the steatopyge, making the -shape to resemble the letter S; but the shoulders are high, the trunk is -straight, the thighs fall off, the shin bones bow slightly forwards, and -the feet, like the hands, are coarse, large, and flat. Yet with their -hair, of a light straw colour, decked with the light waving feather, and -their coal-black complexions set off by that most graceful of garments the -clean white Tobe [17], the contrasts are decidedly effective. - -In mind the Somal are peculiar as in body. They are a people of most -susceptible character, and withal uncommonly hard to please. They dislike -the Arabs, fear and abhor the Turks, have a horror of Franks, and despise -all other Asiatics who with them come under the general name of Hindi -(Indians). The latter are abused on all occasions for cowardice, and a -want of generosity, which has given rise to the following piquant epigram: - - "Ask not from the Hindi thy want: - Impossible that the Hindi can be generous! - Had there been one liberal man in El Hind, - Allah had raised up a prophet in El Hind!" - -They have all the levity and instability of the Negro character; light- -minded as the Abyssinians,--described by Gobat as constant in nothing but -inconstancy,--soft, merry, and affectionate souls, they pass without any -apparent transition into a state of fury, when they are capable of -terrible atrocities. At Aden they appear happier than in their native -country. There I have often seen a man clapping his hands and dancing, -childlike, alone to relieve the exuberance of his spirits: here they -become, as the Mongols and other pastoral people, a melancholy race, who -will sit for hours upon a bank gazing at the moon, or croning some old -ditty under the trees. This state is doubtless increased by the perpetual -presence of danger and the uncertainty of life, which make them think of -other things but dancing and singing. Much learning seems to make them -mad; like the half-crazy Fakihs of the Sahara in Northern Africa, the -Widad, or priest, is generally unfitted for the affairs of this world, and -the Hafiz or Koran-reciter, is almost idiotic. As regards courage, they -are no exception to the generality of savage races. They have none of the -recklessness standing in lieu of creed which characterises the civilised -man. In their great battles a score is considered a heavy loss; usually -they will run after the fall of half a dozen: amongst a Kraal full of -braves who boast a hundred murders, not a single maimed or wounded man -will be seen, whereas in an Arabian camp half the male population will -bear the marks of lead and steel. The bravest will shirk fighting if he -has forgotten his shield: the sight of a lion and the sound of a gun -elicit screams of terror, and their Kaum or forays much resemble the style -of tactics rendered obsolete by the Great Turenne, when the tactician's -chief aim was not to fall in with his enemy. Yet they are by no means -deficient in the wily valour of wild men: two or three will murder a -sleeper bravely enough; and when the passions of rival tribes, between -whom there has been a blood feud for ages, are violently excited, they -will use with asperity the dagger and spear. Their massacres are fearful. -In February, 1847, a small sept, the Ayyal Tunis, being expelled from -Berberah, settled at the roadstead of Bulhar, where a few merchants, -principally Indian and Arab, joined them. The men were in the habit of -leaving their women and children, sick and aged, at the encampment inland, -whilst, descending to the beach, they carried on their trade. One day, as -they were thus employed, unsuspicious of danger, a foraging party of about -2500 Eesas attacked the camp: men, women, and children were -indiscriminately put to the spear, and the plunderers returned to their -villages in safety, laden with an immense amount of booty. At present, a -man armed with a revolver would be a terror to the country; the day, -however, will come when the matchlock will supersede the assegai, and then -the harmless spearman in his strong mountains will become, like the Arab, -a formidable foe. Travelling among the Bedouins, I found them kind and -hospitable. A pinch of snuff or a handful of tobacco sufficed to win every -heart, and a few yards of coarse cotton cloth supplied all our wants, I -was petted like a child, forced to drink milk and to eat mutton; girls -were offered to me in marriage; the people begged me to settle amongst -them, to head their predatory expeditions, free them from lions, and kill -their elephants; and often a man has exclaimed in pitying accents, "What -hath brought thee, delicate as thou art, to sit with us on the cowhide in -this cold under a tree?" Of course they were beggars, princes and paupers, -lairds and loons, being all equally unfortunate; the Arabs have named the -country Bilad Wa Issi,--the "Land of Give me Something;"--but their wants -were easily satisfied, and the open hand always made a friend. - -The Somal hold mainly to the Shafei school of El Islam: their principal -peculiarity is that of not reciting prayers over the dead even in the -towns. The marriage ceremony is simple: the price of the bride and the -feast being duly arranged, the formula is recited by some priest or -pilgrim. I have often been requested to officiate on these occasions, and -the End of Time has done it by irreverently reciting the Fatihah over the -happy pair. [18] The Somal, as usual amongst the heterogeneous mass -amalgamated by El Islam, have a diversity of superstitions attesting their -Pagan origin. Such for instance are their oaths by stones, their reverence -of cairns and holy trees, and their ordeals of fire and water, the Bolungo -of Western Africa. A man accused of murder or theft walks down a trench -full of live charcoal and about a spear's length, or he draws out of the -flames a smith's anvil heated to redness: some prefer picking four or five -cowries from a large pot full of boiling water. The member used is at once -rolled up in the intestines of a sheep and not inspected for a whole day. -They have traditionary seers called Tawuli, like the Greegree-men of -Western Africa, who, by inspecting the fat and bones of slaughtered -cattle, "do medicine," predict rains, battles, and diseases of animals. -This class is of both sexes: they never pray or bathe, and are therefore -considered always impure; thus, being feared, they are greatly respected -by the vulgar. Their predictions are delivered in a rude rhyme, often put -for importance into the mouth of some deceased seer. During the three -months called Rajalo [19] the Koran is not read over graves, and no -marriage ever takes place. The reason of this peculiarity is stated to be -imitation of their ancestor Ishak, who happened not to contract a -matrimonial alliance at such epoch: it is, however, a manifest remnant of -the Pagan's auspicious and inauspicious months. Thus they sacrifice she- -camels in the month Sabuh, and keep holy with feasts and bonfires the -Dubshid or New Year's Day. [20] At certain unlucky periods when the moon -is in ill-omened Asterisms those who die are placed in bundles of matting -upon a tree, the idea being that if buried a loss would result to the -tribe. [21] - -Though superstitious, the Somal are not bigoted like the Arabs, with the -exception of those who, wishing to become learned, visit Yemen or El -Hejaz, and catch the complaint. Nominal Mohammedans, El Islam hangs so -lightly upon them, that apparently they care little for making it binding -upon others. - -The Somali language is no longer unknown to Europe. It is strange that a -dialect which has no written character should so abound in poetry and -eloquence. There are thousands of songs, some local, others general, upon -all conceivable subjects, such as camel loading, drawing water, and -elephant hunting; every man of education knows a variety of them. The -rhyme is imperfect, being generally formed by the syllable "ay" -(pronounced as in our word "hay"), which gives the verse a monotonous -regularity; but, assisted by a tolerably regular alliteration and cadence, -it can never be mistaken for prose, even without the song which invariably -accompanies it. The country teems with "poets, poetasters, poetitos, and -poetaccios:" every man has his recognised position in literature as -accurately defined as though he had been reviewed in a century of -magazines,--the fine ear of this people [22] causing them to take the -greatest pleasure in harmonious sounds and poetical expressions, whereas a -false quantity or a prosaic phrase excite their violent indignation. Many -of these compositions are so idiomatic that Arabs settled for years -amongst the Somal cannot understand them, though perfectly acquainted with -the conversational style. Every chief in the country must have a panegyric -to be sung by his clan, and the great patronise light literature by -keeping a poet. The amatory is of course the favourite theme: sometimes it -appears in dialogue, the rudest form, we are told, of the Drama. The -subjects are frequently pastoral: the lover for instance invites his -mistress to walk with him towards the well in Lahelo, the Arcadia of the -land; he compares her legs to the tall straight Libi tree, and imprecates -the direst curses on her head if she refuse to drink with him the milk of -his favourite camel. There are a few celebrated ethical compositions, in -which the father lavishes upon his son all the treasures of Somali good -advice, long as the somniferous sermons of Mentor to the insipid son of -Ulysses. Sometimes a black Tyrtaeus breaks into a wild lament for the loss -of warriors or territory; he taunts the clan with cowardice, reminds them -of their slain kindred, better men than themselves, whose spirits cannot -rest unavenged in their gory graves, and urges a furious onslaught upon -the exulting victor. - -And now, dear L., I will attempt to gratify your just curiosity concerning -_the_ sex in Eastern Africa. - -The Somali matron is distinguished--externally--from the maiden by a -fillet of blue network or indigo-dyed cotton, which, covering the head and -containing the hair, hangs down to the neck. Virgins wear their locks -long, parted in the middle, and plaited in a multitude of hard thin -pigtails: on certain festivals they twine flowers and plaster the head -like Kafir women with a red ochre,--the _coiffure_ has the merit of -originality. With massive rounded features, large flat craniums, long big -eyes, broad brows, heavy chins, rich brown complexions, and round faces, -they greatly resemble the stony beauties of Egypt--the models of the land -ere Persia, Greece, and Rome reformed the profile and bleached the skin. -They are of the Venus Kallipyga order of beauty: the feature is scarcely -ever seen amongst young girls, but after the first child it becomes -remarkable to a stranger. The Arabs have not failed to make it a matter of -jibe. - - "'Tis a wonderful fact that your hips swell - Like boiled rice or a skin blown out," - -sings a satirical Yemeni: the Somal retort by comparing the lank haunches -of their neighbours to those of tadpoles or young frogs. One of their -peculiar charms is a soft, low, and plaintive voice, derived from their -African progenitors. Always an excellent thing in woman, here it has an -undefinable charm. I have often lain awake for hours listening to the -conversation of the Bedouin girls, whose accents sounded in my ears rather -like music than mere utterance. - -In muscular strength and endurance the women of the Somal are far superior -to their lords: at home they are engaged all day in domestic affairs, and -tending the cattle; on journeys their manifold duties are to load and -drive the camels, to look after the ropes, and, if necessary, to make -them; to pitch the hut, to bring water and firewood, and to cook. Both -sexes are equally temperate from necessity; the mead and the millet-beer, -so common among the Abyssinians and the Danakil, are entirely unknown to -the Somal of the plains. As regards their morals, I regret to say that the -traveller does not find them in the golden state which Teetotal doctrines -lead him to expect. After much wandering, we are almost tempted to believe -the bad doctrine that morality is a matter of geography; that nations and -races have, like individuals, a pet vice, and that by restraining one you -only exasperate another. As a general rule Somali women prefer -_amourettes_ with strangers, following the well-known Arab proverb, "The -new comer filleth the eye." In cases of scandal, the woman's tribe -revenges its honour upon the man. Should a wife disappear with a fellow- -clansman, and her husband accord divorce, no penal measures are taken, but -she suffers in reputation, and her female friends do not spare her. -Generally, the Somali women are of cold temperament, the result of -artificial as well as natural causes: like the Kafirs, they are very -prolific, but peculiarly bad mothers, neither loved nor respected by their -children. The fair sex lasts longer in Eastern Africa than in India and -Arabia: at thirty, however, charms are on the wane, and when old age comes -on they are no exceptions to the hideous decrepitude of the East. - -The Somal, when they can afford it, marry between the ages of fifteen and -twenty. Connections between tribes are common, and entitle the stranger to -immunity from the blood-feud: men of family refuse, however, to ally -themselves with the servile castes. Contrary to the Arab custom, none of -these people will marry cousins; at the same time a man will give his -daughter to his uncle, and take to wife, like the Jews and Gallas, a -brother's relict. Some clans, the Habr Yunis for instance, refuse maidens -of the same or even of a consanguineous family. This is probably a -political device to preserve nationality and provide against a common -enemy. The bride, as usual in the East, is rarely consulted, but frequent -_tete a tetes_ at the well and in the bush when tending cattle effectually -obviate this inconvenience: her relatives settle the marriage portion, -which varies from a cloth and a bead necklace to fifty sheep or thirty -dollars, and dowries are unknown. In the towns marriage ceremonies are -celebrated with feasting and music. On first entering the nuptial hut, the -bridegroom draws forth his horsewhip and inflicts memorable chastisement -upon the fair person of his bride, with the view of taming any lurking -propensity to shrewishness. [23] This is carrying out with a will the Arab -proverb, - - "The slave girl from her capture, the wife from her wedding." - -During the space of a week the spouse remains with his espoused, scarcely -ever venturing out of the hut; his friends avoid him, and no lesser event -than a plundering party or dollars to gain, would justify any intrusion. -If the correctness of the wife be doubted, the husband on the morning -after marriage digs a hole before his door and veils it with matting, or -he rends the skirt of his Tobe, or he tears open some new hut-covering: -this disgraces the woman's family. Polygamy is indispensable in a country -where children are the principal wealth. [24] The chiefs, arrived at -manhood, immediately marry four wives: they divorce the old and -unfruitful, and, as amongst the Kafirs, allow themselves an unlimited -number in peculiar cases, especially when many of the sons have fallen. -Daughters, as usual in Oriental countries, do not "count" as part of the -family: they are, however, utilised by the father, who disposes of them to -those who can increase his wealth and importance. Divorce is exceedingly -common, for the men are liable to sudden fits of disgust. There is little -ceremony in contracting marriage with any but maidens. I have heard a man -propose after half an hour's acquaintance, and the fair one's reply was -generally the question direct concerning "settlements." Old men frequently -marry young girls, but then the portion is high and the _menage a trois_ -common. - -The Somal know none of the exaggerated and chivalrous ideas by which -passion becomes refined affection amongst the Arab Bedouins and the sons -of civilisation, nor did I ever hear of an African abandoning the spear -and the sex to become a Darwaysh. Their "Hudhudu," however, reminds the -traveller of the Abyssinian "eye-love," the Afghan's "Namzad-bazi," and -the Semite's "Ishkuzri," which for want of a better expression we -translate "Platonic love." [25] This meeting of the sexes, however, is -allowed in Africa by male relatives; in Arabia and Central Asia it -provokes their direst indignation. Curious to say, throughout the Somali -country, kissing is entirely unknown. - -Children are carried on their mothers' backs or laid sprawling upon the -ground for the first two years [26]: they are circumcised at the age of -seven or eight, provided with a small spear, and allowed to run about -naked till the age of puberty. They learn by conversation, not books, eat -as much as they can beg, borrow and steal, and grow up healthy, strong, -and well proportioned according to their race. - -As in El Islam generally, so here, a man cannot make a will. The property -of the deceased is divided amongst his children,--the daughters receiving -a small portion, if any of it. When a man dies without issue, his goods -and chattels are seized upon by his nearest male relatives; one of them -generally marries the widow, or she is sent back to her family. Relicts, -as a rule, receive no legacies. - -You will have remarked, dear L., that the people of Zayla are by no means -industrious. They depend for support upon the Desert: the Bedouin becomes -the Nazil or guest of the townsman, and he is bound to receive a little -tobacco, a few beads, a bit of coarse cotton cloth, or, on great -occasions, a penny looking-glass and a cheap German razor, in return for -his slaves, ivories, hides, gums, milk, and grain. Any violation of the -tie is severely punished by the Governor, and it can be dissolved only by -the formula of triple divorce: of course the wild men are hopelessly -cheated [27], and their citizen brethren live in plenty and indolence. -After the early breakfast, the male portion of the community leave their -houses on business, that is to say, to chat, visit, and _flaner_ about the -streets and mosques. [28] They return to dinner and the siesta, after -which they issue forth again, and do not come home till night. Friday is -always an idle day, festivals are frequent, and there is no work during -weddings and mournings. The women begin after dawn to plait mats and -superintend the slaves, who are sprinkling the house with water, grinding -grain for breakfast, cooking, and breaking up firewood: to judge, however, -from the amount of chatting and laughter, there appears to be far less -work than play. - -In these small places it is easy to observe the mechanism of a government -which, _en grand_, becomes that of Delhi, Teheran, and Constantinople. The -Governor farms the place from the Porte: he may do what he pleases as long -as he pays his rent with punctuality and provides presents and _douceurs_ -for the Pasha of Mocha. He punishes the petty offences of theft, quarrels, -and arson by fines, the bastinado, the stocks, or confinement in an Arish -or thatch-hut: the latter is a severe penalty, as the prisoner must -provide himself with food. In cases of murder, he either refers to Mocha -or he carries out the Kisas--lex talionis--by delivering the slayer to the -relatives of the slain. The Kazi has the administration of the Shariat or -religious law: he cannot, however, pronounce sentence without the -Governor's permission; and generally his powers are confined to questions -of divorce, alimony, manumission, the wound-mulct, and similar cases which -come within Koranic jurisdiction. Thus the religious code is ancillary and -often opposed to "El Jabr,"--"the tyranny,"--the popular designation of -what we call Civil Law. [29] Yet is El Jabr, despite its name, generally -preferred by the worldly wise. The Governor contents himself with a -moderate bribe, the Kazi is insatiable: the former may possibly allow you -to escape unplundered, the latter assuredly will not. This I believe to be -the history of religious jurisdiction in most parts of the world. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] Eusebius declares that the Abyssinians migrated from Asia to Africa -whilst the Hebrews were in Egypt (circ. A. M. 2345); and Syncellus places -the event about the age of the Judges. - -[2] Moslems, ever fond of philological fable, thus derive the word Galla. -When Ullabu, the chief, was summoned by Mohammed to Islamise, the -messenger returned to report that "he said _no_,"--Kal la pronounced Gal -la,--which impious refusal, said the Prophet, should from that time become -the name of the race. - -[3] Others have derived them from Metcha, Karaiyo, and Tulema, three sons -of an AEthiopian Emperor by a female slave. They have, according to some -travellers, a prophecy that one day they will march to the east and north, -and conquer the inheritance of their Jewish ancestors. Mr. Johnston -asserts that the word Galla is "merely another form of _Calla_, which in -the ancient Persian, Sanscrit, Celtic, and their modern derivative -languages, under modified, but not changed terms, is expressive of -blackness." The Gallas, however, are not a black people. - -[4] The Aden stone has been supposed to name the "Berbers," who must have -been Gallas from the vicinity of Berberah. A certain amount of doubt still -hangs on the interpretation: the Rev. Mr. Forster and Dr. Bird being the -principal contrasts. - - _Rev. Mr. Forster._ _Dr. Bird_ - - "We assailed with cries of "He, the Syrian philosopher - hatred and rage the Abyssinians in Abadan, Bishop of - and Berbers. Cape Aden, who inscribed this - in the desert, blesses the - "We rode forth wrathfully institution of the faith." - against this refuse of mankind." - -[5] This word is generally translated Abyssinia; oriental geographers, -however, use it in a more extended sense. The Turks have held possessions -in "Habash," in Abyssinia never. - -[6] The same words are repeated in the Infak el Maysur fl Tarikh bilad el -Takrur (Appendix to Denham and Clapperton's Travels, No. xii.), again -confounding the Berbers and the Somal. Afrikus, according to that author, -was a king of Yemen who expelled the Berbers from Syria! - -[7] The learned Somal invariably spell their national name with an initial -Sin, and disregard the derivation from Saumal ([Arabic]), which would -allude to the hardihood of the wild people. An intelligent modern -traveller derives "Somali" from the Abyssinian "Soumahe" or heathens, and -asserts that it corresponds with the Arabic word Kafir or unbeliever, the -name by which Edrisi, the Arabian geographer, knew and described the -inhabitants of the Affah (Afar) coast, to the east of the Straits of Bab -el Mandeb. Such derivation is, however, unadvisable. - -[8] According to others he was the son of Abdullah. The written -genealogies of the Somal were, it is said, stolen by the Sherifs of Yemen, -who feared to leave with the wild people documents that prove the nobility -of their descent. - -[9] The salient doubt suggested by this genealogy is the barbarous nature -of the names. A noble Arab would not call his children Gerhajis, Awal, and -Rambad. - -[10] Lieut. Cruttenden applies the term Edoor (Aydur) to the descendants -of Ishak, the children of Gerhajis, Awal, and Jailah. His informants and -mine differ, therefore, _toto coelo_. According to some, Dirr was the -father of Aydur; others make Dirr (it has been written Tir and Durr) to -have been the name of the Galla family into which Shaykh Ishak married. - -[11] Some travellers make Jabarti or Ghiberti to signify "slaves" from the -Abyssinian Guebra; others "Strong in the Faith" (El Islam). Bruce applies -it to the Moslems of Abyssinia: it is still used, though rarely, by the -Somal, who in these times generally designate by it the Sawahili or Negro -Moslems. - -[12] The same scandalous story is told of the venerable patron saint of -Aden, the Sherif Haydrus. - -[13] Darud bin Ismail's tomb is near the Yubbay Tug in the windward -mountains; an account of it will be found in Lieut. Speke's diary. - -[14] The two rivers Shebayli and Juba. - -[15] Curious to any this mixture does not destroy the hair; it would soon -render a European bald. Some of the Somal have applied it to their beards; -the result has been the breaking and falling off of the filaments. - -[16] Few Somal except the citizens smoke, on account of the expense, all, -however, use the Takhzinah or quid. - -[17] The best description of the dress is that of Fenelon: "Leurs habits -sont aises a faire, car en ce doux climat on ne porte qu'une piece -d'etoffe fine et legere, qui n'est point taillee, et que chacun met a -longs plis autour de son corps pour la modestie; lui donnant la forme -qu'il veut." - -[18] Equivalent to reading out the Church Catechism at an English wedding. - -[19] Certain months of the lunar year. In 1854, the third Rajalo, -corresponding with Rabia the Second, began on the 21st of December. - -[20] The word literally means, "lighting of fire." It corresponds with the -Nayruz of Yemen, a palpable derivation, as the word itself proves, from -the old Guebre conquerors. In Arabia New Year's Day is called Ras el -Sanah, and is not celebrated by any peculiar solemnities. The ancient -religion of the Afar coast was Sabaeism, probably derived from the Berbers -or shepherds,--according to Bruce the first faith of the East, and the -only religion of Eastern Africa. The Somal still retain a tradition that -the "Furs," or ancient Guebres, once ruled the land. - -[21] Their names also are generally derived from their Pagan ancestors: a -list of the most common may be interesting to ethnologists. Men are called -Rirash, Igah, Beuh, Fahi, Samattar, Farih, Madar, Raghe, Dubayr, Irik, -Diddar, Awalah, and Alyan. Women's names are Aybla, Ayyo, Aurala, Ambar, -Zahabo, Ashkaro, Alka, Asoba, Gelo, Gobe, Mayran and Samaweda. - -[22] It is proved by the facility with which they pick up languages, -Western us well as Eastern, by mere ear and memory. - -[23] So the old Muscovites, we are told, always began married life with a -sound flogging. - -[24] I would not advise polygamy amongst highly civilised races, where the -sexes are nearly equal, and where reproduction becomes a minor duty. -Monogamy is the growth of civilisation: a plurality of wives is the -natural condition of man in thinly populated countries, where he who has -the largest family is the greatest benefactor of his kind. - -[25] The old French term "la petite oie" explains it better. Some trace of -the custom may be found in the Kafir's Slambuka or Schlabonka, for a -description of which I must refer to the traveller Delegorgue. - -[26] The Somal ignore the Kafir custom during lactation. - -[27] The citizens have learned the Asiatic art of bargaining under a -cloth. Both parties sit opposite each other, holding hands: if the little -finger for instance be clasped, it means 6, 60, or 600 dollars, according -to the value of the article for sale; if the ring finger, 7, 70, or 700, -and so on. - -[28] So, according to M. Krapf, the Suaheli of Eastern Africa wastes his -morning hours in running from house to house, to his friends or superiors, -_ku amkia_ (as he calls it), to make his morning salutations. A worse than -Asiatic idleness is the curse of this part of the world. - -[29] Diwan el Jabr, for instance, is a civil court, opposed to the -Mahkamah or the Kazi's tribunal. - - - - -CHAP. V. - -FROM ZAYLA TO THE HILLS. - - -Two routes connect Zayla with Harar; the south-western or direct line -numbers ten long or twenty short stages [1]: the first eight through the -Eesa country, and the last two among the Nole Gallas, who own the rule of -"Waday," a Makad or chief of Christian persuasion. The Hajj objected to -this way, on account of his recent blood-feud with the Rer Guleni. He -preferred for me the more winding road which passes south, along the -coast, through the Eesa Bedouins dependent upon Zayla, to the nearest -hills, and thence strikes south-westwards among the Gudabirsi and Girhi -Somal, who extend within sight of Harar. I cannot but suspect that in -selecting this route the good Sharmarkay served another purpose besides my -safety. Petty feuds between the chiefs had long "closed the path," and -perhaps the Somal were not unwilling that British cloth and tobacco should -re-open it. - -Early in the morning of the 27th of November, 1854, the mules and all the -paraphernalia of travel stood ready at the door. The five camels were -forced to kneel, growling angrily the while, by repeated jerks at the -halter: their forelegs were duly tied or stood upon till they had shifted -themselves into a comfortable position, and their noses were held down by -the bystanders whenever, grasshopper-like, they attempted to spring up. -Whilst spreading the saddle-mats, our women, to charm away remembrance of -chafed hump and bruised sides, sang with vigor the "Song of Travel": - - "0 caravan-men, we deceive ye not, we have laden the camels! - Old women on the journey are kenned by their sleeping I - (0 camel) can'st sniff the cock-boat and the sea? - Allah guard thee from the Mikahil and their Midgans!" [2] - -As they arose from squat it was always necessary to adjust their little -mountains of small packages by violently "heaving up" one side,--an -operation never failing to elicit a vicious grunt, a curve of the neck, -and an attempt to bite. One camel was especially savage; it is said that -on his return to Zayla, he broke a Bedouin girl's neck. Another, a -diminutive but hardy little brute of Dankali breed, conducted himself so -uproariously that he at once obtained the name of El Harami, or the -Ruffian. - -About 3 P.M., accompanied by the Hajj, his amiable son Mohammed, and a -party of Arab matchlockmen, who escorted me as a token of especial -respect, I issued from the Ashurbara Gate, through the usual staring -crowds, and took the way of the wilderness. After half a mile's march, we -exchanged affectionate adieus, received much prudent advice about keeping -watch and ward at night, recited the Fatihah with upraised palms, and with -many promises to write frequently and to meet soon, shook hands and -parted. The soldiers gave me a last volley, to which I replied with the -"Father of Six." - -You see, dear L., how travelling maketh man _banal_. It is the natural -consequence of being forced to find, in every corner where Fate drops you -for a month, a "friend of the soul," and a "moon-faced beauty." With -Orientals generally, you _must_ be on extreme terms, as in Hibernia, -either an angel of light or, that failing, a goblin damned. In East Africa -especially, English phlegm, shyness, or pride, will bar every heart and -raise every hand against you [3], whereas what M. Rochet calls "a certain -_rondeur_ of manner" is a specific for winning affection. You should walk -up to your man, clasp his fist, pat his back, speak some unintelligible -words to him,--if, as is the plan of prudence, you ignore the language,-- -laugh a loud guffaw, sit by his side, and begin pipes and coffee. He then -proceeds to utilise you, to beg in one country for your interest, and in -another for your tobacco. You gently but decidedly thrust that subject out -of the way, and choose what is most interesting to yourself. As might be -expected, he will at times revert to his own concerns; your superior -obstinacy will oppose effectual passive resistance to all such efforts; by -degrees the episodes diminish in frequency and duration; at last they -cease altogether. The man is now your own. - -You will bear in mind, if you please, that I am a Moslem merchant, a -character not to be confounded with the notable individuals seen on -'Change. Mercator in the East is a compound of tradesman, divine, and T. -G. Usually of gentle birth, he is everywhere welcomed and respected; and -he bears in his mind and manner that, if Allah please, he may become prime -minister a month after he has sold you a yard of cloth. Commerce appears -to be an accident, not an essential, with him; yet he is by no means -deficient in acumen. He is a grave and reverend signior, with rosary in -hand and Koran on lip, is generally a pilgrim, talks at dreary length -about Holy Places, writes a pretty hand, has read and can recite much -poetry, is master of his religion, demeans himself with respectability, is -perfect in all points of ceremony and politeness, and feels equally at -home whether sultan or slave sit upon his counter. He has a wife and -children in his own country, where he intends to spend the remnant of his -days; but "the world is uncertain"--"Fate descends, and man's eye seeth it -not"--"the earth is a charnel house"; briefly, his many wise old saws give -him a kind of theoretical consciousness that his bones may moulder in -other places but his father-land. - -To describe my little caravan. Foremost struts Raghe, our Eesa guide, in -all the bravery of Abbanship. He is bareheaded and clothed in Tobe and -slippers: a long, heavy, horn-hilted dagger is strapped round his waist, -outside his dress; in his right hand he grasps a ponderous wire-bound -spear, which he uses as a staff, and the left forearm supports a round -targe of battered hide. Being a man of education, he bears on one shoulder -a Musalla or prayer carpet of tanned leather, the article used throughout -the Somali country; slung over the other is a Wesi or wicker bottle -containing water for religious ablution. He is accompanied by some men who -carry a little stock of town goods and drive a camel colt, which by the by -they manage to lose before midnight. - -My other attendants must now be introduced to you, as they are to be for -the next two months companions of our journey. - -First in the list are the fair Samaweda Yusuf, and Aybla Farih [4], buxom -dames about thirty years old, who presently secured the classical -nicknames of Shehrazade, and Deenarzade. They look each like three average -women rolled into one, and emphatically belong to that race for which the -article of feminine attire called, I believe, a "bussle" would be quite -superfluous. Wonderful, truly, is their endurance of fatigue! During the -march they carry pipe and tobacco, lead and flog the camels, adjust the -burdens, and will never be induced to ride, in sickness or in health. At -the halt they unload the cattle, dispose the parcels in a semicircle, -pitch over them the Gurgi or mat tent, cook our food, boil tea and coffee, -and make themselves generally useful. They bivouack outside our abode, -modesty not permitting the sexes to mingle, and in the severest cold wear -no clothing but a head fillet and an old Tobe. They have curious soft -voices, which contrast agreeably with the harsh organs of the males. At -first they were ashamed to see me; but that feeling soon wore off, and -presently they enlivened the way with pleasantries far more naive than -refined. To relieve their greatest fatigue, nothing seems necessary but -the "Jogsi:" [5] they lie at full length, prone, stand upon each other's -backs trampling and kneading with the toes, and rise like giants much -refreshed. Always attendant upon these dames is Yusuf, a Zayla lad who, -being one-eyed, was pitilessly named by my companions the "Kalendar;" he -prays frequently, is strict in his morals, and has conceived, like Mrs. -Brownrigg, so exalted an idea of discipline, that, but for our influence, -he certainly would have beaten the two female 'prentices to death. They -hate him therefore, and he knows it. - -Immediately behind Raghe and his party walk Shehrazade and Deenarzade, the -former leading the head camel, the latter using my chibouque stick as a -staff. She has been at Aden, and sorely suspects me; her little black eyes -never meet mine; and frequently, with affected confusion, she turns her -sable cheek the clean contrary way. Strung together by their tails, and -soundly beaten when disposed to lag, the five camels pace steadily along -under their burdens,--bales of Wilayati or American sheeting, Duwwarah or -Cutch canvass, with indigo-dyed stuff slung along the animals' sides, and -neatly sewn up in a case of matting to keep off dust and rain,--a cow's -hide, which serves as a couch, covering the whole. They carry a load of -"Mushakkar" (bad Mocha dates) for the Somal, with a parcel of better -quality for ourselves, and a half hundredweight of coarse Surat tobacco -[6]; besides which we have a box of beads, and another of trinkets, -mosaic-gold earrings, necklaces, watches, and similar nick-nacks. Our -private provisions are represented by about 300 lbs. of rice,--here the -traveller's staff of life,--a large pot full of "Kawurmeh" [7], dates, -salt [8], clarified butter, tea, coffee, sugar, a box of biscuits in case -of famine, "Halwa" or Arab sweetmeats to be used when driving hard -bargains, and a little turmeric for seasoning. A simple _batterie de -cuisine_, and sundry skins full of potable water [9], dangle from chance -rope-ends; and last, but not the least important, is a heavy box [10] of -ammunition sufficient for a three months' sporting tour. [11] In the rear -of the caravan trudges a Bedouin woman driving a donkey,--the proper -"tail" in these regions, where camels start if followed by a horse or -mule. An ill-fated sheep, a parting present from the Hajj, races and -frisks about the Cafilah. It became so tame that the Somal received an -order not to "cut" it; one day, however, I found myself dining, and that -pet lamb was the _menu_. - -By the side of the camels ride my three attendants, the pink of Somali -fashion. Their frizzled wigs are radiant with grease; their Tobes are -splendidly white, with borders dazzlingly red; their new shields are -covered with canvass cloth; and their two spears, poised over the right -shoulder, are freshly scraped, oiled, blackened, and polished. They have -added my spare rifle, and guns to the camel-load; such weapons are well -enough at Aden, in Somali-land men would deride the outlandish tool! I -told them that in my country women use bows and arrows, moreover that -lancers are generally considered a corps of non-combatants; in vain! they -adhered as strongly--so mighty a thing is prejudice--to their partiality -for bows, arrows, and lances. Their horsemanship is peculiar, they balance -themselves upon little Abyssinian saddles, extending the leg and raising -the heel in the Louis Quinze style of equitation, and the stirrup is an -iron ring admitting only the big toe. I follow them mounting a fine white -mule, which, with its gaudily _galonne_ Arab pad and wrapper cloth, has a -certain dignity of look; a double-barrelled gun lies across my lap; and a -rude pair of holsters, the work of Hasan Turki, contains my Colt's six- -shooters. - -Marching in this order, which was to serve as a model, we travelled due -south along the coast, over a hard, stoneless, and alluvial plain, here -dry, there muddy (where the tide reaches), across boggy creeks, broad -water-courses, and warty flats of black mould powdered with nitrous salt, -and bristling with the salsolaceous vegetation familiar to the Arab -voyager. Such is the general formation of the plain between the mountains -and the sea, whose breadth, in a direct line, may measure from forty-five -to forty-eight miles. Near the first zone of hills, or sub-Ghauts, it -produces a thicker vegetation; thorns and acacias of different kinds -appear in clumps; and ground broken with ridges and ravines announces the -junction. After the monsoon this plain is covered with rich grass. At -other seasons it affords but a scanty supply of an "aqueous matter" -resembling bilgewater. The land belongs to the Mummasan clan of the Eesa: -how these "Kurrah-jog" or "sun-dwellers," as the Bedouins are called by -the burgher Somal, can exist here in summer, is a mystery. My arms were -peeled even in the month of December; and my companions, panting with the -heat, like the Atlantes of Herodotus, poured forth reproaches upon the -rising sun. The townspeople, when forced to hurry across it in the hotter -season, cover themselves during the day with Tobes wetted every half hour -in sea water; yet they are sometimes killed by the fatal thirst which the -Simum engenders. Even the Bedouins are now longing for rain; a few weeks' -drought destroys half their herds. - -Early in the afternoon our Abban and a woman halted for a few minutes, -performed their ablutions, and prayed with a certain display: satisfied -apparently, with the result, they never repeated the exercise. About -sunset we passed, on the right, clumps of trees overgrowing a water called -"Warabod", the Hyena's Well; this is the first Marhalah or halting-place -usually made by travellers to the interior. Hence there is a direct path -leading south-south-west, by six short marches, to the hills. Our Abban, -however, was determined that we should not so easily escape his kraal. -Half an hour afterwards we passed by the second station, "Hangagarri", a -well near the sea: frequent lights twinkling through the darkening air -informed us that we were in the midst of the Eesa. At 8 P.M. we reached -"Gagab", the third Marhalah, where the camels, casting themselves upon the -ground, imperatively demanded a halt. Raghe was urgent for an advance, -declaring that already he could sight the watchfires of his Rer or tribe -[12]; but the animals carried the point against him. They were presently -unloaded and turned out to graze, and the lariats of the mules, who are -addicted to running away, were fastened to stones for want of pegs [13]. -Then, lighting a fire, we sat down to a homely supper of dates. - -The air was fresh and clear; and the night breeze was delicious after the -steamy breath of day. The weary confinement of walls made the splendid -expanse a luxury to the sight, whilst the tumbling of the surf upon the -near shore, and the music of the jackal, predisposed to sweet sleep. We -now felt that at length the die was cast. Placing my pistols by my side, -with my rifle butt for a pillow, and its barrel as a bed-fellow, I sought -repose with none of that apprehension which even the most stout-hearted -traveller knows before the start. It is the difference between fancy and -reality, between anxiety and certainty: to men gifted with any imaginative -powers the anticipation must ever be worse than the event. Thus it -happens, that he who feels a thrill of fear before engaging in a peril, -exchanges it for a throb of exultation when he finds himself hand to hand -with the danger. - -The "End of Time" volunteered to keep watch that night. When the early -dawn glimmered he aroused us, and blew up the smouldering fire, whilst our -women proceeded to load the camels. We pursued our way over hard alluvial -soil to sand, and thence passed into a growth of stiff yellow grass not -unlike a stubble in English September. Day broke upon a Somali Arcadia, -whose sole flaws were salt water and Simum. Whistling shepherds [14] -carried in their arms the younglings of the herds, or, spear in hand, -drove to pasture long regular lines of camels, that waved their vulture- -like heads, and arched their necks to bite in play their neighbours' -faces, humps, and hind thighs. They were led by a patriarch, to whose -throat hung a Kor or wooden bell, the preventive for straggling; and most -of them were followed (for winter is the breeding season) by colts in -every stage of infancy. [15] Patches of sheep, with snowy skins and jetty -faces, flocked the yellow plain; and herds of goats resembling deer were -driven by hide-clad children to the bush. Women, in similar attire, -accompanied them, some chewing the inner bark of trees, others spinning -yarns of a white creeper called Sagsug for ropes and tent-mats. The boys -carried shepherds' crooks [16], and bore their watering pails [17], -foolscap fashion, upon their heads. Sometimes they led the ram, around -whose neck a cord of white leather was bound for luck; at other times they -frisked with the dog, an animal by no means contemptible in the eyes of -the Bedouins. [18] As they advanced, the graceful little sand antelope -bounded away over the bushes; and above them, soaring high in the -cloudless skies, were flights of vultures and huge percnopters, unerring -indicators of man's habitation in Somali-land. [19] - -A net-work of paths showed that we were approaching a populous place; and -presently men swarmed forth from their hive-shaped tents, testifying their -satisfaction at our arrival, the hostile Habr Awal having threatened to -"eat them up." We rode cautiously, as is customary, amongst the yeaning -she-camels, who are injured by a sudden start, and about 8 A.M. arrived at -our guide's kraal, the fourth station, called "Gudingaras," or the low -place where the Garas tree grows. The encampment lay south-east (165o) of, -and about twenty miles from, Zayla. - -Raghe disappeared, and the Bedouins flocked out to gaze upon us as we -approached the kraal. Meanwhile Shehrazade and Deenarzade fetched tent- -sticks from the village, disposed our luggage so as to form a wall, rigged -out a wigwam, spread our beds in the shade, and called aloud for sweet and -sour milk. I heard frequently muttered by the red-headed spearmen, the -ominous term "Faranj" [20]; and although there was no danger, it was -deemed advisable to make an impression without delay. Presently they began -to deride our weapons: the Hammal requested them to put up one of their -shields as a mark; they laughed aloud but shirked compliance. At last a -large brown, bare-necked vulture settled on the ground at twenty paces' -distance. The Somal hate the "Gurgur", because he kills the dying and -devours the dead on the battle-field: a bullet put through the bird's body -caused a cry of wonder, and some ran after the lead as it span whistling -over the ridge. Then loading with swan-shot, which these Bedouins had -never seen, I knocked over a second vulture flying. Fresh screams followed -the marvellous feat; the women exclaimed "Lo! he bringeth down the birds -from heaven;" and one old man, putting his forefinger in his mouth, -praised Allah and prayed to be defended from such a calamity. The effect -was such that I determined always to cany a barrel loaded with shot as the -best answer for all who might object to "Faranj." - -We spent our day in the hut after the normal manner, with a crowd of -woolly-headed Bedouins squatting perseveringly opposite our quarters, -spear in hand, with eyes fixed upon every gesture. Before noon the door- -mat was let down,--a precaution also adopted whenever box or package was -opened,--we drank milk and ate rice with "a kitchen" of Kawurmah. About -midday the crowd retired to sleep; my companions followed their example, -and I took the opportunity of sketching and jotting down notes. [21] Early -in the afternoon the Bedouins returned, and resumed their mute form of -pleading for tobacco: each man, as he received a handful, rose slowly from -his hams and went his way. The senior who disliked the gun was importunate -for a charm to cure his sick camel: having obtained it, he blessed us in a -set speech, which lasted at least half an hour, and concluded with -spitting upon the whole party for good luck. [22] It is always well to -encourage these Nestors; they are regarded with the greatest reverence by -the tribes, who believe that - - "old experience doth attain - To something like prophetic strain;" - -and they can either do great good or cause much petty annoyance. - -In the evening I took my gun, and, accompanied by the End of Time, went -out to search for venison: the plain, however, was full of men and cattle, -and its hidden denizens had migrated. During our walk we visited the tomb -of an Eesa brave. It was about ten feet long, heaped up with granite -pebbles, bits of black basalt, and stones of calcareous lime: two upright -slabs denoted the position of the head and feet, and upon these hung the -deceased's milk-pails, much the worse for sun and wind. Round the grave -was a thin fence of thorns: opposite the single narrow entrance, were -three blocks of stone planted in line, and showing the number of enemies -slain by the brave. [23] Beyond these trophies, a thorn roofing, supported -by four bare poles, served to shade the relatives, when they meet to sit, -feast, weep, and pray. - -The Bedouin funerals and tombs are equally simple. They have no favourite -cemeteries as in Sindh and other Moslem and pastoral lands: men are buried -where they die, and the rarity of the graves scattered about the country -excited my astonishment. The corpse is soon interred. These people, like -most barbarians, have a horror of death and all that reminds them of it: -on several occasions I have been begged to throw away a hut-stick, that -had been used to dig a grave. The bier is a rude framework of poles bound -with ropes of hide. Some tie up the body and plant it in a sitting -posture, to save themselves the trouble of excavating deep: this perhaps -may account for the circular tombs seen in many parts of the country. -Usually the corpse is thrust into a long hole, covered with wood and -matting, and heaped over with earth and thorns, half-protected by an oval -mass of loose stones, and abandoned to the jackals and hyenas. - -We halted a day at Gudingaras, wishing to see the migration of a tribe. -Before dawn, on the 30th November, the Somali Stentor proclaimed from the -ridge-top, "Fetch your camels!--Load your goods!--We march!" About 8 A.M. -we started in the rear. The spectacle was novel to me. Some 150 spearmen, -assisted by their families, were driving before them divisions which, in -total, might amount to 200 cows, 7000 camels, and 11,000 or 12,000 sheep -and goats. Only three wore the Bal or feather, which denotes the brave; -several, however, had the other decoration--an ivory armlet. [24] Assisted -by the boys, whose heads were shaved in a cristated fashion truly -ridiculous, and large pariah dogs with bushy tails, they drove the beasts -and carried the colts, belaboured runaway calves, and held up the hind -legs of struggling sheep. The sick, of whom there were many,--dysentery -being at the time prevalent,--were carried upon camels with their legs -protruding in front from under the hide-cover. Many of the dromedaries -showed the Habr Awal brand [25]: laden with hutting materials and domestic -furniture, they were led by the maidens: the matrons, followed, bearing -their progeny upon their backs, bundled in the shoulder-lappets of cloth -or hide. The smaller girls, who, in addition to the boys' crest, wore a -circlet of curly hair round the head, carried the weakling lambs and kids, -or aided their mammas in transporting the baby. Apparently in great fear -of the "All" or Commando, the Bedouins anxiously inquired if I had my -"fire" with me [26], and begged us to take the post of honour--the van. As -our little party pricked forward, the camels started in alarm, and we were -surprised to find that this tribe did not know the difference between -horses and mules. Whenever the boys lost time in sport or quarrel, they -were threatened by their fathers with the jaws of that ogre, the white -stranger; and the women exclaimed, as they saw us approach, "Here comes -the old man who knows knowledge!" [27] - -Having skirted the sea for two hours, I rode off with the End of Time to -inspect the Dihh Silil [28], a fiumara which runs from the western hills -north-eastwards to the sea. Its course is marked by a long line of -graceful tamarisks, whose vivid green looked doubly bright set off by -tawny stubble and amethyst-blue sky. These freshets are the Edens of Adel. -The banks are charmingly wooded with acacias of many varieties, some -thorned like the fabled Zakkum, others parachute-shaped, and planted in -impenetrable thickets: huge white creepers, snake-shaped, enclasp giant -trees, or connect with their cordage the higher boughs, or depend like -cables from the lower branches to the ground. Luxuriant parasites abound: -here they form domes of flashing green, there they surround with verdure -decayed trunks, and not unfrequently cluster into sylvan bowers, under -which--grateful sight!--appears succulent grass. From the thinner thorns -the bell-shaped nests of the Loxia depend, waving in the breeze, and the -wood resounds with the cries of bright-winged choristers. The torrent-beds -are of the clearest and finest white sand, glittering with gold-coloured -mica, and varied with nodules of clear and milky quartz, red porphyry, and -granites of many hues. Sometimes the centre is occupied by an islet of -torn trees and stones rolled in heaps, supporting a clump of thick jujube -or tall acacia, whilst the lower parts of the beds are overgrown with long -lines of lively green colocynth. [29] Here are usually the wells, -surrounded by heaps of thorns, from which the leaves have been browsed -off, and dwarf sticks that support the water-hide. When the flocks and -herds are absent, troops of gazelles may be seen daintily pacing the -yielding surface; snake trails streak the sand, and at night the fiercer -kind of animals, lions, leopards, and elephants, take their turn. In -Somali-land the well is no place of social meeting; no man lingers to chat -near it, no woman visits it, and the traveller fears to pitch hut where -torrents descend, and where enemies, human and bestial, meet. - -We sat under a tree watching the tribe defile across the water-course: -then remounting, after a ride of two miles, we reached a ground called -Kuranyali [30], upon which the wigwams of the Nomads were already rising. -The parched and treeless stubble lies about eight miles from and 145o S.E. -of Gudingaras; both places are supplied by Angagarri, a well near the sea, -which is so distant that cattle, to return before nightfall, must start -early in the morning. - -My attendants had pitched the Gurgi or hut: the Hammal and Long Guled -were, however, sulky on account of my absence, and the Kalendar appeared -disposed to be mutinous. The End of Time, who never lost an opportunity to -make mischief, whispered in my ear, "Despise thy wife, thy son, and thy -servant, or they despise thee!" The old saw was not wanted, however, to -procure for them a sound scolding. Nothing is worse for the Eastern -traveller than the habit of "sending to Coventry:"--it does away with all -manner of discipline. - -We halted that day at Kuranyali, preparing water and milk for two long -marches over the desert to the hills. Being near the shore, the air was -cloudy, although men prayed for a shower in vain: about midday the -pleasant seabreeze fanned our cheeks, and the plain was thronged with tall -pillars of white sand. [31] - -The heat forbade egress, and our Wigwam was crowded with hungry visitors. -Raghe, urged thereto by his tribe, became importunate, now for tobacco, -then for rice, now for dates, then for provisions in general. No wonder -that the Prophet made his Paradise for the Poor a mere place of eating and -drinking. The half-famished Bedouins, Somal or Arab, think of nothing -beyond the stomach,--their dreams know no higher vision of bliss than mere -repletion. A single article of diet, milk or flesh, palling upon man's -palate, they will greedily suck the stones of eaten dates: yet, Abyssinian -like, they are squeamish and fastidious as regards food. They despise the -excellent fish with which Nature has so plentifully stocked their seas. -[32] "Speak not to me with that mouth which eateth fish!" is a favourite -insult amongst the Bedouins. If you touch a bird or a fowl of any -description, you will be despised even by the starving beggar. You must -not eat marrow or the flesh about the sheep's thigh-bone, especially when -travelling, and the kidneys are called a woman's dish. None but the -Northern Somal will touch the hares which abound in the country, and many -refuse the sand antelope and other kinds of game, not asserting that the -meat is unlawful, but simply alleging a disgust. Those who chew coffee -berries are careful not to place an even number in their mouths, and -camel's milk is never heated, for fear of bewitching the animal. [33] The -Somali, however, differs in one point from his kinsman the Arab: the -latter prides himself upon his temperance; the former, like the North -American Indian, measures manhood by appetite. A "Son of the Somal" is -taught, as soon as his teeth are cut, to devour two pounds of the toughest -mutton, and ask for more: if his powers of deglutition fail, he is derided -as degenerate. - -On the next day (Friday, 1st Dec.) we informed the Abban that we intended -starting early in the afternoon, and therefore warned him to hold himself -and his escort, together with the water and milk necessary for our march, -in readiness. He promised compliance and disappeared. About 3 P.M. the -Bedouins, armed as usual with spear and shield, began to gather round the -hut, and--nothing in this country can be done without that terrible -"palaver!"--the speechifying presently commenced. Raghe, in a lengthy -harangue hoped that the tribe would afford us all the necessary supplies -and assist us in the arduous undertaking. His words elicited no hear! -hear!--there was an evident unwillingness on the part of the wild men to -let us, or rather our cloth and tobacco, depart. One remarked, with surly -emphasis, that he had "seen no good and eaten no Bori [34] from that -caravan, why should he aid it?" When we asked the applauding hearers what -they had done for us, they rejoined by inquiring whose the land was? -Another, smitten by the fair Shehrazade's bulky charms, had proposed -matrimony, and offered as dowry a milch camel: she "temporised," not -daring to return a positive refusal, and the suitor betrayed a certain -Hibernian _velleite_ to consider consent an unimportant part of the -ceremony. The mules had been sent to the well, with orders to return -before noon: at 4 P.M. they were not visible. I then left the hut, and, -sitting on a cow's-hide in the sun, ordered my men to begin loading, -despite the remonstrances of the Abban and the interference of about fifty -Bedouins. As we persisted, they waxed surlier, and declared that all which -was ours became theirs, to whom the land belonged: we did not deny the -claim, but simply threatened sorcery-death, by wild beasts and foraging -parties, to their "camels, children, and women." This brought them to -their senses, the usual effect of such threats; and presently arose the -senior who had spat upon us for luck's sake. With his toothless jaws he -mumbled a vehement speech, and warned the tribe that it was not good to -detain such strangers: they lent ready ears to the words of Nestor, -saying, "Let us obey him, he is near his end!" The mules arrived, but when -I looked for the escort, none was forthcoming. At Zayla it was agreed that -twenty men should protect us across the desert, which is the very passage -of plunder; now, however, five or six paupers offered to accompany us for -a few miles. We politely declined troubling them, but insisted upon the -attendance of our Abban and three of his kindred: as some of the Bedouins -still opposed us, our aged friend once more arose, and by copious abuse -finally silenced them. We took leave of him with many thanks and handfuls -of tobacco, in return for which he blessed us with fervour. Then, mounting -our mules, we set out, followed for at least a mile by a long tail of -howling boys, who, ignorant of clothing, except a string of white beads -round the neck, but armed with dwarf spears, bows, and arrows, showed all -the impudence of baboons. They derided the End of Time's equitation till I -feared a scene;--sailor-like, he prided himself upon graceful -horsemanship, and the imps were touching his tenderest point. - -Hitherto, for the Abban's convenience, we had skirted the sea, far out of -the direct road: now we were to strike south-westwards into the interior. -At 6 P. M. we started across a "Goban" [35] which eternal summer gilds -with a dull ochreish yellow, towards a thin blue strip of hill on the far -horizon. The Somal have no superstitious dread of night and its horrors, -like Arabs and Abyssinians: our Abban, however, showed a wholesome mundane -fear of plundering parties, scorpions, and snakes. [36] I had been careful -to fasten round my ankles the twists of black wool called by the Arabs -Zaal [37], and universally used in Yemen; a stock of garlic and opium, -here held to be specifics, fortified the courage of the party, whose fears -were not wholly ideal, for, in the course of the night, Shehrazade nearly -trod upon a viper. - -At first the plain was a network of holes, the habitations of the Jir Ad -[38], a field rat with ruddy back and white belly, the Mullah or Parson, a -smooth-skinned lizard, and the Dabagalla, a ground squirrel with a -brilliant and glossy coat. As it became dark arose a cheerful moon, -exciting the howlings of the hyenas, the barkings of their attendant -jackals [39], and the chattered oaths of the Hidinhitu bird. [40] Dotted -here and there over the misty landscape, appeared dark clumps of a tree -called "Kullan," a thorn with an edible berry not unlike the jujube, and -banks of silvery mist veiled the far horizon from the sight. - -We marched rapidly and in silence, stopping every quarter of an hour to -raise the camels' loads as they slipped on one side. I had now an -opportunity of seeing how feeble a race is the Somal. My companions on the -line of march wondered at my being able to carry a gun; they could -scarcely support, even whilst riding, the weight of their spears, and -preferred sitting upon them to spare their shoulders. At times they were -obliged to walk because the saddles cut them, then they remounted because -their legs were tired; briefly, an English boy of fourteen would have -shown more bottom than the sturdiest. This cannot arise from poor diet, -for the citizens, who live generously, are yet weaker than the Bedouins; -it is a peculiarity of race. When fatigued they become reckless and -impatient of thirst: on this occasion, though want of water stared us in -the face, one skin of the three was allowed to fall upon the road and -burst, and the second's contents were drunk before we halted. - -At 11 P.M., after marching twelve miles in direct line, we bivouacked upon -the plain. The night breeze from the hills had set in, and my attendants -chattered with cold: Long Guled in particular became stiff as a mummy. -Raghe was clamorous against a fire, which might betray our whereabouts in -the "Bush Inn." But after such a march the pipe was a necessity, and the -point was carried against him. - -After a sound sleep under the moon, we rose at 5 A.M. and loaded the -camels. It was a raw morning. A large nimbus rising from the east obscured -the sun, the line of blue sea was raised like a ridge by refraction, and -the hills, towards which we were journeying, now showed distinct falls and -folds. Troops of Dera or gazelles, herding like goats, stood, stared at -us, turned their white tails, faced away, broke into a long trot, and -bounded over the plain as we approached. A few ostriches appeared, but -they were too shy even for bullet. [41] At 8 P.M. we crossed one of the -numerous drains which intersect this desert--"Biya Hablod," or the Girls' -Water, a fiumara running from south-west to east and north-east. Although -dry, it abounded in the Marer, a tree bearing yellowish red berries full -of viscous juice like green gum,--edible but not nice,--and the brighter -vegetation showed that water was near the surface. About two hours -afterwards, as the sun became oppressive, we unloaded in a water-course, -called by my companions Adad or the Acacia Gum [42]: the distance was -about twenty-five miles, and the direction S. W. 225o of Kuranyali. - -We spread our couches of cowhide in the midst of a green mass of tamarisk -under a tall Kud tree, a bright-leaved thorn, with balls of golden gum -clinging to its boughs, dry berries scattered in its shade, and armies of -ants marching to and from its trunk. All slept upon the soft white sand, -with arms under their hands, for our spoor across the desert was now -unmistakeable. At midday rice was boiled for us by the indefatigable -women, and at 3 P.M. we resumed our march towards the hills, which had -exchanged their shadowy blue for a coat of pronounced brown. Journeying -onwards, we reached the Barragid fiumara, and presently exchanged the -plain for rolling ground covered with the remains of an extinct race, and -probably alluded to by El Makrizi when he records that the Moslems of Adel -had erected, throughout the country, a vast number of mosques and -oratories for Friday and festival prayers. Places of worship appeared in -the shape of parallelograms, unhewed stones piled upon the ground, with a -semicircular niche in the direction of Meccah. The tombs, different from -the heaped form now in fashion, closely resembled the older erections in -the island of Saad El Din, near Zayla--oblong slabs planted deep in the -soil. We also observed frequent hollow rings of rough blocks, circles -measuring about a cubit in diameter: I had not time to excavate them, and -the End of Time could only inform me that they belonged to the "Awwalin," -or olden inhabitants. - -At 7 P.M., as evening was closing in, we came upon the fresh trail of a -large Habr Awal cavalcade. The celebrated footprint seen by Robinson -Crusoe affected him not more powerfully than did this "daaseh" my -companions. The voice of song suddenly became mute. The women drove the -camels hurriedly, and all huddled together, except Raghe, who kept well to -the front ready for a run. Whistling with anger, I asked my attendants -what had slain them: the End of Time, in a hollow voice, replied, "Verily, -0 pilgrim, whoso seeth the track, seeth the foe!" and he quoted in tones -of terror those dreary lines-- - - "Man is but a handful of dust, - And life is a violent storm." - -We certainly were a small party to contend against 200 horsemen,--nine men -and two women: moreover all except the Hammal and Long Guled would -infallibly have fled at the first charge. - -Presently we sighted the trails of sheep and goats, showing the proximity -of a village: their freshness was ascertained by my companions after an -eager scrutiny in the moon's bright beams. About half an hour afterwards, -rough ravines with sharp and thorny descents warned us that we had -exchanged the dangerous plain for a place of safety where horsemen rarely -venture. Raghe, not admiring the "open," hurried us onward, in hope of -reaching some kraal. At 8 P.M., however, seeing the poor women lamed with -thorns, and the camels casting themselves upon the ground, I resolved to -halt. Despite all objections, we lighted a fire, finished our store of bad -milk--the water had long ago been exhausted--and lay down in the cold, -clear air, covering ourselves with hides and holding our weapons. - -At 6 A.M. we resumed our ride over rough stony ground, the thorns tearing -our feet and naked legs, and the camels slipping over the rounded waste of -drift pebbles. The Bedouins, with ears applied to the earth, listened for -a village, but heard none. Suddenly we saw two strangers, and presently we -came upon an Eesa kraal. It was situated in a deep ravine, called Damal, -backed by a broad and hollow Fiumara at the foot of the hills, running -from west to east, and surrounded by lofty trees, upon which brown kites, -black vultures, and percnopters like flakes of snow were mewing. We had -marched over a winding path about eleven miles from, and in a south-west -direction (205o) of, Adad. Painful thoughts suggested themselves: in -consequence of wandering southwards, only six had been taken off thirty -stages by the labours of seven days. - -As usual in Eastern Africa, we did not enter the kraal uninvited, but -unloosed and pitched the wigwam under a tree outside. Presently the elders -appeared bringing, with soft speeches, sweet water, new milk, fat sheep -and goats, for which they demanded a Tobe of Cutch canvass. We passed with -them a quiet luxurious day of coffee and pipes, fresh cream and roasted -mutton: after the plain-heats we enjoyed the cool breeze of the hills, the -cloudy sky, and the verdure of the glades, made doubly green by comparison -with the parched stubbles below. - -The Eesa, here mixed with the Gudabirsi, have little power: we found them -poor and proportionally importunate. The men, wild-looking as open mouths, -staring eyes, and tangled hair could make them, gazed with extreme -eagerness upon my scarlet blanket: for very shame they did not beg it, but -the inviting texture was pulled and fingered by the greasy multitude. We -closed the hut whenever a valuable was produced, but eager eyes peeped -through every cranny, till the End of Time ejaculated "Praised be Allah!" -[43] and quoted the Arab saying, "Show not the Somal thy door, and if he -find it, block it up!" The women and children were clad in chocolate- -coloured hides, fringed at the tops: to gratify them I shot a few hawks, -and was rewarded with loud exclamations,--"Allah preserve thy hand!"--"May -thy skill never fail thee before the foe!" A crone seeing me smoke, -inquired if the fire did not burn: I handed my pipe, which nearly choked -her, and she ran away from a steaming kettle, thinking it a weapon. As my -companions observed, there was not a "Miskal of sense in a Maund of -heads:" yet the people looked upon my sun-burnt skin with a favour they -denied to the "lime-white face." - -I was anxious to proceed in the afternoon, but Raghe had arrived at the -frontier of his tribe: he had blood to settle amongst the Gudabirsi, and -without a protector he could not enter their lands. At night we slept -armed on account of the lions that infest the hills, and our huts were -surrounded with a thorn fence--a precaution here first adopted, and never -afterwards neglected. Early on the morning of the 4th of December heavy -clouds rolled down from the mountains, and a Scotch mist deepened into a -shower: our new Abban had not arrived, and the hut-mats, saturated with -rain, had become too heavy for the camels to carry. - -In the forenoon the Eesa kraal, loading their Asses [44], set out towards -the plain. This migration presented no new features, except that several -sick and decrepid were barbarously left behind, for lions and hyaenas to -devour. [45] To deceive "warhawks" who might be on the lookout, the -migrators set fire to logs of wood and masses of sheep's earth, which, -even in rain, will smoke and smoulder for weeks. - -About midday arrived the two Gudabirsi who intended escorting us to the -village of our Abbans. The elder, Rirash, was a black-skinned, wild- -looking fellow, with a shock head of hair and a deep scowl which belied -his good temper and warm heart: the other was a dun-faced youth betrothed -to Raghe's daughter. They both belonged to the Mahadasan clan, and -commenced operations by an obstinate attempt to lead us far out of our way -eastwards. The pretext was the defenceless state of their flocks and -herds, the real reason an itching for cloth and tobacco. We resisted -manfully this time, nerved by the memory of wasted days, and, despite -their declarations of Absi [46], we determined upon making westward for -the hills. - -At 2 P.M. the caravan started along the Fiumara course in rear of the -deserted kraal, and after an hour's ascent Rirash informed us that a well -was near. The Hammal and I, taking two water skins, urged our mules over -stones and thorny ground: presently we arrived at a rocky ravine, where, -surrounded by brambles, rude walls, and tough frame works, lay the wells-- -three or four holes sunk ten feet deep in the limestone. Whilst we bathed -in the sulphureous spring, which at once discolored my silver ring, -Rirash, baling up the water in his shield, filled the bags and bound them -to the saddles. In haste we rejoined the caravan, which we found about -sunset, halted by the vain fears of the guides. The ridge upon which they -stood was a mass of old mosques and groves, showing that in former days a -thick population tenanted these hills: from the summit appeared distant -herds of kine and white flocks scattered like patches of mountain quartz. -Riding in advance, we traversed the stony ridge, fell into another ravine, -and soon saw signs of human life. A shepherd descried us from afar and ran -away reckless of property; causing the End of Time to roll his head with -dignity, and to ejaculate, "Of a truth said the Prophet of Allah, 'fear is -divided.'" Presently we fell in with a village, from which the people -rushed out, some exclaiming, "Lo! let us look at the kings!" others, -"Come, see the white man, he is governor of Zayla!" I objected to such -dignity, principally on account of its price: my companions, however, were -inexorable; they would be Salatin--kings--and my colour was against claims -to low degree. This fairness, and the Arab dress, made me at different -times the ruler of Aden, the chief of Zayla, the Hajj's son, a boy, an old -woman, a man painted white, a warrior in silver armour, a merchant, a -pilgrim, a hedgepriest, Ahmed the Indian, a Turk, an Egyptian, a -Frenchman, a Banyan, a sherif, and lastly a Calamity sent down from heaven -to weary out the lives of the Somal: every kraal had some conjecture of -its own, and each fresh theory was received by my companions with roars of -laughter. - -As the Gudabirsi pursued us with shouts for tobacco and cries of wonder, I -dispersed them with a gun-shot: the women and children fled precipitately -from the horrid sound, and the men, covering their heads with their -shields, threw themselves face foremost upon the ground. Pursuing the -Fiumara course, we passed a number of kraals, whose inhabitants were -equally vociferous: out of one came a Zayla man, who informed us that the -Gudabirsi Abbans, to whom we bore Sharmarkay's letter of introduction, -were encamped within three days' march. It was reported, however, that a -quarrel had broken out between them and the Gerad Adan, their brother-in- -law; no pleasant news!--in Africa, under such circumstances, it is -customary for friends to detain, and for foes to oppose, the traveller. We -rode stoutly on, till the air darkened and the moon tipped the distant -hill peaks with a dim mysterious light. I then called a halt: we unloaded -on the banks of the Darkaynlay fiumara, so called from a tree which -contains a fiery milk, fenced ourselves in,--taking care to avoid being -trampled upon by startled camels during our sleep, by securing them in a -separate but neighbouring inclosure,--spread our couches, ate our frugal -suppers, and lost no time in falling asleep. We had travelled five hours -that day, but the path was winding, and our progress in a straight line -was at most eight miles. - -And now, dear L., being about to quit the land of the Eesa, I will sketch -the tribe. - -The Eesa, probably the most powerful branch of the Somali nation, extends -northwards to the Wayma family of the Dankali; southwards to the -Gudabirsi, and midway between Zayla and Berberah; eastwards it is bounded -by the sea, and westwards by the Gallas around Harar. It derives itself -from Dirr and Aydur, without, however, knowing aught beyond the ancestral -names, and is twitted with paganism by its enemies. This tribe, said to -number 100,000 shields, is divided into numerous clans [47]: these again -split up into minor septs [48] which plunder, and sometimes murder, one -another in time of peace. - -A fierce and turbulent race of republicans, the Eesa own nominal -allegiance to a Ugaz or chief residing in the Hadagali hills. He is -generally called "Roblay"--Prince Rainy,--the name or rather title being -one of good omen, for a drought here, like a dinner in Europe, justifies -the change of a dynasty. Every kraal has its Oddai (shaikh or head man,) -after whose name the settlement, as in Sindh and other pastoral lands, is -called. He is obeyed only when his orders suit the taste of King Demos, is -always superior to his fellows in wealth of cattle, sometimes in talent -and eloquence, and in deliberations he is assisted by the Wail or Akill-- -the Peetzo-council of Southern Africa--Elders obeyed on account of their -age. Despite, however, this apparatus of rule, the Bedouins have lost none -of the characteristics recorded in the Periplus: they are still -"uncivilised and under no restraint." Every freeborn man holds himself -equal to his ruler, and allows no royalties or prerogatives to abridge his -birthright of liberty. [49] Yet I have observed, that with all their -passion for independence, the Somal, when subject to strict rule as at -Zayla and Harar, are both apt to discipline and subservient to command. - -In character, the Eesa are childish and docile, cunning, and deficient in -judgment, kind and fickle, good-humoured and irascible, warm-hearted, and -infamous for cruelty and treachery. Even the protector will slay his -protege, and citizens married to Eesa girls send their wives to buy goats -and sheep from, but will not trust themselves amongst, their connexions. -"Traitorous as an Eesa," is a proverb at Zayla, where the people tell you -that these Bedouins with the left hand offer a bowl of milk, and stab with -the right. "Conscience," I may observe, does not exist in Eastern Africa, -and "Repentance" expresses regret for missed opportunities of mortal -crime. Robbery constitutes an honorable man: murder--the more atrocious -the midnight crime the better--makes the hero. Honor consists in taking -human life: hyaena-like, the Bedouins cannot be trusted where blood may be -shed: Glory is the having done all manner of harm. Yet the Eesa have their -good points: they are not noted liars, and will rarely perjure themselves: -they look down upon petty pilfering without violence, and they are -generous and hospitable compared with the other Somal. Personally, I had -no reason to complain of them. They were importunate beggars, but a pinch -of snuff or a handful of tobacco always made us friends: they begged me to -settle amongst them, they offered me sundry wives and,--the Somali -Bedouin, unlike the Arab, readily affiliates strangers to his tribe--they -declared that after a few days' residence, I should become one of -themselves. - -In appearance, the Eesa are distinguished from other Somal by blackness, -ugliness of feature, and premature baldness of the temples; they also -shave, or rather scrape off with their daggers, the hair high up the nape -of the neck. The locks are dyed dun, frizzled, and greased; the Widads or -learned men remove them, and none but paupers leave them in their natural -state; the mustachios are clipped close, the straggling whisker is -carefully plucked, and the pile--erroneously considered impure--is removed -either by vellication, or by passing the limbs through the fire. The eyes -of the Bedouins, also, are less prominent than those of the citizens: the -brow projects in pent-house fashion, and the organ, exposed to bright -light, and accustomed to gaze at distant objects, acquires more -concentration and power. I have seen amongst them handsome profiles, and -some of the girls have fine figures with piquant if not pretty features. - -Flocks and herds form the true wealth of the Eesa. According to them, -sheep and goats are of silver, and the cow of gold: they compare camels to -the rock, and believe, like most Moslems, the horse to have been created -from the wind. Their diet depends upon the season. In hot weather, when -forage and milk dry up, the flocks are slaughtered, and supply excellent -mutton; during the monsoon men become fat, by drinking all day long the -produce of their cattle. In the latter article of diet, the Eesa are -delicate and curious: they prefer cow's milk, then the goat's, and lastly -the ewe's, which the Arab loves best: the first is drunk fresh, and the -two latter clotted, whilst the camel's is slightly soured. The townspeople -use camel's milk medicinally: according to the Bedouins, he who lives on -this beverage, and eats the meat for forty-four consecutive days, acquires -the animal's strength. It has perhaps less "body" than any other milk, and -is deliciously sweet shortly after foaling: presently it loses flavour, -and nothing can be more nauseous than the produce of an old camel. The -Somal have a name for cream--"Laben"--but they make no use of the article, -churning it with the rest of the milk. They have no buffaloes, shudder at -the Tartar idea of mare's-milk, like the Arabs hold the name Labban [50] a -disgrace, and make it a point of honor not to draw supplies from their -cattle during the day. - -The life led by these wild people is necessarily monotonous. They rest but -little--from 11 P.M. till dawn--and never sleep in the bush, for fear of -plundering parties, Few begin the day with prayer as Moslems should: for -the most part they apply themselves to counting and milking their cattle. -The animals, all of which have names [51], come when called to the pail, -and supply the family with a morning meal. Then the warriors, grasping -their spears, and sometimes the young women armed only with staves, drive -their herds to pasture: the matrons and children, spinning or rope-making, -tend the flocks, and the kraal is abandoned to the very young, the old, -and the sick. The herdsmen wander about, watching the cattle and tasting -nothing but the pure element or a pinch of coarse tobacco. Sometimes they -play at Shahh, Shantarah, and other games, of which they are passionately -fond: with a board formed of lines traced in the sand, and bits of dry -wood or camel's earth acting pieces, they spend hour after hour, every -looker-on vociferating his opinion, and catching at the men, till -apparently the two players are those least interested in the game. Or, to -drive off sleep, they sit whistling to their flocks, or they perform upon -the Forimo, a reed pipe generally made at Harar, which has a plaintive -sound uncommonly pleasing. [52] In the evening, the kraal again resounds -with lowing and bleating: the camel's milk is all drunk, the cow's and -goat's reserved for butter and ghee, which the women prepare; the numbers -are once more counted, and the animals are carefully penned up for the -night. This simple life is varied by an occasional birth and marriage, -dance and foray, disease and murder. Their maladies are few and simple -[53]; death generally comes by the spear, and the Bedouin is naturally -long-lived. I have seen Macrobians hale and strong, preserving their -powers and faculties in spite of eighty and ninety years. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] By this route the Mukattib or courier travels on foot from Zayla to -Harar in five days at the most. The Somal reckon their journeys by the -Gedi or march, the Arab "Hamleh," which varies from four to five hours. -They begin before dawn and halt at about 11 A.M., the time of the morning -meal. When a second march is made they load at 3 P.M. and advance till -dark; thus fifteen miles would be the average of fast travelling. In -places of danger they will cover twenty-six or twenty-seven miles of -ground without halting to eat or rest: nothing less, however, than regard -for "dear life" can engender such activity. Generally two or three hours' -work per diem is considered sufficient; and, where provisions abound, -halts are long and frequent. - -[2] The Mikahil is a clan of the Habr Awal tribe living near Berberah, and -celebrated for their bloodthirsty and butchering propensities. Many of the -Midgan or serviles (a term explained in Chap. II.) are domesticated -amongst them. - -[3] So the Abyssinian chief informed M. Krapf that he loved the French, -but could not endure us--simply the effect of manner. - -[4] The first is the name of the individual; the second is that of her -father. - -[5] This delicate operation is called by the Arabs Daasah (whence the -"Dosch ceremony" at Cairo). It is used over most parts of the Eastern -world as a remedy for sickness and fatigue, and is generally preferred to -Takbis or Dugmo, the common style of shampooing, which, say many Easterns, -loosens the skin. - -[6] The Somal, from habit, enjoy no other variety; they even showed -disgust at my Latakia. Tobacco is grown in some places by the Gudabirsi -and other tribes; bat it is rare and bad. Without this article it would be -impossible to progress in East Africa; every man asks for a handful, and -many will not return milk for what they expect to receive as a gift. Their -importunity reminds the traveller of the Galloway beggars some generations -ago:--"They are for the most part great chewers of tobacco, and are so -addicted to it, that they will ask for a piece thereof from a stranger as -he is riding on his way; and therefore let not a traveller want an ounce -or two of roll tobacco in his pocket, and for an inch or two thereof he -need not fear the want of a guide by day or night." - -[7] Flesh boiled in large slices, sun-dried, broken to pieces and fried in -ghee. - -[8] The Bahr Assal or Salt Lake, near Tajurrah, annually sends into the -interior thousands of little matted parcels containing this necessary. -Inland, the Bedouins will rub a piece upon the tongue before eating, or -pass about a lump, as the Dutch did with sugar in the last war; at Harar a -donkey-load is the price of a slave; and the Abyssinians say of a -_millionaire_ "he eateth salt." - -[9] The element found upon the maritime plain is salt or brackish. There -is nothing concerning which the African traveller should be so particular -as water; bitter with nitre, and full of organic matter, it causes all -those dysenteric diseases which have made research in this part of the -world a Upas tree to the discoverer. Pocket filters are invaluable. The -water of wells should be boiled and passed through charcoal; and even then -it might be mixed to a good purpose with a few drops of proof spirit. The -Somal generally carry their store in large wickerwork pails. I preferred -skins, as more portable and less likely to taint the water. - -[10] Here, as in Arabia, boxes should be avoided, the Bedouins always -believe them to contain treasures. Day after day I have been obliged to -display the contents to crowds of savages, who amused themselves by -lifting up the case with loud cries of "hoo! hoo!! hoo!!!" (the popular -exclamation of astonishment), and by speculating upon the probable amount -of dollars contained therein. - -[11] The following list of my expenses may perhaps be useful to future -travellers. It must be observed that, had the whole outfit been purchased -at Aden, a considerable saving would have resulted:-- - - Cos. Rs. - Passage money from Aden to Zayla............................ 33 - Presents at Zayla...........................................100 - Price of four mules with saddles and bridles................225 - Price of four camels........................................ 88 - Provisions (tobacco, rice, dates &c.) for three months......428 - Price of 150 Tobes..........................................357 - Nine pieces of indigo-dyed cotton........................... 16 - Minor expenses (cowhides for camels, mats for tents, - presents to Arabs, a box of beads, three handsome - Abyssinian Tobes bought for chiefs).....................166 - Expenses at Berberah, and passage back to Aden.............. 77 - ---- - Total Cos. Rs. 1490 = L149 - ==== - -[12] I shall frequently use Somali terms, not to display my scanty -knowledge of the dialect, but because they perchance may prove serviceable -to my successors. - -[13] The Somal always "side-line" their horses and mules with stout stiff -leathern thongs provided with loops and wooden buttons; we found them upon -the whole safer than lariats or tethers. - -[14] Arabs hate "El Sifr" or whistling, which they hold to be the chit- -chat of the Jinns. Some say that the musician's mouth is not to be -purified for forty days; others that Satan, touching a man's person, -causes him to produce the offensive sound. The Hejazis objected to -Burckhardt that he could not help talking to devils, and walking about the -room like an unquiet spirit. The Somali has no such prejudice. Like the -Kafir of the Cape, he passes his day whistling to his flocks and herds; -moreover, he makes signals by changing the note, and is skilful in -imitating the song of birds. - -[15] In this country camels foal either in the Gugi (monsoon), or during -the cold season immediately after the autumnal rains. - -[16] The shepherd's staff is a straight stick about six feet long, with a -crook at one end, and at the other a fork to act as a rake. - -[17] These utensils will be described in a future chapter. - -[18] The settled Somal have a holy horror of dogs, and, Wahhabi-like, -treat man's faithful slave most cruelly. The wild people are more humane; -they pay two ewes for a good colley, and demand a two-year-old sheep as -"diyat" or blood-money for the animal, if killed. - -[19] Vultures and percnopters lie upon the wing waiting for the garbage of -the kraals; consequently they are rare near the cow-villages, where -animals are not often killed. - -[20] They apply this term to all but themselves; an Indian trader who had -travelled to Harar, complained to me that he had always been called a -Frank by the Bedouins in consequence of his wearing Shalwar or drawers. - -[21] Generally it is not dangerous to write before these Bedouins, as they -only suspect account-keeping, and none but the educated recognise a -sketch. The traveller, however, must be on his guard: in the remotest -villages he will meet Somal who have returned to savage life after -visiting the Sea-board, Arabia, and possibly India or Egypt. - -[22] I have often observed this ceremony performed upon a new turban or -other article of attire; possibly it may be intended as a mark of -contempt, assumed to blind the evil eye. - -[23] Such is the general form of the Somali grave. Sometimes two stumps of -wood take the place of the upright stones at the head and foot, and around -one grave I counted twenty trophies. - -[24] Some braves wear above the right elbow an ivory armlet called Fol or -Aj: in the south this denotes the elephant-slayer. Other Eesa clans assert -their warriorhood by small disks of white stone, fashioned like rings, and -fitted upon the little finger of the left hand. Others bind a bit of red -cloth round the brow. - -[25] It is sufficient for a Bedouin to look at the general appearance of -an animal; he at once recognises the breed. Each clan, however, in this -part of Eastern Africa has its own mark. - -[26] They found no better word than "fire" to denote my gun. - -[27] "Oddai", an old man, corresponds with the Arab Shaykh in etymology. -The Somal, however, give the name to men of all ages after marriage. - -[28] The "Dihh" is the Arab "Wady",--a fiumara or freshet. "Webbe" (Obbay, -Abbai, &c.) is a large river; "Durdur", a running stream. - -[29] I saw these Dihhs only in the dry season; at times the torrent must -be violent, cutting ten or twelve feet deep into the plain. - -[30] The name is derived from Kuranyo, an ant: it means the "place of -ants," and is so called from the abundance of a tree which attracts them. - -[31] The Arabs call these pillars "Devils," the Somal "Sigo." - -[32] The Cape Kafirs have the same prejudice against fish, comparing its -flesh, to that of serpents. In some points their squeamishness resembles -that of the Somal: he, for instance, who tastes the Rhinoceros Simus is at -once dubbed "Om Fogazan" or outcast. - -[33] This superstition may have arisen from the peculiarity that the -camel's milk, however fresh, if placed upon the fire, breaks like some -cows' milk. - -[34] "Bori" in Southern Arabia popularly means a water-pipe: here it is -used for tobacco. - -[35] "Goban" is the low maritime plain lying below the "Bor" or Ghauts, -and opposed to Ogu, the table-land above. "Ban" is an elevated grassy -prairie, where few trees grow; "Dir," a small jungle, called Haija by the -Arabs; and Khain is a forest or thick bush. "Bor," is a mountain, rock, or -hill: a stony precipice is called "Jar," and the high clay banks of a -ravine "Gebi." - -[36] Snakes are rare in the cities, but abound in the wilds of Eastern -Africa, and are dangerous to night travellers, though seldom seen by day. -To kill a serpent is considered by the Bedouins almost as meritorious as -to slay an Infidel. The Somal have many names for the reptile tribe. The -Subhanyo, a kind of whipsnake, and a large yellow rock snake called Got, -are little feared. The Abesi (in Arabic el Hayyeh,--the Cobra) is so -venomous that it kills the camel; the Mas or Hanash, and a long black -snake called Jilbis, are considered equally dangerous. Serpents are in -Somali-land the subject of many superstitions. One horn of the Cerastes, -for instance, contains a deadly poison: the other, pounded and drawn -across the eye, makes man a seer and reveals to him the treasures of the -earth. There is a flying snake which hoards precious stones, and is -attended by a hundred guards: a Somali horseman once, it is said, carried -away a jewel; he was pursued by a reptile army, and although he escaped to -his tribe, the importunity of the former proprietors was so great that the -plunder was eventually restored to them. Centipedes are little feared; -their venom leads to inconveniences more ridiculous than dangerous. -Scorpions, especially the large yellow variety, are formidable in hot -weather: I can speak of the sting from experience. The first symptom is a -sensation of nausea, and the pain shoots up after a few minutes to the -groin, causing a swelling accompanied by burning and throbbing, which last -about twelve hours. The Somal bandage above the wound and wait patiently -till the effect subsides. - -[37] These are tightened in case of accident, and act as superior -ligatures. I should, however, advise every traveller in these regions to -provide himself with a pneumatic pump, and not to place his trust in Zaal, -garlic, or opium. - -[38] The grey rat is called by the Somal "Baradublay:" in Eastern Africa -it is a minor plague, after India and Arabia, where, neglecting to sleep -in boots, I have sometimes been lamed for a week by their venomous bites. - -[39] In this country the jackal attends not upon the lion, but the Waraba. -His morning cry is taken as an omen of good or evil according to the note. - -[40] Of this bird, a red and long-legged plover, the Somal tell the -following legend. Originally her diet was meat, and her society birds of -prey: one night, however, her companions having devoured all the -provisions whilst she slept, she swore never to fly with friends, never to -eat flesh, and never to rest during the hours of darkness. When she sees -anything in the dark she repeat her oaths, and, according to the Somal, -keeps careful watch all night. There is a larger variety of this bird, -which, purblind daring daytime, rises from under the traveller's feet with -loud cries. The Somal have superstitions similar to that above noticed -about several kinds of birds. When the cry of the "Galu" (so called from -his note Gal! Gal! come in! come in!) is heard over a kraal, the people -say, "Let us leave this place, the Galu hath spoken!" At night they listen -for the Fin, also an ill-omened bird: when a man declares "the Fin did not -sleep last night," it is considered advisable to shift ground. - -[41] Throughout this country ostriches are exceedingly wild: the Rev. Mr. -Erhardt, of the Mombas Mission, informs me that they are equally so -farther south. The Somal stalk them during the day with camels, and kill -them with poisoned arrows. It is said that about 3 P.M. the birds leave -their feeding places, and traverse long distances to roost: the people -assert that they are blind at night, and rise up under the pursuer's feet. - -[42] Several Acacias afford gums, which the Bedouins eat greedily to -strengthen themselves. The town's people declare that the food produces -nothing but flatulence. - -[43] "Subhan' Allah!" an exclamation of pettishness or displeasure. - -[44] The hills not abounding in camels, like the maritime regions, asses -become the principal means of transport. - -[45] This barbarous practice is generally carried out in cases of small- -pox where contagion is feared. - -[46] Fear--danger; it is a word which haunts the traveller in Somali-land. - -[47] The Somali Tol or Tul corresponds with the Arabic Kabilah, a tribe: -under it is the Kola or Jilib (Ar. Fakhizah), a clan. "Gob," is synonymous -with the Arabic Kabail, "men of family," opposed to "Gum," the caste-less. -In the following pages I shall speak of the Somali _nation_, the Eesa -tribe, the Rer Musa _clan_, and the Rer Galan _sept_, though by no means -sure that such verbal gradation is generally recognised. - -[48] The Eesa, for instance, are divided into-- - - 1. Rer Wardik (the royal clan). 6. Rer Hurroni. - 2. Rer Abdullah. 7. Rer Urwena. - 3. Rer Musa. 8. Rer Furlabah. - 4. Rer Mummasan. 9. Rer Gada. - 5. Rer Guleni. 10. Rer Ali Addah. - -These are again subdivided: the Rer Musa (numbering half the Eesa), split -up, for instance, into-- - - 1. Rer Galan. 4. Rer Dubbah. - 2. Rer Harlah. 5. Rer Kul. - 3. Rer Gadishah. 6. Rer Gedi. - -[49] Traces of this turbulent equality may be found amongst the slavish -Kafirs in general meetings of the tribe, on the occasion of harvest home, -when the chief who at other times destroys hundreds by a gesture, is -abused and treated with contempt by the youngest warrior. - -[50] "Milk-seller." - -[51] For instance, Anfarr, the "Spotted;" Tarren, "Wheat-flour;" &c. &c. - -[52] It is used by the northern people, the Abyssinians, Gallas, Adail, -Eesa and Gudabirsi; the southern Somal ignore it. - -[53] The most dangerous disease is small-pox, which history traces to -Eastern Abyssinia, where it still becomes at times a violent epidemic, -sweeping off its thousands. The patient, if a man of note, is placed upon -the sand, and fed with rice or millet bread till he recovers or dies. The -chicken-pox kills many infants; they are treated by bathing in the fresh -blood of a sheep, covered with the skin, and exposed to the sun. Smoke and -glare, dirt and flies, cold winds and naked extremities, cause ophthalmia, -especially in the hills; this disease rarely blinds any save the citizens, -and no remedy is known. Dysentery is cured by rice and sour milk, patients -also drink clarified cows' butter; and in bad cases the stomach is -cauterized, fire and disease, according to the Somal, never coexisting. -Haemorroids, when dry, are reduced by a stick used as a bougie and allowed -to remain in loco all night. Sometimes the part affected is cupped with a -horn and knife, or a leech performs excision. The diet is camels' or -goats' flesh and milk; clarified butter and Bussorab dates--rice and -mutton are carefully avoided. For a certain local disease, they use senna -or colocynth, anoint the body with sulphur boiled in ghee, and expose it -to the sun, or they leave the patient all night in the dew;--abstinence -and perspiration generally effect a cure. For the minor form, the -afflicted drink the melted fat of a sheep's tail. Consumption is a family -complaint, and therefore considered incurable; to use the Somali -expression, they address the patient with "Allah, have mercy upon thee!" -not with "Allah cure thee!" - -There are leeches who have secret simples for curing wounds. Generally the -blood is squeezed out, the place is washed with water, the lips are sewn -up and a dressing of astringent leaves is applied. They have splints for -fractures, and they can reduce dislocations. A medical friend at Aden -partially dislocated his knee, which half-a-dozen of the faculty insisted -upon treating as a sprain. Of all his tortures none was more severe than -that inflicted by my Somali visitors. They would look at him, distinguish -the complaint, ask him how long he had been invalided, and hearing the -reply--four months--would break into exclamations of wonder. "In our -country," they cried, "when a man falls, two pull his body and two his -legs, then they tie sticks round it, give him plenty of camel's milk, and -he is well in a month;" a speech which made friend S. groan in spirit. - -Firing and clarified butter are the farrier's panaceas. Camels are cured -by sheep's head broth, asses by chopping one ear, mules by cutting off the -tail, and horses by ghee or a drench of melted fat. - - - - -CHAP. VI. - -FROM THE ZAYLA HILLS TO THE MARAR PRAIRIE. - - -I have now, dear L., quitted the maritime plain or first zone, to enter -the Ghauts, that threshold of the Ethiopian highlands which, beginning at -Tajurrah, sweeps in semicircle round the bay of Zayla, and falls about -Berberah into the range of mountains which fringes the bold Somali coast. -This chain has been inhabited, within History's memory, by three distinct -races,--the Gallas, the ancient Moslems of Adel, and by the modern Somal. -As usual, however, in the East, it has no general vernacular name. [1] - -The aspect of these Ghauts is picturesque. The primitive base consists of -micaceous granite, with veins of porphyry and dykes of the purest white -quartz: above lie strata of sandstone and lime, here dun, there yellow, or -of a dull grey, often curiously contorted and washed clear of vegetable -soil by the heavy monsoon. On these heights, which are mostly conoid with -rounded tops, joined by ridges and saddlebacks, various kinds of Acacia -cast a pallid and sickly green, like the olive tree upon the hills of -Provence. They are barren in the cold season, and the Nomads migrate to -the plains: when the monsoon covers them with rich pastures, the people -revisit their deserted kraals. The Kloofs or ravines are the most -remarkable features of this country: in some places the sides rise -perpendicularly, like gigantic walls, the breadth varying from one hundred -yards to half a mile; in others cliffs and scaurs, sapped at their -foundations, encumber the bed, and not unfrequently a broad band of white -sand stretches between two fringes of emerald green, delightful to look -upon after the bare and ghastly basalt of Southern Arabia. The Jujube -grows to a height already betraying signs of African luxuriance: through -its foliage flit birds, gaudy-coloured as kingfishers, of vivid red, -yellow, and changing-green. I remarked a long-tailed jay called Gobiyan or -Fat [2], russet-hued ringdoves, the modest honey-bird, corn quails, -canary-coloured finches, sparrows gay as those of Surinam, humming-birds -with a plume of metallic lustre, and especially a white-eyed kind of -maina, called by the Somal, Shimbir Load or the cow-bird. The Armo-creeper -[3], with large fleshy leaves, pale green, red, or crimson, and clusters -of bright berries like purple grapes, forms a conspicuous ornament in the -valleys. There is a great variety of the Cactus tribe, some growing to the -height of thirty and thirty-five feet: of these one was particularly -pointed out to me. The vulgar Somal call it Guraato, the more learned -Shajarat el Zakkum: it is the mandrake of these regions, and the round -excrescences upon the summits of its fleshy arms are supposed to resemble -men's heads and faces. On Tuesday the 5th December we arose at 6 A.M., -after a night so dewy that our clothes were drenched, and we began to -ascend the Wady Darkaynlay, which winds from east to south. After an -hour's march appeared a small cairn of rough stones, called Siyaro, or -Mazar [4], to which each person, in token of honor, added his quotum. The -Abban opined that Auliya or holy men had sat there, but the End of Time -more sagaciously conjectured that it was the site of some Galla idol or -superstitious rite. Presently we came upon the hills of the White Ant [5], -a characteristic feature in this part of Africa. Here the land has the -appearance of a Turkish cemetery on a grand scale: there it seems like a -city in ruins: in some places the pillars are truncated into a resemblance -to bee-hives, in others they cluster together, suggesting the idea of a -portico; whilst many of them, veiled by trees, and overrun with gay -creepers, look like the remains of sylvan altars. Generally the hills are -conical, and vary in height from four to twelve feet: they are counted by -hundreds, and the Somal account for the number by declaring that the -insects abandon their home when dry, and commence building another. The -older erections are worn away, by wind and rain, to a thin tapering spire, -and are frequently hollowed and arched beneath by rats and ground -squirrels. The substance, fine yellow mud, glued by the secretions of the -ant, is hard to break: it is pierced, sieve-like, by a network of tiny -shafts. I saw these hills for the first time in the Wady Darkaynlay: in -the interior they are larger and longer than near the maritime regions. - -We travelled up the Fiumara in a southerly direction till 8 A.M., when the -guides led us away from the bed. They anticipated meeting Gudabirsis: -pallid with fear, they also trembled with cold and hunger. Anxious -consultations were held. One man, Ali--surnamed "Doso," because he did -nothing but eat, drink, and stand over the fire--determined to leave us: -as, however, he had received a Tobe for pay, we put a veto upon that -proceeding. After a march of two hours, over ground so winding that we had -not covered more than three miles, our guides halted under a tree, near a -deserted kraal, at a place called El Armo, the "Armo-creeper water," or -more facetiously Dabadalashay: from Damal it bore S. W. 190o. One of our -Bedouins, mounting a mule, rode forward to gather intelligence, and bring -back a skin full of water. I asked the End of Time what they expected to -hear: he replied with the proverb "News liveth!" The Somali Bedouins have -a passion for knowing how the world wags. In some of the more desert -regions the whole population of a village will follow the wanderer. No -traveller ever passes a kraal without planting spear in the ground, and -demanding answers to a lengthened string of queries: rather than miss -intelligence he will inquire of a woman. Thus it is that news flies -through the country. Among the wild Gudabirsi the Russian war was a topic -of interest, and at Harar I heard of a violent storm, which had damaged -the shipping in Bombay Harbour, but a few weeks after the event. - -The Bedouin returned with an empty skin but a full budget. I will offer -you, dear L., a specimen of the "palaver" [6] which is supposed to prove -the aphorism that all barbarians are orators. Demosthenes leisurely -dismounts, advances, stands for a moment cross-legged--the favourite -posture in this region--supporting each hand with a spear planted in the -ground: thence he slips to squat, looks around, ejects saliva, shifts his -quid to behind his ear, places his weapons before him, takes up a bit of -stick, and traces lines which he carefully smooths away--it being ill- -omened to mark the earth. The listeners sit gravely in a semicircle upon -their heels, with their spears, from whose bright heads flashes a ring of -troubled light, planted upright, and look stedfastly on his countenance -over the upper edges of their shields with eyes apparently planted, like -those of the Blemmyes, in their breasts. When the moment for delivery is -come, the head man inquires, "What is the news?" The informant would -communicate the important fact that he has been to the well: he proceeds -as follows, noting emphasis by raising his voice, at times about six -notes, and often violently striking at the ground in front. - -"It is good news, if Allah please!" - -"Wa Sidda!"--Even so! respond the listeners, intoning or rather groaning -the response. - -"I mounted mule this morning:" - -"Even so!" - -"I departed from ye riding." - -"Even so!" - -"_There_" (with a scream and pointing out the direction with a stick). - -"Even so!" - -"_There_ I went." - -"Even so!" - -"I threaded the wood." - -"Even so!" - -"I traversed the sands." - -"Even so!" - -"I feared nothing." - -"Even so!" - -"At last I came upon cattle tracks." - -"Hoo! hoo!! hoo!!!" (an ominous pause follows this exclamation of -astonishment.) - -"They were fresh." - -"Even so!" - -"So were the earths." - -"Even so!" - -"I distinguished the feet of women." - -"Even so!" - -"But there were no camels." - -"Even so!" - -"At last I saw sticks"-- - -"Even so!" - -"Stones"-- - -"Even so!" - -"Water"-- - -"Even so!" - -"A well!!!" - -Then follows the palaver, wherein, as occasionally happens further West, -he distinguishes himself who can rivet the attention of the audience for -at least an hour without saying anything in particular. The advantage of -_their_ circumlocution, however, is that by considering a subject in every -possible light and phase as regards its cause and effect, antecedents, -actualities, and consequences, they are prepared for any emergency which, -without the palaver, might come upon them unawares. - -Although the thermometer showed summer heat, the air was cloudy and raw -blasts poured down from the mountains. At half past 3 P.M. our camels were -lazily loaded, and we followed the course of the Fiumara, which runs to -the W. and S. W. After half an hour's progress, we arrived at the gully in -which are the wells, and the guides halted because they descried half-a- -dozen youths and boys bathing and washing their Tobes. All, cattle as well -as men, were sadly thirsty: many of us had been chewing pebbles during the -morning, yet, afraid of demands for tobacco, the Bedouins would have -pursued the march without water had I not forced them to halt. We found -three holes in the sand; one was dry, a second foul, and the third -contained a scanty supply of the pure element from twenty to twenty-five -feet below the surface. A youth stood in the water and filled a wicker- -pail, which he tossed to a companion perched against the side half way up: -the latter in his turn hove it to a third, who catching it at the brink, -threw the contents, by this time half wasted, into the skin cattle trough. -We halted about half an hour to refresh man and beast, and then resumed -our way up the Wady, quitting it where a short cut avoids the frequent -windings of the bed. This operation saved but little time; the ground was -stony, the rough ascents fatigued the camels, and our legs and feet were -lacerated by the spear-like thorns. Here, the ground was overgrown with -aloes [7], sometimes six feet high with pink and "pale Pomona green" -leaves, bending in the line of beauty towards the ground, graceful in form -as the capitals of Corinthian columns, and crowned with gay-coloured -bells, but barbarously supplied with woody thorns and strong serrated -edges. There the Hig, an aloetic plant with a point so hard and sharp that -horses cannot cross ground where it grows, stood in bunches like the -largest and stiffest of rushes. [8] Senna sprang spontaneously on the -banks, and the gigantic Ushr or Asclepias shed its bloom upon the stones -and pebbles of the bed. My attendants occupied themselves with gathering -the edible pod of an Acacia called Kura [9], whilst I observed the view. -Frequent ant-hills gave an appearance of habitation to a desert still -covered with the mosques and tombs of old Adel; and the shape of the -country had gradually changed, basins and broad slopes now replacing the -thickly crowded conoid peaks of the lower regions. - -As the sun sank towards the west, Long Guled complained bitterly of the -raw breeze from the hills. We passed many villages, distinguished by the -barking of dogs and the bleating of flocks, on their way to the field: the -unhappy Raghe, however, who had now become our _protege_, would neither -venture into a settlement, nor bivouac amongst the lions. He hurried us -forwards till we arrived at a hollow called Gud, "the Hole," which -supplied us with the protection of a deserted kraal, where our camels, -half-starved and knocked-up by an eight miles' march, were speedily -unloaded. Whilst pitching the tent, we were visited by some Gudabirsi, who -attempted to seize our Abban, alleging that he owed them a cow. We replied -doughtily, that he was under our sandals: as they continued to speak in a -high tone, a pistol was discharged over their heads, after which they -cringed like dogs. A blazing fire, a warm supper, dry beds, broad jests, -and funny stories, soon restored the flagging spirits of our party. -Towards night the moon dispersed the thick mists which, gathering into -clouds, threatened rain, and the cold sensibly diminished: there was -little dew, and we should have slept comfortably had not our hungry mules, -hobbled as they were, hopped about the kraal and fought till dawn. - -On the 6th December, we arose late to avoid the cold morning air, and at 7 -A.M. set out over rough ground, hoping to ascend the Ghauts that day. -After creeping about two miles, the camels, unable to proceed, threw -themselves upon the earth, and we unwillingly called a halt at Jiyaf, a -basin below the Dobo [10] fiumara. Here, white flocks dotting the hills, -and the scavengers of the air warned us that we were in the vicinity of -villages. Our wigwam was soon full of fair-faced Gudabirsi, mostly Loajira -[11] or cow-herd boys, who, according to the custom of their class, wore -their Tobes bound scarf-like round their necks. They begged us to visit -their village, and offered a heifer for each lion shot on Mount Libahlay: -unhappily we could not afford time. These youths were followed by men and -women bringing milk, sheep, and goats, for which, grass being rare, they -asked exorbitant prices,--eighteen cubits of Cutch canvass for a lamb, and -two of blue cotton for a bottle of ghee. Amongst them was the first really -pretty face seen by me in the Somali country. The head was well formed, -and gracefully placed upon a long thin neck and narrow shoulders; the -hair, brow, and nose were unexceptionable, there was an arch look in the -eyes of jet and pearl, and a suspicion of African protuberance about the -lips, which gave the countenance an exceeding _naivete_. Her skin was a -warm, rich nut-brown, an especial charm in these regions, and her -movements had that grace which suggests perfect symmetry of limb. The poor -girl's costume, a coif for the back hair, a cloth imperfectly covering the -bosom, and a petticoat of hides, made no great mystery of forms: equally -rude were her ornaments; an armlet and pewter earrings, the work of some -blacksmith, a necklace of white porcelain beads, and sundry talismans in -cases of tarnished and blackened leather. As a tribute to her prettiness I -gave her some cloth, tobacco, and a bit of salt, which was rapidly -becoming valuable; her husband stood by, and, although the preference was -marked, he displayed neither anger nor jealousy. She showed her gratitude -by bringing us milk, and by assisting us to start next morning. In the -evening we hired three fresh camels [12] to carry our goods up the ascent, -and killed some antelopes which, in a stew, were not contemptible. The End -of Time insisted upon firing a gun to frighten away the lions, who make -night hideous with their growls, but never put in an appearance. - -The morning cold greatly increased, and we did not start till 8 A.M. After -half an hour's march up the bed of a fiumara, leading apparently to a _cul -de sac_ of lofty rocks in the hills, we quitted it for a rude zig-zag -winding along its left side, amongst bushes, thorn trees, and huge rocks. -The walls of the opposite bank were strikingly perpendicular; in some -places stratified, in others solid and polished by the course of stream -and cascade. The principal material was a granite, so coarse, that the -composing mica, quartz, and felspar separated into detached pieces as -large as a man's thumb; micaceous grit, which glittered in the sunbeams, -and various sandstones, abounded. The road caused us some trouble; the -camels' loads were always slipping from their mats; I found it necessary -to dismount from my mule, and, sitting down, we were stung by the large -black ants which infest these hills. [13] - -About half way up, we passed two cairns, and added to them our mite like -good Somal. After two hours of hard work the summit of this primitive pass -was attained, and sixty minutes more saw us on the plateau above the -hills,--the second zone of East Africa. Behind us lay the plains, of which -we vainly sought a view: the broken ground at the foot of the mountains is -broad, and mists veiled the reeking expanse of the low country. [14] The -plateau in front of us was a wide extent of rolling ground, rising -slightly towards the west; its colour was brown with a threadbare coat of -verdure, and at the bottom of each rugged slope ran a stony water-course -trending from south-west to north-east. The mass of tangled aloes, ragged -thorn, and prim-looking poison trees, [15] must once have been populous; -tombs and houses of the early Moslems covered with ruins the hills and -ridges. - -About noon, we arrived at a spot called the Kafir's Grave. It is a square -enceinte of rude stones about one hundred yards each side; and legends say -that one Misr, a Galla chief, when dying, ordered the place to be filled -seven times with she-camels destined for his Ahan or funeral feast. This -is the fourth stage upon the direct road from Zayla to Harar: we had -wasted ten days, and the want of grass and water made us anxious about our -animals. The camels could scarcely walk, and my mule's spine rose high -beneath the Arab pad:--such are the effects of Jilal [16], the worst of -travelling seasons in Eastern Africa. - -At 1 P.M. we unloaded under a sycamore tree, called, after a Galla -chieftain [17], "Halimalah," and giving its name to the surrounding -valley. This ancient of the forest is more than half decayed, several huge -limbs lie stretched upon the ground, whence, for reverence, no one removes -them: upon the trunk, or rather trunks, for its bifurcates, are marks -deeply cut by a former race, and Time has hollowed in the larger stem an -arbour capable of containing half-a-dozen men. This holy tree was, -according to the Somal, a place of prayer for the infidel, and its ancient -honors are not departed. Here, probably to commemorate the westward -progress of the tribe, the Gudabirsi Ugaz or chief has the white canvass -turban bound about his brows, and hence rides forth to witness the -equestrian games in the Harawwah Valley. As everyone who passes by, visits -the Halimalah tree, foraging parties of the Northern Eesa and the Jibril -Abokr (a clan of the Habr Awal) frequently meet, and the traveller wends -his way in fear and trembling. - -The thermometer showed an altitude of 3,350 feet: under the tree's cool -shade, the climate reminded me of Southern Italy in winter. I found a -butter-cup, and heard a wood-pecker [18] tapping on the hollow trunk, a -reminiscence of English glades. The Abban and his men urged an advance in -the afternoon. But my health had suffered from the bad water of the coast, -and the camels were faint with fatigue: we therefore dismissed the hired -beasts, carried our property into a deserted kraal, and, lighting a fire, -prepared to "make all snug" for the night. The Bedouins, chattering with -cold, stood closer to the comfortable blaze than ever did pater familias -in England: they smoked their faces, toasted their hands, broiled their -backs with intense enjoyment, and waved their legs to and fro through the -flame to singe away the pile, which at this season grows long. The End of -Time, who was surly, compared them to demons, and quoted the Arab's -saying:--"Allah never bless smooth man, or hairy woman!" On the 8th of -December, at 8 A.M., we travelled slowly up the Halimalah Valley, whose -clayey surface glistened with mica and quartz pebbles from the hills. All -the trees are thorny except the Sycamore and the Asclepias. The Gub, or -Jujube, grows luxuriantly in thickets: its dried wood is used by women to -fumigate their hair [19]: the Kedi, a tree like the porcupine,--all -spikes,--supplies the Bedouins with hatchet-handles. I was shown the Abol -with its edible gum, and a kind of Acacia, here called Galol. Its bark -dyes cloth a dull red, and the thorn issues from a bulb which, when young -and soft, is eaten by the Somal, when old it becomes woody, and hard as a -nut. At 9 A.M. we crossed the Lesser Abbaso, a Fiumara with high banks of -stiff clay and filled with large rolled stones: issuing from it, we -traversed a thorny path over ascending ground between higher hills, and -covered with large boulders and step-like layers of grit. Here appeared -several Gudabirsi tombs, heaps of stones or pebbles, surrounded by a fence -of thorns, or an enceinte of loose blocks: in the latter, slabs are used -to make such houses as children would build in play, to denote the number -of establishments left by the deceased. The new grave is known by the -conical milk-pails surmounting the stick at the head of the corpse, upon -the neighbouring tree is thrown the mat which bore the dead man to his -last home, and hard by are the blackened stones upon which his funeral -feast was cooked. At 11 A.M. we reached the Greater Abbaso, a Fiumara -about 100 yards wide, fringed with lovely verdure and full of the antelope -called Gurnuk: its watershed was, as usual in this region, from west and -south-west to east and north-east. About noon we halted, having travelled -eight miles from the Holy Tree. - -At half past three reloading we followed the course of the Abbaso Valley, -the most beautiful spot we had yet seen. The presence of mankind, however, -was denoted by the cut branches of thorn encumbering the bed: we remarked -too, the tracks of lions pursued by hunters, and the frequent streaks of -serpents, sometimes five inches in diameter. Towards evening, our party -closed up in fear, thinking that they saw spears glancing through the -trees: I treated their alarm lightly, but the next day proved that it was -not wholly imaginary. At sunset we met a shepherd who swore upon the stone -[20] to bring us milk in exchange for tobacco, and presently, after a five -miles' march, we halted in a deserted kraal on the left bank of a Fiumara. -Clouds gathered black upon the hill tops, and a comfortless blast, -threatening rain, warned us not to delay pitching the Gurgi. A large fire -was lighted, and several guns were discharged to frighten away the lions -that infest this place. Twice during the night our camels started up and -rushed round their thorn ring in alarm. - - * * * * * - -Late in the morning of Saturday, the 9th December, I set out, accompanied -by Rirash and the End of Time, to visit some ruins a little way distant -from the direct road. After an hour's ride we turned away from the Abbaso -Fiumara and entered a basin among the hills distant about sixteen miles -from the Holy Tree. This is the site of Darbiyah Kola,--Kola's Fort,--so -called from its Galla queen. It is said that this city and its neighbour -Aububah fought like certain cats in Kilkenny till both were "eaten up:" -the Gudabirsi fix the event at the period when their forefathers still -inhabited Bulhar on the coast,--about 300 years ago. If the date be -correct, the substantial ruins have fought a stern fight with time. -Remnants of houses cumber the soil, and the carefully built wells are -filled with rubbish: the palace was pointed out to me with its walls of -stone and clay intersected by layers of woodwork. The mosque is a large -roofless building containing twelve square pillars of rude masonry, and -the Mihrab, or prayer niche, is denoted by a circular arch of tolerable -construction. But the voice of the Muezzin is hushed for ever, and -creepers now twine around the ruined fane. The scene was still and dreary -as the grave; for a mile and a half in length all was ruins--ruins--ruins. - -Leaving this dead city, we rode towards the south-west between two rugged -hills of which the loftiest summit is called Wanauli. As usual they are -rich in thorns: the tall "Wadi" affords a gum useful to cloth-dyers, and -the leaves of the lofty Wumba are considered, after the Daum-palm, the -best material for mats. On the ground appeared the blue flowers of the -"Man" or "Himbah," a shrub resembling a potatoe: it bears a gay yellow -apple full of brown seeds which is not eaten by the Somal. My companions -made me taste some of the Karir berries, which in color and flavor -resemble red currants: the leaves are used as a dressing to ulcers. -Topping the ridge we stood for a few minutes to observe the view before -us. Beneath our feet lay a long grassy plain-the sight must have gladdened -the hearts of our starving mules!--and for the first time in Africa horses -appeared grazing free amongst the bushes. A little further off lay the -Aylonda valley studded with graves, and dark with verdure. Beyond it -stretched the Wady Harawwah, a long gloomy hollow in the general level. -The background was a bold sweep of blue hill, the second gradient of the -Harar line, and on its summit closing the western horizon lay a golden -streak--the Marar Prairie. Already I felt at the end of my journey. About -noon, reaching a kraal, whence but that morning our Gudabirsi Abbans had -driven off their kine, we sat under a tree and with a pistol reported -arrival. Presently the elders came out and welcomed their old acquaintance -the End of Time as a distinguished guest. He eagerly inquired about the -reported quarrel between the Abbans and their brother-in-law the Gerad -Adan. When, assured that it was the offspring of Somali imagination, he -rolled his head, and with dignity remarked, "What man shutteth to us, that -Allah openeth!" We complimented each other gravely upon the purity of our -intentions,--amongst Moslems a condition of success,--and not despising -second causes, lost no time in sending a horseman for the Abbans. -Presently some warriors came out and inquired if we were of the Caravan -that was travelling last evening up a valley with laden camels. On our -answering in the affirmative, they laughingly declared that a commando of -twelve horsemen had followed us with the intention of a sham-attack. This -is favourite sport with the Bedouin. When however the traveller shows -fright, the feint is apt to turn out a fact. On one occasion a party of -Arab merchants, not understanding the "fun of the thing," shot two Somal: -the tribe had the justice to acquit the strangers, mulcting them, however, -a few yards of cloth for the families of the deceased. In reply I fired a -pistol unexpectedly over the heads of my new hosts, and improved the -occasion of their terror by deprecating any practical facetiousness in -future. - -We passed the day under a tree: the camels escorted by my two attendants, -and the women, did not arrive till sunset, having occupied about eight -hours in marching as many miles. Fearing lions, we pitched inside the -kraal, despite crying children, scolding wives, cattle rushing about, -barking dogs, flies and ticks, filth and confinement. - -I will now attempt a description of a village in Eastern Africa. - -The Rer or Kraal [21] is a line of scattered huts on plains where thorns -are rare, beast of prey scarce, and raids not expected. In the hills it is -surrounded by a strong fence to prevent cattle straying: this, where -danger induces caution, is doubled and trebled. Yet the lion will -sometimes break through it, and the leopard clears it, prey in mouth with -a bound. The abattis has usually four entrances which are choked up with -heaps of bushes at night. The interior space is partitioned off by dwarf -hedges into rings, which contain and separate the different species of -cattle. Sometimes there is an outer compartment adjoining the exterior -fence, set apart for the camels; usually they are placed in the centre of -the kraal. Horses being most valuable are side-lined and tethered close to -the owner's hut, and rude bowers of brush and fire wood protect the -weaklings of the flocks from the heat of the sun and the inclement night -breeze. - -At intervals around and inside the outer abattis are built the Gurgi or -wigwams--hemispheric huts like old bee-hives about five feet high by six -in diameter: they are even smaller in the warm regions, but they increase -in size as the elevation of the country renders climate less genial. The -material is a framework of "Digo," or sticks bent and hardened in the -fire: to build the hut, these are planted in the ground, tied together -with cords, and covered with mats of two different kinds: the Aus composed -of small bundles of grass neatly joined, is hard and smooth; the Kibid has -a long pile and is used as couch as well as roof. The single entrance in -front is provided with one of these articles which serves as a curtain; -hides are spread upon the top during the monsoon, and little heaps of -earth are sometimes raised outside to keep out wind and rain. - -The furniture is simple as the building. Three stones and a hole form the -fireplace, near which sleep the children, kids, and lambs: there being no -chimney, the interior is black with soot. The cow-skin couches are -suspended during the day, like arms and other articles which suffer from -rats and white ants, by loops of cord to the sides. The principal -ornaments are basket-work bottles, gaily adorned with beads, cowris, and -stained leather. Pottery being here unknown, the Bedouins twist the fibres -of a root into various shapes, and make them water-tight with the powdered -bark of another tree. [22] The Han is a large wicker-work bucket, mounted -in a framework of sticks, and used to contain water on journeys. The Guraf -(a word derived from the Arabic "Ghurfah") is a conical-shaped vessel, -used to bale out the contents of a well. The Del, or milk pail, is shaped -like two cones joined at the base by lateral thongs, the upper and smaller -half acting as cup and cover. And finally the Wesi, or water bottle, -contains the traveller's store for drinking and religious ablution. - -When the kraal is to be removed, the huts and furniture are placed upon -the camels, and the hedges and earth are sometimes set on fire, to purify -the place and deceive enemies, Throughout the country black circles of -cinders or thorn diversify the hill sides, and show an extensive -population. Travellers always seek deserted kraals for security of -encampment. As they swarm with vermin by night and flies by day [23], I -frequently made strong objections to these favourite localities: the -utmost conceded to me was a fresh enclosure added by a smaller hedge to -the outside abattis of the more populous cow-kraals. - -On the 10th December we halted: the bad water, the noon-day sun of 107o, -and the cold mornings--51o being the average--had seriously affected my -health. All the population flocked to see me, darkening the hut with -nodding wigs and staring faces: and,--the Gudabirsi are polite knaves,-- -apologised for the intrusion. Men, women, and children appeared in crowds, -bringing milk and ghee, meat and water, several of the elders remembered -having seen me at Berberah [24], and the blear-eyed maidens, who were in -no wise shy, insisted upon admiring the white stranger. - -Feeling somewhat restored by repose, I started the next day, "with a tail -on" to inspect the ruins of Aububah. After a rough ride over stony ground -we arrived at a grassy hollow, near a line of hills, and dismounted to -visit the Shaykh Aububah's remains. He rests under a little conical dome -of brick, clay and wood, similar in construction to that of Zayla: it is -falling to pieces, and the adjoining mosque, long roofless, is overgrown -with trees, that rustle melancholy sounds in the light joyous breeze. -Creeping in by a dwarf door or rather hole, my Gudabirsi guides showed me -a bright object forming the key of the arch: as it shone they suspected -silver, and the End of Time whispered a sacrilegious plan for purloining -it. Inside the vault were three graves apparently empty, and upon the dark -sunken floor lay several rounded stones, resembling cannon balls, and used -as weights by the more civilised Somal. Thence we proceeded to the battle- -field, a broad sheet of sandstone, apparently dinted by the hoofs of mules -and horses: on this ground, which, according to my guides, was in olden -days soft and yielding, took place the great action between Aububah and -Darbiyah Kola. A second mosque was found with walls in tolerable repair, -but, like the rest of the place, roofless. Long Guled ascended the broken -staircase of a small square minaret, and delivered a most ignorant and -Bedouin-like Azan or call to prayer. Passing by the shells of houses, we -concluded our morning's work with a visit to the large graveyard. -Apparently it did not contain the bones of Moslems: long lines of stones -pointed westward, and one tomb was covered with a coating of hard mortar, -in whose sculptured edge my benighted friends detected magical -inscriptions. I heard of another city called Ahammed in the neighbouring -hills, but did not visit it. These are all remains of Galla settlements, -which the ignorance and exaggeration of the Somal fill with "writings" and -splendid edifices. - -Returning home we found that our Gudabirsi Bedouins had at length obeyed -the summons. The six sons of a noted chief, Ali Addah or White Ali, by -three different mothers, Beuh, Igah, Khayri, Nur, Ismail and Yunis, all -advanced towards me as I dismounted, gave the hand of friendship, and -welcomed me to their homes. With the exception of the first-named, a hard- -featured man at least forty years old, the brothers were good-looking -youths, with clear brown skins, regular features, and graceful figures. -They entered the Gurgi when invited, but refused to eat, saying, that they -came for honor not for food. The Hajj Sharmarkay's introductory letter was -read aloud to their extreme delight, and at their solicitation, I perused -it a second and a third time; then having dismissed with sundry small -presents, the two Abbans Raghe and Rirash, I wrote a flattering account of -them to the Hajj, and entrusted it to certain citizens who were returning -in caravan Zayla-wards, after a commercial tour in the interior. - -Before they departed, there was a feast after the Homeric fashion. A sheep -was "cut," disembowelled, dismembered, tossed into one of our huge -caldrons, and devoured within the hour: the almost live food [25] was -washed down with huge draughts of milk. The feasters resembled -Wordsworth's cows, "forty feeding like one:" in the left hand they held -the meat to their teeth, and cut off the slice in possession with long -daggers perilously close, were their noses longer and their mouths less -obtrusive. During the dinner I escaped from the place of flies, and -retired to a favourite tree. Here the End of Time, seeing me still in -pain, insisted upon trying a Somali medicine. He cut two pieces of dry -wood, scooped a hole in the shorter, and sharpened the longer, applied -point to socket, which he sprinkled with a little sand, placed his foot -upon the "female stick," and rubbed the other between his palms till smoke -and char appeared. He then cauterized my stomach vigorously in six -different places, quoting a tradition, "the End of Physic is Fire." - -On Tuesday the 12th December, I vainly requested the two sons of White -Ali, who had constituted themselves our guides, to mount their horses: -they feared to fatigue the valuable animals at a season when grass is rare -and dry. I was disappointed by seeing the boasted "Faras" [26] of the -Somal, in the shape of ponies hardly thirteen hands high. The head is -pretty, the eyes are well opened, and the ears are small; the form also is -good, but the original Arab breed has degenerated in the new climate. They -are soft, docile, and--like all other animals in this part of the world-- -timid: the habit of climbing rocks makes them sure-footed, and they show -the remains of blood when forced to fatigue. The Gudabirsi will seldom -sell these horses, the great safeguard against their conterminous tribes, -the Eesa and Girhi, who are all infantry: a village seldom contains more -than six or eight, and the lowest value would be ten cows or twenty Tobes. -[27] Careful of his beast when at rest, the Somali Bedouin in the saddle -is rough and cruel: whatever beauty the animal may possess in youth, -completely disappears before the fifth year, and few are without spavin, -or sprained back-sinews. In some parts of the country [28], "to ride -violently to your hut two or three times before finally dismounting, is -considered a great compliment, and the same ceremony is observed on -leaving. Springing into the saddle (if he has one), with the aid of his -spear, the Somali cavalier first endeavours to infuse a little spirit into -his half-starved hack, by persuading him to accomplish a few plunges and -capers: then, his heels raining a hurricane of blows against the animal's -ribs, and occasionally using his spear-point as a spur, away he gallops, -and after a short circuit, in which he endeavours to show himself to the -best advantage, returns to his starting point at full speed, when the -heavy Arab bit brings up the blown horse with a shock that half breaks his -jaw and fills his mouth with blood. The affection of the true Arab for his -horse is proverbial: the cruelty of the Somal to his, may, I think, be -considered equally so." The Bedouins practise horse-racing, and run for -bets, which are contested with ardor: on solemn occasions, they have rude -equestrian games, in which they display themselves and their animals. The -Gudabirsi, and indeed most of the Somal, sit loosely upon their horses. -Their saddle is a demi-pique, a high-backed wooden frame, like the -Egyptian fellah's: two light splinters leave a clear space for the spine, -and the tree is tightly bound with wet thongs: a sheepskin shabracque is -loosely spread over it, and the dwarf iron stirrup admits only the big -toe, as these people fear a stirrup which, if the horse fall, would -entangle the foot. Their bits are cruelly severe; a solid iron ring, as in -the Arab bridle, embracing the lower jaw, takes the place of a curb chain. -Some of the head-stalls, made at Berberah, are prettily made of cut -leather and bright steel ornaments like diminutive quoits. The whip is a -hard hide handle, plated with zinc, and armed with a single short broad -thong. - -With the two sons of White Ali and the End of Time, at 8 A.M., on the 12th -December, I rode forward, leaving the jaded camels in charge of my -companions and the women. We crossed the plain in a south-westerly -direction, and after traversing rolling ground, we came to a ridge, which -commanded an extensive view. Behind lay the Wanauli Hills, already purple -in the distance. On our left was a mass of cones, each dignified by its -own name; no one, it is said, can ascend them, which probably means that -it would be a fatiguing walk. Here are the visitation-places of three -celebrated saints, Amud, Sau and Shaykh Sharlagamadi, or the "Hidden from -Evil," To the north-west I was shown some blue peaks tenanted by the Eesa -Somal. In front, backed by the dark hills of Harar, lay the Harawwah -valley. The breadth is about fifteen miles: it runs from south-west to -north-east, between the Highlands of the Girhi and the rolling ground of -the Gudabirsi Somal, as far, it is said, as the Dankali country. Of old -this luxuriant waste belonged to the former tribe; about twelve years ago -it was taken from them by the Gudabirsi, who carried off at the same time -thirty cows, forty camels, and between three and four hundred sheep and -goats. - -Large herds tended by spearmen and grazing about the bush, warned us that -we were approaching the kraal in which the sons of White Ali were camped; -at half-past 10 A.M., after riding eight miles, we reached the place which -occupies the lower slope of the Northern Hills that enclose the Harawwah -valley. We spread our hides under a tree, and were soon surrounded by -Bedouins, who brought milk, sun-dried beef, ghee and honey in one of the -painted wooden bowls exported from Cutch. After breakfast, at which the -End of Time distinguished himself by dipping his meat into honey, we went -out gun in hand towards the bush. It swarmed with sand-antelope and -Gurnuk: the ground-squirrels haunted every ant-hill, hoopoos and spur- -fowls paced among the thickets, in the trees we heard the frequent cry of -the Gobiyan and the bird facetiously termed from its cry "Dobo-dogon- -guswen," and the bright-coloured hawk, the Abodi or Bakiyyah [29], lay on -wing high in the cloudless air. - -When tired of killing we returned to our cow-hides, and sat in -conversation with the Bedouins. They boasted of the skill with which they -used the shield, and seemed not to understand the efficiency of a sword- -parry: to illustrate the novel idea I gave a stick to the best man, -provided myself in the same way, and allowed him to cut at me. After -repeated failures he received a sounding blow upon the least bony portion -of his person: the crowd laughed long and loud, and the pretending -"knight-at-arms" retired in confusion. - -Darkness fell, but no caravan appeared: it had been delayed by a runaway -mule,--perhaps by the desire to restrain my vagrant propensities,--and did -not arrive till midnight. My hosts cleared a Gurgi for our reception, -brought us milk, and extended their hospitality to the full limits of even -savage complaisance. - -Expecting to march on the 13th December soon after dawn, I summoned Beuh -and his brethren to the hut, reminding him that the Hajj had promised me -an escort without delay to the village of the Gerad Adan. To my instances -they replied that, although they were most anxious to oblige, the arrival -of Mudeh the eldest son rendered a consultation necessary; and retiring to -the woods, sat in palaver from 8 A.M. to past noon. At last they came to a -resolution which could not be shaken. They would not trust one of their -number in the Gerad's country; a horseman, however, should carry a letter -inviting the Girhi chief to visit his brothers-in-law. I was assured that -Adan would not drink water before mounting to meet us: but, fear is -reciprocal, there was evidently bad blood between them, and already a -knowledge of Somali customs caused me to suspect the result of our -mission. However, a letter was written reminding the Gerad of "the word -spoken under the tree," and containing, in case of recusance, a threat to -cut off the salt well at which his cows are periodically driven to drink. -Then came the bargain for safe conduct. After much haggling, especially on -the part of the handsome Igah, they agreed to receive twenty Tobes, three -bundles of tobacco, and fourteen cubits of indigo-dyed cotton. In addition -to this I offered as a bribe one of my handsome Abyssinian shirts with a -fine silk fringe made at Aden, to be received by the man Beuh on the day -of entering the Gerad's village. - -I arose early in the next morning, having been promised by the Abbans -grand sport in the Harawwah Valley. The Somal had already divided the -elephants' spoils: they were to claim the hero's feather, I was to receive -two thirds of the ivory--nothing remained to be done but the killing. -After sundry pretences and prayers for delay, Beuh saddled his hack, the -Hammal mounted one mule, a stout-hearted Bedouin called Fahi took a -second, and we started to find the herds. The End of Time lagged in the -rear: the reflection that a mule cannot outrun an elephant, made him look -so ineffably miserable, that I sent him back to the kraal. "Dost thou -believe me to be a coward, 0 Pilgrim?" thereupon exclaimed the Mullah, -waxing bold in the very joy of his heart. "Of a truth I do!" was my reply. -Nothing abashed, he hammered his mule with heel, and departed ejaculating, -"What hath man but a single life? and he who throweth it away, what is he -but a fool?" Then we advanced with cocked guns, Beuh singing, Boanerges- -like, the Song of the Elephant. - -In the Somali country, as amongst the Kafirs, after murdering a man or -boy, the death of an elephant is considered _the_ act of heroism: most -tribes wear for it the hair-feather and the ivory bracelet. Some hunters, -like the Bushmen of the Cape [30], kill the Titan of the forests with -barbed darts carrying Waba-poison. The general way of hunting resembles -that of the Abyssinian Agageers described by Bruce. One man mounts a white -pony, and galloping before the elephant, induces him, as he readily does, ---firearms being unknown,--to charge and "chivy." The rider directs his -course along, and close to, some bush, where a comrade is concealed; and -the latter, as the animal passes at speed, cuts the back sinew of the hind -leg, where in the human subject the tendon Achilles would be, with a -sharp, broad and heavy knife. [31] This wound at first occasions little -inconvenience: presently the elephant, fancying, it is supposed, that a -thorn has stuck in his foot, stamps violently, and rubs the scratch till -the sinew is fairly divided. The animal, thus disabled, is left to perish -wretchedly of hunger and thirst: the tail, as amongst the Kafirs, is cut -off to serve as trophy, and the ivories are removed when loosened by -decomposition. In this part of Africa the elephant is never tamed. [32] - -For six hours we rode the breadth of the Harawwah Valley: it was covered -with wild vegetation, and surface-drains, that carry off the surplus of -the hills enclosing it. In some places the torrent beds had cut twenty -feet into the soil. The banks were fringed with milk-bush and Asclepias, -the Armo-creeper, a variety of thorns, and especially the yellow-berried -Jujube: here numberless birds followed bright-winged butterflies, and the -"Shaykhs of the Blind," as the people call the black fly, settled in -swarms upon our hands and faces as we rode by. The higher ground was -overgrown with a kind of cactus, which here becomes a tree, forming shady -avenues. Its quadrangular fleshy branches of emerald green, sometimes -forty feet high, support upon their summits large round bunches of a -bright crimson berry: when the plantation is close, domes of extreme -beauty appear scattered over the surface of the country. This "Hassadin" -abounds in burning milk, and the Somal look downwards when passing under -its branches: the elephant is said to love it, and in many places the -trees were torn to pieces by hungry trunks. The nearest approaches to game -were the last year's earths; likely places, however, shady trees and green -thorns near water, were by no means uncommon. When we reached the valley's -southern wall, Beuh informed us that we might ride all day, if we pleased, -with the same result. At Zayla I had been informed that elephants are -"thick as sand" in Harawwah: even the Gudabirsi, when at a distance, -declared that they fed there like sheep, and, after our failure, swore -that they killed thirty but last year. The animals were probably in the -high Harirah Valley, and would be driven downwards by the cold at a later -period: some future Gordon Cumming may therefore succeed where the Hajj -Abdullah notably failed. - -On the 15th December I persuaded the valiant Beuh, with his two brothers -and his bluff cousin Fahi, to cross the valley with us, After recovering a -mule which had strayed five miles back to the well, and composing sundry -quarrels between Shehrazade, whose swains had detained her from camel- -loading, and the Kalendar whose one eye flashed with indignation at her -conduct, we set out in a southerly direction. An hour's march brought us -to an open space surrounded by thin thorn forest: in the centre is an -ancient grave, about which are performed the equestrian games when the -turban of the Ugaz has been bound under the Holy Tree. Shepherds issued -from the bush to stare at us as we passed, and stretched forth the hand -for "Bori:" the maidens tripped forwards exclaiming, "Come, girls, let us -look at this prodigy!" and they never withheld an answer if civilly -addressed. Many of them were grown up, and not a few were old maids, the -result of the tribe's isolation; for here, as in Somaliland generally, the -union of cousins is abhorred. The ground of the valley is a stiff clay, -sprinkled with pebbles of primitive formation: the hills are mere rocks, -and the torrent banks with strata of small stones, showed a watermark -varying from ten to fifteen feet in height: in these Fiumaras we saw -frequent traces of the Edler-game, deer and hog. At 1 P.M. our camels and -mules were watered at wells in a broad wady called Jannah-Gaban or the -Little Garden; its course, I was told, lies northwards through the -Harawwah Valley to the Odla and Waruf, two depressions in the Wayma -country near Tajurrah. About half an hour afterwards we arrived at a -deserted sheepfold distant six miles from our last station. After -unloading we repaired to a neighbouring well, and found the water so hard -that it raised lumps like nettle stings in the bather's skin. The only -remedy for the evil is an unguent of oil or butter, a precaution which -should never be neglected by the African traveller. At first the sensation -of grease annoys, after a few days it is forgotten, and at last the "pat -of butter" is expected as pleasantly as the pipe or the cup of coffee. It -prevents the skin from chaps and sores, obviates the evil effects of heat, -cold, and wet, and neutralises the Proteus-like malaria poison. The Somal -never fail to anoint themselves when they can afford ghee, and the Bedouin -is at the summit of his bliss, when sitting in the blazing sun, or,--heat -acts upon these people as upon serpents,--with his back opposite a roaring -fire, he is being smeared, rubbed, and kneaded by a companion. - -My guides, fearing lions and hyenas, would pass the night inside a foul -sheepfold: I was not without difficulty persuaded to join them. At eight -next morning we set out through an uninteresting thorn-bush towards one of -those Tetes or isolated hills which form admirable bench-marks in the -Somali country. "Koralay," a terra corresponding with our Saddle-back, -exactly describes its shape: pommel and crupper, in the shape of two huge -granite boulders, were all complete, and between them was a depression for -a seat. As day advanced the temperature changed from 50o to a maximum of -121o. After marching about five miles, we halted in a broad watercourse -called Gallajab, the "Plentiful Water": there we bathed, and dined on an -excellent camel which had broken its leg by falling from a bank. - -Resuming our march at 5 P.M., we travelled over ascending ground which -must be most fertile after rain: formerly it belonged to the Girhi, and -the Gudabirsi boasted loudly of their conquest. After an hour's march we -reached the base of Koralay, upon whose lower slopes appeared a pair of -the antelopes called Alakud [33]: they are tame, easily shot, and eagerly -eaten by the Bedouins. Another hour of slow travelling brought us to a -broad Fiumara with high banks of stiff clay thickly wooded and showing a -water-mark eighteen feet above the sand. The guides named these wells -Agjogsi, probably a generic term signifying that water is standing close -by. Crossing the Fiumara we ascended a hill, and found upon the summit a -large kraal alive with heads of kine. The inhabitants flocked out to stare -at us and the women uttered cries of wonder. I advanced towards the -prettiest, and fired my rifle by way of salute over her head. The people -delighted, exclaimed, Mod! Mod!--"Honor to thee!"--and we replied with -shouts of Kulliban--"May Heaven aid ye!" [34] At 5 P.M., after five miles' -march, the camels were unloaded in a deserted kraal whose high fence -denoted danger of wild beasts. The cowherds bade us beware of lions: but a -day before a girl had been dragged out of her hut, and Moslem burial could -be given to only one of her legs. A Bedouin named Uddao, whom we hired as -mule-keeper, was ordered to spend the night singing, and, as is customary -with Somali watchmen, to address and answer himself dialogue-wise with a -different voice, in order to persuade thieves that several men are on the -alert. He was a spectacle of wildness as he sat before the blazing fire,-- -his joy by day, his companion and protector in the shades, the only step -made by him in advance of his brethren the Cynocephali. - -We were detained four days at Agjogsi by the nonappearance of the Gerad -Adan: this delay gave me an opportunity of ascending to the summit of -Koralay the Saddleback, which lay about a mile north of our encampment. As -we threaded the rocks and hollows of the side we came upon dens strewed -with cows' bones, and proving by a fresh taint that the tenants had lately -quitted them. In this country the lion is seldom seen unless surprised -asleep in his lair of thicket: during my journey, although at times the -roaring was heard all night, I saw but one. The people have a superstition -that the king of beasts will not attack a single traveller, because such a -person, they say, slew the mother of all the lions: except in darkness or -during violent storms, which excite the fiercer carnivors, he is a timid -animal, much less feared by the people than the angry and agile leopard. -Unable to run with rapidity when pressed by hunger, he pursues a party of -travellers stealthily as a cat, and, arrived within distance, springs, -strikes down the hindermost, and carries him away to the bush. - -From the summit of Koralay, we had a fair view of the surrounding country. -At least forty kraals, many of them deserted, lay within the range of -sight. On all sides except the north-west and south-east was a mass of -sombre rock and granite hill: the course of the valleys between the -several ranges was denoted by a lively green, and the plains scattered in -patches over the landscape shone with dull yellow, the effect of clay and -stubble, whilst a light mist encased the prospect in a circlet of blue and -silver. Here the End of Time conceived the jocose idea of crowning me king -of the country. With loud cries of Buh! Buh! Buh! he showered leaves of a -gum tree and a little water from a prayer bottle over my head, and then -with all solemnity bound on the turban. [35] It is perhaps fortunate that -this facetiousness was not witnessed: a crowd of Bedouins assembled below -the hill, suspecting as usual some magical practices, and, had they known -the truth, our journey might have ended abruptly. Descending, I found -porcupines' quills in abundance [36], and shot a rock pigeon called Elal- -jog--the "Dweller at wells." At the foot a "Baune" or Hyrax Abyssinicus, -resembling the Coney of Palestine [37], was observed at its favourite -pastime of sunning itself upon the rocks. - -On the evening of the 20th December the mounted messenger returned, after -a six hours' hard ride, bringing back unopened the letter addressed by me -to the Gerad, and a private message from their sister to the sons of White -Ali, advising them not to advance. Ensued terrible palavers. It appeared -that the Gerad was upon the point of mounting horse, when his subjects -swore him to remain and settle a dispute with the Amir of Harar. Our -Abbans, however, withdrew their hired camels, positively refuse to -accompany us, and Beuh privily informed the End of Time that I had -acquired through the land the evil reputation of killing everything, from -an elephant to a bird in the air. One of the younger brethren, indeed, -declared that we were forerunners of good, and that if the Gerad harmed a -hair of our heads, he would slaughter every Girhi under the sun. We had, -however, learned properly to appreciate such vaunts, and the End of Time -drily answered that their sayings were honey but their doings myrrh. Being -a low-caste and a shameless tribe, they did not reply to our reproaches. -At last, a manoeuvre was successful: Beuh and his brethren, who squatted -like sulky children in different places, were dismissed with thanks,--we -proposed placing ourselves under the safeguard of Gerad Hirsi, the Berteri -chief. This would have thrown the protection-price, originally intended -for their brother-in-law, into the hands of a rival, and had the effect of -altering their resolve. Presently we were visited by two Widad or hedge- -priests, Ao Samattar and Ao Nur [38], both half-witted fellows, but active -and kindhearted. The former wore a dirty turban, the latter a Zebid cap, a -wicker-work calotte, composed of the palm leaf's mid-rib: they carried -dressed goatskins, as prayer carpets, over their right shoulders dangled -huge wooden ink bottles with Lauh or wooden tablets for writing talismans -[39], and from the left hung a greasy bag, containing a tattered copy of -the Koran and a small MS. of prayers. They read tolerably, but did not -understand Arabic, and I presented them with cheap Bombay lithographs of -the Holy Book. The number of these idlers increased as we approached -Harar, the Alma Mater of Somali land:--the people seldom listen to their -advice, but on this occasion Ao Samattar succeeded in persuading the -valiant Beuh that the danger was visionary. Soon afterwards rode up to our -kraal three cavaliers, who proved to be sons of Adam, the future Ugaz of -the Gudabirsi tribe: this chief had fully recognized the benefits of -reopening to commerce a highway closed by their petty feuds, and sent to -say that, in consequence of his esteem for the Hajj Sharmarkay, if the -sons of White Ali feared to escort us, he in person would do the deed. -Thereupon Beuh became a "Gesi" or hero, as the End of Time ironically -called him: he sent back his brethren with their horses and camels, and -valorously prepared to act as our escort. I tauntingly asked him what he -now thought of the danger. For all reply he repeated the words, with which -the Bedouins--who, like the Arabs, have a holy horror of towns--had been -dinning daily into my ears, "They will spoil that white skin of thine at -Harar!" - -At 3 P.M., on the 21st December, we started in a westerly direction -through a gap in the hills, and presently turned to the south-west, over -rapidly rising ground, thickly inhabited, and covered with flocks and -herds. About 5 P.M., after marching two miles, we raised our wigwam -outside a populous kraal, a sheep was provided by the hospitality of Ao -Samattar, and we sat deep into the night enjoying a genial blaze. - -Early the next morning we had hoped to advance: water, however, was -wanting, and a small caravan was slowly gathering;--these details delayed -us till 4 P.M. Our line lay westward, over rising ground, towards a -conspicuous conical hill called Konti. Nothing could be worse for camels -than the rough ridges at the foot of the mountain, full of thickets, cut -by deep Fiumaras, and abounding in dangerous watercourses: the burdens -slipped now backwards then forwards, sometimes the load was almost dragged -off by thorns, and at last we were obliged to leave one animal to follow -slowly in the rear. After creeping on two miles, we bivouacked in a -deserted cow-kraal,--_sub dio_, as it was warm under the hills. That -evening our party was increased by a Gudabirsi maiden in search of a -husband: she was surlily received by Shehrazade and Deenarzade, but we -insisted upon her being fed, and superintended the operation. Her style of -eating was peculiar; she licked up the rice from the hollow of her hand. -Next morning she was carried away in our absence, greatly against her -will, by some kinsmen who had followed her. - -And now, bidding adieu to the Gudabirsi, I will briefly sketch the tribe. - -The Gudabirsi, or Gudabursi, derive themselves from Dir and Aydur, thus -claiming affinity with the Eesa: others declare their tribe to be an -offshoot from the Bahgoba clan of the Habr Awal, originally settled near -Jebel Almis, and Bulhar, on the sea-shore. The Somal unhesitatingly -stigmatize them as a bastard and ignoble race: a noted genealogist once -informed me, that they were little better than Midgans or serviles. Their -ancestors' mother, it is said, could not name the father of her child: -some proposed to slay it, others advocated its preservation, saying, -"Perhaps we shall increase by it!" Hence the name of the tribe. [40] - -The Gudabirsi are such inveterate liars that I could fix for them no -number between 3000 and 10,000. They own the rough and rolling ground -diversified with thorny hill and grassy vale, above the first or seaward -range of mountains; and they have extended their lands by conquest towards -Harar, being now bounded in that direction by the Marar Prairie. As usual, -they are subdivided into a multitude of clans. [41] - -In appearance the Gudabirsi are decidedly superior to their limitrophes -the Eesa. I have seen handsome faces amongst the men as well as the women. -Some approach closely to the Caucasian type: one old man, with olive- -coloured skin, bald brow, and white hair curling round his temples, and -occiput, exactly resembled an Anglo-Indian veteran. Generally, however, -the prognathous mouth betrays an African origin, and chewing tobacco mixed -with ashes stains the teeth, blackens the gums, and mottles the lips. The -complexion is the Abyssinian _cafe au lait_, contrasting strongly with the -sooty skins of the coast; and the hair, plentifully anointed with rancid -butter, hangs from the head in lank corkscrews the colour of a Russian -pointer's coat. The figure is rather squat, but broad and well set. - -The Gudabirsi are as turbulent and unmanageable, though not so -bloodthirsty, as the Eesa. Their late chief, Ugaz Roblay of the Bait -Samattar sept, left children who could not hold their own: the turban was -at once claimed by a rival branch, the Rer Abdillah, and a civil war -ensued. The lovers of legitimacy will rejoice to hear that when I left the -country, Galla, son of the former Prince Rainy, was likely to come to his -own again. - -The stranger's life is comparatively safe amongst this tribe: as long as -he feeds and fees them, he may even walk about unarmed. They are, however, -liars even amongst the Somal, Bobadils amongst boasters, inveterate -thieves, and importunate beggars. The smooth-spoken fellows seldom betray -emotion except when cloth or tobacco is concerned; "dissimulation is as -natural to them as breathing," and I have called one of their chiefs "dog" -without exciting his indignation. - -The commerce of these wild regions is at present in a depressed state: -were the road safe, traffic with the coast would be considerable. The -profit on hides, for instance, at Aden, would be at least cent. per cent.: -the way, however, is dangerous, and detention is frequent, consequently -the gain will not remunerate for risk and loss of time. No operation can -be undertaken in a hurry, consequently demand cannot readily be supplied. -What Laing applies to Western, may be repeated of Eastern Africa: "the -endeavour to accelerate an undertaking is almost certain to occasion its -failure." Nowhere is patience more wanted, in order to perform perfect -work. The wealth of the Gudabirsi consists principally in cattle, -peltries, hides, gums, and ghee. The asses are dun-coloured, small, and -weak; the camels large, loose, and lazy; the cows are pretty animals, with -small humps, long horns, resembling the Damara cattle, and in the grazing -season with plump, well-rounded limbs; there is also a bigger breed, not -unlike that of Tuscany. The standard is the Tobe of coarse canvass; worth -about three shillings at Aden, here it doubles in value. The price of a -good camel varies from six to eight cloths; one Tobe buys a two-year-old -heifer, three, a cow between three and four years old. A ewe costs half a -cloth: the goat, although the flesh is according to the Somal nutritive, -whilst "mutton is disease," is a little cheaper than the sheep. Hides and -peltries are usually collected at and exported from Harar; on the coast -they are rubbed over with salt, and in this state carried to Aden. Cows' -skins fetch a quarter of a dollar, or about one shilling in cloth, and two -dollars are the extreme price for the Kurjah or score of goats' skins. The -people of the interior have a rude way of tanning [42]; they macerate the -hide, dress, and stain it of a deep calf-skin colour with the bark of a -tree called Jirmah, and lastly the leather is softened with the hand. The -principal gum is the Adad, or Acacia Arabica: foreign merchants purchase -it for about half a dollar per Farasilah of twenty pounds: cow's and -sheep's butter may fetch a dollar's worth of cloth for the measure of -thirty-two pounds. This great article of commerce is good and pure in the -country, whereas at Berberah, the Habr Awal adulterate it, previous to -exportation, with melted sheep's tails. - -The principal wants of the country which we have traversed are coarse -cotton cloth, Surat tobacco, beads, and indigo-dyed stuffs for women's -coifs. The people would also be grateful for any improvement in their -breed of horses, and when at Aden I thought of taking with me some old -Arab stallions as presents to chiefs. Fortunately the project fell to the -ground: a strange horse of unusual size or beauty, in these regions, would -be stolen at the end of the first march. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] Every hill and peak, ravine and valley, will be known by some striking -epithet: as Borad, the White Hill; Libahlay, the Lions' Mountain; and so -forth. - -[2] The Arabs call it Kakatua, and consider it a species of parrot. The -name Cacatoes, is given by the Cape Boers, according to Delegorgue, to the -Coliphymus Concolor. The Gobiyan resembles in shape and flight our magpie, -it has a crest and a brown coat with patches of white, and a noisy note -like a frog. It is very cunning and seldom affords a second shot. - -[3] The berries of the Armo are eaten by children, and its leaves, which -never dry up, by the people in times of famine; they must be boiled or the -acrid juice would excoriate the mouth. - -[4] Siyaro is the Somali corruption of the Arabic Ziyarat, which, -synonymous with Mazar, means a place of pious visitation. - -[5] The Somal call the insect Abor, and its hill Dundumo. - -[6] The corrupted Portuguese word used by African travellers; in the -Western regions it is called Kelder, and the Arabs term it "Kalam." - -[7] Three species of the Dar or Aloe grow everywhere in the higher regions -of the Somali country. The first is called Dar Main, the inside of its -peeled leaf is chewed when water cannot be procured. The Dar Murodi or -Elephant's aloe is larger and useless: the Dar Digwen or Long-eared -resembles that of Socotra. - -[8] The Hig is called "Salab" by the Arabs, who use its long tough fibre -for ropes. Patches of this plant situated on moist ground at the foot of -hills, are favourite places with sand antelope, spur-fowl and other game. - -[9] The Darnel or pod has a sweetish taste, not unlike that of a withered -pea; pounded and mixed with milk or ghee, it is relished by the Bedouins -when vegetable food is scarce. - -[10] Dobo in the Somali tongue signifies mud or clay. - -[11] The Loajira (from "Loh," a cow) is a neatherd; the "Geljira" is the -man who drives camels. - -[12] For these we paid twenty-four oubits of canvass, and two of blue -cotton; equivalent to about three shillings. - -[13] The natives call them Jana; they are about three-fourths of an inch -long, and armed with stings that prick like thorns and burn violently for -a few minutes. - -[14] Near Berberah, where the descents are more rapid, such panoramas are -common. - -[15] This is the celebrated Waba, which produces the Somali Wabayo, a -poison applied to darts and arrows. It is a round stiff evergreen, not -unlike a bay, seldom taller than twenty feet, affecting hill sides and -torrent banks, growing in clumps that look black by the side of the -Acacias; thornless, with a laurel-coloured leaf, which cattle will not -touch, unless forced by famine, pretty bunches of pinkish white flowers, -and edible berries black and ripening to red. The bark is thin, the wood -yellow, compact, exceedingly tough and hard, the root somewhat like -liquorice; the latter is prepared by trituration and other processes, and -the produce is a poison in substance and colour resembling pitch. - -Travellers have erroneously supposed the arrow poison of Eastern Africa to -be the sap of a Euphorbium. The following "observations accompanying a -substance procured near Aden, and used by the Somalis to poison their -arrows," by F. S. Arnott, Esq., M.D., will be read with interest. - -"In February 1853, Dr. Arnott had forwarded to him a watery extract -prepared from the root of a tree, described as 'Wabie,' a toxicodendron -from the Somali country on the Habr Gerhajis range of the Goolies -mountains. The tree grows to the height of twenty feet. The poison is -obtained by boiling the root in water, until it attains the consistency of -an inspissated juice. When cool the barb of the arrow is anointed with the -juice, which, is regarded as a virulent poison, and it renders a wound -tainted therewith incurable. Dr. Arnott was informed that death usually -took place within an hour; that the hairs and nails dropped off after -death, and it was believed that the application of heat assisted its -poisonous qualities. He could not, however ascertain the quantity made use -of by the Somalis, and doubted if the point of an arrow would convey a -sufficient quantity to produce such immediate effects. He had tested its -powers in some other experiments, besides the ones detailed, and although -it failed in several instances, yet he was led to the conclusion that it -was a very powerful narcotic irritant poison. He had not, however, -observed the local effect said to be produced upon the point of -insertion." - -"The following trials were described:-- - -"1. A little was inserted into the inside of the ear of a sickly sheep, -and death occurred in two hours. - -"2. A little was inserted into, the inside of the ear of a healthy sheep, -and death occurred in two hours, preceded by convulsions. - -"3. Five grains were given to a dog; vomiting took place after an hour, -and death in three or four hours. - -"4. One grain was swallowed by a fowl, but no effect produced. - -"5. Three grains were given to a sheep, but without producing any effect. - -"6. A small quantity was inserted into the ear and shoulder of a dog, but -no effect was produced. - -"7. Upon the same dog two days after, the same quantity was inserted into -the thigh; death occurred in less than two hours. - -"8. Seven grains were given to a sheep without any effect whatever. - -"9. To a dog five grains were administered, but it was rejected by -vomiting; this was again repeated on the following day, with the same -result. On the same day four grains were inserted into a wound upon the -same dog; it produced violent effects in ten, and death in thirty-five, -minutes. - -"10. To a sheep two grains in solution were given without any effect being -produced. The post-mortem appearances observed were, absence of all traces -of inflammation, collapse of the lungs, and distension of the cavities of -the heart." - -Further experiments of the Somali arrow poison by B. Haines, M. B., -assistant surgeon (from Transactions of the Medical and Physical Society -of Bombay. No. 2. new series 1853-1854.) - -"Having while at Ahmednuggur received from the secretary a small quantity -of Somali arrow poison, alluded to by Mr. Vaughan in his notes on articles -of the Materia Medica, and published in the last volume of the Society's -Transactions, and called 'Wabie,' the following experiments were made with -it:-- - -"September 17th. 1. A small healthy rabbit was taken, and the skin over -the hip being divided, a piece of the poisonous extract about the size of -a corn of wheat was inserted into the cellular tissue beneath: thirty -minutes afterwards, seems disinclined to move, breathing quicker, passed * -*: one hour, again passed * * * followed by * * *; has eaten a little: one -hour and a half, appears quite to have recovered from his uneasiness, and -has become as lively as before. (This rabbit was made use of three days -afterwards for the third experiment.) - -"2. A full-grown rabbit. Some of the poison being dissolved in water a -portion of the solution corresponding to about fifteen grains was injected -into an opening in the peritoneum, so large a quantity being used, in -consequence of the apparent absence of effect in the former case: five -minutes, he appears to be in pain, squeaking occasionally; slight -convulsive retractions of the head and neck begin to take place, passed a -small quantity of * *: ten minutes, the spasms are becoming more frequent, -but are neither violent nor prolonged, respiration scarcely perceptible; -he now fell on his side: twelve minutes, several severe general -convulsions came on, and at the end of another minute he was quite dead, -the pulsation being for the last minute quite imperceptible. The chest was -instantly opened, but there was no movement of the heart whatever. - -"September 20th. 3. The rabbit used for the first experiment was taken and -an attempt was made to inject a little filtered solution into the jugular -rein, which failed from the large size of the nozzle of the syringe; a -good deal of blood was lost. A portion of the solution corresponding to -about two grains and a half of the poison was then injected into a small -opening made in the pleura. Nine minutes afterwards: symptoms precisely -resembling those in number two began to appear. Fourteen minutes: -convulsions more violent; fell on his side. Sixteen minutes, died. - -"4. A portion of the poison, as much as could be applied, was smeared over -the square iron head of an arrow, and allowed to dry. The arrow was then -shot into the buttock of a goat with sufficient force to carry the head -out of sight; twenty minutes afterwards, no effect whatever having -followed, the arrow was extracted. The poison had become softened and was -wiped completely off two of the sides, and partly off the two other sides. -The animal appeared to suffer very little pain from the wound; he was kept -for a fortnight, and then died, but not apparently from any cause -connected with the wound. In fact he was previously diseased. -Unfortunately the seat of the wound was not then examined, but a few days -previously it appeared to have healed of itself. In the rabbit of the -former experiment, three days after the insertion of the poison in the -wound, the latter was closed with a dry coagulum and presented no marks of -inflammation around it. - -"5. Two good-sized village dogs being secured, to each after several -hours' fasting, were given about five grains enveloped in meat. The -smaller one chewed it a long time, and frothed much at the mouth. He -appeared to swallow very little of it, but the larger one ate the whole up -without difficulty. After more than two hours no effect whatever being -perceptible in either animal, they were shot to get rid of them. These -experiments, though not altogether complete, certainly establish the fact -that it is a poison of no very great activity. The quantity made use of in -the second experiment was too great to allow a fair deduction to be made -as to its properties. When a fourth to a sixth of the quantity was -employed in the third experiment the same effects followed, but with -rather less rapidity; death resulting in the one case in ten, in the other -in sixteen minutes, although the death in the latter case was perhaps -hastened by the loss of blood. The symptoms more resemble those produced -by nux vomica than by any other agent. No apparent drowsiness, spasms, -slight at first, beginning in the neck, increasing in intensity, extending -over the whole body, and finally stopping respiration and with it the -action of the heart. Experiments first and fourth show that a moderate -quantity, such as may be introduced on the point of an arrow, produced no -sensible effect either on a goat or a rabbit, and it could scarcely be -supposed that it would have more on a man than on the latter animal; and -the fifth experiment proves that a full dose taken into the stomach -produces no result within a reasonable time. - -"The extract appeared to have been very carelessly prepared. It contained -much earthy matter, and even small stones, and a large proportion of what -seemed to be oxidized extractive matter also was left undisturbed when it -was treated with water: probably it was not a good specimen. It seems, -however, to keep well, and shows no disposition to become mouldy." - -[16] The Somal divide their year into four seasons:-- - -1. Gugi (monsoon, from "Gug," rain) begins in April, is violent for forty- -four days and subsides in August. Many roads may be traversed at this -season, which are death in times of drought; the country becomes "Barwako -"(in Arabic Rakha, a place of plenty,) forage and water abound, the air is -temperate, and the light showers enliven the traveller. - -2. Haga is the hot season after the monsoon, and corresponding with our -autumn: the country suffers from the Fora, a violent dusty Simum, which is -allayed by a fall of rain called Karan. - -3. Dair, the beginning of the cold season, opens the sea to shipping. The -rain which then falls is called Dairti or Hais: it comes with a west- -south-west wind from the hills of Harar. - -4. Jilal is the dry season from December to April. The country then -becomes Abar (in Arabic Jahr,) a place of famine: the Nomads migrate to -the low plains, where pasture is procurable. Some reckon as a fifth season -Kalil, or the heats between Jilal and the monsoon. - -[17] According to Bruce this tree flourishes everywhere on the low hot -plains between, the Red Sea and the Abyssinian hills. The Gallas revere it -and plant it over sacerdotal graves. It suggests the Fetiss trees of -Western Africa, and the Hiero-Sykaminon of Egypt. - -[18] There are two species of this bird, both called by the Somal, -"Daudaulay" from their tapping. - -[19] The limbs are perfumed with the "Hedi," and "Karanli," products of -the Ugadayn or southern country. - -[20] This great oath suggests the litholatry of the Arabs, derived from -the Abyssinian and Galla Sabaeans; it is regarded by the Eesa and Gudabirsi -Bedouins as even more binding than the popular religious adjurations. When -a suspected person denies his guilt, the judge places a stone before him, -saying "Tabo!" (feel!); the liar will seldom dare to touch it. Sometimes a -Somali will take up a stone and say "Dagaha," (it is a stone,) he may then -generally be believed. - -[21] Kariyah is the Arabic word. - -[22] In the northern country the water-proofing matter is, according to -travellers, the juice of the Quolquol, a species of Euphorbium. - -[23] The flies are always most troublesome where cows have been; kraals of -goats and camels are comparatively free from the nuisance. - -[24] Some years ago a French lady landed at Berberah: her white face, -according to the End of Time, made every man hate his wife and every wife -hate herself. I know not who the fair dame was: her charms and black silk -dress, however, have made a lasting impression upon the Somali heart; from -the coast to Harar she is still remembered with rapture. - -[25] The Abyssinian Brindo of omophagean fame is not eaten by the Somal, -who always boil, broil, or sun-dry their flesh. They have, however, no -idea of keeping it, whereas the more civilised citizens of Harar hang -their meat till tender. - -[26] Whilst other animals have indigenous names, the horse throughout the -Somali country retains the Arab appellation "Faras." This proves that the -Somal, like their progenitors the Gallas, originally had no cavalry. The -Gudabirsi tribe has but lately mounted itself by making purchases of the -Habr Gerhajis and the Habr Awal herds. - -[27] The milch cow is here worth two Tobes, or about six shillings. - -[28] Particularly amongst the windward tribes visited by Lieut. -Cruttenden, from whom I borrow this description. - -[29] This beautiful bird, with a black and crimson plume, and wings lined -with silver, soars high and seldom descends except at night: its shyness -prevented my shooting a specimen. The Abodi devours small deer and birds: -the female lays a single egg in a large loose nest on the summit of a tall -tree, and she abandons her home when the hand of man has violated it. The -Somal have many superstitions connected with this hawk: if it touch a -child the latter dies, unless protected by the talismanic virtues of the -"Hajar Abodi," a stone found in the bird's body. As it frequently swoops -upon children carrying meat, the belief has doubtlessly frequently -fulfilled itself. - -[30] The Bushman creeps close to the beast and wounds it in the leg or -stomach with a diminutive dart covered with a couch of black poison: if a -drop of blood appear, death results from the almost unfelt wound. - -[31] So the Veddahs of Ceylon are said to have destroyed the elephant by -shooting a tiny arrow into the sole of the foot. The Kafirs attack it in -bodies armed with sharp and broad-head "Omkondo" or assegais: at last, one -finds the opportunity of cutting deep into the hind back sinew, and so -disables the animal. - -[32] The traveller Delegorgue asserts that the Boers induce the young -elephant to accompany them, by rubbing upon its trunk the hand wetted with -the perspiration of the huntsman's brow, and that the calf, deceived by -the similarity of smell, believes that it is with its dam. The fact is, -that the orphan elephant, like the bison, follows man because it fears to -be left alone. - -[33] An antelope, about five hands high with small horns, which inhabits -the high ranges of the mountains, generally in couples, resembles the musk -deer, and is by no means shy, seldom flying till close pressed; when -running it hops awkwardly upon the toes and never goes far. - -[34] These are solemn words used in the equestrian games of the Somal. - -[35] Sometimes milk is poured over the head, as gold and silver in the -Nuzzeranah of India. These ceremonies are usually performed by low-caste -men; the free-born object to act in them. - -[36] The Somal call it Hiddik or Anukub; the quills are used as head -scratchers, and are exported to Aden for sale. - -[37] I It appears to be the Ashkoko of the Amharas, identified by Bruce -with the Saphan of the Hebrews. This coney lives in chinks and holes of -rocks: it was never seen by me on the plains. The Arabs eat it, the Somal -generally do not. - -[38] The prefix appears to be a kind of title appropriated by saints and -divines. - -[39] These charms are washed off and drunk by the people: an economical -proceeding where paper is scarce. - -[40] "Birsan" in Somali, meaning to increase. - -[41] The Ayyal Yunis, the principal clan, contains four septs viz.:-- - - 1. Jibril Yunis. 3. Ali Yunis. - 2. Nur Yunis. 4. Adan Yunis. - -The other chief clans are-- - - 1. Mikahil Dera. 7. Basannah. - 2. Rer Ugaz. 8. Bahabr Hasan. - 3. Jibrain. 9. Abdillah Mikahil. - 4. Rer Mohammed Asa. 10. Hasan Mikahil. - 5. Musa Fin. 11. Eyah Mikahil - 6. Rer Abokr. 12. Hasan Waraba. - -[42] The best prayer-skins are made at Ogadayn; there they cost about -half-a-dollar each. - - - - -CHAP. VII. - -FROM THE MARAR PRAIRIE TO HARAR. - - -Early on the 23rd December assembled the Caravan, which we were destined -to escort across the Marar Prairie. Upon this neutral ground the Eesa, -Berteri, and Habr Awal meet to rob and plunder unhappy travellers. The -Somal shuddered at the sight of a wayfarer, who rushed into our encampment -_in cuerpo_, having barely run away with his life. Not that our caravan -carried much to lose,--a few hides and pots of clarified butter, to be -exchanged for the Holcus grain of the Girhi cultivators,--still the -smallest contributions are thankfully received by these plunderers. Our -material consisted of four or five half-starved camels, about fifty -donkeys with ears cropped as a mark, and their eternal accompaniments in -Somali land, old women. The latter seemed to be selected for age, -hideousness, and strength: all day they bore their babes smothered in -hides upon their backs, and they carried heavy burdens apparently without -fatigue. Amongst them was a Bedouin widow, known by her "Wer," a strip of -the inner bark of a tree tied round the greasy fillet. [1] We were -accompanied by three Widads, provided with all the instruments of their -craft, and uncommonly tiresome companions. They recited Koran _a tort et a -travers_: at every moment they proposed Fatihahs, the name of Allah was -perpetually upon their lips, and they discussed questions of divinity, -like Gil Blas and his friends, with a violence bordering upon frenzy. One -of them was celebrated for his skill in the "Fal," or Omens: he was -constantly consulted by my companions, and informed them that we had -nought to fear except from wild beasts. The prediction was a good hit: I -must own, however, that it was not communicated to me before fulfilment. - -At half past six A.M. we began our march over rough and rising ground, a -network of thorns and water-courses, and presently entered a stony gap -between two ranges of hills. On our right was a conical peak, bearing the -remains of buildings upon its summit. Here, said Abtidon, a wild Gudabirsi -hired to look after our mules, rests the venerable Shaykh Samawai. Of old, -a number of wells existed in the gaps between the hills: these have -disappeared with those who drank of them. - -Presently we entered the Barr or Prairie of Marar, one of the long strips -of plain which diversify the Somali country. Its breadth, bounded on the -east by the rolling ground over which we had passed, on the west by -Gurays, a range of cones offshooting from the highlands of Harar, is about -twenty-seven miles. The general course is north and south: in the former -direction, it belongs to the Eesa: in the latter may be seen the peaks of -Kadau and Madir, the property of the Habr Awal tribes; and along these -ranges it extends, I was told, towards Ogadayn. The surface of the plain -is gently rolling ground; the black earth, filled with the holes of small -beasts, would be most productive, and the outer coat is an expanse of -tall, waving, sunburnt grass, so unbroken, that from a distance it -resembles the nap of yellow velvet. In the frequent Wadys, which carry off -the surplus rain of the hills, scrub and thorn trees grow in dense -thickets, and the grass is temptingly green. Yet the land lies fallow: -water and fuel are scarce at a distance from the hills, and the wildest -Bedouins dare not front the danger of foraging parties, the fatal heats of -day, and the killing colds of night. On the edges of the plain, however, -are frequent vestiges of deserted kraals. - -About mid-day, we crossed a depression in the centre, where Acacias -supplied us with gum for luncheon, and sheltered flocks of antelope. I -endeavoured to shoot the white-tailed Sig, and the large dun Oryx; but the -_brouhaha_ of the Caravan prevented execution. Shortly afterwards we came -upon patches of holcus, which had grown wild, from seeds scattered by -travellers. This was the first sight of grain that gladdened my eyes since -I left Bombay: the grave of the First Murderer never knew a Triptolemus -[2], and Zayla is a barren flat of sand. My companions eagerly devoured -the pith of this African "sweet cane," despite its ill reputation for -causing fever. I followed their example, and found it almost as good as -bad sugar. The Bedouins loaded their spare asses with the bitter gourd, -called Ubbah; externally it resembles the water melon, and becomes, when -shaped, dried, and smoked, the wickerwork of the Somal, and the pottery of -more civilized people. - -Towards evening, as the setting sun sank slowly behind the distant western -hills, the colour of the Prairie changed from glaring yellow to a golden -hue, mantled with a purple flush inexpressibly lovely. The animals of the -waste began to appear. Shy lynxes [3] and jackals fattened by many sheep's -tails [4], warned my companions that fierce beasts were nigh, ominous -anecdotes were whispered, and I was told that a caravan had lately lost -nine asses by lions. As night came on, the Bedouin Kafilah, being lightly -loaded, preceded us, and our tired camels lagged far behind. We were -riding in rear to prevent straggling, when suddenly my mule, the -hindermost, pricked his ears uneasily, and attempted to turn his head. -Looking backwards, I distinguished the form of a large animal following us -with quick and stealthy strides. My companions would not fire, thinking it -was a man: at last a rifle-ball, pinging through the air--the moon was too -young for correct shooting--put to flight a huge lion. The terror excited -by this sort of an adventure was comical to look upon: the valiant Beuh, -who, according to himself, had made his _preuves_ in a score of foughten -fields, threw his arms in the air, wildly shouting Libah! Libah!!--the -lion! the lion!!--and nothing else was talked of that evening. - -The ghostly western hills seemed to recede as we advanced over the endless -rolling plain. Presently the ground became broken and stony, the mules -stumbled in deep holes, and the camels could scarcely crawl along. As we -advanced our Widads, who, poor devils! had been "roasted" by the women all -day on account of their poverty, began to recite the Koran with might, in -gratitude for having escaped many perils. Night deepening, our attention -was rivetted by a strange spectacle; a broad sheet of bright blaze, -reminding me of Hanno's fiery river, swept apparently down a hill, and, -according to my companions, threatened the whole prairie. These accidents -are common: a huntsman burns a tree for honey, or cooks his food in the -dry grass, the wind rises and the flames spread far and wide. On this -occasion no accident occurred; the hills, however, smoked like a Solfatara -for two days. - -About 9 P.M. we heard voices, and I was told to discharge my rifle lest -the kraal be closed to us; in due time we reached a long, low, dark line -of sixty or seventy huts, disposed in a circle, so as to form a fence, -with a few bushes--thorns being hereabouts rare--in the gaps between the -abodes. The people, a mixture of Girhi and Gudabirsi Bedouins, swarmed out -to gratify their curiosity, but we were in no humour for long -conversations. Our luggage was speedily disposed in a heap near the kraal, -the mules and camels were tethered for the night, then, supperless and -shivering with cold, we crept under our mats and fell asleep. That day we -had ridden nearly fifteen hours; our halting place lay about thirty miles -from, and 240o south-west of, Koralay. - -After another delay, and a second vain message to the Gerad Adan, about -noon appeared that dignitary's sixth wife, sister to the valiant Beuh. Her -arrival disconcerted my companions, who were too proud to be protected by -a woman. "Dahabo," however, relieved their anxiety by informing us that -the Gerad had sent his eldest son Sherwa, as escort. This princess was a -gipsy-looking dame, coarsely dressed, about thirty years old, with a gay -leer, a jaunty demeanour, and the reputation of being "fast;" she showed -little shame-facedness when I saluted her, and received with noisy joy the -appropriate present of a new and handsome Tobe. About 4 P.M. returned our -second messenger, bearing with him a reproving message from the Gerad, for -not visiting him without delay; in token of sincerity, he forwarded his -baton, a knobstick about two feet long, painted in rings of Cutch colours, -red, black, and yellow alternately, and garnished on the summit with a -ball of similar material. - -At dawn on the 26th December, mounted upon a little pony, came Sherwa, -heir presumptive to the Gerad Adan's knobstick. His father had sent him to -us three days before, but he feared the Gudabirsi as much as the Gudabirsi -feared him, and he probably hung about our camp till certain that it was -safe to enter. We received him politely, and he in acknowledgment -positively declared that Beuh should not return before eating honey in his -cottage. Our Abban's heroism now became infectious. Even the End of Time, -whose hot valour had long since fallen below zero, was inspired by the -occasion, and recited, as usual with him in places and at times of extreme -safety, the Arabs' warrior lines-- - - "I have crossed the steed since my eyes saw light, - I have fronted death till he feared my sight, - And the cleaving of helm, and the riving of mail - Were the dreams of my youth,--are my manhood's delight." - -As we had finished loading, a mule's bridle was missed. Sherwa ordered -instant restitution to his father's stranger, on the ground that all the -property now belonged to the Gerad; and we, by no means idle, fiercely -threatened to bewitch the kraal. The article was presently found hard by, -on a hedge. This was the first and last case of theft which occurred to us -in the Somali country;--I have travelled through most civilised lands, and -have lost more. - -At 8 A.M. we marched towards the north-west, along the southern base of -the Gurays hills, and soon arrived at the skirt of the prairie, where a -well-trodden path warned us that we were about to quit the desert. After -advancing six miles in line we turned to the right, and recited a Fatihah -over the heap of rough stones, where, shadowed by venerable trees, lie the -remains of the great Shaykh Abd el Malik. A little beyond this spot, rises -suddenly from the plain a mass of castellated rock, the subject of many a -wild superstition. Caravans always encamp beneath it, as whoso sleeps upon -the summit loses his senses to evil spirits. At some future day Harar will -be destroyed, and "Jannah Siri" will become a flourishing town. We -ascended it, and found no life but hawks, coneys, an owl [5], and a -graceful species of black eagle [6]; there were many traces of buildings, -walls, ruined houses, and wells, whilst the sides and summit were tufted -with venerable sycamores. This act was an imprudence; the Bedouins at once -declared that we were "prospecting" for a fort, and the evil report -preceded us to Harar. - -After a mile's march from Jannah Siri, we crossed a ridge of rising -ground, and suddenly, as though by magic, the scene shifted. - -Before us lay a little Alp; the second step of the Ethiopian Highland. -Around were high and jagged hills, their sides black with the Saj [7] and -Somali pine [8], and their upper brows veiled with a thin growth of -cactus. Beneath was a deep valley, in the midst of which ran a serpentine -of shining waters, the gladdest spectacle we had yet witnessed: further in -front, masses of hill rose abruptly from shady valleys, encircled on the -far horizon by a straight blue line of ground, resembling a distant sea. -Behind us glared the desert: we had now reached the outskirts of -civilization, where man, abandoning his flocks and herds, settles, -cultivates, and attends to the comforts of life. - -The fields are either terraces upon the hill slopes or the sides of -valleys, divided by flowery hedges with lanes between, not unlike those of -rustic England; and on a nearer approach the daisy, the thistle, and the -sweet briar pleasantly affected my European eyes. The villages are no -longer moveable: the Kraal and wigwam are replaced by the Gambisa or bell- -shaped hut of Middle Africa [9], circular cottages of holcus wattle, -Covered with coarse dab and surmounted by a stiff, conical, thatch roof, -above which appears the central supporting post, crowned with a gourd or -ostrich egg. [10] Strong abbatis of thorns protects these settlements, -which stud the hills in all directions: near most of them are clumps of -tall trees, to the southern sides of which are hung, like birdcages, long -cylinders of matting, the hives of these regions. Yellow crops of holcus -rewarded the peasant's toil: in some places the long stems tied in bunches -below the ears as piled muskets, stood ready for the reaper; in others, -the barer ground showed that the task was done. The boys sat perched upon -reed platforms [11] in the trees, and with loud shouts drove away thieving -birds, whilst their fathers cut the crop with diminutive sickles, or -thrashed heaps of straw with rude flails [12], or winnowed grain by -tossing it with a flat wooden shovel against the wind. The women husked -the pineapple-formed heads in mortars composed of a hollowed trunk [13], -smeared the threshing floor with cow-dung and water to defend it from -insects, piled the holcus heads into neat yellow heaps, spanned and -crossed by streaks of various colours, brick-red and brownish-purple [14], -and stacked the Karbi or straw, which was surrounded like the grain with -thorn, as a defence against the wild hog. All seemed to consider it a -labour of love: the harvest-home song sounded pleasantly to our ears, and, -contrasting with the silent desert, the hum of man's habitation was a -music. - -Descending the steep slope, we reposed, after a seven miles' march, on the -banks of a bright rivulet, which bisects the Kobbo or valley: it runs, -according to my guides, from the north towards Ogadayn, and the direction -is significant,--about Harar I found neither hill nor stream trending from -east to west. The people of the Kutti [15] flocked out to gaze upon us: -they were unarmed, and did not, like the Bedouins, receive us with cries -of "Bori." During the halt, we bathed in the waters, upon whose banks were -a multitude of huge Mantidae, pink and tender green. Returning to the -camels, I shot a kind of crow, afterwards frequently seen. [16] It is -about three times the size of our English bird, of a bluish-black with a -snow-white poll, and a beak of unnatural proportions: the quantity of lead -which it carried off surprised me. A number of Widads assembled to greet -us, and some Habr Awal, who were returning with a caravan, gave us the -salam, and called my people cousins. "Verily," remarked the Hammal, -"amongst friends we cut one another's throats; amongst enemies we become -sons of uncles!" - -At 3 P.M. we pursued our way over rising ground, dotted with granite -blocks fantastically piled, and everywhere in sight of fields and villages -and flowing water. A furious wind was blowing, and the End of Time quoted -the Somali proverb, "heat hurts, but cold kills:" the camels were so -fatigued, and the air became so raw [17], that after an hour and a half's -march we planted our wigwams near a village distant about seven miles from -the Gurays Hills. Till late at night we were kept awake by the crazy -Widads: Ao Samattar had proposed the casuistical question, "Is it lawful -to pray upon a mountain when a plain is at hand?" Some took the _pro_, -others the _contra_, and the wordy battle raged with uncommon fury. - -On Wednesday morning at half past seven we started down hill towards -"Wilensi," a small table-mountain, at the foot of which we expected to -find the Gerad Adan awaiting us in one of his many houses, crossed a -fertile valley, and ascended another steep slope by a bad and stony road. -Passing the home of Sherwa, who vainly offered hospitality, we toiled -onwards, and after a mile and a half's march, which occupied at least two -hours, our wayworn beasts arrived at the Gerad's village. On inquiry, it -proved that the chief, who was engaged in selecting two horses and two -hundred cows, the price of blood claimed by the Amir of Harar, for the -murder of a citizen, had that day removed to Sagharrah, another -settlement. - -As we entered the long straggling village of Wilensi, our party was -divided by the Gerad's two wives. The Hammal, the Kalendar, Shehrazade, -and Deenarzade, remained with Beuh and his sister in her Gurgi, whilst -Long Guled, the End of Time, and I were conducted to the cottage of the -Gerad's prettiest wife, Sudiyah. She was a tall woman, with a light -complexion, handsomely dressed in a large Harar Tobe, with silver -earrings, and the kind of necklace called Jilbah or Kardas. [18] The -Geradah (princess) at once ordered our hides to be spread in a comfortable -part of the hut, and then supplied us with food--boiled beef, pumpkin, and -Jowari cakes. During the short time spent in that Gambisa, I had an -opportunity, dear L., of seeing the manners and customs of the settled -Somal. - -The interior of the cottage is simple. Entering the door, a single plank -with pins for hinges fitted into sockets above and below the lintel--in -fact, as artless a contrivance as ever seen in Spain or Corsica--you find -a space, divided by dwarf walls of wattle and dab into three compartments, -for the men, women, and cattle. The horses and cows, tethered at night on -the left of the door, fill the cottage with the wherewithal to pass many a -_nuit blanche_: the wives lie on the right, near a large fireplace of -stones and raised clay, and the males occupy the most comfortable part, -opposite to and farthest from the entrance. The thatched ceiling shines -jetty with smoke, which when intolerable is allowed to escape by a -diminutive window: this seldom happens, for smoke, like grease and dirt, -keeping man warm, is enjoyed by savages. Equally simply is the furniture: -the stem of a tree, with branches hacked into pegs, supports the shields, -the assegais are planted against the wall, and divers bits of wood, -projecting from the sides and the central roof-tree of the cottage, are -hung with clothes and other articles that attract white ants. Gourds -smoked inside, and coffee cups of coarse black Harar pottery, with deep -wooden platters, and prettily carved spoons of the same material, compose -the household supellex. The inmates are the Geradah and her baby, Siddik a -Galla serf, the slave girls and sundry Somal: thus we hear at all times -three languages [19] spoken within the walls. - -Long before dawn the goodwife rises, wakens her handmaidens, lights the -fire, and prepares for the Afur or morning meal. The quern is here unknown -[20]. A flat, smooth, oval slab, weighing about fifteen pounds, and a -stone roller six inches in diameter, worked with both hands, and the -weight of the body kneeling ungracefully upon it on "all fours," are used -to triturate the holcus grain. At times water must be sprinkled over the -meal, until a finely powdered paste is ready for the oven: thus several -hours' labour is required to prepare a few pounds of bread. About 6 A.M. -there appears a substantial breakfast of roast beef and mutton, with -scones of Jowari grain, the whole drenched in broth. Of the men few -perform any ablutions, but all use the tooth stick before sitting down to -eat. After the meal some squat in the sun, others transact business, and -drive their cattle to the bush till 11 A.M., the dinner hour. There is no -variety in the repasts, which are always flesh and holcus: these people -despise fowls, and consider vegetables food for cattle. During the day -there is no privacy; men, women, and children enter in crowds, and will -not be driven away by the Geradah, who inquires screamingly if they come -to stare at a baboon. My kettle especially excites their surprise; some -opine that it is an ostrich, others, a serpent: Sudiyah, however, soon -discovered its use, and begged irresistibly for the unique article. -Throughout the day her slave girls are busied in grinding, cooking, and -quarrelling with dissonant voices: the men have little occupation beyond -chewing tobacco, chatting, and having their wigs frizzled by a -professional coiffeur. In the evening the horses and cattle return home to -be milked and stabled: this operation concluded, all apply themselves to -supper with a will. They sleep but little, and sit deep into the night -trimming the fire, and conversing merrily over their cups of Farshu or -millet beer. [21] I tried this mixture several times, and found it -detestable: the taste is sour, and it flies directly to the head, in -consequence of being mixed with some poisonous bark. It is served up in -gourd bottles upon a basket of holcus heads, and strained through a -pledget of cotton, fixed across the narrow mouth, into cups of the same -primitive material: the drinkers sit around their liquor, and their -hilarity argues its intoxicating properties. In the morning they arise -with headaches and heavy eyes; but these symptoms, which we, an -industrious race, deprecate, are not disliked by the Somal--they promote -sleep and give something to occupy the vacant mind. I usually slumber -through the noise except when Ambar, a half-caste Somal, returning from a -trip to Harar, astounds us with his _contes bleus_, or wild Abtidon howls -forth some lay like this:-- - - I. - "'Tis joyesse all in Eesa's home! - The fatted oxen bleed, - And slave girls range the pails of milk, - And strain the golden mead. - - II. - "'Tis joyesse all in Eesa's home! - This day the Chieftain's pride - Shall join the song, the dance, the feast, - And bear away a bride. - - III. - "'He cometh not!' the father cried, - Smiting with spear the wall; - 'And yet he sent the ghostly man, - Yestre'en before the fall!' - - IV. - "'He cometh not!' the mother said, - A tear stood in her eye; - 'He cometh not, I dread, I dread, - And yet I know not why.' - - V. - "'He cometh not!' the maiden thought, - Yet in her glance was light, - Soft as the flash in summer's eve - Where sky and earth unite. - - VI. - "The virgins, deck'd with tress and flower, - Danced in the purple shade, - And not a soul, perchance, but wished - Herself the chosen maid. - - VII. - "The guests in groups sat gathering - Where sunbeams warmed the air, - Some laughed the feasters' laugh, and some - Wore the bent brow of care. - - VIII. - "'Tis he!--'tis he!"--all anxious peer, - Towards the distant lea; - A courser feebly nears the throng-- - Ah! 'tis his steed they see. - - IX. - "The grief cry bursts from every lip, - Fear sits on every brow, - There's blood upon the courser's flank!-- - Blood on the saddle bow! - - X. - "'Tis he!--'tis he!'--all arm and run - Towards the Marar Plain, - Where a dark horseman rides the waste - With dust-cloud for a train. - - XI. - "The horseman reins his foam-fleckt steed, - Leans on his broken spear, - Wipes his damp brow, and faint begins - To tell a tale of fear. - - XII. - "'Where is my son?'--'Go seek him there, - Far on the Marar Plain, - Where vultures and hyaenas hold - Their orgies o'er the slain. - - XIII. - "'We took our arms, we saddled horse, - We rode the East countrie, - And drove the flocks, and harried herds - Betwixt the hills and sea. - - XIV. - "'We drove the flock across the hill, - The herd across the wold-- - The poorest spearboy had returned - That day, a man of gold. - - XV. - "'Bat Awal's children mann'd the vale - Where sweet the Arman flowers, - Their archers from each bush and tree - Rained shafts in venomed showers. - - XVI. - "'Full fifty warriors bold and true - Fell as becomes the brave; - And whom the arrow spared, the spear - Reaped for the ravening grave. - - XVII. - "'Friend of my youth! shall I remain - When ye are gone before?' - He drew the wood from out his side, - And loosed the crimson gore. - - XVIII. - "Falling, he raised his broken spear, - Thrice wav'd it o'er his head, - Thrice raised the warrior's cry 'revenge!'-- - His soul was with the dead. - - XIX. - "Now, one by one, the wounded braves - Homeward were seen to wend, - Each holding on his saddle bow - A dead or dying friend. - - XX. - "Two galliards bore the Eesa's son, - The corpse was stark and bare-- - Low moaned the maid, the mother smote - Her breast in mute despair. - - XXI. - "The father bent him o'er the dead, - The wounds were all before; - Again his brow, in sorrow clad, - The garb of gladness wore. - - XXII. - "'Ho! sit ye down, nor mourn for me,' - Unto the guests he cried; - 'My son a warrior's life hath lived, - A warrior's death hath died. - - XXIII. - "'His wedding and his funeral feast - Are one, so Fate hath said; - Death bore him from the brides of earth - The brides of Heaven to wed.' - - XXIV. - "They drew their knives, they sat them down, - And fed as warriors feed; - The flesh of sheep and beeves they ate, - And quaffed the golden mead. - - XXV. - "And Eesa sat between the prayers - Until the fall of day, - When rose the guests and grasped their spears, - And each man went his way. - - XXVI. - "But in the morn arose the cry, - For mortal spirit flown; - The father's mighty heart had burst - With woe he might not own. - - XXVII. - "On the high crest of yonder hill, - They buried sire and son, - Grant, Allah! grant them Paradise-- - Gentles, my task is done!" - - * * * * * - -Immediately after our arrival at Wilensi we sent Yusuf Dera, the Gerad's -second son, to summon his father. I had to compose many disputes between -the Hammal and the End of Time: the latter was swelling with importance; -he was now accredited ambassador from the Hajj to the Girhi chief, -consequently he aimed at commanding the Caravan. We then made preparations -for departure, in case of the Gerad being unable to escort us. Shehrazade -and Deenarzade, hearing that the small-pox raged at Harar, and fearing for -their charms, begged hard to be left behind: the Kalendar was directed, -despite his manly objections, to remain in charge of these dainty dames. -The valiant Beuh was dressed in the grand Tobe promised to him; as no -consideration would induce him towards the city, he was dismissed with -small presents, and an old Girhi Bedouin, generally known as Said Wal, or -Mad Said, was chosen as our escort. Camels being unable to travel over -these rough mountain paths, our weary brutes were placed for rest and -pasture under the surveillance of Sherwa: and not wishing the trouble and -delay of hiring asses, the only transport in this country, certain -moreover that our goods were safer here than nearer Harar, we selected the -most necessary objects, and packed them in a pair of small leathern -saddlebags which could be carried by a single mule. - -All these dispositions duly made, at 10 A.M. on the 29th December we -mounted our animals, and, guided by Mad Said, trotted round the northern -side of the Wilensi table-mountain down a lane fenced with fragrant dog -roses. Then began the descent of a steep rocky hill, the wall of a woody -chasm, through whose gloomy depths the shrunken stream of a large Fiumara -wound like a thread of silver. The path would be safe to nought less -surefooted than a mule: we rode slowly over rolling stones, steps of -micaceous grit, and through thorny bush for about half an hour. In the -plain below appeared a village of the Gerad's Midgans, who came out to see -us pass, and followed the strangers to some distance. One happening to -say, "Of what use is his gun?--before he could fetch fire, I should put -this arrow through him!" I discharged a barrel over their heads, and -derided the convulsions of terror caused by the unexpected sound. - -Passing onwards we entered a continuation of the Wady Harirah. It is a -long valley choked with dense vegetation, through which meandered a line -of water brightly gilt by the sun's rays: my Somal remarked that were the -elephants now infesting it destroyed, rice, the favourite luxury, might be -grown upon its banks in abundance. Our road lay under clumps of shady -trees, over rocky watercourses, through avenues of tall cactus, and down -_tranchees_ worn by man eight and ten feet below stiff banks of rich red -clay. On every side appeared deep clefts, ravines, and earth cracks, all, -at this season, dry. The unarmed cultivators thronged from the frequent -settlements to stare, and my Somal, being no longer in their own country, -laid aside for guns their ridiculous spears. On the way passing Ao -Samattar's village, the worthy fellow made us halt whilst he went to fetch -a large bowl of sour milk. About noon the fresh western breeze obscured -the fierce sun with clouds, and we watered our mules in a mountain stream -which crossed our path thrice within as many hundred yards. After six -miles' ride reaching the valley's head, we began the descent of a rugged -pass by a rough and rocky path. The scenery around us was remarkable. The -hill sides were well wooded, and black with pine: their summits were bared -of earth by the heavy monsoon which spreads the valleys with rich soil; in -many places the beds of waterfalls shone like sheets of metal upon the -black rock; villages surrounded by fields and fences studded the country, -and the distance was a mass of purple peak and blue table in long -vanishing succession. Ascending the valley's opposite wall, we found the -remains of primaeval forests,--little glades which had escaped the axe,-- -they resounded with the cries of pintados and cynocephali. [22] Had the -yellow crops of Holcus been wheat, I might have fancied myself once more -riding in the pleasant neighbourhood of Tuscan Sienna. - -At 4 P.M., after accomplishing fifteen miles on rough ground, we sighted -Sagharrah, a snug high-fenced village of eight or nine huts nestling -against a hill side with trees above, and below a fertile grain-valley. -Presently Mad Said pointed out to us the Gerad Adan, who, attended by a -little party, was returning homewards: we fired our guns as a salute, he -however hurried on to receive us with due ceremony in his cottage. -Dismounting at the door we shook hands with him, were led through the idle -mob into a smoky closet contrived against the inside wall, and were -regaled with wheaten bread steeped in honey and rancid butter. The host -left us to eat, and soon afterwards returned:--I looked with attention at -a man upon whom so much then depended. - -Adan bin Kaushan was in appearance a strong wiry Bedouin,--before -obtaining from me a turban he wore his bushy hair dyed dun,--about forty- -five years old, at least six feet high, with decided features, a tricky -smile, and an uncertain eye. In character he proved to be one of those -cunning idiots so peculiarly difficult to deal with. Ambitious and wild -with greed of gain, he was withal so fickle that his head appeared ever -changing its contents; he could not sit quiet for half an hour, and this -physical restlessness was an outward sign of the uneasy inner man. Though -reputed brave, his treachery has won him a permanent ill fame. Some years -ago he betrothed a daughter to the eldest son of Gerad Hirsi of the -Berteri tribe, and then, contrary to Somali laws of honor, married her to -Mahommed Waiz of the Jibril Abokr. This led to a feud, in which the -disappointed suitor was slain. Adan was celebrated for polygamy even in -Eastern Africa: by means of his five sons and dozen daughters, he has -succeeded in making extensive connexions [23], and his sister, the Gisti -[24] Fatimah, was married to Abubakr, father of the present Amir. Yet the -Gerad would walk into a crocodile's mouth as willingly as within the walls -of Harar. His main reason for receiving us politely was an ephemeral fancy -for building a fort, to control the country's trade, and rival or overawe -the city. Still did he not neglect the main chance: whatever he saw he -asked for; and, after receiving a sword, a Koran, a turban, an Arab -waistcoat of gaudy satin, about seventy Tobes, and a similar proportion of -indigo-dyed stuff, he privily complained to me that the Hammal had given -him but twelve cloths. A list of his wants will best explain the man. He -begged me to bring him from Berberah a silver-hilted sword and some soap, -1000 dollars, two sets of silver bracelets, twenty guns with powder and -shot, snuff, a scarlet cloth coat embroidered with gold, some poison that -would not fail, and any other little article of luxury which might be -supposed to suit him. In return he was to present us with horses, mules, -slaves, ivory, and other valuables: he forgot, however, to do so before we -departed. - -The Gerad Adan was powerful, being the head of a tribe of cultivators, not -split up, like the Bedouins, into independent clans, and he thus exercises -a direct influence upon the conterminous races. [25] The Girhi or -"Giraffes" inhabiting these hills are, like most of the other settled -Somal, a derivation from Darud, and descended from Kombo. Despite the -unmerciful persecutions of the Gallas, they gradually migrated westwards -from Makhar, their original nest, now number 5000 shields, possess about -180 villages, and are accounted the power paramount. Though friendly with -the Habr Awal, the Girhi seldom descend, unless compelled by want of -pasture, into the plains. - -The other inhabitants of these hills are the Gallas and the Somali clans -of Berteri, Bursuk, Shaykhash, Hawiyah, Usbayhan, Marayhan, and Abaskul. - -The Gallas [26] about Harar are divided into four several clans, -separating as usual into a multitude of septs. The Alo extend westwards -from the city: the Nole inhabit the land to the east and north-east, about -two days' journey between the Eesa Somal, and Harar: on the south, are -situated the Babuli and the Jarsa at Wilensi, Sagharrah, and Kondura,-- -places described in these pages. - -The Berteri, who occupy the Gurays Range, south of, and limitrophe to, the -Gallas, and thence extend eastward to the Jigjiga hills, are estimated at -3000 shields. [27] Of Darud origin, they own allegiance to the Gerad -Hirsi, and were, when I visited the country, on bad terms with the Girhi. -The chief's family has, for several generations, been connected with the -Amirs of Harar, and the caravan's route to and from Berberah lying through -his country, makes him a useful friend and a dangerous foe. About the -Gerad Hirsi different reports were rife: some described him as cruel, -violent, and avaricious; others spoke of him as a godly and a prayerful -person: all, however, agreed that he _had_ sowed wild oats. In token of -repentance, he was fond of feeding Widads, and the Shaykh Jami of Harar -was a frequent guest at his kraal. - -The Bursuk number about 5000 shields, own no chief, and in 1854 were at -war with the Girhi, the Berteri, and especially the Gallas. In this -country, the feuds differ from those of the plains: the hill-men fight for -three days, as the End of Time phrased it, and make peace for three days. -The maritime clans are not so abrupt in their changes; moreover they claim -blood-money, a thing here unknown. - -The Shaykhash, or "Reverend" as the term means, are the only Somal of the -mountains not derived from Dir and Darud. Claiming descent from the Caliph -Abubakr, they assert that ten generations ago, one Ao Khutab bin Fakih -Umar crossed over from El Hejaz, and settled in Eastern Africa with his -six sons, Umar the greater, Umar the less, two Abdillahs, Ahmed, and -lastly Siddik. This priestly tribe is dispersed, like that of Levi, -amongst its brethren, and has spread from Efat to Ogadayn. Its principal -sub-families are, Ao Umar, the elder, and Bah Dumma, the junior, branch. - -The Hawiyah has been noticed in a previous chapter. Of the Usbayhan I saw -but few individuals: they informed me that their tribe numbered forty -villages, and about 1000 shields; that they had no chief of their own -race, but owned the rule of the Girhi and Berteri Gerads. Their principal -clans are the Rer Yusuf, Rer Said, Rer Abokr, and Yusuf Liyo. - -In the Eastern Horn of Africa, and at Ogadayn, the Marayhan is a powerful -tribe, here it is un-consequential, and affiliated to the Girhi. The -Abaskul also lies scattered over the Harar hills, and owns the Gerad Adan -as its chief. This tribe numbers fourteen villages, and between 400 and -500 shields, and is divided into the Rer Yusuf, the Jibrailah, and the -Warra Dig:--the latter clan is said to be of Galla extraction. - -On the morning after my arrival at Sagharrah I felt too ill to rise, and -was treated with unaffected kindness by all the establishment. The Gerad -sent to Harar for millet beer, Ao Samattar went to the gardens in search -of Kat, the sons Yusuf Dera and a dwarf [28] insisted upon firing me with -such ardour, that no refusal could avail: and Khayrah the wife, with her -daughters, two tall dark, smiling, and well-favoured girls of thirteen and -fifteen, sacrificed a sheep as my Fida, or Expiatory offering. Even the -Galla Christians, who flocked to see the stranger, wept for the evil fate -which had brought him so far from his fatherland, to die under a tree. -Nothing, indeed, would have been easier than such operation: all required -was the turning face to the wall, for four or five days. But to expire of -an ignoble colic!--the thing was not to be thought of, and a firm -resolution to live on sometimes, methinks, effects its object. - -On the 1st January, 1855, feeling stronger, I clothed myself in my Arab -best, and asked a palaver with the Gerad. We retired to a safe place -behind the village, where I read with pomposity the Hajj Sharmarkay's -letter. The chief appeared much pleased by our having preferred his -country to that of the Eesa: he at once opened the subject of the new -fort, and informed me that I was the builder, as his eldest daughter had -just dreamed that the stranger would settle in the land. Having discussed -the project to the Gerad's satisfaction, we brought out the guns and shot -a few birds for the benefit of the vulgar. Whilst engaged in this -occupation, appeared a party of five strangers, and three mules with -ornamented Morocco saddles, bridles, bells, and brass neck ornaments, -after the fashion of Harar. Two of these men, Haji Umar, and Nur Ambar, -were citizens: the others, Ali Hasan, Husayn Araleh, and Haji Mohammed, -were Somal of the Habr Awal tribe, high in the Amir's confidence. They had -been sent to settle with Adan the weighty matter of Blood-money. After -sitting with us almost half an hour, during which they exchanged grave -salutations with my attendants, inspected our asses with portentous -countenances, and asked me a few questions concerning my business in those -parts, they went privily to the Gerad, told him that the Arab was not one -who bought and sold, that he had no design but to spy out the wealth of -the land, and that the whole party should be sent prisoners in their hands -to Harar. The chief curtly replied that we were his friends, and bade -them, "throw far those words." Disappointed in their designs, they started -late in the afternoon, driving off their 200 cows, and falsely promising -to present our salams to the Amir. - -It became evident that some decided step must be taken. The Gerad -confessed fear of his Harari kinsman, and owned that he had lost all his -villages in the immediate neighbourhood of the city. I asked him point- -blank to escort us: he as frankly replied that it was impossible. The -request was lowered,--we begged him to accompany us as far as the -frontier: he professed inability to do so, but promised to send his eldest -son, Sherwa. - -Nothing then remained, dear L., but _payer d'audace_, and, throwing all -forethought to the dogs, to rely upon what has made many a small man -great, the good star. I addressed my companions in a set speech, advising -a mount without delay. They suggested a letter to the Amir, requesting -permission to enter his city: this device was rejected for two reasons. In -the first place, had a refusal been returned, our journey was cut short, -and our labours stultified. Secondly, the End of Time had whispered that -my two companions were plotting to prevent the letter reaching its -destination. He had charged his own sin upon their shoulders: the Hammal -and Long Guled were incapable of such treachery. But our hedge-priest was -thoroughly terrified; "a coward body after a'," his face brightened when -ordered to remain with the Gerad at Sagharrah, and though openly taunted -with poltroonery, he had not the decency to object. My companions were -then informed that hitherto our acts had been those of old women, not -soldiers, and that something savouring of manliness must be done before we -could return. They saw my determination to start alone, if necessary, and -to do them justice, they at once arose. This was the more courageous in -them, as alarmists had done their worst: but a day before, some travelling -Somali had advised them, as they valued dear life, not to accompany that -Turk to Harar. Once in the saddle, they shook off sad thoughts, declaring -that if they were slain, I should pay their blood-money, and if they -escaped, that their reward was in my hands. When in some danger, the -Hammal especially behaved with a sturdiness which produced the most -beneficial results. Yet they were true Easterns. Wearied by delay at -Harar, I employed myself in meditating flight; they drily declared that -after-wit serves no good purpose: whilst I considered the possibility of -escape, they looked only at the prospect of being dragged back with -pinioned arms by the Amir's guard. Such is generally the effect of the -vulgar Moslems' blind fatalism. - -I then wrote an English letter [29] from the Political Agent at Aden to -the Amir of Harar, proposing to deliver it in person, and throw off my -disguise. Two reasons influenced me in adopting this "neck or nothing" -plan. All the races amongst whom my travels lay, hold him nidering who -hides his origin in places of danger; and secondly, my white face had -converted me into a Turk, a nation more hated and suspected than any -Europeans, without our _prestige_. Before leaving Sagharrah, I entrusted -to the End of Time a few lines addressed to Lieut. Herne at Berberah, -directing him how to act in case of necessity. Our baggage was again -decimated: the greater part was left with Adan, and an ass carried only -what was absolutely necessary,--a change of clothes, a book or two, a few -biscuits, ammunition, and a little tobacco. My Girhi escort consisted of -Sherwa, the Bedouin Abtidon, and Mad Said mounted on the End of Time's -mule. - -At 10 A.M. on the 2nd January, all the villagers assembled, and recited -the Fatihah, consoling us with the information that we were dead men. By -the worst of foot-paths, we ascended the rough and stony hill behind -Sagharrah, through bush and burn and over ridges of rock. At the summit -was a village, where Sherwa halted, declaring that he dared not advance: a -swordsman, however, was sent on to guard us through the Galla Pass. After -an hour's ride, we reached the foot of a tall Table-mountain called -Kondura, where our road, a goat-path rough with rocks or fallen trees, and -here and there arched over with giant creepers, was reduced to a narrow -ledge, with a forest above and a forest below. I could not but admire the -beauty of this Valombrosa, which reminded me of scenes whilome enjoyed in -fair Touraine. High up on our left rose the perpendicular walls of the -misty hill, fringed with tufted pine, and on the right the shrub-clad -folds fell into a deep valley. The cool wind whistled and sunbeams like -golden shafts darted through tall shady trees-- - - Bearded with moss, and in garments green-- - -the ground was clothed with dank grass, and around the trunks grew -thistles, daisies, and blue flowers which at a distance might well pass -for violets. - -Presently we were summarily stopped by half a dozen Gallas attending upon -one Rabah, the Chief who owns the Pass. [30] This is the African style of -toll-taking: the "pike" appears in the form of a plump of spearmen, and -the gate is a pair of lances thrown across the road. Not without trouble, -for they feared to depart from the _mos majorum_, we persuaded them that -the ass carried no merchandise. Then rounding Kondura's northern flank, we -entered the Amir's territory: about thirty miles distant, and separated by -a series of blue valleys, lay a dark speck upon a tawny sheet of stubble-- -Harar. - -Having paused for a moment to savour success, we began the descent. The -ground was a slippery black soil--mist ever settles upon Kondura--and -frequent springs oozing from the rock formed beds of black mire. A few -huge Birbisa trees, the remnant of a forest still thick around the -mountain's neck, marked out the road: they were branchy from stem to -stern, and many had a girth of from twenty to twenty-five feet. [31] - -After an hour's ride amongst thistles, whose flowers of a bright redlike -worsted were not less than a child's head, we watered our mules at a rill -below the slope. Then remounting, we urged over hill and dale, where Galla -peasants were threshing and storing their grain with loud songs of joy; -they were easily distinguished by their African features, mere caricatures -of the Somal, whose type has been Arabized by repeated immigrations from -Yemen and Hadramaut. Late in the afternoon, having gained ten miles in a -straight direction, we passed through a hedge of plantains, defending the -windward side of Gafra, a village of Midgans who collect the Gerad Adan's -grain. They shouted delight on recognising their old friend, Mad Said, led -us to an empty Gambisa, swept and cleaned it, lighted a fire, turned our -mules into a field to graze, and went forth to seek food. Their hospitable -thoughts, however, were marred by the two citizens of Harar, who privately -threatened them with the Amir's wrath, if they dared to feed that Turk. - -As evening drew on, came a message from our enemies, the Habr Awal, who -offered, if we would wait till sunrise, to enter the city in our train. -The Gerad Adan had counselled me not to provoke these men; so, contrary to -the advice of my two companions, I returned a polite answer, purporting -that we would expect them till eight o'clock the next morning. - -At 7 P.M., on the 3rd January, we heard that the treacherous Habr Awal had -driven away their cows shortly after midnight. Seeing their hostile -intentions, I left my journal, sketches, and other books in charge of an -old Midgan, with directions that they should be forwarded to the Gerad -Adan, and determined to carry nothing but our arms and a few presents for -the Amir. We saddled our mules, mounted and rode hurriedly along the edge -of a picturesque chasm of tender pink granite, here and there obscured by -luxuriant vegetation. In the centre, fringed with bright banks a shallow -rill, called Doghlah, now brawls in tiny cascades, then whirls through -huge boulders towards the Erar River. Presently, descending by a ladder of -rock scarcely safe even for mules, we followed the course of the burn, and -emerging into the valley beneath, we pricked forwards rapidly, for day was -wearing on, and we did not wish the Habr Awal to precede us. - -About noon we crossed the Erar River. The bed is about one hundred yards -broad, and a thin sheet of clear, cool, and sweet water, covered with -crystal the greater part of the sand. According to my guides, its course, -like that of the hills, is southerly towards the Webbe of Ogadayn [32]: -none, however, could satisfy my curiosity concerning the course of the -only perennial stream which exists between Harar and the coast. - -In the lower valley, a mass of waving holcus, we met a multitude of Galla -peasants coming from the city market with new potlids and the empty gourds -which had contained their butter, ghee, and milk: all wondered aloud at -the Turk, concerning whom they had heard many horrors. As we commenced -another ascent appeared a Harar Grandee mounted upon a handsomely -caparisoned mule and attended by seven servants who carried gourds and -skins of grain. He was a pale-faced senior with a white beard, dressed in -a fine Tobe and a snowy turban with scarlet edges: he carried no shield, -but an Abyssinian broadsword was slung over his left shoulder. We -exchanged courteous salutations, and as I was thirsty he ordered a footman -to fill a cup with water. Half way up the hill appeared the 200 Girhi -cows, but those traitors, the Habr Awal, had hurried onwards. Upon the -summit was pointed out to me the village of Elaoda: in former times it was -a wealthy place belonging to the Gerad Adan. - -At 2 P.M. we fell into a narrow fenced lane and halted for a few minutes -near a spreading tree, under which sat women selling ghee and unspun -cotton. About two miles distant on the crest of a hill, stood the city,-- -the end of my present travel,--a long sombre line, strikingly contrasting -with the white-washed towns of the East. The spectacle, materially -speaking, was a disappointment: nothing conspicuous appeared but two grey -minarets of rude shape: many would have grudged exposing three lives to -win so paltry a prize. But of all that have attempted, none ever succeeded -in entering that pile of stones: the thorough-bred traveller, dear L., -will understand my exultation, although my two companions exchanged -glances of wonder. - -Spurring our mules we advanced at a long trot, when Mad Said stopped us to -recite a Fatihah in honor of Ao Umar Siyad and Ao Rahmah, two great saints -who repose under a clump of trees near the road. The soil on both sides of -the path is rich and red: masses of plantains, limes, and pomegranates -denote the gardens, which are defended by a bleached cow's skull, stuck -upon a short stick [33] and between them are plantations of coffee, -bastard saffron, and the graceful Kat. About half a mile eastward of the -town appears a burn called Jalah or the Coffee Water: the crowd crossing -it did not prevent my companions bathing, and whilst they donned clean -Tobes I retired to the wayside, and sketched the town. - -These operations over, we resumed our way up a rough _tranchee_ ridged -with stone and hedged with tall cactus. This ascends to an open plain. On -the right lie the holcus fields, which reach to the town wall: the left is -a heap of rude cemetery, and in front are the dark defences of Harar, with -groups of citizens loitering about the large gateway, and sitting in chat -near the ruined tomb of Ao Abdal. We arrived at 3 P.M., after riding about -five hours, which were required to accomplish twenty miles in a straight -direction. [34] - -Advancing to the gate, Mad Said accosted a warder, known by his long wand -of office, and sent our salams to the Amir, saying that we came from Aden, -and requested the honor of audience. Whilst he sped upon his errand, we -sat at the foot of a round bastion, and were scrutinised, derided, and -catechized by the curious of both sexes, especially by that conventionally -termed the fair. The three Habr Awal presently approached and scowlingly -inquired why we had not apprised them of our intention to enter the city. -It was now "war to the knife"--we did not deign a reply. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] It is worn for a year, during which modest women will not marry. Some -tribes confine the symbol to widowhood, others extend it to all male -relations; a strip of white cotton, or even a white fillet, instead of the -usual blue cloth, is used by the more civilized. - -[2] Cain is said to repose under Jebel Shamsan at Aden--an appropriate -sepulchre. - -[3] This beast, called by the Somal Jambel, closely resembles the Sindh -species. It is generally found in the plains and prairies. - -[4] In the Somali country, as in Kafirland, the Duwao or jackal is -peculiarly bold and fierce. Disdaining garbage, he carries off lambs and -kids, and fastens upon a favourite _friandise_, the sheep's tail; the -victim runs away in terror, and unless the jackal be driven off by dogs, -leaves a delicate piece of fat behind it. - -[5] The Somal call the owl "Shimbir libah"--the lion bird. - -[6] The plume was dark, chequered with white, but the bird was so wild -that no specimen could be procured. - -[7] The Arabs apply this term to tea. - -[8] The Dayyib of the Somal, and the Sinaubar of the Arabs; its line of -growth is hereabouts an altitude of 5000 feet. - -[9] Travellers in Central Africa describe exactly similar buildings, bell- -shaped huts, the materials of which are stakes, clay and reed, conical at -the top, and looking like well-thatched corn-stacks. - -[10] Amongst the Fellatahs of Western Africa, only the royal huts are -surmounted by the ostrich's egg. - -[11] These platforms are found even amongst the races inhabiting the -regions watered by the Niger. - -[12] Charred sticks about six feet long and curved at the handle. - -[13] Equally simple are the other implements. The plough, which in Eastern -Africa has passed the limits of Egypt, is still the crooked tree of all -primitive people, drawn by oxen; and the hoe is a wooden blade inserted -into a knobbed handle. - -[14] It is afterwards stored in deep dry holes, which are carefully -covered to keep out rats and insects; thus the grain is preserved -undamaged for three or four years. - -[15] This word is applied to the cultivated districts, the granaries of -Somali land. - -[16] "The huge raven with gibbous or inflated beak and white nape," writes -Mr. Blyth, "is the corvus crassirostris of Ruppell, and, together with a -nearly similar Cape species, is referred to the genus Corvultur of -Leason." - -[17] In these hills it is said sometimes to freeze; I never saw ice. - -[18] It is a string of little silver bells and other ornaments made by the -Arabs at Berberah. - -[19] Harari, Somali and Galla, besides Arabic, and other more civilized -dialects. - -[20] The Negroes of Senegal and the Hottentots use wooden mortars. At -Natal and amongst the Amazulu Kafirs, the work is done with slabs and -rollers like those described above. - -[21] In the Eastern World this well-known fermentation is generally called -"Buzab," whence the old German word "busen" and our "booze." The addition -of a dose of garlic converts it into an emetic. - -[22] The Somal will not kill these plundering brutes, like the Western -Africans believing them to be enchanted men. - -[23] Some years ago Adan plundered one of Sharmarkay's caravans; repenting -the action, he offered in marriage a daughter, who, however, died before -nuptials. - -[24] Gisti is a "princess" in Harari, equivalent to the Somali Geradah. - -[25] They are, however, divided into clans, of which the following are the -principal:-- - - 1. Bahawiyah, the race which supplies the Gerads. - 2. Abu Tunis (divided into ten septs). - 3. Rer Ibrahim (similarly divided). - 4. Jibril. - 5. Bakasiyya. - 6. Rer Muhmud. - 7. Musa Dar. - 8. Rer Auro. - 9. Rer Walembo. - 10. Rer Khalid. - -[26] I do not describe these people, the task having already been -performed by many abler pens than mine. - -[27] They are divided into the Bah Ambaro (the chief's family) and the -Shaykhashed. - -[28] The only specimen of stunted humanity seen by me in the Somali -country. He was about eighteen years old, and looked ten. - -[29] At first I thought of writing it in Arabic; but having no seal, a -_sine qua non_ in an Eastern letter, and reflecting upon the consequences -of detection or even suspicion, it appeared more politic to come boldly -forward as a European. - -[30] It belongs, I was informed, to two clans of Gallas, who year by year -in turn monopolise the profits. - -[31] Of this tree are made the substantial doors, the basins and the -porringers of Harar. - -[32] The Webbe Shebayli or Haines River. - -[33] This scarecrow is probably a talisman. In the Saharah, according to -Richardson, the skull of an ass averts the evil eye from gardens. - -[34] The following is a table of our stations, directions, and -distances:-- - - Miles -1. From Zayla to Gudingaras S.E. 165o 19 -2. To Kuranyali 145o 8 -3. To Adad 225o 25 -4. To Damal 205o 11 -5. To El Arno 190o 11 -6. To Jiyaf 202o 10 -7. To Halimalah (the Holy Tree about half way) 192o 7 - -- 91 miles. -8. To Aububah 245o 21 -9. To Koralay 165o 25 -10. To Harar 260o 65 - -- 111 miles. - --- - Total statute miles 202 - - -[Illustration: COSTUMES OF HARAR] - - - - -CHAP. VIII. - -TEN DAYS AT HARAR. - - -After waiting half an hour at the gate, we were told by the returned -warder to pass the threshold, and remounting guided our mules along the -main street, a narrow up-hill lane, with rocks cropping out from a surface -more irregular than a Perote pavement. Long Guled had given his animal -into the hands of our two Bedouins: they did not appear till after our -audience, when they informed us that the people at the entrance had -advised them to escape with the beasts, an evil fate having been prepared -for the proprietors. - -Arrived within a hundred yards of the gate of holcus-stalks, which opens -into the courtyard of this African St. James, our guide, a blear-eyed, -surly-faced, angry-voiced fellow, made signs--none of us understanding his -Harari--to dismount. We did so. He then began to trot, and roared out -apparently that we must do the same. [1] We looked at one another, the -Hammal swore that he would perish foully rather than obey, and--conceive, -dear L., the idea of a petticoated pilgrim venerable as to beard and -turban breaking into a long "double!"--I expressed much the same -sentiment. Leading our mules leisurely, in spite of the guide's wrath, we -entered the gate, strode down the yard, and were placed under a tree in -its left corner, close to a low building of rough stone, which the -clanking of frequent fetters argued to be a state-prison. - -This part of the court was crowded with Gallas, some lounging about, -others squatting in the shade under the palace walls. The chiefs were -known by their zinc armlets, composed of thin spiral circlets, closely -joined, and extending in mass from the wrist almost to the elbow: all -appeared to enjoy peculiar privileges,--they carried their long spears, -wore their sandals, and walked leisurely about the royal precincts. A -delay of half an hour, during which state-affairs were being transacted -within, gave me time to inspect a place of which so many and such -different accounts are current. The palace itself is, as Clapperton -describes the Fellatah Sultan's state-hall, a mere shed, a long, single- -storied, windowless barn of rough stone and reddish clay, with no other -insignia but a thin coat of whitewash over the door. This is the royal and -vizierial distinction at Harar, where no lesser man may stucco the walls -of his house. The courtyard was about eighty yards long by thirty in -breadth, irregularly shaped, and surrounded by low buildings: in the -centre, opposite the outer entrance, was a circle of masonry against which -were propped divers doors. [2] - -Presently the blear-eyed guide with the angry voice returned from within, -released us from the importunities of certain forward and inquisitive -youth, and motioned us to doff our slippers at a stone step, or rather -line, about twelve feet distant from the palace-wall. We grumbled that we -were not entering a mosque, but in vain. Then ensued a long dispute, in -tongues mutually unintelligible, about giving up our weapons: by dint of -obstinacy we retained our daggers and my revolver. The guide raised a door -curtain, suggested a bow, and I stood in the presence of the dreaded -chief. - -The Amir, or, as he styles himself, the Sultan Ahmad bin Sultan Abibakr, -sat in a dark room with whitewashed walls, to which hung--significant -decorations--rusty matchlocks and polished fetters. His appearance was -that of a little Indian Rajah, an etiolated youth twenty-four or twenty- -five years old, plain and thin-bearded, with a yellow complexion, wrinkled -brows and protruding eyes. His dress was a flowing robe of crimson cloth, -edged with snowy fur, and a narrow white turban tightly twisted round a -tall conical cap of red velvet, like the old Turkish headgear of our -painters. His throne was a common Indian Kursi, or raised cot, about five -feet long, with back and sides supported by a dwarf railing: being an -invalid he rested his elbow upon a pillow, under which appeared the hilt -of a Cutch sabre. Ranged in double line, perpendicular to the Amir, stood -the "court," his cousins and nearest relations, with right arms bared -after fashion of Abyssinia. - -I entered the room with a loud "Peace be upon ye!" to which H. H. replying -graciously, and extending a hand, bony and yellow as a kite's claw, -snapped his thumb and middle finger. Two chamberlains stepping forward, -held my forearms, and assisted me to bend low over the fingers, which -however I did not kiss, being naturally averse to performing that -operation upon any but a woman's hand. My two servants then took their -turn: in this case, after the back was saluted, the palm was presented for -a repetition. [3] These preliminaries concluded, we were led to and seated -upon a mat in front of the Amir, who directed towards us a frowning brow -and an inquisitive eye. - -Some inquiries were made about the chief's health: he shook his head -captiously, and inquired our errand. I drew from my pocket my own letter: -it was carried by a chamberlain, with hands veiled in his Tobe, to the -Amir, who after a brief glance laid it upon the couch, and demanded -further explanation. I then represented in Arabic that we had come from -Aden, bearing the compliments of our Daulah or governor, and that we had -entered Harar to see the light of H. H.'s countenance: this information -concluded with a little speech, describing the changes of Political Agents -in Arabia, and alluding to the friendship formerly existing between the -English and the deceased chief Abubakr. - -The Amir smiled graciously. - -This smile I must own, dear L., was a relief. We had been prepared for the -worst, and the aspect of affairs in the palace was by no means reassuring. - -Whispering to his Treasurer, a little ugly man with a badly shaven head, -coarse features, pug nose, angry eyes, and stubby beard, the Amir made a -sign for us to retire. The _baise main_ was repeated, and we backed out of -the audience-shed in high favour. According to grandiloquent Bruce, "the -Court of London and that of Abyssinia are, in their principles, one:" the -loiterers in the Harar palace yard, who had before regarded us with cut- -throat looks, now smiled as though they loved us. Marshalled by the guard, -we issued from the precincts, and after walking a hundred yards entered -the Amir's second palace, which we were told to consider our home. There -we found the Bedouins, who, scarcely believing that we had escaped alive, -grinned in the joy of their hearts, and we were at once provided from the -chief's kitchen with a dish of Shabta, holcus cakes soaked in sour milk, -and thickly powdered with red pepper, the salt of this inland region. - -When we had eaten, the treasurer reappeared, bearing the Amir's command, -that we should call upon his Wazir, the Gerad Mohammed. Resuming our -peregrinations, we entered an abode distinguished by its external streak -of chunam, and in a small room on the ground floor, cleanly white-washed -and adorned, like an old English kitchen, with varnished wooden porringers -of various sizes, we found a venerable old man whose benevolent -countenance belied the reports current about him in Somali-land. [4] Half -rising, although his wrinkled brow showed suffering, he seated me by his -side upon the carpeted masonry-bench, where lay the implements of his -craft, reeds, inkstands and whitewashed boards for paper, politely -welcomed me, and gravely stroking his cotton-coloured beard, desired my -object in good Arabic. - -I replied almost in the words used to the Amir, adding however some -details how in the old day one Madar Farih had been charged by the late -Sultan Abubakr with a present to the governor of Aden, and that it was the -wish of our people to reestablish friendly relations and commercial -intercourse with Harar. - -"Khayr inshallah!--it is well if Allah please!" ejaculated the Gerad: I -then bent over his hand, and took leave. - -Returning we inquired anxiously of the treasurer about my servants' arms -which had not been returned, and were assured that they had been placed in -the safest of store-houses, the palace. I then sent a common six-barrelled -revolver as a present to the Amir, explaining its use to the bearer, and -we prepared to make ourselves as comfortable as possible. The interior of -our new house was a clean room, with plain walls, and a floor of tamped -earth; opposite the entrance were two broad steps of masonry, raised about -two feet, and a yard above the ground, and covered with, hard matting. I -contrived to make upon the higher ledge a bed with the cushions which my -companions used as shabracques, and, after seeing the mules fed and -tethered, lay down to rest worn out by fatigue and profoundly impressed -with the _poesie_ of our position. I was under the roof of a bigoted -prince whose least word was death; amongst a people who detest foreigners; -the only European that had ever passed over their inhospitable threshold, -and the fated instrument of their future downfall. - - * * * * * - -I now proceed to a description of unknown Harar. - -The ancient capital of Hadiyah, called by the citizens "Harar Gay," [5] by -the Somal "Adari," by the Gallas "Adaray" and by the Arabs and ourselves -"Harar," [6] lies, according to my dead reckoning, 220o S.W. of, and 175 -statute miles from, Zayla--257o W. of, and 219 miles distant from, -Berberah. This would place it in 9o 20' N. lat. and 42o 17' E. long. The -thermometer showed an altitude of about 5,500 feet above the level of the -sea. [7] Its site is the slope of an hill which falls gently from west to -east. On the eastern side are cultivated fields; westwards a terraced -ridge is laid out in orchards; northwards is a detached eminence covered -with tombs; and to the south, the city declines into a low valley bisected -by a mountain burn. This irregular position is well sheltered from high -winds, especially on the northern side, by the range of which Kondura is -the lofty apex; hence, as the Persian poet sings of a heaven-favoured -city,-- - - "Its heat is not hot, nor its cold, cold." - -During my short residence the air reminded me of Tuscany. On the afternoon -of the 11th January there was thunder accompanied by rain: frequent -showers fell on the 12th, and the morning of the 13th was clear; but, as -we crossed the mountains, black clouds obscured the heavens. The monsoon -is heavy during one summer month; before it begins the crops are planted, -and they are reaped in December and January. At other seasons the air is -dry, mild, and equable. - -The province of Hadiyah is mentioned by Makrizi as one of the seven -members of the Zayla Empire [8], founded by Arab invaders, who in the 7th -century of our aera conquered and colonised the low tract between the Red -Sea and the Highlands. Moslem Harar exercised a pernicious influence upon -the fortunes of Christian Abyssinia. [9] - -The allegiance claimed by the AEthiopian Emperors from the Adel--the -Dankali and ancient Somal--was evaded at a remote period, and the -intractable Moslems were propitiated with rich presents, when they thought -proper to visit the Christian court. The Abyssinians supplied the Adel -with slaves, the latter returned the value in rock-salt, commercial -intercourse united their interests, and from war resulted injury to both -people. Nevertheless the fanatic lowlanders, propense to pillage and -proselytizing, burned the Christian churches, massacred the infidels, and -tortured the priests, until they provoked a blood feud of uncommon -asperity. - -In the 14th century (A.D. 1312-1342) Amda Sion, Emperor of AEthiopia, -taunted by Amano, King of Hadiyah, as a monarch fit only to take care of -women, overran and plundered the Lowlands from Tegulet to the Red Sea. The -Amharas were commanded to spare nothing that drew the breath of life: to -fulfil a prophecy which foretold the fall of El Islam, they perpetrated -every kind of enormity. - -Peace followed the death of Amda Sion. In the reign of Zara Yakub [10] -(A.D. 1434-1468), the flame of war was again fanned in Hadiyah by a Zayla -princess who was slighted by the AEthiopian monarch on account of the -length of her fore-teeth: the hostilities which ensued were not, however, -of an important nature. Boeda Mariana, the next occupant of the throne, -passed his life in a constant struggle for supremacy over the Adel: on his -death-bed he caused himself to be so placed that his face looked towards -those lowlands, upon whose subjugation the energies of ten years had been -vainly expended. - -At the close of the 15th century, Mahfuz, a bigoted Moslem, inflicted a -deadly blow upon Abyssinia. Vowing that he would annually spend the forty -days of Lent amongst his infidel neighbours, when, weakened by rigorous -fasts, they were less capable of bearing arms, for thirty successive years -he burned churches and monasteries, slew without mercy every male that -fell in his way, and driving off the women and children, he sold some to -strange slavers, and presented others to the Sherifs of Mecca. He bought -over Za Salasah, commander in chief of the Emperor's body guard, and -caused the assassination of Alexander (A.D. 1478-1495) at the ancient -capital Tegulet. Naud, the successor, obtained some transient advantages -over the Moslems. During the earlier reign of the next emperor, David III. -son of Naud [11], who being but eleven years old when called to the -throne, was placed under the guardianship of his mother the Iteghe Helena, -new combatants and new instruments of warfare appeared on both sides in -the field. - -After the conquest of Egypt and Arabia by Selim I. (A. D. 1516) [12] the -caravans of Abyssinian pilgrims travelling to Jerusalem were attacked, the -old were butchered and the young were swept into slavery. Many Arabian -merchants fled from Turkish violence and injustice, to the opposite coast -of Africa, whereupon the Ottomans took possession from Aden of Zayla, and -not only laid the Indian trade under heavy contributions by means of their -war-galleys, but threatened the total destruction of Abyssinia. They aided -and encouraged Mahfuz to continue his depredations, whilst the Sherif of -Meccah gave him command of Zayla, the key of the upper country, and -presented him with the green banner of a Crusader. - -On the other hand, the great Albuquerque at the same time (A.D. 1508-1515) -was viceroy of India, and to him the Iteghe Helena applied for aid. Her -ambassador arrived at Goa, "bearing a fragment of wood belonging to the -true cross on which Christ died," which relic had been sent as a token of -friendship to her brother Emanuel by the empress of AEthiopia. The overture -was followed by the arrival at Masawwah of an embassy from the king of -Portugal. Too proud, however, to await foreign aid, David at the age of -sixteen took the field in person against the Moslems. - -During the battle that ensued, Mahfuz, the Goliath of the Unbelievers, was -slain in single combat by Gabriel Andreas, a soldier of tried valour, who -had assumed the monastic life in consequence of having lost the tip of his -tongue for treasonable freedom of speech: the green standard was captured, -and 12,000 Moslems fell. David followed up his success by invading the -lowlands, and, in defiance, struck his spear through the door of the king -of Adel. - -Harar was a mere mass of Bedouin villages during the reign of Mohammed -Gragne, the "left-handed" Attila of Adel. [13] Supplied with Arab -mercenaries from Mocha, and by the Turks of Yemen with a body of -Janissaries and a train of artillery, he burst into Efat and Fatigar. In -A.D. 1528 he took possession of Shoa, overran Amhara, burned the churches -and carried away an immense booty. The next campaign enabled him to winter -at Begmeder: in the following year he hunted the Emperor David through -Tigre to the borders of Senaar, gave battle to the Christians on the banks -of the Nile, and with his own hand killed the monk Gabriel, then an old -man. Reinforced by Gideon and Judith, king and queen of the Samen Jews, -and aided by a violent famine which prostrated what had escaped the spear, -he perpetrated every manner of atrocity, captured and burned Axum, -destroyed the princes of the royal blood on the mountain of Amba Geshe -[14], and slew in A.D. 1540, David, third of his name and last emperor of -AEthiopia who displayed the magnificence of "King of Kings." - -Claudius, the successor to the tottering throne, sent as his ambassador to -Europe, one John Bermudez, a Portuguese, who had been detained in -Abyssinia, and promised, it is said, submission to the Pontiff of Rome, -and the cession of the third of his dominions in return for -reinforcements. By order of John III., Don Stephen and Don Christopher, -sons of Don Vasco de Gama, cruised up the Red Sea with a powerful -flotilla, and the younger brother, landing at Masawwah with 400 -musqueteers, slew Nur the governor and sent his head to Gondar, where the -Iteghe Sabel Wenghel received it as an omen of good fortune. Thence the -Portuguese general imprudently marched in the monsoon season, and was soon -confronted upon the plain of Ballut by Mohammed Gragne at the head of -10,000 spearmen and a host of cavalry. On the other side stood a rabble -rout of Abyssinians, and a little band of 350 Portuguese heroes headed by -the most chivalrous soldier of a chivalrous age. - -According to Father Jerome Lobo [15], who heard the events from an eye- -witness, a conference took place between the two captains. Mohammed, -encamped in a commanding position, sent a message to Don Christopher -informing him that the treacherous Abyssinians had imposed upon the king -of Portugal, and that in compassion of his opponent's youth, he would give -him and his men free passage and supplies to their own country. The -Christian presented the Moslem ambassador with a rich robe, and returned -this gallant answer, that "he and his fellow-soldiers were come with an -intention to drive Mohammed out of these countries which he had wrongfully -usurped; that his present design was, instead of returning back the way he -came, as Mohammed advised, to open himself a passage through the country -of his enemies; that Mohammed should rather think of determining whether -he would fight or yield up his ill-gotten territories than of prescribing -measures to him; that he put his whole confidence in the omnipotence of -God, and the justice of his cause; and that to show how full a sense he -had of Mohammed's kindness, he took the liberty of presenting him with a -looking-glass and a pair of pincers." - -The answer and the present so provoked the Adel Monarch that he arose from -table to attack the little troop of Portuguese, posted upon the declivity -of a hill near a wood. Above them stood the Abyssinians, who resolved to -remain quiet spectators of the battle, and to declare themselves on the -side favoured by victory. - -Mohammed began the assault with only ten horsemen, against whom an equal -number of Portuguese were detached: these fired with so much exactness -that nine of the Moors fell and the king was wounded in the leg by Peter -de Sa. In the melee which ensued, the Moslems, dismayed by their first -failure, were soon broken by the Portuguese muskets and artillery. -Mohammed preserved his life with difficulty, he however rallied his men, -and entrenched himself at a strong place called Membret (Mamrat), -intending to winter there and await succour. - -The Portuguese, more desirous of glory than wealth, pursued their enemies, -hoping to cut them entirely off: finding, however, the camp impregnable, -they entrenched themselves on a hill over against it. Their little host -diminished day by day, their friends at Masawwah could not reinforce them, -they knew not how to procure provisions, and could not depend upon their -Abyssinian allies. Yet memorious of their countrymen's great deeds, and -depending upon divine protection, they made no doubt of surmounting all -difficulties. - -Mohammed on his part was not idle. He solicited the assistance of the -Moslem princes, and by inflaming their religious zeal, obtained a -reinforcement of 2000 musqueteers from the Arabs, and a train of artillery -from the Turks of Yemen. Animated by these succours, he marched out of his -trenches to enter those of the Portuguese, who received him with the -utmost bravery, destroyed many of his men, and made frequent sallies, not, -however, without sustaining considerable losses. - -Don Christopher had already one arm broken and a knee shattered by a -musket shot. Valour was at length oppressed by superiority of numbers: the -enemy entered the camp, and put the Christians to the spear. The -Portuguese general escaped the slaughter with ten men, and retreated to a -wood, where they were discovered by a detachment of the enemy. [16] -Mohammed, overjoyed to see his most formidable enemy in his power, ordered -Don Christopher to take care of a wounded uncle and nephew, telling him -that he should answer for their lives, and upon their death, taxed him -with having hastened it. The Portuguese roundly replied that he was come -to destroy Moslems, not to save them. Enraged at this language, Mohammed -placed a stone upon his captive's head, and exposed him to the insults of -the soldiery, who inflicted upon him various tortures which he bore with -the resolution of a martyr. At length, when offered a return to India as -the price of apostacy, the hero's spirit took fire. He answered with the -highest indignation, that nothing could make him forsake his Heavenly -Master to follow an "imposter," and continued in the severest terms to -vilify the "false Prophet," till Mahommed struck off his head. [17] The -body was divided into quarters and sent to different places [18], but the -Catholics gathered their martyr's remains and interred them. Every Moor -who passed by threw a stone upon the grave, and raised in time such a heap -that Father Lobo found difficulty in removing it to exhume the relics. He -concludes with a pardonable superstition: "There is a tradition in the -country, that in the place where Don Christopher's head fell, a fountain -sprang up of wonderful virtue, which cured many diseases, otherwise past -remedy." - -Mohammed Gragne improved his victory by chasing the young Claudius over -Abyssinia, where nothing opposed the progress of his arms. At last the few -Portuguese survivors repaired to the Christian emperor, who was persuaded -to march an army against the King of Adel. Resolved to revenge their -general, the musqueteers demanded the post opposite Mohammed, and directed -all their efforts against the part where the Moslem Attila stood. His -fellow religionists still relate that when Gragne fell in action, his wife -Talwambara [19], the heroic daughter of Mahfuz, to prevent the destruction -and dispersion of the host of Islam, buried the corpse privately, and -caused a slave to personate the prince until a retreat to safe lands -enabled her to discover the stratagem to the nobles. [20] - -Father Lobo tells a different tale. According to him, Peter Leon, a -marksman of low stature, but passing valiant, who had been servant to Don -Christopher, singled the Adel king out of the crowd, and shot him in the -head as he was encouraging his men. Mohammed was followed by his enemy -till he fell down dead: the Portuguese then alighting from his horse, cut -off one of his ears and rejoined his fellow-countrymen. The Moslems were -defeated with great slaughter, and an Abyssinian chief finding Gragne's -corpse upon the ground, presented the head to the Negush or Emperor, -claiming the honor of having slain his country's deadliest foe. Having -witnessed in silence this impudence, Peter asked whether the king had but -one ear, and produced the other from his pocket to the confusion of the -Abyssinian. - -Thus perished, after fourteen years' uninterrupted fighting, the African -hero, who dashed to pieces the structure of 2500 years. Like the -"Kardillan" of the Holy Land, Mohammed Gragne is still the subject of many -a wild and grisly legend. And to the present day the people of Shoa retain -an inherited dread of the lowland Moslems. - -Mohammed was succeeded on the throne of Adel by the Amir Nur, son of -Majid, and, according to some, brother to the "Left-handed." He proposed -marriage to Talwambara, who accepted him on condition that he should lay -the head of the Emperor Claudius at her feet. In A.D. 1559, he sent a -message of defiance to the Negush, who, having saved Abyssinia almost by a -miracle, was rebuilding on Debra Work, the "Golden Mount," a celebrated -shrine which had been burned by the Moslems. Claudius, despising the -eclipses, evil prophecies, and portents which accompanied his enemy's -progress, accepted the challenge. On the 22nd March 1559, the armies were -upon the point of engaging, when the high priest of Debra Libanos, -hastening into the presence of the Negush, declared that in a vision, -Gabriel had ordered him to dissuade the Emperor of AEthiopia from -needlessly risking life. The superstitious Abyssinians fled, leaving -Claudius supported by a handful of Portuguese, who were soon slain around -him, and he fell covered with wounds. The Amir Nur cut off his head, and -laid it at the feet of Talwambara, who, in observance of her pledge, -became his wife. This Amazon suspended the trophy by its hair to the -branch of a tree opposite her abode, that her eyes might be gladdened by -the sight: after hanging two years, it was purchased by an Armenian -merchant, who interred it in the Sepulchre of St. Claudius at Antioch. The -name of the Christian hero who won every action save that in which he -perished, has been enrolled in the voluminous catalogue of Abyssinian -saints, where it occupies a conspicuous place as the destroyer of Mohammed -the Left-handed. - -The Amir Nur has also been canonized by his countrymen, who have buried -their favourite "Wali" under a little dome near the Jami Mosque at Harar. -Shortly after his decisive victory over the Christians, he surrounded the -city with its present wall,--a circumstance now invested with the garb of -Moslem fable. The warrior used to hold frequent conversations with El -Khizr: on one occasion, when sitting upon a rock, still called Gay -Humburti--Harar's Navel--he begged that some Sherif might be brought from -Meccah, to aid him in building a permanent city. By the use of the "Great -Name" the vagrant prophet instantly summoned from Arabia the Sherif Yunis, -his son Fakr el Din, and a descendant from the Ansar or Auxiliaries of the -Prophet: they settled at Harar, which throve by the blessing of their -presence. From this tradition we may gather that the city was restored, as -it was first founded and colonized, by hungry Arabs. - -The Sherifs continued to rule with some interruptions until but a few -generations ago, when the present family rose to power. According to -Bruce, they are Jabartis, who, having intermarried with Sayyid women, -claim a noble origin. They derive themselves from the Caliph Abubakr, or -from Akil, son of Abu Talib, and brother of Ali. The Ulema, although -lacking boldness to make the assertion, evidently believe them to be of -Galla or pagan extraction. - -The present city of Harar is about one mile long by half that breadth. An -irregular wall, lately repaired [21], but ignorant of cannon, is pierced -with five large gates [22], and supported by oval towers of artless -construction. The material of the houses and defences are rough stones, -the granites and sandstones of the hills, cemented, like the ancient Galla -cities, with clay. The only large building is the Jami or Cathedral, a -long barn of poverty-stricken appearance, with broken-down gates, and two -white-washed minarets of truncated conoid shape. They were built by -Turkish architects from Mocha and Hodaydah: one of them lately fell, and -has been replaced by an inferior effort of Harari art. There are a few -trees in the city, but it contains none of those gardens which give to -Eastern settlements that pleasant view of town and country combined. The -streets are narrow lanes, up hill and down dale, strewed with gigantic -rubbish-heaps, upon which repose packs of mangy or one-eyed dogs, and even -the best are encumbered with rocks and stones. The habitations are mostly -long, flat-roofed sheds, double storied, with doors composed of a single -plank, and holes for windows pierced high above the ground, and decorated -with miserable wood-work: the principal houses have separate apartments -for the women, and stand at the bottom of large court-yards closed by -gates of Holcus stalks. The poorest classes inhabit "Gambisa," the -thatched cottages of the hill-cultivators. The city abounds in mosques, -plain buildings without minarets, and in graveyards stuffed with tombs,-- -oblong troughs formed by long slabs planted edgeways in the ground. I need -scarcely say that Harar is proud of her learning, sanctity, and holy dead. -The principal saint buried in the city is Shaykh Umar Abadir El Bakri, -originally from Jeddah, and now the patron of Harar: he lies under a -little dome in the southern quarter of the city, near the Bisidimo Gate. - -The ancient capital of Hadiyah shares with Zebid in Yemen, the reputation -of being an Alma Mater, and inundates the surrounding districts with poor -scholars and crazy "Widads." Where knowledge leads to nothing, says -philosophic Volney, nothing is done to acquire it, and the mind remains in -a state of barbarism. There are no establishments for learning, no -endowments, as generally in the East, and apparently no encouragement to -students: books also are rare and costly. None but the religious sciences -are cultivated. The chief Ulema are the Kabir [23] Khalil, the Kabir -Yunis, and the Shaykh Jami: the two former scarcely ever quit their -houses, devoting all their time to study and tuition: the latter is a -Somali who takes an active part in politics. - -These professors teach Moslem literature through the medium of Harari, a -peculiar dialect confined within the walls. Like the Somali and other -tongues in this part of Eastern Africa, it appears to be partly Arabic in -etymology and grammar: the Semitic scion being grafted upon an indigenous -root: the frequent recurrence of the guttural _kh_ renders it harsh and -unpleasant, and it contains no literature except songs and tales, which -are written in the modern Naskhi character. I would willingly have studied -it deeply, but circumstances prevented:--the explorer too frequently must -rest satisfied with descrying from his Pisgah the Promised Land of -Knowledge, which another more fortunate is destined to conquer. At Zayla, -the Hajj sent to me an Abyssinian slave who was cunning in languages: but -he, to use the popular phrase, "showed his right ear with his left hand." -Inside Harar, we were so closely watched that it was found impossible to -put pen to paper. Escaped, however, to Wilensi, I hastily collected the -grammatical forms and a vocabulary, which will correct the popular -assertion that "the language is Arabic: it has an affinity with the -Amharic." [24] - -Harar has not only its own tongue, unintelligible to any save the -citizens; even its little population of about 8000 souls is a distinct -race. The Somal say of the city that it is a Paradise inhabited by asses: -certainly the exterior of the people is highly unprepossessing. Amongst -the men, I did not see a handsome face: their features are coarse and -debauched; many of them squint, others have lost an eye by small-pox, and -they are disfigured by scrofula and other diseases: the bad expression of -their countenances justifies the proverb, "Hard as the heart of Harar." -Generally the complexion is a yellowish brown, the beard short, stubby and -untractable as the hair, and the hands and wrists, feet and ancles, are -large and ill-made. The stature is moderate-sized, some of the elders show -the "pudding sides" and the pulpy stomachs of Banyans, whilst others are -lank and bony as Arabs or Jews. Their voices are loud and rude. They dress -is a mixture of Arab and Abyssinian. They shave the head, and clip the -mustachios and imperial close, like the Shafei of Yemen. Many are -bareheaded, some wear a cap, generally the embroidered Indian work, or the -common cotton Takiyah of Egypt: a few affect white turbans of the fine -Harar work, loosely twisted over the ears. The body-garment is the Tobe, -worn flowing as in the Somali country or girt with the dagger-strap round -the waist: the richer classes bind under it a Futah or loin-cloth, and the -dignitaries have wide Arab drawers of white calico. Coarse leathern -sandals, a rosary and a tooth-stick rendered perpetually necessary by the -habit of chewing tobacco, complete the costume: and arms being forbidden -in the streets, the citizens carry wands five or six feet long. - -The women, who, owing probably to the number of female slaves, are much -the more numerous, appear beautiful by contrast with their lords. They -have small heads, regular profiles, straight noses, large eyes, mouths -approaching the Caucasian type, and light yellow complexions. Dress, -however, here is a disguise to charms. A long, wide, cotton shirt, with -short arms as in the Arab's Aba, indigo-dyed or chocolate-coloured, and -ornamented with a triangle of scarlet before and behind--the base on the -shoulder and the apex at the waist--is girt round the middle with a sash -of white cotton crimson-edged. Women of the upper class, when leaving the -house, throw a blue sheet over the head, which, however, is rarely veiled. -The front and back hair parted in the centre is gathered into two large -bunches below the ears, and covered with dark blue muslin or network, -whose ends meet under the chin. This coiffure is bound round the head at -the junction of scalp and skin by a black satin ribbon which varies in -breadth according to the wearer's means: some adorn the gear with large -gilt pins, others twine in it a Taj or thin wreath of sweet-smelling -creeper. The virgins collect their locks, which are generally wavy not -wiry, and grow long as well as thick, into a knot tied _a la Diane_ behind -the head: a curtain of short close plaits escaping from the bunch, falls -upon the shoulders, not ungracefully. Silver ornaments are worn only by -persons of rank. The ear is decorated with Somali rings or red coral -beads, the neck with necklaces of the same material, and the fore-arms -with six or seven of the broad circles of buffalo and other dark horns -prepared in Western India. Finally, stars are tattooed upon the bosom, the -eyebrows are lengthened with dyes, the eyes fringed with Kohl, and the -hands and feet stained with henna. - -The female voice is harsh and screaming, especially when heard after the -delicate organs of the Somal. The fair sex is occupied at home spinning -cotton thread for weaving Tobes, sashes, and turbans; carrying their -progeny perched upon their backs, they bring water from the wells in large -gourds borne on the head; work in the gardens, and--the men considering, -like the Abyssinians, such work a disgrace--sit and sell in the long -street which here represents the Eastern bazar. Chewing tobacco enables -them to pass much of their time, and the rich diligently anoint themselves -with ghee, whilst the poorer classes use remnants of fat from the lamps. -Their freedom of manners renders a public flogging occasionally -indispensable. Before the operation begins, a few gourds full of cold -water are poured over their heads and shoulders, after which a single- -thonged whip is applied with vigour. [25] - -Both sexes are celebrated for laxity of morals. High and low indulge -freely in intoxicating drinks, beer, and mead. The Amir has established -strict patrols, who unmercifully bastinado those caught in the streets -after a certain hour. They are extremely bigoted, especially against -Christians, the effect of their Abyssinian wars, and are fond of -"Jihading" with the Gallas, over whom they boast many a victory. I have -seen a letter addressed by the late Amir to the Hajj Sharmarkay, in which -he boasts of having slain a thousand infidels, and, by way of bathos, begs -for a few pounds of English gunpowder. The Harari hold foreigners in -especial hate and contempt, and divide them into two orders, Arabs and -Somal. [26] The latter, though nearly one third of the population, or 2500 -souls, are, to use their own phrase, cheap as dust: their natural timidity -is increased by the show of pomp and power, whilst the word "prison" gives -them the horrors. - -The other inhabitants are about 3000 Bedouins, who "come and go." Up to -the city gates the country is peopled by the Gallas. This unruly race -requires to be propitiated by presents of cloth; as many as 600 Tobes are -annually distributed amongst them by the Amir. Lately, when the smallpox, -spreading from the city, destroyed many of their number, the relations of -the deceased demanded and received blood-money: they might easily capture -the place, but they preserve it for their own convenience. These Gallas -are tolerably brave, avoid matchlock balls by throwing themselves upon the -ground when they see the flash, ride well, use the spear skilfully, and -although of a proverbially bad breed, are favourably spoken of by the -citizens. The Somal find no difficulty in travelling amongst them. I -repeatedly heard at Zayla and at Harar that traders had visited the far -West, traversing for seven months a country of pagans wearing golden -bracelets [27], till they reached the Salt Sea, upon which Franks sail in -ships. [28] At Wilensi, one Mohammed, a Shaykhash, gave me his itinerary -of fifteen stages to the sources of the Abbay or Blue Nile: he confirmed -the vulgar Somali report that the Hawash and the Webbe Shebayli both take -rise in the same range of well wooded mountains which gives birth to the -river of Egypt. - -The government of Harar is the Amir. These petty princes have a habit of -killing and imprisoning all those who are suspected of aspiring to the -throne. [29] Ahmed's greatgrandfather died in jail, and his father -narrowly escaped the same fate. When the present Amir ascended the throne -he was ordered, it is said, by the Makad or chief of the Nole Gallas, to -release his prisoners, or to mount his horse and leave the city. Three of -his cousins, however, were, when I visited Harar, in confinement: one of -them since that time died, and has been buried in his fetters. The Somal -declare that the state-dungeon of Harar is beneath the palace, and that he -who once enters it, lives with unkempt beard and untrimmed nails until the -day when death sets him free. - -The Amir Ahmed's health is infirm. Some attribute his weakness to a fall -from a horse, others declare him to have been poisoned by one of his -wives. [30] I judged him consumptive. Shortly after my departure he was -upon the point of death, and he afterwards sent for a physician to Aden. -He has four wives. No. 1. is the daughter of the Gerad Hirsi; No. 2. a -Sayyid woman of Harar; No. 3. an emancipated slave girl; and No. 4. a -daughter of Gerad Abd el Majid, one of his nobles. He has two sons, who -will probably never ascend the throne; one is an infant, the other is a -boy now about five years old. - -[Illustration] - -The Amir Ahmed succeeded his father about three years ago. His rule is -severe if not just, and it has all the _prestige_ of secresy. As the -Amharas say, the "belly of the Master is not known:" even the Gerad -Mohammed, though summoned to council at all times, in sickness as in -health, dares not offer uncalled-for advice, and the queen dowager, the -Gisti Fatimah, was threatened with fetters if she persisted in -interference. Ahmed's principal occupations are spying his many stalwart -cousins, indulging in vain fears of the English, the Turks, and the Hajj -Sharmarkay, and amassing treasure by commerce and escheats. He judges -civil and religious causes in person, but he allows them with little -interference to be settled by the Kazi, Abd el Rahman bin Umar el Harari: -the latter, though a highly respectable person, is seldom troubled; rapid -decision being the general predilection. The punishments, when money forms -no part of them, are mostly according to Koranic code. The murderer is -placed in the market street, blindfolded, and bound hand and foot; the -nearest of kin to the deceased then strikes his neck with a sharp and -heavy butcher's knife, and the corpse is given over to the relations for -Moslem burial. If the blow prove ineffectual a pardon is generally -granted. When a citizen draws dagger upon another or commits any petty -offence, he is bastinadoed in a peculiar manner: two men ply their -horsewhips upon his back and breast, and the prince, in whose presence the -punishment is carried out, gives the order to stop. Theft is visited with -amputation of the hand. The prison is the award of state offenders: it is -terrible, because the captive is heavily ironed, lies in a filthy dungeon, -and receives no food but what he can obtain from his own family,--seldom -liberal under such circumstances,--buy or beg from his guards. Fines and -confiscations, as usual in the East, are favourite punishments with the -ruler. I met at Wilensi an old Harari, whose gardens and property had all -been escheated, because his son fled from justice, after slaying a man. -The Amir is said to have large hoards of silver, coffee, and ivory: my -attendant the Hammal was once admitted into the inner palace, where he saw -huge boxes of ancient fashion supposed to contain dollars. The only specie -current in Harar is a diminutive brass piece called Mahallak [31]--hand- -worked and almost as artless a medium as a modern Italian coin. It bears -on one side the words: - - [Arabic] - (Zaribat el Harar, the coinage of Harar.) - -On the reverse is the date, A.H. 1248. The Amir pitilessly punishes all -those who pass in the city any other coin. - -The Amir Ahmed is alive to the fact that some state should hedge in a -prince. Neither weapons nor rosaries are allowed in his presence; a -chamberlain's robe acts as spittoon; whenever anything is given to or -taken from him his hand must be kissed; even on horseback two attendants -fan him with the hems of their garments. Except when engaged on the -Haronic visits which he, like his father [32], pays to the streets and -byways at night, he is always surrounded by a strong body guard. He rides -to mosque escorted by a dozen horsemen, and a score of footmen with guns -and whips precede him: by his side walks an officer shading him with a -huge and heavily fringed red satin umbrella,--from India to Abyssinia the -sign of princely dignity. Even at his prayers two or three chosen -matchlockmen stand over him with lighted fusees. When he rides forth in -public, he is escorted by a party of fifty men: the running footmen crack -their whips and shout "Let! Let!" (Go! Go!) and the citizens avoid stripes -by retreating into the nearest house, or running into another street. - -The army of Harar is not imposing. There are between forty and fifty -matchlockmen of Arab origin, long settled in the place, and commanded by a -veteran Maghrebi. They receive for pay one dollar's worth of holcus per -annum, a quantity sufficient to afford five or six loaves a day: the -luxuries of life must be provided by the exercise of some peaceful craft. -Including slaves, the total of armed men may be two hundred: of these one -carries a Somali or Galla spear, another a dagger, and a third a sword, -which is generally the old German cavalry blade. Cannon of small calibre -is supposed to be concealed in the palace, but none probably knows their -use. The city may contain thirty horses, of which a dozen are royal -property: they are miserable ponies, but well trained to the rocks and -hills. The Galla Bedouins would oppose an invader with a strong force of -spearmen, the approaches to the city are difficult and dangerous, but it -is commanded from the north and west, and the walls would crumble at the -touch of a six-pounder. Three hundred Arabs and two gallopper guns would -take Harar in an hour. - -Harar is essentially a commercial town: its citizens live, like those of -Zayla, by systematically defrauding the Galla Bedouins, and the Amir has -made it a penal offence to buy by weight and scale. He receives, as -octroi, from eight to fifteen cubits of Cutch canvass for every donkey- -load passing the gates, consequently the beast is so burdened that it must -be supported by the drivers. Cultivators are taxed ten per cent., the -general and easy rate of this part of Africa, but they pay in kind, which -considerably increases the Government share. The greatest merchant may -bring to Harar 50_l._ worth of goods, and he who has 20_l._ of capital is -considered a wealthy man. The citizens seem to have a more than Asiatic -apathy, even in pursuit of gain. When we entered, a caravan was to set out -for Zayla on the morrow; after ten days, hardly one half of its number had -mustered. The four marches from the city eastward are rarely made under a -fortnight, and the average rate of their Kafilahs is not so high even as -that of the Somal. - -The principal exports from Harar are slaves, ivory, coffee, tobacco, Wars -(safflower or bastard saffron), Tobes and woven cottons, mules, holcus, -wheat, "Karanji," a kind of bread used by travellers, ghee, honey, gums -(principally mastic and myrrh), and finally sheep's fat and tallows of all -sorts. The imports are American sheeting, and other cottons, white and -dyed, muslins, red shawls, silks, brass, sheet copper, cutlery (generally -the cheap German), Birmingham trinkets, beads and coral, dates, rice, and -loaf sugar, gunpowder, paper, and the various other wants of a city in the -wild. - -Harar is still, as of old [33], the great "half way house" for slaves from -Zangaro, Gurague, and the Galla tribes, Alo and others [34]: Abyssinians -and Amharas, the most valued [35], have become rare since the King of Shoa -prohibited the exportation. Women vary in value from 100 to 400 Ashrafis, -boys from 9 to 150: the worst are kept for domestic purposes, the best are -driven and exported by the Western Arabs [36] or by the subjects of H. H. -the Imam of Muscat, in exchange for rice and dates. I need scarcely say -that commerce would thrive on the decline of slavery: whilst the Felateas -or man-razzias are allowed to continue, it is vain to expect industry in -the land. - -Ivory at Harar amongst the Kafirs is a royal monopoly, and the Amir -carries on the one-sided system of trade, common to African monarchs. -Elephants abound in Jarjar, the Erar forest, and in the Harirah and other -valleys, where they resort during the hot season, in cold descending to -the lower regions. The Gallas hunt the animals and receive for the spoil a -little cloth: the Amir sends his ivory to Berberah, and sells it by means -of a Wakil or agent. The smallest kind is called "Ruba Aj"(Quarter Ivory), -the better description "Nuss Aj"(Half Ivory), whilst" Aj," the best kind, -fetches from thirty-two to forty dollars per Farasilah of 27 Arab pounds. -[36] - -The coffee of Harar is too well known in the markets of Europe to require -description: it grows in the gardens about the town, in greater quantities -amongst the Western Gallas, and in perfection at Jarjar, a district of -about seven days' journey from Harar on the Efat road. It is said that the -Amir withholds this valuable article, fearing to glut the Berberah market: -he has also forbidden the Harash, or coffee cultivators, to travel lest -the art of tending the tree be lost. When I visited Harar, the price per -parcel of twenty-seven pounds was a quarter of a dollar, and the hire of a -camel carrying twelve parcels to Berberah was five dollars: the profit did -not repay labour and risk. - -The tobacco of Harar is of a light yellow color, with good flavour, and -might be advantageously mixed with Syrian and other growths. The Alo, or -Western Gallas, the principal cultivators, plant it with the holcus, and -reap it about five months afterwards. It is cocked for a fortnight, the -woody part is removed, and the leaf is packed in sacks for transportation -to Berberah. At Harar, men prefer it for chewing as well as smoking: women -generally use Surat tobacco. It is bought, like all similar articles, by -the eye, and about seventy pounds are to be had for a dollar. - -The Wars or Safflower is cultivated in considerable quantities around the -city: an abundance is grown in the lands of the Gallas. It is sown when -the heavy rains have ceased, and is gathered about two months afterwards. -This article, together with slaves, forms the staple commerce between -Berberah and Muscat. In Arabia, men dye with it their cotton shirts, women -and children use it to stain the skin a bright yellow; besides the purpose -of a cosmetic, it also serves as a preservative against cold. When Wars is -cheap at Harar, a pound may be bought for a quarter of a dollar. - -The Tobes and sashes of Harar are considered equal to the celebrated -cloths of Shoa: hand-woven, they as far surpass, in beauty and durability, -the vapid produce of European manufactories, as the perfect hand of man -excels the finest machinery. On the windward coast, one of these garments -is considered a handsome present for a chief. The Harari Tobe consists of -a double length of eleven cubits by two in breadth, with a border of -bright scarlet, and the average value of a good article, even in the city, -is eight dollars. They are made of the fine long-stapled cotton, which -grows plentifully upon these hills, and are soft as silk, whilst their -warmth admirably adapts them for winter wear. The thread is spun by women -with two wooden pins: the loom is worked by both sexes. - -Three caravans leave Harar every year for the Berberah market. The first -starts early in January, laden with coffee, Tobes, Wars, ghee, gums, and -other articles to be bartered for cottons, silks, shawls, and Surat -tobacco. The second sets out in February. The principal caravan, conveying -slaves, mules, and other valuable articles, enters Berberah a few days -before the close of the season: it numbers about 3000 souls, and is -commanded by one of the Amir's principal officers, who enjoys the title of -Ebi or leader. Any or all of these kafilahs might be stopped by spending -four or five hundred dollars amongst the Jibril Abokr tribe, or even by a -sloop of war at the emporium. "He who commands at Berberah, holds the -beard of Harar in his hand," is a saying which I heard even within the -city walls. - -The furniture of a house at Harar is simple,--a few skins, and in rare -cases a Persian rug, stools, coarse mats, and Somali pillows, wooden -spoons, and porringers shaped with a hatchet, finished with a knife, -stained red, and brightly polished. The gourd is a conspicuous article; -smoked inside and fitted with a cover of the same material, it serves as -cup, bottle, pipe, and water-skin: a coarse and heavy kind of pottery, of -black or brown clay, is used by some of the citizens. - -The inhabitants of Harar live well. The best meat, as in Abyssinia, is -beef: it rather resembled, however, in the dry season when I ate it, the -lean and stringy sirloins of Old England in Hogarth's days. A hundred and -twenty chickens, or sixty-six full-grown fowls, may be purchased for a -dollar, and the citizens do not, like the Somal, consider them carrion. -Goat's flesh is good, and the black-faced Berberah sheep, after the rains, -is, here as elsewhere, delicious. The staff of life is holcus. Fruit grows -almost wild, but it is not prized as an article of food; the plantains are -coarse and bad, grapes seldom come to maturity; although the brab -flourishes in every ravine, and the palm becomes a lofty tree, it has not -been taught to fructify, and the citizens do not know how to dress, -preserve, or pickle their limes and citrons. No vegetables but gourds are -known. From the cane, which thrives upon these hills, a little sugar is -made: the honey, of which, as the Abyssinians say, "the land stinks," is -the general sweetener. The condiment of East Africa, is red pepper. - - * * * * * - -To resume, dear L., the thread of our adventures at Harar. - -Immediately after arrival, we were called upon by the Arabs, a strange -mixture. One, the Haji Mukhtar, was a Maghrebi from Fez: an expatriation -of forty years had changed his hissing Arabic as little as his "rocky -face." This worthy had a coffee-garden assigned to him, as commander of -the Amir's body-guard: he introduced himself to us, however, as a -merchant, which led us to look upon him as a spy. Another, Haji Hasan, was -a thorough-bred Persian: he seemed to know everybody, and was on terms of -bosom friendship with half the world from Cairo to Calcutta, Moslem, -Christian and Pagan. Amongst the rest was a boy from Meccah, a Muscat man, -a native of Suez, and a citizen of Damascus: the others were Arabs from -Yemen. All were most civil to us at first; but, afterwards, when our -interviews with the Amir ceased, they took alarm, and prudently cut us. - -The Arabs were succeeded by the Somal, amongst whom the Hammal and Long -Guled found relatives, friends, and acquaintances, who readily recognised -them as government servants at Aden. These visitors at first came in fear -and trembling with visions of the Harar jail: they desired my men to -return the visit by night, and made frequent excuses for apparent want of -hospitality. Their apprehensions, however, soon vanished: presently they -began to prepare entertainments, and, as we were without money, they -willingly supplied us with certain comforts of life. Our three Habr Awal -enemies, seeing the tide of fortune settling in our favour, changed their -tactics: they threw the past upon their two Harari companions, and -proposed themselves as Abbans on our return to Berberah. This offer was -politely staved off; in the first place we were already provided with -protectors, and secondly these men belonged to the Ayyal Shirdon, a clan -most hostile to the Habr Gerhajis. They did not fail to do us all the harm -in their power, but again my good star triumphed. - -After a day's repose, we were summoned by the Treasurer, early in the -forenoon, to wait upon the Gerad Mohammed. Sword in hand, and followed by -the Hammal and Long Guled, I walked to the "palace," and entering a little -ground-floor-room on the right of and close to the audience-hall, found -the minister sitting upon a large dais covered with Persian carpets. He -was surrounded by six of his brother Gerads or councillors, two of them in -turbans, the rest with bare and shaven heads: their Tobes, as is customary -on such occasions of ceremony, were allowed to fall beneath the waist. The -lower part of the hovel was covered with dependents, amongst whom my Somal -took their seats: it seemed to be customs' time, for names were being -registered, and money changed hands. The Grandees were eating Kat, or as -it is here called "Jat." [37] One of the party prepared for the Prime -Minister the tenderest twigs of the tree, plucking off the points of even -the softest leaves. Another pounded the plant with a little water in a -wooden mortar: of this paste, called "El Madkuk," a bit was handed to each -person, who, rolling it into a ball, dropped it into his mouth. All at -times, as is the custom, drank cold water from a smoked gourd, and seemed -to dwell upon the sweet and pleasant draught. I could not but remark the -fine flavour of the plant after the coarser quality grown in Yemen. -Europeans perceive but little effect from it--friend S. and I once tried -in vain a strong infusion--the Arabs, however, unaccustomed to stimulants -and narcotics, declare that, like opium eaters, they cannot live without -the excitement. It seems to produce in them a manner of dreamy enjoyment, -which, exaggerated by time and distance, may have given rise to that -splendid myth the Lotos, and the Lotophagi. It is held by the Ulema here -as in Arabia, "Akl el Salikin," or the Food of the Pious, and literati -remark that it has the singular properties of enlivening the imagination, -clearing the ideas, cheering the heart, diminishing sleep, and taking the -place of food. The people of Harar eat it every day from 9 A.M. till near -noon, when they dine and afterwards indulge in something stronger,-- -millet-beer and mead. - -The Gerad, after polite inquiries, seated me by his right hand upon the -Dais, where I ate Kat and fingered my rosary, whilst he transacted the -business of the day. Then one of the elders took from a little recess in -the wall a large book, and uncovering it, began to recite a long Dua or -Blessing upon the Prophet: at the end of each period all present intoned -the response, "Allah bless our Lord Mohammed with his Progeny and his -Companions, one and all!" This exercise lasting half an hour afforded me -the opportunity,--much desired,--of making an impression. The reader, -misled by a marginal reference, happened to say, "angels, Men, and Genii:" -the Gerad took the book and found written, "Men, Angels, and Genii." -Opinions were divided as to the order of beings, when I explained that -human nature, which amongst Moslems is _not_ a little lower than the -angelic, ranked highest, because of it were created prophets, apostles, -and saints, whereas the other is but a "Wasitah" or connection between the -Creator and his creatures. My theology won general approbation and a few -kinder glances from the elders. - -Prayer concluded, a chamberlain whispered the Gerad, who arose, deposited -his black coral rosary, took up an inkstand, donned a white "Badan" or -sleeveless Arab cloak over his cotton shirt, shuffled off the Dais into -his slippers, and disappeared. Presently we were summoned to an interview -with the Amir: this time I was allowed to approach the outer door with -covered feet. Entering ceremoniously as before, I was motioned by the -Prince to sit near the Gerad, who occupied a Persian rug on the ground to -the right of the throne: my two attendants squatted upon the humbler mats -in front and at a greater distance. After sundry inquiries about the -changes that had taken place at Aden, the letter was suddenly produced by -the Amir, who looked upon it suspiciously and bade me explain its -contents. I was then asked by the Gerad whether it was my intention to buy -and sell at Harar: the reply was, "We are no buyers nor sellers [38]; we -have become your guests to pay our respects to the Amir--whom may Allah -preserve!--and that the friendship between the two powers may endure." -This appearing satisfactory, I added, in lively remembrance of the -proverbial delays of Africa, where two or three months may elapse before a -letter is answered or a verbal message delivered, that perhaps the Prince -would be pleased to dismiss us soon, as the air of Harar was too dry for -me, and my attendants were in danger of the small-pox, then raging in the -town. The Amir, who was chary of words, bent towards the Gerad, who -briefly ejaculated, "The reply will be vouchsafed:" with this -unsatisfactory answer the interview ended. - -Shortly after arrival, I sent my Salam to one of the Ulema, Shaykh Jami of -the Berteri Somal: he accepted the excuse of ill health, and at once came -to see me. This personage appeared in the form of a little black man aged -about forty, deeply pitted by small-pox, with a protruding brow, a tufty -beard and rather delicate features: his hands and feet were remarkably -small. Married to a descendant of the Sherif Yunis, he had acquired great -reputation as an Alim or Savan, a peace-policy-man, and an ardent Moslem. -Though an imperfect Arabic scholar, he proved remarkably well read in the -religious sciences, and even the Meccans had, it was said, paid him the -respect of kissing his hand during his pilgrimage. In his second -character, his success was not remarkable, the principal results being a -spear-thrust in the head, and being generally told to read his books and -leave men alone. Yet he is always doing good "lillah," that is to say, -gratis and for Allah's sake: his pugnacity and bluntness--the prerogatives -of the "peaceful"--gave him some authority over the Amir, and he has often -been employed on political missions amongst the different chiefs. Nor has -his ardour for propagandism been thoroughly gratified. He commenced his -travels with an intention of winning the crown of glory without delay, by -murdering the British Resident at Aden [39]: struck, however, with the -order and justice of our rule, he changed his intentions and offered El -Islam to the officer, who received it so urbanely, that the simple Eastern -repenting having intended to cut the Kafir's throat, began to pray -fervently for his conversion. Since that time he has made it a point of -duty to attempt every infidel: I never heard, however, that he succeeded -with a soul. - -The Shaykh's first visit did not end well. He informed me that the old -Usmanlis conquered Stamboul in the days of Umar. I imprudently objected to -the date, and he revenged himself for the injury done to his fame by the -favourite ecclesiastical process of privily damning me for a heretic, and -a worse than heathen. Moreover he had sent me a kind of ritual which I had -perused in an hour and returned to him: this prepossessed the Shaykh -strongly against me, lightly "skimming" books being a form of idleness as -yet unknown to the ponderous East. Our days at Harar were monotonous -enough. In the morning we looked to the mules, drove out the cats--as -great a nuisance here as at Aden--and ate for breakfast lumps of boiled -beef with peppered holcus-scones. We were kindly looked upon by one -Sultan, a sick and decrepid Eunuch, who having served five Amirs, was -allowed to remain in the palace. To appearance he was mad: he wore upon -his poll a motley scratch wig, half white and half black, like Day and -Night in masquerades. But his conduct was sane. At dawn he sent us bad -plantains, wheaten crusts, and cups of unpalatable coffee-tea [40], and, -assisted by a crone more decrepid than himself, prepared for me his water- -pipe, a gourd fitted with two reeds and a tile of baked clay by way of -bowl: now he "knagged" at the slave girls, who were slow to work, then -burst into a fury because some visitor ate Kat without offering it to him, -or crossed the royal threshold in sandal or slipper. The other inmates of -the house were Galla slave-girls, a great nuisance, especially one -Berille, an unlovely maid, whose shrill voice and shameless manners were a -sad scandal to pilgrims and pious Moslems. - -About 8 A.M. the Somal sent us gifts of citrons, plantains, sugar-cane, -limes, wheaten bread, and stewed fowls. At the same time the house became -full of visitors, Harari and others, most of them pretexting inquiries -after old Sultan's health. Noon was generally followed by a little -solitude, the people retiring to dinner and siesta: we were then again -provided with bread and beef from the Amir's kitchen. In the afternoon the -house again filled, and the visitors dispersed only for supper. Before -sunset we were careful to visit the mules tethered in the court-yard; -being half starved they often attempted to desert. [41] - -It was harvest home at Harar, a circumstance which worked us much annoy. -In the mornings the Amir, attended by forty or fifty guards, rode to a -hill north of the city, where he inspected his Galla reapers and -threshers, and these men were feasted every evening at our quarters with -flesh, beer, and mead. [42] The strong drinks caused many a wordy war, and -we made a point of exhorting the pagans, with poor success I own, to purer -lives. - -We spent our _soiree_ alternately bepreaching the Gallas, "chaffing" Mad -Said, who, despite his seventy years, was a hale old Bedouin, with a salt -and sullen repartee, and quarrelling with the slave-girls. Berille the -loud-lunged, or Aminah the pert, would insist upon extinguishing the fat- -fed lamp long ere bed-time, or would enter the room singing, laughing, -dancing, and clapping a measure with their palms, when, stoutly aided by -old Sultan, who shrieked like a hyaena on these occasions, we ejected her -in extreme indignation. All then was silence without: not so--alas!-- -within. Mad Said snored fearfully, and Abtidon chatted half the night with -some Bedouin friend, who had dropped in to supper. On our hard couches we -did not enjoy either the _noctes_ or the _coenoe deorum_. - -The even tenor of such days was varied by a perpetual reference to the -rosary, consulting soothsayers, and listening to reports and rumours -brought to us by the Somal in such profusion that we all sighed for a -discontinuance. The Gerad Mohammed, excited by the Habr Awal, was curious -in his inquiries concerning me: the astute Senior had heard of our leaving -the End of Time with the Gerad Adan, and his mind fell into the fancy that -we were transacting some business for the Hajj Sharmarkay, the popular -bugbear of Harar. Our fate was probably decided by the arrival of a youth -of the Ayyal Gedid clan, who reported that three brothers had landed in -the Somali country, that two of them were anxiously awaiting at Berberah -the return of the third from Harar, and that, though dressed like Moslems, -they were really Englishmen in government employ. Visions of cutting off -caravans began to assume a hard and palpable form: the Habr Awal ceased -intriguing, and the Gerad Mohammed resolved to adopt the _suaviter in -modo_ whilst dealing with his dangerous guest. - -Some days after his first visit, the Shaykh Jami, sending for the Hammal, -informed him of an intended trip from Harar: my follower suggested that we -might well escort him. The good Shaykh at once offered to apply for leave -from the Gerad Mohammed; not, however, finding the minister at home, he -asked us to meet him at the palace on the morrow, about the time of Kat- -eating. - -We had so often been disappointed in our hopes of a final "lay-public," -that on this occasion much was not expected. However, about 6 A.M., we -were all summoned, and entering the Gerad's levee-room were, as usual, -courteously received. I had distinguished his complaint,--chronic -bronchitis,--and resolving to make a final impression, related to him all -its symptoms, and promised, on reaching Aden, to send the different -remedies employed by ourselves. He clung to the hope of escaping his -sufferings, whilst the attendant courtiers looked on approvingly, and -begged me to lose no time. Presently the Gerad was sent for by the Amir, -and after a few minutes I followed him, on this occasion, alone. Ensued a -long conversation about the state of Aden, of Zayla, of Berberah, and of -Stamboul. The chief put a variety of questions about Arabia, and every -object there: the answer was that the necessity of commerce confined us to -the gloomy rock. He used some obliging expressions about desiring our -friendship, and having considerable respect for a people who built, he -understood, large ships. I took the opportunity of praising Harar in -cautious phrase, and especially of regretting that its coffee was not -better known amongst the Franks. The small wizen-faced man smiled, as -Moslems say, the smile of Umar [43]: seeing his brow relax for the first -time, I told him that, being now restored to health, we requested his -commands for Aden. He signified consent with a nod, and the Gerad, with -many compliments, gave me a letter addressed to the Political Resident, -and requested me to take charge of a mule as a present. I then arose, -recited a short prayer, the gist of which was that the Amir's days and -reign might be long in the land, and that the faces of his foes might be -blackened here and hereafter, bent over his hand and retired. Returning to -the Gerad's levee-hut, I saw by the countenances of my two attendants that -they were not a little anxious about the interview, and comforted them -with the whispered word "Achha"--"all right!" - -Presently appeared the Gerad, accompanied by two men, who brought my -servants' arms, and the revolver which I had sent to the prince. This was -a _contretemps_. It was clearly impossible to take back the present, -besides which, I suspected some finesse to discover my feelings towards -him: the other course would ensure delay. I told the Gerad that the weapon -was intended especially to preserve the Amir's life, and for further -effect, snapped caps in rapid succession to the infinite terror of the -august company. The minister returned to his master, and soon brought back -the information that after a day or two another mule should be given to -me. With suitable acknowledgments we arose, blessed the Gerad, bade adieu -to the assembly, and departed joyful, the Hammal in his glee speaking -broken English, even in the Amir's courtyard. - -Returning home, we found the good Shaykh Jami, to whom we communicated the -news with many thanks for his friendly aid. I did my best to smooth his -temper about Turkish history, and succeeded. Becoming communicative, he -informed me that the original object, of his visit was the offer of good -offices, he having been informed that, in the town was a man who brought -down the birds from heaven, and the citizens having been thrown into great -excitement by the probable intentions of such a personage. Whilst he sat -with us, Kabir Khalil, one of the principal Ulema, and one Haji Abdullah, -a Shaykh of distinguished fame who had been dreaming dreams in our favour, -sent their salams. This is one of the many occasions in which, during a -long residence in the East, I have had reason to be grateful to the -learned, whose influence over the people when unbiassed by bigotry is -decidedly for good. That evening there was great joy amongst the Somal, -who had been alarmed for the safety of my companions: they brought them -presents of Harari Tobes, and a feast of fowls, limes, and wheaten bread -for the stranger. - -On the 11th of January I was sent for by the Gerad and received the second -mule. At noon we were visited by the Shaykh Jami, who, after a long -discourse upon the subject of Sufiism [44], invited me to inspect his -books. When midday prayer was concluded we walked to his house, which -occupies the very centre of the city: in its courtyard is "Gay Humburti," -the historic rock upon which Saint Nur held converse with the Prophet -Khizr. The Shaykh, after seating us in a room about ten feet square, and -lined with scholars and dusty tomes, began reading out a treatise upon the -genealogies of the Grand Masters, and showed me in half a dozen tracts the -tenets of the different schools. The only valuable MS. in the place was a -fine old copy of the Koran; the Kamus and the Sihah were there [45], but -by no means remarkable for beauty or correctness. Books at Harar are -mostly antiques, copyists being exceedingly rare, and the square massive -character is more like Cufic with diacritical points, than the graceful -modern Naskhi. I could not, however, but admire the bindings: no Eastern -country save Persia surpasses them in strength and appearance. After some -desultory conversation the Shaykh ushered us into an inner room, or rather -a dark closet partitioned off from the study, and ranged us around the -usual dish of boiled beef, holcus bread, and red pepper. After returning -to the study we sat for a few minutes,--Easterns rarely remain long after -dinner,--and took leave, saying that we must call upon the Gerad Mohammed. - -Nothing worthy of mention occurred during our final visit to the minister. -He begged me not to forget his remedies when we reached Aden: I told him -that without further loss of time we would start on the morrow, Friday, -after prayers, and he simply ejaculated, "It is well, if Allah please!" -Scarcely had we returned home, when the clouds, which had been gathering -since noon, began to discharge heavy showers, and a few loud thunder-claps -to reverberate amongst the hills. We passed that evening surrounded by the -Somal, who charged us with letters and many messages to Berberah. Our -intention was to mount early on Friday morning. When we awoke, however, a -mule had strayed and was not brought back for some hours. Before noon -Shaykh Jami called upon us, informed us that he would travel on the most -auspicious day--Monday--and exhorted us to patience, deprecating departure -upon Friday, the Sabbath. Then he arose to take leave, blessed us at some -length, prayed that we might be borne upon the wings of safety, again -advised Monday, and promised at all events to meet us at Wilensi. - -I fear that the Shaykh's counsel was on this occasion likely to be -disregarded. We had been absent from our goods and chattels a whole -fortnight: the people of Harar are famously fickle; we knew not what the -morrow might bring forth from the Amir's mind--in fact, all these African -cities are prisons on a large scale, into which you enter by your own -will, and, as the significant proverb says, you leave by another's. -However, when the mosque prayers ended, a heavy shower and the stormy -aspect of the sky preached patience more effectually than did the divine: -we carefully tethered our mules, and unwillingly deferred our departure -till next morning. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] The Ashantees at customs' time run across the royal threshold to -escape being seized and sacrificed; possibly the trace of the pagan rite -is still preserved by Moslem Harar, where it is now held a mark of respect -and always exacted from the citizens. - -[2] I afterwards learned that when a man neglects a summons his door is -removed to the royal court-yard on the first day; on the second, it is -confiscated. The door is a valuable and venerable article in this part of -Africa. According to Bruce, Ptolemy Euergetes engraved it upon the Axum -Obelisk for the benefit of his newly conquered AEthiopian subjects, to whom -it had been unknown. - -[3] In Abyssinia, according to the Lord of Geesh, this is a mark of royal -familiarity and confidence. - -[4] About seven years ago the Hajj Sharmarkay of Zayla chose as his agent -at Harar, one of the Amir's officers, a certain Hajj Jamitay. When this -man died Sharmarkay demanded an account from his sons; at Berberah they -promised to give it, but returning to Harar they were persuaded, it is -believed, by the Gerad Mohammed, to forget their word. Upon this -Sharmarkay's friends and relations, incited by one Husayn, a Somali who -had lived many years at Harar in the Amir's favour, wrote an insulting -letter to the Gerad, beginning with, "No peace be upon thee, and no -blessings of Allah, thou butcher! son of a butcher &c. &c.!" and -concluding with a threat to pinion him in the market-place as a warning to -men. Husayn carried the letter, which at first excited general terror; -when, however, the attack did not take place, the Amir Abubakr imprisoned -the imprudent Somali till he died. Sharmarkay by way of reprisals -persuaded Alu, son of Sahlah Salaseh, king of Shoa, to seize about three -hundred Harari citizens living in his dominions and to keep them two years -in durance. - -The Amir Abubakr is said on his deathbed to have warned his son against -the Gerad. When Ahmad reported his father's decease to Zayla, the Hajj -Sharmarkay ordered a grand Maulid or Mass in honour of the departed. Since -that time, however, there has been little intercourse and no cordiality -between them. - -[5] Thus M. Isenberg (Preface to Ambaric Grammar, p. iv.) calls the city -Harrar or Ararge. - -[6] "Harar," is not an uncommon name in this part of Eastern Africa: -according to some, the city is so called from a kind of tree, according to -others, from the valley below it. - -[7] I say _about_: we were compelled to boil our thermometers at Wilensi, -not venturing upon such operation within the city. - -[8] The other six were Efat, Arabini, Duaro, Sharka, Bali and Darah. - -[9] A circumstantial account of the Jihad or Moslem crusades is, I am -told, given in the Fath el Habashah, unfortunately a rare work. The Amir -of Harar had but one volume, and the other is to be found at Mocha or -Hudaydah. - -[10] This prince built "Debra Berhan," the "Hill of glory," a church -dedicated to the Virgin Mary at Gondar. - -[11] A prince of many titles: he is generally called Wanag Suggad, "feared -amongst the lions," because he spent the latter years of his life in the -wild. - -[12] Yemen submitted to Sulayman Pasha in A.D. 1538. - -[13] "Gragne," or in the Somali dialect "Guray," means a left-handed man; -Father Lobo errs in translating it "the Lame." - -[14] This exploit has been erroneously attributed to Nur, the successor of -Mohammed. - -[15] This reverend Jesuit was commissioned in A.D. 1622, by the Count de -Vidigueira, Viceroy of the Indies, to discover where his relative Don -Christopher was buried, and to procure some of the relics. Assisted by the -son in law of the Abyssinian Emperor, Lobo marched with an army through -the Gallas, found the martyr's teeth and lower jaw, his arms and a picture -of the Holy Virgin which he always carried about him. The precious remains -were forwarded to Goa. - -I love the style of this old father, so unjustly depreciated by our -writers, and called ignorant peasant and liar by Bruce, because he claimed -for his fellow countrymen the honor of having discovered the Coy -Fountains. The Nemesis who never sleeps punished Bruce by the justest of -retributions. His pompous and inflated style, his uncommon arrogance, and -over-weening vanity, his affectation of pedantry, his many errors and -misrepresentations, aroused against him a spirit which embittered the last -years of his life. It is now the fashion to laud Bruce, and to pity his -misfortunes. I cannot but think that he deserved them. - -[16] Bruce, followed by most of our modern authors, relates a -circumstantial and romantic story of the betrayal of Don Christopher by -his mistress, a Turkish lady of uncommon beauty, who had been made -prisoner. - -The more truth-like pages of Father Lobo record no such silly scandal -against the memory of the "brave and holy Portuguese." Those who are well -read in the works of the earlier eastern travellers will remember their -horror of "handling heathens after that fashion." And amongst those who -fought for the faith an _affaire de coeur_ with a pretty pagan was held to -be a sin as deadly as heresy or magic. - -[17] Romantic writers relate that Mohammed decapitated the Christian with -his left hand. - -[18] Others assert, in direct contradiction to Father Lobo, that the body -was sent to different parts of Arabia, and the head to Constantinople. - -[19] Bruce, followed by later authorities, writes this name Del Wumbarea. - -[20] Talwambara, according to the Christians, after her husband's death, -and her army's defeat, threw herself into the wilds of Atbara, and -recovered her son Ali Gerad by releasing Prince Menas, the brother of the -Abyssinian emperor, who in David's reign had been carried prisoner to -Adel. - -The historian will admire these two widely different accounts of the left- -handed hero's death. Upon the whole he will prefer the Moslem's tradition -from the air of truth pervading it, and the various improbabilities which -appear in the more detailed story of the Christians. - -[21] Formerly the Waraba, creeping through the holes in the wall, rendered -the streets dangerous at night. They are now destroyed by opening the -gates in the evening, enticing in the animals by slaughtering cattle, and -closing the doors upon them, when they are safely speared. - -[22] The following are the names of the gates in Harari and Somali: - -_Eastward._ Argob Bari (Bar in Amharic is a gate, _e.g._ Ankobar, the gate -of Anko, a Galla Queen, and Argob is the name of a Galla clan living in -this quarter), by the Somal called Erar. - -_North._ Asum Bari (the gate of Axum), in Somali, Faldano or the Zayla -entrance. - -_West._ Asmadim Bari or Hamaraisa. - -_South._ Badro Bari or Bab Bida. - -_South East._ Sukutal Bari or Bisidimo. - -At all times these gates are carefully guarded; in the evening the keys -are taken to the Amir, after which no one can leave the city till dawn. - -[23] Kabir in Arabic means great, and is usually applied to the Almighty; -here it is a title given to the principal professors of religious science. - -[24] This is equivalent to saying that the language of the Basque -provinces is French with an affinity to English. - -[25] When ladies are bastinadoed in more modest Persia, their hands are -passed through a hole in a tent wall, and fastened for the infliction to a -Falakah or pole outside. - -[26] The hate dates from old times. Abd el Karim, uncle to the late Amir -Abubakr, sent for sixty or seventy Arab mercenaries under Haydar Assal the -Auliki, to save him against the Gallas. The matchlockmen failing in -ammunition, lost twenty of their number in battle and retired to the town, -where the Gallas, after capturing Abd el Karim, and his brother Abd el -Rahman, seized the throne, and, aided by the citizens, attempted to -massacre the strangers. These, however, defended themselves gallantly, and -would have crowned the son of Abd el Rahman, had he not in fear declined -the dignity; they then drew their pay, and marched with all the honors of -war to Zayla. - -Shortly before our arrival, the dozen of petty Arab pedlars at Harar, -treacherous intriguers, like all their dangerous race, had been plotting -against the Amir. One morning when they least expected it, their chief was -thrown into a prison which proved his grave, and the rest were informed -that any stranger found in the city should lose his head. After wandering -some months among the neighbouring villages, they were allowed to return -and live under surveillance. No one at Harar dared to speak of this event, -and we were cautioned not to indulge our curiosity. - -[27] This agrees with the Hon. R. Curzon's belief in Central African -"diggings." The traveller once saw an individual descending the Nile with -a store of nuggets, bracelets, and gold rings similar to those used as -money by the ancient Egyptians. - -[28] M. Krapf relates a tale current in Abyssinia; namely, that there is a -remnant of the slave trade between Guineh (the Guinea coast) and Shoa. -Connexion between the east and west formerly existed: in the time of John -the Second, the Portuguese on the river Zaire in Congo learned the -existence of the Abyssinian church. Travellers in Western Africa assert -that Fakihs or priests, when performing the pilgrimage pass from the -Fellatah country through Abyssinia to the coast of the Red Sea. And it has -lately been proved that a caravan line is open from the Zanzibar coast to -Benguela. - -[29] All male collaterals of the royal family, however, are not imprisoned -by law, as was formerly the case at Shoa. - -[30] This is a mere superstition; none but the most credulous can believe -that a man ever lives after an Eastern dose. - -[31] The name and coin are Abyssinian. According to Bruce, - - 20 Mahallaks are worth 1 Grush. - 12 Grush " " 1 Miskal. - 4 Miskal " " 1 Wakiyah (ounce). - -At Harar twenty-two plantains (the only small change) = one Mahallak, -twenty-two Mahallaks = one Ashrafi (now a nominal coin,) and three Ashrafi -= one dollar. - -Lieut. Cruttenden remarks, "The Ashrafi stamped at the Harar mint is a -coin peculiar to the place. It is of silver and the twenty-second part of -a dollar. The only specimen I have been able to procure bore the date of -910 of the Hagira, with the name of the Amir on one side, and, on its -reverse, 'La Ilaha ill 'Allah.'" This traveller adds in a note, "the value -of the Ashrafi changes with each successive ruler. In the reign of Emir -Abd el Shukoor, some 200 years ago, it was of gold." At present the -Ashrafi, as I have said above, is a fictitious medium used in accounts. - -[32] An old story is told of the Amir Abubakr, that during one of his -nocturnal excursions, he heard three of his subjects talking treason, and -coveting his food, his wife, and his throne. He sent for them next -morning, filled the first with good things, and bastinadoed him for not -eating more, flogged the second severely for being unable to describe the -difference between his own wife and the princess, and put the third to -death. - -[33] El Makrizi informs us that in his day Hadiyah supplied the East with -black Eunuchs, although the infamous trade was expressly forbidden by the -Emperor of Abyssinia. - -[33] The Arusi Gallas are generally driven direct from Ugadayn to -Berberah. - -[34] "If you want a brother (in arms)," says the Eastern proverb, "buy a -Nubian, if you would be rich, an Abyssinian, and if you require an ass, a -Sawahili (negro)." Formerly a small load of salt bought a boy in Southern -Abyssinia, many of them, however, died on their way to the coast. - -[35] The Firman lately issued by the Sultan and forwarded to the Pasha of -Jeddah for the Kaimakan and the Kazi of Mecca, has lately caused a kind of -revolution in Western Arabia. The Ulema and the inhabitants denounced the -rescript as opposed to the Koran, and forced the magistrate to take -sanctuary. The Kaimakan came to his assistance with Turkish troops, the -latter, however, were soon pressed back into their fort. At this time, the -Sherif Abd el Muttalib arrived at Meccah, from Taif, and almost -simultaneously Reshid Pasha came from Constantinople with orders to seize -him, send him to the capital, and appoint the Sherif Nazir to act until -the nomination of a successor, the state prisoner Mohammed bin Aun. - -The tumult redoubled. The people attributing the rescript to the English -and French Consuls of Jeddah, insisted upon pulling down their flags. The -Pasha took them under his protection, and on the 14th January, 1856, the -"Queen" steamer was despatched from Bombay, with orders to assist the -government and to suppress the contest. - -[36] This weight, as usual in the East, varies at every port. At Aden the -Farasilah is 27 lbs., at Zayla 20 lbs., and at Berberah 35 lbs. - -[37] See Chap. iii. El Makrizi, describing the kingdom of Zayla, uses the -Harari not the Arabic term; he remarks that it is unknown to Egypt and -Syria, and compares its leaf to that of the orange. - -[38] In conversational Arabic "we" is used without affectation for "I." - -[39] The Shaykh himself gave me this information. As a rule it is most -imprudent for Europeans holding high official positions in these barbarous -regions, to live as they do, unarmed and unattended. The appearance of -utter security may impose, where strong motives for assassination are -wanting. At the same time the practice has occasioned many losses which -singly, to use an Indian statesman's phrase, would have "dimmed a -victory." - -[40] In the best coffee countries, Harar and Yemen, the berry is reserved -for exportation. The Southern Arabs use for economy and health--the bean -being considered heating--the Kishr or follicle. This in Harar is a -woman's drink. The men considering the berry too dry and heating for their -arid atmosphere, toast the leaf on a girdle, pound it and prepare an -infusion which they declare to be most wholesome, but which certainly -suggests weak senna. The boiled coffee-leaf has been tried and approved of -in England; we omit, however, to toast it. - -[41] In Harar a horse or a mule is never lost, whereas an ass straying -from home is rarely seen again. - -[42] This is the Abyssinian "Tej," a word so strange to European organs, -that some authors write it "Zatsh." At Harar it is made of honey dissolved -in about fifteen parts of hot water, strained and fermented for seven days -with the bark of a tree called Kudidah; when the operation is to be -hurried, the vessel is placed near the fire. Ignorant Africa can ferment, -not distil, yet it must be owned she is skilful in her rude art. Every -traveller has praised the honey-wine of the Highlands, and some have not -scrupled to prefer it to champagne. It exhilarates, excites and acts as an -aphrodisiac; the consequence is, that at Harar all men, pagans and sages, -priests and rulers, drink it. - -[43] The Caliph Umar is said to have smiled once and wept once. The smile -was caused by the recollection of his having eaten his paste-gods in the -days of ignorance. The tear was shed in remembrance of having buried -alive, as was customary amongst the Pagan Arabs, his infant daughter, who, -whilst he placed her in the grave, with her little hands beat the dust off -his beard and garment. - -[44] The Eastern parent of Free-Masonry. - -[45] Two celebrated Arabic dictionaries. - - - - -CHAP. IX. - -A RIDE TO BERBERAH. - - -Long before dawn on Saturday, the 13th January, the mules were saddled, -bridled, and charged with our scanty luggage. After a hasty breakfast we -shook hands with old Sultan the Eunuch, mounted and pricked through the -desert streets. Suddenly my weakness and sickness left me--so potent a -drug is joy!--and, as we passed the gates loudly salaming to the warders, -who were crouching over the fire inside, a weight of care and anxiety fell -from me like a cloak of lead. - -Yet, dear L., I had time, on the top of my mule for musing upon how -melancholy a thing is success. Whilst failure inspirits a man, attainment -reads the sad prosy lesson that all our glories - - "Are shadows, not substantial things." - -Truly said the sayer, "disappointment is the salt of life"--a salutary -bitter which strengthens the mind for fresh exertion, and gives a double -value to the prize. - -This shade of melancholy soon passed away. The morning was beautiful. A -cloudless sky, then untarnished by sun, tinged with reflected blue the -mist-crowns of the distant peaks and the smoke wreaths hanging round the -sleeping villages, and the air was a cordial after the rank atmosphere of -the town. The dew hung in large diamonds from the coffee trees, the spur- -fowl crew blithely in the bushes by the way-side:--briefly, never did the -face of Nature appear to me so truly lovely. - -We hurried forwards, unwilling to lose time and fearing the sun of the -Erar valley. With arms cocked, a precaution against the possibility of -Galla spears in ambuscade, we crossed the river, entered the yawning chasm -and ascended the steep path. My companions were in the highest spirits, -nothing interfered with the general joy, but the villain Abtidon, who -loudly boasted in a road crowded with market people, that the mule which -he was riding had been given to us by the Amir as a Jizyah or tribute. The -Hammal, direfully wrath, threatened to shoot him upon the spot, and it was -not without difficulty that I calmed the storm. - -Passing Gafra we ascertained from the Midgans that the Gerad Adan had sent -for my books and stored them in his own cottage. We made in a direct line -for Kondura. At one P.M. we safely threaded the Galla's pass, and about an -hour afterwards we exclaimed "Alhamdulillah" at the sight of Sagharrah and -the distant Marar Prairie. Entering the village we discharged our fire- -arms: the women received us with the Masharrad or joy-cry, and as I passed -the enclosure the Geradah Khayrah performed the "Fola" by throwing over me -some handfuls of toasted grain. [1] The men gave cordial _poignees de -mains_, some danced with joy to see us return alive; they had heard of our -being imprisoned, bastinadoed, slaughtered; they swore that the Gerad was -raising an army to rescue or revenge us--in fact, had we been their -kinsmen more excitement could not have been displayed. Lastly, in true -humility, crept forward the End of Time, who, as he kissed my hand, was -upon the point of tears: he had been half-starved, despite his dignity as -Sharmarkay's Mercury, and had spent his weary nights and days reciting the -chapter Y.S. and fumbling the rosary for omens. The Gerad, he declared, -would have given him a sheep and one of his daughters to wife, -temporarily, but Sherwa had interfered, he had hindered the course of his -sire's generosity: "Cursed be he," exclaimed the End of Time, "who with -dirty feet defiles the pure water of the stream!" - -We entered the smoky cottage. The Gerad and his sons were at Wilensi -settling the weighty matter of a caravan which had been plundered by the -Usbayhan tribe--in their absence the good Khayrah and her daughters did -the duties of hospitality by cooking rice and a couple of fowls. A -pleasant evening was spent in recounting our perils as travellers will do, -and complimenting one another upon the power of our star. - -At eight the next morning we rode to Wilensi. As we approached it all the -wayfarers and villagers inquired Hibernically if we were the party that -had been put to death by the Amir of Harar. Loud congratulations and -shouts of joy awaited our arrival. The Kalendar was in a paroxysm of -delight: both Shehrazade and Deenarzade were affected with giggling and -what might be blushing. We reviewed our property and found that the One- -eyed had been a faithful steward, so faithful indeed, that he had well -nigh starved the two women. Presently appeared the Gerad and his sons -bringing with them my books; the former was at once invested with a gaudy -Abyssinian Tobe of many colours, in which he sallied forth from the -cottage the admired of all admirers. The pretty wife Sudiyah and the good -Khayrah were made happy by sundry gifts of huge Birmingham ear-rings, -brooches and bracelets, scissors, needles, and thread. The evening as -usual ended in a feast. - -"We halted a week at Wilensi to feed,--in truth my companions had been -faring lentenly at Harar,--and to lay in stock and strength for the long -desert march before us. A Somali was despatched to the city under orders -to load an ass with onions, tobacco, spices, wooden platters, and Karanji -[2], which our penniless condition had prevented our purchasing. I spent -the time collecting a vocabulary of the Harari tongue under the auspices -of Mad Said and All the poet, a Somali educated at the Alma Mater. He was -a small black man, long-headed and long-backed, with remarkably prominent -eyes, a bulging brow, nose pertly turned up, and lean jaws almost -unconscious of beard. He knew the Arabic, Somali, Galla, and Harari -languages, and his acuteness was such, that I found no difficulty in what -usually proves the hardest task,--extracting the grammatical forms. "A -poet, the son of a Poet," to use his own phrase, he evinced a Horatian -respect for the beverage which bards love, and his discourse, whenever it -strayed from the line of grammar, savoured of over reverence for the -goddess whom Pagans associated with Bacchus and Ceres. He was also a -patriot and a Tyrtaeus. No clan ever attacked his Girhis without smarting -under terrible sarcasms, and his sneers at the young warriors for want of -ardour in resisting Gudabirsi encroachments, were quoted as models of the -"withering." Stimulated by the present of a Tobe, he composed a song in -honor of the pilgrim: I will offer a literal translation of the exordium, -though sentient of the fact that modesty shrinks from such quotations. - - "Formerly, my sire and self held ourselves songsters: - Only to day, however, I really begin to sing. - At the order of Abdullah, Allah sent, my tongue is loosed, - The son of the Kuraysh by a thousand generations, - He hath visited Audal, and Sahil and Adari [3]; - A hundred of his ships float on the sea; - His intellect," &c. &c. &c. - -When not engaged with Ali the Poet I amused myself by consoling Mad Said, -who was deeply afflicted, his son having received an ugly stab in the -shoulder. Thinking, perhaps, that the Senior anticipated some evil results -from the wound, I attempted to remove the impression. "Alas, 0 Hajj!" -groaned the old man, "it is not that!--how can the boy be _my boy_, I who -have ever given instead of receiving stabs?" nor would he be comforted, on -account of the youth's progeniture. At other times we summoned the heads -of the clans and proceeded to write down their genealogies. This always -led to a scene beginning with piano, but rapidly rising to the strepitoso. -Each tribe and clan wished to rank first, none would be even second,--what -was to be done? When excitement was at its height, the paper and pencil -were torn out of my hand, stubby beards were pitilessly pulled, and -daggers half started from their sheaths. These quarrels were, however, -easily composed, and always passed off in storms of abuse, laughter, and -derision. - -With the end of the week's repose came Shaykh Jami, the Berteri, equipped -as a traveller with sword, praying-skin, and water-bottle. This bustling -little divine, whose hobby it was to make every man's business his own, -was accompanied by his brother, in nowise so prayerful a person, and by -four burly, black-looking Widads, of whose birth, learning, piety, and -virtues he spoke in terms eloquent. I gave them a supper of rice, ghee, -and dates in my hut, and with much difficulty excused myself on plea of -ill health from a Samrah or night's entertainment--the chaunting some -serious book from evening even to the small hours. The Shaykh informed me -that his peaceful errand on that occasion was to determine a claim of -blood-money amongst the neighbouring Bedouins. The case was rich in Somali -manners. One man gave medicine to another who happened to die about a -month afterwards: the father of the deceased at once charged the mediciner -with poisoning, and demanded the customary fine. Mad Said grumbled certain -disrespectful expressions about the propriety of divines confining -themselves to prayers and the Koran, whilst the Gerad Adan, after -listening to the Shaykh's violent denunciation of the Somali doctrine, -"Fire, but not shame!" [4] conducted his head-scratcher, and with sly -sarcasm declared that he had been Islamized afresh that day. - -On Sunday, the 21st of January, our messenger returned from Harar, -bringing with him supplies for the road: my vocabulary was finished, and -as nothing delayed us at Wilensi, I determined to set out the next day. -When the rumour went abroad every inhabitant of the village flocked to our -hut, with the view of seeing what he could beg or borrow: we were soon -obliged to close it, with peremptory orders that none be admitted but the -Shaykh Jami. The divine appeared in the afternoon accompanied by all the -incurables of the country side: after hearing the tale of the blood-money, -I determined that talismans were the best and safest of medicines in those -mountains. The Shaykh at first doubted their efficacy. But when my diploma -as a master Sufi was exhibited, a new light broke upon him and his -attendant Widads. "Verily he hath declared himself this day!" whispered -each to his neighbour, still sorely mystified. Shaykh Jami carefully -inspected the document, raised it reverently to his forehead, and muttered -some prayers: he then in humble phrase begged a copy, and required from me -"Ijazah" or permission to act as master. The former request was granted -without hesitation, about the latter I preferred to temporize: he then -owned himself my pupil, and received, as a well-merited acknowledgment of -his services, a pencil and a silk turban. - -The morning fixed for our departure came; no one, however, seemed ready to -move. The Hammal, who but the night before had been full of ardour and -activity, now hung back; we had no coffee, no water-bags, and Deenarzade -had gone to buy gourds in some distant village. This was truly African: -twenty-six days had not sufficed to do the work of a single watch! No -servants had been procured for us by the Gerad, although he had promised a -hundred whenever required. Long Guled had imprudently lent his dagger to -the smooth-tongued Yusuf Dera, who hearing of the departure, naturally -absconded. And, at the last moment, one Abdy Aman, who had engaged himself -at Harar as guide to Berberah for the sum of ten dollars, asked a score. - -A display of energy was clearly necessary. I sent the Gerad with -directions to bring the camels at once, and ordered the Hammal to pull -down the huts. Abdy Aman was told to go to Harar--or the other place--Long -Guled was promised another dagger at Berberah; a message was left -directing Deenarzade to follow, and the word was given to load. - -By dint of shouting and rough language, the caravan was ready at 9 A.M. -The Gerad Adan and his ragged tail leading, we skirted the eastern side of -Wilensi, and our heavily laden camels descended with pain the rough and -stony slope of the wide Kloof dividing it from the Marar Prairie. At 1 -P.M. the chief summoned us to halt: we pushed on, however, without -regarding him. Presently, Long Guled and the End of Time were missing; -contrary to express orders they had returned to seek the dagger. To ensure -discipline, on this occasion I must have blown out the long youth's -brains, which were, he declared, addled by the loss of his weapon: the -remedy appeared worse than the disease. - -Attended only by the Hammal, I entered with pleasure the Marar Prairie. In -vain the Gerad entreated us not to venture upon a place swarming with -lions; vainly he promised to kill sheep and oxen for a feast;--we took -abrupt leave of him, and drove away the camels. - -Journeying slowly over the skirt of the plain, when rejoined by the -truants, we met a party of travellers, who, as usual, stopped to inquire -the news. Their chief, mounted upon an old mule, proved to be Madar Farih, -a Somali well known at Aden. He consented to accompany us as far as the -halting place, expressed astonishment at our escaping Harar, and gave us -intelligence which my companions judged grave. The Gerad Hirsi of the -Berteri, amongst whom Madar had been living, was incensed with us for -leaving the direct road. Report informed him, moreover, that we had given -600 dollars and various valuables to the Gerad Adan,--Why then had he been -neglected? Madar sensibly advised us to push forward that night, and to -'ware the bush, whence Midgans might use their poisoned arrows. - -We alighted at the village formerly beneath Gurays, now shifted to a short -distance from those hills. Presently appeared Deenarzade, hung round with -gourds and swelling with hurt feelings: she was accompanied by Dahabo, -sister of the valiant Beuh, who, having for ever parted from her graceless -husband, the Gerad, was returning under our escort to the Gurgi of her -family. Then came Yusuf Dera with a smiling countenance and smooth -manners, bringing the stolen dagger and many excuses for the mistake; he -was accompanied by a knot of kinsmen deputed by the Gerad as usual for no -good purpose. That worthy had been informed that his Berteri rival offered -a hundred cows for our persons, dead or alive: he pathetically asked my -attendants "Do you love your pilgrim?" and suggested that if they did so, -they might as well send him a little more cloth, upon the receipt of which -he would escort us with fifty horsemen. - -My Somal lent a willing ear to a speech which smelt of falsehood a mile -off: they sat down to debate; the subject was important, and for three -mortal hours did that palaver endure. I proposed proceeding at once. They -declared that the camels could not walk, and that the cold of the prairie -was death to man. Pointing to a caravan of grain-carriers that awaited our -escort, I then spoke of starting next morning. Still they hesitated. At -length darkness came on, and knowing it to be a mere waste of time to -debate over night about dangers to be faced next day, I ate my dates and -drank my milk, and lay down to enjoy tranquil sleep in the deep silence of -the desert. - -The morning of the 23rd of January found my companions as usual in a state -of faint-heartedness. The Hammal was deputed to obtain permission for -fetching the Gerad and all the Gerad's men. This was positively refused. I -could not, however, object to sending sundry Tobes to the cunning idiot, -in order to back up a verbal request for the escort. Thereupon Yusuf Dera, -Madar Farih, and the other worthies took leave, promising to despatch the -troop before noon: I saw them depart with pleasure, feeling that we had -bade adieu to the Girhis. The greatest danger we had run was from the -Gerad Adan, a fact of which I was not aware till some time after my return -to Berberah: he had always been plotting an _avanie_ which, if attempted, -would have cost him dear, but at the same time would certainly have proved -fatal to us. - -Noon arrived, but no cavalry. My companions had promised that if -disappointed they would start before nightfall and march till morning. But -when the camels were sent for, one, as usual if delay was judged -advisable, had strayed: they went in search of him, so as to give time for -preparation to the caravan. I then had a sharp explanation with my men, -and told them in conclusion that it was my determination to cross the -Prairie alone, if necessary, on the morrow. - -That night heavy clouds rolled down from the Gurays Hills, and veiled the -sky with a deeper gloom. Presently came a thin streak of blue lightning -and a roar of thunder, which dispersed like flies the mob of gazers from -around my Gurgi; then rain streamed through our hut as though we had been -dwelling under a system of cullenders. Deenarzade declared herself too ill -to move; Shehrazade swore that she would not work: briefly, that night was -by no means pleasantly spent. - -At dawn, on the 24th, we started across the Marar Prairie with a caravan -of about twenty men and thirty women, driving camels, carrying grain, -asses, and a few sheep. The long straggling line gave a "wide berth" to -the doughty Hirsi and his Berteris, whose camp-fires were clearly visible -in the morning grey. The air was raw; piles of purple cloud settled upon -the hills, whence cold and damp gusts swept the plain; sometimes we had a -shower, at others a Scotch mist, which did not fail to penetrate our thin -raiment. My people trembled, and their teeth chattered as though they were -walking upon ice. In our slow course we passed herds of quagga and -gazelles, but the animals were wild, and both men and mules were unequal -to the task of stalking them. About midday we closed up, for our path -wound through the valley wooded with Acacia,--fittest place for an -ambuscade of archers. We dined in the saddle on huge lumps of sun-dried -beef, and bits of gum gathered from the trees. - -Having at length crossed the prairie without accident, the caravan people -shook our hands, congratulated one another, and declared that they owed -their lives to us. About an hour after sunset we arrived at Abtidon's -home, a large kraal at the foot of the Konti cone: fear of lions drove my -people into the enclosure, where we passed a night of scratching. I was -now haunted by the dread of a certain complaint for which sulphur is said -to be a specific. This is the pest of the inner parts of Somali-land; the -people declare it to arise from flies and fleas: the European would derive -it from the deficiency, or rather the impossibility, of ablutions. - -"Allah help the Goer, but the Return is Rolling:" this adage was ever upon -the End of Time's tongue, yet my fate was apparently an exception to the -general rule. On the 25th January, we were delayed by the weakness of the -camels, which had been half starved in the Girhi mountains. And as we were -about to enter the lands of the Habr Awal [5], then at blood feud with my -men, all Habr Gerhajis, probably a week would elapse before we could -provide ourselves with a fit and proper protector. Already I had been -delayed ten days after the appointed time, my comrades at Berberah would -be apprehensive of accidents, and although starting from Wilensi we had -resolved to reach the coast within the fortnight, a month's march was in -clear prospect. - -Whilst thus chewing the cud of bitter thought where thought was of scant -avail, suddenly appeared the valiant Beuh, sent to visit us by Dahabo his -gay sister. He informed us that a guide was in the neighbourhood, and the -news gave me an idea. I proposed that he should escort the women, camels, -and baggage under command of the Kalendar to Zayla, whilst we, mounting -our mules and carrying only our arms and provisions for four days, might -push through the lands of the Habr Awal. After some demur all consented. - -It was not without apprehension that I pocketed all my remaining -provisions, five biscuits, a few limes, and sundry lumps of sugar. Any -delay or accident to our mules would starve us; in the first place, we -were about to traverse a desert, and secondly where Habr Awal were, they -would not sell meat or milk to Habr Gerhajis. My attendants provided -themselves with a small provision of sun-dried beef, grain, and -sweetmeats: only one water-bottle, however, was found amongst the whole -party. We arose at dawn after a wet night on the 26th January, but we did -not start till 7 A.M., the reason being that all the party, the Kalendar, -Shehrazade and Deenarzade, claimed and would have his and her several and -distinct palaver. - -Having taken leave of our friends and property [6], we spurred our mules, -and guided by Beuh, rode through cloud and mist towards Koralay the -Saddle-back hill. After an hour's trot over rugged ground falling into the -Harawwah valley, we came to a Gudabirsi village, where my companions -halted to inquire the news, also to distend their stomachs with milk. -Thence we advanced slowly, as the broken path required, through thickets -of wild henna to the kraal occupied by Beuh's family. At a distance we -were descried by an old acquaintance, Fahi, who straightways began to -dance like a little Polyphemus, his shock-wig waving in the air: plentiful -potations of milk again delayed my companions, who were now laying in a -four days' stock. - -Remounting, we resumed our journey over a mass of rock and thicket, -watered our mules at holes in a Fiumara, and made our way to a village -belonging to the Ugaz or chief of the Gudabirsi tribe. He was a middle- -aged man of ordinary presence, and he did not neglect to hold out his hand -for a gift which we could not but refuse. Halting for about an hour, we -persuaded a guide, by the offer of five dollars and a pair of cloths, to -accompany us. "Dubayr"--the Donkey--who belonged to the Bahgobo clan of -the Habr Awal, was a "long Lankin," unable, like all these Bedouins, to -endure fatigue. He could not ride, the saddle cut him, and he found his -mule restive; lately married, he was incapacitated for walking, and he -suffered sadly from thirst. The Donkey little knew, when he promised to -show Berberah on the third day, what he had bound himself to perform: -after the second march he was induced, only by the promise of a large -present, and one continual talk of food, to proceed, and often he threw -his lengthy form upon the ground, groaning that his supreme hour was at -hand. In the land which we were to traverse every man's spear would be -against us. By way of precaution, we ordered our protector to choose -desert roads and carefully to avoid all kraals. At first, not -understanding our reasons, and ever hankering after milk, he could not -pass a thorn fence without eyeing it wistfully. On the next day, however, -he became more tractable, and before reaching Berberah he showed himself, -in consequence of some old blood feud, more anxious even than ourselves to -avoid villages. - -Remounting, under the guidance of the Donkey, we resumed our east-ward -course. He was communicative even for a Somali, and began by pointing out, -on the right of the road, the ruins of a stone-building, called, as -customary in these countries, a fort. Beyond it we came to a kraal, whence -all the inhabitants issued with shouts and cries for tobacco. Three -o'clock P.M. brought us to a broad Fiumara choked with the thickest and -most tangled vegetation: we were shown some curious old Galla wells, deep -holes about twenty feet in diameter, excavated in the rock; some were dry, -others overgrown with huge creepers, and one only supplied us with -tolerable water. The Gudabirsi tribe received them from the Girhi in lieu -of blood-money: beyond this watercourse, the ground belongs to the Rer -Yunis Jibril, a powerful clan of the Habr Awal, and the hills are thickly -studded with thorn-fence and kraal. - -Without returning the salutations of the Bedouins, who loudly summoned us -to stop and give them the news, we trotted forwards in search of a -deserted sheep-fold. At sunset we passed, upon an eminence on our left, -the ruins of an ancient settlement, called after its patron Saint, Ao -Barhe: and both sides of the mountain road were flanked by tracts of -prairie-land, beautifully purpling in the evening air. After a ride of -thirty-five miles, we arrived at a large fold, where, by removing the -inner thorn-fences, we found fresh grass for our starving beasts. The -night was raw and windy, and thick mists deepened into a drizzle, which -did not quench our thirst, but easily drenched the saddle cloths, our only -bedding. In one sense, however, the foul weather was propitious to us. Our -track might easily have been followed by some enterprising son of Yunis -Jibril; these tracts of thorny bush are favourite places for cattle -lifting; moreover the fire was kept blazing all night, yet our mules were -not stolen. - -We shook off our slumbers before dawn on the 27th. I remarked near our -resting-place, one of those detached heaps of rock, common enough in the -Somali country: at one extremity a huge block projects upwards, and -suggests the idea of a gigantic canine tooth. The Donkey declared that the -summit still bears traces of building, and related the legend connected -with Moga Medir. [7] There, in times of old, dwelt a Galla maiden whose -eye could distinguish a plundering party at the distance of five days' -march. The enemies of her tribe, after sustaining heavy losses, hit upon -the expedient of an attack, not _en chemise_, but with their heads muffled -in bundles of hay. When Moga, the maiden, informed her sire and clan that -a prairie was on its way towards the hill, they deemed her mad; the -manoeuvre succeeded, and the unhappy seer lost her life. The legend -interested me by its wide diffusion. The history of Zarka, the blue-eyed -witch of the Jadis tribe, who seized Yemamah by her gramarye, and our -Scotch tale of Birnam wood's march, are Asiatic and European facsimiles of -African "Moga's Tooth." - -At 7 A.M. we started through the mist, and trotted eastwards in search of -a well. The guide had deceived us: the day before he had promised water at -every half mile; he afterwards owned with groans that we should not drink -before nightfall. These people seem to lie involuntarily: the habit of -untruth with them becomes a second nature. They deceive without object for -deceit, and the only way of obtaining from them correct information is to -inquire, receive the answer, and determine it to be diametrically opposed -to fact. - -I will not trouble you, dear L., with descriptions of the uniform and -uninteresting scenery through which we rode,--horrid hills upon which -withered aloes brandished their spears, plains apparently rained upon by a -shower of stones, and rolling ground abounding only with thorns like the -"wait-a-bits" of Kafir land, created to tear man's skin or clothes. Our -toil was rendered doubly toilsome by the Eastern travellers' dread--the -demon of Thirst rode like Care behind us. For twenty-four hours we did not -taste water, the sun parched our brains, the mirage mocked us at every -turn, and the effect was a species of monomania. As I jogged along with -eyes closed against the fiery air, no image unconnected with the want -suggested itself. Water ever lay before me--water lying deep in the shady -well--water in streams bubbling icy from the rock--water in pellucid lakes -inviting me to plunge and revel in their treasures. Now an Indian cloud -was showering upon me fluid more precious than molten pearl, then an -invisible hand offered a bowl for which the mortal part would gladly have -bartered years of life. Then--drear contrast!--I opened my eyes to a heat- -reeking plain, and a sky of that eternal metallic blue so lovely to -painter and poet, so blank and deathlike to us, whose [Greek _kalon_] was -tempest, rain-storm, and the huge purple nimbus. I tried to talk--it was -in vain, to sing in vain, vainly to think; every idea was bound up in one -subject, water. [8] - -As the sun sank into the East we descended the wide Gogaysa valley. With -unspeakable delight we saw in the distance a patch of lively green: our -animals scented the blessing from afar, they raised their drooping ears, -and started with us at a canter, till, turning a corner, we suddenly -sighted sundry little wells. To spring from the saddle, to race with our -mules, who now feared not the crumbling sides of the pits, to throw -ourselves into the muddy pools, to drink a long slow draught, and to dash -the water over our burning faces, took less time to do than to recount. A -calmer inspection showed a necessity for caution;--the surface was alive -with tadpoles and insects: prudence, however, had little power at that -time, we drank, and drank, and then drank again. As our mules had fallen -with avidity upon the grass, I proposed to pass a few hours near the well. -My companions, however, pleading the old fear of lions, led the way to a -deserted kraal upon a neighbouring hill. We had marched about thirty miles -eastward, and had entered a safe country belonging to the Bahgoba, our -guide's clan. - -At sunrise on the 28th of January, the Donkey, whose limbs refused to -work, was lifted into the saddle, declaring that the white man must have -been sent from heaven, as a special curse upon the children of Ishak. We -started, after filling the water-bottle, down the Gogaysa valley. Our -mules were becoming foot-sore, and the saddles had already galled their -backs; we were therefore compelled to the additional mortification of -travelling at snail's pace over the dreary hills, and through the -uninteresting bush. - -About noon we entered Wady Danan, or "The Sour," a deep chasm in the -rocks; the centre is a winding sandy watercourse, here and there grassy -with tall rushes, and affording at every half mile a plentiful supply of -sweet water. The walls of the ravine are steep and rugged, and the thorny -jungle clustering at the sides gives a wild appearance to the scene. -Traces of animals, quagga and gazelle, every where abounded: not being -however, in "Dianic humour," and unwilling to apprise Bedouins of our -vicinity, I did not fire a shot. As we advanced large trees freshly barked -and more tender plants torn up by the roots, showed the late passage of a -herd of elephants: my mule, though the bravest of our beasts, was in a -state of terror all the way. The little grey honey-bird [9] tempted us to -wander with all his art: now he sat upon the nearest tree chirping his -invitation to a feast, then he preceded us with short jerking flights to -point out the path. My people, however, despite the fondness for honey -inherent in the Somali palate [10], would not follow him, deciding that -on, this occasion his motives for inviting us were not of the purest. - -Emerging from the valley, we urged on our animals over comparatively level -ground, in the fallacious hope of seeing the sea that night. The trees -became rarer as we advanced and the surface metallic. In spots the path -led over ironstone that resembled slag. In other places the soil was -ochre-coloured [11]: the cattle lick it, probably on account of the -aluminous matter with which it is mixed. Everywhere the surface was burnt -up by the sun, and withered from want of rain. Towards evening we entered -a broad slope called by the Somal Dihh Murodi, or Murodilay, the -Elephants' Valley. Crossing its breadth from west to east, we traversed -two Fiumaras, the nearer "Hamar," the further "Las Dorhhay," or the -Tamarisk waterholes. They were similar in appearance, the usual Wady about -100 yards wide, pearly sand lined with borders of leek green, pitted with -dry wells around which lay heaps of withered thorns and a herd of gazelles -tripping gracefully over the quartz carpet. - -After spanning the valley we began to ascend the lower slopes of a high -range, whose folds formed like a curtain the bold background of the view. -This is the landward face of the Ghauts, over which we were to pass before -sighting the sea. Masses of cold grey cloud rolled from the table-formed -summit, we were presently shrouded in mist, and as we advanced, rain began -to fall. The light of day vanishing, we again descended into a Fiumara -with a tortuous and rocky bed, the main drain of the landward mountain -side. My companions, now half-starved,--they had lived through three days -on a handful of dates and sweetmeats,--devoured with avidity the wild -Jujube berries that strewed the stones. The guide had preceded us: when we -came up with him, he was found seated upon a grassy bank on the edge of -the rugged torrent bed. We sprang in pleased astonishment from the saddle, -dire had been the anticipations that our mules,--one of them already -required driving with the spear,--would, after another night of -starvation, leave us to carry their loads upon our own hacks. The cause of -the phenomenon soon revealed itself. In the rock was a hole about two feet -wide, whence a crystal sheet welled over the Fiumara bank, forming a -paradise for frog and tadpole. This "Ga'angal" is considered by the Somal -a "fairies' well:" all, however, that the Donkey could inform me was, that -when the Nomads settle in the valley, the water sinks deep below the -earth--a knot which methinks might be unravelled without the interposition -of a god. The same authority declared it to be the work of the "old -ancient" Arabs. - -The mules fell hungrily upon the succulent grass, and we, with the most -frugal of suppers, prepared to pass the rainy night. Presently, however, -the doves and Katas [12], the only birds here requiring water, approached -in flights, and fearing to drink, fluttered around us with shrill cries. -They suggested to my companions the possibility of being visited in sleep -by more formidable beasts, and even man: after a short halt, an advance -was proposed; and this was an offer which, on principle, I never refused. -We remounted our mules, now refreshed and in good spirits, and began to -ascend the stony face of the Eastern hill through a thick mist, deepening -the darkness. As we reached the bleak summit, a heavy shower gave my -companions a pretext to stop: they readily found a deserted thorn fence, -in which we passed a wet night. That day we had travelled at least thirty- -five miles without seeing the face of man: the country was parched to a -cinder for want of water, and all the Nomads had migrated to the plains. - -The morning of the 29th January was unusually fine: the last night's rain -hung in masses of mist about the hill-sides, and the rapid evaporation -clothed the clear background with deep blue. We began the day by ascending -a steep goat-track: it led to a sandy Fiumara, overgrown with Jujubes and -other thorns, abounding in water, and showing in the rocky sides, caverns -fit for a race of Troglodytes. Pursuing the path over a stony valley lying -between parallel ranges of hill, we halted at about 10 A.M. in a large -patch of grass-land, the produce of the rain, which for some days past had -been fertilising the hill-tops. Whilst our beasts grazed greedily, we sat -under a bush, and saw far beneath us the low country which separates the -Ghauts from the sea. Through an avenue in the rolling nimbus, we could -trace the long courses of Fiumaras, and below, where mist did not obstruct -the sight, the tawny plains, cut with watercourses glistening white, shone -in their eternal summer. - -Shortly after 10 A.M., we resumed our march, and began the descent of the -Ghauts by a ravine to which the guide gave the name of 'Kadar.' No sandy -watercourse, the 'Pass' of this barbarous land, here facilitates the -travellers' advance: the rapid slope of the hill presents a succession of -blocks and boulders piled one upon the other in rugged steps, apparently -impossible to a laden camel. This ravine, the Splugen of Somaliland, led -us, after an hour's ride, to the Wady Duntu, a gigantic mountain-cleft -formed by the violent action of torrents. The chasm winds abruptly between -lofty walls of syenite and pink granite, glittering with flaky mica, and -streaked with dykes and veins of snowy quartz: the strata of the -sandstones that here and there projected into the bed were wonderfully -twisted around a central nucleus, as green boughs might be bent about a -tree. Above, the hill-tops towered in the air, here denuded of vegetable -soil by the heavy monsoon, there clothed from base to brow with gum trees, -whose verdure was delicious to behold. The channel was now sandy, then -flagged with limestone in slippery sheets, or horrid with rough boulders: -at times the path was clear and easy; at others, a precipice of twenty or -thirty feet, which must be a little cataract after rain, forced us to -fight our way through the obstinate thorns that defended some spur of -ragged hill. As the noontide heat, concentrated in this funnel, began to -affect man and beast, we found a granite block, under whose shady brow -clear water, oozing from the sand, formed a natural bath, and sat there -for a while to enjoy the spectacle and the atmosphere, perfumed, as in -part of Persia and Northern Arabia, by the aromatic shrubs of the desert. - -After a short half-hour, we remounted and pursued our way down the Duntu -chasm. As we advanced, the hills shrank in size, the bed became more -level, and the walls of rock, gradually widening out, sank into the plain. -Brisk and elastic above, the air, here soft, damp, and tepid, and the sun -burning with a more malignant heat, convinced us that we stood once more -below the Ghauts. For two hours we urged our mules in a south-east -direction down the broad and winding Fiumara, taking care to inspect every -well, but finding them all full of dry sand. Then turning eastwards, we -crossed a plain called by the Donkey "Battaladayti Taranay"--the Flats of -Taranay--an exact representation of the maritime regions about Zayla. -Herds of camels and flocks of milky sheep browsing amongst thorny Acacia -and the tufted Kulan, suggested pleasing visions to starving travellers, -and for the first time after three days of hard riding, we saw the face of -man. The shepherds, Mikahil of the Habr Awal tribe, all fled as we -approached: at last one was bold enough to stand and deliver the news. My -companions were refreshed by good reports: there had been few murders, and -the sea-board was tolerably clear of our doughty enemies, the Ayyal Ahmed. -We pricked over the undulating growth of parched grass, shaping our -course for Jebel Almis, to sailors the chief landmark of this coast, and -for a certain thin blue stripe on the far horizon, upon which we gazed -with gladdened eyes. - -Our road lay between low brown hills of lime and sandstone, the Sub-Ghauts -forming a scattered line between the maritime mountains and the sea. -Presently the path was choked by dense scrub of the Arman Acacia: its -yellow blossoms scented the air, but hardly made amends for the injuries -of a thorn nearly two inches long, and tipped with a wooden point sharp as -a needle. Emerging, towards evening, from this bush, we saw large herds of -camels, and called their guardians to come and meet us. For all reply they -ran like ostriches to the nearest rocks, tittering the cry of alarm, and -when we drew near each man implored us to harry his neighbour's cattle. -Throughout our wanderings in Somaliland this had never occurred: it -impressed me strongly with the disturbed state of the regions inhabited by -the Habr Awal. After some time we persuaded a Bedouin who, with frantic -gestures, was screaming and flogging his camels, to listen: reassured by -our oaths, he declared himself to be a Bahgoba, and promised to show us a -village of the Ayyal Gedid. The Hammal, who had married a daughter of this -clan, and had constituted his father-in-law my protector at Berberah, made -sure of a hospitable reception: "To-night we shall sleep under cover and -drink milk," quoth one hungry man to another, who straightways rejoined, -"And we shall eat mutton!" - -After dark we arrived at a kraal, we unsaddled our mules and sat down near -it, indulging in Epicurean anticipations. Opposite us, by the door of a -hut, was a group of men who observed our arrival, but did not advance or -salute us. Impatient, I fired a pistol, when a gruff voice asked why we -disturbed the camels that were being milked. "We have fallen upon the -Ayyal Shirdon"--our bitterest enemies--whispered the End of Time. The same -voice then demanded in angrier accents, "Of what tribe be ye?" We boldly -answered, "Of the Habr Gerhajis." Thereupon ensued a war of words. The -Ayyal Shirdon inquired what we wanted, where we had been, and how we -dared, seeing that peace had not been concluded between the tribes, to -enter their lands. We replied civilly as our disappointment would permit, -but apparently gained little by soft words. The inhospitable Bedouins -declared our arrival to be in the seventeenth house of Geomancy--an advent -probable as the Greek Kalends--and rudely insisted upon knowing what had -taken us to Harar. At last, a warrior, armed with two spears, came to meet -us, and bending down recognized the End of Time: after a few short -sentences he turned on his heel and retired. I then directed Long Guled to -approach the group, and say that a traveller was at their doors ready and -willing to give tobacco in exchange for a draught of milk. They refused -point-blank, and spoke of fighting: we at once made ready with our -weapons, and showing the plain, bade them come on and receive a "belly -full." During the lull which followed this obliging proposal we saddled -our mules and rode off, in the grimmest of humours, loudly cursing the -craven churls who knew not the value of a guest. - -We visited successively three villages of the Ayyal Gedid: the Hammal -failed to obtain even a drop of water from his connexions, and was taunted -accordingly. He explained their inhospitality by the fact that all the -warriors being at Berberah, the villages contained nothing but women, -children, servants, and flocks. The Donkey when strictly questioned -declared that no well nearer than Bulhar was to be found: as men and mules -were faint with thirst, I determined to push forward to water that night. -Many times the animals were stopped, a mute hint that they could go no -further: I spurred onwards, and the rest, as on such occasions they had -now learned to do, followed without a word. Our path lay across a plain -called Banka Hadla, intersected in many places by deep watercourses, and -thinly strewed with Kulan clumps. The moon arose, but cast a cloud-veiled -and uncertain light: our path, moreover, was not clear, as the guide, worn -out by fatigue, tottered on far in the rear. - -About midnight we heard--delightful sound!--the murmur of the distant sea. -Revived by the music, we pushed on more cheerily. At last the Donkey -preceded us, and about 3 A.M. we found, in a Fiumara, some holes which -supplied us with bitter water, truly delicious after fifteen hours of -thirst. Repeated draughts of the element, which the late rains had -rendered potable, relieved our pain, and hard by we found a place where -coarse stubbly grass saved our mules from starvation. Then rain coming on, -we coiled ourselves under the saddle cloths, and, reckless alike of Ayyal -Ahmed and Ayyal Shirdon, slept like the dead. - -At dawn on the 30th January, I arose and inspected the site of Bulhar. It -was then deserted, a huge heap of bleached bones being the only object -suggestive of a settlement. This, at different times, has been a thriving -place, owing to its roadstead, and the feuds of Berberah: it was generally -a village of Gurgis, with some stone-houses built by Arabs. The coast, -however, is open and havenless, and the Shimal wind, feared even at the -Great Port, here rages with resistless violence. Yet the place revives -when plundering parties render the plain unsafe: the timid merchants here -embark their goods and persons, whilst their camels are marched round the -bay. - -Mounting at 6 A.M. we started slowly along the sea coast, and frequently -halted on the bushy Fiumara-cut plain. About noon we bathed in the sea, -and sat on the sands for a while, my people praying for permission to pass -the kraals of their enemies, the Ayyal Ahmed, by night. This, their last -request, was graciously granted: to say sooth, rapid travelling was now -impossible; the spear failed to urge on one mule, and the Hammal was -obliged to flog before him another wretched animal. We then traversed an -alluvial plain, lately flooded, where slippery mud doubled the fatigue of -our cattle; and, at 3 P.M., again halted on a patch of grass below the -rocky spur of Dabasenis, a hill half way between Bulhar and Berberah. On -the summit I was shown an object that makes travellers shudder, a thorn- -tree, under which the Habr Gerhajis [13] and their friends of the Eesa -Musa sit, vulture-like, on the look-out for plunder and murder. Advancing -another mile, we came to some wells, where we were obliged to rest our -animals. Having there finished our last mouthful of food, we remounted, -and following the plain eastward, prepared for a long night-march. - -As the light of day waned we passed on the right hand a table-formed hill, -apparently a detached fragment of the sub-Ghauts or coast range. This spot -is celebrated in local legends as "Auliya Kumbo," the Mount of Saints, -where the forty-four Arab Santons sat in solemn conclave before dispersing -over the Somali country to preach El Islam. It lies about six hours of -hard walking from Berberah. - -At midnight we skirted Bulho Faranji, the Franks' Watering-place [14], a -strip of ground thickly covered with trees. Abounding in grass and water, -it has been the site of a village: when we passed it, however, all was -desert. By the moon's light we descried, as we silently skirted the sea, -the kraals and folds of our foe the Ayyal Ahmed, and at times we could -distinguish the lowing of their cattle: my companions chuckled hugely at -the success of their manoeuvre, and perhaps not without reason. At -Berberah we were afterwards informed that a shepherd in the bush had -witnessed and reported our having passed, when the Ayyal Ahmed cursed the -star that had enabled us to slip unhurt through their hands. - -Our mules could scarcely walk: after every bow-shot they rolled upon the -ground and were raised only by the whip. A last halt was called when -arrived within four miles of Berberah: the End of Time and Long Guled, -completely worn out, fell fast asleep upon the stones. Of all the party -the Hammal alone retained strength and spirits: the sturdy fellow talked, -sang, and shouted, and, whilst the others could scarcely sit their mules, -he danced his war-dance and brandished his spear. I was delighted with his -"pluck." - -Now a long dark line appears upon the sandy horizon--it grows more -distinct in the shades of night--the silhouettes of shipping appear -against sea and sky. A cry of joy bursts from every mouth: cheer, boys, -cheer, our toils here touch their end! - -The End of Time first listened to the small still voice of Caution. He -whispered anxiously to make no noise lest enemies might arise, that my -other attendants had protectors at Berberah, but that he, the hated and -feared, as the _locum tenens_ of Sharmarkay,--the great _bete noire_,-- -depended wholly upon my defence. The Donkey led us slowly and cautiously -round the southern quarter of the sleeping town, through bone heaps and -jackals tearing their unsavoury prey: at last he marched straight into the -quarter appropriated to the Ayyal Gedid our protectors. Anxiously I -inquired if my comrades had left Berberah, and heard with delight that -they awaited me there. It was then 2 A.M. and we had marched at least -forty miles. The Somal, when in fear of forays, drive laden camels over -this distance in about ten hours. - -I dismounted at the huts where my comrades were living. A glad welcome, a -dish of rice, and a glass of strong waters--pardon dear L., these details ---made amends for past privations and fatigue. The servants and the -wretched mules were duly provided for, and I fell asleep, conscious of -having performed a feat which, like a certain ride to York, will live in -local annals for many and many a year. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] It is an Arab as well as a Somali ceremony to throw a little Kaliyah -or Salul (toasted grain) over the honored traveller when he enters hut or -tent. - -[2] Bread made of holcus grain dried and broken into bits; it is thrown -into broth or hot water, and thus readily supplies the traveller with a -wholesome _panade_. - -[3] The Somal invariably call Berberah the "Sahil," (meaning in Arabic the -sea-shore,) as Zayla with them is "Audal," and Harar "Adari." - -[4] "Al Nar wa la al Ar," an Arabic maxim, somewhat more forcible than our -"death rather than dishonor." - -[5] This is the second great division of the Somal people, the father of -the tribe being Awal, the cadet of Ishak el Hazrami. - -The Habr Awal occupy the coast from Zayla and Siyaro to the lands -bordering upon the Berteri tribe. They own the rule of a Gerad, who -exercises merely a nominal authority. The late chief's name was "Bon," he -died about four years ago, but his children have not yet received the -turban. The royal race is the Ayyal Abdillah, a powerful clan extending -from the Dabasanis Hills to near Jigjiga, skirting the Marar Prairie. - -The Habr Awal are divided into a multitude of clans: of these I shall -specify only the principal, the subject of the maritime Somal being -already familiar to our countrymen. The Esa Musa inhabit part of the -mountains south of Berberah. The Mikahil tenant the lowlands on the coast -from Berberah to Siyaro. Two large clans, the Ayyal Yunis and the Ayyal -Ahmed, have established themselves in Berberah and at Bulhar. Besides -these are the Ayyal Abdillah Saad, the Ayyal Geraato, who live amongst the -Ayyal Yunis,--the Bahgobo and the Ayyal Hamed. - -[6] My property arrived safe at Aden after about two months. The mule left -under the Kalendar's charge never appeared, and the camels are, I believe, -still grazing among the Eesa. The fair Shehrazade, having amassed a little -fortune, lost no time in changing her condition, an example followed in -due time by Deenarzade. And the Kalendar, after a visit to Aden, returned -to electrify his Zayla friends with long and terrible tales of travel. - -[7] "Moga's eye-tooth." - -[8] As a rule, twelve hours without water in the desert during hot -weather, kill a man. I never suffered severely from thirst but on this -occasion; probably it was in consequence of being at the time but in weak -health. - -[9] I have never shot this feathered friend of man, although frequent -opportunities presented themselves. He appears to be the Cuculus Indicator -(le Coucou Indicateur) and the Om-Shlanvo of the Kafirs; the Somal call -him Maris. Described by Father Lobo and Bruce, he is treated as a myth by -Le Vaillant; M. Wiedman makes him cry "Shirt! Shirt! Shirt!" Dr. Sparrman -"Tcherr! Tcherr!" Mr. Delegorgue "Chir! Chir! Chir!" His note suggested to -me the shrill chirrup of a sparrow, and his appearance that of a -greenfinch. - -Buffon has repeated what a traveller had related, namely, that the honey- -bird is a little traitor who conducts men into ambuscades prepared by wild -beasts. The Lion-Slayer in S. Africa asserts it to be the belief of -Hottentots and the interior tribes, that the bird often lures the unwary -pursuer to danger, sometimes guiding him to the midday retreat of a -grizzly lion, or bringing him suddenly upon the den of the crouching -panther. M. Delegorgue observes that the feeble bird probably seeks aid in -removing carrion for the purpose of picking up flies and worms; he acquits -him of malice prepense, believing that where the prey is, there -carnivorous beasts may be met. - -The Somal, however, carry their superstition still farther. The honey-bird -is never trusted by them; he leads, they say, either to the lions' den or -the snakes' hiding-place, and often guides his victim into the jaws of the -Kaum or plundering party. - -[10] The Somal have several kinds of honey. The Donyale or wasp-honey, is -scanty and bad; it is found in trees and obtained by smoking and cutting -the branch. The Malab Shinni or bee-honey, is either white, red or brown; -the first is considered the most delicate in flavour. - -[11] The Somal call it Arrah As. - -[12] The sand-grouse of Egypt and Arabia, the rock-pigeon of Sindh and the -surrounding countries. - -[13] The Habr Gerhajis, or eldest branch of the sons of Ishak (generally -including the children of "Arab"), inhabit the Ghauts behind Berberah, -whence they extend for several days' march towards Ogadayn, the southern -region. This tribe is divided into a multitude of clans. The Ismail Arrah -supply the Sultan, a nominal chief like the Eesa Ugaz; they extend from -Makhar to the south of Gulays, number about 15,000 shields and are -subdivided into three septs. The Musa Arrah hold the land between Gulays -and the seats of the Mijjarthayn and Warsangeli tribes on the windward -coast. The Ishak Arrah count 5000 or 6000 shields, and inhabit the Gulays -Range. The other sons of Arrah (the fourth in descent from Ishak), namely, -Mikahil, Gambah, Daudan, and others, also became founders of small clans. -The Ayyal Daud, facetiously called "Idagallah" or earth-burrowers, and -sprung from the second son of Gerhajis, claim the country south of the -Habr Awal, reckon about 4000 shields, and are divided into 11 or 12 septs. - -As has been noticed, the Habr Gerhajis have a perpetual blood feud with -the Habr Awal, and, even at Aden, they have fought out their quarrels with -clubs and stones. Yet as cousins they willingly unite against a common -enemy, the Eesa for instance, and become the best of friends. - -[14] So called from the Mary Anne brig, here plundered in 1825. - - - - -CHAP. X. - -BERBERAH AND ITS ENVIRONS. - - -It is interesting to compare the earliest with the latest account of the -great emporium of Eastern Africa. - -Bartema, writing in the sixteenth century "of Barbara and the Island of -Ethiope," offers the following brief description:--"After that the -tempests were appeased, we gave wind to our sails, and in short time -arrived at an island named Barbara, the prince whereof is a Mahometan. [1] -The island is not great but fruitful and well peopled: it hath abundance -of flesh. The inhabitants are of colour inclining to black. All their -riches is in herds of cattle." - -Lieut. Cruttenden of the I. N., writing in 1848, thus describes the -place:--"The annual fair is one of the most interesting sights on the -coast, if only from the fact of many different and distant tribes being -drawn together for a short time, to be again scattered in all directions. -Before the towers of Berbera were built [2], the place from April to the -early part of October was utterly deserted, not even a fisherman being -found there; but no sooner did the season change, than the inland tribes -commenced moving down towards the coast, and preparing their huts for -their expected visitors. Small craft from the ports of Yemen, anxious to -have an opportunity of purchasing before vessels from the gulf could -arrive, hastened across, followed about a fortnight to three weeks later -by their larger brethren from Muscat, Soor, and Ras el Khyma, and the -valuably freighted Bagalas [3] from Bahrein, Bussorah, and Graen. Lastly, -the fat and wealthy Banian traders from Porebunder, Mandavie, and Bombay, -rolled across in their clumsy Kotias [3], and with a formidable row of -empty ghee jars slung over the quarters of their vessels, elbowed -themselves into a permanent position in the front tier of craft in the -harbour, and by their superior capital, cunning, and influence soon -distanced all competitors." - -"During the height of the fair, Berbera is a perfect Babel, in confusion -as in languages: no chief is acknowledged, and the customs of bygone days -are the laws of the place. Disputes between the inland tribes daily arise, -and are settled by the spear and dagger, the combatants retiring to the -beach at a short distance from the town, in order that they may not -disturb the trade. Long strings of camels are arriving and departing day -and night, escorted generally by women alone, until at a distance from the -town; and an occasional group of dusky and travel-worn children marks the -arrival of the slave Cafila from Hurrur and Efat." - -"At Berbera, the Gurague and Hurrur slave merchant meets his correspondent -from Bussorah, Bagdad, or Bunder Abbas; and the savage Gidrbeersi -(Gudabirsi), with his head tastefully ornamented with a scarlet sheepskin -in lieu of a wig, is seen peacefully bartering his ostrich feathers and -gums with the smooth-spoken Banian from Porebunder, who prudently living -on board his ark, and locking up his puggree [4], which would infallibly -be knocked off the instant he was seen wearing it, exhibits but a small -portion of his wares at a time, under a miserable mat spread on the -beach." - -"By the end of March the fair is nearly at a close, and craft of all -kinds, deeply laden, and sailing generally in parties of three and four, -commence their homeward journey. The Soori boats are generally the last to -leave, and by the first week in April, Berbera is again deserted, nothing -being left to mark the site of a town lately containing 20,000 -inhabitants, beyond bones of slaughtered camels and sheep, and the -framework of a few huts, which is carefully piled on the beach in -readiness for the ensuing year. Beasts of prey now take the opportunity to -approach the sea: lions are commonly seen at the town well during the hot -weather; and in April last year, but a week after the fair had ended, I -observed three ostriches quietly walking on the beach." [5] - -Of the origin of Berberah little is known. El Firuzabadi derives it, with -great probability, from two Himyar chiefs of Southern Arabia. [6] About -A.D. 522 the troops of Anushirwan expelled the Abyssinians from Yemen, and -re-established there a Himyari prince under vassalage of the Persian -Monarch. Tradition asserts the port to have been occupied in turns by the -Furs [7], the Arabs, the Turks, the Gallas, and the Somal. And its future -fortunes are likely to be as varied as the past. - -The present decadence of Berberah is caused by petty internal feuds. -Gerhajis the eldest son of Ishak el Hazrami, seized the mountain ranges of -Gulays and Wagar lying about forty miles behind the coast, whilst Awal, -the cadet, established himself and his descendants upon the lowlands from -Berberah to Zayla. Both these powerful tribes assert a claim to the -customs and profits of the port on the grounds that they jointly conquered -it from the Gallas. [8] The Habr Awal, however, being in possession, would -monopolize the right: a blood feud rages, and the commerce of the place -suffers from the dissensions of the owners. - -Moreover the Habr Awal tribe is not without internal feuds. Two kindred -septs, the Ayyal Yunis Nuh and the Ayyal Ahmed Nuh [9], established -themselves originally at Berberah. The former, though the more numerous, -admitted the latter for some years to a participation of profits, but when -Aden, occupied by the British, rendered the trade valuable, they drove out -the weaker sept, and declared themselves sole "Abbans" to strangers during -the fair. A war ensued. The sons of Yunis obtained aid of the Mijjarthayn -tribe. The sons of Ahmed called in the Habr Gerhajis, especially the Musa -Arrah clan, to which the Hajj Sharmarkay belongs, and, with his -assistance, defeated and drove out the Ayyal Yunis. These, flying from -Berberah, settled at the haven of Bulhar, and by their old connection with -the Indian and other foreign traders, succeeded in drawing off a -considerable amount of traffic. But the roadstead was insecure: many -vessels were lost, and in 1847 the Eesa Somal slaughtered the women and -children of the new-comers, compelling them to sue the Ayyal Ahmed for -peace. Though the feud thus ended, the fact of its having had existence -ensures bad blood: amongst these savages treaties are of no avail, and the -slightest provocation on either side becomes a signal for renewed -hostilities. - - * * * * * - -After this dry disquisition we will return, dear L., to my doings at -Berberah. - -Great fatigue is seldom followed by long sleep. Soon after sunrise I -awoke, hearing loud voices proceeding from a mass of black face and tawny -wig, that blocked up the doorway, pressing forward to see their new -stranger. The Berberah people had been informed by the Donkey of our -having ridden from the Girhi hills in five days: they swore that not only -the thing was impossible, but moreover that we had never sighted Harar. -Having undergone the usual catechising with credit, I left the thatched -hat in which my comrades were living, and proceeded to inspect my -attendants and cattle. The former smiled blandly: they had acquitted -themselves of their trust, they had outwitted the Ayyal Ahmed, who would -be furious thereat, they had filled themselves with dates, rice, and -sugared tea--another potent element of moral satisfaction--and they -trusted that a few days would show them their wives and families. The End -of Time's brow, however, betrayed an _arriere pensee_; once more his -cowardice crept forth, and he anxiously whispered that his existence -depended upon my protection. The poor mules were by no means so easily -restored. Their backs, cut to the bone by the saddles, stood up like those -of angry cats, their heads drooped sadly, and their hams showed red marks -of the spear-point. Directing them to be washed in the sea, dressed with -cold-water bandages, and copiously fed, I proceeded to inspect the -Berberah Plain. - -The "Mother of the Poor," as the Arabs call the place, in position -resembles Zayla. The town,--if such name can be given to what is now a -wretched clump of dirty mat-huts,--is situated on the northern edge of -alluvial ground, sloping almost imperceptibly from the base of the -Southern hills. The rapacity of these short-sighted savages has contracted -its dimensions to about one sixth of its former extent: for nearly a mile -around, the now desert land is strewed with bits of glass and broken -pottery. Their ignorance has chosen the worst position: _Mos Majorum_ is -the Somali code, where father built there son builds, and there shall -grandson build. To the S. and E. lies a saline sand-flat, partially -overflowed by high tides: here are the wells of bitter water, and the -filth and garbage make the spot truly offensive. Northwards the sea-strand -has become a huge cemetery, crowded with graves whose dimensions explain -the Somali legend that once there were giants in the land: tradition -assigns to it the name of Bunder Abbas. Westward, close up to the town, -runs the creek which forms the wealth of Berberah. A long strip of sand -and limestone--the general formation of the coast--defends its length from -the northern gales, the breadth is about three quarters of a mile, and the -depth varies from six to fifteen fathoms near the Ras or Spit at which -ships anchor before putting out to sea. - -Behind the town, and distant about seven miles, lie the Sub-Ghauts, a bold -background of lime and sandstone. Through a broad gap called Duss Malablay -[10] appear in fine weather the granite walls of Wagar and Gulays, whose -altitude by aneroid was found to be 5700 feet above the level of the sea. -[11] On the eastward the Berberah plain is bounded by the hills of Siyaro, -and westwards the heights of Dabasenis limit the prospect. [12] - -It was with astonishment that I reflected upon the impolicy of having -preferred Aden to this place. - -The Emporium of Eastern Africa has a salubrious climate [13], abundance of -sweet water--a luxury to be "fully appreciated only after a residence at -Aden" [14]--a mild monsoon, a fine open country, an excellent harbour, and -a soil highly productive. It is the meeting-place of commerce, has few -rivals, and with half the sums lavished in Arabia upon engineer follies of -stone and lime, the environs might at this time have been covered with -houses, gardens, and trees. - -The Eye of Yemen, to quote Carlyle, is a "mountain of misery towering -sheer up like a bleak Pisgah, with outlooks only into desolation, sand, -salt water, and despair." The camp is in a "Devil's Punchbowl," stiflingly -hot during nine months of the year, and subject to alternations of -sandstorm and Simum, "without either seed, water, or trees," as Ibn -Batutah described it 500 years ago, unproductive for want of rain,--not a -sparrow can exist there, nor will a crow thrive, [15]--and essentially -unhealthy. [156] Our loss in operatives is only equalled by our waste of -rupees; and the general wish of Western India is, that the extinct sea of -fire would, Vesuvius-like, once more convert this dismal cape into a -living crater. - -After a day's rest--physical not spiritual, for the Somal were as usual -disputing violently about the Abbanship [17]--I went with my comrades to -visit an interesting ruin near the town. On the way we were shown pits of -coarse sulphur and alum mixed with sand; in the low lands senna and -colocynth were growing wild. After walking a mile south-south-east, from -present Berberah to a rise in the plain, we found the remains of a small -building about eight yards square divided into two compartments. It is -apparently a Mosque: one portion, the sole of which is raised, shows -traces of the prayer niche; the other might have contained the tomb of -some saint now obsolete, or might have been a fort to protect a -neighbouring tank. The walls are of rubble masonry and mud, revetted with -a coating of cement hard as stone, and mixed with small round pebbles. -[18] Near it is a shallow reservoir of stone and lime, about five yards by -ten, proved by the aqueduct, part of which still remains, to be a tank of -supply. Removing the upper slabs, we found the interior lined with a -deposit of sulphate of lime and choked with fine drift sand; the breadth -is about fifteen inches and the depth nine. After following it fifty yards -toward the hills, we lost the trace; the loose stones had probably been -removed for graves, and the soil may have buried the firmer portion. - -Mounting our mules we then rode in a south-south-east direction towards -the Dubar Hills, The surface of the ground, apparently level, rises about -100 feet per mile. In most parts a soft sand overlying hard loam, like -work _en pise_, limestone and coralline; it shows evidences of inundation: -water-worn stones of a lime almost as compact as marble, pieces of quartz, -selenite, basalt, granite, and syenite in nodules are everywhere sprinkled -over the surface. [19] Here and there torrents from the hills had cut -channels five or six feet below the level, and a thicker vegetation -denoted the lines of bed. The growth of wild plants, scanty near the -coast, became more luxuriant as we approached the hills; the Arman Acacia -flourished, the Kulan tree grew in clumps, and the Tamarisk formed here -and there a dense thicket. Except a few shy antelope, [20] we saw no game. - -A ride of seven or eight miles led us to the dry bed of a watercourse -overgrown with bright green rushes, and known to the people as Dubar Wena, -or Great Dubar. This strip of ground, about half a mile long, collects the -drainage of the hills above it: numerous Las or Pits, in the centre of the -bed, four or five feet deep, abundantly supply the flocks and herds. -Although the surface of the ground, where dry, was white with impure -nitre, the water tasted tolerably sweet. Advancing half a mile over the -southern shoulder of a coarse and shelly mass of limestone, we found the -other rushy swamp, called Dubar Yirr or Little Dubar. A spring of warm and -bitter water flowed from the hill over the surface to a distance of 400 or -500 yards, where it was absorbed by the soil. The temperature of the -sources immediately under the hill was 106o Fahr., the thermometer -standing at 80o in the air, and the aneroid gave an altitude of 728 feet -above the sea. - -The rocks behind these springs were covered with ruins of mosques and -houses. We visited a little tower commanding the source; it was built in -steps, the hill being cut away to form the two lower rooms, and the second -story showed three compartments. The material was rubble and the form -resembled Galla buildings; we found, however, fine mortar mixed with -coarse gravel, bits of glass bottles and blue glazed pottery, articles now -unknown to this part of Africa. On the summit of the highest peak our -guides pointed out remains of another fort similar to the old Turkish -watchtowers at Aden. - -About three quarters of a mile from the Little Dubar, we found the head of -the Berberah Aqueduct. Thrown across a watercourse apparently of low -level, it is here more substantially built than near the beach, and -probably served as a force pipe until the water found a fall. We traced -the line to a distance of ten yards, where it disappeared beneath the -soil, and saw nothing resembling a supply-tank except an irregularly -shaped natural pool. [21] - -A few days afterwards, accompanied by Lieut. Herne, I rode out to inspect -the Biyu Gora or Night-running Water. After advancing about ten miles in a -south-east direction from Berberah, we entered rough and broken ground, -and suddenly came upon a Fiumara about 250 yards broad. The banks were -fringed with Brab and Tamarisk, the Daum palm and green rushes: a clear -sparkling and shallow stream bisected the sandy bed, and smaller branches -wandered over the surface. This river, the main drain of the Ghauts and -Sub-Ghauts, derives its name from the increased volume of the waters -during night: evaporation by day causes the absorption of about a hundred -yards. We found its temperature 73o Fahr. (in the air 78o), and our people -dug holes in the sand instead of drinking from the stream, a proof that -they feared leeches. [22] The taste of the water was bitter and nauseous. -[23] - -Following the course of the Biyu Gora through two low parallel ranges of -conglomerate, we entered a narrow gorge, in which lime and sandstone -abound. The dip of the strata is about 45o west, the strike north and -south. Water springs from under every stone, drops copiously from the -shelves of rock, oozes out of the sand, and bubbles up from the mould. The -temperature is exceedingly variable: in some places the water is icy cold, -in others, the thermometer shows 68o Fahr., in others, 101o--the maximum, -when we visited it, being 126o. The colours are equally diverse. Here, the -polished surface of the sandstone is covered with a hoar of salt and -nitre. [24] There, where the stream does not flow, are pools dyed -greenish-black or rust-red by iron sediment. The gorge's sides are a vivid -red: a peculiar creeper hangs from the rocks, and water trickles down its -metallic leaves. The upper cliffs are crowned with tufts of the dragon's- -blood tree. - -Leaving our mules with an attendant, we began to climb the rough and rocky -gorge which, as the breadth diminishes, becomes exceedingly picturesque. -In one part, the side of a limestone hill hundreds of feet in height, has -slipped into the chasm, half filling it with gigantic boulders: through -these the noisy stream whirls, now falling in small cascades, then gliding -over slabs of sheet rock: here it cute grooved channels and deep basins -clean and sharp as artificial baths in the sandstone, there it flows -quietly down a bed of pure sparkling sand. The high hills above are of a -tawny yellow: the huge boulders, grisly white, bear upon their summits the -drift wood of the last year's inundation. During the monsoon, when a -furious torrent sweeps down from the Wagar Hills, this chasm must afford a -curiously wild spectacle. - -Returning from a toilsome climb, we found some of the Ayyal Ahmed building -near the spot where Biyu Gora is absorbed, the usual small stone tower. -The fact had excited attention at Berberah; the erection was intended to -store grain, but the suspicious savages, the Eesa Musa, and Mikahil, who -hold the land, saw in it an attempt to threaten their liberties. On our -way home we passed through some extensive cemeteries: the tombs were in -good preservation; there was nothing peculiar in their construction, yet -the Somal were positive that they belonged to a race preceding their own. -Near them were some ruins of kilns,--comparatively modern, for bits of -charcoal were mixed with broken pieces of pottery,--and the oblong tracery -of a dwelling-house divided into several compartments: its material was -the sun-dried brick of Central Asia, here a rarity. - -After visiting these ruins there was little to detain me at Berberah. The -town had become intolerable, the heat under a mat hut was extreme, the -wind and dust were almost as bad as Aden, and the dirt perhaps even worse. -As usual we had not a moment's privacy, Arabs as well as the Somal -assuming the right of walking in, sitting down, looking hard, chatting -with one another, and departing. Before the voyage, however, I was called -upon to compose a difficulty upon the subject of Abbanship. The Hammal had -naturally constituted his father-in-law, one Burhale Nuh, of the Ayyal -Gedid, protector to Lieut. Herne and myself. Burhale had proved himself a -rascal: he had been insolent as well as dishonest, and had thrown frequent -obstacles in his employer's way; yet custom does not permit the Abban to -be put away like a wife, and the Hammal's services entitled him to the -fullest consideration. On the other hand Jami Hasan, a chief and a doughty -man of the Ayyal Ahmed, had met me at Aden early in 1854, and had received -from me a ring in token of Abbanship. During my absence at Harar, he had -taken charge of Lieut. Stroyan. On the very morning of my arrival he came -to the hut, sat down spear in hand, produced the ring and claimed my -promise. In vain I objected that the token had been given when a previous -trip was intended, and that the Hammal must not be disappointed: Jami -replied that once an Abban always an Abban, that he hated the Hammal and -all his tribe, and that he would enter into no partnership with Burhale -Nuh:--to complicate matters, Lieut. Stroyan spoke highly of his courage -and conduct. Presently he insisted rudely upon removing his _protege_ to -another part of the town: this passed the limits of our patience, and -decided the case against him. - -For some days discord raged between the rivals. At last it was settled -that I should choose my own Abban in presence of a general council of the -Elders. The chiefs took their places upon the shore, each with his -followers forming a distinct semicircle, and all squatting with shield and -spear planted upright in the ground. When sent for, I entered the circle -sword in hand, and sat down awaiting their pleasure. After much murmuring -had subsided, Jami asked in a loud voice, "Who is thy protector?" The -reply was, "Burhale Nuh!" Knowing, however, how little laconism is prized -by an East-African audience, I did not fail to follow up this answer with -an Arabic speech of the dimensions of an average sermon, and then -shouldering my blade left the circle abruptly. The effect was success. Our -wild friends sat from afternoon till sunset: as we finished supper one of -them came in with the glad tidings of a "peace conference." Jami had asked -Burhale to swear that he intended no personal offence in taking away a -_protege_ pledged to himself: Burhale had sworn, and once more the olive -waved over the braves of Berberah. - -On the 5th February 1855, taking leave of my comrades, I went on board El -Kasab or the Reed--such was the ill-omened name of our cranky craft--to -the undisguised satisfaction of the Hammal, Long Guled, and the End of -Time, who could scarcely believe in their departure from Berberah with -sound skins. [25] Coasting with a light breeze, early after noon on the -next day we arrived at Siyaro, a noted watering-place for shipping, about -nineteen miles east of the emporium. The roadstead is open to the north, -but a bluff buttress of limestone rock defends it from the north-east -gales. Upon a barren strip of sand lies the material of the town; two -houses of stone and mud, one yet unfinished, the other completed about -thirty years ago by Farih Binni, a Mikahil chief. - -Some dozen Bedouin spearmen, Mikahil of a neighbouring kraal, squatted -like a line of crows upon the shore to receive us as we waded from the -vessel. They demanded money in too authoritative a tone before allowing us -to visit the wells, which form their principal wealth. Resolved not to -risk a quarrel so near Berberah, I was returning to moralise upon the fate -of Burckhardt--after a successful pilgrimage refused admittance to Aaron's -tomb at Sinai--when a Bedouin ran to tell us that we might wander where we -pleased. He excused himself and his companions by pleading necessity, and -his leanness lent conviction to the plea. - -The larger well lies close to the eastern wall of the dwelling-house: it -is about eighteen feet deep, one third sunk through ground, the other two -thirds through limestone, and at the bottom is a small supply of sweet -clear water, Near it I observed some ruined tanks, built with fine mortar -like that of the Berberah ruins. The other well lies about half a mile to -the westward of the former: it is also dug in the limestone rock. A few -yards to the north-east of the building is the Furzeh or custom-house, -whose pristine simplicity tempts me to describe it:--a square of ground -surrounded by a dwarf rubble enclosure, and provided with a proportional -mosque, a tabular block of coralline niched in the direction of Meccah. On -a little eminence of rock to the westward, rise ruined walls, said by my -companions to have been built by a Frank, who bought land from the Mikahil -and settled on this dismal strand. - -Taking leave of the Bedouins; whose hearts were gladdened by a few small -presents, we resumed our voyage eastwards along the coast. Next morning, -we passed two broken pyramids of dark rock called Dubada Gumbar Madu--the -Two Black Hills. After a tedious day's sail, twenty miles in twenty-four -hours, the Captain of El Kasab landed us in a creek west of Aynterad. A -few sheep-boats lay at anchor in this "back-bay," as usual when the sea is -heavy at the roadstead; and the crews informed us that a body of Bedouins -was marching to attack the village. Abdy Mohammed Diban, proprietor of the -Aynterad Fort, having constituted me his protector, and remained at -Berberah, I armed my men, and ordering the Captain of the "Reed" to bring -his vessel round at early dawn, walked hurriedly over the three miles that -separated us from the place. Arrived at the fort, we found that Abdy's -slaves knew nothing of the reported attack. They received me, however, -hospitably, and brought a supper of their only provision, vile dates and -dried meat. Unwilling to diminish the scanty store, the Hammal and I but -dipped our hands in the dish: Long Guled and the End of Time, however, -soon cleared the platters, while abusing roundly the unpalatable food. -After supper, a dispute arose between the Hammal and one of the Habr Tul -Jailah, the tribe to whom the land belongs. The Bedouin, not liking my -looks, proposed to put his spear into me. The Hammal objected that if the -measure were carried out, he would return the compliment in kind. Ensued a -long dispute, and the listeners laughed heartily at the utter indifference -with which I gave ear. When it concluded, amicably as may be expected, the -slaves spread a carpet upon a coarse Berberah couch, and having again -vented their hilarity in a roar of laughter, left me to sleep. - -We had eaten at least one sheep per diem, and mutton baked in the ship's -oven is delicious to the Somali mouth. Remained on board another dinner, a -circumstance which possibly influenced the weak mind of the Captain of the -"Reed." Awaking at dawn, I went out, expecting to find the vessel within -stone's throw: it was nowhere visible. About 8 A.M., it appeared in sight, -a mere speck upon the sea-horizon, and whilst it approached, I inspected -the settlement. - -Aynterad, an inconsiderable place lying east-north-east of, and about -forty miles from, Berberah, is a favourite roadstead principally on -account of its water, which rivals that of Siyaro. The anchorage is bad: -the Shimal or north wind sweeps long lines of heavy wave into the open -bay, and the bottom is a mass of rock and sand-reef. The fifty sunburnt -and windsoiled huts which compose the settlement, are built upon a bank of -sand overlying the normal limestone: at the time when I visited it, the -male population had emigrated _en masse_ to Berberah. It is principally -supported by the slave trade, the Arabs preferring to ship their purchases -at some distance from the chief emporium. [26] Lieut. Herne, when he -visited it, found a considerable amount of "black bullion" in the market. - -The fort of Aynterad, erected thirty years ago by Mohammed Diban, is a -stone and mud house square and flat-roofed, with high windows, an attempt -at crenelles, and, for some reason intelligible only to its own Vitruvius, -but a single bastion at the northern angle. There is no well, and the mass -of huts cluster close to the walls. The five guns here deposited by -Sharmarkay when expelled from Berberah, stand on the ground outside the -fort, which is scarcely calculated to bear heavy carronades: they are -unprovided with balls, but that is a trifle where pebbles abound. -Moreover, Abdy's slaves are well armed with matchlock and pistol, and the -Bedouin Tul Jailah [27] find the spear ineffectual against stone walls. -The garrison has frequently been blockaded by its troublesome neighbours, -whose prowess, however, never extended beyond preliminaries. - -To allay my impatience, that morning I was invited into several huts for -the purpose of drinking sour milk. A malicious joy filled my soul, as -about noon, the Machiavellian Captain of the "Reed" managed to cast -anchor, after driving his crazy craft through a sea which the violent -Shimal was flinging in hollow curves foam-fringed upon the strand. I stood -on the shore making signs for a canoe. My desires were disregarded, as -long as decency admitted. At last, about 1 P.M., I found myself upon the -quarter-deck. - -"Dawwir el farman,"--shift the yard!--I shouted with a voice of thunder. - -The answer was a general hubbub. "He surely will not sail in a sea like -this?" asked the trembling Captain of my companions. - -"He will!" sententiously quoth the Hammal, with a Burleigh nod. - -"It blows wind--" remonstrated the Rais. - -"And if it blew fire?" asked the Hammal with the air _goguenard_, meaning -that from the calamity of Frankish obstinacy there was no refuge. - -A kind of death-wail arose, during which, to hide untimely laughter, I -retreated to a large drawer, in the stern of the vessel, called a cabin. -There my ears could distinguish the loud entreaties of the crew vainly -urging my attendants to propose a day's delay. Then one of the garrison, -accompanied by the Captain who shook as with fever, resolved to act -forlorn hope, and bring a _feu d'enfer_ of phrases to bear upon the -Frank's hard brain. Scarcely, however, had the head of the sentence been -delivered, before he was playfully upraised by his bushy hair and a handle -somewhat more substantial, carried out of the cabin, and thrown, like a -bag of biscuit, on the deck. - -The case was hopeless. All strangers plunged into the sea,--the popular -way of landing in East Africa,--the anchor was weighed, the ton of sail -shaken out, and the "Reed" began to dip and rise in the yeasty sea -laboriously as an alderman dancing a polka. - -For the first time in my life I had the satisfaction of seeing the Somal -unable to eat--unable to eat mutton. In sea-sickness and needless terror, -the captain, crew, and passengers abandoned to us all the baked sheep, -which we three, not being believers in the Evil Eye, ate from head to -trotters with especial pleasure. That night the waves broke over us. The -End of Time occupied himself in roaring certain orisons, which are reputed -to calm stormy seas: he desisted only when Long Guled pointed out that a -wilder gust seemed to follow as in derision each more emphatic period. The -Captain, a noted reprobate, renowned on shore for his knowledge of erotic -verse and admiration of the fair sex, prayed with fervour: he was joined -by several of the crew, who apparently found the charm of novelty in the -edifying exercise. About midnight a Sultan el Bahr or Sea-king--a species -of whale--appeared close to our counter; and as these animals are infamous -for upsetting vessels in waggishness, the sight elicited a yell of terror -and a chorus of religious exclamations. - -On the morning of Friday, the 9th February 1855, we hove in sight of Jebel -Shamsan, the loftiest peak of the Aden Crater. And ere evening fell, I had -the pleasure of seeing the faces of friends and comrades once more. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] I cannot guess why Bartema decided "Barbara" to be an island, except -that he used "insula" in the sense of "peninsula." The town is at very -high tides flooded round, but the old traveller manifestly speaks of the -country. - -[2] These are the four martello towers erected, upon the spot where the -town of huts generally stands, by the Hajj Sharmarkay, who garrisoned them -with thirty Arab and Negro matchlockmen. They are now in ruins, having -been dismantled by orders from Aden. - -[3] The former is an Arab craft, the latter belongs to the Northern Coasts -of Western India. - -[4] A turban. - -[5] The wild animals have now almost entirely disappeared. As will -afterwards be shown, the fair since 1848 has diminished to one third its -former dimensions. - -[6] This subject has been fully discussed in Chap. IV. - -[7] The old Persians. - -[8] Especially the sea-board Habr Gerbajis clans,--the Musa Arrah, the Ali -Said, and the Saad Yunis--are interested in asserting their claims. - -[9] Yunis and Ahmed were brothers, children of Nuh, the ninth in descent -from Ishak el Hazrami. The former had four sons, Hosh Yunis, Gedid Yunis, -Mahmud Yunis, and Shirdon Yunis; their descendants are all known as the -Ayyal or progeny of Yunis. The Ayyal Ahmed Nuh hold the land immediately -behind the town, and towards the Ghauts, blend with the Eesa Musa. The -Mikahil claim the Eastern country from Siyaro to Illanti, a wooded valley -affording good water and bad anchorage to wind-bound vessels. - -[10] In the centre of the gap is a detached rock called Daga Malablay. - -[11] It was measured by Lt. Herne, who remarks of this range that "cold in -winter, as the presence of the pine-tree proves, and cooled in summer by -the Monsoon, abounding in game from a spur fowl to an elephant; this hill -would make an admirable Sanitarium." Unfortunately Gulays is tenanted by -the Habr Gerhajis, and Wagar by the Eesa Musa, treacherous races. - -[12] This part of Somali land is a sandy plain, thinly covered with thorns -and bounded by two ranges, the Ghauts and Sub-Ghauts. The latter or -maritime mountains begin at Tajurrah, and extend to Karam (long. 46o E.), -where they break into detached groups; the distance from the coast varies -from 6 to 15 miles, the height from 2000 to 3000 feet, and the surface is -barren, the rock being denuded of soil by rain. The Ghauts lie from 8 to -40 miles from the sea, they average from 4000 to 6000 feet, are thickly -covered with gum-arabic and frankincense trees, the wild fig and the -Somali pine, and form the seaward wall of the great table-land of the -interior. The Northern or maritime face is precipitous, the summit is -tabular and slopes gently southwards. The general direction is E. by N. -and W. by S., there are, however, some spurs at the three hills termed -"Ourat," which project towards the north. Each portion of the plain -between these ranges has some local name, such as the "Shimberali Valley" -extending westwards from the detached hill Dimoli, to Gauli, Dinanjir and -Gularkar. Intersected with Fiumaras which roll torrents during the -monsoon, they are covered with a scrub of thorns, wild fig, aloe, and -different kinds of Cactus. - -[13] The climate of Berberah is cool during the winter, and though the sun -is at all times burning, the atmosphere, as in Somali land generally, is -healthy. In the dry season the plain is subject to great heats, but lying -open to the north, the sea-breeze is strong and regular. In the monsoon -the air is cloudy, light showers frequently fall, and occasionally heavy -storms come up from the southern hills. - -[14] I quote Lieut. Cruttenden. The Berberah water has acquired a bad name -because the people confine themselves to digging holes three or four feet -deep in the sand, about half-a-mile from high-water mark. They are -reconciled to it by its beneficial effects, especially after and before a -journey. Good water, however, can be procured in any of the Fiumaras -intersecting the plain; when the Hajj Sharmarkay's towers commanded the -town wells, the people sank pits in low ground a few hundred yards -distant, and procured a purer beverage. The Banyans, who are particular -about their potations, drink the sweet produce of Siyaro, a roadstead -about nineteen miles eastward of Berberah. - -[15] The experiment was tried by an officer who brought from Bombay a -batch of sparrows and crows. The former died, scorbutic I presume; the -latter lingered through an unhappy life, and to judge from the absence of -young, refused to entail their miseries upon posterity. - -[16] The climate of Aden, it may be observed, has a reputation for -salubrity which it does not deserve. The returns of deaths prove it to be -healthy for the European soldier as London, and there are many who have -built their belief upon the sandy soil of statistics. But it is the -practice of every sensible medical man to hurry his patients out of Aden; -they die elsewhere,--some I believe recover,--and thus the deaths caused -by the crater are attributed statistically to Bombay or the Red Sea. - -Aden is for Asiatics a hot-bed of scurry and ulcer. Of the former disease -my own corps, I am informed, had in hospital at one time 200 cases above -the usual amount of sickness; this arises from the brackish water, the -want of vegetables, and lastly the cachexy induced by an utter absence of -change, diversion, and excitement. The ulcer is a disease endemic in -Southern Arabia; it is frequently fatal, especially to the poorer classes -of operatives, when worn out by privation, hardship, and fatigue. - -[17] The Abban is now the pest of Berberah. Before vessels have cast -anchor, or indeed have rounded the Spit, a crowd of Somal, eager as hotel- -touters, may be seen running along the strand. They swim off, and the -first who arrives on board inquires the name of the Abban; if there be -none he touches the captain or one of the crew and constitutes himself -protector. For merchandise sent forward, the man who conveys it becomes -answerable. - -The system of dues has become complicated. Formerly, the standard of value -at Berberah was two cubits of the blue cotton-stuff called Sauda; this is -now converted into four pice of specie. Dollars form the principal -currency; rupees are taken at a discount. Traders pay according to degree, -the lowest being one per cent., taken from Muscat and Suri merchants. The -shopkeeper provides food for his Abban, and presents him at the close of -the season with a Tobe, a pair of sandals, and half-a-dozen dollars. -Wealthy Banyans and Mehmans give food and raiment, and before departure -from 50 to 200 dollars. This class, however, derives large profits; they -will lend a few dollars to the Bedouin at the end of the Fair, on -condition of receiving cent. per cent., at the opening of the next season. -Travellers not transacting business must feed the protector, but cannot -properly be forced to pay him. Of course the Somal take every advantage of -Europeans. Mr. Angelo, a merchant from Zanzibar, resided two months at -Bulhar; his broker of the Ayyal Gedid tribe, and an Arab who accompanied -him, extracted, it is said, 3000 dollars. As a rule the Abban claims one -per cent. on sales and purchases, and two dollars per head of slaves. For -each bale of cloth, half-a-dollar in coin is taken; on gums and coffee the -duty is one pound in twenty-seven. Cowhides pay half-a-dollar each, sheep -and goat's skins four pice, and ghee about one per cent. - -Lieut. Herne calculates that the total money dues during the Fair-season -amount to 2000 dollars, and that, in the present reduced state of -Berberah, not more than 10,000_l._ worth of merchandize is sold. This -estimate the natives of the place declare to be considerably under the -mark. - -[18] The similarity between the Persian "Gach" and this cement, which is -found in many ruins about Berberah, has been remarked by other travellers. - -[19] The following note by Dr. Carter of Bombay will be interesting to -Indian geologists. - -"Of the collection of geological specimens and fossils from Berberah above -mentioned, Lieut. Burton states that the latter are found on the plain of -Berberah, and the former in the following order between the sea and the -summits of mountains (600 feet high), above it--that is, the ridge -immediate behind Berberah. - -"1. Country along the coast consists of a coralline limestone, (tertiary -formation,) with drifts of sand, &c. 2. Sub-Ghauts and lower ranges (say -2000 feet high), of sandstone capped with limestone, the former -preponderating. 3. Above the Ghauts a plateau of primitive rocks mixed -with sandstone, granite, syenite, mica schiste, quartz rock, micaceous -grit, &c. - -"The fawn-coloured fossils from his coralline limestone are evidently the -same as those of the tertiary formation along the south-east coast of -Arabia, and therefore the same as those of Cutch; and it is exceedingly -interesting to find that among the blue-coloured fossils which are -accompanied by specimens of the blue shale, composing the beds from which -they have been weathered out, are species of Terebratula Belemnites, -identical with those figured in Grant's Geology of Cutch; thus enabling us -to extend those beds of the Jurassic formation which exist in Cutch, and -along the south-eastern coast of Arabia, across to Africa." - -[20] These animals are tolerably tame in the morning, as day advances -their apprehension of man increases. - -[21] Lieut. Cruttenden in considering what nation could have constructed, -and at what period the commerce of Berberah warranted, so costly an -undertaking, is disposed to attribute it to the Persian conquerors of Aden -in the days of Anushirwan. He remarks that the trade carried on in the Red -Sea was then great, the ancient emporia of Hisn Ghorab and Aden prosperous -and wealthy, and Berberah doubtless exported, as it does now, ivory, gums, -and ostrich feathers. But though all the maritime Somali country abounds -in traditions of the Furs or ancient Persians, none of the buildings near -Berberah justify our assigning to them, in a country of monsoon rain and -high winds, an antiquity of 1300 years. - -The Somal assert that ten generations ago their ancestors drove out the -Gallas from Berberah, and attribute these works to the ancient Pagans. -That nation of savages, however, was never capable of constructing a -scientific aqueduct. I therefore prefer attributing these remains at -Berberah to the Ottomans, who, after the conquest of Aden by Sulayman -Pacha in A.D. 1538, held Yemen for about 100 years, and as auxiliaries of -the King of Adel, penetrated as far as Abyssinia. Traces of their -architecture are found at Zayla and Harar, and according to tradition, -they possessed at Berberah a settlement called, after its founder, Bunder -Abbas. - -[22] Here, as elsewhere in Somali land, the leech is of the horse-variety. -It might be worth while to attempt breeding a more useful species after -the manner recommended by Capt. R. Johnston, the Sub-Assistant Commissary -General in Sindh (10th April, 1845). In these streams leeches must always -be suspected; inadvertently swallowed, they fix upon the inner coat of the -stomach, and in Northern Africa have caused, it is said, some deaths among -the French soldiers. - -[23] Yet we observed frogs and a small species of fish. - -[24] Either this or the sulphate of magnesia, formed by the decomposition -of limestone, may account for the bitterness of the water. - -[25] They had been in some danger: a treacherous murder perpetrated a few -days before our arrival had caused all the Habr Gerbajis to fly from the -town and assemble 5000 men at Bulhar for battle and murder. This -proceeding irritated the Habr Awal, and certainly, but for our presence, -the strangers would have been scurvily treated by their "cousins." - -[26] Of all the slave-dealers on this coast, the Arabs are the most -unscrupulous. In 1855, one Mohammed of Muscat, a shipowner, who, moreover, -constantly visits Aden, bought within sight of our flag a free-born Arab -girl of the Yafai tribe, from the Akarib of Bir Hamid, and sold her at -Berberah to a compatriot. Such a crime merits severe punishment; even the -Abyssinians visit with hanging the Christian convicted of selling a fellow -religionist. The Arab slaver generally marries his properly as a ruse, and -arrived at Muscat or Bushire, divorces and sells them. Free Somali women -have not unfrequently met with this fate. - -[27] The Habr Tul Jailah (mother of the tribe of Jailah) descendants of -Ishak el Hazrami by a slave girl, inhabit the land eastward of Berberah. -Their principal settlements after Aynterad are the three small ports of -Karam, Unkor, and Hays. The former, according to Lieut. Cruttenden, is -"the most important from its possessing a tolerable harbour, and from its -being the nearest point from Aden, the course to which place is N. N. W., ---consequently the wind is fair, and the boats laden with sheep for the -Aden market pass but one night at sea, whilst those from Berberah are -generally three. What greatly enhances the value of Kurrum (Karam), -however, is its proximity to the country of the Dulbahanteh, who approach -within four days of Kurrum, and who therefore naturally have their chief -trade through that port. The Ahl Tusuf, a branch of the Habertel Jahleh, -at present hold possession of Kurrum, and between them and the tribes to -windward there exists a most bitter and irreconcileable feud, the -consequence of sundry murders perpetrated about five years since at -Kurrum, and which hitherto have not been avenged. The small ports of -Enterad, Unkor, Heis, and Rukudah are not worthy of mention, with the -exception of the first-named place, which has a trade with Aden in sheep." - - - - -POSTSCRIPT. - - -On Saturday, the 7th April 1855, the H. E. I. Company's Schooner "Mahi," -Lieut. King, I. N., commanding, entered the harbour of Berberah, where her -guns roared forth a parting salute to the "Somali Expedition." - -The Emporium of East Africa was at the time of my landing, in a state of -confusion. But a day before, the great Harar caravan, numbering 3000 -souls, and as many cattle, had entered for the purpose of laying in the -usual eight months' supplies, and purchase, barter, and exchange were -transacted in most hurried and unbusiness-like manner. All day, and during -the greater part of night, the town rang with the voices of buyer and -seller: to specify no other articles of traffic, 500 slaves of both sexes -were in the market. [1] Long lines of laden and unladen camels were to be -seen pacing the glaring yellow shore; rumours of plundering parties at -times brought swarms of spear-men, bounding and yelling like wild beasts, -from the town; already small parties of travellers had broken ground for -their return journey; and the foul heap of mat hovels, to which this -celebrated mart had been reduced, was steadily shrinking in dimensions. - -Our little party consisted of forty-two souls. At Aden I had applied -officially for some well-trained Somali policemen, but as an increase of -that establishment had been urged upon the home authorities, my request -was refused. We were fain to content ourselves with a dozen recruits of -various races, Egyptian, Nubian, Arab and Negro, whom we armed with sabres -and flint muskets. The other members of the expedition were our private -servants, and about a score of Somal under our rival protectors Jami Hasan -and Burhale Nuh. The Ras or Captain of the Kafilah was one Mahmud of the -Mijjarthayn, better known at Aden as El Balyuz or the Envoy: he had the -reputation of being a shrewd manager, thoroughly acquainted with the -habits and customs, as well as the geography, of Somaliland. - -Our camp was pitched near the site of the proposed Agency, upon a rocky -ridge within musket-shot of the southern extremity of the creek, and about -three quarters of a mile distant from the town. This position had been -selected for the benefit of the "Mahi's" guns. Political exigencies -required the "Mahi" to relieve the "Elphinstone," then blockading the -seaboard of our old Arab foe, the Fazli chief; she was unable to remain -upon the coast, and superintend our departure, a measure which I had -strongly urged. Our tents were pitched in one line: Lieut. Stroyan's was -on the extreme right, about a dozen paces distant was the "Rowtie" [2] -occupied by Lieut. Herne and myself, and at a similar distance on the left -of the camp was that in which Lieut. Speke slept. The baggage was placed -between the two latter, the camels were tethered in front upon a sandy bed -beneath the ridge our camping-ground, and in rear stood the horses and -mules. During day-time all were on the alert: at night two sentries were -posted, regularly relieved, and visited at times by the Ras and ourselves. - -I had little reason to complain of my reception at Berberah. The chiefs -appeared dissatisfied with the confinement of one Mohammed Sammattar, the -Abban who accompanied Lieut. Speke to the Eastern country: they listened, -however, with respectful attention to a letter in which the Political -Resident at Aden enjoined them to treat us with consideration and -hospitality. - -There had been petty disputes with Burhale Nuh, and the elders of the Eesa -Musa tribe, touching the hire of horse-keepers and camel-drivers: such -events, however, are not worthy to excite attention in Africa. My friend -at Harar, the Shaykh Jami, had repeatedly called upon us, ate bread and -salt, recommended us to his fellow countrymen, and used my intervention in -persuading avaricious ship-owners to transport, gratis, pauper pilgrims to -Arabia. The people, after seeing the deaths of a few elephants, gradually -lowered their loud boasts and brawling claims: they assisted us in digging -a well, offered their services as guides and camel-drivers, and in some -cases insisted upon encamping near us for protection. Briefly, we saw no -grounds of apprehension. During thirty years, not an Englishman of the -many that had visited it had been molested at Berberah, and apparently -there was as little to fear in it as within the fortifications of Aden. -[3] - -Under these favourable circumstances we might have set out at once towards -the interior. Our camels, fifty-six in number, had been purchased [4], and -the Ogadayn Caravan was desirous of our escort. But we wished to witness -the close of the Berberah fair, and we expected instruments and other -necessaries by the mid-April mail from Europe. [5] - -About 8 P.M., on the 9th April, a shower, accompanied by thunder and -lightning, came up from the southern hills, where rain had been falling -for some days, and gave notice that the Gugi or Somali monsoon had begun. -This was the signal for the Bedouins to migrate to the Plateau above the -hills. [6] Throughout the town the mats were stripped from their -frameworks of stick and pole [7], the camels were laden, and thousands of -travellers lined the roads. The next day Berberah was almost deserted -except by the pilgrims who intended to take ship, and by merchants, who, -fearful of plundering parties, awaited the first favourable hour for -setting sail. Our protectors, Jami and Burhale, receiving permission to -accompany their families and flocks, left us in charge of their sons and -relations. On the 15th April the last vessel sailed out of the creek, and -our little party remained in undisputed possession of the place. - -Three days afterwards, about noon, an Aynterad craft _en route_ from Aden -entered the solitary harbour freighted with about a dozen Somal desirous -of accompanying us towards Ogadayn, the southern region. She would have -sailed that evening; fortunately, however, I had ordered our people to -feast her commander and crew with rice and the irresistible dates. - -At sunset on the same day we were startled by a discharge of musketry -behind the tents: the cause proved to be three horsemen, over whose heads -our guard had fired in case they might be a foraging party. I reprimanded -our people sharply for this act of folly, ordering them in future to -reserve their fire, and when necessary to shoot into, not above, a crowd. -After this we proceeded to catechise the strangers, suspecting them to be -scouts, the usual forerunners of a Somali raid: the reply was so plausible -that even the Balyuz, with all his acuteness, was deceived. The Bedouins -had forged a report that their ancient enemy the Hajj Sharmarkay was -awaiting with four ships at the neighbouring port, Siyaro, the opportunity -of seizing Berberah whilst deserted, and of re-erecting his forts there -for the third time. Our visitors swore by the divorce-oath,--the most -solemn which the religious know,--that a vessel entering the creek at such -unusual season, they had been sent to ascertain whether it had been -freighted with materials for building, and concluded by laughingly asking -if we feared danger from the tribe of our own protectors. Believing them, -we posted as usual two sentries for the night, and retired to rest in our -wonted security. - -Between 2 and 3 A.M. of the 19th April I was suddenly aroused by the -Balyuz, who cried aloud that the enemy was upon us. [8] Hearing a rush of -men like a stormy wind, I sprang up, called for my sabre, and sent Lieut. -Herne to ascertain the force of the foray. Armed with a "Colt," he went to -the rear and left of the camp, the direction of danger, collected some of -the guard,--others having already disappeared,--and fired two shots into -the assailants. Then finding himself alone, he turned hastily towards the -tent; in so doing he was tripped up by the ropes, and as he arose, a -Somali appeared in the act of striking at him with a club. Lieut. Herne -fired, floored the man, and rejoining me, declared that the enemy was in -great force and the guard nowhere. Meanwhile, I had aroused Lieuts. -Stroyan and Speke, who were sleeping in the extreme right and left tents. -The former, it is presumed, arose to defend himself, but, as the sequel -shows, we never saw him alive. [9] Lieut. Speke, awakened by the report of -firearms, but supposing it the normal false alarm,--a warning to -plunderers,--he remained where he was: presently hearing clubs rattling -upon his tent, and feet shuffling around, he ran to my Rowtie, which we -prepared to defend as long as possible. - -The enemy swarmed like hornets with shouts and screams intending to -terrify, and proving that overwhelming odds were against us: it was by no -means easy to avoid in the shades of night the jobbing of javelins, and -the long heavy daggers thrown at our legs from under and through the -opening of the tent. We three remained together: Lieut. Herne knelt by my -right, on my left was Lieut. Speke guarding the entrance, I stood in the -centre, having nothing but a sabre. The revolvers were used by my -companions with deadly effect: unfortunately there was but one pair. When -the fire was exhausted, Lieut. Herne went to search for his powder-horn, -and that failing, to find some spears usually tied to the tent-pole. -Whilst thus engaged, he saw a man breaking into the rear of our Rowtie, -and came back to inform me of the circumstance. - -At this time, about five minutes after the beginning of the affray, the -tent had been almost beaten down, an Arab custom with which we were all -familiar, and had we been entangled in its folds, we should have been -speared with unpleasant facility. I gave the word for escape, and sallied -out, closely followed by Lieut. Herne, with Lieut. Speke in the rear. The -prospect was not agreeable. About twenty men were kneeling and crouching -at the tent entrance, whilst many dusk figures stood further off, or ran -about shouting the war-cry, or with shouts and blows drove away our -camels. Among the enemy were many of our friends and attendants: the coast -being open to them, they naturally ran away, firing a few useless shots -and receiving a modicum of flesh wounds. - -After breaking through the mob at the tent entrance, imagining that I saw -the form of Lieut. Stroyan lying upon the sand, I cut my way towards it -amongst a dozen Somal, whose war-clubs worked without mercy, whilst the -Balyuz, who was violently pushing me out of the fray, rendered the strokes -of my sabre uncertain. This individual was cool and collected: though -incapacitated by a sore right-thumb from using the spear, he did not shun -danger, and passed unhurt through the midst of the enemy: his efforts, -however, only illustrated the venerable adage, "defend me from my -friends." I turned to cut him down: he cried out in alarm; the well-known -voice caused an instant's hesitation: at that moment a spearman stepped -forward, left his javelin in my mouth, and retired before he could be -punished. Escaping as by a miracle, I sought some support: many of our -Somal and servants lurking in the darkness offered to advance, but "tailed -off" to a man as we approached the foe. Presently the Balyuz reappeared, -and led me towards the place where he believed my three comrades had taken -refuge. I followed him, sending the only man that showed presence of mind, -one Golab of the Yusuf tribe, to bring back the Aynterad craft from the -Spit into the centre of the harbour [10]. Again losing the Balyuz in the -darkness, I spent the interval before dawn wandering in search of my -comrades, and lying down when overpowered with faintness and pain: as the -day broke, with my remaining strength I reached the head of the creek, was -carried into the vessel, and persuaded the crew to arm themselves and -visit the scene of our disasters. - -Meanwhile, Lieut. Herne, who had closely followed me, fell back, using the -butt-end of his discharged sixshooter upon the hard heads around him: in -so doing he came upon a dozen men, who though they loudly vociferated, -"Kill the Franks who are killing the Somal!" allowed him to pass -uninjured. - -He then sought his comrades in the empty huts of the town, and at early -dawn was joined by the Balyuz, who was similarly employed. When day broke -he sent a Negro to stop the native craft, which was apparently sailing out -of the harbour, and in due time came on board. With the exception of -sundry stiff blows with the war-club, Lieut. Herne had the fortune to -escape unhurt. - -On the other hand, Lieut. Speke's escape was in every way wonderful. -Sallying from the tent he levelled his "Dean and Adams" close to an -assailant's breast. The pistol refused to revolve. A sharp blow of a war- -club upon the chest felled our comrade, who was in the rear and unseen. -When he fell, two or three men sprang upon him, pinioned his hands behind, -felt him for concealed weapons,--an operation to which he submitted in -some alarm,--and led him towards the rear, as he supposed to be -slaughtered. There, Lieut. Speke, who could scarcely breathe from the pain -of the blow, asked a captor to tie his hands before, instead of behind, -and begged a drop of water to relieve his excruciating thirst. The savage -defended him against a number of the Somal who came up threatening and -brandishing their spears, he brought a cloth for the wounded man to lie -upon, and lost no time in procuring a draught of water. - -Lieut. Speke remained upon the ground till dawn. During the interval he -witnessed the war-dance of the savages--a scene striking in the extreme. -The tallest and largest warriors marched in a ring round the tents and -booty, singing, with the deepest and most solemn tones, the song of -thanksgiving. At a little distance the grey uncertain light disclosed four -or five men, lying desperately hurt, whilst their kinsmen kneaded their -limbs, poured water upon their wounds, and placed lumps of dates in their -stiffening hands. [11] As day broke, the division of plunder caused angry -passions to rise. The dead and dying were abandoned. One party made a rush -upon the cattle, and with shouts and yells drove them off towards the -wild, some loaded themselves with goods, others fought over pieces of -cloth, which they tore with hand and dagger, whilst the disappointed, -vociferating with rage, struck at one another and brandished their spears. -More than once during these scenes, a panic seized them; they moved off in -a body to some distance; and there is little doubt that had our guard -struck one blow, we might still have won the day. - -Lieut. Speke's captor went to seek his own portion of the spoil, when a -Somal came up and asked in Hindostani, what business the Frank had in -their country, and added that he would kill him if a Christian, but spare -the life of a brother Moslem. The wounded man replied that he was going to -Zanzibar, that he was still a Nazarene, and therefore that the work had -better be done at once:--the savage laughed and passed on. He was -succeeded by a second, who, equally compassionate, whirled a sword round -his head, twice pretended to strike, but returned to the plunder without -doing damage. Presently came another manner of assailant. Lieut. Speke, -who had extricated his hands, caught the spear levelled at his breast, but -received at the same moment a blow from a club which, paralyzing his arm, -caused him to lose his hold. In defending his heart from a succession of -thrusts, he received severe wounds on the back of his hand, his right -shoulder, and his left thigh. Pausing a little, the wretch crossed to the -other side, and suddenly passed his spear clean through the right leg of -the wounded man: the latter "smelling death," then leapt up, and taking -advantage of his assailant's terror, rushed headlong towards the sea. -Looking behind, he avoided the javelin hurled at his back, and had the -good fortune to run, without further accident, the gauntlet of a score of -missiles. When pursuit was discontinued, he sat down faint from loss of -blood upon a sandhill. Recovering strength by a few minutes' rest, he -staggered on to the town, where some old women directed him to us. Then, -pursuing his way, he fell in with the party sent to seek him, and by their -aid reached the craft, having walked and run at least three miles, after -receiving eleven wounds, two of which had pierced his thighs. A touching -lesson how difficult it is to kill a man in sound health! [12] - -When the three survivors had reached the craft, Yusuf, the captain, armed -his men with muskets and spears, landed them near the camp, and -ascertained that the enemy, expecting a fresh attack, had fled, carrying -away our cloth, tobacco, swords, and other weapons. [13] The corpse of -Lieut. Stroyan was then brought on board. Our lamented comrade was already -stark and cold. A spear had traversed his heart, another had pierced his -abdomen, and a frightful gash, apparently of a sword, had opened the upper -part of his forehead: the body had been bruised with war-clubs, and the -thighs showed marks of violence after death. This was the severest -affliction that befell us. We had lived together like brothers: Lieut. -Stroyan was a universal favourite, and his sterling qualities of manly -courage, physical endurance, and steady perseverance had augured for him a -bright career, thus prematurely cut off. Truly melancholy to us was the -contrast between the evening when he sat with us full of life and spirits, -and the morning when we saw amongst us a livid corpse. - -We had hoped to preserve the remains of our friend for interment at Aden. -But so rapid were the effects of exposure, that we were compelled most -reluctantly, on the morning of the 20th April, to commit them to the deep, -Lieut. Herne reading the funeral service. - -Then with heavy hearts we set sail for the near Arabian shore, and, after -a tedious two days, carried to our friends the news of unexpected -disaster. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] The Fair-season of 1864-56 began on the 16th November, and may be said -to have broken up on the 15th April. - -The principal caravans which visit Berberah are from Harar the Western, -and Ogadayn, the Southern region: they collect the produce of the numerous -intermediate tribes of the Somal. The former has been described in the -preceding pages. The following remarks upon the subject of the Ogadayn -caravan are the result of Lieuts. Stroyan and Herne's observations at -Berberah. - -"Large caravans from Ogadayn descend to the coast at the beginning and the -end of the Fair-season. They bring slaves from the Arusa country, cattle -in great quantities, gums of sorts, clarified butter, ivory, ostrich -feathers, and rhinoceros horns to be made into handles for weapons. These -are bartered for coarse cotton cloth of three kinds, for English and -American sheeting in pieces of seventy-five, sixty-six, sixty-two, and -forty-eight yards, black and indigo-dyed calicos in lengths of sixteen -yards, nets or fillets worn by the married women, iron and steel in small -bars, lead and zinc, beads of various kinds, especially white porcelain -and speckled glass, dates and rice." - -The Ayyal Ahmed and Ayyal Yunis classes of the Habr Awal Somal have -constituted themselves Abbans or brokers to the Ogadayn Caravans, and the -rapacity of the patron has produced a due development of roguery in the -client. The principal trader of this coast is the Banyan from Aden find -Cutch, facetiously termed by the Somal their "Milch-cows." The African -cheats by mismeasuring the bad cotton cloth, and the Indian by falsely -weighing the coffee, ivory, ostrich feathers and other valuable articles -which he receives in return. Dollars and even rupees are now preferred to -the double breadth of eight cubits which constitutes the well known -"Tobe." - -[2] A Sepoy's tent, pent-house shaped, supported by a single transverse -and two upright poles and open at one of the long ends. - -[3] Since returning I have been informed, however, by the celebrated -Abyssinian traveller M. Antoine d'Abbadie, that in no part of the wild -countries which he visited was his life so much perilled as at Berberah. - -[4] Lieut. Speke had landed at Karam harbour on the 24th of March, in -company with the Ras, in order to purchase camels. For the Ayyun or best -description he paid seven dollars and a half; the Gel Ad (white camels) -cost on an average four. In five days he had collected twenty-six, the -number required, and he then marched overland from Karam to Berberah. - -I had taken the precaution of detaching Lieut. Speke to Karam in lively -remembrance of my detention for want of carriage at Zayla, and in -consequence of a report raised by the Somal of Aden that a sufficient -number of camels was not procurable at Berberah. This proved false. -Lieuts. Stroyan and Herne found no difficulty whatever in purchasing -animals at the moderate price of five dollars and three quarters a head: -for the same sum they could have bought any reasonable number. Future -travellers, however, would do well not to rely solely upon Berberah for a -supply of this necessary, especially at seasons when the place is not -crowded with caravans. - -[5] The Elders of the Habr Awal, I have since been informed, falsely -asserted that they repeatedly urged us, with warnings of danger, to leave -Berberah at the end of the fair, but that we positively refused -compliance, for other reasons. The facts of the case are those stated in -the text. - -[6] They prefer travelling during the monsoon, on account of the abundance -of water. - -[7] The framework is allowed to remain for use next Fair-season. - -[8] The attacking party, it appears, was 350 strong; 12 of the Mikahil, 15 -of the Habr Gerhajis, and the rest Eesa Musa. One Ao Ali wore, it is said, -the ostrich feather for the murder of Lieut. Stroyan. - -[9] Mohammed, his Indian servant, stated that rising at my summons he had -rushed to his tent, armed himself with a revolver, and fired six times -upon his assassins. Unhappily, however, Mohammed did not see his master -fall, and as he was foremost amongst the fugitives, scant importance -attaches to his evidence. - -[10] At this season native craft quitting Berberah make for the Spit late -in the evening, cast anchor there, and set sail with the land breeze -before dawn. Our lives hung upon a thread. Had the vessel departed, as she -intended, the night before the attack, nothing could have saved us from -destruction. - -[11] The Somal place dates in the hands of the fallen to ascertain the -extent of injury: he who cannot eat that delicacy is justly decided to be -_in articulo_. - -[12] In less than a month after receiving such injuries, Lieut. Speke was -on his way to England: he has never felt the least inconvenience from the -wounds, which closed up like cuts in Indian-rubber. - -[13] They had despised the heavy sacks of grain, the books, broken boxes, -injured instruments, and a variety of articles which they did not -understand. We spent that day at Berberah, bringing off our property, and -firing guns to recall six servants who were missing. They did not appear, -having lost no time in starting for Karam and Aynterad, whence they made -their way in safety to Aden. On the evening of the 19th of April, unable -to remove the heavier effects, and anxious to return with the least -possible delay, I ordered them to be set on fire. - - - - -APPENDIX I. - - -DIARY AND OBSERVATIONS -MADE BY LIEUTENANT SPEKE, WHEN ATTEMPTING TO REACH THE WADY NOGAL. - - -DIARY. - - -On the 28th October, 1854, Lieutenant Speke arrived at Kurayat, a small -village near Las Kuray (Goree Bunder), in the country called by the Somal -"Makhar," or the eastern maritime region. During the period of three -months and a half he was enabled to make a short excursion above the -coast-mountains, visiting the Warsingali, the Dulbahanta, and the Habr -Gerhajis tribes, and penetrating into a region unknown to Europeans. The -bad conduct of his Abban, and the warlike state of the country, prevented -his reaching the "Wady Nogal," which, under more favourable circumstances -and with more ample leisure than our plans allowed him, he conceives to be -a work of little difficulty and no danger. He has brought back with him -ample notices of the region visited, and has been enabled to make a -valuable collection of the Fauna, which have been forwarded to the Curator -of the Royal As. Society's Museum, Calcutta. On the 15th February, 1855, -Lieutenant Speke revisited Kurayat, and there embarked for Aden. - -Before proceeding to Lieutenant Speke's Journal, it may be useful to give -a brief and general account of the region explored. - -The portion of the Somali country visited by Lieutenant Speke may be -divided into a Maritime Plain, a Range of Mountains, and an elevated -Plateau. - -The Maritime Plain, at the points visited by Lieutenant Speke, is a sandy -tract overlying limestone, level to the foot of the hills, and varying -from half a mile to two miles in breadth. Water is not everywhere -procurable. At the village of Las Kuray, there is an old and well built -well, about twelve feet deep, producing an abundant and excellent supply. -It appears that the people have no implements, and are too barbarous to be -capable of so simple an engineering operation as digging. The vegetation -presents the usual appearance of salsolaceous plants thinly scattered over -the surface, with here and there a stunted growth of Arman or Acacia. The -watershed is of course from south to north, and the rain from the hills is -carried off by a number of Fiumaras or freshets, with broad shallow beds, -denoting that much of the monsoon rain falling in the mountains is there -absorbed, and that little finds its way to the sea. At this season (the -dry weather) the plain is thinly inhabited; there are no villages except -on the sea-shore, and even these were found by the traveller almost -entirely deserted, mostly women occupying the houses, whilst the men were -absent, trading and tending cattle in the hills. The harbours are, -generally speaking, open and shallow road-steads, where ships find no -protection; there is, however, one place (Las Galwayta), where, it is -said, deep water extends to the shore. - -Meteorological observations show a moderate temperature, clear air, and a -regular north-easterly wind. It is probable that, unlike the Berberah -Plain, the monsoon rain here falls in considerable quantities. This land -belongs in part to the Warsingali. Westwards of Las Galwayta, which is the -frontier, the Habr Gerhajis lay claim to the coast. The two tribes, as -usual in that unhappy land, are on terms of "Dam" or blood-feud; yet they -intermarry. - -The animals observed were, the Waraba, a dark-coloured cynhyena, with a -tail partly white, a grey jackal, and three different kinds of antelopes. -Besides gulls, butcher birds, and a description of sparrow, no birds were -found on the Maritime Plain. - -The Range of Mountains is that long line which fringes the Somali coast -from Tajurrah to Ras Jerd Hafun (Cape Guardafui). In the portion visited -by Lieutenant Speke it is composed principally of limestones, some white, -others brownish, and full of fossil shells. The seaward face is a gradual -slope, yet as usual more abrupt than the landward side, especially in the -upper regions. Steep irregular ravines divide the several masses of hill. -The range was thinly covered with Acacia scrub in the lower folds. The -upper portion was thickly clad with acacia and other thorns, and upon the -summit, the Somali pine tree observed by me near Harar, and by Lieutenant -Herne at Gulays, first appeared. Rain had freshly fallen. - -The animal creation was represented by the leopard, hyena, rhinoceros, -Waraba, four kinds of antelopes, hares and rats, tailless and long-tailed. -It is poor in sea birds (specimens of those collected have been forwarded -to the As. Society's Museum), and but one description of snake was -observed. These hills belong partly to the Warsingali, and partly to the -Habr Gerhajis. The frontier is in some places denoted by piles of rough -stones. As usual, violations of territorial right form the rule, not the -exception, and trespass is sure to be followed by a "war." The meteorology -of these hills is peculiar. The temperature appears to be but little lower -than the plain: the wind was north-easterly; and both monsoons bring heavy -rains. - -At Yafir, on the summit of the hill, Lieutenant Speke's thermometer showed -an altitude of about 7500 feet. The people of the country do not know what -ice means. Water is very scarce in these hills, except during the monsoon: -it is found in springs which are far apart; and in the lower slopes -collected rain water is the sole resource. This scarcity renders the -habits of the people peculiarly filthy. - -After descending about 2000 feet from the crest of the mountains to the -southern fall, Lieutenant Speke entered upon the platform which forms the -country of the Eastern Somal. He is persuaded that the watershed of this -extensive tract is from N.W. to S.E., contrary to the opinion of -Lieutenant Cruttenden, who, from information derived from the Somal, -determined the slope to be due south. "Nogal" appears, according to -Lieutenant Speke, to be the name of a tract of land occupied by the -Warsingali, the Mijjarthayn, and the northern clan of the Dulbahantas, as -Bohodlay in Haud is inhabited by the southern. Nogal is a sterile table- -land, here and there thinly grown with thorns, perfectly useless for -agriculture, and, unless it possess some mineral wealth, valueless. The -soil is white and stony, whereas Haud or Ogadayn is a deep red, and is -described as having some extensive jungles. Between the two lies a large -watercourse, called "Tuk Der," or the Long River. It is dry during the -cold season, but during the rains forms a flood, tending towards the -Eastern Ocean. This probably is the line which in our maps is put down as -"Wady Nogal, a very fertile and beautiful valley." - -The surface of the plateau is about 4100 feet above the level of the sea: -it is a space of rolling ground, stony and white with broken limestone. -Water is found in pools, and in widely scattered springs: it is very -scarce, and in a district near and south of the hills Lieutenant Speke was -stopped by want of this necessary. The climate appeared to our traveller -delightful In some places the glass fell at 6 A.M. to 25o, yet at noon on -the same day the mercury rose to 76o. The wind was always N. E., sometimes -gentle, and occasionally blowing strongly but without dust. The rainy -monsoon must break here with violence, and the heat be fearful in the hot -season. The principal vegetation of this plateau was Acacia, scarce and -stunted; in some places under the hills and in the watercourses these -trees are numerous and well grown. On the other hand, extensive tracts -towards the south are almost barren. The natives speak of Malmal (myrrh) -and the Luban (incense) trees. The wild animals are principally antelopes; -there are also ostriches, onagers, Waraba, lions (reported to exist), -jackals, and vermin. The bustard and florikan appear here. The Nomads -possess large flocks of sheep, the camels, cows, and goats being chiefly -found at this season on the seaward side of the hills, where forage is -procurable. The horses were stunted tattoos, tolerably well-bred, but soft -for want of proper food. It is said that the country abounds in horses, -but Lieutenant Speke "doubts the fact." The eastern portion of the plateau -visited by our traveller belongs to the Warsingali, the western to the -Dulbahantas: the former tribe extends to the S. E., whilst the latter -possess the lands lying about the Tuk Der, the Nogal, and Haud. These two -tribes are at present on bad terms, owing to a murder which led to a -battle: the quarrel has been allowed to rest till lately, when it was -revived at a fitting opportunity. But there is no hostility between the -Southern Dulbahantas and the Warsingali, on the old principle that "an -enemy's enemy is a friend." - -On the 21st October, 1854, Lieutenant Speke, from the effects of a stiff -easterly wind and a heavy sea, made by mistake the harbour of Rakudah. -This place has been occupied by the Rer Dud, descendants of Sambur, son of -Ishak. It is said to consist of an small fort, and two or three huts of -matting, lately re-erected. About two years ago the settlement was laid -waste by the rightful owners of the soil, the Musa Abokr, a sub-family of -the Habr Tal Jailah. - -_22nd October_.--Without landing, Lieutenant Speke coasted along to Bunder -Hais, where he went on shore. Hais is a harbour belonging to the Musa -Abokr. It contains a "fort," a single-storied, flat-roofed, stone and mud -house, about 20 feet square, one of those artless constructions to which -only Somal could attach importance. There are neither muskets nor cannon -among the braves of Hais. The "town" consists of half a dozen mud huts, -mostly skeletons. The anchoring ground is shallow, but partly protected by -a spur of hill, and the sea abounds in fish. Four Buggaloes (native craft) -were anchored here, waiting for a cargo of Dumbah sheep and clarified -butter, the staple produce of the place. Hais exports to Aden, Mocha, and -other parts of Arabia; it also manufactures mats, with the leaves of the -Daum palm and other trees. Lieutenant Speke was well received by one Ali, -the Agil, or petty chief of the place: he presented two sheep to the -traveller. On the way from Bunder Jedid to Las Kuray, Lieutenant Speke -remarks that Las Galwayta would be a favourable site for a Somali -settlement. The water is deep even close to the shore, and there is an -easy ascent from it to the summit of the mountains. The consequence is -that it is coveted by the Warsingali, who are opposed by the present -proprietors, the Habr Gerhajis. The Sultan of the former family resists -any settlement for fear of dividing and weakening their force; it is too -far from their pastures, and they have not men enough for both purposes. - -_28th October_.--Lieutenant Speke landed at Kurayat, near Las Kuray, and -sent a messenger to summon the chief, Mohammed Ali, Gerad or Prince of the -Warsingali tribe. - -During a halt of twenty-one days, the traveller had an opportunity of -being initiated into the mysteries of Somali medicine and money hiding. -The people have but two cures for disease, one the actual cautery, the -other a purgative, by means of melted sheep's-tail, followed by such a -draught of camel's milk that the stomach, having escaped the danger of -bursting, is suddenly and completely relieved. It is here the custom of -the wealthy to bury their hoards, and to reveal the secret only when at -the point of death. Lieutenant Speke went to a place where it is said a -rich man had deposited a considerable sum, and described his "cache" as -being "on a path in a direct line between two trees as far as the arms can -reach with a stick." The hoarder died between forty and fifty years ago, -and his children have been prevented by the rocky nature of the ground, -and their forgetting to ask which was the right side of the tree, from -succeeding in anything beyond turning up the stones. - -Las Kuray is an open roadstead for native craft. The town is considered -one of the principal strongholds of the coast. There are three large and -six small "forts," similar in construction to those of Hais; all are -occupied by merchants, and are said to belong to the Sultan. The mass of -huts may be between twenty and thirty in number. They are matted -buildings, long and flat-roofed; half a dozen families inhabit the same -house, which is portioned off for such accommodation. Public buildings -there are none, and no wall protects the place. It is in the territory of -the Warsingali, and owns the rule of the Gerad or Prince, who sometimes -lives here, and at other times inhabits the Jungle. Las Kuray exports -gums, Dumbah sheep, and guano, the latter considered valuable, and sent to -Makalla in Arabia, to manure the date plantations. - -Four miles westward of Las Kuray is Kurayat, also called Little Kuray. It -resembles the other settlement, and is not worth description. Lieutenant -Speke here occupied a fort or stone house belong to his Abban; finding the -people very suspicious, he did not enter Las Kuray for prudential motives. -There the Sultan has no habitation; when he visited the place he lodged in -the house of a Nacoda or ship-captain. - -Lieutenant Speke was delayed at Kurayat by the pretext of want of cattle; -in reality to be plundered. The Sultan, who inhabits the Jungle, did not -make his appearance till repeatedly summoned. About the tenth day the old -man arrived on foot, attended by a dozen followers; he was carefully -placed in the centre of a double line bristling with spears, and marched -past to his own fort. Lieutenant Speke posted his servants with orders to -fire a salute of small firearms. The consequence was that the evening was -spent in prayers. - -During Lieutenant Speke's first visit to the Sultan, who received him -squatting on the ground outside the house in which he lodged, with his -guards about him, the dignitary showed great trepidation, but returned -salams with politeness.< He is described as a fine-looking man, between -forty-eight and fifty years of age; he was dressed in an old and dirty -Tobe, had no turban, and appeared unarmed. He had consulted the claims of -"dignity" by keeping the traveller waiting ten days whilst he journeyed -twenty miles. Before showing himself he had privily held a Durbar at Las -Kuray; it was attended by the Agils of the tribe, by Mohammed Samattar -(Lieutenant Speke's Abban), and the people generally. Here the question -was debated whether the traveller was to be permitted to see the country. -The voice of the multitude was as usual _contra_, fearing to admit a wolf -into the fold. It was silenced however by the Sultan, who thought fit to -favour the English, and by the Abban, who settled the question, saying -that he, as the Sultan's subject, was answerable for all that might -happen, and that the chief might believe him or not;--"how could such -Jungle-folk know anything?" - -On the morning of the 8th November the Sultan returned Lieutenant Speke's -visit. The traveller took the occasion of "opening his desire to visit the -Warsingali country and the lands on the road to Berberah, keeping inland -about 200 miles, more or less according to circumstances, and passing -through the Dulbahantas." To this the Sultan replied, that "as far as his -dominions extended the traveller was perfectly at liberty to go where he -liked; but as for visiting the Dulbahantas, he could not hear of or -countenance it." Mahmud Ali, Gerad or Prince of the southern Dulbahantas, -was too far away for communication, and Mohammed Ali Gerad, the nearest -chief, had only ruled seven or eight years; his power therefore was not -great. Moreover, these two were at war; the former having captured, it is -said, 2000 horses, 400 camels, and a great number of goats and sheep, -besides wounding a man. During the visit, which lasted from 8 A.M. to 2 -P.M., the Sultan refused nothing but permission to cross the frontier, -fearing, he said, lest an accident should embroil him with our Government. -Lieutenant Speke gave them to understand that he visited their country, -not as a servant of the Company, but merely as a traveller wishing to see -sport. This of course raised a laugh; it was completely beyond their -comprehension. They assured him, however, that he had nothing to apprehend -in the Warsingali country, where the Sultan's order was like that of the -English. The Abban then dismissed the Sultan to Las Kuray, fearing the -appetites of his followers; and the guard, on departure, demanded a cloth -each by way of honorarium. This was duly refused, and they departed in -discontent. The people frequently alluded to two grand grievances. In the -first place they complained of an interference on the part of our -Government, in consequence of a quarrel which took place seven years ago -at Aden, between them and the Habr Tal Jailah tribe of Karam. The -Political Resident, it is said, seized three vessels belonging to the -Warsingali, who had captured one of the ships belonging to their enemies; -the former had command of the sea, but since that event they have been -reduced to a secondary rank. This grievance appears to be based on solid -grounds. Secondly, they complained of the corruption of their brethren by -intercourse with a civilised people, especially by visiting Aden: the -remedy for this evil lies in their own hands, but desire of gain would -doubtless defeat any moral sanitary measure which their Elders could -devise. They instanced the state of depravity into which the Somal about -Berberah had fallen, and prided themselves highly upon their respect for -the rights of _meum_ and _tuum_, so completely disregarded by the Western -States. But this virtue may arise from the severity of their -chastisements; mutilation of the hand being the usual award to theft. -Moreover Lieutenant Speke's Journal does not impress the reader highly -with their honesty. And lastly, I have found the Habr Awal at Berberah, on -the whole, a more respectable race than the Warsingali. - -Lieutenant Speke's delay at Kurayat was caused by want of carriage. He -justly remarks that "every one in this country appeals to precedent"; the -traveller, therefore, should carefully ascertain the price of everything, -and adhere to it, as those who follow him twenty years afterwards will be -charged the same. One of the principal obstacles to Lieutenant Speke's -progress was the large sum given to the natives by an officer who visited -this coast some years ago. Future travellers should send before them a -trusty Warsingali to the Sultan, with a letter specifying the necessary -arrangements, a measure which would save trouble and annoyance to both -parties. - -On the 10th of November the Sultan came early to Lieutenant Speke's house. -He received a present of cloth worth about forty rupees. After comparing -his forearm with every other man's and ascertaining the mean, he measured -and re-measured each piece, an operation which lasted several hours. A -flint gun was presented to him, evidently the first he had ever handled; -he could scarcely bring it up to his shoulder, and persisted in shutting -the wrong eye. Then he began as usual to beg for more cloth, powder, and -lead. By his assistance Lieutenant Speke bought eight camels, inferior -animals, at rather a high price, from 10 to 16-1/2 cloths (equivalent to -dollars) per head. It is the custom for the Sultan, or in his absence, for -an Agil to receive a tithe of the price; and it is his part to see that -the traveller is not overcharged. He appears to have discharged his duty -very inefficiently, a dollar a day being charged for the hire of a single -donkey. Lieutenant Speke regrets that he did not bring dollars or rupees, -cloth on the coast being now at a discount. - -After the usual troubles and vexations of a first move in Africa, on the -16th of November, 1854, Lieutenant Speke marched about three miles along -the coast, and pitched at a well close to Las Kuray. He was obliged to -leave about a quarter of his baggage behind, finding it impossible with -his means to hire donkeys, the best conveyance across the mountains, where -camels must be very lightly laden. The Sultan could not change, he said, -the route settled by a former Sahib. He appears, though famed for honesty -and justice, to have taken a partial view of Lieutenant Speke's property. -When the traveller complained of his Abban, the reply was, "This is the -custom of the country, I can see no fault; all you bring is the Abban's, -and he can do what he likes with it." - -The next day was passed unpleasantly enough in the open air, to force a -march, and the Sultan and his party stuck to the date-bag, demanding to be -fed as servants till rations were served out to them. - -_18th November_.--About 2 A.M. the camels (eleven in number) were lightly -loaded, portions of the luggage being sent back to Kurayat till more -carriage could be procured. The caravan crossed the plain southwards, and -after about two miles' march entered a deep stony watercourse winding -through the barren hills. After five miles' progress over rough ground, -Lieutenant Speke unloaded under a tree early in the afternoon near some -pools of sweet rain water collected in natural basins of limestone dotting -the watercourse. The place is called Iskodubuk; the name of the -watercourse is Duktura. The Sultan and the Abban were both left behind to -escort the baggage from Las Kuray to Kurayat. They promised to rejoin -Lieutenant Speke before nightfall; the former appeared after five, the -latter after ten, days. The Sultan sent his son Abdallah, a youth of about -fifteen years old, who proved so troublesome that Lieutenant Speke was -forced repeatedly to dismiss him: still the lad would not leave the -caravan till it reached the Dulbahanta frontier. And the Abban delayed a -Negro servant, Lieutenant Speke's gun-bearer, trying by many offers and -promises to seduce him from service. - -_19th November_.--At dawn the camels were brought in; they had been -feeding at large all night, which proves the safety of the country. After -three hours' work at loading, the caravan started up the watercourse. The -road was rugged; at times the watercourse was blocked up with boulders, -which compelled the travellers temporarily to leave it. With a little -cutting away of projecting rocks, which are of soft stone, the road might -be made tolerably easy. Scattered and stunted Acacias, fringed with fresh -green foliage, relieved the eye; all else was barren rock. After marching -about two miles the traveller was obliged to halt by the Sultan; a -messenger arrived with the order. The halting-place is called Damalay. It -is in the bed of the watercourse, stagnating rain, foul-looking but sweet, -lying close by. As in all other parts of this Fiumara, the bed was dotted -with a bright green tree, sometimes four feet high, resembling a willow. -Lieutenant Speke spread his mat in the shade, and spent the rest of the -day at his diary and in conversation with the natives. - -The next day was also spent at Damalay. The interpreter, Mohammed Ahmed, a -Somali of the Warsingali tribe, and all the people, refused positively to -advance. Lieutenant Speke started on foot to Las Kuray in search of the -Abban: he was followed at some distance by the Somal, and the whole party -returned on hearing a report that the chief and the Abban were on the way. -The traveller seems on this occasion to have formed a very low estimate of -the people. He stopped their food until they promised to start the next -day. - -_21st November_.--The caravan marched at gun-fire, and, after a mile, left -the watercourse, and ascended by a rough camel-path a buttress of hill -leading to the ridge of the mountains. The ascent was not steep, but the -camels were so bad that they could scarcely be induced to advance. The -country was of a more pleasant aspect, a shower of rain having lately -fallen. At this height the trees grow thicker and finer, the stones are -hidden by grass and heather, and the air becomes somewhat cooler. After a -six miles' march Lieutenant Speke encamped at a place called Adhai. Sweet -water was found within a mile's walk;--the first spring from which our -traveller drank. Here he pitched a tent. - -At Adhai Lieutenant Speke was detained nine days by the non-appearance of -his "Protector" and the refusal of his followers to march without him. The -camels were sent back with the greatest difficulty to fetch the portion of -the baggage left behind. On the 24th Lieutenant Speke sent his Hindostani -servant to Las Kuray, with orders to bring up the baggage. "Imam" started -alone and on foot, not being permitted to ride a pony hired by the -traveller: he reported that there is a much better road for laden camels -from the coast to the crest of the hills. Though unprotected, he met with -no difficulty, and returned two days afterwards, having seen the baggage -_en route_. During Lieutenant Speke's detention, the Somal battened on his -provisions, seeing that his two servants were absent, and that no one -guarded the bags. Half the rice had been changed at Las Kuray for an -inferior description. The camel drivers refused their rations because all -their friends (thirty in number) were not fed. The Sultan's son taught -them to win the day by emptying and hiding the water-skins, by threatening -to kill the servants if they fetched water, and by refusing to do work. -During the discussion, which appears to have been lively, the eldest of -the Sultan's four sons, Mohammed Aul, appeared from Las Kuray. He seems to -have taken a friendly part, stopped the discussion, and sent away the -young prince as a nuisance. Unfortunately, however, the latter reappeared -immediately that the date bags were opened, and Mohammed Aul stayed only -two days in Lieutenant Speke's neighbourhood. On the 28th November the -Abban appeared. The Sultan then forced upon Lieutenant Speke his brother -Hasan as a second Abban, although this proceeding is contrary to the -custom of the country. The new burden, however, after vain attempts at -extortion, soon disappeared, carrying away with him a gun. - -For tanning water-skins the Somal here always use, when they can procure -it, a rugged bark with a smooth epidermis of a reddish tinge, a pleasant -aromatic odour, and a strong astringent flavour. They call it Mohur: -powdered and sprinkled dry on a wound, it acts as a styptic. Here was -observed an aloe-formed plant, with a strong and woody thorn on the top. -It is called Haskul or Hig; the fibres are beaten out with sticks or -stones, rotted in water, and then made into cord. In other parts the young -bark of the acacia is used; it is first charred on one side, then reduced -to fibre by mastication, and lastly twisted into the semblance of a rope. - -From a little manuscript belonging to the Abban, Lieutenant Speke learned -that about 440 years ago (A.D. 1413), one Darud bin Ismail, unable to live -with his elder brother at Mecca, fled with a few followers to these -shores. In those days the land was ruled, they say, by a Christian chief -called Kin, whose Wazir, Wharrah, was the terror of all men. Darud -collected around him, probably by proselytising, a strong party: he -gradually increased his power, and ended by expelling the owners of the -country, who fled to the N.W. as far as Abyssinia. Darud, by an Asyri -damsel, had a son called Kabl Ullah, whose son Harti had, as progeny, -Warsingali, Dulbahanta, and Mijjarthayn. These three divided the country -into as many portions, which, though great territorial changes have taken -place, to this day bear their respective owners' names. - -Of this I have to observe, that universal tradition represents the Somal -to be a people of half-caste origin, African and Arabian; moreover, that -they expelled the Gallas from the coast, until the latter took refuge in -the hills of Harar. The Gallas are a people partly Moslem, partly -Christian, and partly Pagan; this may account for the tradition above -recorded. Most Somal, however, declare "Darud" to be a man of ignoble -origin, and do not derive him from the Holy City. Some declare he was -driven from Arabia for theft. Of course each tribe exaggerates its own -nobility with as reckless a defiance of truth as their neighbours -depreciate it. But I have made a rule always to doubt what semi-barbarians -write. Writing is the great source of historical confusion, because -falsehoods accumulate in books, persons are confounded, and fictions -assume, as in the mythologic genealogies of India, Persia, Greece, and -Rome, a regular and systematic form. On the other hand, oral tradition is -more trustworthy; witness the annals and genealogies preserved in verse by -the Bhats of Cutch, the Arab Nassab, and the Bards of Belochistan. - -_30th November_.--The Sultan took leave of Lieutenant Speke, and the -latter prepared to march in company with the Abban, the interpreter, the -Sultan's two sons, and a large party. By throwing the tent down and -sitting in the sun he managed to effect a move. In the evening the camels -started from Adhai up a gradual ascent along a strong path. The way was -covered with bush, jungle, and trees. The frankincense, it is said, -abounded; gum trees of various kinds were found; and the traveller -remarked a single stunted sycamore growing out of a rock. I found the tree -in all the upper regions of the Somali country, and abundant in the Harar -Hills. After two miles' march the caravan halted at Habal Ishawalay, on -the northern side of the mountains, within three miles of the crest. The -halting-ground was tolerably level, and not distant from the waters of -Adhai, the only spring in the vicinity. The travellers slept in a deserted -Kraal, surrounded by a stout fence of Acacia thorns heaped up to keep out -the leopards and hyenas. During the heat Lieutenant Speke sat under a -tree. Here he remained three days; the first in order to bring up part of -his baggage which had been left behind; the second to send on a portion to -the next halting-place; and the third in consequence of the Abban's -resolution to procure Ghee or clarified butter. The Sultan could not -resist the opportunity of extorting something by a final visit--for a -goat, killed and eaten by the camel-drivers contrary to Lieutenant Speke's -orders, a dollar was demanded. - -_4th December_, 1854.--About dawn the caravan was loaded, and then -proceeded along a tolerably level pathway through a thick growth of thorn -trees towards a bluff hill. The steep was reached about 9 A.M., and the -camels toiled up the ascent by a stony way, dropping their loads for want -of ropes, and stumbling on their road. The summit, about 500 yards -distant, was reached in an hour. At Yafir, on the crest of the mountains, -the caravan halted two hours for refreshment. Lieutenant Speke describes -the spot in the enthusiastic language of all travellers who have visited -the Seaward Range of the Somali Hills. It appears, however, that it is -destitute of water. About noon the camels were again loaded, and the -caravan proceeded across the mountains by a winding road over level ground -for four miles. This point commanded an extensive view of the Southern -Plateau. In that direction the mountains drop in steps or terraces, and -are almost bare; as in other parts rough and flat topped piles of stones, -reminding the traveller of the Tartar Cairns, were observed. I remarked -the same in the Northern Somali country; and in both places the people -gave a similar account of them, namely, that they are the work of an -earlier race, probably the Gallas. Some of them are certainly tombs, for -human bones are turned up; in others empty chambers are discovered; and in -a few are found earthern and large copper pots. Lieutenant Speke on one -occasion saw an excavated mound propped up inside by pieces of timber, and -apparently built without inlet. It was opened about six years ago by a -Warsingali, in order to bury his wife, when a bar of metal (afterwards -proved by an Arab to be gold) and a gold ring, similar to what is worn by -women in the nose, were discovered. In other places the natives find, it -is said, women's bracelets, beads, and similar articles still used by the -Gallas. - -After nightfall the caravan arrived at Mukur, a halting-place in the -southern declivity of the hills. Here Lieutenant Speke remarked that the -large watercourse in which he halted becomes a torrent during the rains, -carrying off the drainage towards the eastern coast. He had marched that -day seventeen miles, when the party made a Kraal with a few bushes. Water -was found within a mile in a rocky basin; it was fetid and full of -animalculae. Here appeared an old woman driving sheep and goats into Las -Kuray, a circumstance which shows that the country is by no means -dangerous. - -After one day's halt at Mukur to refresh the camels, on the 6th December -Lieutenant Speke started at about 10 A.M. across the last spur of the -hills, and presently entered a depression dividing the hills from the -Plateau. Here the country was stony and white-coloured, with watercourses -full of rounded stones. The Jujube and Acacias were here observed to be on -a large scale, especially in the lowest ground. After five miles the -traveller halted at a shallow watercourse, and at about half a mile -distant found sweet but dirty water in a deep hole in the rock. The name -of this station was Karrah. - -_8th December_.--Early in the morning the caravan moved on to Rhat, a -distance of eight miles: it arrived at about noon. The road lay through -the depression at the foot of the hills. In the patches of heather -Florikan was found. The Jujube-tree was very large. In the rains this -country is a grassy belt, running from west to east, along a deep and -narrow watercourse, called Rhat Tug, or the Fiumara of Rhat, which flows -eastward towards the ocean. At this season, having been "eaten up," the -land was almost entirely deserted; the Kraals lay desolate, the herdsmen -had driven off their cows to the hills, and the horses had been sent -towards the Mijjarthayn country. A few camels and donkeys were seen: -considering that their breeding is left to chance, the blood is not -contemptible. The sheep and goats are small, and their coats, as usual in -these hot countries, remain short. Lieutenant Speke was informed that, -owing to want of rain, and it being the breeding season, the inland and -Nomad Warsingali live entirely on flesh, one meal serving for three days. -This was a sad change of affairs from what took place six weeks before the -traveller's arrival, when there had been a fall of rain, and the people -spent their time revelling on milk, and sleeping all day under the shade -of the trees--the Somali idea of perfect happiness. - -On the 9th December Lieutenant Speke, halting at Rhat, visited one of -"Kin's" cities, now ruined by time, and changed by the Somal having -converted it into a cemetery. The remains were of stone and mud, as usual -in this part of the world. The houses are built in an economical manner; -one straight wall, nearly 30 feet long, runs down the centre, and is -supported by a number of lateral chambers facing opposite ways, _e. g._ - -[2 Illustrations] - -This appears to compose the village, and suggests a convent or a -monastery. To the west, and about fifty yards distant, are ruins of stone -and good white mortar, probably procured by burning the limestone rock. -The annexed ground plan will give an idea of these interesting remains, -which are said to be those of a Christian house of worship. In some parts -the walls are still 10 feet high, and they show an extent of civilisation -now completely beyond the Warsingali. It may be remarked of them that the -direction of the niche, as well as the disposition of the building, would -denote a Moslem mosque. At the same time it must be remembered that the -churches of the Eastern Christians are almost always made to front -Jerusalem, and the Gallas being a Moslem and Christian race, the sects -would borrow their architecture from each other. The people assert these -ruins to be those of Nazarenes. Yet in the Jid Ali valley of the -Dulbahantas Lieutenant Speke found similar remains, which the natives -declared to be one of their forefathers' mosques; the plan and the -direction were the same as those now described. Nothing, however, is -easier than to convert St. Sophia into the Aya Sufiyyah mosque. Moreover, -at Jid Ali, the traveller found it still the custom of the people to erect -a Mala, or cross of stone or wood covered with plaster, at the head and -foot of every tomb. - -[Illustration] - -The Dulbahantas, when asked about these crosses, said it was their custom, -derived from sire and grandsire. This again would argue that a Christian -people once inhabited these now benighted lands. - -North of the building now described is a cemetery, in which the Somal -still bury their dead. Here Lieutenant Speke also observed crosses, but he -was prevented by the superstition of the people from examining them. - -On an eminence S.W. of, and about seventy yards from the main building, -are the isolated remains of another erection, said by the people to be a -fort. The foundation is level with the ground, and shows two compartments -opening into each other. - -[Illustration] - -Rhat was the most southerly point reached by Lieutenant Speke. He places -it about thirty miles distant from the coast, and at the entrance of the -Great Plateau. Here he was obliged to turn westward, because at that -season of the year the country to the southward is desolate for want of -rain--a warning to future visitors. During the monsoon this part of the -land is preferred by the people: grass grows, and there would be no -obstacle to travellers. - -Before quitting Rhat, the Abban and the interpreter went to the length of -ordering Lieutenant Speke not to fire a gun. This detained him a whole -day. - -_11th December_.--Early in the morning, Lieutenant Speke started in a -westerly direction, still within sight of the mountains, where not -obstructed by the inequalities of the ground. The line taken was over an -elevated flat, in places covered with the roots of parched up grass; here -it was barren, and there appeared a few Acacias. The view to the south was -shortened by rolling ground: hollow basins, sometimes fifteen miles broad, -succeed each other; each sends forth from its centre a watercourse to -drain off the water eastward. The face of the country, however, is very -irregular, and consequently description is imperfect. This day ostriches -and antelopes were observed in considerable numbers. After marching ten -miles the caravan halted at Barham, where they found a spring of clear and -brackish water from the limestone rock, and flowing about 600 yards down a -deep rocky channel, in parts lined with fine Acacias. A Kraal was found -here, and the traveller passed a comfortable night. - -_12th December_.--About 9 A.M. the caravan started, and threaded a valley, -which, if blessed with a fair supply of water, would be very fertile. -Whilst everything else is burned up by the sun on the high ground, a -nutritious weed, called Buskallay, fattens the sheep and goats. Wherever, -therefore, a spring is found, men flock to the place and fence themselves -in a Kraal. About half-way the travellers reached Darud bin Ismail's tomb, -a parallelogram of loose stones about one foot high, of a battered and -ignoble appearance; at one extremity stood a large sloping stone, with a -little mortar still clinging to it. No outer fence surrounded the tomb, -which might easily be passed by unnoticed: no honors were paid to the -memory of the first founder of the tribe, and the Somal did not even -recite a Fatihah over his dust. After marching about twelve miles, the -caravan encamped at Labbahdilay, in the bed of a little watercourse which -runs into the Yubbay Tug. Here they found a small pool of bad rain water. -They made a rude fence to keep out the wild beasts, and in it passed the -night. - -_13th December_.--The Somal showed superior activity in marching three -successive days; the reason appears to be that the Abban was progressing -towards his home. At sunrise the camels were loaded, and at 8 A.M. the -caravan started up a valley along the left bank of a watercourse called -the Yubbay Tug. This was out of the line, but the depth of the -perpendicular sides prevented any attempt at crossing it. The people of -the country have made a peculiar use of this feature of ground. During the -last war, ten or eleven years ago, between the Warsingali and the -Dulbahantas, the latter sent a large foraging party over the frontier. The -Warsingali stationed a strong force at the head of the watercourse to -prevent its being turned, and exposed their flocks and herds on the -eastern bank to tantalise the hungry enemy. The Dulbahantas, unable to -cross the chasm, and unwilling, like all Somali heroes even in their -wrath, to come to blows with the foe, retired in huge disgust. After -marching five miles, the caravan halted, the Abban declaring that he and -the Sultan's younger son must go forward to feel the way; in other words, -to visit his home. His pretext was a good one. In countries where postal -arrangements do not exist, intelligence flies quicker than on the wings of -paper. Many evil rumours had preceded Lieutenant Speke, and the inland -tribe professed, it was reported, to despise a people who can only -threaten the coast. The Dulbahantas had been quarrelling amongst -themselves for the last thirteen years, and were now determined to settle -the dispute by a battle. Formerly they were all under one head; but one -Ali Harram, an Akil or minor chief, determined to make his son, Mohammed -Ali, Gerad or Prince of the clans inhabiting the northern provinces. After -five years' intrigue the son was proclaimed, and carried on the wars -caused by his father, declaring an intention to fight to the last. He has, -however, been successfully opposed by Mahmud Ali, the rightful chief of -the Dulbahanta family; the southern clans of Haud and beyond the Nogal -being more numerous and more powerful than the northern divisions. No -merchant, Arab or other, thinks of penetrating into this country, -principally on account of the expense. Lieutenant Speke is of opinion that -his cloth and rice would easily have stopped the war for a time: the -Dulbahantas threatened and blustered, but allowed themselves easily to be -pacified. - -It is illustrative of the customs of this people that, when the -Dulbahantas had their hands engaged, and left their rear unprotected, -under the impression that no enemies were behind, the Warsingali instantly -remembered that one of their number had been murdered by the other race -many years ago. The blood-money had been paid, and peace had been -concluded, but the opportunity was too tempting to be resisted. - -The Yubbay Tug watercourse begins abruptly, being as broad and deep at the -head as it is in the trunk. When Lieutenant Speke visited it, it was dry; -there was but a thin growth of trees in it, showing that water does not -long remain there. Immediately north of it lies a woody belt, running up -to the foot of the mountains, and there bifurcating along the base. -Southwards, the Yubbay is said to extend to a considerable distance, but -Somali ideas of distance are peculiar, and absorption is a powerful agent -in these latitudes. - -Till the 21st December Lieutenant Speke was delayed at the Yubbay Tug. His -ropes had been stolen by discharged camel-men, and he was unable to -replace them. - -On the 15th December one of the Midgan or Serviles was tried for stealing -venison from one of his fellows. The Sultan, before his departure, had -commissioned three of Lieutenant Speke's attendants to act as judges in -case of such emergency: on this occasion the interpreter was on the -Woolsack, and he sensibly fined the criminal two sheep to be eaten on the -road. From inquiries, I have no doubt that these Midgan are actually -reduced by famine at times to live on a food which human nature abhors. In -the northern part of the Somali country I never heard of cannibalism, -although the Servile tribes will eat birds and other articles of food -disdained by Somal of gentle blood. Lieutenant Speke complains of the -scarcity and the quality of the water, "which resembles the mixture -commonly known as black draught." Yet it appears not to injure health; and -the only disease found endemic is an ophthalmia, said to return -periodically every three years. The animals have learned to use sparingly -what elsewhere is a daily necessary; camels are watered twice a month, -sheep thrice, and horses every two or three days. No wild beasts or birds, -except the rock pigeon and duck, ever drink except when rain falls. - -The pickaxe and spade belonging to the traveller were greatly desired; in -one place water was found, but more generally the people preferred digging -for honey in the rocks. Of the inhabitants we find it recorded that, like -all Nomads, they are idle to the last degree, contenting themselves with -tanned skins for dress and miserable huts for lodging. Changing ground for -the flocks and herds is a work of little trouble; one camel and a donkey -carry all the goods and chattels, including water, wife, and baby. Milk in -all stages (but never polluted by fire), wild honey, and flesh, are their -only diet; some old men have never tasted grain. Armed with spear and -shield, they are in perpetual dread of an attack. It is not strange that -under such circumstances the population should be thin and scattered; they -talk of thousands going to war, but the wary traveller suspects gross -exaggeration. They preserve the abominable Galla practice of murdering -pregnant women in hopes of mutilating a male foetus. - -On the 20th December Lieutenant Speke was informed by the Sultan's son -that the Dulbahantas would not permit him to enter their country. As a -favour, however, they would allow him to pass towards the home of the -Abban, who, having married a Dulbahanta girl was naturalised amongst them. - -_21st December_.--Early in the morning Lieutenant Speke, accompanied by -the interpreter, the Sultan's son, one servant, and two or three men to -lead a pair of camels, started eastward. The rest of the animals (nine in -number) were left behind in charge of Imam, a Hindostani boy, and six or -seven men under him, The reason for this step was that Husayn Haji, an -Agil of the Dulbahantas and a connection of the Abban, demanded, as sole -condition for permitting Lieutenant Speke to visit "Jid Ali," that the -traveller should give up all his property. Before leaving the valley, he -observed a hillock glistening white: it appears from its salt, bitter -taste, to have been some kind of nitrate efflorescing from the ground. The -caravan marched about a mile across the deep valley of Yubbay Tug, and -ascended its right side by a beaten track: they then emerged from a thin -jungle in the lower grounds to the stony hills which compose the country. -Here the line pursued was apparently parallel to the mountains bordering -upon the sea: between the two ridges was a depression, in which lay a -small watercourse. The road ran along bleak undulating ground, with belts -of Acacia in the hollows: here and there appeared a sycamore tree. On the -road two springs were observed, both of bitter water, one deep below the -surface, the other close to the ground; patches of green grass grew around -them. Having entered the Dulbahanta frontier, the caravan unloaded in the -evening, after a march of thirteen miles, at a depression called Ali. No -water was found there. - -_22nd December_.--Early in the morning the traveller started westward, -from Ali, wishing that night to make Jid Ali, about eighteen miles -distant. After marching thirteen miles over the same monotonous country as -before, Lieutenant Speke was stopped by Husayn Haji, the Agil, who -declared that Guled Ali, another Agil, was opposed to his progress. After -a long conversation, Lieutenant Speke reasoned him into compliance; but -that night they were obliged to halt at Birhamir, within five miles of Jid -Ali. The traveller was offered as many horses as he wanted, and a free -passage to Berberah, if he would take part in the battle preparing between -the two rival clans of Dulbahantas: he refused, on plea of having other -engagements. But whenever the question of penetrating the country was -started, there came the same dry answer: "No beggar had even attempted to -visit them--what, then, did the Englishman want?" The Abban's mother came -out from her hut, which was by the wayside, and with many terrors -endeavoured to stop the traveller. - -_23rd December_.--Next morning the Abban appeared, and, by his sorrowful -surprise at seeing Lieutenant Speke across the frontier, showed that he -only had made the difficulty. The caravan started early, and, travelling -five miles over stony ground, reached the Jid Ali valley. This is a long -belt of fertile soil, running perpendicular to the seaward range; it -begins opposite Bunder Jedid, at a gap in the mountains through which the -sea is, they say, visible. In breadth, at the part first visited by -Lieutenant Speke, it is about two miles: it runs southward, and during -rain probably extends to about twenty miles inland. Near the head of the -valley is a spring of bitter water, absorbed by the soil after a quarter -of a mile's course: in the monsoon, however, a considerable torrent must -flow down this depression. Ducks and snipe are found here. The valley -shows, even at this season, extensive patches of grass, large acacia -trees, bushes, and many different kinds of thorns: it is the most wooded -lowland seen by Lieutenant Speke. Already the Nomads are here changing -their habits; two small enclosures have been cultivated by an old -Dulbahanta, who had studied agriculture during a pilgrimage to Meccah. The -Jowari grows luxuriantly, with stalks 8 and 9 feet high, and this first -effort had well rewarded the enterpriser. Lieutenant Speke lent the slave -Farhan, to show the art of digging; for this he received the present of a -goat. I may here remark that everywhere in the Somali country the people -are prepared to cultivate grain, and only want some one to take the -initiative. As yet they have nothing but their hands to dig with. A few -scattered huts were observed near Jid Ali, the grass not being yet -sufficiently abundant to support collected herds. - -Lieutenant Speke was delayed nineteen days at Jid Ali by various pretexts. -The roads were reported closed. The cloth and provisions were exhausted. -Five horses must be bought from the Abban for thirty dollars a head (they -were worth one fourth that sum), as presents. The first European that -visited the Western Country had stopped rain for six months, and the Somal -feared for the next monsoon. All the people would flock in, demanding at -least what the Warsingali had received; otherwise they threatened the -traveller's life. On the 26th of December Lieutenant Speke moved three -miles up the valley to some distance from water, the crowd being -troublesome, and preventing his servants eating. On the 31st of December -all the baggage was brought up from near Abi: one of the camels, being -upon the point of death, was killed and devoured. It was impossible to -keep the Abban from his home, which was distant about four miles: numerous -messages were sent in vain, but Lieutenant Speke drew him from his hut by -"sitting in Dhurna," or dunning him into compliance. At last arose a -violent altercation. All the Warsingali and Dulbahanta servants were taken -away, water was stopped, the cattle were cast loose, and the traveller was -told to arm and defend himself and his two men:--they would all be slain -that night and the Abban would abandon them to the consequences of their -obstinacy. They were not killed, however, and about an hour afterwards the -Somal reappeared, declaring that they had no intention of deserting. - -_11th January_, 1855.--About 10 A.M. the caravan started without the Abban -across the head of the Jid Ali valley. The land was flat, abounding in -Acacia, and showing signs of sun parched grass cropped close by the -cattle. After a five miles' march the travellers came to a place called -Biyu Hablay; they unloaded under a tree and made a Kraal. Water was -distant. Around were some courses, ending abruptly in the soft absorbing -ground. Here the traveller was met by two Dulbahantas, who demanded his -right to enter their lands, and insinuated that a force was gathering to -oppose him. They went away, however, after a short time, threatening with -smiles to come again. Lieutenant Speke was also informed that the Southern -Dulbahanta tribes had been defeated with loss by the northern clans, and -that his journey would be interrupted by them. Here the traveller remarked -how willing are the Somal to study: as usual in this country, any man who -reads the Koran and can write out a verset upon a board is an object of -envy. The people are fanatic. They rebuked the interpreter for not praying -regularly, for eating from a Christian's cooking pot, and for cutting -deer's throats low down (to serve as specimens); they also did not approve -of the traveller's throwing date stones into the fire. As usual, they are -fearful boasters. Their ancestors turned Christians out of the country. -They despise guns. They consider the Frank formidable only behind walls: -they are ready to fight it out in the plain, and they would gallop around -cannon so that not a shot would tell. Vain words to conceal the hearts of -hares! Lieutenant Speke justly remarks that, on account of the rough way -in which they are brought up, the Somal would become excellent policemen; -they should, however, be separated from their own people, and doubtless -the second generation might be trained into courage. - -At Biyu Hablay Lieutenant Speke, finding time as well as means deficient, -dropped all idea of marching to Berberah. He wished to attempt a north- -western route to Hais, but the Rer Hamaturwa (a clan of the Habr Gerhajis -who occupy the mountain) positively refused passage. Permission was -accorded by that clan to march due north upon Bunder Jedid, where, -however, the traveller feared that no vessel might be found. As a last -resource he determined to turn to the north-east, and, by a new road -through the Habr Gerhajis, to make Las Kuray. - -_18th January_.--The Abban again returned from his home, and accompanied -Lieutenant Speke on his first march to the north-east. Early in the -morning the caravan started over the ground before described: on this -occasion, however, it traversed the belt of jungle at the foot of the -mountains. After a march of six miles they halted at "Mirhiddo," under a -tree on elevated ground, in a mere desert, no water being nearer than the -spring of Jid Ali. The Abban took the opportunity of Lieutenant Speke -going out specimen-hunting to return home, contrary to orders, and he did -not reappear till the traveller walked back and induced him to march. Here -a second camel, being "in articulo," was cut up and greedily devoured. - -_21st January_.--The Abban appeared in the morning, and the caravan -started about noon, over the stony ground at the foot of the hills. After -a mile's march, the "Protector" again disappeared, in open defiance of -orders. That day's work was about ten miles. The caravan halted, late at -night, in the bed of a watercourse, called Hanfallal. Lieutenant Speke -visited the spring, which is of extraordinary sweetness for the Warsingali -country: it flows from a cleft in the rock broad enough to admit a man's -body, and about 60 feet deep. - -_23rd January_.--Lieutenant Speke was about to set out under the guidance -of Awado, the Abban's mother, when her graceless son reappeared. At noon -the caravan travelled along a rough road, over the lower spurs of the -mountains: they went five miles, and it was evening when they unloaded in -a watercourse a little distance up the hills, at a place called Dallmalay. -The bed was about 150 yards broad, full of jungle, and showed signs of a -strong deep stream during the monsoon. The travellers made up a Kraal, but -found no water there. - -_24th January_.--Early in the morning the caravan started, and ascended by -a path over the hills. The way was bare of verdure, but easy: here a camel -unable to walk, though unloaded, was left behind. One of Lieutenant -Speke's discharged camel-men, a Warsingali, being refused passage by the -Habr Gerhajis, on account of some previous quarrel, found a stray camel, -and carried it off to his home amongst the Dulbahantas. He afterwards -appeared at Las Kuray, having taken the road by which the travellers -entered the country. Having marched eleven miles, the caravan arrived in -the evening at Gobamiray, a flat on the crest of the mountains. Here again -thick jungle appeared, and the traveller stood over more on the seaward -side. Water was distant. - -On arriving, the camels were seized by the Urus Sugay, a clan of the Habr -Gerhajis. The poor wretches pretended to show fight, and asked if they -were considered a nation of women, that their country was to be entered -without permission. Next morning they volunteered to act as escort. - -_25th January_.--Loading was forbidden by the valiant sons of Habr -Gerhajis; but as they were few in number, and the Warsingali clan was -near, it went on without interruption. This day, like the latter, was -cloudy; heavy showers fell for some hours, and the grass was springing up. -Rain had lasted for some time, and had not improved the road. This fall is -called by the people "Dairti:" it is confined to the hills, whereas the -Gugi or monsoon is general over the plateau. - -About noon the caravan marched, late, because the Abban's two horses had -strayed. These animals belonged to a relation of the "Protector," who -called them his own, and wished as a civility to sell the garrons at the -highest possible price to his client. The caravan marched down a tortuous -and difficult road, descending about four miles. It unloaded as evening -drew near, and the travellers found at Gambagahh a good dormitory, a cave -which kept out the rain. Water was standing close by in a pool. The whole -way was a thick jungle of bush and thorn. - -_26th January_.--The Somal insisted upon halting to eat, and the caravan -did not start before noon. The road was tolerable and the descent oblique. -The jungle was thick and the clouds thicker; rain fell heavily as usual in -the afternoon. Five cloths were given to the Habr Gerhajis as a bribe for -passage. After a march of six miles the caravan halted at a place called -Minan. Here they again found a cave which protected them from the rain. -Water was abundant in the hollows of the rock. - -_27th January_.--Early in the morning the caravan set out, and descended -the hill obliquely by a tolerable road. They passed a number of thorn -trees, bearing a gum called Falafala or Luban Meyti, a kind of -frankincense: it is thrown upon the fire, and the women are in the habit -of standing over it. After travelling six miles the travellers unloaded at -Hundurgal, on the bank of a watercourse leading to Las Galwayta: some -pools of rain-water were observed in the rocky hollows of the bed. - -_28th January_.--At about 9 A.M. the caravan crossed one of the lower -ridges of the mountains by a tolerable road. Lieutenant Speke had preceded -his camels, and was sitting down to rest, when he was startled by hearing -the rapid discharge of a revolver. His valiant Abban, either in real or in -pretended terror of the Habr Gerhajis had fired the pistol as a warning. -It had the effect of collecting a number of Bedouins to stare at the -travellers, and cogitate on what they could obtain: they offered, however, -no opposition. - -At midday the caravan reached a broad and deep Fiumara, which contained a -spring of good sweet water flowing towards the sea. Here they halted for -refreshment. Again advancing, they traversed another ridge, and, after a -march of twelve miles, arrived in the evening at another little -watercourse on the Maritime Plain. That day was clear and warm, the rain -being confined to the upper ranges. The name of the halting-place was -Farjeh. - -_29th January_.--The caravan marched over the plain into Kurayat, or -Little Las Kuray, where Lieutenant Speke, after a detention of upwards of -a fortnight, took boat, and after five days' sail arrived at Aden, where I -was expecting him. He was charged forty dollars--five times the proper -sum--for a place in a loaded Buggalow: from Aden to Bombay thirty-five -dollars is the hire of the whole cabin. This was the last act of the -Abban, who is now by the just orders of the acting Political Resident, -Aden, expiating his divers offences in the Station Jail. - - -CONCLUSION. - -Lieutenant Speke has passed through three large tribes, the Warsingali, -the Dulbahanta, and the Habr Gerhajis. - -The Warsingali have a Sultan or Chief, whose orders are obeyed after a -fashion by all the clans save one, the Bihidur. He cannot demand the -attendance of a subject even to protect the country, and has no power to -raise recruits; consequently increase of territory is never contemplated -in this part of the Somali country. In case of murder, theft, or dispute -between different tribes, the aggrieved consult the Sultan, who, -assembling the elders, deputes them to feel the inclinations of the -"public." The people prefer revenging themselves by violence, as every man -thereby hopes to gain something. The war ends when the enemy has more -spears than cattle left--most frequently, however, by mutual consent, when -both are tired of riding the country. Expeditions seldom meet one another, -this retiring as that advances, and he is deemed a brave who can lift a -few head of cattle and return home in safety. The commissariat department -is rudely organised: at the trysting-place, generally some water, the -people assemble on a day fixed by the Sultan, and slaughter sheep: each -person provides himself by hanging some dried meat upon his pony. It is -said that on many occasions men have passed upwards of a week with no -other sustenance than water. This extensive branch of the Somal is divided -into eighteen principal clans, viz.: - -1. Rer Gerad (the royal family). -2. Rer Fatih. -3. Rer Abdullah. -4. Rer Bihidur. -5. Bohogay Salabay. -6. Adan Yakub. -7. Gerad Umar. -8. Gerad Yusuf. -9. Gerad Liban. -10. Nuh Umar. -11. Adan Said. -12. Rer Haji. -13. Dubbays. -14. Warlabah. -15. Bayabarhay. -16. Rer Yasif. -17. Hindudub. -18. Rer Garwayna. - -The Northern Dulbahantas are suffering greatly from intestine war. They -are even less tractable than the Warsingali. Their Sultan is a ruler only -in name; no one respects his person or consults him in matters of -importance: their Gerad was in the vicinity of the traveller; but evasive -answers were returned (probably in consequence of the Abban's -machinations) to every inquiry. The elders and men of substance settle -local matters, and all have a voice in everything that concerns the -general weal: such for instance as the transit of a traveller. Lieutenant -Speke saw two tribes, the Mahmud Gerad and Rer Ali Nalay. The latter is -subdivided into six septs. - -The Habr Gerhajis, here scattered and cut up, have little power. Their -royal family resides near Berberah, but no one as yet wears the turban; -and even when investiture takes place, a ruler's authority will not extend -to Makhar. Three clans of this tribe inhabit this part of the Somali -country, viz., Bah Gummaron, Rer Hamturwa, and Urus Sugay. - -I venture to submit a few remarks upon the subject of the preceding diary. - -It is evident from the perusal of these pages that though the traveller -suffered from the system of black-mail to which the inhospitable Somal of -Makhar subject all strangers, though he was delayed, persecuted by his -"protector," and threatened with war, danger, and destruction, his life -was never in real peril. Some allowance must also be made for the people -of the country. Lieutenant Speke was of course recognised as a servant of -Government; and savages cannot believe that a man wastes his rice and -cloth to collect dead beasts and to ascertain the direction of streams. He -was known to be a Christian; he is ignorant of the Moslem faith; and, most -fatal to his enterprise, he was limited in time. Not knowing either the -Arabic or the Somali tongue, he was forced to communicate with the people -through the medium of his dishonest interpreter and Abban. - -I have permitted myself to comment upon the system of interference pursued -by the former authorities of Aden towards the inhabitants of the Somali -coast. A partial intermeddling with the quarrels of these people is -unwise. We have the whole line completely in our power. An armed cruiser, -by a complete blockade, would compel the inhabitants to comply with any -requisitions. But either our intervention should be complete,--either we -should constitute ourselves sole judges of all disputes, or we should -sedulously turn a deaf ear to their complaints. The former I not only -understand to be deprecated by our rulers, but I also hold it to be -imprudent. Nothing is more dangerous than to influence in any way the -savage balance of power between these tribes: by throwing our weight on -one side we may do them incalculable mischief. The Somal, like the Arab -Bedouins, live in a highly artificial though an apparently artless state -of political relations; and the imperfect attempt of strangers to -interfere would be turned to the worst account by the designing adventurer -and the turbulent spirit who expects to rise by means of anarchy and -confusion. Hitherto our partial intervention between the Habr Awal of -Berberah and the Habr Gerhajis of Zayla has been fraught with evils to -them, and consequently to us. - -But it is a rapidly prevailing custom for merchants and travellers to -engage an Abban or Protector, not on the African coast, as was formerly -case, but at Aden. It is clearly advantageous to encourage this practice, -since it gives us a right in case of fraud or violence to punish the Abban -as he deserves. - -Lastly, we cannot expect great things without some establishment at -Berberah. Were a British agent settled there, he could easily select the -most influential and respectable men, to be provided with a certificate -entitling them to the honor and emolument of protecting strangers. Nothing -would tend more surely than this measure to open up the new country to -commerce and civilisation. And it must not be inferred, from a perusal of -the foregoing pages, that the land is valueless. Lieutenant Speke saw but -a small portion of it, and that, too, during the dead season. Its exports -speak for themselves: guano, valuable gums, hides, peltries, mats, -clarified butter, honey, and Dumbah sheep. From the ruins and the -traditions of the country, it is clear that a more civilised race once -held these now savage shores, and the disposition of the people does not -discourage the hope entertained by every Englishman--that of raising his -fellow man in the scale of civilisation. - -Camp, Aden, March, 1855. - - - - -METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS - -_Made by Lieutenant Speke, during his Experimental Tour in Eastern Africa, -portions of Warsingali, Dulbahanta, &c._ - - - Date. | 6 A.M. | Noon. | 3 P.M. | Meteorological Notices. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 1854. -Oct. 29. 70o 87o *112o Wind from the N. E. strong. (*Exposed - " 30. 70 87 85 Ditto. to sun.) - " 31. 68 88 85 Ditto. -Nov. 1. 67 88 82 Ditto. (These observations from - " 2. 62 86 85 Ditto. the 29th Oct. to the 7th - " 3. 59 86 " Nov., were taken in the - " 4. 65 86 84 Ditto. tent.) - " 5. 65 88 -- Ditto. - " 6. 63 88 86 Ditto. - " 7. 74 90 88 Cloudy in the morning. - " 8. 66 83 88 Wind strong from the N. E. (In open - " 9. 64 84 82 Ditto. air, but not exposed - " 10. 69 84 82 Ditto. to the sun.) - " 11. 70 84 82 Ditto. - " 12. 68 83 82 - " 13. 64 85 82 - " 14. 77 82 82 - " 15. 70 83 83 - " 16. 72 83 82 - " 17. 62 110 104 In open air exposed to sun. - " 18. 62 95 96 - " 19. 62 102 95 All these observations were taken - " 20. -- 98 103 during the N. E. monsoon, when the - " 21. " " " wind comes from that quarter. It - " 22. 59 74 77 generally makes its appearance - " 23. 56 81 75 about half-past 9 A.M. - " 24. 59 78 82 - " 25. 58 78 79 - " 26. 60 74 75 - " 27. 59 82 77 - " 28. 59 82 72 - " 29. 59 -- 80 - " 30. 61 82 80 - Dec. 1. 52 78 86 - " 2. 50 86 89 - " 3. " " " - " 4. -- 69 " - " 5. 54 84 84 - " 6. -- 97 98 - " 7. 52 -- 89 - " 8. 52 95 100 - " 9. 38 90 94 - " 10. 42 92 91 - " 11. 42 " " - " 12. 45 73 " - " 13. 40 81 82 - " 14. 25 76 82 - " 15. 33 80 82 - " 16. 47 91 89 - " 17. 36 84 90 - " 18. 34 82 84 - " 19. 54 78 84 - " 20. 52 77 83 - " 31. -- 89 88 - - 1855. -Jan. 1. 40 98 98 In open air exposed to the sun. - " 2. 43 84 88 All these observations were taken - " 3. 34 84 86 during the N. E. monsoon, when - " 4. 32 86 84 the wind comes from that quarter; - " 5. 28 96 87 generally making its appearance at - " 6. 34 92 94 about half-past 9 A.M. - " 7. 39 91 80 - " 8. 39 95 " - " 9. 40 81 " - " 10. 55 -- 72 - " 11. 50 91 90 - " 12. 53 87 90 - " 13. 51 94 94 - " 14. 39 84 95 - " 16. 40 81 87 - " 17. 46 78 81 - " 18. 42 86 88 - " 19. 44 82 83 - " 20. 40 " " - " 21. 38 87 93 - " 22. 50 91 84 - " 23. 52 86 98 - " 24. 52 -- 62 On the north or sea face of the - " 25. 51 79 66 Warsangali Hills, during 24th, - " 26. 58 65 63 25th, and 26th, had rain and heavy - " 27. 58 " " clouds daring the day: blowing - " 30. 72 82 82 off towards the evening. - " 31. 71 88 93 From the 27th to the 7th the -Feb. 1. 67 96 80 observations were taken at the sea. - " 2. 74 89 80 - " 3. 68 87 88 - " 4. 68 89 " - " 5. 68 84 83 - " 6. 72 88 " On the 7th observations were taken - " 7. 68 83 " in tent. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - | Govern. | | - | Therm. ! Therm. | Feet. - | boiled. | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 1854 -Nov. 1st. At Las Guray 212o 88o 0000 - 22nd. At Adhai 204.25 81 4577 - 30th. At Habal Ishawalay 203 58 5052 -Dec. 4th. At Yafir, top of range 200.25 69 6704 - 5th. At Mukur, on plateau 205.5 67 3660 - 7th. At Rhat Tug, on plateau 206.5 62 3077 - 15th. At Yubbay Tug, on plateau 204 62 4498 - Government boiling therm. broke - here. - Common therm. out of bazar boiled - at sea level 209o - Thermometer 76 - 1855 Com. ther. -Jan. 1st. At Jid Alli, on plateau 202o 62 3884 - 12th. At Biyu Hablay 201. 62 4 449 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - -APPENDIX II. - -GRAMMATICAL OUTLINE AND VOCABULARY - -HARARI LANGUAGE. - - -[Editor's note: This appendix was omitted because of the large number of -Arabic characters it contains, which makes it impossible to reproduce -accurately following PG standards.] - - - - -APPENDIX III - -METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS IN THE COLD SEASON OF 1854-5, - -BY -LIEUTENANTS HERNE, STROYAN, AND BURTON. - - -[Editor's note: This appendix contains tables of numbers that are too wide -to be reproduced accurately following PG standards.] - - - - -APPENDIX IV. - -It has been found necessary to omit this Appendix. - - -[Editor's note: This appendix, written in Latin by Burton, contained -descriptions of sexual customs among certain tribes. It was removed by the -publisher of the book, who apparently considered it to be too _risque_ for -the Victorian public.] - - - - -APPENDIX V. - -A CONDENSED ACCOUNT OF AN ATTEMPT TO REACH HARAR FROM ANKOBAR. - - -The author is Lieutenant, now Commander, WILLIAM BARKER of the Indian -Navy, one of the travellers who accompanied Sir William Cornwallis, then -Captain, Harris on his mission to the court of Shoa. His services being -required by the Bombay Government, he was directed by Captain Harris, on -October 14th, 1841, to repair to the coast via Harar, by a road "hitherto -untrodden by Europeans." These pages will reward perusal as a narrative of -adventure, especially as they admirably show what obstacles the suspicious -characters and the vain terrors of the Bedouins have thrown in the way of -energy and enterprise. - - -"Aden, February 28, 1842. - -"Shortly after I had closed my last communication to Captain Harris of the -Bombay Engineers on special duty at the Court of Shoa (14. Jan. 1842), a -report arrived at Allio Amba that Demetrius, an Albanian who had been for -ten years resident in the Kingdom of Shoa, and who had left it for -Tajoorah, accompanied by "Johannes," another Albanian, by three Arabs, -formerly servants of the Embassy, and by several slaves, had been murdered -by the Bedoos (Bedouins) near Murroo. This caused a panic among my -servants. I allayed it with difficulty, but my interpreter declared his -final intention of deserting me, as the Hurruri caravan had threatened to -kill him if he persisted in accompanying me. Before proceeding farther it -may be as well to mention that I had with me four servants, one a mere -lad, six mules and nine asses to carry my luggage and provisions. - -"I had now made every arrangement, having, as the Wallasena Mahomed Abugas -suggested, purchased a fine horse and a Tobe for my protector and guide, -Datah Mahomed of the clan Seedy Habroo, a subtribe of the Debeneh. It was -too late to recede: accordingly at an early hour on Saturday, the 15th -January, 1842, I commenced packing, and about 8 A.M. took my departure -from the village of Allio Amba. I had spent there a weary three months, -and left it with that mixture of pleasure and regret felt only by those -who traverse unknown and inhospitable regions. I had made many friends, -who accompanied me for some distance on the road, and took leave of me -with a deep feeling which assured me of their sympathy. Many endeavoured -to dissuade me from the journey, but my lot was cast. - -"About five miles from Allio, I met the nephew of the Wallasena, who -accompanied me to Farri, furnished me with a house there, and ordered my -mules and asses to be taken care of. Shortly after my arrival the guide, -an old man, made his appearance and seemed much pleased by my punctuality. - -"At noon, on Sunday the 16th, the Wallasena arrived, and sent over his -compliments, with a present of five loaves of bread. I called upon him in -the evening, and reminded him of the letter he had promised me; he ordered -it to be prepared, taking for copy the letter which the king (Sahala -Salassah of Shoa) had given to me. - -"My guide having again promised to forward me in safety, the Wallasena -presented him with a spear, a shield, and a Tobe, together with the horse -and the cloth which I had purchased for him. About noon on Monday the -17th, we quitted Farri with a slave-caravan bound for Tajoorah. I was -acquainted with many of these people, the Wallasena also recommended me -strongly to the care of Mahomed ibn Buraitoo and Dorranu ibn Kamil. We -proceeded to Datharal, the Wallasena and his nephew having escorted me as -far as Denehmelli, where they took leave. I found the Caffilah to consist -of fifteen Tajoorians, and about fifty camels laden with provisions for -the road, fifty male and about twenty female slaves, mostly children from -eight to ten years of age. My guide had with him five camels laden with -grain, two men and two women. - -"The Ras el Caffilah (chief of the caravan) was one Ibrahim ibn Boorantoo, -who it appears had been chief of the embassy caravan, although Essakh -(Ishak) gave out that he was. It is certain that this man always gave -orders for pitching the camp and for loading; but we being unaware of the -fact that he was Ras el Caffilah, he had not received presents on the -arrival of the Embassy at Shoa. Whilst unloading the camels, the following -conversation took place. 'Ya Kabtan!' (0 Captain) said he addressing me -with a sneer, 'where are you going to?--do you think the Bedoos will let -you pass through their country? We shall see! Now I will tell you!--you -Feringis have treated me very ill!--you loaded Essakh and others with -presents, but never gave me anything. I have, as it were, a knife in my -stomach which is continually cutting me--this knife you have placed there! -But, inshallah! it is now my turn! I will be equal with you!--you think of -going to Hurrur--we shall see!' I replied, 'You know me not! It is true I -was ignorant that you were Ras el Caffilah on our way to Shoa. You say you -have a knife cutting your inside--I can remove that knife! Those who treat -me well, now that I am returning to my country, shall be rewarded; for, -the Lord be praised! there I have the means of repaying my friends, but in -Shoa I am a beggar. Those that treat me ill shall also receive their -reward.' - -"My mules, being frightened at the sight of the camels, were exceedingly -restive; one of them strayed and was brought back by Deeni ibn Hamed, a -young man who was indebted to me for some medicines and a trifling present -which he had received from the embassy. Ibrahim, the Ras el Caffilah, -seeing him lead it back, called out, 'So you also have become servant to -the Kafir (infidel)!' At the same time Datah Mahomed, the guide, addressed -to me some remark which he asked Ibrahim to explain; the latter replied in -a sarcastic manner in Arabic, a language with which I am unacquainted. [1] -This determined hostility on the part of the Ras el Caffilah was -particularly distressing to me, as I feared he would do me much mischief. -I therefore determined to gain him over to my interests, and accordingly, -taking Deeni on one side, I promised him a handsome present if he would -take an opportunity of explaining to Ibrahim that he should be well -rewarded if he behaved properly, and at the same time that if he acted -badly, that a line or two sent to Aden would do him harm. I also begged -him to act as my interpreter as long as we were together, and he -cheerfully agreed to do so. - -"We were on the point of resuming our journey on Tuesday the 18th, when it -was found that the mule of the el Caffilah had strayed. After his conduct -on the preceding evening, he was ashamed to come to me, but he deputed one -of the caravan people to request the loan of one of my mules to go in -quest of his. I gave him one readily. We were detained that day as the -missing animal was not brought back till late. Notwithstanding my -civility, I observed him in close conversation with Datah Mahomed, about -the rich presents which the Feringis had given to Essakh and others, and I -frequently observed him pointing to my luggage in an expressive manner. -Towards evening the guide came to me and said, 'My son! I am an old man, -my teeth are bad, I cannot eat this parched grain--I see you eat bread. -Now we are friends, you must give me some of it!' I replied that several -times after preparing for the journey, I had been disappointed and at last -started on a short notice--that I was but scantily supplied with -provisions, and had a long journey before me: notwithstanding which I was -perfectly willing that he should share with me what I had as long as it -lasted, and that as he was a great chief, I expected that he would furnish -me with a fresh supply on arriving at his country. He then said, 'it is -well! but why did you not buy me a mule instead of a horse?' My reply was -that I had supposed that the latter would be more acceptable to him. I -divided the night into three watches: my servants kept the first and -middle, and I myself the morning. - -"We quitted Dattenab, the frontier station, at about 7 o'clock A.M., on -Wednesday the 19th. The country at this season presented a more lively -appearance than when we travelled over it before, grass being abundant: on -the trees by the roadside was much gum Acacia, which the Caffilah people -collected as they passed. I was pleased to remark that Ibrahim was the -only person ill-disposed towards me, the rest of the travellers were civil -and respectful. At noon we halted under some trees by the wayside. -Presently we were accosted by six Bedoos of the Woemah tribe who were -travelling from Keelulho to Shoa: they informed us that Demetrius had been -plundered and stripped by the Takyle tribe, that one Arab and three male -slaves had been slain, and that another Arab had fled on horseback to the -Etoh (Ittu) Gallas, whence nothing more had been heard of him: the rest of -the party were living under the protection of Shaykh Omar Buttoo of the -Takyle. The Bedoos added that plunderers were lying in wait on the banks -of the river Howash for the white people that were about to leave Shoa. -The Ras el Caffilah communicated to me this intelligence, and concluded by -saying: 'Now, if you wish to return, I will take you back, but if you say -forward, let us proceed!' I answered, 'Let us proceed!' I must own that -the intelligence pleased me not; two of my servants were for returning, -but they were persuaded to go on to the next station, where we would be -guided by circumstances. About 2 o'clock P.M. we again proceeded, after a -long "Cullam" or talk, which ended in Datah Mahomed sending for assistance -to a neighbouring tribe. During a conversation with the Ras el Caffilah, I -found out that the Bedoos were lying in wait, not for the white people, -but for our caravan. It came out that these Bedouins had had the worst of -a quarrel with the last Caffilah from Tajoorah: they then threatened to -attack it in force on its return. The Ras el Caffilah was assured that as -long as we journeyed together, I should consider his enemies my enemies, -and that being well supplied with firearms, I would assist him on all -occasions. This offer pleased him, and we became more friendly. We passed -several deserted villages of the Bedoos, who had retired for want of water -towards the Wadys, and about 7 o'clock P.M. halted at the lake Leadoo. - -"On the morning of Thursday the 20th, Datah Mahomed came to me and -delivered himself though Deeni as follows: 'My son! our father the -Wallasena entrusted you to my care, we feasted together in Gouchoo--you -are to me as the son of my house! Yesterday I heard that the Bedoos were -waiting to kill, but fear not, for I have sent to the Seedy Habroo for -some soldiers, who will be here soon. Now these soldiers are sent for on -your account; they will want much cloth, but you are a sensible person, -and will of course pay them well. They will accompany us beyond the -Howash!' I replied,' It is true, the Wallasena entrusted me to your care. -He also told me that you were a great chief, and could forward me on my -journey. I therefore did not prepare a large supply of cloth--a long -journey is before me--what can be spared shall be freely given, but you -must tell the soldiers that I have but little. You are now my father!' - -"Scarcely had I ceased when the soldiers, fine stout-looking savages, -armed with spear, shield, and crease, mustering about twenty-five, made -their appearance. It was then 10 A.M. The word was given to load the -camels, and we soon moved forward. I found my worthy protector exceedingly -good-natured and civil, dragging on my asses and leading my mules. Near -the Howash we passed several villages, in which I could not but remark the -great proportion of children. At about 3 P.M. we forded the river, which -was waist-deep, and on the banks of which were at least 3000 head of -horned cattle. Seeing no signs of the expected enemy, we journeyed on till -5 P.M., when we halted at the south-eastern extremity of the Howash Plain, -about one mile to the eastward of a small pool of water. - -"At daylight on Friday the 21st it was discovered that Datah Mahomed's -horse had disappeared. This was entirely his fault; my servants had -brought it back when it strayed during the night, but he said, 'Let it -feed, it will not run away!' When I condoled with him on the loss of so -noble an animal, he replied, 'I know very well who has taken it: one of my -cousins asked me for it yesterday, and because I refused to give it he has -stolen it; never mind, Inshallah! I will steal some of his camels.' After -a 'Cullam' about what was to be given to our worthy protectors, it was -settled that I should contribute three cloths and the Caffilah ten; -receiving these, they departed much satisfied. Having filled our water- -skins, we resumed our march a little before noon. Several herds of -antelope and wild asses appeared on the way. At 7 P.M. we halted near -Hano. Prevented from lighting a fire for fear of the Galla, I was obliged -to content myself with some parched grain, of which I had prepared a large -supply. - -"At sunrise on the 22nd we resumed our journey, the weather becoming warm -and the grass scanty. At noon we halted near Shaykh Othman. I was glad to -find that Deeni had succeeded in converting the Ras el Caffilah from an -avowed enemy to a staunch friend, at least outwardly so; he has now become -as civil and obliging as he was before the contrary. There being no water -at this station, I desired my servant Adam not to make any bread, -contenting myself with the same fare as that of the preceding evening. -This displeasing Datah Mahomed, some misunderstanding arose, which, from -their ignorance of each other's language, might, but for the interference -of the Ras el Caffilah and Deeni, have led to serious results. An -explanation ensued, which ended in Datah Mahomed seizing me by the beard, -hugging and embracing me in a manner truly unpleasant. I then desired Adam -to make him some bread and coffee, and harmony was once more restored. -This little disturbance convinced me that if once left among these savages -without any interpreter, that I should be placed in a very dangerous -situation. The Ras el Caffilah also told me that unless he saw that the -road was clear for me to Hurrur, and that there was no danger to be -apprehended, that he could not think of leaving me, but should take me -with him to Tajoorah. He continued, 'You know not the Emir of Hurrur: when -he hears of your approach he will cause you to be waylaid by the Galla. -Why not come with me to Tajoorah? If you fear being in want of provisions -we have plenty, and you shall share all we have!' I was much surprised at -this change of conduct on the part of the Ras el Caffilah, and by way of -encouraging him to continue friendly, spared not to flatter him, saying it -was true I did not know him before, but now I saw he was a man of -excellent disposition. At three P.M. we again moved forward. Grass became -more abundant; in some places it was luxuriant and yet green. We halted at -eight P.M. The night was cold with a heavy dew, and there being no fuel, I -again contented myself with parched grain. - -"At daylight on the 23rd we resumed our march. Datah Mahomed asked for two -mules, that he and his friend might ride forward to prepare for my -reception at his village. I lent him the animals, but after a few minutes -he returned to say that I had given him the two worst, and he would not go -till I dismounted and gave him the mule which I was riding. About noon we -arrived at the lake Toor Erain Murroo, where the Bedouins were in great -numbers watering their flocks and herds, at least 3000 head of horned -cattle and sheep innumerable. Datah Mahomed, on my arrival, invited me to -be seated under the shade of a spreading tree, and having introduced me to -his people as his guest and the friend of the Wallasena, immediately -ordered some milk, which was brought in a huge bowl fresh and warm from -the cow; my servants were similarly provided. During the night Adam shot a -fox, which greatly astonished the Bedouins, and gave them even more dread -of our fire-arms. Hearing that Demetrius and his party, who had been -plundered of everything, were living at a village not far distant, I -offered to pay the Ras el Caffilah any expense he might be put to if he -would permit them to accompany our caravan to Tajoorah. He said that he -had no objection to their joining the Caffilah, but that he had been -informed their wish was to return to Shoa. I had a long conversation with -the Ras, who begged of me not to go to Hurrur; 'for,' he said, 'it is well -known that the Hurruri caravan remained behind solely on your account. You -will therefore enter the town, should you by good fortune arrive there at -all, under unfavourable circumstances. I am sure that the Emir [2], who -may receive you kindly, will eventually do you much mischief, besides -which these Bedouins will plunder you of all your property.' The other -people of the caravan, who are all my friends, also spoke in the same -strain. This being noted as a bad halting place, all kept watch with us -during the night. - -"The mules and camels having had their morning feed, we set out at about -10 A.M. on Monday the 24th for the village of Datah Mahomed, he having -invited the Caffilah's people and ourselves to partake of his hospitality -and be present at his marriage festivities. The place is situated about -half a mile to the E. N. E. of the lake; it consists of about sixty huts, -surrounded by a thorn fence with separate enclosures for the cattle. The -huts are formed of curved sticks, with their ends fastened in the ground, -covered with mats, in shape approaching to oval, about five feet high, -fifteen feet long, and eight broad. Arrived at the village, we found the -elders seated under the shade of a venerable Acacia feasting; six bullocks -were immediately slaughtered for the Caffilah and ourselves. At sunset a -camel was brought out in front of the building and killed--the Bedoos are -extremely fond of this meat. In the evening I had a long conversation with -Datah Mahomed, who said, 'My son! you have as yet given me nothing. The -Wallasena gave me everything. My horse has been stolen--I want a mule and -much cloth.' Deeni replied for me that the mules were presents from the -king (Sahala Salassah) to the Governor of Aden: this the old man would not -believe. I told him that I had given him the horse and Tobe, but he -exclaimed, 'No, no! my son; the Wallasena is our father; he told me that -he had given them to me, and also that you would give me great things when -you arrived at my village. My son! the Wallasena would not lie.' Datah was -then called away. - -"Early on the morning of Tuesday the 25th, Datah Mahomed invited me and -the elders of the Caffilah to his hut, where he supplied us liberally with -milk; clarified butter was then handed round, and the Tajoorians anointed -their bodies. After we had left his hut, he came to me, and in presence of -the Ras el Caffilah and Deeni said, 'You see I have treated you with great -honour, you must give me a mule and plenty of cloth, as all my people want -cloth. You have given me nothing as yet!' Seeing that I became rather -angry, and declared solemnly that I had given him the horse and Tobe, he -smiled and said, 'I know that, but I want a mule, my horse has been -stolen.'--I replied that I would see about it. He then asked for all my -blue cloth and my Arab 'Camblee' (blanket). My portmanteau being rather -the worse for wear--its upper leather was torn--he thrust in his fingers, -and said, with a most avaricious grin, 'What have you here?' I immediately -arose and exclaimed, 'You are not my father; the Wallasena told me you -would treat me kindly; this is not doing so.' He begged pardon and said, -'Do not be frightened, my son; I will take nothing from you but what you -give me freely. You think I am a bad man; people have been telling you ill -things about me. I am now an old man, and have given up such child's work -as plundering people.' It became, however, necessary to inquire of Datah -Mahomed what were his intentions with regard to myself. I found that I had -been deceived at Shoa; there it was asserted that he lived at Errur and -was brother to Bedar, one of the most powerful chiefs of the Adel, instead -of which it proved that he was not so highly connected, and that he -visited Errur only occasionally. Datah told me that his marriage feast -would last seven days, after which he would forward me to Doomi, where we -should find Bedar, who would send me either to Tajoorah or to Hurrur, as -he saw fit. - -"I now perceived that all hope of reaching Hurrur was at an end. Vexed and -disappointed at having suffered so much in vain, I was obliged to resign -the idea of going there for the following reasons: The Mission treasury -was at so low an ebb that I had left Shoa with only three German crowns, -and the prospect of meeting on the road Mahomed Ali in charge of the -second division of the Embassy and the presents, who could have supplied -me with money. The constant demands of Datah Mahomed for tobacco, for -cloth, in fact for everything he saw, would become ten times more annoying -were I left with him without an interpreter. The Tajoorians, also, one -all, begged me not to remain, saying, 'Think not of your property, but -only of your and your servants' lives. Come with us to Tajoorah; we will -travel quick, and you shall share our provisions.' At last I consented to -this new arrangement, and Datah Mahomed made no objection. This -individual, however, did not leave me till he had extorted from me my best -mule, all my Tobes (eight in number), and three others, which I borrowed -from the caravan people. He departed about midnight, saying that he would -take away his mule in the morning. - -"At 4 A.M. on the 26th I was disturbed by Datah Mahomed, who took away his -mule, and then asked for more cloth, which was resolutely refused. He then -begged for my 'Camblee,' which, as it was my only covering, I would not -part with, and checked him by desiring him to strip me if he wished it. He -then left me and returned in about an hour, with a particular friend who -had come a long way expressly to see me. I acknowledged the honour, and -deeply regretted that I had only words to pay for it, he himself having -received my last Tobe. 'However,' I continued, seeing the old man's brow -darken, 'I will endeavour to borrow one from the Caffilah people.' Deeni -brought me one, which was rejected as inferior. I then said, 'You see my -dress--that cloth is better than what I wear--but here; take my turban.' -This had the desired effect; the cloth was accepted. At length Datah -Mahomed delivered me over to the charge of the Ras el Caffilah in a very -impressive manner, and gave me his blessing. We resumed our journey at 2 -P.M., when I joined heartily with the caravan people in their 'Praise be -to God! we are at length clear of the Bedoos!' About 8 P.M. we halted at -Metta. - -"At half-past 4 A.M. on the 27th we started; all the people of the -Caffilah were warm in their congratulations that I had given up the Hurrur -route. At 9 A.M. we halted at Codaitoo: the country bears marks of having -been thickly inhabited during the rains, but at present, owing to the want -of water, not an individual was to be met with. At Murroo we filled our -water-skins, there being no water between that place and Doomi, distant -two days' journey. As the Ras el Caffilah had heard that the Bedoos were -as numerous as the hairs of his head at Doomi and Keelulhoo, he determined -to avoid both and proceed direct to Warrahambili, where water was -plentiful and Bedoos were few, owing to the scarcity of grass. This, he -said, was partly on my account and partly on his own, as he would be much -troubled by the Bedouins of Doomi, many of them being his kinsmen. We -continued our march from 3 P.M. till 9 P.M., when we halted at Boonderrah. - -"At 4 P.M., on January 28th, we moved forward through the Waddy -Boonderrah, which was dry at that season; grass, however, was still -abundant. From 11 A.M. till 4 P.M., we halted at Geera Dohiba. Then again -advancing we traversed, by a very rough road, a deep ravine, called the -"Place of Lions." The slaves are now beginning to be much knocked up, many -of them during the last march were obliged to be put upon camels. I forgot -to mention that one died the day we left Murroo. At 10 P.M. we halted at -Hagaioo Geera Dohiba: this was formerly the dwelling-place of Hagaioo, -chief of the Woemah (Dankali), but the Eesa Somali having made a -successful attack upon him, and swept off all his cattle, he deserted it. -During the night the barking of dogs betrayed the vicinity of a Bedoo -encampment, and caused us to keep a good look-out. Water being too scarce -to make bread, I contented myself with coffee and parched grain. - -"At daylight on the 29th we resumed our journey, and passed by an -encampment of the Eesa, About noon we reached Warrahambili. Thus far we -have done well, but the slaves are now so exhausted that a halt of two -days will be necessary to recruit their strength. In this Wady we found an -abundance of slightly brackish water, and a hot spring. - -"_Sunday, 30th January._--A Caffilah, travelling from Tajoorah to Shoa, -passed by. The people kindly offered to take my letters. Mahomed ibn -Boraitoo, one of the principal people in the Caffilah, presented me with a -fine sheep and a quantity of milk, which I was glad to accept. There had -been a long-standing quarrel between him and our Ras el Caffilah. When the -latter heard that I accepted the present he became very angry, and said to -my servant, Adam, 'Very well, your master chooses to take things from -other people; why did he not ask me if he wanted sheep? We shall see!' -Adam interrupted him by saying, 'Be not angry; my master did not ask for -the sheep, it was brought to him as a present; it has been slaughtered, -and I was just looking for you to distribute it among the people of the -Caffilah.' This appeased him; and Adam added, 'If my master hears your -words he will be angry, for he wishes to be friends with all people.' I -mention the above merely to show how very little excites these savages to -anger. The man who gave me the sheep, hearing that I wished to go to -Tajoorah, offered to take me there in four days. I told him I would first -consult the Ras el Caffilah, who declared it would not be safe for me to -proceed from this alone, but that from Dakwaylaka (three marches in -advance) he himself would accompany me in. The Ras then presented me with -a sheep. - -"We resumed our journey at 1 P.M., January 31st, passed several parties of -Eesa, and at 8 P.M. halted at Burroo Ruddah. - -"On February 1st we marched from 4 A.M. to 11 A.M., when we halted in the -Wady Fiahloo, dry at this season. Grass was abundant. At 3 P.M. we resumed -our journey. Crossing the plain of Amahdoo some men were observed to the -southward, marching towards the Caffilah; the alarm and the order to close -up were instantly given; our men threw aside their upper garments and -prepared for action, being fully persuaded that it was a party of Eesa -coming to attack them. However, on nearer approach we observed several -camels with them; two men were sent on to inquire who they were; they -proved to be a party of Somalis going to Ousak for grain. At 8 P.M. we -halted on the plain of Dakwaylaka. - -"At daylight on February the 2nd, the Ras el Caffilah, Deeni, and Mahomed -accompanied me in advance of the caravan to water our mules at Dakwaylaka. -Arriving there about 11 A.M. we found the Bedoos watering their cattle. -Mahomed unbridled his animal, which rushed towards the trough from which -the cattle were drinking; the fair maid who was at the well baling out the -water into the trough immediately set up the shrill cry of alarm, and we -were compelled to move about a mile up the Wady, when we came to a pool of -water black as ink. Thirsty as I was I could not touch the stuff. The -Caffilah arrived about half-past 1 P.M., by which time the cattle of the -Bedoos had all been driven off to grass, so that the well was at our -service. We encamped close to it. Ibrahim recommended that Adam Burroo of -the Assoubal tribe, a young Bedoo, and a relation of his should accompany -our party. I promised him ten dollars at Tajoorah. [3] At 3 P.M., having -completed my arrangements, and leaving one servant behind to bring up the -luggage, I quitted the Caffilah amidst the universal blessings of the -people. I was accompanied by Ibrahim, the Ras el Caffilah, Deeni ibn -Hamid, my interpreter, three of my servants, and the young Bedoo, all -mounted on mules. One baggage mule, fastened behind one of my servants' -animals, carried a little flour, parched grain, and coffee, coffee-pot, -frying-pan, and one suit of clothes for each. Advancing at a rapid pace, -about 5 P.M. we came up with a party consisting of Eesa, with their -camels. One of them instantly collected the camels, whilst the others -hurried towards us in a suspicious way. The Bedoo hastened to meet them, -and we were permitted, owing, I was told, to my firearms, the appearance -of which pleased them not, to proceed quietly. At 7 P.M., having arrived -at a place where grass was abundant, we turned off the road and halted. - -"At 1:30 A.M., on Thursday, 3rd February, as the moon rose we saddled our -mules and pushed forward at a rapid pace. At 4 A.M. we halted and had a -cup of coffee each, when we again mounted. As the day broke we came upon -an encampment of the Debeneh, who hearing the clatter of our mules' hoofs, -set up the cry of alarm. The Bedoo pacified them: they had supposed us to -be a party of Eesa. We continued our journey, and about 10 A.M. we halted -for breakfast, which consisted of coffee and parched grain. At noon we -again moved forward, and at 3 P.M., having arrived at a pool of water -called Murhabr in the Wady Dalabayah, we halted for about an hour to make -some bread. We then continued through the Wady, passed several Bedoo -encampments till a little after dark, when we descended into the plain of -Gurgudeli. Here observing several fires, the Bedoo crawled along to -reconnoitre, and returned to say they were Debeneh. We gave them a wide -berth, and about 8:30 P.M. halted. We were cautioned not to make a fire, -but I had a great desire for a cup of coffee after the fatigue of this -long march. Accordingly we made a small fire, concealing it with shields. - -"At 3 A.M. on Friday, the 4th February, we resumed our journey. After -about an hour and a half arriving at a good grazing ground, we halted to -feed the mules, and then watered them at Alooli. At 1 P.M. I found the sun -so oppressive that I was obliged to halt for two hours. We had struck off -to the right of the route pursued by the Embassy, and crossed, not the -Salt Lake, but the hills to the southward. The wind blowing very strong -considerably retarded our progress, so that we did not arrive at Dahfurri, -our halting-place, till sunset. Dahfurri is situated about four miles to -the southward of Mhow, the encampment of the Embassy near the Lake, and -about 300 yards to the eastward of the road. Here we found a large basin -of excellent water, which the Tajoorians informed me was a mere mass of -mud when we passed by to Shoa, but that the late rains had cleared away -all the impurities. After sunset a gale of wind blew. - -"At 1 A.M. on the 5th February, the wind having decreased we started. -Passing through the pass of the Rer Essa, the barking of dogs caused us -some little uneasiness, as it betrayed the vicinity of the Bedoo, whether -friend or foe we knew not. Ibrahim requested us to keep close order, and -to be silent. As day broke we descended into the plain of Warrah Lissun, -where we halted and ate the last of the grain. After half an hour's halt -we continued our journey. Ibrahim soon declared his inability to keep up -with us, so he recommended me to the care of the Bedoo and Deeni, saying -he would follow slowly. We arrived at Sagulloo about 11 A.M., and Ibrahim -about two hours afterwards. At 3 P.M. we resumed our march, and a little -before sunset arrived at Ambaboo. - -"The elders had a conference which lasted about a quarter of an hour, when -they came forward and welcomed me, directing men to look after my mules. I -was led to a house which had been cleaned for my reception. Ibrahim then -brought water and a bag of dates, and shortly afterwards some rice and -milk. Many villagers called to pay their respects, and remained but a -short time as I wanted repose: they would scarcely believe that I had -travelled in eighteen days from Shoa, including four day's halt. - -"Early on the morning of the 6th February I set out for Tajoorah, where I -was received with every demonstration of welcome by both rich and poor. -The Sultan gave me his house, and after I had drunk a cup of coffee with -him, considerately ordered away all the people who had flocked to see me, -as, he remarked, I must be tired after so rapid a journey. - -"It may not be amiss to mention here that the British character stands -very high at Tajoorah. The people assured me that since the British had -taken Aden they had enjoyed peace and security, and that from being -beggars they had become princes. As a proof of their sincerity they said -with pride, 'Look at our village, you saw it a year and a half ago, you -know what it was then, behold what is now!' I confessed that it had been -much improved." - -(From Tajoorah the traveller, after awarding his attendants, took boat for -Zayla, where he was hospitably received by the Hajj Sharmarkay's agent. -Suffering severely from fever, on Monday the 14th February he put to sea -again and visited Berberah, where he lived in Sharmarkay's house, and -finally he arrived at Aden on Friday the 25th February, 1842. He concludes -the narrative of his adventure as follows.) - -"It is due to myself that I should offer some explanation for the rough -manner in which this report is drawn up. On leaving Shoa the Caffilah -people marked with a jealous eye that I seemed to number the slaves and -camels, and Deeni reported to me that they had observed my making entries -in my note-book. Whenever the Bedoos on the road caught sight of a piece -of paper, they were loud in their demands for it. [4] Our marches were so -rapid that I was scarcely allowed time sufficient to prepare for the -fatigues of the ensuing day, and experience had taught me the necessity of -keeping a vigilant watch. [5] Aware that Government must be anxious for -information from the 'Mission,' I performed the journey in a shorter space -of time than any messenger, however highly paid, has yet done it, and for -several days lived on coffee and parched grain. Moreover, on arrival at -Aden, I was so weak from severe illness that I could write but at short -intervals. - -"It will not, I trust, be considered that the alteration in my route was -caused by trivial circumstances. It would have been absurd to have -remained with the Bedoos without an interpreter: there would have been -daily disputes and misunderstandings, and I had already sufficient insight -into the character of Datah Mahomed to perceive that his avarice was -insatiable. Supposing I had passed through his hands, there was the chief -of Bedar, who, besides expecting much more than I had given to Datah -Mahomed, would, it is almost certain, eventually have forwarded me to -Tajoorah. Finally, if I can believe the innumerable reports of the people, -both at Tajoorah and Zalaya, neither I myself nor my servants would ever -have passed through the kingdom of Hurrur. The jealousy of the prince -against foreigners is so great that, although he would not injure them -within the limits of his own dominions, he would cause them to waylaid and -murdered on the road." - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] Thus in the original. It may be a mistake, for Captain Barker is, I am -informed, a proficient in conversational Arabic. - -[2] This chief was the Emir Abubakr, father of Ahmed: the latter was -ruling when I entered Harar in 1855. - -[3] As the youth gave perfect satisfaction, he received, besides the ten -dollars, a Tobe and a European saddle, "to which he had taken a great -fancy." - -[4] In these wild countries every bit of paper written over is considered -to be a talisman or charm. - -[5] A sergeant, a corporal, and a Portuguese cook belonging to Captain -Harris's mission were treacherously slain near Tajoorah at night. The -murderers were Hamid Saborayto, and Mohammed Saborayto, two Dankalis of -the Ad All clan. In 1842 they seem to have tried a _ruse de guerre_ upon -M. Rochet, and received from him only too mild a chastisement. 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Do not change or edit the -header without written permission. - -Please read the "legal small print," and other information about the -eBook and Project Gutenberg at the bottom of this file. Included is -important information about your specific rights and restrictions in -how the file may be used. You can also find out about how to make a -donation to Project Gutenberg, and how to get involved. - - -**Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts** - -**eBooks Readable By Both Humans and By Computers, Since 1971** - -*****These eBooks Were Prepared By Thousands of Volunteers!***** - - -Title: First footsteps in East Africa - -Author: Richard F. Burton - -Release Date: November, 2004 [EBook #6886] -[This file was first posted on February 7, 2003] -[Most recently updated March 29, 2004] - -Edition: 10 - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK, FIRST FOOTSTEPS IN EAST AFRICA *** - - - - -Anne Soulard, Carlo Traverso and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. - - - - -This file was produced from images generously made available by the -Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF/Gallica) at http://gallica.bnf.fr.) - - - -[Illustration: HARAR FROM THE COFFE STREAM] - -FIRST FOOTSTEPS IN EAST AFRICA; OR, AN EXPLORATION OF HARAR. - -BY -RICHARD F. BURTON - - - - -TO -THE HONORABLE -JAMES GRANT LUMSDEN, -MEMBER OF COUNCIL, ETC. ETC. BOMBAY. - - -I have ventured, my dear Lumsden, to address you in, and inscribe to you, -these pages. Within your hospitable walls my project of African travel was -matured, in the fond hope of submitting, on return, to your friendly -criticism, the record of adventures in which you took so warm an interest. -Dis aliter visum! Still I would prove that my thoughts are with you, and -thus request you to accept with your wonted _bonhommie_ this feeble token -of a sincere good will. - - - - -PREFACE. - - -Averse to writing, as well as to reading, diffuse Prolegomena, the author -finds himself compelled to relate, at some length, the circumstances which -led to the subject of these pages. - -In May 1849, the late Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Malcolm, formerly -Superintendent of the Indian Navy, in conjunction with Mr. William John -Hamilton, then President of the Royal Geographical Society of Great -Britain, solicited the permission of the Court of Directors of the -Honorable East India Company to ascertain the productive resources of the -unknown Somali Country in East Africa. [1] The answer returned, was to the -following effect:-- - -"If a fit and proper person volunteer to travel in the Somali Country, he -goes as a private traveller, the Government giving no more protection to -him than they would to an individual totally unconnected with the service. -They will allow the officer who obtains permission to go, during his -absence on the expedition to retain all the pay and allowances he may be -enjoying when leave was granted: they will supply him with all the -instruments required, afford him a passage going and returning, and pay -the actual expenses of the journey." - -The project lay dormant until March 1850, when Sir Charles Malcolm and -Captain Smyth, President of the Royal Geographical Society of Great -Britain, waited upon the chairman of the Court of Directors of the -Honorable East India Company. He informed them that if they would draw up -a statement of what was required, and specify how it could be carried into -effect, the document should be forwarded to the Governor-General of India, -with a recommendation that, should no objection arise, either from expense -or other causes, a fit person should be permitted to explore the Somali -Country. - -Sir Charles Malcolm then offered the charge of the expedition to Dr. -Carter of Bombay, an officer favourably known to the Indian world by his -services on board the "Palinurus" brig whilst employed upon the maritime -survey of Eastern Arabia. Dr. Carter at once acceded to the terms proposed -by those from whom the project emanated; but his principal object being to -compare the geology and botany of the Somali Country with the results of -his Arabian travels, he volunteered to traverse only that part of Eastern -Africa which lies north of a line drawn from Berberah to Ras Hafun,--in -fact, the maritime mountains of the Somal. His health not permitting him -to be left on shore, he required a cruizer to convey him from place to -place, and to preserve his store of presents and provisions. By this means -he hoped to land at the most interesting points and to penetrate here and -there from sixty to eighty miles inland, across the region which he -undertook to explore. - -On the 17th of August, 1850, Sir Charles Malcolm wrote to Dr. Carter in -these terms:--"I have communicated with the President of the Royal -Geographical Society and others: the feeling is, that though much valuable -information could no doubt be gained by skirting the coast (as you -propose) both in geology and botany, yet that it does not fulfil the -primary and great object of the London Geographical Society, which was, -and still is, to have the interior explored." The Vice-Admiral, however, -proceeded to say that, under the circumstances of the case, Dr. Carter's -plans were approved of, and asked him to confer immediately with Commodore -Lushington; then Commander in Chief of the Indian Navy. - -In May, 1851, Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Malcolm died: geographers and -travellers lost in him an influential and an energetic friend. During the -ten years of his superintendence over the Indian Navy that service rose, -despite the incubus of profound peace, to the highest distinction. He -freely permitted the officers under his command to undertake the task of -geographical discovery, retaining their rank, pay, and batta, whilst the -actual expenses of their journeys were defrayed by contingent bills. All -papers and reports submitted to the local government were favourably -received, and the successful traveller looked forward to distinction and -advancement. - -During the decade which elapsed between 1828 and 1838, "officers of the -Indian Navy journeyed, as the phrase is, _with their lives in their -hands_, through the wildest districts of the East. Of these we name the -late Commander J. A. Young, Lieutenants Wellsted, Wyburd, Wood, and -Christopher, retired Commander Ormsby, the present Capt. H. B. Lynch C.B., -Commanders Felix Jones and W. C. Barker, Lieutenants Cruttenden and -Whitelock. Their researches extended from the banks of the Bosphorus to -the shores of India. Of the vast, the immeasurable value of such -services," to quote the words of the Quarterly Review (No. cxxix. Dec. -1839), "which able officers thus employed, are in the mean time rendering -to science, to commerce, to their country, and to the whole civilized -world, we need say nothing:--nothing we could say would be too much." - -"In five years, the admirable maps of that coral-bound gulf--the Red Sea-- -were complete: the terrors of the navigation had given place to the -confidence inspired by excellent surveys. In 1829 the Thetis of ten guns, -under Commander Robert Moresby, convoyed the first coal ship up the Red -Sea, of the coasts of which this skilful and enterprising seaman made a -cursory survey, from which emanated the subsequent trigonometrical -operations which form our present maps. Two ships were employed, the -'Benares' and 'Palinurus,' the former under Commander Elwon, the latter -under Commander Moresby. It remained, however, for the latter officer to -complete the work. Some idea may be formed of the perils these officers -and men went through, when we state the 'Benares' was forty-two times -aground. - -"Robert Moresby, the genius of the Red Sea, conducted also the survey of -the Maldive Islands and groups known as the Chagos Archipelago. He -narrowly escaped being a victim to the deleterious climate of his station, -and only left it when no longer capable of working. A host of young and -ardent officers,--Christopher, Young, Powell, Campbell, Jones, Barker, and -others,--ably seconded him: death was busy amongst them for months and so -paralyzed by disease were the living, that the anchors could scarcely be -raised for a retreat to the coast of India. Renovated by a three months' -stay, occasionally in port, where they were strengthened by additional -numbers, the undaunted remnants from time to time returned to their task; -and in 1837, gave to the world a knowledge of those singular groups which -heretofore--though within 150 miles of our coasts--had been a mystery -hidden within the dangers that environed them. The beautiful maps of the -Red Sea, drafted by the late Commodore Carless [2], then a lieutenant, -will ever remain permanent monuments of Indian Naval Science, and the -daring of its officers and men. Those of the Maldive and Chagos groups, -executed by Commander then Acting Lieutenant Felix Jones, were, we hear, -of such a high order, that they were deemed worthy of special inspection -by the Queen." - -"While these enlightening operations were in progress, there were others -of this profession, no less distinguished, employed on similar -discoveries. The coast of Mekran westward from Scinde, was little known, -but it soon found a place in the hydrographical offices of India, under -Captain, then Lieutenant, Stafford Haines, and his staff, who were engaged -on it. The journey to the Oxus, made by Lieut. Wood, Sir. A. Burnes's -companion in his Lahore and Afghan missions, is a page of history which -may not be opened to us again in our own times; while in Lieut. Carless's -drafts of the channels of the Indus, we trace those designs, that the -sword of Sir Charles Napier only was destined to reveal." - -"The ten years prior to that of 1839 were those of fitful repose, such as -generally precedes some great outbreak. The repose afforded ample leisure -for research, and the shores of the island of Socotra, with the south -coast of Arabia, were carefully delineated. Besides the excellent maps of -these regions, we are indebted to the survey for that unique work on Oman, -by the late Lieut. Wellsted of this service, and for valuable notices from -the pen of Lieut. Cruttenden. [3] - -"Besides the works we have enumerated, there were others of the same -nature, but on a smaller scale, in operation at the same period around our -own coasts. The Gulf of Cambay, and the dangerous sands known as the -Molucca Banks, were explored and faithfully mapped by Captain Richard -Ethersey, assisted by Lieutenant (now Commander) Fell. Bombay Harbour was -delineated again on a grand scale by Capt. R. Cogan, assisted by Lieut. -Peters, now both dead; and the ink of the Maldive charts had scarcely -dried, when the labours of those employed were demanded of the Indian -Government by Her Majesty's authorities at Ceylon, to undertake -trigonometrical surveys of that Island, and the dangerous and shallow -gulfs on either side of the neck of sand connecting it with India. They -were the present Captains F. F. Powell, and Richard Ethersey, in the -Schooner 'Royal Tiger' and 'Shannon,' assisted by Lieut. (now Commander) -Felix Jones, and the late Lieut. Wilmot Christopher, who fell in action -before Mooltan. The first of these officers had charge of one of the -tenders under Lieut. Powell, and the latter another under Lieut. Ethersey. -The maps of the Pamban Pass and the Straits of Manaar were by the hand of -Lieut. Felix Jones, who was the draftsman also on this survey: they speak -for themselves." [4] - -In 1838 Sir Charles Malcolm was succeeded by Sir Robert Oliver, an "old -officer of the old school"--a strict disciplinarian, a faithful and honest -servant of Government, but a violent, limited, and prejudiced man. He -wanted "sailors," individuals conversant with ropes and rigging, and -steeped in knowledge of shot and shakings, he loved the "rule of thumb," -he hated "literary razors," and he viewed science with the profoundest -contempt. About twenty surveys were ordered to be discontinued as an -inauguratory measure, causing the loss of many thousand pounds, -independent of such contingencies as the "Memnon." [5] Batta was withheld -from the few officers who obtained leave, and the life of weary labour on -board ship was systematically made monotonous and uncomfortable:--in local -phrase it was described as "many stripes and no stars." Few measures were -omitted to heighten the shock of contrast. No notice was taken of papers -forwarded to Government, and the man who attempted to distinguish himself -by higher views than quarter-deck duties, found himself marked out for the -angry Commodore's red-hot displeasure. No place was allowed for charts and -plans: valuable original surveys, of which no duplicates existed, lay -tossed amongst the brick and mortar with which the Marine Office was being -rebuilt. No instruments were provided for ships, even a barometer was not -supplied in one case, although duly indented for during five years. Whilst -Sir Charles Malcolm ruled the Bombay dockyards, the British name rose high -in the Indian, African, and Arabian seas. Each vessel had its presents-- -guns, pistols, and powder, Abbas, crimson cloth and shawls, watches, -telescopes, and similar articles--with a suitable stock of which every -officer visiting the interior on leave was supplied. An order from Sir -Robert Oliver withdrew presents as well as instruments: with them -disappeared the just idea of our faith and greatness as a nation -entertained by the maritime races, who formerly looked forward to the -arrival of our cruizers. Thus the Indian navy was crushed by neglect and -routine into a mere transport service, remarkable for little beyond -constant quarrels between sea-lieutenants and land-lieutenants, sailor- -officers and soldier-officers, their "passengers." And thus resulted that -dearth of enterprise--alluded to _ex cathedra_ by a late President of the -Royal Geographical Society of Great Britain--which now characterises -Western India erst so celebrated for ardour in adventure. - -To return to the subject of East African discovery. Commodore Lushington -and Dr. Carter met in order to concert some measures for forwarding the -plans of a Somali Expedition. It was resolved to associate three persons, -Drs. Carter and Stocks, and an officer of the Indian navy: a vessel was -also warned for service on the coast of Africa. This took place in the -beginning of 1851: presently Commodore Lushington resigned his command, -and the project fell to the ground. - -The author of these pages, after his return from El Hajaz to Bombay, -conceived the idea of reviving the Somali Expedition: he proposed to start -in the spring of 1854, and accompanied by two officers, to penetrate _via_ -Harar and Gananah to Zanzibar. His plans were favourably received by the -Right Hon. Lord Elphinstone, the enlightened governor of the colony, and -by the local authorities, amongst whom the name of James Grant Lumsden, -then Member of Council, will ever suggest the liveliest feelings of -gratitude and affection. But it being judged necessary to refer once more -for permission to the Court of Directors, an official letter bearing date -the 28th April 1854 was forwarded from Bombay with a warm recommendation. -Lieut. Herne of the 1st Bombay European Regiment of Fusileers, an officer -skilful in surveying, photography, and mechanics, together with the -writer, obtained leave, pending the reference, and a free passage to Aden -in Arabia. On the 23rd August a favourable reply was despatched by the -Court of Directors. - -Meanwhile the most painful of events had modified the original plan. The -third member of the Expedition, Assistant Surgeon J. Ellerton Stocks, -whose brilliant attainments as a botanist, whose long and enterprising -journeys, and whose eminently practical bent of mind had twice recommended -him for the honors and trials of African exploration, died suddenly in the -prime of life. Deeply did his friends lament him for many reasons: a -universal favourite, he left in the social circle a void never to be -filled up, and they mourned the more that Fate had not granted him the -time, as it had given him the will and the power, to trace a deeper and -more enduring mark upon the iron tablets of Fame. - -No longer hoping to carry out his first project, the writer determined to -make the geography and commerce of the Somali country his principal -objects. He therefore applied to the Bombay Government for the assistance -of Lieut. William Stroyan, I. N., an officer distinguished by his surveys -on the coast of Western India, in Sindh, and on the Panjab Rivers. It was -not without difficulty that such valuable services were spared for the -deadly purpose of penetrating into Eastern Africa. All obstacles, however, -were removed by their ceaseless and energetic efforts, who had fostered -the author's plans, and early in the autumn of 1854, Lieut. Stroyan -received leave to join the Expedition. At the same time, Lieut. J. H. -Speke, of the 46th Regiment Bengal N. I., who had spent many years -collecting the Fauna of Thibet and the Himalayan mountains, volunteered to -share the hardships of African exploration. - -In October 1854, the writer and his companions received at Aden in Arabia -the sanction of the Court of Directors. It was his intention to march in a -body, using Berberah as a base of operations, westwards to Harar, and -thence in a south-easterly direction towards Zanzibar. - -But the voice of society at Aden was loud against the expedition. The -rough manners, the fierce looks, and the insolent threats of the Somal-- -the effects of our too peaceful rule--had pre-possessed the timid colony -at the "Eye of Yemen" with an idea of extreme danger. The Anglo-Saxon -spirit suffers, it has been observed, from confinement within any but -wooden walls, and the European degenerates rapidly, as do his bull-dogs, -his game-cocks, and other pugnacious animals, in the hot, enervating, and -unhealthy climates of the East. The writer and his comrades were -represented to be men deliberately going to their death, and the Somal at -Aden were not slow in imitating the example of their rulers. The savages -had heard of the costly Shoa Mission, its 300 camels and 50 mules, and -they longed for another rehearsal of the drama: according to them a vast -outlay was absolutely necessary, every village must be feasted, every -chief propitiated with magnificent presents, and dollars must be dealt out -by handfuls. The Political Resident refused to countenance the scheme -proposed, and his objection necessitated a further change of plans. - -Accordingly, Lieut. Herne was directed to proceed, after the opening of -the annual fair-season, to Berberah, where no danger was apprehended. It -was judged that the residence of this officer upon the coast would produce -a friendly feeling on the part of the Somal, and, as indeed afterwards -proved to be the case, would facilitate the writer's egress from Harar, by -terrifying the ruler for the fate of his caravans. [6] Lieut. Herne, who -on the 1st of January 1855, was joined by Lieut. Stroyan, resided on the -African coast from November to April; he inquired into the commerce, the -caravan lines, and the state of the slave trade, visited the maritime -mountains, sketched all the places of interest, and made a variety of -meteorological and other observations as a prelude to extensive research. - -Lieut. Speke was directed to land at Bunder Guray, a small harbour in the -"Arz el Aman," or "Land of Safety," as the windward Somal style their -country. His aim was to trace the celebrated Wady Nogal, noting its -watershed and other peculiarities, to purchase horses and camels for the -future use of the Expedition, and to collect specimens of the reddish -earth which, according to the older African travellers, denotes the -presence of gold dust. [7] Lieut. Speke started on the 23rd October 1854, -and returned, after about three months, to Aden. He had failed, through -the rapacity and treachery of his guide, to reach the Wady Nogal. But he -had penetrated beyond the maritime chain of hills, and his journal -(condensed in the Appendix) proves that he had collected some novel and -important information. - -Meanwhile the author, assuming the disguise of an Arab merchant, prepared -to visit the forbidden city of Harar. He left Aden on the 29th of October -1854, arrived at the capital of the ancient Hadiyah Empire on the 3rd -January 1855, and on the 9th of the ensuing February returned in safety to -Arabia, with the view of purchasing stores and provisions for a second and -a longer journey. [8] What unforeseen circumstance cut short the career of -the proposed Expedition, the Postscript of the present volume will show. - -The following pages contain the writer's diary, kept daring his march to -and from Harar. It must be borne in mind that the region traversed on this -occasion was previously known only by the vague reports of native -travellers. All the Abyssinian discoverers had traversed the Dankali and -other northern tribes: the land of the Somal was still a _terra -incognita_. Harar, moreover, had never been visited, and few are the -cities of the world which in the present age, when men hurry about the -earth, have not opened their gates to European adventure. The ancient -metropolis of a once mighty race, the only permanent settlement in Eastern -Africa, the reported seat of Moslem learning, a walled city of stone -houses, possessing its independent chief, its peculiar population, its -unknown language, and its own coinage, the emporium of the coffee trade, -the head-quarters of slavery, the birth-place of the Kat plant, [9] and -the great manufactory of cotton-cloths, amply, it appeared, deserved the -trouble of exploration. That the writer was successful in his attempt, the -following pages will prove. Unfortunately it was found impossible to use -any instruments except a pocket compass, a watch, and a portable -thermometer more remarkable for convenience than correctness. But the way -was thus paved for scientific observation: shortly after the author's -departure from Harar, the Amir or chief wrote to the Acting Political -Resident at Aden, earnestly begging to be supplied with a "Frank -physician," and offering protection to any European who might be persuaded -to visit his dominions. - -The Appendix contains the following papers connected with the movements of -the expedition in the winter of 1854. - -1. The diary and observations made by Lieut. Speke, when attempting to -reach the Wady Nogal. - -2. A sketch of the grammar, and a vocabulary of the Harari tongue. This -dialect is little known to European linguists: the only notices of it -hitherto published are in Salt's Abyssinia, Appendix I. p. 6-10.; by Balbi -Atlas Ethnogr. Tab. xxxix. No. 297.; Kielmaier, Ausland, 1840, No. 76.; -and Dr. Beke (Philological Journal, April 25. 1845.) - -3. Meteorological observations in the cold season of 1854-55 by Lieuts. -Herne, Stroyan, and the Author. - -4. A brief description of certain peculiar customs, noticed in Nubia, by -Brown and Werne under the name of fibulation. - -5. The conclusion is a condensed account of an attempt to reach Harar from -Ankobar. [10] On the 14th October 1841, Major Sir William Cornwallis -Harris (then Captain in the Bombay Engineers), Chief of the Mission sent -from India to the King of Shoa, advised Lieut. W. Barker, I. N., whose -services were imperatively required by Sir Robert Oliver, to return from -Abyssinia _via_ Harar, "over a road hitherto untrodden by Europeans." As -His Majesty Sahalah Selassie had offered friendly letters to the Moslem -Amir, Capt. Harris had "no doubt of the success of the enterprise." -Although the adventurous explorer was prevented by the idle fears of the -Bedouin Somal and the rapacity of his guides from visiting the city, his -pages, as a narrative of travel, will amply reward perusal. They have been -introduced into this volume mainly with the view of putting the reader in -possession of all that has hitherto been written and not published, upon -the subject of Harar. [11] For the same reason the author has not -hesitated to enrich his pages with observations drawn from Lieutenants -Cruttenden and Rigby. The former printed in the Transactions of the Bombay -Geographical Society two excellent papers: one headed a "Report on the -Mijjertheyn Tribe of Somallies inhabiting the district forming the North -East Point of Africa;" secondly, a "Memoir on the Western or Edoor Tribes, -inhabiting the Somali coast of North East Africa; with the Southern -Branches of the family of Darood, resident on the banks of the Webbe -Shebayli, commonly called the River Webbe." Lieut. C. P. Rigby, 16th -Regiment Bombay N. I., published, also in the Transactions of the -Geographical Society of Bombay, an "Outline of the Somali Language, with -Vocabulary," which supplied a great lacuna in the dialects of Eastern -Africa. - -A perusal of the following pages will convince the reader that the -extensive country of the Somal is by no means destitute of capabilities. -Though partially desert, and thinly populated, it possesses valuable -articles of traffic, and its harbours export the produce of the Gurague, -Abyssinian, Galla, and other inland races. The natives of the country are -essentially commercial: they have lapsed into barbarism by reason of their -political condition--the rude equality of the Hottentots,--but they appear -to contain material for a moral regeneration. As subjects they offer a -favourable contrast to their kindred, the Arabs of El Yemen, a race -untameable as the wolf, and which, subjugated in turn by Abyssinian, -Persian, Egyptian, and Turk, has ever preserved an indomitable spirit of -freedom, and eventually succeeded in skaking off the yoke of foreign -dominion. For half a generation we have been masters of Aden, filling -Southern Arabia with our calicos and rupees--what is the present state of -affairs there? We are dared by the Bedouins to come forth from behind our -stone walls and fight like men in the plain,--British _proteges_ are -slaughtered within the range of our guns,--our allies' villages have been -burned in sight of Aden,--our deserters are welcomed and our fugitive -felons protected,--our supplies are cut off, and the garrison is reduced -to extreme distress, at the word of a half-naked bandit,--the miscreant -Bhagi who murdered Capt. Mylne in cold blood still roams the hills -unpunished,--gross insults are the sole acknowledgments of our peaceful -overtures,--the British flag has been fired upon without return, our -cruizers being ordered to act only on the defensive,--and our forbearance -to attack is universally asserted and believed to arise from mere -cowardice. Such is, and such will be, the character of the Arab! - -The Sublime Porte still preserves her possessions in the Tahamah, and the -regions conterminous to Yemen, by the stringent measures with which -Mohammed Ali of Egypt opened the robber-haunted Suez road. Whenever a Turk -or a traveller is murdered, a few squadrons of Irregular Cavalry are -ordered out; they are not too nice upon the subject of retaliation, and -rarely refuse to burn a village or two, or to lay waste the crops near the -scene of outrage. - -A civilized people, like ourselves, objects to such measures for many -reasons, of which none is more feeble than the fear of perpetuating a -blood feud with the Arabs. Our present relations with them are a "very -pretty quarrel," and moreover one which time must strengthen, cannot -efface. By a just, wholesome, and unsparing severity we may inspire the -Bedouin with fear instead of contempt: the veriest visionary would deride -the attempt to animate him with a higher sentiment. - -"Peace," observes a modern sage, "is the dream of the wise, war is the -history of man." To indulge in such dreams is but questionable wisdom. It -was not a "peace-policy" which gave the Portuguese a seaboard extending -from Cape Non to Macao. By no peace policy the Osmanlis of a past age -pushed their victorious arms from the deserts of Tartary to Aden, to -Delhi, to Algiers, and to the gates of Vienna. It was no peace policy -which made the Russians seat themselves upon the shores of the Black, the -Baltic, and the Caspian seas: gaining in the space of 150 years, and, -despite war, retaining, a territory greater than England and France -united. No peace policy enabled the French to absorb region after region -in Northern Africa, till the Mediterranean appears doomed to sink into a -Gallic lake. The English of a former generation were celebrated for -gaining ground in both hemispheres: their broad lands were not won by a -peace policy, which, however, in this our day, has on two distinct -occasions well nigh lost for them the "gem of the British Empire"--India. -The philanthropist and the political economist may fondly hope, by outcry -against "territorial aggrandizement," by advocating a compact frontier, by -abandoning colonies, and by cultivating "equilibrium," to retain our rank -amongst the great nations of the world. Never! The facts of history prove -nothing more conclusively than this: a race either progresses or -retrogrades, either increases or diminishes: the children of Time, like -their sire, cannot stand still. - -The occupation of the port of Berberah has been advised for many reasons. - -In the first place, Berberah is the true key of the Red Sea, the centre of -East African traffic, and the only safe place for shipping upon the -western Erythroean shore, from Suez to Guardafui. Backed by lands capable -of cultivation, and by hills covered with pine and other valuable trees, -enjoying a comparatively temperate climate, with a regular although thin -monsoon, this harbour has been coveted by many a foreign conqueror. -Circumstances have thrown it as it were into our arms, and, if we refuse -the chance, another and a rival nation will not be so blind. - -Secondly, we are bound to protect the lives of British subjects upon this -coast. In A.D. 1825 the crew of the "Mary Ann" brig was treacherously -murdered by the Somal. The consequence of a summary and exemplary -punishment [12] was that in August 1843, when the H.E.I.C.'s war-steamer -"Memnon" was stranded at Ras Assayr near Cape Guardafui, no outrage was -attempted by the barbarians, upon whose barren shores our seamen remained -for months labouring at the wreck. In A.D. 1855 the Somal, having -forgotten the old lesson, renewed their practices of pillaging and -murdering strangers. It is then evident that this people cannot be trusted -without supervision, and equally certain that vessels are ever liable to -be cast ashore in this part of the Red Sea. But a year ago the French -steam corvette, "Le Caiman," was lost within sight of Zayla; the Bedouin -Somal, principally Eesa, assembled a fanatic host, which was, however, -dispersed before blood had been drawn, by the exertion of the governor and -his guards. It remains for us, therefore, to provide against such -contingencies. Were one of the Peninsular and Oriental Company's vessels -cast by any accident upon this inhospitable shore, in the present state of -affairs the lives of the passengers, and the cargo, would be placed in -imminent peril. - -In advocating the establishment of an armed post at Berberah no stress is -laid upon the subject of slavery. To cut off that traffic the possession -of the great export harbour is by no means necessary. Whenever a British -cruizer shall receive positive and _bona fide_ orders to search native -craft, and to sell as prizes all that have slaves on board, the trade will -receive a death-blow. - -Certain measures have been taken during the last annual fair to punish the -outrage perpetrated by the Somal at Berberah in A.D. 1855. The writer on -his return to Aden proposed that the several clans implicated in the -offence should at once be expelled from British dominions. This -preliminary was carried out by the Acting Political Resident at Aden. -Moreover, it was judged advisable to blockade the Somali coast, from -Siyaro to Zayla, not concluded, until, in the first place, Lieut. -Stroyan's murderer, and the ruffian who attempted to spear Lieut. Speke in -cold blood, should be given up [13]; and secondly, that due compensation -for all losses should be made by the plunderers. The former condition was -approved by the Right Honorable the Governor-General of India, who, -however, objected, it is said, to the money-demand. [14] At present the -H.E. I.C.'s cruizers "Mahi," and "Elphinstone," are blockading the harbour -of Berberah, the Somal have offered 15,000 dollars' indemnity, and they -pretend, as usual, that the murderer has been slain by his tribe. - -To conclude. The writer has had the satisfaction of receiving from his -comrades assurances that they are willing to accompany him once more in -task of African Exploration. The plans of the Frank are now publicly known -to the Somali. Should the loss of life, however valuable, be an obstacle -to prosecuting them, he must fall in the esteem of the races around him. -On the contrary, should he, after duly chastising the offenders, carry out -the original plan, he will command the respect of the people, and wipe out -the memory of a temporary reverse. At no distant period the project will, -it is hoped, be revived. Nothing is required but permission to renew the -attempt--an indulgence which will not be refused by a Government raised by -energy, enterprise, and perseverance from the ranks of merchant society to -national wealth and imperial grandeur. - -14. St. James's Square, -10th February, 1856. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] It occupies the whole of the Eastern Horn, extending from the north of -Bab el Mandeb to several degrees south of Cape Guardafui. In the former -direction it is bounded by the Dankali and the Ittoo Gallas; in the latter -by the Sawahil or Negrotic regions; the Red Sea is its eastern limit, and -westward it stretches to within a few miles of Harar. - -[2] In A.D. 1838, Lieut. Carless surveyed the seaboard of the Somali -country, from Ras Hafun to Burnt Island; unfortunately his labours were -allowed by Sir Charles Malcolm's successor to lie five years in the -obscurity of MS. Meanwhile the steam frigate "Memnon," Capt. Powell -commanding, was lost at Ras Assayr; a Norie's chart, an antiquated -document, with an error of from fifteen to twenty miles, being the only -map of reference on board. Thus the Indian Government, by the dilatoriness -and prejudices of its Superintendent of Marine, sustained an unjustifiable -loss of at least 50,000_l._ - -[3] In A.D. 1836-38, Lieut. Cruttenden published descriptions of travel, -which will be alluded to in a subsequent part of this preface. - -[4] This "hasty sketch of the scientific labours of the Indian navy," is -extracted from an able anonymous pamphlet, unpromisingly headed -"Grievances and Present Condition of our Indian Officers." - -[5] In A.D. 1848, the late Mr. Joseph Hume called in the House of Commons -for a return of all Indian surveys carried on during the ten previous -years. The result proved that no less than a score had been suddenly -"broken up," by order of Sir Robert Oliver. - -[6] This plan was successfully adopted by Messrs. Antoine and Arnauld -d'Abbadie, when travelling in dangerous parts of Abyssinia and the -adjacent countries. - -[7] In A.D. 1660, Vermuyden found gold at Gambia always on naked and -barren hills embedded in a reddish earth. - -[8] The writer has not unfrequently been blamed by the critics of Indian -papers, for venturing into such dangerous lands with an outfit nearly -1500_l._ in value. In the Somali, as in other countries of Eastern Africa, -travellers must carry not only the means of purchasing passage, but also -the very necessaries of life. Money being unknown, such bulky articles as -cotton-cloth, tobacco, and beads are necessary to provide meat and milk, -and he who would eat bread must load his camels with grain. The Somal of -course exaggerate the cost of travelling; every chief, however, may demand -a small present, and every pauper, as will be seen in the following pages, -expects to be fed. - -[9] It is described at length in Chap. III. - -[10] The author hoped to insert Lieut. Berne's journal, kept at Berberah, -and the different places of note in its vicinity; as yet, however, the -paper has not been received. - -[11] Harar has frequently been described by hearsay; the following are the -principal authorities:-- - -Rochet (Second Voyage Dans le Pays des Adels, &c. Paris, 1846.), page 263. - -Sir. W. Cornwallis Harris (Highlands of AEthiopia, vol. i. ch. 43. et -passim). - -Cruttenden (Transactions of the Bombay Geological Society A.D. 1848). - -Barker (Report of the probable Position of Harar. Vol. xii. Royal -Geographical Society). - -M'Queen (Geographical Memoirs of Abyssinia, prefixed to Journals of Rev. -Messrs. Isenberg and Krapf). - -Christopher (Journal whilst commanding the H. C.'s brig "Tigris," on the -East Coast of Africa). - -Of these by far the most correct account is that of Lieut. Cruttenden. - -[12] In A.D. 1825, the Government of Bombay received intelligence that a -brig from the Mauritius had been seized, plundered, and broken up near -Berberah, and that part of her crew had been barbarously murdered by the -Somali. The "Elphinstone" sloop of war (Capt. Greer commanding) was sent -to blockade the coast; when her guns opened fire, the people fled with -their wives and children, and the spot where a horseman was killed by a -cannon ball is still shown on the plain near the town. Through the -intervention of El Hajj Sharmarkay, the survivors were recovered; the -Somal bound themselves to abstain from future attacks upon English -vessels, and also to refund by annual instalments the full amount of -plundered property. For the purpose of enforcing the latter stipulation it -was resolved that a vessel of war should remain upon the coast until the -whole was liquidated. When attempts at evasion occurred, the traffic was -stopped by sending all craft outside the guard-ship, and forbidding -intercourse with the shore. The "Coote" (Capt. Pepper commanding), the -"Palinurus" and the "Tigris," in turn with the "Elphinstone," maintained -the blockade through the trading seasons till 1833. About 6000_l._ were -recovered, and the people were strongly impressed with the fact that we -had both the will and the means to keep their plundering propensities -within bounds. - -[13] The writer advised that these men should be hung upon the spot where -the outrage was committed, that the bodies should be burned and the ashes -cast into the sea, lest by any means the murderers might become martyrs. -This precaution should invariably be adopted when Moslems assassinate -Infidels. - -[14] The reason of the objection is not apparent. A savage people is -imperfectly punished by a few deaths: the fine is the only true way to -produce a lasting impression upon their heads and hearts. Moreover, it is -the custom of India and the East generally, and is in reality the only -safeguard of a traveller's property. - - -[Illustration: Map to illustrate LIEUT. BURTON'S Route to HARAR _from a -Sketch by the late Lieut. W. Stroyan, Indian Navy._] - -[Illustration: BERBERAH] - - - - -CONTENTS. - - -PREFACE - -CHAPTER I. -Departure from Aden - -CHAP. II. -Life in Zayla - -CHAP. III. -Excursions near Zayla - -CHAP. IV. -The Somal, their Origin and Peculiarities - -CHAP. V. -From Zayla to the Hills - -CHAP. VI. -From the Zayla Hills to the Marar Prairie - -CHAP. VII. -From the Marar Prairie to Harar - -CHAP. VIII. -Ten Days at Harar - -CHAP. IX. -A Ride to Berberah - -CHAP. X. -Berberah and its Environs - -POSTSCRIPT - -APPENDICES - - - - -LIST OF PLATES. - - -Harar, from the Coffe Stream -Map of Berberah -Route to Harar -The Hammal -Costume of Harar -H. H. Ahmed Bin Abibakr, Amir of Harar - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -DEPARTURE FROM ADEN. - - -I doubt not there are many who ignore the fact that in Eastern Africa, -scarcely three hundred miles distant from Aden, there is a counterpart of -ill-famed Timbuctoo in the Far West. The more adventurous Abyssinian -travellers, Salt and Stuart, Krapf and Isenberg, Barker and Rochet,--not -to mention divers Roman Catholic Missioners,--attempted Harar, but -attempted it in vain. The bigoted ruler and barbarous people threatened -death to the Infidel who ventured within their walls; some negro Merlin -having, it is said, read Decline and Fall in the first footsteps of the -Frank. [1] Of all foreigners the English were, of course, the most hated -and dreaded; at Harar slavery still holds its head-quarters, and the old -Dragon well knows what to expect from the hand of St. George. Thus the -various travellers who appeared in beaver and black coats became persuaded -that the city was inaccessible, and Europeans ceased to trouble themselves -about Harar. - -It is, therefore, a point of honor with me, dear L., to utilise my title -of Haji by entering the city, visiting the ruler, and returning in safety, -after breaking the guardian spell. - -The most auspicious day in the Moslem year for beginning a journey is, -doubtless, the 6th of the month Safar [2], on which, quoth the Prophet, El -Islam emerged from obscurity. Yet even at Aden we could not avail -ourselves of this lucky time: our delays and difficulties were a fit -prelude for a journey amongst those "Blameless Ethiopians," with whom no -less a personage than august Jove can dine and depart. [3] - -On Sunday, the 29th October, 1854, our manifold impediments were -pronounced complete. Friend S. threw the slipper of blessing at my back, -and about 4 P.M. embarking from Maala Bunder, we shook out our "muslin," -and sailed down the fiery harbour. Passing the guard-boat, we delivered -our permit; before venturing into the open sea we repeated the Fatihah- -prayer in honor of the Shaykh Majid, inventor of the mariners' compass -[4], and evening saw us dancing on the bright clear tide, whose "magic -waves," however, murmured after another fashion the siren song which -charmed the senses of the old Arabian voyagers. [5] - -Suddenly every trace of civilisation fell from my companions as if it had -been a garment. At Aden, shaven and beturbaned, Arab fashion, now they -threw off all dress save the loin cloth, and appeared in their dark -morocco. Mohammed filled his mouth with a mixture of coarse Surat tobacco -and ashes,--the latter article intended, like the Anglo-Indian soldier's -chili in his arrack, to "make it bite." Guled uncovered his head, a member -which in Africa is certainly made to go bare, and buttered himself with an -unguent redolent of sheep's tail; and Ismail, the rais or captain of our -"foyst," [6] the Sahalah, applied himself to puffing his nicotiana out of -a goat's shank-bone. Our crew, consisting of seventy-one men and boys, -prepared, as evening fell, a mess of Jowari grain [7] and grease, the -recipe of which I spare you, and it was despatched in a style that would -have done credit to Kafirs as regards gobbling, bolting, smearing lips, -licking fingers, and using ankles as napkins. Then with a light easterly -breeze and the ominous cliffs of Little Aden still in sight, we spread our -mats on deck and prepared to sleep under the moon. [8] - -My companions, however, felt, without perhaps comprehending, the joviality -arising from a return to Nature. Every man was forthwith nicknamed, and -pitiless was the raillery upon the venerable subjects of long and short, -fat and thin. One sang a war-song, another a love-song, a third some song -of the sea, whilst the fourth, an Eesa youth, with the villanous -expression of face common to his tribe, gave us a rain measure, such as -men chaunt during wet weather. All these effusions were _naive_ and -amusing: none, however, could bear English translation without an amount -of omission which would change their nature. Each effort of minstrelsy was -accompanied by roars of laughter, and led to much manual pleasantry. All -swore that they had never spent, intellectually speaking, a more charming -_soiree_, and pitied me for being unable to enter thoroughly into the -spirit of the dialogue. Truly it is not only the polished European, as was -said of a certain travelling notability, that lapses with facility into -pristine barbarism. - -I will now introduce you to my companions. The managing man is one -Mohammed Mahmud [9], generally called El Hammal or the porter: he is a -Havildar or sergeant in the Aden police, and was entertained for me by -Lieut. Dansey, an officer who unfortunately was not "confirmed" in a -political appointment at Aden. The Hammal is a bull-necked, round-headed -fellow of lymphatic temperament, with a lamp-black skin, regular features, -and a pulpy figure,--two rarities amongst his countrymen, who compare him -to a Banyan. An orphan in early youth, and becoming, to use his own -phrase, sick of milk, he ran away from his tribe, the Habr Gerhajis, and -engaged himself as a coaltrimmer with the slaves on board an Indian war- -steamer. After rising in rank to the command of the crew, he became -servant and interpreter to travellers, visited distant lands--Egypt and -Calcutta--and finally settled as a Feringhee policeman. He cannot read or -write, but he has all the knowledge to be acquired by fifteen or twenty -years, hard "knocking about:" he can make a long speech, and, although he -never prays, a longer prayer; he is an excellent mimic, and delights his -auditors by imitations and descriptions of Indian ceremony, Egyptian -dancing, Arab vehemence, Persian abuse, European vivacity, and Turkish -insolence. With prodigious inventiveness, and a habit of perpetual -intrigue, acquired in his travels, he might be called a "knowing" man, but -for the truly Somali weakness of showing in his countenance all that -passes through his mind. This people can hide nothing: the blank eye, the -contracting brow, the opening nostril and the tremulous lip, betray, -despite themselves, their innermost thoughts. - -The second servant, whom I bring before you is Guled, another policeman at -Aden. He is a youth of good family, belonging to the Ismail Arrah, the -royal clan of the great Habr Gerhajis tribe. His father was a man of -property, and his brethren near Berberah, are wealthy Bedouins: yet he ran -away from his native country when seven or eight years old, and became a -servant in the house of a butter merchant at Mocha. Thence he went to -Aden, where he began with private service, and ended his career in the -police. He is one of those long, live skeletons, common amongst the Somal: -his shoulders are parallel with his ears, his ribs are straight as a -mummy's, his face has not an ounce of flesh upon it, and his features -suggest the idea of some lank bird: we call him Long Guled, to which he -replies with the Yemen saying "Length is Honor, even in Wood." He is brave -enough, because he rushes into danger without reflection; his great -defects are weakness of body and nervousness of temperament, leading in -times of peril to the trembling of hands, the dropping of caps, and the -mismanagement of bullets: besides which, he cannot bear hunger, thirst, or -cold. - -The third is one Abdy Abokr, also of the Habr Gerhajis, a personage whom, -from, his smattering of learning and his prodigious rascality, we call the -Mulla "End of Time." [10] He is a man about forty, very old-looking for -his age, with small, deep-set cunning eyes, placed close together, a hook -nose, a thin beard, a bulging brow, scattered teeth, [11] and a short -scant figure, remarkable only for length of back. His gait is stealthy, -like a cat's, and he has a villanous grin. This worthy never prays, and -can neither read nor write; but he knows a chapter or two of the Koran, -recites audibly a long Ratib or task, morning and evening [12], whence, -together with his store of hashed Hadis (tradition), he derives the title -of Widad or hedge-priest. His tongue, primed with the satirical sayings of -Abn Zayd el Helali, and Humayd ibn Mansur [13], is the terror of men upon -whom repartee imposes. His father was a wealthy shipowner in his day; but, -cursed with Abdy and another son, the old man has lost all his property, -his children have deserted him, and he now depends entirely upon the -charity of the Zayla chief. The "End of Time" has squandered considerable -sums in travelling far and wide from Harar to Cutch, he has managed -everywhere to perpetrate some peculiar villany. He is a pleasant -companion, and piques himself upon that power of quotation which in the -East makes a polite man. If we be disposed to hurry, he insinuates that -"Patience is of Heaven, Haste of Hell." When roughly addressed, he -remarks,-- - - "There are cures for the hurts of lead and steel, - But the wounds of the tongue--they never heal!" - -If a grain of rice adhere to our beards, he says, smilingly, "the gazelle -is in the garden;" to which we reply "we will hunt her with the five." -[14] Despite these merits, I hesitated to engage him, till assured by the -governor of Zayla that he was to be looked upon as a son, and, moreover, -that he would bear with him one of those state secrets to an influential -chief which in this country are never committed to paper. I found him an -admirable buffoon, skilful in filling pipes and smoking them; _au reste_, -an individual of "many words and little work," infinite intrigue, -cowardice, cupidity, and endowed with a truly evil tongue. - -The morning sun rose hot upon us, showing Mayyum and Zubah, the giant -staples of the "Gate under the Pleiades." [15] Shortly afterwards, we came -in sight of the Barr el Ajam (barbarian land), as the Somal call their -country [16], a low glaring flat of yellow sand, desert and heat-reeking, -tenanted by the Eesa, and a meet habitat for savages. Such to us, at -least, appeared the land of Adel. [17] At midday we descried the Ras el -Bir,--Headland of the Well,--the promontory which terminates the bold -Tajurrah range, under which lie the sleeping waters of the Maiden's Sea. -[18] During the day we rigged out an awning, and sat in the shade smoking -and chatting merrily, for the weather was not much hotter than on English -summer seas. Some of the crew tried praying; but prostrations are not -easily made on board ship, and El Islam, as Umar shrewdly suspected, was -not made for a seafaring race. At length the big red sun sank slowly -behind the curtain of sky-blue rock, where lies the not yet "combusted" -village of Tajurrah. [19] We lay down to rest with the light of day, and -had the satisfaction of closing our eyes upon a fair though captious -breeze. - -On the morning of the 31st October, we entered the Zayla Creek, which -gives so much trouble to native craft. We passed, on the right, the low -island of Masha, belonging to the "City of the Slave Merchant,"-- -Tajurrah,--and on the left two similar patches of seagirt sand, called -Aybat and Saad el Din. These places supply Zayla, in the Kharif or hot -season [20], with thousands of gulls' eggs,--a great luxury. At noon we -sighted our destination. Zayla is the normal African port,--a strip of -sulphur-yellow sand, with a deep blue dome above, and a foreground of the -darkest indigo. The buildings, raised by refraction, rose high, and -apparently from the bosom of the deep. After hearing the worst accounts of -it, I was pleasantly disappointed by the spectacle of white-washed houses -and minarets, peering above a long low line of brown wall, flanked with -round towers. - -As we slowly threaded the intricate coral reefs of the port, a bark came -scudding up to us; it tacked, and the crew proceeded to give news in -roaring tones. Friendship between the Amir of Harar and the governor of -Zayla had been broken; the road through the Eesa Somal had been closed by -the murder of Masud, a favourite slave and adopted son of Sharmarkay; all -strangers had been expelled the city for some misconduct by the Harar -chief; moreover, small-pox was raging there with such violence that the -Galla peasantry would allow neither ingress nor egress. [21] I had the -pleasure of reflecting for some time, dear L., upon the amount of -responsibility incurred by using the phrase "I will;" and the only -consolation that suggested itself was the stale assurance that - - "Things at the worst most surely mend." - -No craft larger than a canoe can ride near Zayla. After bumping once or -twice against the coral reefs, it was considered advisable for our good -ship, the Sahalat, to cast anchor. My companions caused me to dress, put -me with my pipe and other necessaries into a cock-boat, and, wading -through the water, shoved it to shore. Lastly, at Bab el Sahil, the -Seaward or Northern Gate, they proceeded to array themselves in the -bravery of clean Tobes and long daggers strapped round the waist; each man -also slung his targe to his left arm, and in his right hand grasped lance -and javelin. At the gate we were received by a tall black spearman with a -"Ho there! to the governor;" and a crowd of idlers gathered to inspect the -strangers. Marshalled by the warder, we traversed the dusty roads--streets -they could not be called--of the old Arab town, ran the gauntlet of a -gaping mob, and finally entering a mat door, found ourselves in the -presence of the governor. - -I had met Sharmarkay at Aden, where he received from the authorities -strong injunctions concerning my personal safety: the character of a -Moslem merchant, however, requiring us to appear strangers, an -introduction by our master of ceremonies, the Hammal, followed my -entrance. Sharmarkay was living in an apartment by no means splendid, -preferring an Arish or kind of cow-house,--as the Anglo-Indian Nabobs do -the bungalow - - "with mat half hung, - The walls of plaster and the floors of * * * *," - ---to all his substantial double-storied houses. The ground was wet and -comfortless; a part of the reed walls was lined with cots bearing -mattresses and silk-covered pillows, a cross between a divan and a couch: -the only ornaments were a few weapons, and a necklace of gaudy beads -suspended near the door. I was placed upon the principal seat: on the -right were the governor and the Hammal; whilst the lowest portion of the -room was occupied by Mohammed Sharmarkay, the son and heir. The rest of -the company squatted upon chairs, or rather stools, of peculiar -construction. Nothing could be duller than this _assemblee_: pipes and -coffee are here unknown; and there is nothing in the East to act -substitute for them. [22] - -The governor of Zayla, El Hajj Sharmarkay bin Ali Salih, is rather a -remarkable man. He is sixteenth, according to his own account, in descent -from Ishak el Hazrami [23], the saintly founder of the great Gerhajis and -Awal tribes. His enemies derive him from a less illustrious stock; and the -fairness of his complexion favours the report that his grandfather Salih -was an Abyssinian slave. Originally the Nacoda or captain of a native -craft, he has raised himself, chiefly by British influence, to the -chieftainship of his tribe. [24] As early as May, 1825, he received from -Captain Bagnold, then our resident at Mocha, a testimonial and a reward, -for a severe sword wound in the left arm, received whilst defending the -lives of English seamen. [25] He afterwards went to Bombay, where he was -treated with consideration; and about fifteen years ago he succeeded the -Sayyid Mohammed el Barr as governor of Zayla and its dependencies, under -the Ottoman Pasha in Western Arabia. - -The Hajj Sharmarkay in his youth was a man of Valour: he could not read or -write; but he carried in battle four spears [26], and his sword-cut was -recognisable. He is now a man about sixty years old, at least six feet two -inches in stature, large-limbed, and raw-boned: his leanness is hidden by -long wide robes. He shaves his head and upper lip Shafei-fashion, and his -beard is represented by a ragged tuft of red-stained hair on each side of -his chin. A visit to Aden and a doctor cost him one eye, and the other is -now white with age. His dress is that of an Arab, and he always carries -with him a broad-bladed, silver-hilted sword. Despite his years, he is a -strong, active, and energetic man, ever looking to the "main chance." With -one foot in the grave, he meditates nothing but the conquest of Harar and -Berberah, which, making him master of the seaboard, would soon extend his -power as in days of old even to Abyssinia. [27] To hear his projects, you -would fancy them the offspring of a brain in the prime of youth: in order -to carry them out he would even assist in suppressing the profitable -slave-trade. [28] - -After half an hour's visit I was led by the Hajj through the streets of -Zayla [29], to one of his substantial houses of coralline and mud -plastered over with glaring whitewash. The ground floor is a kind of -warehouse full of bales and boxes, scales and buyers. A flight of steep -steps leads into a long room with shutters to exclude the light, floored -with tamped earth, full of "evening flyers" [30], and destitute of -furniture. Parallel to it are three smaller apartments; and above is a -terraced roof, where they who fear not the dew and the land-breeze sleep. -[31] I found a room duly prepared; the ground was spread with mats, and -cushions against the walls denoted the Divan: for me was placed a Kursi or -cot, covered with fine Persian rugs and gaudy silk and satin pillows. The -Hajj installed us with ceremony, and insisted, despite my remonstrances, -upon occupying the floor whilst I sat on the raised seat. After ushering -in supper, he considerately remarked that travelling is fatiguing, and -left us to sleep. - -The well-known sounds of El Islam returned from memory. Again the -melodious chant of the Muezzin,--no evening bell can compare with it for -solemnity and beauty,--and in the neighbouring mosque, the loudly intoned -Amin and Allaho Akbar,--far superior to any organ,--rang in my ear. The -evening gun of camp was represented by the Nakkarah, or kettle-drum, -sounded about seven P.M. at the southern gate; and at ten a second -drumming warned the paterfamilias that it was time for home, and thieves, -and lovers,--that it was the hour for bastinado. Nightfall was ushered in -by the song, the dance, and the marriage festival,--here no permission is -required for "native music in the lines,"--and muffled figures flitted -mysteriously through the dark alleys. - - * * * * * - -After a peep through the open window, I fell asleep, feeling once more at -home. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] "A tradition exists," says Lieut. Cruttenden, "amongst the people of -Harar, that the prosperity of their city depends upon the exclusion of all -travellers not of the Moslem faith, and all Christians are specially -interdicted." These freaks of interdiction are common to African rulers, -who on occasions of war, famine or pestilence, struck with some -superstitious fear, close their gates to strangers. - -[2] The 6th of Safar in 1864 corresponds with our 28th October. The Hadis -is [Arabic] "when the 6th of Safar went forth, my faith from the cloud -came forth." - -[3] The Abyssinian law of detaining guests,--Pedro Covilhao the first -Portuguese envoy (A.D. 1499) lived and died a prisoner there,--appears to -have been the Christian modification of the old Ethiopic rite of -sacrificing strangers. - -[4] It would be wonderful if Orientals omitted to romance about the origin -of such an invention as the Dayrah or compass. Shaykh Majid is said to -have been a Syrian saint, to whom Allah gave the power of looking upon -earth, as though it were a ball in his hand. Most Moslems agree in -assigning this origin to the Dayrah, and the Fatihah in honor of the holy -man, is still repeated by the pious mariner. - -Easterns do not "box the compass" after our fashion: with them each point -has its own name, generally derived from some prominent star on the -horizon. Of these I subjoin a list as in use amongst the Somal, hoping -that it may be useful to Oriental students. The names in hyphens are those -given in a paper on the nautical instrument of the Arabs by Jas. Prinseps -(Journal of the As. Soc., December 1836). The learned secretary appears -not to have heard the legend of Shaykh Majid, for he alludes to the -"Majidi Kitab" or Oriental Ephemeris, without any explanation. - -North Jah [Arabic] East Matla [Arabic] -N. by E. Farjad [Arabic] E. by S. Jauza [Arabic] - (or [Arabic]) E.S.E. Tir [Arabic] -N.N.E. Naash [Arabic] S.E. by E. Iklil [Arabic] -N.E. by E. Nakab [Arabic] S.E. Akrab [Arabic] -N.E. Ayyuk [Arabic] S.E. by S. Himarayn [Arabic] -N.E. by E. Waki [Arabic] S.S.E. Suhayl [Arabic] -E.N.E. Sumak [Arabic] S. by E. Suntubar [Arabic] -E. by N. Surayya [Arabic] (or [Arabic]) - -The south is called El Kutb ([Arabic]) and the west El Maghib ([Arabic]). -The western points are named like the eastern. North-east, for instance is -Ayyuk el Matlai; north-west, Ayyuk el Maghibi. Finally, the Dayrah Jahi is -when the magnetic needle points due north. The Dayrah Farjadi (more common -in these regions), is when the bar is fixed under Farjad, to allow for -variation, which at Berberah is about 4° 50' west. - -[5] The curious reader will find in the Herodotus of the Arabs, El -Masudi's "Meadows of gold and mines of gems," a strange tale of the blind -billows and the singing waves of Berberah and Jofuni (Cape Guardafui, the -classical Aromata). - -[6] "Foyst" and "buss," are the names applied by old travellers to the -half-decked vessels of these seas. - -[7] Holcus Sorghum, the common grain of Africa and Arabia: the Somali call -it Hirad; the people of Yemen, Taam. - -[8] The Somal being a people of less nervous temperament than the Arabs -and Indians, do not fear the moonlight. - -[9] The first name is that of the individual, as the Christian name with -us, the second is that of the father; in the Somali country, as in India, -they are not connected by the Arab "bin"--son of. - -[10] Abdy is an abbreviation of Abdullah; Abokr, a corruption of Abubekr. -The "End of Time" alludes to the prophesied corruption of the Moslem -priesthood in the last epoch of the world. - -[11] This peculiarity is not uncommon amongst the Somal; it is considered -by them a sign of warm temperament. - -[12] The Moslem should first recite the Farz prayers, or those ordered in -the Koran; secondly, the Sunnat or practice of the Prophet; and thirdly -the Nafilah or Supererogatory. The Ratib or self-imposed task is the last -of all; our Mulla placed it first, because he could chaunt it upon his -mule within hearing of the people. - -[13] Two modern poets and wits well known in Yemen. - -[14] That is to say, "we will remove it with the five fingers." These are -euphuisms to avoid speaking broadly and openly of that venerable feature, -the beard. - -[15] Bab el Mandeb is called as above by Humayd from its astronomical -position. Jebel Mayyum is in Africa, Jebel Zubah or Muayyin, celebrated as -the last resting-place of a great saint, Shaykh Said, is in Arabia. - -[16] Ajam properly means all nations not Arab. In Egypt and Central Asia -it is now confined to Persians. On the west of the Red Sea, it is -invariably used to denote the Somali country: thence Bruce draws the Greek -and Latin name of the coast, Azamia, and De Sacy derives the word "Ajan," -which in our maps is applied to the inner regions of the Eastern Horn. So -in Africa, El Sham, which properly means Damascus and Syria, is applied to -El Hejaz. - -[17] Adel, according to M. Krapf, derived its name from the Ad Ali, a -tribe of the Afar or Danakil nation, erroneously used by Arab synecdoche -for the whole race. Mr. Johnston (Travels in Southern Abyssinia, ch. 1.) -more correctly derives it from Adule, a city which, as proved by the -monument which bears its name, existed in the days of Ptolemy Euergetes -(B.C. 247-222), had its own dynasty, and boasted of a conqueror who -overcame the Troglodytes, Sabaeans, Homerites, &c., and pushed his -conquests as far as the frontier of Egypt. Mr. Johnston, however, -incorrectly translates Barr el Ajam "land of fire," and seems to confound -Avalites and Adulis. - -[18] Bahr el Banatin, the Bay of Tajurrah. - -[19] A certain German missionary, well known in this part of the world, -exasperated by the seizure of a few dollars and a claim to the _droit -d'aubaine_, advised the authorities of Aden to threaten the "combustion" -of Tajurrah. The measure would have been equally unjust and unwise. A -traveller, even a layman, is bound to put up peaceably with such trifles; -and to threaten "combustion" without being prepared to carry out the -threat is the readiest way to secure contempt. - -[20] The Kharif in most parts of the Oriental world corresponds with our -autumn. In Eastern Africa it invariably signifies the hot season preceding -the monsoon rains. - -[21] The circumstances of Masud's murder were truly African. The slave -caravans from Abyssinia to Tajurrah were usually escorted by the Rer -Guleni, a clan of the great Eesa tribe, and they monopolised the profits -of the road. Summoned to share their gains with their kinsmen generally, -they refused upon which the other clans rose about August, 1854, and cut -off the road. A large caravan was travelling down in two bodies, each of -nearly 300 slaves; the Eesa attacked the first division, carried off the -wives and female slaves, whom they sold for ten dollars a head, and -savagely mutilated upwards of 100 wretched boys. This event caused the -Tajurrah line to be permanently closed. The Rer Guleni in wrath, at once -murdered Masud, a peaceful traveller, because Inna Handun, his Abban or -protector, was of the party who had attacked their proteges: they came -upon him suddenly as he was purchasing some article, and stabbed him in -the back, before he could defend himself. - -[22] In Zayla there is not a single coffee-house. The settled Somal care -little for the Arab beverage, and the Bedouins' reasons for avoiding it -are not bad. "If we drink coffee once," say they, "we shall want it again, -and then where are we to get it?" The Abyssinian Christians, probably to -distinguish themselves from Moslems, object to coffee as well as to -tobacco. The Gallas, on the other hand, eat it: the powdered bean is mixed -with butter, and on forays a lump about the size of a billiard-ball is -preferred to a substantial meal. - -[23] The following genealogical table was given to me by Mohammed -Sharmarkay:-- - - 1. Ishak (ibn Ahmed ibn Abdillah). - 2. Gerhajis (his eldest son). - 3. Said (the eldest son; Daud being the second). - 4. Arrah, (also the eldest; Ili, _i.e._ Ali, being the second). - 5. Musa (the third son: the eldest was Ismail; then, in - succession, Ishak, Misa, Mikahil, Gambah, Dandan, &c.) - 6. Ibrahim. - 7. Fikih (_i.e._ Fakih.) - 8. Adan (_i.e._ Adam.) - 9. Mohammed. - 10. Hamid. - 11. Jibril (_i.e._ Jibrail). - 12. Ali. - 13. Awaz. - 14. Salih. - 15. Ali. - 16. Sharmarkay. - -The last is a peculiarly Somali name, meaning "one who sees no harm."-- -Shar-ma-arkay. - -[24] Not the hereditary chieftainship of the Habr Gerhajis, which belongs -to a particular clan. - -[25] The following is a copy of the document:-- - -"This Testimonial, together with an Honorary Dress, is presented by the -British Resident at Mocha to Nagoda Shurmakey Ally Sumaulley, in token of -esteem and regard for his humane and gallant conduct at the Port of -Burburra, on the coast of Africa, April 10. 1825, in saving the lives of -Captain William Lingard, chief officer of the Brig Mary Anne, when that -vessel was attacked and plundered by the natives. The said Nagoda is -therefore strongly recommended to the notice and good offices of Europeans -in general, but particularly so to all English gentlemen visiting these -seas." - -[26] Two spears being the usual number: the difficulty of three or four -would mainly consist in their management during action. - -[27] In July, 1855, the Hajj Sharmarkay was deposed by the Turkish Pasha -of Hodaydah, ostensibly for failing to keep some road open, or, according -to others, for assisting to plunder a caravan belonging to the Dankali -tribe. It was reported that he had been made a prisoner, and the Political -Resident at Aden saw the propriety of politely asking the Turkish -authorities to "be easy" upon the old man. In consequence of this -representation, he was afterwards allowed, on paying a fine of 3000 -dollars, to retire to Aden. - -I deeply regret that the Hajj should have lost his government. He has ever -clung to the English party, even in sore temptation. A few years ago, the -late M. Rochet (soi-disant d'Hericourt), French agent at Jeddah, paying -treble its value, bought from Mohammed Sharmarkay, in the absence of the -Hajj, a large stone house, in order to secure a footing at Zayla. The old -man broke off the bargain on his return, knowing how easily an Agency -becomes a Fort, and preferring a considerable loss to the presence of -dangerous friends. - -[28] During my residence at Zayla few slaves were imported, owing to the -main road having been closed. In former years the market was abundantly -stocked; the numbers annually shipped to Mocha, Hodaydah, Jeddah, and -Berberah, varied from 600 to 1000. The Hajj received as duty one gold -"Kirsh," or about three fourths of a dollar, per head. - -[29] Zayla, called Audal or Auzal by the Somal, is a town about the size -of Suez, built for 3000 or 4000 inhabitants, and containing a dozen large -whitewashed stone houses, and upwards of 200 Arish or thatched huts, each -surrounded by a fence of wattle and matting. The situation is a low and -level spit of sand, which high tides make almost an island. There is no -Harbour: a vessel of 250 tons cannot approach within a mile of the -landing-place; the open roadstead is exposed to the terrible north wind, -and when gales blow from the west and south, it is almost unapproachable. -Every ebb leaves a sandy flat, extending half a mile seaward from the -town; the reefy anchorage is difficult of entrance after sunset, and the -coralline bottom renders wading painful. - -The shape of this once celebrated town is a tolerably regular -parallelogram, of which the long sides run from east to west. The walls, -without guns or embrasures, are built, like the houses, of coralline -rubble and mud, in places dilapidated. There are five gates. The Bab el -Sahil and the Bab el Jadd (a new postern) open upon the sea from the -northern wall. At the Ashurbara, in the southern part of the enceinte, the -Bedouins encamp, and above it the governor holds his Durbar. The Bab Abd -el Kadir derives its name from a saint buried outside and eastward of the -city, and the Bab el Saghir is pierced in the western wall. - -The public edifices are six mosques, including the Jami, or cathedral, for -Friday prayer: these buildings have queer little crenelles on whitewashed -walls, and a kind of elevated summer-house to represent the minaret. Near -one of them are remains of a circular Turkish Munar, manifestly of modern -construction. There is no Mahkamah or Kazi's court; that dignitary -transacts business at his own house, and the Festival prayers are recited -near the Saint's Tomb outside the eastern gate. The northeast angle of the -town is occupied by a large graveyard with the usual deleterious -consequences. - -The climate of Zayla is cooler than that of Aden, and, the site being open -all around, it is not so unhealthy. Much spare room is enclosed by the -town walls: evaporation and Nature's scavengers act succedanea for -sewerage. - -Zayla commands the adjacent harbour of Tajurrah, and is by position the -northern port of Aussa (the ancient capital of Adel), of Harar, and of -southern Abyssinia: the feuds of the rulers have, however, transferred the -main trade to Berberah. It sends caravans northwards to the Dankali, and -south-westwards, through the Eesa and Gudabirsi tribes as far as Efat and -Gurague. It is visited by Cafilas from Abyssinia, and the different races -of Bedouins, extending from the hills to the seaboard. The exports are -valuable--slaves, ivory, hides, honey, antelope horns, clarified butter, -and gums: the coast abounds in sponge, coral, and small pearls, which Arab -divers collect in the fair season. In the harbour I found about twenty -native craft, large and small: of these, ten belonged to the governor. -They trade with Berberah, Arabia, and Western India, and are navigated by -"Rajput" or Hindu pilots. - -Provisions at Zayla are cheap; a family of six persons live well for about -30_l._ per annum. The general food is mutton: a large sheep costs one -dollar, a small one half the price; camels' meat, beef, and in winter kid, -abound. Fish is rare, and fowls are not commonly eaten. Holcus, when dear, -sells at forty pounds per dollar, at seventy pounds when cheap. It is -usually levigated with slab and roller, and made into sour cakes. Some, -however, prefer the Arab form "balilah," boiled and mixed with ghee. Wheat -and rice are imported: the price varies from forty to sixty pounds the -Riyal or dollar. Of the former grain the people make a sweet cake called -Sabaya, resembling the Fatirah of Egypt: a favourite dish also is -"harisah"--flesh, rice flour, and boiled wheat, all finely pounded and -mixed together. Milk is not procurable during the hot weather; after rain -every house is full of it; the Bedouins bring it in skins and sell it for -a nominal sum. - -Besides a large floating population, Zayla contains about 1500 souls. They -are comparatively a fine race of people, and suffer from little but fever -and an occasional ophthalmia. Their greatest hardship is the want of the -pure element: the Hissi or well, is about four miles distant from the -town, and all the pits within the walls supply brackish or bitter water, -fit only for external use. This is probably the reason why vegetables are -unknown, and why a horse, a mule, or even a dog, is not to be found in the -place. - -[30] "Fid-mer," or the evening flyer, is the Somali name for a bat. These -little animals are not disturbed in houses, because they keep off flies -and mosquitoes, the plagues of the Somali country. Flies abound in the -very jungles wherever cows have been, and settle in swarms upon the -traveller. Before the monsoon their bite is painful, especially that of -the small green species; and there is a red variety called "Diksi as," -whose venom, according to the people, causes them to vomit. The latter -abounds in Gulays and the hill ranges of the Berberah country: it is -innocuous during the cold season. The mosquito bites bring on, according -to the same authority, deadly fevers: the superstition probably arises -from the fact that mosquitoes and fevers become formidable about the same -time. - -[31] Such a building at Zayla would cost at most 500 dollars. At Aden, -2000 rupees, or nearly double the sum, would be paid for a matted shed, -which excludes neither sun, nor wind, nor rain. - - - - -CHAP. II. - -LIFE IN ZAYLA. - - -I will not weary you, dear L., with descriptions of twenty-six quiet, -similar, uninteresting days,--days of sleep, and pipes, and coffee,--spent -at Zayla, whilst a route was traced out, guides were propitiated, camels -were bought, mules sent for, and all the wearisome preliminaries of -African travel were gone through. But a _journee_ in the Somali country -may be a novelty to you: its events shall be succinctly depicted. - -With earliest dawn we arise, thankful to escape from mosquitoes and close -air. We repair to the terrace where devotions are supposed to be -performed, and busy ourselves in watching our neighbours. Two in -particular engage my attention: sisters by different mothers. The daughter -of an Indian woman is a young person of fast propensities,--her chocolate- -coloured skin, long hair, and parrot-like profile [1] are much admired by -the _elegants_ of Zayla; and she coquettes by combing, dancing, singing, -and slapping the slave-girls, whenever an adorer may be looking. We sober- -minded men, seeing her, quote the well-known lines-- - - "Without justice a king is a cloud without rain; - Without goodness a sage is a field without fruit; - Without manners a youth is a bridleless horse; - Without lore an old man is a waterless wady; - Without modesty woman is bread without salt." - -The other is a matron of Abyssinian descent, as her skin, scarcely darker -than a gipsy's, her long and bright blue fillet, and her gaudily fringed -dress, denote. She tattoos her face [2]: a livid line extends from her -front hair to the tip of her nose; between her eyebrows is an ornament -resembling a _fleur-de-lis_, and various beauty-spots adorn the corners of -her mouth and the flats of her countenance. She passes her day -superintending the slave-girls, and weaving mats [3], the worsted work of -this part of the world. We soon made acquaintance, as far as an exchange -of salams. I regret, however, to say that there was some scandal about my -charming neighbour; and that more than once she was detected making -signals to distant persons with her hands. [4] - -At 6 A.M. we descend to breakfast, which usually consists of sour grain -cakes and roast mutton--at this hour a fine trial of health and cleanly -living. A napkin is passed under my chin, as if I were a small child, and -a sound scolding is administered when appetite appears deficient. Visitors -are always asked to join us: we squat on the uncarpeted floor, round a -circular stool, eat hard, and never stop to drink. The appetite of Africa -astonishes us; we dispose of six ounces here for every one in Arabia,-- -probably the effect of sweet water, after the briny produce of the "Eye of -Yemen." We conclude this early breakfast with coffee and pipes, and -generally return, after it, to the work of sleep. - -Then, provided with some sanctified Arabic book, I prepare for the -reception of visitors. They come in by dozens,--no man having apparently -any business to occupy him,--doff their slippers at the door, enter -wrapped up in their Tobes or togas [5], and deposit their spears, point- -upwards, in the corner; those who have swords--the mark of respectability -in Eastern Africa--place them at their feet. They shake the full hand (I -was reproved for offering the fingers only); and when politely disposed, -the inferior wraps his fist in the hem of his garment. They have nothing -corresponding with the European idea of manners: they degrade all ceremony -by the epithet Shughl el banat, or "girls' work," and pique themselves -upon downrightness of manner,--a favourite mask, by the by, for savage -cunning to assume. But they are equally free from affectation, shyness, -and vulgarity; and, after all, no manners are preferable to bad manners. - -Sometimes we are visited at this hour by Mohammed Sharmarkay, eldest son -of the old governor. He is in age about thirty, a fine tall figure, -slender but well knit, beardless and of light complexion, with large eyes, -and a length of neck which a lady might covet. His only detracting feature -is a slight projection of the oral region, that unmistakable proof of -African blood. His movements have the grace of strength and suppleness: he -is a good jumper, runs well, throws the spear admirably, and is a -tolerable shot. Having received a liberal education at Mocha, he is held a -learned man by his fellow-countrymen. Like his father he despises -presents, looking higher; with some trouble I persuaded him to accept a -common map of Asia, and a revolver. His chief interest was concentrated in -books: he borrowed my Abu Kasim to copy [6], and was never tired of -talking about the religious sciences: he had weakened his eyes by hard -reading, and a couple of blisters were sufficient to win his gratitude. -Mohammed is now the eldest son [7]; he appears determined to keep up the -family name, having already married ten wives: the issue, however, two -infant sons, were murdered by the Eesa Bedouins. Whenever he meets his -father in the morning, he kisses his hand, and receives a salute upon the -forehead. He aspires to the government of Zayla, and looks forward more -reasonably than the Hajj to the day when the possession of Berberah will -pour gold into his coffers. He shows none of his father's "softness:" he -advocates the bastinado, and, to keep his people at a distance, he has -married an Arab wife, who allows no adult to enter the doors. The Somal, -Spaniard-like, remark, "He is one of ourselves, though a little richer;" -but when times change and luck returns, they are not unlikely to find -themselves mistaken. - -Amongst other visitors, we have the Amir el Bahr, or Port Captain, and the -Nakib el Askar (_Commandant de place_), Mohammed Umar el Hamumi. This is -one of those Hazramaut adventurers so common in all the countries -bordering upon Arabia: they are the Swiss of the East, a people equally -brave and hardy, frugal and faithful, as long as pay is regular. Feared by -the soft Indians and Africans for their hardness and determination, the -common proverb concerning them is, "If you meet a viper and a Hazrami, -spare the viper." Natives of a poor and rugged region, they wander far and -wide, preferring every country to their own; and it is generally said that -the sun rises not upon a land that does not contain a man from Hazramaut. -[8] This commander of an army of forty men [9] often read out to us from -the Kitab el Anwar (the Book of Lights) the tale of Abu Jahl, that Judas -of El Islam made ridiculous. Sometimes comes the Sayyid Mohammed el Barr, -a stout personage, formerly governor of Zayla, and still highly respected -by the people on acount of his pure pedigree. With him is the Fakih Adan, -a savan of ignoble origin. [10] When they appear the conversation becomes -intensely intellectual; sometimes we dispute religion, sometimes politics, -at others history and other humanities. Yet it is not easy to talk history -with a people who confound Miriam and Mary, or politics to those whose -only idea of a king is a robber on a large scale, or religion to men who -measure excellence by forbidden meats, or geography to those who represent -the earth in this guise. Yet, though few of our ideas are in common, there -are many words; the verbosity of these anti-Laconic oriental dialects [11] -renders at least half the subject intelligible to the most opposite -thinkers. When the society is wholly Somal, I write Arabic, copy some -useful book, or extract from it, as Bentley advised, what is fit to quote. -When Arabs are present, I usually read out a tale from "The Thousand and -One Nights," that wonderful work, so often translated, so much turned -over, and so little understood at home. The most familiar of books in -England, next to the Bible, it is one of the least known, the reason being -that about one fifth is utterly unfit for translation; and the most -sanguine orientalist would not dare to render literally more than three -quarters of the remainder. Consequently, the reader loses the contrast,-- -the very essence of the book,--between its brilliancy and dulness, its -moral putrefaction, and such pearls as - - "Cast the seed of good works on the least fit soil. - Good is never wasted, however it may be laid out." - -And in a page or two after such divine sentiment, the ladies of Bagdad sit -in the porter's lap, and indulge in a facetiousness which would have -killed Pietro Aretino before his time. - -[Illustration] - -Often I am visited by the Topchi-Bashi, or master of the ordnance,--half a -dozen honeycombed guns,--a wild fellow, Bashi Buzuk in the Hejaz and -commandant of artillery at Zayla. He shaves my head on Fridays, and on -other days tells me wild stories about his service in the Holy Land; how -Kurdi Usman slew his son-in-law, Ibn Rumi, and how Turkcheh Bilmez would -have murdered Mohammed Ali in his bed. [12] Sometimes the room is filled -with Arabs, Sayyids, merchants, and others settled in the place: I saw -nothing amongst them to justify the oft-quoted saw, "Koraysh pride and -Zayla's boastfulness." More generally the assembly is one of the Somal, -who talk in their own tongue, laugh, yell, stretch their legs, and lie -like cattle upon the floor, smoking the common Hukkah, which stands in the -centre, industriously cleaning their teeth with sticks, and eating snuff -like Swedes. Meanwhile, I occupy the Kursi or couch, sometimes muttering -from a book to excite respect, or reading aloud for general information, -or telling fortunes by palmistry, or drawing out a horoscope. - -It argues "peculiarity," I own, to enjoy such a life. In the first place, -there is no woman's society: El Islam seems purposely to have loosened the -ties between the sexes in order to strengthen the bonds which connect man -and man. [13] Secondly, your house is by no means your castle. You must -open your doors to your friend at all hours; if when inside it suit him to -sing, sing he will; and until you learn solitude in a crowd, or the art of -concentration, you are apt to become _ennuye_ and irritable. You must -abandon your prejudices, and for a time cast off all European -prepossessions in favour of Indian politeness, Persian polish, Arab -courtesy, or Turkish dignity. - - "They are as free as Nature e'er made man;" - -and he who objects to having his head shaved in public, to seeing his -friends combing their locks in his sitting-room, to having his property -unceremoniously handled, or to being addressed familiarly by a perfect -stranger, had better avoid Somaliland. - -You will doubtless, dear L., convict me, by my own sentiments, of being an -"amateur barbarian." You must, however, remember that I visited Africa -fresh from Aden, with its dull routine of meaningless parades and tiresome -courts martial, where society is broken by ridiculous distinctions of -staff-men and regimental-men, Madras-men and Bombay-men, "European" -officers, and "black" officers; where literature is confined to acquiring -the art of explaining yourself in the jargons of half-naked savages; where -the business of life is comprised in ignoble official squabbles, dislikes, -disapprobations, and "references to superior authority;" where social -intercourse is crushed by "gup," gossip, and the scandal of small colonial -circles; where--pleasant predicament for those who really love women's -society!--it is scarcely possible to address fair dame, preserving at the -same time her reputation and your own, and if seen with her twice, all -"camp" will swear it is an "affair;" where, briefly, the march of mind is -at a dead halt, and the march of matter is in double quick time to the -hospital or sick-quarters. Then the fatal struggle for Name, and the -painful necessity of doing the most with the smallest materials for a -reputation! In Europe there are a thousand grades of celebrity, from -statesmanship to taxidermy; all, therefore, co-exist without rivalry. -Whereas, in these small colonies, there is but one fame, and as that leads -directly to rupees and rank, no man willingly accords it to his neighbour. -And, finally, such semi-civilised life abounds in a weary ceremoniousness. -It is highly improper to smoke outside your bungalow. You shall pay your -visits at 11 A.M., when the glass stands at 120°. You shall be generally -shunned if you omit your waistcoat, no matter what the weather be. And if -you venture to object to these Median laws,--as I am now doing,--you -elicit a chorus of disapproval, and acquire some evil name. - -About 11 A.M., when the fresh water arrives from the Hissi or wells, the -Hajj sends us dinner, mutton stews, of exceeding greasiness, boiled rice, -maize cakes, sometimes fish, and generally curds or milk. We all sit round -a primitive form of the Round Table, and I doubt that King Arthur's -knights ever proved doughtier trenchermen than do my companions. We then -rise to pipes and coffee, after which, excluding visitors, my attendants -apply themselves to a siesta, I to my journal and studies. - -At 2 P.M. there is a loud clamour at the door: if it be not opened in -time, we are asked if we have a Nazarene inside. Enters a crowd of -visitors, anxious to pass the afternoon. We proceed with a copy of the -forenoon till the sun declines, when it is time to escape the flies, to -repair to the terrace for fresh air, or to dress for a walk. Generally our -direction is through the town eastwards, to a plain of dilapidated graves -and salt sand, peopled only by land-crabs. At the extremity near the sea -is a little mosque of wattle-work: we sit there under the shade, and play -a rude form of draughts, called Shantarah, or at Shahh, a modification of -the former. [14] More often, eschewing these effeminacies, we shoot at a -mark, throw the javelin, leap, or engage in some gymnastic exercise. The -favourite Somali weapons are the spear, dagger, and war-club; the bow and -poisoned arrows are peculiar to the servile class, who know - - "the dreadful art - To taint with deadly drugs the barbed dart;" - -and the people despise, at the same time that they fear firearms, -declaring them to be cowardly weapons [15] with which the poltroon can -slay the bravest. - -The Somali spear is a form of the Cape Assegai. A long, thin, pliant and -knotty shaft of the Dibi, Diktab, and Makari trees, is dried, polished, -and greased with rancid butter: it is generally of a dull yellow colour, -and sometimes bound, as in Arabia, with brass wire for ornament. Care is -applied to make the rod straight, or the missile flies crooked: it is -garnished with an iron button at the head, and a long thin tapering head -of coarse bad iron [16], made at Berberah and other places by the Tomal. -The length of the shaft may be four feet eight inches; the blade varies -from twenty to twenty-six inches, and the whole weapon is about seven feet -long. Some polish the entire spear-head, others only its socket or ferule; -commonly, however, it is all blackened by heating it to redness, and -rubbing it with cow's horn. In the towns, one of these weapons is carried; -on a journey and in battle two, as amongst the Tibboos,--a small javelin -for throwing and a large spear reserved for the thrust. Some warriors -especially amongst the Eesa, prefer a coarse heavy lance, which never -leaves the hand. The Somali spear is held in various ways: generally the -thumb and forefinger grasp the third nearest to the head, and the shaft -resting upon the palm is made to quiver. In action, the javelin is rarely -thrown at a greater distance than six or seven feet, and the heavier -weapon is used for "jobbing." Stripped to his waist, the thrower runs -forward with all the action of a Kafir, whilst the attacked bounds about -and crouches to receive it upon the round targe, which it cannot pierce. -He then returns the compliment, at the same time endeavouring to break the -weapon thrown at him by jumping and stamping upon it. The harmless -missiles being exhausted, both combatants draw their daggers, grapple with -the left hand, and with the right dig hard and swift at each other's necks -and shoulders. When matters come to this point, the duel is soon decided, -and the victor, howling his slogan, pushes away from his front the dying -enemy, and rushes off to find another opponent. A puerile weapon during -the day, when a steady man can easily avoid it, the spear is terrible in -night attacks or in the "bush," whence it can be hurled unseen. For -practice, we plant a pair of slippers upright in the ground, at the -distance of twelve yards, and a skilful spearman hits the mark once in -every three throws. - -The Somali dagger is an iron blade about eighteen inches long by two in -breadth, pointed and sharp at both edges. The handle is of buffalo or -other horn, with a double scoop to fit the grasp; and at the hilt is a -conical ornament of zinc. It is worn strapped round the waist by a thong -sewed to the sheath, and long enough to encircle the body twice: the point -is to the right, and the handle projects on the left. When in town, the -Somal wear their daggers under the Tobe: in battle, the strap is girt over -the cloth to prevent the latter being lost. They always stab from above: -this is as it should be, a thrust with a short weapon "underhand" may be -stopped, if the adversary have strength enough to hold the stabber's -forearm. The thrust is parried with the shield, and a wound is rarely -mortal except in the back: from the great length of the blade, the least -movement of the man attacked causes it to fall upon the shoulder-blade. - -The "Budd," or Somali club, resembles the Kafir "Tonga." It is a knobstick -about a cubit long, made of some hard wood: the head is rounded on the -inside, and the outside is cut to an edge. In quarrels, it is considered a -harmless weapon, and is often thrown at the opponent and wielded viciously -enough where the spear point would carefully be directed at the buckler. -The Gashan or shield is a round targe about eighteen inches in diameter; -some of the Bedouins make it much larger. Rhinoceros' skin being rare, the -usual material is common bull's hide, or, preferably, that of the Oryx, -called by the Arabs Waal, and by the Somal, Baid. These shields are -prettily cut, and are always protected when new with a covering of -canvass. The boss in the centre easily turns a spear, and the strongest -throw has very little effect even upon the thinnest portion. When not -used, the Gashan is slung upon the left forearm: during battle, the -handle, which is in the middle, is grasped by the left hand, and held out -at a distance from the body. - -We are sometimes joined in our exercises by the Arab mercenaries, who are -far more skilful than the Somal. The latter are unacquainted with the -sword, and cannot defend themselves against it with the targe; they know -little of dagger practice, and were beaten at their own weapon, the -javelin, by the children of Bir Hamid. Though unable to jump for the -honour of the turban, I soon acquired the reputation of being the -strongest man in Zayla: this is perhaps the easiest way of winning respect -from a barbarous people, who honour body, and degrade mind to mere -cunning. - -When tired of exercise we proceed round the walls to the Ashurbara or -Southern Gate. Here boys play at "hockey" with sticks and stones -energetically as in England: they are fine manly specimens of the race, -but noisy and impudent, like all young savages. At two years of age they -hold out the right hand for sweetmeats, and if refused become insolent. -The citizens amuse themselves with the ball [17], at which they play -roughly as Scotch linkers: they are divided into two parties, bachelors -and married men; accidents often occur, and no player wears any but the -scantiest clothing, otherwise he would retire from the conflict in rags. -The victors sing and dance about the town for hours, brandishing their -spears, shouting their slogans, boasting of ideal victories,--the -Abyssinian Donfatu, or war-vaunt,--and advancing in death-triumph with -frantic gestures: a battle won would be celebrated with less circumstance -in Europe. This is the effect of no occupation--the _primum mobile_ of the -Indian prince's kite-flying and all the puerilities of the pompous East. - -We usually find an encampment of Bedouins outside the gate. Their tents -are worse than any gipsy's, low, smoky, and of the rudest construction. -These people are a spectacle of savageness. Their huge heads of shock -hair, dyed red and dripping with butter, are garnished with a Firin, or -long three-pronged comb, a stick, which acts as scratcher when the owner -does not wish to grease his fingers, and sometimes with the ominous -ostrich feather, showing that the wearer has "killed his man:" a soiled -and ragged cotton cloth covers their shoulders, and a similar article is -wrapped round their loins.[18] All wear coarse sandals, and appear in the -bravery of targe, spear, and dagger. Some of the women would be pretty did -they not resemble the men in their scowling, Satanic expression of -countenance: they are decidedly _en deshabille,_ but a black skin always -appears a garb. The cantonment is surrounded by asses, camels, and a troop -of naked Flibertigibbets, who dance and jump in astonishment whenever they -see me: "The white man! the white man!" they shriek; "run away, run away, -or we shall be eaten!" [19] On one occasion, however, my _amour propre_ -was decidedly flattered by the attentions of a small black girl, -apparently four or five years old, who followed me through the streets -ejaculating "Wa Wanaksan!"--"0 fine!" The Bedouins, despite their fierce -scowls, appear good-natured; the women flock out of the huts to stare and -laugh, the men to look and wonder. I happened once to remark, "Lo, we come -forth to look at them and they look at us; we gaze at their complexion and -they gaze at ours!" A Bedouin who understood Arabic translated this speech -to the others, and it excited great merriment. In the mining counties of -civilised England, where the "genial brickbat" is thrown at the passing -stranger, or in enlightened Scotland, where hair a few inches too long or -a pair of mustachios justifies "mobbing," it would have been impossible -for me to have mingled as I did with these wild people. - -We must return before sunset, when the gates are locked and the keys are -carried to the Hajj, a vain precaution, when a donkey could clear half a -dozen places in the town wall. The call to evening prayer sounds as we -enter: none of my companions pray [20], but all when asked reply in the -phrase which an Englishman hates, "Inshallah Bukra"--"if Allah please, to- -morrow!"--and they have the decency not to appear in public at the hours -of devotion. The Somal, like most Africans, are of a somewhat irreverent -turn of mind. [21] When reproached with gambling, and asked why they -persist in the forbidden pleasure, they simply answer "Because we like." -One night, encamped amongst the Eesa, I was disturbed by a female voice -indulging in the loudest lamentations: an elderly lady, it appears, was -suffering from tooth-ache, and the refrain of her groans was, "O Allah, -may thy teeth ache like mine! O Allah, may thy gums be sore as mine are!" -A well-known and characteristic tale is told of the Gerad Hirsi, now chief -of the Berteri tribe. Once meeting a party of unarmed pilgrims, he asked -them why they had left their weapons at home: they replied in the usual -phrase, "Nahnu mutawakkilin"--"we are trusters (in Allah)." That evening, -having feasted them hospitably, the chief returned hurriedly to the hut, -declaring that his soothsayer ordered him at once to sacrifice a pilgrim, -and begging the horror-struck auditors to choose the victim. They cast -lots and gave over one of their number: the Gerad placed him in another -hut, dyed his dagger with sheep's blood, and returned to say that he must -have a second life. The unhappy pilgrims rose _en masse_, and fled so -wildly that the chief, with all the cavalry of the desert, found -difficulty in recovering them. He dismissed them with liberal presents, -and not a few jibes about their trustfulness. The wilder Bedouins will -inquire where Allah is to be found: when asked the object of the question, -they reply, "If the Eesa could but catch him they would spear him upon the -spot,--who but he lays waste their homes and kills their cattle and -wives?" Yet, conjoined to this truly savage incapability of conceiving the -idea of a Supreme Being, they believe in the most ridiculous -exaggerations: many will not affront a common pilgrim, for fear of being -killed by a glance or a word. - -Our supper, also provided by the hospitable Hajj, is the counterpart of -the midday dinner. After it we repair to the roof, to enjoy the prospect -of the far Tajurrah hills and the white moonbeams sleeping upon the nearer -sea. The evening star hangs like a diamond upon the still horizon: around -the moon a pink zone of light mist, shading off into turquoise blue, and a -delicate green like chrysopraz, invests the heavens with a peculiar charm. -The scene is truly suggestive: behind us, purpling in the night-air and -silvered by the radiance from above, lie the wolds and mountains tenanted -by the fiercest of savages; their shadowy mysterious forms exciting vague -alarms in the traveller's breast. Sweet as the harp of David, the night- -breeze and the music of the water come up from the sea; but the ripple and -the rustling sound alternate with the hyena's laugh, the jackal's cry, and -the wild dog's lengthened howl. - -Or, the weather becoming cold, we remain below, and Mohammed Umar returns -to read out more "Book of Lights," or some pathetic ode. I will quote in -free translation the following production of the celebrated poet Abd el -Rahman el Burai, as a perfect specimen of melancholy Arab imagery: - - "No exile is the banished to the latter end of earth, - The exile is the banished to the coffin and the tomb - - "He hath claims on the dwellers in the places of their birth - Who wandereth the world, for he lacketh him a home. - - "Then, blamer, blame me not, were my heart within thy breast, - The sigh would take the place of thy laughter and thy scorn. - - "Let me weep for the sin that debars my soul of rest, - The tear may yet avail,--all in vain I may not mourn! [22] - - "Woe! woe to thee, Flesh!--with a purer spirit now - The death-day were a hope, and the judgment-hour a joy! - - "One morn I woke in pain, with a pallor on my brow, - As though the dreaded Angel were descending to destroy: - - "They brought to me a leech, saying, 'Heal him lest he die!' - On that day, by Allah, were his drugs a poor deceit! - - "They stripped me and bathed me, and closed the glazing eye, - And dispersed unto prayers, and to haggle for my sheet. - - "The prayers without a bow [23] they prayed over me that day, - Brought nigh to me the bier, and disposed me within. - - "Four bare upon their shoulders this tenement of clay, - Friend and kinsmen in procession bore the dust of friend and kin. - - "They threw upon me mould of the tomb and went their way-- - A guest, 'twould seem, had flitted from the dwellings of the tribe! - - "My gold and my treasures each a share they bore away, - Without thanks, without praise, with a jest and with a jibe. - - "My gold and my treasures each his share they bore away, - On me they left the weight!--with me they left the sin! - - "That night within the grave without hoard or child I lay, - No spouse, no friend were there, no comrade and no kin. - - "The wife of my youth, soon another husband found-- - A stranger sat at home on the hearthstone of my sire. - - "My son became a slave, though not purchased nor bound, - The hireling of a stranger, who begrudged him his hire. - - "Such, alas, is human life! such the horror of his death! - Man grows like a grass, like a god he sees no end. - - "Be wise, then, ere too late, brother! praise with every breath - The hand that can chastise, the arm that can defend: - - "And bless thou the Prophet, the averter of our ills, - While the lightning flasheth bright o'er the ocean and the hills." - -At this hour my companions become imaginative and superstitious. One -Salimayn, a black slave from the Sawahil [24], now secretary to the Hajj, -reads our fortunes in the rosary. The "fal" [25], as it is called, acts a -prominent part in Somali life. Some men are celebrated for accuracy of -prediction; and in times of danger, when the human mind is ever open to -the "fooleries of faith," perpetual reference is made to their art. The -worldly wise Salimayn, I observed, never sent away a questioner with an -ill-omened reply, but he also regularly insisted upon the efficacy of -sacrifice and almsgiving, which, as they would assuredly be neglected, -afforded him an excuse in case of accident. Then we had a recital of the -tales common to Africa, and perhaps to all the world. In modern France, as -in ancient Italy, "versipelles" become wolves and hide themselves in the -woods: in Persia they change themselves into bears, and in Bornou and Shoa -assume the shapes of lions, hyenas, and leopards. [26] The origin of this -metamorphic superstition is easily traceable, like man's fetisism or -demonology, to his fears: a Bedouin, for instance, becomes dreadful by the -reputation of sorcery: bears and hyenas are equally terrible; and the two -objects of horror are easily connected. Curious to say, individuals having -this power were pointed out to me, and people pretended to discover it in -their countenances: at Zayla I was shown a Bedouin, by name Farih Badaun, -who notably became a hyena at times, for the purpose of tasting human -blood. [27] About forty years ago, three brothers, Kayna, Fardayna, and -Sollan, were killed on Gulays near Berberah for the crime of -metamorphosis. The charge is usually substantiated either by the bestial -tail remaining appended to a part of the human shape which the owner has -forgotten to rub against the magic tree, or by some peculiar wound which -the beast received and the man retained. Kindred to this superstition is -the belief that many of the Bedouins have learned the languages of birds -and beasts. Another widely diffused fancy is that of the Aksar [28], which -in this pastoral land becomes a kind of wood: wonderful tales are told of -battered milk-pails which, by means of some peg accidentally cut in the -jungle, have been found full of silver, or have acquired the qualities of -cornucopiae. It is supposed that a red heifer always breaks her fast upon -the wonderful plant, consequently much time and trouble have been expended -by the Somal in watching the morning proceedings of red heifers. At other -times we hear fearful tales of old women who, like the Jigar Khwar of -Persia, feed upon man's liver: they are fond of destroying young children; -even adults are not ashamed of defending themselves with talismans. In -this country the crone is called Bidaa or Kumayyo, words signifying a -witch: the worst is she that destroys her own progeny. No wound is visible -in this vampyre's victim: generally he names his witch, and his friends -beat her to death unless she heal him: many are thus martyred; and in -Somali land scant notice is taken of such a peccadillo as murdering an old -woman. The sex indeed has by no means a good name: here, as elsewhere, -those who degrade it are the first to abuse it for degradation. At Zayla -almost all quarrels are connected with women; the old bewitch in one way, -the young in another, and both are equally maligned. "Wit in a woman," -exclaims one man, "is a habit of running away in a dromedary." "Allah," -declares another, "made woman of a crooked bone; he who would straighten -her, breaketh her." Perhaps, however, by these generalisms of abuse the -sex gains: they prevent personal and individual details; and no society of -French gentlemen avoids mentioning in public the name of a woman more -scrupulously than do the misogynist Moslems. - -After a conversazione of two hours my visitors depart, and we lose no -time--for we must rise at cockcrow--in spreading our mats round the common -room. You would admire the Somali pillow [29], a dwarf pedestal of carved -wood, with a curve upon which the greasy poll and its elaborate _frisure_ -repose. Like the Abyssinian article, it resembles the head-rest of ancient -Egypt in all points, except that it is not worked with Typhons and other -horrors to drive away dreadful dreams. Sometimes the sound of the -kettledrum, the song, and the clapping of hands, summon us at a later hour -than usual to a dance. The performance is complicated, and, as usual with -the trivialities easily learned in early youth, it is uncommonly difficult -to a stranger. Each dance has its own song and measure, and, contrary to -the custom of El Islam, the sexes perform together. They begin by clapping -the hands and stamping where they stand; to this succeed advancing, -retiring, wheeling about, jumping about, and the other peculiarities of -the Jim Crow school. The principal measures are those of Ugadayn and -Batar; these again are divided and subdivided;--I fancy that the -description of Dileho, Jibwhayn, and Hobala would be as entertaining and -instructive to you, dear L., as Polka, Gavotte, and Mazurka would be to a -Somali. - -On Friday--our Sunday--a drunken crier goes about the town, threatening -the bastinado to all who neglect their five prayers. At half-past eleven a -kettledrum sounds a summons to the Jami or Cathedral. It is an old barn -rudely plastered with whitewash; posts or columns of artless masonry -support the low roof, and the smallness of the windows, or rather air- -holes, renders its dreary length unpleasantly hot. There is no pulpit; the -only ornament is a rude representation of the Meccan Mosque, nailed like a -pothouse print to the wall; and the sole articles of furniture are ragged -mats and old boxes, containing tattered chapters of the Koran in greasy -bindings. I enter with a servant carrying a prayer carpet, encounter the -stare of 300 pair of eyes, belonging to parallel rows of squatters, recite -the customary two-bow prayer in honor of the mosque, placing sword and -rosary before me, and then, taking up a Koran, read the Cow Chapter (No. -18.) loud and twangingly. At the Zohr or mid-day hour, the Muezzin inside -the mosque, standing before the Khatib or preacher, repeats the call to -prayer, which the congregation, sitting upon their shins and feet, intone -after him. This ended, all present stand up, and recite every man for -himself, a two-bow prayer of Sunnat or Example, concluding with the -blessing on the Prophet and the Salam over each shoulder to all brother -Believers. The Khatib then ascends his hole in the wall, which serves for -pulpit, and thence addresses us with "The peace be upon you, and the mercy -of Allah, and his benediction;" to which we respond through the Muezzin, -"And upon you be peace, and Allah's mercy!" After sundry other religious -formulas and their replies, concluding with a second call to prayer, our -preacher rises, and in the voice with which Sir Hudibras was wont - - "To blaspheme custard through the nose," - -preaches El Waaz [30], or the advice-sermon. He sits down for a few -minutes, and then, rising again, recites El Naat, or the Praise of the -Prophet and his Companions. These are the two heads into which the Moslem -discourse is divided; unfortunately, however, there is no application. Our -preacher, who is also Kazi or Judge, makes several blunders in his Arabic, -and he reads his sermons, a thing never done in El Islam, except by the -_modice docti_. The discourse over, our clerk, who is, if possible, worse -than the curate, repeats the form of call termed El Ikamah; then entering -the Mihrab or niche, he recites the two-bow Friday litany, with, and in -front of, the congregation. I remarked no peculiarity in the style of -praying, except that all followed the practice of the Shafeis in El -Yemen,--raising the hands for a moment, instead of letting them depend -along the thighs, between the Rukaat or bow and the Sujdah or prostration. -This public prayer concluded, many people leave the mosque; a few remain -for more prolonged devotions. - -There is a queer kind of family likeness between this scene and that of a -village church, in some quiet nook of rural England. Old Sharmarkay, the -squire, attended by his son, takes his place close to the pulpit; and -although the _Honoratiores_ have no padded and cushioned pews, they -comport themselves very much as if they had. Recognitions of the most -distant description are allowed before the service commences: looking -around is strictly forbidden during prayers; but all do not regard the -prohibition, especially when a new moustache enters. Leaving the church, -men shake hands, stand for a moment to exchange friendly gossip, or -address a few words to the preacher, and then walk home to dinner. There -are many salient points of difference. No bonnets appear in public: the -squire, after prayers, gives alms to the poor, and departs escorted by two -dozen matchlock-men, who perseveringly fire their shotted guns. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] This style of profile--highly oval, with the chin and brow receding-- -is very conspicuous in Eastern Africa, where the face, slightly -prognathous, projects below the nose. - -[2] Gall-nuts form the base of the tattooing dye. It is worked in with a -needle, when it becomes permanent: applied with a pen, it requires to be -renewed about once a fortnight. - -[3] Mats are the staple manufacture in Eastern, as in many parts of -Western, Africa. The material is sometimes Daum or other palm: there are, -however, many plants in more common use; they are made of every variety in -shape and colour, and are dyed red, black, and yellow,--madder from -Tajurrah and alum being the matter principally used. - -[4] When woman addresses woman she always uses her voice. - -[5] The Tobe, or Abyssinian "Quarry," is the general garment of Africa -from Zayla to Bornou. In the Somali country it is a cotton sheet eight -cubits long, and two breadths sewn together. An article of various uses, -like the Highland plaid, it is worn in many ways; sometimes the right arm -is bared; in cold weather the whole person is muffled up, and in summer it -is allowed to full below the waist. Generally it is passed behind the -back, rests upon the left shoulder, is carried forward over the breast, -surrounds the body, and ends hanging on the left shoulder, where it -displays a gaudy silk fringe of red and yellow. This is the man's Tobe. -The woman's dress is of similar material, but differently worn: the edges -are knotted generally over the right, sometimes over the left shoulder; it -is girdled round the waist, below which hangs a lappet, which in cold -weather can be brought like a hood over the head. Though highly becoming, -and picturesque as the Roman toga, the Somali Tobe is by no means the most -decorous of dresses: women in the towns often prefer the Arab costume,--a -short-sleeved robe extending to the knee, and a Futah or loin-cloth -underneath. - -As regards the word Tobe, it signifies, in Arabic, a garment generally: -the Somal call it "Maro," and the half Tobe a "Shukkah." - -[6] Abu Kasim of Gaza, a well known commentator upon Abu Shujaa of -Isfahan, who wrote a text-book of the Shafei school. - -[7] The Hajj had seven sons, three of whom died in infancy. Ali and -Mahmud, the latter a fine young man, fell victims to small pox: Mohammed -is now the eldest, and the youngest is a child called Ahmed, left for -education at Mocha. The Hajj has also two daughters, married to Bedouin -Somal. - -[8] It is related that a Hazrami, flying from his fellow-countrymen, -reached a town upon the confines of China. He was about to take refuge in -a mosque, but entering, he stumbled over the threshold. "Ya Amud el Din"-- -"0 Pillar of the Faith!" exclaimed a voice from the darkness, calling upon -the patron saint of Hazramaut to save a Moslem from falling. "May the -Pillar of the Faith break thy head," exclaimed the unpatriotic traveller, -at once rising to resume his vain peregrinations. - -[9] Mercenaries from Mocha, Hazramaut, and Bir Hamid near Aden: they are -armed with matchlock, sword, and dagger; and each receives from the -governor a monthly stipend of two dollars and a half. - -[10] The system of caste, which prevails in El Yemen, though not in the -northern parts of Arabia, is general throughout the Somali country. The -principal families of outcasts are the following. - -The Yebir correspond with the Dushan of Southern Arabia: the males are -usually jesters to the chiefs, and both sexes take certain parts at -festivals, marriages, and circumcisions. The number is said to be small, -amounting to about 100 families in the northern Somali country. - -The Tomal or Handad, the blacksmiths, originally of Aydur race, have -become vile by intermarriage with serviles. They mast now wed maidens of -their own class, and live apart from the community: their magical -practices are feared by the people,--the connection of wits and witchcraft -is obvious,--and all private quarrels are traced to them. It has been -observed that the blacksmith has ever been looked upon with awe by -barbarians on the same principle that made Vulcan a deity. In Abyssinia -all artisans are Budah, sorcerers, especially the blacksmith, and he is a -social outcast as among the Somal; even in El Hejaz, a land, unlike Yemen, -opposed to distinctions amongst Moslems, the Khalawiyah, who work in -metal, are considered vile. Throughout the rest of El Islam the blacksmith -is respected as treading in the path of David, the father of the craft. - -The word "Tomal," opposed to Somal, is indigenous. "Handad "is palpably a -corruption of the Arabic "Haddad," ironworker. - -The Midgan, "one-hand," corresponds with the Khadim of Yemen: he is called -Kami or "archer" by the Arabs. There are three distinct tribes of this -people, who are numerous in the Somali country: the best genealogists -cannot trace their origin, though some are silly enough to derive them, -like the Akhdam, from Shimr. All, however, agree in expelling the Midgan -from the gentle blood of Somali land, and his position has been compared -to that of Freedman amongst the Romans. These people take service under -the different chiefs, who sometimes entertain great numbers to aid in -forays and frays; they do not, however, confine themselves to one craft. -Many Midgans employ themselves in hunting and agriculture. Instead of -spear and shield, they carry bows and a quiver full of diminutive arrows, -barbed and poisoned with the Waba,--a weapon used from Faizoghli to the -Cape of Good Hope. Like the Veddah of Ceylon, the Midgan is a poor shot, -and scarcely strong enough to draw his stiff bow. He is accused of -maliciousness; and the twanging of his string will put to flight a whole -village. The poison is greatly feared: it causes, say the people, the hair -and nails to drop off, and kills a man in half an hour. The only treatment -known is instant excision of the part; and this is done the more -frequently, because here, as in other parts of Africa, such _stigmates_ -are deemed ornamental. - -In appearance the Midgan is dark and somewhat stunted; he is known to the -people by peculiarities of countenance and accent. - -[11] The reason why Europeans fail to explain their thoughts to Orientals -generally is that they transfer the Laconism of Western to Eastern -tongues. We for instance say, "Fetch the book I gave you last night." This -in Hindostani, to choose a well-known tongue, must be smothered with words -thus: "What book was by me given to you yesterday by night, that book -bringing to me, come!" - -[12] I have alluded to these subjects in a previous work upon the subject -of Meccah and El Medinah. - -[13] This is one of the stock complaints against the Moslem scheme. Yet is -it not practically the case with ourselves? In European society, the best -are generally those who prefer the companionship of their own sex; the -"ladies' man" and the woman who avoids women are rarely choice specimens. - -[14] The Shantarah board is thus made, with twenty-five points technically -called houses. [Illustration] The players have twelve counters a piece, -and each places two at a time upon any of the unoccupied angles, till all -except the centre are filled up. The player who did not begin the game -must now move a man; his object is to inclose one of his adversary's -between two of his own, in which case he removes it, and is entitled to -continue moving till he can no longer take. It is a game of some skill, -and perpetual practice enables the Somal to play it as the Persians do -backgammon, with great art and little reflection. The game is called -Kurkabod when, as in our draughts, the piece passing over one of the -adversary's takes it. - -Shahh is another favourite game. The board is made thus, [Illustration] -and the pieces as at Shantarah are twelve in number. The object is to -place three men in line,--as the German Muhle and the Afghan "Kitar,"-- -when any one of the adversary's pieces may be removed. - -Children usually prefer the game called indifferently Togantog and -Saddikiya. A double line of five or six holes is made in the ground, four -counters are placed in each, and when in the course of play four men meet -in the same hole, one of the adversary's is removed. It resembles the -Bornou game, played with beans and holes in the sand. Citizens and the -more civilised are fond of "Bakkis," which, as its name denotes, is a -corruption of the well-known Indian Pachisi. None but the travelled know -chess, and the Damal (draughts) and Tavola (backgammon) of the Turks. - -[15] The same objection against "villanous saltpetre" was made by -ourselves in times of old: the French knights called gunpowder the Grave -of Honor. This is natural enough, the bravest weapon being generally the -shortest--that which places a man hand to hand with his opponent. Some of -the Kafir tribes have discontinued throwing the Assegai, and enter battle -wielding it as a pike. Usually, also, the shorter the weapon is, the more -fatal are the conflicts in which it is employed. The old French "Briquet," -the Afghan "Charay," and the Goorka "Kukkri," exemplify this fact in the -history of arms. - -[16] In the latter point it differs from the Assegai, which is worked by -the Kafirs to the finest temper. - -[17] It is called by the Arabs Kubabah, by the Somal Goasa. Johnston -(Travels in Southern Abyssinia, chap. 8.) has described the game; he errs, -however, in supposing it peculiar to the Dankali tribes. - -[18] This is in fact the pilgrim dress of El Islam; its wide diffusion to -the eastward, as well as west of the Red Sea, proves its antiquity as a -popular dress. - -[19] I often regretted having neglected the precaution of a bottle of -walnut juice,--a white colour is decidedly too conspicuous in this part of -the East. - -[20] The strict rule of the Moslem faith is this: if a man neglect to -pray, he is solemnly warned to repent. Should he simply refuse, without, -however, disbelieving in prayer, he is to be put to death, and receive -Moslem burial; in the other contingency, he is not bathed, prayed for, or -interred in holy ground. This severe order, however, lies in general -abeyance. - -[21] "Tuarick grandiloquence," says Richardson (vol. i. p. 207.), "savours -of blasphemy, e.g. the lands, rocks, and mountains of Ghat do not belong -to God but to the Azghar." Equally irreverent are the Kafirs of the Cape. -They have proved themselves good men in wit as well as war; yet, like the -old Greenlanders and some of the Burmese tribes, they are apparently -unable to believe in the existence of the Supreme. A favourite question to -the missionaries was this, "Is your God white or black?" If the European, -startled by the question, hesitated for a moment, they would leave him -with open signs of disgust at having been made the victims of a hoax. - -The assertion generally passes current that the idea of an Omnipotent -Being is familiar to all people, even the most barbarous. My limited -experience argues the contrary. Savages begin with fetisism and demon- -worship, they proceed to physiolatry (the religion of the Vedas) and -Sabaeism: the deity is the last and highest pinnacle of the spiritual -temple, not placed there except by a comparatively civilised race of high -development, which leads them to study and speculate upon cosmical and -psychical themes. This progression is admirably wrought out in Professor -Max Muller's "Rig Veda Sanhita." - -[22] The Moslem corpse is partly sentient in the tomb, reminding the -reader of Tennyson: - - "I thought the dead had peace, but it is not so; - To have no peace in the grave, is that not sad?" - -[23] The prayers for the dead have no Rukaat or bow as in other orisons. - -[24] The general Moslem name for the African coast from the Somali -seaboard southwards to the Mozambique, inhabited by negrotic races. - -[25] The Moslem rosary consists of ninety-nine beads divided into sets of -thirty-three each by some peculiar sign, as a bit of red coral. -[Illustration] The consulter, beginning at a chance place, counts up to -the mark: if the number of beads be odd, he sets down a single dot, if -even, two. This is done four times, when a figure is produced as in the -margin. Of these there are sixteen, each having its peculiar name and -properties. The art is merely Geomancy in its rudest shape; a mode of -vaticination which, from its wide diffusion, must be of high antiquity. -The Arabs call it El Baml, and ascribe its present form to the Imam Jaafar -el Sadik; amongst them it is a ponderous study, connected as usual with -astrology. Napoleon's "Book of Fate" is a specimen of the old Eastern -superstition presented to Europe in a modern and simple form. - -[26] In this country, as in Western and Southern Africa, the leopard, not -the wolf, is the shepherd's scourge. - -[27] Popular superstition in Abyssinia attributes the same power to the -Felashas or Jews. - -[28] Our Elixir, a corruption of the Arabic El Iksir. - -[29] In the Somali tongue its name is Barki: they make a stool of similar -shape, and call it Barjimo. - -[30] Specimens of these discourses have been given by Mr. Lane, Mod. -Egypt, chap. 3. It is useless to offer others, as all bear the closest -resemblance. - - - - -CHAP. III. - -EXCURSIONS NEAR ZAYLA. - - -We determined on the 9th of November to visit the island of Saad el Din, -the larger of the two patches of ground which lie about two miles north of -the town. Reaching our destination, after an hour's lively sail, we passed -through a thick belt of underwood tenanted by swarms of midges, with a -damp chill air crying fever, and a fetor of decayed vegetation smelling -death. To this succeeded a barren flat of silt and sand, white with salt -and ragged with salsolaceous stubble, reeking with heat, and covered with -old vegetation. Here, says local tradition, was the ancient site of Zayla -[1], built by Arabs from Yemen. The legend runs that when Saad el Din was -besieged and slain by David, King of Ethiopia, the wells dried up and the -island sank. Something doubtless occurred which rendered a removal -advisable: the sons of the Moslem hero fled to Ahmed bin El Ashraf, Prince -of Senaa, offering their allegiance if he would build fortifications for -them and aid them against the Christians of Abyssinia. The consequence was -a walled circuit upon the present site of Zayla: of its old locality -almost may be said "periere ruinae." - -During my stay with Sharmarkay I made many inquiries about historical -works, and the Kazi; Mohammed Khatib, a Harar man of the Hawiyah tribe, -was at last persuaded to send his Daftar, or office papers, for my -inspection. They formed a kind of parish register of births, deaths, -marriages, divorces, and manumissions. From them it appeared that in A.H. -1081 (A.D. 1670-71) the Shanabila Sayyids were Kazis of Zayla and retained -the office for 138 years. It passed two generations ago into the hands of -Mohammed Musa, a Hawiyah, and the present Kazi is his nephew. - -The origin of Zayla, or, as it is locally called, "Audal," is lost in the -fogs of Phoenician fable. The Avalites [2] of the Periplus and Pliny, it -was in earliest ages dependent upon the kingdom of Axum. [3] About the -seventh century, when the Southern Arabs penetrated into the heart of -Abyssinia [4], it became the great factory of the eastern coast, and rose -to its height of splendour. Taki el Din Makrizi [5] includes under the -name of Zayla, a territory of forty-three days' march by forty, and -divides it into seven great provinces, speaking about fifty languages, and -ruled by Amirs, subject to the Hati (Hatze) of Abyssinia. - -In the fourteenth century it became celebrated by its wars with the kings -of Abyssinia: sustaining severe defeats the Moslems retired upon their -harbour, which, after an obstinate defence fell into the hands of the -Christians. The land was laid waste, the mosques were converted into -churches, and the Abyssinians returned to their mountains laden with -booty. About A.D. 1400, Saad el Din, the heroic prince of Zayla, was -besieged in his city by the Hatze David the Second: slain by a spear- -thrust, he left his people powerless in the hands of their enemies, till -his sons, Sabr el Din, Ali, Mansur, and Jemal el Din retrieved the cause -of El Islam. - -Ibn Batuta, a voyager of the fourteenth century, thus describes the place: -"I then went from Aden by sea, and after four days came to the city of -Zayla. This is a settlement, of the Berbers [6], a people of Sudan, of the -Shafia sect. Their country is a desert of two months' extent; the first -part is termed Zayla, the last Makdashu. The greatest number of the -inhabitants, however, are of the Rafizah sect. [7] Their food is mostly -camels' flesh and fish. [8] The stench of the country is extreme, as is -also its filth, from the stink of the fish and the blood of camels which -are slaughtered in its streets." - -About A.D. 1500 the Turks conquered Yemen, and the lawless Janissaries, -"who lived upon the very bowels of commerce" [9], drove the peaceable Arab -merchants to the opposite shore. The trade of India, flying from the same -enemy, took refuge in Adel, amongst its partners. [10] The Turks of -Arabia, though they were blind to the cause, were sensible of the great -influx of wealth into the opposite kingdoms. They took possession, -therefore, of Zayla, which they made a den of thieves, established there -what they called a custom-house [11], and, by means of that post and -galleys cruising in the narrow straits of Bab el Mandeb, they laid the -Indian trade to Adel under heavy contributions that might indemnify them -for the great desertion their violence and injustice had occasioned in -Arabia. - -This step threatened the very existence both of Adel and Abyssinia; and -considering the vigorous government of the one, and the weak politics and -prejudices of the other, it is more than probable that the Turks would -have subdued both, had they not in India, their chief object, met the -Portuguese, strongly established. - -Bartema, travelling in A.D. 1503, treats in his 15th chapter of "Zeila in -AEthiopia and the great fruitlessness thereof, and of certain strange -beasts seen there." - -"In this city is great frequentation of merchandise, as in a most famous -mart. There is marvellous abundance of gold and iron, and an innumerable -number of black slaves sold for small prices; these are taken in War by -the Mahomedans out of AEthiopia, of the kingdom of Presbyter Johannes, or -Preciosus Johannes, which some also call the king of Jacobins or Abyssins, -being a Christian; and are carried away from thence into Persia, Arabia -Felix, Babylonia of Nilus or Alcair, and Meccah. In this city justice and -good laws are observed. [12] ... It hath an innumerable multitude of -merchants; the walls are greatly decayed, and the haven rude and -despicable. The King or Sultan of the city is a Mahomedan, and -entertaineth in wages a great multitude of footmen and horsemen. They are -greatly given to war, and wear only one loose single vesture: they are of -dark ash colour, inclining to black." - -In July 1516 Zayla was taken, and the town burned by a Portuguese -armament, under Lopez Suarez Alberguiera. When the Turks were compelled -to retire from Southern Arabia, it became subject to the Prince of Senaa, -who gave it in perpetuity to the family of a Senaani merchant. - -The kingdom of Yemen falling into decay, Zayla passed under the authority -of the Sherif of Mocha, who, though receiving no part of the revenue, had -yet the power of displacing the Governor. By him it was farmed out to the -Hajj Sharmarkay, who paid annually to Sayyid Mohammed el Barr, at Mocha, -the sum of 750 crowns, and reserved all that he could collect above that -sum for himself. In A.D. 1848 Zayla was taken from the family El Barr, and -farmed out to Sharmarkay by the Turkish Governor of Mocha and Hodaydah. - -The extant remains at Saad el Din are principally those of water-courses, -rude lines of coralline, stretching across the plain towards wells, now -lost [13], and diminutive tanks, made apparently to collect rain water. -One of these latter is a work of some art--a long sunken vault, with a -pointed arch projecting a few feet above the surface of the ground; -outside it is of rough stone, the interior is carefully coated with fine -lime, and from the roof long stalactites depend. Near it is a cemetery: -the graves are, for the most part, provided with large slabs of close -black basalt, planted in the ground edgeways, and in the shape of a small -oblong. The material was most probably brought from the mountains near -Tajurrah: at another part of the island I found it in the shape of a -gigantic mill-stone, half imbedded in the loose sand. Near the cemetery we -observed a mound of rough stones surrounding an upright pole; this is the -tomb of Shaykh Saad el Din, formerly the hero, now the favourite patron -saint of Zayla,--still popularly venerated, as was proved by the remains -of votive banquets, broken bones, dried garbage, and stones blackened by -the fire. - -After wandering through the island, which contained not a human being save -a party of Somal boatmen, cutting firewood for Aden, and having massacred -a number of large fishing hawks and small sea-birds, to astonish the -natives, our companions, we returned to the landing-place. Here an awning -had been spread; the goat destined for our dinner--I have long since -conquered all dislike, dear L., to seeing dinner perambulating--had been -boiled and disposed in hunches upon small mountains of rice, and jars of -sweet water stood in the air to cool. After feeding, regardless of -Quartana and her weird sisterhood, we all lay down for siesta in the light -sea-breeze. Our slumbers were heavy, as the Zayla people say is ever the -case at Saad el Din, and the sun had declined low ere we awoke. The tide -was out, and we waded a quarter of a mile to the boat, amongst giant crabs -who showed grisly claws, sharp coralline, and sea-weed so thick as to -become almost a mat. You must believe me when I tell you that in the -shallower parts the sun was painfully hot, even to my well tried feet. We -picked up a few specimens of fine sponge, and coral, white and red, which, -if collected, might be valuable to Zayla, and, our pic-nic concluded, we -returned home. - -On the 14th November we left the town to meet a caravan of the Danakil -[14], and to visit the tomb of the great saint Abu Zarbay. The former -approached in a straggling line of asses, and about fifty camels laiden -with cows' hides, ivories and one Abyssinian slave-girl. The men were wild -as ourang-outangs, and the women fit only to flog cattle: their animals -were small, meagre-looking, and loosely made; the asses of the Bedouins, -however, are far superior to those of Zayla, and the camels are, -comparatively speaking, well bred. [15] In a few minutes the beasts were -unloaded, the Gurgis or wigwams pitched, and all was prepared for repose. -A caravan so extensive being an unusual event,--small parties carrying -only grain come in once or twice a week,--the citizens abandoned even -their favourite game of ball, with an eye to speculation. We stood at -"Government House," over the Ashurbara Gate, to see the Bedouins, and we -quizzed (as Town men might denounce a tie or scoff at a boot) the huge -round shields and the uncouth spears of these provincials. Presently they -entered the streets, where we witnessed their frantic dance in presence of -the Hajj and other authorities. This is the wild men's way of expressing -their satisfaction that Fate has enabled them to convoy the caravan -through all the dangers of the desert. - -The Shaykh Ibrahim Abu Zarbay [16] lies under a whitewashed dome close to -the Ashurbara Gate of Zayla: an inscription cut in wood over the doorway -informs us that the building dates from A.H. 1155=AD. 1741-2. It is now -dilapidated, the lintel is falling in, the walls are decaying, and the -cupola, which is rudely built, with primitive gradients,--each step -supported as in Cashmere and other parts of India, by wooden beams,-- -threatens the heads of the pious. The building is divided into two -compartments, forming a Mosque and a Mazar or place of pious visitation: -in the latter are five tombs, the two largest covered with common chintz -stuff of glaring colours. Ibrahim was one of the forty-four Hazrami saints -who landed at Berberah, sat in solemn conclave upon Auliya Kumbo or Holy -Hill, and thence dispersed far and wide for the purpose of propagandism. -He travelled to Harar about A.D. 1430 [17], converted many to El Islam, -and left there an honored memory. His name is immortalised in El Yemen by -the introduction of El Kat. [17] - -Tired of the town, I persuaded the Hajj to send me with an escort to the -Hissi or well. At daybreak I set out with four Arab matchlock-men, and -taking a direction nearly due west, waded and walked over an alluvial -plain flooded by every high tide. On our way we passed lines of donkeys -and camels carrying water-skins from the town; they were under guard like -ourselves, and the sturdy dames that drove them indulged in many a loud -joke at our expense. After walking about four miles we arrived at what is -called the Takhushshah--the sandy bed of a torrent nearly a mile broad -[19], covered with a thin coat of caked mud: in the centre is a line of -pits from three to four feet deep, with turbid water at the bottom. Around -them were several frame-works of four upright sticks connected by -horizontal bars, and on these were stretched goats'-skins, forming the -cattle-trough of the Somali country. About the wells stood troops of -camels, whose Eesa proprietors scowled fiercely at us, and stalked over -the plain with their long, heavy spears: for protection against these -people, the citizens have erected a kind of round tower, with a ladder for -a staircase. Near it are some large tamarisks and the wild henna of the -Somali country, which supplies a sweet-smelling flower, but is valueless -as a dye. A thick hedge of thorn-trees surrounds the only cultivated -ground near Zayla: as Ibn Said declared in old times, "the people have no -gardens, and know nothing of fruits." The variety and the luxuriance of -growth, however, prove that industry is the sole desideratum. I remarked -the castor-plant,--no one knows its name or nature [20],--the Rayhan or -Basil, the Kadi, a species of aloe, whose strongly scented flowers the -Arabs of Yemen are fond of wearing in their turbans. [21] Of vegetables, -there were cucumbers, egg-plants, and the edible hibiscus; the only fruit -was a small kind of water-melon. - -After enjoying a walk through the garden and a bath at the well, I -started, gun in hand, towards the jungly plain that stretches towards the -sea. It abounds in hares, and in a large description of spur-fowl [22]; -the beautiful little sand antelope, scarcely bigger than an English rabbit -[23], bounded over the bushes, its thin legs being scarcely perceptible -during the spring. I was afraid to fire with ball, the place being full of -Bedouins' huts, herds, and dogs, and the vicinity of man made the animals -too wild for small shot. In revenge, I did considerable havoc amongst the -spur-fowl, who proved equally good for sport and the pot, besides knocking -over a number of old crows, whose gall the Arab soldiers wanted for -collyrium. [24] Beyond us lay Warabalay or Hyaenas' hill [25]: we did not -visit it, as all its tenants had been driven away by the migration of the -Nomads. - -Returning, we breakfasted in the garden, and rain coming on, we walked out -to enjoy the Oriental luxury of a wetting. Ali Iskandar, an old Arab -mercenary, afforded us infinite amusement: a little opium made him half -crazy, when his sarcastic pleasantries never ceased. We then brought out -the guns, and being joined by the other escort, proceeded to a trial of -skill. The Arabs planted a bone about 200 paces from us,--a long distance -for a people who seldom fire beyond fifty yards;--moreover, the wind blew -the flash strongly in their faces. Some shot two or three dozen times wide -of the mark and were derided accordingly: one man hit the bone; he at once -stopped practice, as the wise in such matters will do, and shook hands -with all the party. He afterwards showed that his success on this occasion -had been accidental; but he was a staunch old sportsman, remarkable, as -the Arab Bedouins generally are, for his skill and perseverance in -stalking. Having no rifle, I remained a spectator. My revolvers excited -abundant attention, though none would be persuaded to touch them. The -largest, which fitted with a stock became an excellent carbine, was at -once named Abu Sittah (the Father of Six) and the Shaytan or Devil: the -pocket pistol became the Malunah or Accursed, and the distance to which it -carried ball made every man wonder. The Arabs had antiquated matchlocks, -mostly worn away to paper thinness at the mouth: as usual they fired with -the right elbow raised to the level of the ear, and the left hand grasping -the barrel, where with us the breech would be. Hassan Turki had one of -those fine old Shishkhanah rifles formerly made at Damascus and Senaa: it -carried a two-ounce ball with perfect correctness, but was so badly -mounted in its block-butt, shaped like a Dutch cheese, that it always -required a rest. - -On our return home we met a party of Eesa girls, who derided my colour and -doubted the fact of my being a Moslem. The Arabs declared me to be a -Shaykh of Shaykhs, and translated to the prettiest of the party an -impromptu proposal of marriage. She showed but little coyness, and stated -her price to be an Audulli or necklace [26], a couple of Tobes,--she asked -one too many--a few handfuls of beads, [27] and a small present for her -papa. She promised, naively enough, to call next day and inspect the -goods: the publicity of the town did not deter her, but the shamefacedness -of my two companions prevented our meeting again. Arrived at Zayla after a -sunny walk, the Arab escort loaded their guns, formed a line for me to -pass along, fired a salute, and entered to coffee and sweetmeats. - -On the 24th of November I had an opportunity of seeing what a timid people -are these Somal of the towns, who, as has been well remarked, are, like -the settled Arabs, the worst specimens of their race. Three Eesa Bedouins -appeared before the southern gate, slaughtered a cow, buried its head, and -sent for permission to visit one of their number who had been imprisoned -by the Hajj for the murder of his son Masud. The place was at once thrown -into confusion, the gates were locked, and the walls manned with Arab -matchlock men: my three followers armed themselves, and I was summoned to -the fray. Some declared that the Bedouins were "doing" [28] the town; -others that they were the van of a giant host coming to ravish, sack, and -slay: it turned out that these Bedouins had preceded their comrades, who -were bringing in, as the price of blood [29], an Abyssinian slave, seven -camels, seven cows, a white mule, and a small black mare. The prisoner was -visited by his brother, who volunteered to share his confinement, and the -meeting was described as most pathetic: partly from mental organisation -and partly from the peculiarities of society, the only real tie -acknowledged by these people is that which connects male kinsmen. The -Hajj, after speaking big, had the weakness to let the murderer depart -alive: this measure, like peace-policy in general, is the best and surest -way to encourage bloodshed and mutilation. But a few months before, an -Eesa Bedouin enticed out of the gates a boy about fifteen, and slaughtered -him for the sake of wearing the feather. His relations were directed to -receive the Diyat or blood fine, and the wretch was allowed to depart -unhurt--a silly clemency! - -You must not suppose, dear L., that I yielded myself willingly to the -weary necessity of a month at Zayla. But how explain to you the obstacles -thrown in our way by African indolence, petty intrigue, and interminable -suspicion? Four months before leaving Aden I had taken the precaution of -meeting the Hajj, requesting him to select for us an Abban [30], or -protector, and to provide camels and mules; two months before starting I -had advanced to him the money required in a country where nothing can be -done without a whole or partial prepayment. The protector was to be -procured anywhere, the cattle at Tajurrah, scarcely a day's sail from -Zayla: when I arrived nothing was forthcoming. I at once begged the -governor to exert himself: he politely promised to start a messenger that -hour, and he delayed doing so for ten days. An easterly wind set in and -gave the crew an excuse for wasting another fortnight. [31] Travellers are -an irritable genus: I stormed and fretted at the delays to show -earnestness of purpose. All the effect was a paroxysm of talking. The Hajj -and his son treated me, like a spoilt child, to a double allowance of food -and milk: they warned me that the small-pox was depopulating Harar, that -the road swarmed with brigands, and that the Amir or prince was certain -destruction,--I contented myself with determining that both were true -Oriental hyperbolists, and fell into more frequent fits of passion. The -old man could not comprehend my secret. "If the English," he privately -remarked, "wish to take Harar, let them send me 500 soldiers; if not, I -can give all information concerning it." When convinced of my -determination to travel, he applied his mind to calculating the benefit -which might be derived from the event, and, as the following pages will -show, he was not without success. - -Towards the end of November, four camels were procured, an Abban was -engaged, we hired two women cooks and a fourth servant; my baggage was -reformed, the cloth and tobacco being sewn up in matting, and made to fit -the camels' sides [32]; sandals were cut out for walking, letters were -written, messages of dreary length,--too important to be set down in black -and white,--were solemnly entrusted to us, palavers were held, and affairs -began to wear the semblance of departure. The Hajj strongly recommended us -to one of the principal families of the Gudabirsi tribe, who would pass us -on to their brother-in-law Adan, the Gerad or prince of the Girhi; and he, -in due time, to his kinsman the Amir of Harar. The chain was commenced by -placing us under the protection of one Raghe, a petty Eesa chief of the -Mummasan clan. By the good aid of the Hajj and our sweetmeats, he was -persuaded, for the moderate consideration of ten Tobes [33], to accompany -us to the frontier of his clan, distant about fifty miles, to introduce us -to the Gudabirsi, and to provide us with three men as servants, and a -suitable escort, a score or so, in dangerous places. He began, with us in -an extravagant manner, declaring that nothing but "name" induced him to -undertake the perilous task; that he had left his flocks and herds at a -season of uncommon risk, and that all his relations must receive a certain -honorarium. But having paid at least three pounds for a few days of his -society, we declined such liberality, and my companions, I believe, -declared that it would be "next time:"--on all such occasions I make a -point of leaving the room, since for one thing given at least five are -promised on oath. Raghe warned us seriously to prepare for dangers and -disasters, and this seemed to be the general opinion of Zayla, whose timid -citizens determined that we were tired of our lives. The cold had driven -the Nomads from the hills to the warm maritime Plains [34], we should -therefore traverse a populous region; and, as the End of Time aptly -observed, "Man eats you up, the Desert does not." Moreover this year the -Ayyal Nuh Ismail, a clan of the Habr Awal tribe, is "out," and has been -successful against the Eesa, who generally are the better men. They sweep -the country in Kaum or Commandos [35], numbering from twenty to two -hundred troopers, armed with assegai, dagger, and shield, and carrying a -water skin and dried meat for a three days' ride, sufficient to scour the -length of the low land. The honest fellows are not so anxious to plunder -as to ennoble themselves by taking life: every man hangs to his saddle bow -an ostrich [36] feather,--emblem of truth,--and the moment his javelin has -drawn blood, he sticks it into his tufty pole with as much satisfaction as -we feel when attaching a medal to our shell-jackets. It is by no means -necessary to slay the foe in fair combat: Spartan-like, treachery is -preferred to stand-up fighting; and you may measure their ideas of honor, -by the fact that women are murdered in cold blood, as by the Amazulus, -with the hope that the unborn child may prove a male. The hero carries -home the trophy of his prowess [37], and his wife, springing from her -tent, utters a long shrill scream of joy, a preliminary to boasting of her -man's valour, and bitterly taunting the other possessors of _noirs -faineants_: the derided ladies abuse their lords with peculiar virulence, -and the lords fall into paroxysms of envy, hatred, and malice. During my -short stay at Zayla six or seven murders were committed close to the -walls: the Abban brought news, a few hours before our departure, that two -Eesas had been slaughtered by the Habr Awal. The Eesa and Dankali also -have a blood feud, which causes perpetual loss of life. But a short time -ago six men of these two tribes were travelling together, when suddenly -the last but one received from the hindermost a deadly spear thrust in the -back. The wounded man had the presence of mind to plunge his dagger in the -side of the wayfarer who preceded him, thus dying, as the people say, in -company. One of these events throws the country into confusion, for the -_vendetta_ is rancorous and bloody, as in ancient Germany or in modern -Corsica. Our Abban enlarged upon the unpleasant necessity of travelling -all night towards the hills, and lying _perdu_ during the day. The most -dangerous times are dawn and evening tide: the troopers spare their horses -during the heat, and themselves during the dew-fall. Whenever, in the -desert,--where, says the proverb, all men are enemies--you sight a fellow -creature from afar, you wave the right arm violently up and down, -shouting "War Joga! War Joga!"--stand still! stand still! If they halt, -you send a parliamentary to within speaking distance. Should they advance -[38], you fire, taking especial care not to miss; when two saddles are -emptied, the rest are sure to decamp. - -I had given the Abban orders to be in readiness,--my patience being -thoroughly exhausted,--on Sunday, the 26th of November, and determined to -walk the whole way, rather than waste another day waiting for cattle. As -the case had become hopeless, a vessel was descried standing straight from -Tajurrah, and, suddenly as could happen in the Arabian Nights, four fine -mules, saddled and bridled, Abyssinian fashion, appeared at the door. [39] - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] Brace describes Zayla as "a small island, on the very coast of Adel." -To reconcile discrepancy, he adopts the usual clumsy expedient of -supposing two cities of the same name, one situated seven degrees south of -the other. Salt corrects the error, but does not seem to have heard of old -Zayla's insular position. - -[2] The inhabitants were termed Avalitae, and the Bay "Sinus Avaliticus." -Some modern travellers have confounded it with Adule or Adulis, the port -of Axum, founded by fugitive Egyptian slaves. The latter, however, lies -further north: D'Anville places it at Arkiko, Salt at Zula (or Azule), -near the head of Annesley Bay. - -[3] The Arabs were probably the earliest colonists of this coast. Even the -Sawahil people retain a tradition that their forefathers originated in the -south of Arabia. - -[4] To the present day the district of Gozi is peopled by Mohammedans -called Arablet, "whose progenitors," according to Harris, "are said by -tradition to have been left there prior to the reign of Nagasi, first King -of Shoa. Hossain, Wahabit, and Abdool Kurreem, generals probably detached -from the victorious army of Graan (Mohammed Gragne), are represented to -have come from Mecca, and to have taken possession of the country,--the -legend assigning to the first of these warriors as his capital, the -populous village of Medina, which is conspicuous on a cone among the -mountains, shortly after entering the valley of Robi." - -[5] Historia Regum Islamiticorum in Abyssinia, Lugd. Bat. 1790. [6] The -affinity between the Somal and the Berbers of Northern Africa, and their -descent from Canaan, son of Ham, has been learnedly advanced and refuted -by several Moslem authors. The theory appears to have arisen from a -mistake; Berberah, the great emporium of the Somali country, being -confounded with the Berbers of Nubia. - -[7] Probably Zaidi from Yemen. At present the people of Zayla are all -orthodox Sunnites. - -[8] Fish, as will be seen in these pages, is no longer a favourite article -of diet. - -[9] Bruce, book 8. - -[10] Hence the origin of the trade between Africa and Cutch, which -continues uninterrupted to the present time. Adel, Arabia, and India, as -Bruce remarks, were three partners in one trade, who mutually exported -their produce to Europe, Asia, and Africa, at that time the whole known -world. - -[11] The Turks, under a show of protecting commerce, established these -posts in their different ports. But they soon made it appear that the end -proposed was only to ascertain who were the subjects from whom they could -levy the most enormous extortions. Jeddah, Zebid, and Mocha, the places of -consequence nearest to Abyssinia on the Arabian coast, Suakin, a seaport -town on the very barriers of Abyssinia, in the immediate way of their -caravan to Cairo on the African side, were each under the command of a -Turkish Pasha and garrisoned by Turkish troops sent thither from -Constantinople by the emperors Selim and Sulayman. - -[12] Bartema's account of its productions is as follows: "The soil beareth -wheat and hath abundance of flesh and divers other commodious things. It -hath also oil, not of olives, but of some other thing, I know not what. -There is also plenty of honey and wax; there are likewise certain sheep -having their tails of the weight of sixteen pounds, and exceeding fat; the -head and neck are black, and all the rest white. There are also sheep -altogether white, and having tails of a cubit long, and hanging down like -a great cluster of grapes, and have also great laps of skin hanging down -from their throats, as have bulls and oxen, hanging down almost to the -ground. There are also certain kind with horns like unto harts' horns; -these are wild, and when they be taken are given to the Sultan of that -city as a kingly present. I saw there also certain kind having only one -horn in the midst of the forehead, as hath the unicorn, and about a span -of length, but the horn bendeth backward: they are of bright shining red -colour. But they that have harts' horns are inclining to black colour. -Living is there good and cheap." - -[13] The people have a tradition that a well of sweet water exists unseen -in some part of the island. When Saad el Din was besieged in Zayla by the -Hatze David, the host of El Islam suffered severely for the want of the -fresh element. - -[14] The singular is Dankali, the plural Danakil: both words are Arabic, -the vernacular name being "Afar" or "Afer," the Somali "Afarnimun." The -word is pronounced like the Latin "Afer," an African. - -[15] Occasionally at Zayla--where all animals are expensive--Dankali -camels may be bought: though small, they resist hardship and fatigue -better than the other kinds. A fair price would be about ten dollars. The -Somal divide their animals into two kinds, Gel Ad and Ayyun. The former is -of white colour, loose and weak, but valuable, I was told by Lieut. Speke, -in districts where little water is found: the Ayyun is darker and -stronger; its price averages about a quarter more than the Gel Ad. - -To the Arabian traveller nothing can be more annoying than these Somali -camels. They must be fed four hours during the day, otherwise they cannot -march. They die from change of food or sudden removal to another country. -Their backs are ever being galled, and, with all precautions, a month's -march lays them up for three times that period. They are never used for -riding, except in cases of sickness or accidents. - -The Somali ass is generally speaking a miserable animal. Lieut. Speke, -however, reports that on the windward coast it is not to be despised. At -Harar I found a tolerable breed, superior in appearance but inferior in -size to the thoroughbred little animals at Aden. They are never ridden; -their principal duty is that of carrying water-skins to and from the -walls. - -[16] He is generally called Abu Zerbin, more rarely Abu Zarbayn, and Abu -Zarbay. I have preferred the latter orthography upon the authority of the -Shaykh Jami, most learned of the Somal. - -[17] In the same year (A.D. 1429-30) the Shaykh el Shazili, buried under a -dome at Mocha, introduced coffee into Arabia. - -[18] The following is an extract from the Pharmaceutical Journal, vol. -xii. No. v. Nov. 1. 1852. Notes upon the drugs observed at Aden Arabia, by -James Vaughan, Esq., M.R.C.S.E., Assist. Surg., B.A., Civil and Port. -Surg., Aden, Arabia. - -"Kat [Arabic], the name of a drug which is brought into Aden from the -interior, and largely used, especially by the Arabs, as a pleasurable -excitant. It is generally imported in small camel-loads, consisting of a -number of parcels, each containing about forty slender twigs with the -leaves attached, and carefully wrapped so as to prevent as much as -possible exposure to the atmosphere. The leaves form the edible part, and -these, when chewed, are said to produce great hilarity of spirits, and an -agreeable state of wakefulness. Some estimate may be formed of the strong -predilection which the Arabs have for this drug from the quantity used in -Aden alone, which averages about 280 camel-loads annually. The market -price is one and a quarter rupees per parcel, and the exclusive privilege -of selling it is farmed by the government for 1500 rupees per year. -Forskal found the plant growing on the mountains of Yemen, and has -enumerated it as a new genus in the class Pentandria, under the name of -Catha. He notices two species, and distinguishes them as _Catha edulis_ -and _Catha spinosa_. According to his account it is cultivated on the same -ground as coffee, and is planted from cuttings. Besides the effects above -stated, the Arabs, he tells us, believe the land where it grows to be -secure from the inroads of plague; and that a twig of the Kat carried in -the bosom is a certain safeguard against infection. The learned botanist -observes, with respect to these supposed virtues, 'Gustus foliorum tamen -virtutem tantam indicare non videtur.' Like coffee, Kat, from its -acknowledged stimulating effects, has been a fertile theme for the -exercise of Mahomedan casuistry, and names of renown are ranged on both -sides of the question, whether the use of Kat does or does not contravene -the injunction of the Koran, Thou shalt not drink wine or anything -intoxicating. The succeeding notes, borrowed chiefly from De Sacy's -researches, may be deemed worthy of insertion here. - -"Sheikh Abdool Kader Ansari Jezeri, a learned Mahomedan author, in his -treatise on the use of coffee, quotes the following from the writings of -Fakr ood Deen Mekki:--'It is said that the first who introduced coffee was -the illustrious saint Aboo Abdallah Mahomed Dhabhani ibn Said; but we have -learned by the testimony of many persons that the use of coffee in Yemen, -its origin, and first introduction into that country are due to the -learned All Shadeli ibn Omar, one of the disciples of the learned doctor -Nasr ood Deen, who is regarded as one of the chiefs among the order -Shadeli, and whose worth attests the high degree of spirituality to which -they had attained. Previous to that time they made coffee of the vegetable -substance called Cafta, which is the same as the leaf known under the name -of Kat, and not of Boon (the coffee berry) nor any preparation of Boon. -The use of this beverage extended in course of time as far as Aden, but in -the days of Mahomed Dhabhani the vegetable substance from which it was -prepared disappeared from Aden. Then it was that the Sheik advised those -who had become his disciples to try the drink made from the Boon, which -was found to produce the same effect as the Kat, inducing sleeplessness, -and that it was attended with less expense and trouble. The use of coffee -has been kept up from that time to the present.' - -"D'Herbelot states that the beverage called Calmat al Catiat or Caftah, -was prohibited in Yemen in consequence of its effects upon the brain. On -the other hand a synod of learned Mussulmans is said to have decreed that -as beverages of Kat and Cafta do not impair the health or impede the -observance of religious duties, but only increase hilarity and good- -humour, it was lawful to use them, as also the drink made from the boon or -coffee-berry. I am not aware that Kat is used in Aden in any other way -than for mastication. From what I have heard, however, I believe that a -decoction resembling tea is made from the leaf by the Arabs in the -interior; and one who is well acquainted with our familiar beverage -assures me that the effects are not unlike those produced by strong green -tea, with this advantage in favour of Kat, that the excitement is always -of a pleasing and agreeable kind. [Note: "Mr. Vaughan has transmitted two -specimens called Tubbare Kat and Muktaree Kat, from the districts in which -they are produced: the latter fetches the lower price. Catha edulis -_Forsk._, Nat. Ord. Celastraceae, is figured in Dr. Lindley's Vegetable -Kingdom, p. 588. (London, 1846). But there is a still more complete -representation of the plant under the name of Catha Forskalii _Richard_, -in a work published under the auspices of the French government, entitled, -'Voyage en Abyssinie execute pendant les annees 1839-43, par une -commission scientifique composee de MM. Theophile Lefebvre, Lieut. du -Vaisseau, A. Petit et Martin-Dillon, docteurs medecins, naturalistes du -Museum, Vignaud dessinateur.' The botanical portion of this work, by M. -Achille Richard, is regarded either as a distinct publication under the -title of Tentamen Florae Abyssinicae, or as a part of the Voyage en -Abyssinie. M. Richard enters into some of the particulars relative to the -synonyms of the plant, from which it appears that Vahl referred Forskal's -genus Catha to the Linnaean genus Celastrus, changing the name of Catha -edulis to Celastrus edulis. Hochstetter applied the name of Celastrus -edulis to an Abyssinian species (Celastrus obscurus _Richard_), which he -imagined identical with Forskal's Catha edulis, while of the real Catha -edulis _Forsk._, he formed a new genus and species, under the name of -Trigonotheca serrata _Hochs_. Nat. Ord. Hippocrateaceae. I quote the -following references from the Tentamen Florae Abyssinicae, vol. i. p. 134.: -'Catha Forskalii _Nob._ Catha No. 4. Forsk. loc. cit, (Flor. AEgypt. Arab. -p. 63.) Trigonotheca serrata _Hochs._ in pl. Schimp. Abyss. sect. ii, No. -649. Celastrus edulis _Vahl, Ecl._ 1. 21.' Although In the Flora -AEgyptiaco-Arabica of Forskal no specific name is applied to the Catha at -p. 63, it is enumerated as Catha edulis at p. 107. The reference to -Celastrus edulis is not contained in the Eclogae Americanae of Vahl, but in -the author's Symbolae Botanicae (Hanulae, 1790, fol.) pars i. p. 21. (Daniel -Hanbury signed.)] - -[19] This is probably the "River of Zayla," alluded to by Ibn Said and -others. Like all similar features in the low country, it is a mere surface -drain. - -[20] In the upper country I found a large variety growing wild in the -Fiumaras. The Bedouins named it Buamado, but ignored its virtues. - -[21] This ornament is called Musbgur. - -[22] A large brown bird with black legs, not unlike the domestic fowl. The -Arabs call it Dijajat el Barr, (the wild hen): the Somal "digarin," a word -also applied to the Guinea fowl, which it resembles in its short strong -fight and habit of running. Owing to the Bedouin prejudice against eating -birds, it is found in large coveys all over the country. - -[23] It has been described by Salt and others. The Somal call it Sagaro, -the Arabs Ghezalah: it is found throughout the land generally in pairs, -and is fond of ravines under the hills, beds of torrents, and patches of -desert vegetation. It is easily killed by a single pellet of shot striking -the neck. The Somal catch it by a loop of strong twine hung round a gap in -a circuit of thorn hedge, or they run it down on foot, an operation -requiring half a day on account of its fleetness, which enables it to -escape the jackal and wild dog. When caught it utters piercing cries. Some -Bedouins do not eat the flesh: generally, however, it is considered a -delicacy, and the skulls and bones of these little animals lie strewed -around the kraals. - -[24] The Somal hold the destruction of the "Tuka" next in religious merit -to that of the snake. They have a tradition that the crow, originally -white, became black for his sins. When the Prophet and Abubekr were -concealed in the cave, the pigeon hid there from their pursuers: the crow, -on the contrary, sat screaming "ghar! ghar!" (the cave! the cave!) upon -which Mohammed ordered him into eternal mourning, and ever to repeat the -traitorous words. - -There are several species of crows in this part of Africa. Besides the -large-beaked bird of the Harar Hills, I found the common European variety, -with, however, the breast feathers white tipped in small semicircles as -far as the abdomen. The little "king-crow" of India is common: its bright -red eye and purplish plume render it a conspicuous object as it perches -upon the tall camel's back or clings to waving plants. - -[25] The Waraba or Durwa is, according to Mr. Blyth, the distinguished -naturalist, now Curator of the Asiatic Society's Museum at Calcutta, the -Canis pictus seu venaticus (Lycaon pictus or Wilde Honde of the Cape -Boers). It seems to be the Chien Sauvage or Cynhyene (Cynhyaena venatica) -of the French traveller M. Delegorgue, who in his "Voyage dans l'Afrique -Australe," minutely and diffusely describes it. Mr. Gordon Cumming -supposes it to form the connecting link between the wolf and the hyaena. -This animal swarms throughout the Somali country, prowls about the camps -all night, dogs travellers, and devours every thing he can find, at times -pulling down children and camels, and when violently pressed by hunger, -men. The Somal declare the Waraba to be a hermaphrodite; so the ancients -supposed the hyaena to be of both sexes, an error arising from the peculiar -appearance of an orifice situated near two glands which secrete an -unctuous fluid. - -[26] Men wear for ornament round the neck a bright red leather thong, upon -which are strung in front two square bits of true or imitation amber or -honey stone: this "Mekkawi," however, is seldom seen amongst the Bedouins. -The Audulli or woman's necklace is a more elaborate affair of amber, glass -beads, generally coloured, and coral: every matron who can afford it, -possesses at least one of these ornaments. Both sexes carry round the -necks or hang above the right elbow, a talisman against danger and -disease, either in a silver box or more generally sewn up in a small case -of red morocco. The Bedouins are fond of attaching a tooth-stick to the -neck thong. - -[27] Beads are useful in the Somali country as presents, and to pay for -trifling purchases: like tobacco they serve for small change. The kind -preferred by women and children is the "binnur," large and small white -porcelain: the others are the red, white, green, and spotted twisted -beads, round and oblong. Before entering a district the traveller should -ascertain what may be the especial variety. Some kind are greedily sought -for in one place, and in another rejected with disdain. - -[28] The Somali word "Fal" properly means "to do;" "to bewitch," is its -secondary sense. - -[29] The price of blood in the Somali country is the highest sanctioned by -El Islam. It must be remembered that amongst the pagan Arabs, the Korayah -"diyat," was twenty she-camels. Abd el Muttaleb, grandfather of Mohammed, -sacrificed 100 animals to ransom the life of his son, forfeited by a rash -vow, and from that time the greater became the legal number. The Somal -usually demand 100 she-camels, or 300 sheep and a few cows; here, as in -Arabia, the sum is made up by all the near relations of the slayer; 30 of -the animals may be aged, and 30 under age, but the rest must be sound and -good. Many tribes take less,--from strangers 100 sheep, a cow, and a -camel;--but after the equivalent is paid, the murderer or one of his clan, -contrary to the spirit of El Islam, is generally killed by the kindred or -tribe of the slain. When blood is shed in the same tribe, the full -reparation, if accepted by the relatives, is always exacted; this serves -the purpose of preventing fratricidal strife, for in such a nation of -murderers, only the Diyat prevents the taking of life. - -Blood money, however, is seldom accepted unless the murdered man has been -slain with a lawful weapon. Those who kill with the Dankaleh, a poisonous -juice rubbed upon meat, are always put to death by the members of their -own tribe. - -[30] The Abban or protector of the Somali country is the Mogasa of the -Gallas, the Akh of El Hejaz, the Ghafir of the Sinaitic Peninsula, and the -Rabia of Eastern Arabia. It must be observed, however, that the word -denotes the protege as well as the protector; In the latter sense it is -the polite address to a Somali, as Ya Abbaneh, O Protectress, would be to -his wife. - -The Abban acts at once as broker, escort, agent, and interpreter, and the -institution may be considered the earliest form of transit dues. In all -sales he receives a certain percentage, his food and lodging are provided -at the expense of his employer, and he not unfrequently exacts small -presents from his kindred. In return he is bound to arrange all -differences, and even to fight the battles of his client against his -fellow-countrymen. Should the Abban be slain, his tribe is bound to take -up the cause and to make good the losses of their protege. El Taabanah, -the office, being one of "name," the eastern synonym for our honour, as -well as of lucre, causes frequent quarrels, which become exceedingly -rancorous. - -According to the laws of the country, the Abban is master of the life and -property of his client. The traveller's success will depend mainly upon -his selection: if inferior in rank, the protector can neither forward nor -defend him; if timid, he will impede advance; and if avaricious, he will, -by means of his relatives, effectually stop the journey by absorbing the -means of prosecuting it. The best precaution against disappointment would -be the registering Abbans at Aden; every donkey-boy will offer himself as -a protector, but only the chiefs of tribes should be provided with -certificates. During my last visit to Africa, I proposed that English -officers visiting the country should be provided with servants not -protectors, the former, however, to be paid like the latter; all the -people recognised the propriety of the step. - -In the following pages occur manifold details concerning the complicated -subject, El Taabanah. - -[31] Future travellers would do well either to send before them a trusty -servant with orders to buy cattle; or, what would be better, though a -little more expensive, to take with them from Aden all the animals -required. - -[32] The Somal use as camel saddles the mats which compose their huts; -these lying loose upon the animal's back, cause, by slipping backwards and -forwards, the loss of many a precious hour, and in wet weather become half -a load. The more civilised make up of canvass or "gunny bags" stuffed with -hay and provided with cross bars, a rude packsaddle, which is admirably -calculated to gall the animal's back. Future travellers would do well to -purchase camel-saddles at Aden, where they are cheap and well made. - -[33] He received four cloths of Cutch canvass, and six others of coarse -American sheeting. At Zayla these articles are double the Aden value, -which would be about thirteen rupees or twenty-six shillings; in the bush -the price is quadrupled. Before leaving us the Abban received at least -double the original hire. Besides small presents of cloth, dates, tobacco -and rice to his friends, he had six cubits of Sauda Wilayati or English -indigo-dyed calico for women's fillets, and two of Sauda Kashshi, a Cutch -imitation, a Shukkah or half Tobe for his daughter, and a sheep for -himself, together with a large bundle of tobacco. - -[34] When the pastures are exhausted and the monsoon sets in, the Bedouins -return to their cool mountains; like the Iliyat of Persia, they have their -regular Kishlakh and Yaylakh. - -[35] "Kaum" is the Arabic, "All" the Somali, term for these raids. - -[36] Amongst the old Egyptians the ostrich feather was the symbol of -truth. The Somal call it "Bal," the Arabs "Rish;" it is universally used -here as the sign and symbol of victory. Generally the white feather only -is stuck in the hair; the Eesa are not particular in using black when they -can procure no other. All the clans wear it in the back hair, but each has -its own rules; some make it a standard decoration, others discard it after -the first few days. The learned have an aversion to the custom, -stigmatising it as pagan and idolatrous; the vulgar look upon it as the -highest mark of honor. - -[37] This is an ancient practice in Asia as well as in Africa. The -Egyptian temples show heaps of trophies placed before the monarchs as eyes -or heads were presented in Persia. Thus in 1 Sam. xviii. 25., David brings -the spoils of 200 Philistines, and shows them in full tale to the king, -that he might be the king's son-in-law. Any work upon the subject of -Abyssinia (Bruce, book 7. chap, 8.), or the late Afghan war, will prove -that the custom of mutilation, opposed as it is both to Christianity and -El Islam, is still practised in the case of hated enemies and infidels; -and De Bey remarks of the Cape Kafirs, "victores caesis excidunt [Greek: -_tu aidoui_], quae exsiccata regi afferunt." - -[38] When attacking cattle, the plundering party endeavour with shoots and -noise to disperse the herds, whilst the assailants huddle them together, -and attempt to face the danger in parties. - -[39] For the cheapest I paid twenty-three, for the dearest twenty-six -dollars, besides a Riyal upon each, under the names of custom dues and -carriage. The Hajj had doubtless exaggerated the price, but all were good -animals, and the traveller has no right to complain, except when he pays -dear for a bad article. - - - - -CHAP. IV. - -THE SOMAL, THEIR ORIGIN AND PECULIARITIES. - - -Before leaving Zayla, I must not neglect a short description of its -inhabitants, and the remarkable Somal races around it. - -Eastern Africa, like Arabia, presents a population composed of three -markedly distinct races. - -1. The Aborigines or Hamites, such as the Negro Sawahili, the Bushmen, -Hottentots, and other races, having such physiological peculiarities as -the steatopyge, the tablier, and other developments described, in 1815, by -the great Cuvier. - -2. The almost pure Caucasian of the northern regions, west of Egypt: their -immigration comes within the range of comparatively modern history. - -3. The half-castes in Eastern Africa are represented principally by the -Abyssinians, Gallas, Somals, and Kafirs. The first-named people derive -their descent from Menelek, son of Solomon by the Queen of Sheba: it is -evident from their features and figures,--too well known to require -description,--that they are descended from Semitic as well as Hamitic -progenitors. [1] About the origin of the Gallas there is a diversity of -opinion. [2] Some declare them to be Meccan Arabs, who settled on the -western coast of the Red Sea at a remote epoch: according to the -Abyssinians, however, and there is little to find fault with in their -theory, the Gallas are descended from a princess of their nation, who was -given in marriage to a slave from the country south of Gurague. She bare -seven sons, who became mighty robbers and founders of tribes: their -progenitors obtained the name of Gallas, after the river Gala, in Gurague, -where they gained a decisive victory our their kinsmen the Abyssins. [3] A -variety of ethnologic and physiological reasons,--into which space and -subject prevent my entering,--argue the Kafirs of the Cape to be a -northern people, pushed southwards by some, to us, as yet, unknown cause. -The origin of the Somal is a matter of modern history. - -"Barbarah" (Berberah) [4], according to the Kamus, is "a well known town -in El Maghrib, and a race located between El Zanj--Zanzibar and the -Negrotic coast--and El Habash [5]: they are descended from the Himyar -chiefs Sanhaj ([Arabic]) and Sumamah ([Arabic]), and they arrived at the -epoch of the conquest of Africa by the king Afrikus (Scipio Africanus?)." -A few details upon the subject of mutilation and excision prove these to -have been the progenitors of the Somal [6], who are nothing but a slice of -the great Galla nation Islamised and Semiticised by repeated immigrations -from Arabia. In the Kamus we also read that Samal ([Arabic]) is the name -of the father of a tribe, so called because he _thrust out_ ([Arabic], -_samala_) his brother's eye. [7] The Shaykh Jami, a celebrated -genealogist, informed me that in A.H. 666 = A.D. 1266-7, the Sayyid Yusuf -el Baghdadi visited the port of Siyaro near Berberah, then occupied by an -infidel magician, who passed through mountains by the power of his -gramarye: the saint summoned to his aid Mohammed bin Tunis el Siddiki, of -Bayt el Fakih in Arabia, and by their united prayers a hill closed upon -the pagan. Deformed by fable, the foundation of the tale is fact: the -numerous descendants of the holy men still pay an annual fine, by way of -blood-money to the family of the infidel chief. The last and most -important Arab immigration took place about fifteen generations or 450 -years ago, when the Sherif Ishak bin Ahmed [8] left his native country -Hazramaut, and, with forty-four saints, before mentioned, landed on -Makhar,--the windward coast extending from Karam Harbour to Cape -Guardafui. At the town of Met, near Burnt Island, where his tomb still -exists, he became the father of all the gentle blood and the only certain -descent in the Somali country: by Magaden, a free woman, he had Gerhajis, -Awal, and Arab; and by a slave or slaves, Jailah, Sambur, and Rambad. -Hence the great clans, Habr Gerhajis and Awal, who prefer the matronymic-- -Habr signifying a mother,--since, according to their dictum, no man knows -who may be his sire. [9] These increased and multiplied by connection and -affiliation to such an extent that about 300 years ago they drove their -progenitors, the Galla, from Berberah, and gradually encroached upon them, -till they intrenched themselves in the Highlands of Harar. - -The old and pagan genealogies still known to the Somal, are Dirr, Aydur, -Darud, and, according to some, Hawiyah. Dirr and Aydur, of whom nothing is -certainly known but the name [10], are the progenitors of the northern -Somal, the Eesa, Gudabirsi, Ishak, and Bursuk tribes. Darud Jabarti [11] -bin Ismail bin Akil (or Ukayl) is supposed by his descendants to have been -a noble Arab from El Hejaz, who, obliged to flee his country, was wrecked -on the north-east coast of Africa, where he married a daughter of the -Hawiyah tribe: rival races declare him to have been a Galla slave, who, -stealing the Prophet's slippers [12], was dismissed with the words, Inna- -_tarad_-na-hu (verily we have rejected him): hence his name Tarud -([Arabic]) or Darud, the Rejected. [13] The etymological part of the story -is, doubtless, fabulous; it expresses, however, the popular belief that -the founder of the eastward or windward tribes, now extending over the -seaboard from Bunder Jedid to Ras Hafun, and southward from the sea to the -Webbes [14], was a man of ignoble origin. The children of Darud are now -divided into two great bodies: "Harti" is the family name of the -Dulbahanta, Ogadayn, Warsangali and Mijjarthayn, who call themselves sons -of Harti bin Kombo bin Kabl Ullah bin Darud: the other Darud tribes not -included under that appellation are the Girhi, Berteri, Marayhan, and -Bahabr Ali. The Hawiyah are doubtless of ancient and pagan origin; they -call all Somal except themselves Hashiyah, and thus claim to be equivalent -to the rest of the nation. Some attempt, as usual, to establish a holy -origin, deriving themselves like the Shaykhash from the Caliph Abubekr: -the antiquity, and consequently the Pagan origin of the Hawiyah are proved -by its present widely scattered state; it is a powerful tribe in the -Mijjarthayn country, and yet is found in the hills of Harar. - -The Somal, therefore, by their own traditions, as well as their strongly -marked physical peculiarities, their customs, and their geographical -position, may be determined to be a half-caste tribe, an offshoot of the -great Galla race, approximated, like the originally Negro-Egyptian, to the -Caucasian type by a steady influx of pure Asiatic blood. - -In personal appearance the race is not unprepossessing. The crinal hair is -hard and wiry, growing, like that of a half-caste West Indian, in stiff -ringlets which sprout in tufts from the scalp, and, attaining a moderate -length, which they rarely surpass, bang down. A few elders, savans, and -the wealthy, who can afford the luxury of a turban, shave the head. More -generally, each filament is duly picked out with the comb or a wooden -scratcher like a knitting-needle, and the mass made to resemble a child's -"pudding," an old bob-wig, a mop, a counsellor's peruke, or an old- -fashioned coachman's wig,--there are a hundred ways of dressing the head. -The Bedouins, true specimens of the "greasy African race," wear locks -dripping with rancid butter, and accuse their citizen brethren of being -more like birds than men. The colouring matter of the hair, naturally a -bluish-black, is removed by a mixture of quicklime and water, or in the -desert by a _lessive_ of ashes [15]: this makes it a dull yellowish-white, -which is converted into red permanently by henna, temporarily by ochreish -earth kneaded with water. The ridiculous Somali peruke of crimsoned -sheepskin,--almost as barbarous an article as the Welsh,--is apparently a -foreign invention: I rarely saw one in the low country, although the hill -tribes about Harar sometimes wear a black or white "scratch-wig." The head -is rather long than round, and generally of the amiable variety, it is -gracefully put on the shoulders, belongs equally to Africa and Arabia, and -would be exceedingly weak but for the beauty of the brow. As far as the -mouth, the face, with the exception of high cheek-bones, is good; the -contour of the forehead ennobles it; the eyes are large and well-formed, -and the upper features are frequently handsome and expressive. The jaw, -however, is almost invariably prognathous and African; the broad, turned- -out lips betray approximation to the Negro; and the chin projects to the -detriment of the facial angle. The beard is represented by a few tufts; it -is rare to see anything equal to even the Arab development: the long and -ample eyebrows admired by the people are uncommon, and the mustachios are -short and thin, often twisted outwards in two dwarf curls. The mouth is -coarse as well as thick-lipped; the teeth rarely project as in the Negro, -but they are not good; the habit of perpetually chewing coarse Surat -tobacco stains them [16], the gums become black and mottled, and the use -of ashes with the quid discolours the lips. The skin, amongst the tribes -inhabiting the hot regions, is smooth, black, and glossy; as the altitude -increases it becomes lighter, and about Harar it is generally of a _cafe -au lait_ colour. The Bedouins are fond of raising beauty marks in the -shape of ghastly seams, and the thickness of the epidermis favours the -size of these _stigmates_. The male figure is tall and somewhat ungainly. -In only one instance I observed an approach to the steatopyge, making the -shape to resemble the letter S; but the shoulders are high, the trunk is -straight, the thighs fall off, the shin bones bow slightly forwards, and -the feet, like the hands, are coarse, large, and flat. Yet with their -hair, of a light straw colour, decked with the light waving feather, and -their coal-black complexions set off by that most graceful of garments the -clean white Tobe [17], the contrasts are decidedly effective. - -In mind the Somal are peculiar as in body. They are a people of most -susceptible character, and withal uncommonly hard to please. They dislike -the Arabs, fear and abhor the Turks, have a horror of Franks, and despise -all other Asiatics who with them come under the general name of Hindi -(Indians). The latter are abused on all occasions for cowardice, and a -want of generosity, which has given rise to the following piquant epigram: - - "Ask not from the Hindi thy want: - Impossible that the Hindi can be generous! - Had there been one liberal man in El Hind, - Allah had raised up a prophet in El Hind!" - -They have all the levity and instability of the Negro character; light- -minded as the Abyssinians,--described by Gobat as constant in nothing but -inconstancy,--soft, merry, and affectionate souls, they pass without any -apparent transition into a state of fury, when they are capable of -terrible atrocities. At Aden they appear happier than in their native -country. There I have often seen a man clapping his hands and dancing, -childlike, alone to relieve the exuberance of his spirits: here they -become, as the Mongols and other pastoral people, a melancholy race, who -will sit for hours upon a bank gazing at the moon, or croning some old -ditty under the trees. This state is doubtless increased by the perpetual -presence of danger and the uncertainty of life, which make them think of -other things but dancing and singing. Much learning seems to make them -mad; like the half-crazy Fakihs of the Sahara in Northern Africa, the -Widad, or priest, is generally unfitted for the affairs of this world, and -the Hafiz or Koran-reciter, is almost idiotic. As regards courage, they -are no exception to the generality of savage races. They have none of the -recklessness standing in lieu of creed which characterises the civilised -man. In their great battles a score is considered a heavy loss; usually -they will run after the fall of half a dozen: amongst a Kraal full of -braves who boast a hundred murders, not a single maimed or wounded man -will be seen, whereas in an Arabian camp half the male population will -bear the marks of lead and steel. The bravest will shirk fighting if he -has forgotten his shield: the sight of a lion and the sound of a gun -elicit screams of terror, and their Kaum or forays much resemble the style -of tactics rendered obsolete by the Great Turenne, when the tactician's -chief aim was not to fall in with his enemy. Yet they are by no means -deficient in the wily valour of wild men: two or three will murder a -sleeper bravely enough; and when the passions of rival tribes, between -whom there has been a blood feud for ages, are violently excited, they -will use with asperity the dagger and spear. Their massacres are fearful. -In February, 1847, a small sept, the Ayyal Tunis, being expelled from -Berberah, settled at the roadstead of Bulhar, where a few merchants, -principally Indian and Arab, joined them. The men were in the habit of -leaving their women and children, sick and aged, at the encampment inland, -whilst, descending to the beach, they carried on their trade. One day, as -they were thus employed, unsuspicious of danger, a foraging party of about -2500 Eesas attacked the camp: men, women, and children were -indiscriminately put to the spear, and the plunderers returned to their -villages in safety, laden with an immense amount of booty. At present, a -man armed with a revolver would be a terror to the country; the day, -however, will come when the matchlock will supersede the assegai, and then -the harmless spearman in his strong mountains will become, like the Arab, -a formidable foe. Travelling among the Bedouins, I found them kind and -hospitable. A pinch of snuff or a handful of tobacco sufficed to win every -heart, and a few yards of coarse cotton cloth supplied all our wants, I -was petted like a child, forced to drink milk and to eat mutton; girls -were offered to me in marriage; the people begged me to settle amongst -them, to head their predatory expeditions, free them from lions, and kill -their elephants; and often a man has exclaimed in pitying accents, "What -hath brought thee, delicate as thou art, to sit with us on the cowhide in -this cold under a tree?" Of course they were beggars, princes and paupers, -lairds and loons, being all equally unfortunate; the Arabs have named the -country Bilad Wa Issi,--the "Land of Give me Something;"--but their wants -were easily satisfied, and the open hand always made a friend. - -The Somal hold mainly to the Shafei school of El Islam: their principal -peculiarity is that of not reciting prayers over the dead even in the -towns. The marriage ceremony is simple: the price of the bride and the -feast being duly arranged, the formula is recited by some priest or -pilgrim. I have often been requested to officiate on these occasions, and -the End of Time has done it by irreverently reciting the Fatihah over the -happy pair. [18] The Somal, as usual amongst the heterogeneous mass -amalgamated by El Islam, have a diversity of superstitions attesting their -Pagan origin. Such for instance are their oaths by stones, their reverence -of cairns and holy trees, and their ordeals of fire and water, the Bolungo -of Western Africa. A man accused of murder or theft walks down a trench -full of live charcoal and about a spear's length, or he draws out of the -flames a smith's anvil heated to redness: some prefer picking four or five -cowries from a large pot full of boiling water. The member used is at once -rolled up in the intestines of a sheep and not inspected for a whole day. -They have traditionary seers called Tawuli, like the Greegree-men of -Western Africa, who, by inspecting the fat and bones of slaughtered -cattle, "do medicine," predict rains, battles, and diseases of animals. -This class is of both sexes: they never pray or bathe, and are therefore -considered always impure; thus, being feared, they are greatly respected -by the vulgar. Their predictions are delivered in a rude rhyme, often put -for importance into the mouth of some deceased seer. During the three -months called Rajalo [19] the Koran is not read over graves, and no -marriage ever takes place. The reason of this peculiarity is stated to be -imitation of their ancestor Ishak, who happened not to contract a -matrimonial alliance at such epoch: it is, however, a manifest remnant of -the Pagan's auspicious and inauspicious months. Thus they sacrifice she- -camels in the month Sabuh, and keep holy with feasts and bonfires the -Dubshid or New Year's Day. [20] At certain unlucky periods when the moon -is in ill-omened Asterisms those who die are placed in bundles of matting -upon a tree, the idea being that if buried a loss would result to the -tribe. [21] - -Though superstitious, the Somal are not bigoted like the Arabs, with the -exception of those who, wishing to become learned, visit Yemen or El -Hejaz, and catch the complaint. Nominal Mohammedans, El Islam hangs so -lightly upon them, that apparently they care little for making it binding -upon others. - -The Somali language is no longer unknown to Europe. It is strange that a -dialect which has no written character should so abound in poetry and -eloquence. There are thousands of songs, some local, others general, upon -all conceivable subjects, such as camel loading, drawing water, and -elephant hunting; every man of education knows a variety of them. The -rhyme is imperfect, being generally formed by the syllable "ay" -(pronounced as in our word "hay"), which gives the verse a monotonous -regularity; but, assisted by a tolerably regular alliteration and cadence, -it can never be mistaken for prose, even without the song which invariably -accompanies it. The country teems with "poets, poetasters, poetitos, and -poetaccios:" every man has his recognised position in literature as -accurately defined as though he had been reviewed in a century of -magazines,--the fine ear of this people [22] causing them to take the -greatest pleasure in harmonious sounds and poetical expressions, whereas a -false quantity or a prosaic phrase excite their violent indignation. Many -of these compositions are so idiomatic that Arabs settled for years -amongst the Somal cannot understand them, though perfectly acquainted with -the conversational style. Every chief in the country must have a panegyric -to be sung by his clan, and the great patronise light literature by -keeping a poet. The amatory is of course the favourite theme: sometimes it -appears in dialogue, the rudest form, we are told, of the Drama. The -subjects are frequently pastoral: the lover for instance invites his -mistress to walk with him towards the well in Lahelo, the Arcadia of the -land; he compares her legs to the tall straight Libi tree, and imprecates -the direst curses on her head if she refuse to drink with him the milk of -his favourite camel. There are a few celebrated ethical compositions, in -which the father lavishes upon his son all the treasures of Somali good -advice, long as the somniferous sermons of Mentor to the insipid son of -Ulysses. Sometimes a black Tyrtaeus breaks into a wild lament for the loss -of warriors or territory; he taunts the clan with cowardice, reminds them -of their slain kindred, better men than themselves, whose spirits cannot -rest unavenged in their gory graves, and urges a furious onslaught upon -the exulting victor. - -And now, dear L., I will attempt to gratify your just curiosity concerning -_the_ sex in Eastern Africa. - -The Somali matron is distinguished--externally--from the maiden by a -fillet of blue network or indigo-dyed cotton, which, covering the head and -containing the hair, hangs down to the neck. Virgins wear their locks -long, parted in the middle, and plaited in a multitude of hard thin -pigtails: on certain festivals they twine flowers and plaster the head -like Kafir women with a red ochre,--the _coiffure_ has the merit of -originality. With massive rounded features, large flat craniums, long big -eyes, broad brows, heavy chins, rich brown complexions, and round faces, -they greatly resemble the stony beauties of Egypt--the models of the land -ere Persia, Greece, and Rome reformed the profile and bleached the skin. -They are of the Venus Kallipyga order of beauty: the feature is scarcely -ever seen amongst young girls, but after the first child it becomes -remarkable to a stranger. The Arabs have not failed to make it a matter of -jibe. - - "'Tis a wonderful fact that your hips swell - Like boiled rice or a skin blown out," - -sings a satirical Yemeni: the Somal retort by comparing the lank haunches -of their neighbours to those of tadpoles or young frogs. One of their -peculiar charms is a soft, low, and plaintive voice, derived from their -African progenitors. Always an excellent thing in woman, here it has an -undefinable charm. I have often lain awake for hours listening to the -conversation of the Bedouin girls, whose accents sounded in my ears rather -like music than mere utterance. - -In muscular strength and endurance the women of the Somal are far superior -to their lords: at home they are engaged all day in domestic affairs, and -tending the cattle; on journeys their manifold duties are to load and -drive the camels, to look after the ropes, and, if necessary, to make -them; to pitch the hut, to bring water and firewood, and to cook. Both -sexes are equally temperate from necessity; the mead and the millet-beer, -so common among the Abyssinians and the Danakil, are entirely unknown to -the Somal of the plains. As regards their morals, I regret to say that the -traveller does not find them in the golden state which Teetotal doctrines -lead him to expect. After much wandering, we are almost tempted to believe -the bad doctrine that morality is a matter of geography; that nations and -races have, like individuals, a pet vice, and that by restraining one you -only exasperate another. As a general rule Somali women prefer -_amourettes_ with strangers, following the well-known Arab proverb, "The -new comer filleth the eye." In cases of scandal, the woman's tribe -revenges its honour upon the man. Should a wife disappear with a fellow- -clansman, and her husband accord divorce, no penal measures are taken, but -she suffers in reputation, and her female friends do not spare her. -Generally, the Somali women are of cold temperament, the result of -artificial as well as natural causes: like the Kafirs, they are very -prolific, but peculiarly bad mothers, neither loved nor respected by their -children. The fair sex lasts longer in Eastern Africa than in India and -Arabia: at thirty, however, charms are on the wane, and when old age comes -on they are no exceptions to the hideous decrepitude of the East. - -The Somal, when they can afford it, marry between the ages of fifteen and -twenty. Connections between tribes are common, and entitle the stranger to -immunity from the blood-feud: men of family refuse, however, to ally -themselves with the servile castes. Contrary to the Arab custom, none of -these people will marry cousins; at the same time a man will give his -daughter to his uncle, and take to wife, like the Jews and Gallas, a -brother's relict. Some clans, the Habr Yunis for instance, refuse maidens -of the same or even of a consanguineous family. This is probably a -political device to preserve nationality and provide against a common -enemy. The bride, as usual in the East, is rarely consulted, but frequent -_tete a tetes_ at the well and in the bush when tending cattle effectually -obviate this inconvenience: her relatives settle the marriage portion, -which varies from a cloth and a bead necklace to fifty sheep or thirty -dollars, and dowries are unknown. In the towns marriage ceremonies are -celebrated with feasting and music. On first entering the nuptial hut, the -bridegroom draws forth his horsewhip and inflicts memorable chastisement -upon the fair person of his bride, with the view of taming any lurking -propensity to shrewishness. [23] This is carrying out with a will the Arab -proverb, - - "The slave girl from her capture, the wife from her wedding." - -During the space of a week the spouse remains with his espoused, scarcely -ever venturing out of the hut; his friends avoid him, and no lesser event -than a plundering party or dollars to gain, would justify any intrusion. -If the correctness of the wife be doubted, the husband on the morning -after marriage digs a hole before his door and veils it with matting, or -he rends the skirt of his Tobe, or he tears open some new hut-covering: -this disgraces the woman's family. Polygamy is indispensable in a country -where children are the principal wealth. [24] The chiefs, arrived at -manhood, immediately marry four wives: they divorce the old and -unfruitful, and, as amongst the Kafirs, allow themselves an unlimited -number in peculiar cases, especially when many of the sons have fallen. -Daughters, as usual in Oriental countries, do not "count" as part of the -family: they are, however, utilised by the father, who disposes of them to -those who can increase his wealth and importance. Divorce is exceedingly -common, for the men are liable to sudden fits of disgust. There is little -ceremony in contracting marriage with any but maidens. I have heard a man -propose after half an hour's acquaintance, and the fair one's reply was -generally the question direct concerning "settlements." Old men frequently -marry young girls, but then the portion is high and the _menage a trois_ -common. - -The Somal know none of the exaggerated and chivalrous ideas by which -passion becomes refined affection amongst the Arab Bedouins and the sons -of civilisation, nor did I ever hear of an African abandoning the spear -and the sex to become a Darwaysh. Their "Hudhudu," however, reminds the -traveller of the Abyssinian "eye-love," the Afghan's "Namzad-bazi," and -the Semite's "Ishkuzri," which for want of a better expression we -translate "Platonic love." [25] This meeting of the sexes, however, is -allowed in Africa by male relatives; in Arabia and Central Asia it -provokes their direst indignation. Curious to say, throughout the Somali -country, kissing is entirely unknown. - -Children are carried on their mothers' backs or laid sprawling upon the -ground for the first two years [26]: they are circumcised at the age of -seven or eight, provided with a small spear, and allowed to run about -naked till the age of puberty. They learn by conversation, not books, eat -as much as they can beg, borrow and steal, and grow up healthy, strong, -and well proportioned according to their race. - -As in El Islam generally, so here, a man cannot make a will. The property -of the deceased is divided amongst his children,--the daughters receiving -a small portion, if any of it. When a man dies without issue, his goods -and chattels are seized upon by his nearest male relatives; one of them -generally marries the widow, or she is sent back to her family. Relicts, -as a rule, receive no legacies. - -You will have remarked, dear L., that the people of Zayla are by no means -industrious. They depend for support upon the Desert: the Bedouin becomes -the Nazil or guest of the townsman, and he is bound to receive a little -tobacco, a few beads, a bit of coarse cotton cloth, or, on great -occasions, a penny looking-glass and a cheap German razor, in return for -his slaves, ivories, hides, gums, milk, and grain. Any violation of the -tie is severely punished by the Governor, and it can be dissolved only by -the formula of triple divorce: of course the wild men are hopelessly -cheated [27], and their citizen brethren live in plenty and indolence. -After the early breakfast, the male portion of the community leave their -houses on business, that is to say, to chat, visit, and _flaner_ about the -streets and mosques. [28] They return to dinner and the siesta, after -which they issue forth again, and do not come home till night. Friday is -always an idle day, festivals are frequent, and there is no work during -weddings and mournings. The women begin after dawn to plait mats and -superintend the slaves, who are sprinkling the house with water, grinding -grain for breakfast, cooking, and breaking up firewood: to judge, however, -from the amount of chatting and laughter, there appears to be far less -work than play. - -In these small places it is easy to observe the mechanism of a government -which, _en grand_, becomes that of Delhi, Teheran, and Constantinople. The -Governor farms the place from the Porte: he may do what he pleases as long -as he pays his rent with punctuality and provides presents and _douceurs_ -for the Pasha of Mocha. He punishes the petty offences of theft, quarrels, -and arson by fines, the bastinado, the stocks, or confinement in an Arish -or thatch-hut: the latter is a severe penalty, as the prisoner must -provide himself with food. In cases of murder, he either refers to Mocha -or he carries out the Kisas--lex talionis--by delivering the slayer to the -relatives of the slain. The Kazi has the administration of the Shariat or -religious law: he cannot, however, pronounce sentence without the -Governor's permission; and generally his powers are confined to questions -of divorce, alimony, manumission, the wound-mulct, and similar cases which -come within Koranic jurisdiction. Thus the religious code is ancillary and -often opposed to "El Jabr,"--"the tyranny,"--the popular designation of -what we call Civil Law. [29] Yet is El Jabr, despite its name, generally -preferred by the worldly wise. The Governor contents himself with a -moderate bribe, the Kazi is insatiable: the former may possibly allow you -to escape unplundered, the latter assuredly will not. This I believe to be -the history of religious jurisdiction in most parts of the world. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] Eusebius declares that the Abyssinians migrated from Asia to Africa -whilst the Hebrews were in Egypt (circ. A. M. 2345); and Syncellus places -the event about the age of the Judges. - -[2] Moslems, ever fond of philological fable, thus derive the word Galla. -When Ullabu, the chief, was summoned by Mohammed to Islamise, the -messenger returned to report that "he said _no_,"--Kal la pronounced Gal -la,--which impious refusal, said the Prophet, should from that time become -the name of the race. - -[3] Others have derived them from Metcha, Karaiyo, and Tulema, three sons -of an AEthiopian Emperor by a female slave. They have, according to some -travellers, a prophecy that one day they will march to the east and north, -and conquer the inheritance of their Jewish ancestors. Mr. Johnston -asserts that the word Galla is "merely another form of _Calla_, which in -the ancient Persian, Sanscrit, Celtic, and their modern derivative -languages, under modified, but not changed terms, is expressive of -blackness." The Gallas, however, are not a black people. - -[4] The Aden stone has been supposed to name the "Berbers," who must have -been Gallas from the vicinity of Berberah. A certain amount of doubt still -hangs on the interpretation: the Rev. Mr. Forster and Dr. Bird being the -principal contrasts. - - _Rev. Mr. Forster._ _Dr. Bird_ - - "We assailed with cries of "He, the Syrian philosopher - hatred and rage the Abyssinians in Abadan, Bishop of - and Berbers. Cape Aden, who inscribed this - in the desert, blesses the - "We rode forth wrathfully institution of the faith." - against this refuse of mankind." - -[5] This word is generally translated Abyssinia; oriental geographers, -however, use it in a more extended sense. The Turks have held possessions -in "Habash," in Abyssinia never. - -[6] The same words are repeated in the Infak el Maysur fl Tarikh bilad el -Takrur (Appendix to Denham and Clapperton's Travels, No. xii.), again -confounding the Berbers and the Somal. Afrikus, according to that author, -was a king of Yemen who expelled the Berbers from Syria! - -[7] The learned Somal invariably spell their national name with an initial -Sin, and disregard the derivation from Saumal ([Arabic]), which would -allude to the hardihood of the wild people. An intelligent modern -traveller derives "Somali" from the Abyssinian "Soumahe" or heathens, and -asserts that it corresponds with the Arabic word Kafir or unbeliever, the -name by which Edrisi, the Arabian geographer, knew and described the -inhabitants of the Affah (Afar) coast, to the east of the Straits of Bab -el Mandeb. Such derivation is, however, unadvisable. - -[8] According to others he was the son of Abdullah. The written -genealogies of the Somal were, it is said, stolen by the Sherifs of Yemen, -who feared to leave with the wild people documents that prove the nobility -of their descent. - -[9] The salient doubt suggested by this genealogy is the barbarous nature -of the names. A noble Arab would not call his children Gerhajis, Awal, and -Rambad. - -[10] Lieut. Cruttenden applies the term Edoor (Aydur) to the descendants -of Ishak, the children of Gerhajis, Awal, and Jailah. His informants and -mine differ, therefore, _toto coelo_. According to some, Dirr was the -father of Aydur; others make Dirr (it has been written Tir and Durr) to -have been the name of the Galla family into which Shaykh Ishak married. - -[11] Some travellers make Jabarti or Ghiberti to signify "slaves" from the -Abyssinian Guebra; others "Strong in the Faith" (El Islam). Bruce applies -it to the Moslems of Abyssinia: it is still used, though rarely, by the -Somal, who in these times generally designate by it the Sawahili or Negro -Moslems. - -[12] The same scandalous story is told of the venerable patron saint of -Aden, the Sherif Haydrus. - -[13] Darud bin Ismail's tomb is near the Yubbay Tug in the windward -mountains; an account of it will be found in Lieut. Speke's diary. - -[14] The two rivers Shebayli and Juba. - -[15] Curious to any this mixture does not destroy the hair; it would soon -render a European bald. Some of the Somal have applied it to their beards; -the result has been the breaking and falling off of the filaments. - -[16] Few Somal except the citizens smoke, on account of the expense, all, -however, use the Takhzinah or quid. - -[17] The best description of the dress is that of Fenelon: "Leurs habits -sont aises a faire, car en ce doux climat on ne porte qu'une piece -d'etoffe fine et legere, qui n'est point taillee, et que chacun met a -longs plis autour de son corps pour la modestie; lui donnant la forme -qu'il veut." - -[18] Equivalent to reading out the Church Catechism at an English wedding. - -[19] Certain months of the lunar year. In 1854, the third Rajalo, -corresponding with Rabia the Second, began on the 21st of December. - -[20] The word literally means, "lighting of fire." It corresponds with the -Nayruz of Yemen, a palpable derivation, as the word itself proves, from -the old Guebre conquerors. In Arabia New Year's Day is called Ras el -Sanah, and is not celebrated by any peculiar solemnities. The ancient -religion of the Afar coast was Sabaeism, probably derived from the Berbers -or shepherds,--according to Bruce the first faith of the East, and the -only religion of Eastern Africa. The Somal still retain a tradition that -the "Furs," or ancient Guebres, once ruled the land. - -[21] Their names also are generally derived from their Pagan ancestors: a -list of the most common may be interesting to ethnologists. Men are called -Rirash, Igah, Beuh, Fahi, Samattar, Farih, Madar, Raghe, Dubayr, Irik, -Diddar, Awalah, and Alyan. Women's names are Aybla, Ayyo, Aurala, Ambar, -Zahabo, Ashkaro, Alka, Asoba, Gelo, Gobe, Mayran and Samaweda. - -[22] It is proved by the facility with which they pick up languages, -Western us well as Eastern, by mere ear and memory. - -[23] So the old Muscovites, we are told, always began married life with a -sound flogging. - -[24] I would not advise polygamy amongst highly civilised races, where the -sexes are nearly equal, and where reproduction becomes a minor duty. -Monogamy is the growth of civilisation: a plurality of wives is the -natural condition of man in thinly populated countries, where he who has -the largest family is the greatest benefactor of his kind. - -[25] The old French term "la petite oie" explains it better. Some trace of -the custom may be found in the Kafir's Slambuka or Schlabonka, for a -description of which I must refer to the traveller Delegorgue. - -[26] The Somal ignore the Kafir custom during lactation. - -[27] The citizens have learned the Asiatic art of bargaining under a -cloth. Both parties sit opposite each other, holding hands: if the little -finger for instance be clasped, it means 6, 60, or 600 dollars, according -to the value of the article for sale; if the ring finger, 7, 70, or 700, -and so on. - -[28] So, according to M. Krapf, the Suaheli of Eastern Africa wastes his -morning hours in running from house to house, to his friends or superiors, -_ku amkia_ (as he calls it), to make his morning salutations. A worse than -Asiatic idleness is the curse of this part of the world. - -[29] Diwan el Jabr, for instance, is a civil court, opposed to the -Mahkamah or the Kazi's tribunal. - - - - -CHAP. V. - -FROM ZAYLA TO THE HILLS. - - -Two routes connect Zayla with Harar; the south-western or direct line -numbers ten long or twenty short stages [1]: the first eight through the -Eesa country, and the last two among the Nole Gallas, who own the rule of -"Waday," a Makad or chief of Christian persuasion. The Hajj objected to -this way, on account of his recent blood-feud with the Rer Guleni. He -preferred for me the more winding road which passes south, along the -coast, through the Eesa Bedouins dependent upon Zayla, to the nearest -hills, and thence strikes south-westwards among the Gudabirsi and Girhi -Somal, who extend within sight of Harar. I cannot but suspect that in -selecting this route the good Sharmarkay served another purpose besides my -safety. Petty feuds between the chiefs had long "closed the path," and -perhaps the Somal were not unwilling that British cloth and tobacco should -re-open it. - -Early in the morning of the 27th of November, 1854, the mules and all the -paraphernalia of travel stood ready at the door. The five camels were -forced to kneel, growling angrily the while, by repeated jerks at the -halter: their forelegs were duly tied or stood upon till they had shifted -themselves into a comfortable position, and their noses were held down by -the bystanders whenever, grasshopper-like, they attempted to spring up. -Whilst spreading the saddle-mats, our women, to charm away remembrance of -chafed hump and bruised sides, sang with vigor the "Song of Travel": - - "0 caravan-men, we deceive ye not, we have laden the camels! - Old women on the journey are kenned by their sleeping I - (0 camel) can'st sniff the cock-boat and the sea? - Allah guard thee from the Mikahil and their Midgans!" [2] - -As they arose from squat it was always necessary to adjust their little -mountains of small packages by violently "heaving up" one side,--an -operation never failing to elicit a vicious grunt, a curve of the neck, -and an attempt to bite. One camel was especially savage; it is said that -on his return to Zayla, he broke a Bedouin girl's neck. Another, a -diminutive but hardy little brute of Dankali breed, conducted himself so -uproariously that he at once obtained the name of El Harami, or the -Ruffian. - -About 3 P.M., accompanied by the Hajj, his amiable son Mohammed, and a -party of Arab matchlockmen, who escorted me as a token of especial -respect, I issued from the Ashurbara Gate, through the usual staring -crowds, and took the way of the wilderness. After half a mile's march, we -exchanged affectionate adieus, received much prudent advice about keeping -watch and ward at night, recited the Fatihah with upraised palms, and with -many promises to write frequently and to meet soon, shook hands and -parted. The soldiers gave me a last volley, to which I replied with the -"Father of Six." - -You see, dear L., how travelling maketh man _banal_. It is the natural -consequence of being forced to find, in every corner where Fate drops you -for a month, a "friend of the soul," and a "moon-faced beauty." With -Orientals generally, you _must_ be on extreme terms, as in Hibernia, -either an angel of light or, that failing, a goblin damned. In East Africa -especially, English phlegm, shyness, or pride, will bar every heart and -raise every hand against you [3], whereas what M. Rochet calls "a certain -_rondeur_ of manner" is a specific for winning affection. You should walk -up to your man, clasp his fist, pat his back, speak some unintelligible -words to him,--if, as is the plan of prudence, you ignore the language,-- -laugh a loud guffaw, sit by his side, and begin pipes and coffee. He then -proceeds to utilise you, to beg in one country for your interest, and in -another for your tobacco. You gently but decidedly thrust that subject out -of the way, and choose what is most interesting to yourself. As might be -expected, he will at times revert to his own concerns; your superior -obstinacy will oppose effectual passive resistance to all such efforts; by -degrees the episodes diminish in frequency and duration; at last they -cease altogether. The man is now your own. - -You will bear in mind, if you please, that I am a Moslem merchant, a -character not to be confounded with the notable individuals seen on -'Change. Mercator in the East is a compound of tradesman, divine, and T. -G. Usually of gentle birth, he is everywhere welcomed and respected; and -he bears in his mind and manner that, if Allah please, he may become prime -minister a month after he has sold you a yard of cloth. Commerce appears -to be an accident, not an essential, with him; yet he is by no means -deficient in acumen. He is a grave and reverend signior, with rosary in -hand and Koran on lip, is generally a pilgrim, talks at dreary length -about Holy Places, writes a pretty hand, has read and can recite much -poetry, is master of his religion, demeans himself with respectability, is -perfect in all points of ceremony and politeness, and feels equally at -home whether sultan or slave sit upon his counter. He has a wife and -children in his own country, where he intends to spend the remnant of his -days; but "the world is uncertain"--"Fate descends, and man's eye seeth it -not"--"the earth is a charnel house"; briefly, his many wise old saws give -him a kind of theoretical consciousness that his bones may moulder in -other places but his father-land. - -To describe my little caravan. Foremost struts Raghe, our Eesa guide, in -all the bravery of Abbanship. He is bareheaded and clothed in Tobe and -slippers: a long, heavy, horn-hilted dagger is strapped round his waist, -outside his dress; in his right hand he grasps a ponderous wire-bound -spear, which he uses as a staff, and the left forearm supports a round -targe of battered hide. Being a man of education, he bears on one shoulder -a Musalla or prayer carpet of tanned leather, the article used throughout -the Somali country; slung over the other is a Wesi or wicker bottle -containing water for religious ablution. He is accompanied by some men who -carry a little stock of town goods and drive a camel colt, which by the by -they manage to lose before midnight. - -My other attendants must now be introduced to you, as they are to be for -the next two months companions of our journey. - -First in the list are the fair Samaweda Yusuf, and Aybla Farih [4], buxom -dames about thirty years old, who presently secured the classical -nicknames of Shehrazade, and Deenarzade. They look each like three average -women rolled into one, and emphatically belong to that race for which the -article of feminine attire called, I believe, a "bussle" would be quite -superfluous. Wonderful, truly, is their endurance of fatigue! During the -march they carry pipe and tobacco, lead and flog the camels, adjust the -burdens, and will never be induced to ride, in sickness or in health. At -the halt they unload the cattle, dispose the parcels in a semicircle, -pitch over them the Gurgi or mat tent, cook our food, boil tea and coffee, -and make themselves generally useful. They bivouack outside our abode, -modesty not permitting the sexes to mingle, and in the severest cold wear -no clothing but a head fillet and an old Tobe. They have curious soft -voices, which contrast agreeably with the harsh organs of the males. At -first they were ashamed to see me; but that feeling soon wore off, and -presently they enlivened the way with pleasantries far more naive than -refined. To relieve their greatest fatigue, nothing seems necessary but -the "Jogsi:" [5] they lie at full length, prone, stand upon each other's -backs trampling and kneading with the toes, and rise like giants much -refreshed. Always attendant upon these dames is Yusuf, a Zayla lad who, -being one-eyed, was pitilessly named by my companions the "Kalendar;" he -prays frequently, is strict in his morals, and has conceived, like Mrs. -Brownrigg, so exalted an idea of discipline, that, but for our influence, -he certainly would have beaten the two female 'prentices to death. They -hate him therefore, and he knows it. - -Immediately behind Raghe and his party walk Shehrazade and Deenarzade, the -former leading the head camel, the latter using my chibouque stick as a -staff. She has been at Aden, and sorely suspects me; her little black eyes -never meet mine; and frequently, with affected confusion, she turns her -sable cheek the clean contrary way. Strung together by their tails, and -soundly beaten when disposed to lag, the five camels pace steadily along -under their burdens,--bales of Wilayati or American sheeting, Duwwarah or -Cutch canvass, with indigo-dyed stuff slung along the animals' sides, and -neatly sewn up in a case of matting to keep off dust and rain,--a cow's -hide, which serves as a couch, covering the whole. They carry a load of -"Mushakkar" (bad Mocha dates) for the Somal, with a parcel of better -quality for ourselves, and a half hundredweight of coarse Surat tobacco -[6]; besides which we have a box of beads, and another of trinkets, -mosaic-gold earrings, necklaces, watches, and similar nick-nacks. Our -private provisions are represented by about 300 lbs. of rice,--here the -traveller's staff of life,--a large pot full of "Kawurmeh" [7], dates, -salt [8], clarified butter, tea, coffee, sugar, a box of biscuits in case -of famine, "Halwa" or Arab sweetmeats to be used when driving hard -bargains, and a little turmeric for seasoning. A simple _batterie de -cuisine_, and sundry skins full of potable water [9], dangle from chance -rope-ends; and last, but not the least important, is a heavy box [10] of -ammunition sufficient for a three months' sporting tour. [11] In the rear -of the caravan trudges a Bedouin woman driving a donkey,--the proper -"tail" in these regions, where camels start if followed by a horse or -mule. An ill-fated sheep, a parting present from the Hajj, races and -frisks about the Cafilah. It became so tame that the Somal received an -order not to "cut" it; one day, however, I found myself dining, and that -pet lamb was the _menu_. - -By the side of the camels ride my three attendants, the pink of Somali -fashion. Their frizzled wigs are radiant with grease; their Tobes are -splendidly white, with borders dazzlingly red; their new shields are -covered with canvass cloth; and their two spears, poised over the right -shoulder, are freshly scraped, oiled, blackened, and polished. They have -added my spare rifle, and guns to the camel-load; such weapons are well -enough at Aden, in Somali-land men would deride the outlandish tool! I -told them that in my country women use bows and arrows, moreover that -lancers are generally considered a corps of non-combatants; in vain! they -adhered as strongly--so mighty a thing is prejudice--to their partiality -for bows, arrows, and lances. Their horsemanship is peculiar, they balance -themselves upon little Abyssinian saddles, extending the leg and raising -the heel in the Louis Quinze style of equitation, and the stirrup is an -iron ring admitting only the big toe. I follow them mounting a fine white -mule, which, with its gaudily _galonne_ Arab pad and wrapper cloth, has a -certain dignity of look; a double-barrelled gun lies across my lap; and a -rude pair of holsters, the work of Hasan Turki, contains my Colt's six- -shooters. - -Marching in this order, which was to serve as a model, we travelled due -south along the coast, over a hard, stoneless, and alluvial plain, here -dry, there muddy (where the tide reaches), across boggy creeks, broad -water-courses, and warty flats of black mould powdered with nitrous salt, -and bristling with the salsolaceous vegetation familiar to the Arab -voyager. Such is the general formation of the plain between the mountains -and the sea, whose breadth, in a direct line, may measure from forty-five -to forty-eight miles. Near the first zone of hills, or sub-Ghauts, it -produces a thicker vegetation; thorns and acacias of different kinds -appear in clumps; and ground broken with ridges and ravines announces the -junction. After the monsoon this plain is covered with rich grass. At -other seasons it affords but a scanty supply of an "aqueous matter" -resembling bilgewater. The land belongs to the Mummasan clan of the Eesa: -how these "Kurrah-jog" or "sun-dwellers," as the Bedouins are called by -the burgher Somal, can exist here in summer, is a mystery. My arms were -peeled even in the month of December; and my companions, panting with the -heat, like the Atlantes of Herodotus, poured forth reproaches upon the -rising sun. The townspeople, when forced to hurry across it in the hotter -season, cover themselves during the day with Tobes wetted every half hour -in sea water; yet they are sometimes killed by the fatal thirst which the -Simum engenders. Even the Bedouins are now longing for rain; a few weeks' -drought destroys half their herds. - -Early in the afternoon our Abban and a woman halted for a few minutes, -performed their ablutions, and prayed with a certain display: satisfied -apparently, with the result, they never repeated the exercise. About -sunset we passed, on the right, clumps of trees overgrowing a water called -"Warabod", the Hyena's Well; this is the first Marhalah or halting-place -usually made by travellers to the interior. Hence there is a direct path -leading south-south-west, by six short marches, to the hills. Our Abban, -however, was determined that we should not so easily escape his kraal. -Half an hour afterwards we passed by the second station, "Hangagarri", a -well near the sea: frequent lights twinkling through the darkening air -informed us that we were in the midst of the Eesa. At 8 P.M. we reached -"Gagab", the third Marhalah, where the camels, casting themselves upon the -ground, imperatively demanded a halt. Raghe was urgent for an advance, -declaring that already he could sight the watchfires of his Rer or tribe -[12]; but the animals carried the point against him. They were presently -unloaded and turned out to graze, and the lariats of the mules, who are -addicted to running away, were fastened to stones for want of pegs [13]. -Then, lighting a fire, we sat down to a homely supper of dates. - -The air was fresh and clear; and the night breeze was delicious after the -steamy breath of day. The weary confinement of walls made the splendid -expanse a luxury to the sight, whilst the tumbling of the surf upon the -near shore, and the music of the jackal, predisposed to sweet sleep. We -now felt that at length the die was cast. Placing my pistols by my side, -with my rifle butt for a pillow, and its barrel as a bed-fellow, I sought -repose with none of that apprehension which even the most stout-hearted -traveller knows before the start. It is the difference between fancy and -reality, between anxiety and certainty: to men gifted with any imaginative -powers the anticipation must ever be worse than the event. Thus it -happens, that he who feels a thrill of fear before engaging in a peril, -exchanges it for a throb of exultation when he finds himself hand to hand -with the danger. - -The "End of Time" volunteered to keep watch that night. When the early -dawn glimmered he aroused us, and blew up the smouldering fire, whilst our -women proceeded to load the camels. We pursued our way over hard alluvial -soil to sand, and thence passed into a growth of stiff yellow grass not -unlike a stubble in English September. Day broke upon a Somali Arcadia, -whose sole flaws were salt water and Simum. Whistling shepherds [14] -carried in their arms the younglings of the herds, or, spear in hand, -drove to pasture long regular lines of camels, that waved their vulture- -like heads, and arched their necks to bite in play their neighbours' -faces, humps, and hind thighs. They were led by a patriarch, to whose -throat hung a Kor or wooden bell, the preventive for straggling; and most -of them were followed (for winter is the breeding season) by colts in -every stage of infancy. [15] Patches of sheep, with snowy skins and jetty -faces, flocked the yellow plain; and herds of goats resembling deer were -driven by hide-clad children to the bush. Women, in similar attire, -accompanied them, some chewing the inner bark of trees, others spinning -yarns of a white creeper called Sagsug for ropes and tent-mats. The boys -carried shepherds' crooks [16], and bore their watering pails [17], -foolscap fashion, upon their heads. Sometimes they led the ram, around -whose neck a cord of white leather was bound for luck; at other times they -frisked with the dog, an animal by no means contemptible in the eyes of -the Bedouins. [18] As they advanced, the graceful little sand antelope -bounded away over the bushes; and above them, soaring high in the -cloudless skies, were flights of vultures and huge percnopters, unerring -indicators of man's habitation in Somali-land. [19] - -A net-work of paths showed that we were approaching a populous place; and -presently men swarmed forth from their hive-shaped tents, testifying their -satisfaction at our arrival, the hostile Habr Awal having threatened to -"eat them up." We rode cautiously, as is customary, amongst the yeaning -she-camels, who are injured by a sudden start, and about 8 A.M. arrived at -our guide's kraal, the fourth station, called "Gudingaras," or the low -place where the Garas tree grows. The encampment lay south-east (165°) of, -and about twenty miles from, Zayla. - -Raghe disappeared, and the Bedouins flocked out to gaze upon us as we -approached the kraal. Meanwhile Shehrazade and Deenarzade fetched tent- -sticks from the village, disposed our luggage so as to form a wall, rigged -out a wigwam, spread our beds in the shade, and called aloud for sweet and -sour milk. I heard frequently muttered by the red-headed spearmen, the -ominous term "Faranj" [20]; and although there was no danger, it was -deemed advisable to make an impression without delay. Presently they began -to deride our weapons: the Hammal requested them to put up one of their -shields as a mark; they laughed aloud but shirked compliance. At last a -large brown, bare-necked vulture settled on the ground at twenty paces' -distance. The Somal hate the "Gurgur", because he kills the dying and -devours the dead on the battle-field: a bullet put through the bird's body -caused a cry of wonder, and some ran after the lead as it span whistling -over the ridge. Then loading with swan-shot, which these Bedouins had -never seen, I knocked over a second vulture flying. Fresh screams followed -the marvellous feat; the women exclaimed "Lo! he bringeth down the birds -from heaven;" and one old man, putting his forefinger in his mouth, -praised Allah and prayed to be defended from such a calamity. The effect -was such that I determined always to cany a barrel loaded with shot as the -best answer for all who might object to "Faranj." - -We spent our day in the hut after the normal manner, with a crowd of -woolly-headed Bedouins squatting perseveringly opposite our quarters, -spear in hand, with eyes fixed upon every gesture. Before noon the door- -mat was let down,--a precaution also adopted whenever box or package was -opened,--we drank milk and ate rice with "a kitchen" of Kawurmah. About -midday the crowd retired to sleep; my companions followed their example, -and I took the opportunity of sketching and jotting down notes. [21] Early -in the afternoon the Bedouins returned, and resumed their mute form of -pleading for tobacco: each man, as he received a handful, rose slowly from -his hams and went his way. The senior who disliked the gun was importunate -for a charm to cure his sick camel: having obtained it, he blessed us in a -set speech, which lasted at least half an hour, and concluded with -spitting upon the whole party for good luck. [22] It is always well to -encourage these Nestors; they are regarded with the greatest reverence by -the tribes, who believe that - - "old experience doth attain - To something like prophetic strain;" - -and they can either do great good or cause much petty annoyance. - -In the evening I took my gun, and, accompanied by the End of Time, went -out to search for venison: the plain, however, was full of men and cattle, -and its hidden denizens had migrated. During our walk we visited the tomb -of an Eesa brave. It was about ten feet long, heaped up with granite -pebbles, bits of black basalt, and stones of calcareous lime: two upright -slabs denoted the position of the head and feet, and upon these hung the -deceased's milk-pails, much the worse for sun and wind. Round the grave -was a thin fence of thorns: opposite the single narrow entrance, were -three blocks of stone planted in line, and showing the number of enemies -slain by the brave. [23] Beyond these trophies, a thorn roofing, supported -by four bare poles, served to shade the relatives, when they meet to sit, -feast, weep, and pray. - -The Bedouin funerals and tombs are equally simple. They have no favourite -cemeteries as in Sindh and other Moslem and pastoral lands: men are buried -where they die, and the rarity of the graves scattered about the country -excited my astonishment. The corpse is soon interred. These people, like -most barbarians, have a horror of death and all that reminds them of it: -on several occasions I have been begged to throw away a hut-stick, that -had been used to dig a grave. The bier is a rude framework of poles bound -with ropes of hide. Some tie up the body and plant it in a sitting -posture, to save themselves the trouble of excavating deep: this perhaps -may account for the circular tombs seen in many parts of the country. -Usually the corpse is thrust into a long hole, covered with wood and -matting, and heaped over with earth and thorns, half-protected by an oval -mass of loose stones, and abandoned to the jackals and hyenas. - -We halted a day at Gudingaras, wishing to see the migration of a tribe. -Before dawn, on the 30th November, the Somali Stentor proclaimed from the -ridge-top, "Fetch your camels!--Load your goods!--We march!" About 8 A.M. -we started in the rear. The spectacle was novel to me. Some 150 spearmen, -assisted by their families, were driving before them divisions which, in -total, might amount to 200 cows, 7000 camels, and 11,000 or 12,000 sheep -and goats. Only three wore the Bal or feather, which denotes the brave; -several, however, had the other decoration--an ivory armlet. [24] Assisted -by the boys, whose heads were shaved in a cristated fashion truly -ridiculous, and large pariah dogs with bushy tails, they drove the beasts -and carried the colts, belaboured runaway calves, and held up the hind -legs of struggling sheep. The sick, of whom there were many,--dysentery -being at the time prevalent,--were carried upon camels with their legs -protruding in front from under the hide-cover. Many of the dromedaries -showed the Habr Awal brand [25]: laden with hutting materials and domestic -furniture, they were led by the maidens: the matrons, followed, bearing -their progeny upon their backs, bundled in the shoulder-lappets of cloth -or hide. The smaller girls, who, in addition to the boys' crest, wore a -circlet of curly hair round the head, carried the weakling lambs and kids, -or aided their mammas in transporting the baby. Apparently in great fear -of the "All" or Commando, the Bedouins anxiously inquired if I had my -"fire" with me [26], and begged us to take the post of honour--the van. As -our little party pricked forward, the camels started in alarm, and we were -surprised to find that this tribe did not know the difference between -horses and mules. Whenever the boys lost time in sport or quarrel, they -were threatened by their fathers with the jaws of that ogre, the white -stranger; and the women exclaimed, as they saw us approach, "Here comes -the old man who knows knowledge!" [27] - -Having skirted the sea for two hours, I rode off with the End of Time to -inspect the Dihh Silil [28], a fiumara which runs from the western hills -north-eastwards to the sea. Its course is marked by a long line of -graceful tamarisks, whose vivid green looked doubly bright set off by -tawny stubble and amethyst-blue sky. These freshets are the Edens of Adel. -The banks are charmingly wooded with acacias of many varieties, some -thorned like the fabled Zakkum, others parachute-shaped, and planted in -impenetrable thickets: huge white creepers, snake-shaped, enclasp giant -trees, or connect with their cordage the higher boughs, or depend like -cables from the lower branches to the ground. Luxuriant parasites abound: -here they form domes of flashing green, there they surround with verdure -decayed trunks, and not unfrequently cluster into sylvan bowers, under -which--grateful sight!--appears succulent grass. From the thinner thorns -the bell-shaped nests of the Loxia depend, waving in the breeze, and the -wood resounds with the cries of bright-winged choristers. The torrent-beds -are of the clearest and finest white sand, glittering with gold-coloured -mica, and varied with nodules of clear and milky quartz, red porphyry, and -granites of many hues. Sometimes the centre is occupied by an islet of -torn trees and stones rolled in heaps, supporting a clump of thick jujube -or tall acacia, whilst the lower parts of the beds are overgrown with long -lines of lively green colocynth. [29] Here are usually the wells, -surrounded by heaps of thorns, from which the leaves have been browsed -off, and dwarf sticks that support the water-hide. When the flocks and -herds are absent, troops of gazelles may be seen daintily pacing the -yielding surface; snake trails streak the sand, and at night the fiercer -kind of animals, lions, leopards, and elephants, take their turn. In -Somali-land the well is no place of social meeting; no man lingers to chat -near it, no woman visits it, and the traveller fears to pitch hut where -torrents descend, and where enemies, human and bestial, meet. - -We sat under a tree watching the tribe defile across the water-course: -then remounting, after a ride of two miles, we reached a ground called -Kuranyali [30], upon which the wigwams of the Nomads were already rising. -The parched and treeless stubble lies about eight miles from and 145° S.E. -of Gudingaras; both places are supplied by Angagarri, a well near the sea, -which is so distant that cattle, to return before nightfall, must start -early in the morning. - -My attendants had pitched the Gurgi or hut: the Hammal and Long Guled -were, however, sulky on account of my absence, and the Kalendar appeared -disposed to be mutinous. The End of Time, who never lost an opportunity to -make mischief, whispered in my ear, "Despise thy wife, thy son, and thy -servant, or they despise thee!" The old saw was not wanted, however, to -procure for them a sound scolding. Nothing is worse for the Eastern -traveller than the habit of "sending to Coventry:"--it does away with all -manner of discipline. - -We halted that day at Kuranyali, preparing water and milk for two long -marches over the desert to the hills. Being near the shore, the air was -cloudy, although men prayed for a shower in vain: about midday the -pleasant seabreeze fanned our cheeks, and the plain was thronged with tall -pillars of white sand. [31] - -The heat forbade egress, and our Wigwam was crowded with hungry visitors. -Raghe, urged thereto by his tribe, became importunate, now for tobacco, -then for rice, now for dates, then for provisions in general. No wonder -that the Prophet made his Paradise for the Poor a mere place of eating and -drinking. The half-famished Bedouins, Somal or Arab, think of nothing -beyond the stomach,--their dreams know no higher vision of bliss than mere -repletion. A single article of diet, milk or flesh, palling upon man's -palate, they will greedily suck the stones of eaten dates: yet, Abyssinian -like, they are squeamish and fastidious as regards food. They despise the -excellent fish with which Nature has so plentifully stocked their seas. -[32] "Speak not to me with that mouth which eateth fish!" is a favourite -insult amongst the Bedouins. If you touch a bird or a fowl of any -description, you will be despised even by the starving beggar. You must -not eat marrow or the flesh about the sheep's thigh-bone, especially when -travelling, and the kidneys are called a woman's dish. None but the -Northern Somal will touch the hares which abound in the country, and many -refuse the sand antelope and other kinds of game, not asserting that the -meat is unlawful, but simply alleging a disgust. Those who chew coffee -berries are careful not to place an even number in their mouths, and -camel's milk is never heated, for fear of bewitching the animal. [33] The -Somali, however, differs in one point from his kinsman the Arab: the -latter prides himself upon his temperance; the former, like the North -American Indian, measures manhood by appetite. A "Son of the Somal" is -taught, as soon as his teeth are cut, to devour two pounds of the toughest -mutton, and ask for more: if his powers of deglutition fail, he is derided -as degenerate. - -On the next day (Friday, 1st Dec.) we informed the Abban that we intended -starting early in the afternoon, and therefore warned him to hold himself -and his escort, together with the water and milk necessary for our march, -in readiness. He promised compliance and disappeared. About 3 P.M. the -Bedouins, armed as usual with spear and shield, began to gather round the -hut, and--nothing in this country can be done without that terrible -"palaver!"--the speechifying presently commenced. Raghe, in a lengthy -harangue hoped that the tribe would afford us all the necessary supplies -and assist us in the arduous undertaking. His words elicited no hear! -hear!--there was an evident unwillingness on the part of the wild men to -let us, or rather our cloth and tobacco, depart. One remarked, with surly -emphasis, that he had "seen no good and eaten no Bori [34] from that -caravan, why should he aid it?" When we asked the applauding hearers what -they had done for us, they rejoined by inquiring whose the land was? -Another, smitten by the fair Shehrazade's bulky charms, had proposed -matrimony, and offered as dowry a milch camel: she "temporised," not -daring to return a positive refusal, and the suitor betrayed a certain -Hibernian _velleite_ to consider consent an unimportant part of the -ceremony. The mules had been sent to the well, with orders to return -before noon: at 4 P.M. they were not visible. I then left the hut, and, -sitting on a cow's-hide in the sun, ordered my men to begin loading, -despite the remonstrances of the Abban and the interference of about fifty -Bedouins. As we persisted, they waxed surlier, and declared that all which -was ours became theirs, to whom the land belonged: we did not deny the -claim, but simply threatened sorcery-death, by wild beasts and foraging -parties, to their "camels, children, and women." This brought them to -their senses, the usual effect of such threats; and presently arose the -senior who had spat upon us for luck's sake. With his toothless jaws he -mumbled a vehement speech, and warned the tribe that it was not good to -detain such strangers: they lent ready ears to the words of Nestor, -saying, "Let us obey him, he is near his end!" The mules arrived, but when -I looked for the escort, none was forthcoming. At Zayla it was agreed that -twenty men should protect us across the desert, which is the very passage -of plunder; now, however, five or six paupers offered to accompany us for -a few miles. We politely declined troubling them, but insisted upon the -attendance of our Abban and three of his kindred: as some of the Bedouins -still opposed us, our aged friend once more arose, and by copious abuse -finally silenced them. We took leave of him with many thanks and handfuls -of tobacco, in return for which he blessed us with fervour. Then, mounting -our mules, we set out, followed for at least a mile by a long tail of -howling boys, who, ignorant of clothing, except a string of white beads -round the neck, but armed with dwarf spears, bows, and arrows, showed all -the impudence of baboons. They derided the End of Time's equitation till I -feared a scene;--sailor-like, he prided himself upon graceful -horsemanship, and the imps were touching his tenderest point. - -Hitherto, for the Abban's convenience, we had skirted the sea, far out of -the direct road: now we were to strike south-westwards into the interior. -At 6 P. M. we started across a "Goban" [35] which eternal summer gilds -with a dull ochreish yellow, towards a thin blue strip of hill on the far -horizon. The Somal have no superstitious dread of night and its horrors, -like Arabs and Abyssinians: our Abban, however, showed a wholesome mundane -fear of plundering parties, scorpions, and snakes. [36] I had been careful -to fasten round my ankles the twists of black wool called by the Arabs -Zaal [37], and universally used in Yemen; a stock of garlic and opium, -here held to be specifics, fortified the courage of the party, whose fears -were not wholly ideal, for, in the course of the night, Shehrazade nearly -trod upon a viper. - -At first the plain was a network of holes, the habitations of the Jir Ad -[38], a field rat with ruddy back and white belly, the Mullah or Parson, a -smooth-skinned lizard, and the Dabagalla, a ground squirrel with a -brilliant and glossy coat. As it became dark arose a cheerful moon, -exciting the howlings of the hyenas, the barkings of their attendant -jackals [39], and the chattered oaths of the Hidinhitu bird. [40] Dotted -here and there over the misty landscape, appeared dark clumps of a tree -called "Kullan," a thorn with an edible berry not unlike the jujube, and -banks of silvery mist veiled the far horizon from the sight. - -We marched rapidly and in silence, stopping every quarter of an hour to -raise the camels' loads as they slipped on one side. I had now an -opportunity of seeing how feeble a race is the Somal. My companions on the -line of march wondered at my being able to carry a gun; they could -scarcely support, even whilst riding, the weight of their spears, and -preferred sitting upon them to spare their shoulders. At times they were -obliged to walk because the saddles cut them, then they remounted because -their legs were tired; briefly, an English boy of fourteen would have -shown more bottom than the sturdiest. This cannot arise from poor diet, -for the citizens, who live generously, are yet weaker than the Bedouins; -it is a peculiarity of race. When fatigued they become reckless and -impatient of thirst: on this occasion, though want of water stared us in -the face, one skin of the three was allowed to fall upon the road and -burst, and the second's contents were drunk before we halted. - -At 11 P.M., after marching twelve miles in direct line, we bivouacked upon -the plain. The night breeze from the hills had set in, and my attendants -chattered with cold: Long Guled in particular became stiff as a mummy. -Raghe was clamorous against a fire, which might betray our whereabouts in -the "Bush Inn." But after such a march the pipe was a necessity, and the -point was carried against him. - -After a sound sleep under the moon, we rose at 5 A.M. and loaded the -camels. It was a raw morning. A large nimbus rising from the east obscured -the sun, the line of blue sea was raised like a ridge by refraction, and -the hills, towards which we were journeying, now showed distinct falls and -folds. Troops of Dera or gazelles, herding like goats, stood, stared at -us, turned their white tails, faced away, broke into a long trot, and -bounded over the plain as we approached. A few ostriches appeared, but -they were too shy even for bullet. [41] At 8 P.M. we crossed one of the -numerous drains which intersect this desert--"Biya Hablod," or the Girls' -Water, a fiumara running from south-west to east and north-east. Although -dry, it abounded in the Marer, a tree bearing yellowish red berries full -of viscous juice like green gum,--edible but not nice,--and the brighter -vegetation showed that water was near the surface. About two hours -afterwards, as the sun became oppressive, we unloaded in a water-course, -called by my companions Adad or the Acacia Gum [42]: the distance was -about twenty-five miles, and the direction S. W. 225° of Kuranyali. - -We spread our couches of cowhide in the midst of a green mass of tamarisk -under a tall Kud tree, a bright-leaved thorn, with balls of golden gum -clinging to its boughs, dry berries scattered in its shade, and armies of -ants marching to and from its trunk. All slept upon the soft white sand, -with arms under their hands, for our spoor across the desert was now -unmistakeable. At midday rice was boiled for us by the indefatigable -women, and at 3 P.M. we resumed our march towards the hills, which had -exchanged their shadowy blue for a coat of pronounced brown. Journeying -onwards, we reached the Barragid fiumara, and presently exchanged the -plain for rolling ground covered with the remains of an extinct race, and -probably alluded to by El Makrizi when he records that the Moslems of Adel -had erected, throughout the country, a vast number of mosques and -oratories for Friday and festival prayers. Places of worship appeared in -the shape of parallelograms, unhewed stones piled upon the ground, with a -semicircular niche in the direction of Meccah. The tombs, different from -the heaped form now in fashion, closely resembled the older erections in -the island of Saad El Din, near Zayla--oblong slabs planted deep in the -soil. We also observed frequent hollow rings of rough blocks, circles -measuring about a cubit in diameter: I had not time to excavate them, and -the End of Time could only inform me that they belonged to the "Awwalin," -or olden inhabitants. - -At 7 P.M., as evening was closing in, we came upon the fresh trail of a -large Habr Awal cavalcade. The celebrated footprint seen by Robinson -Crusoe affected him not more powerfully than did this "daaseh" my -companions. The voice of song suddenly became mute. The women drove the -camels hurriedly, and all huddled together, except Raghe, who kept well to -the front ready for a run. Whistling with anger, I asked my attendants -what had slain them: the End of Time, in a hollow voice, replied, "Verily, -0 pilgrim, whoso seeth the track, seeth the foe!" and he quoted in tones -of terror those dreary lines-- - - "Man is but a handful of dust, - And life is a violent storm." - -We certainly were a small party to contend against 200 horsemen,--nine men -and two women: moreover all except the Hammal and Long Guled would -infallibly have fled at the first charge. - -Presently we sighted the trails of sheep and goats, showing the proximity -of a village: their freshness was ascertained by my companions after an -eager scrutiny in the moon's bright beams. About half an hour afterwards, -rough ravines with sharp and thorny descents warned us that we had -exchanged the dangerous plain for a place of safety where horsemen rarely -venture. Raghe, not admiring the "open," hurried us onward, in hope of -reaching some kraal. At 8 P.M., however, seeing the poor women lamed with -thorns, and the camels casting themselves upon the ground, I resolved to -halt. Despite all objections, we lighted a fire, finished our store of bad -milk--the water had long ago been exhausted--and lay down in the cold, -clear air, covering ourselves with hides and holding our weapons. - -At 6 A.M. we resumed our ride over rough stony ground, the thorns tearing -our feet and naked legs, and the camels slipping over the rounded waste of -drift pebbles. The Bedouins, with ears applied to the earth, listened for -a village, but heard none. Suddenly we saw two strangers, and presently we -came upon an Eesa kraal. It was situated in a deep ravine, called Damal, -backed by a broad and hollow Fiumara at the foot of the hills, running -from west to east, and surrounded by lofty trees, upon which brown kites, -black vultures, and percnopters like flakes of snow were mewing. We had -marched over a winding path about eleven miles from, and in a south-west -direction (205°) of, Adad. Painful thoughts suggested themselves: in -consequence of wandering southwards, only six had been taken off thirty -stages by the labours of seven days. - -As usual in Eastern Africa, we did not enter the kraal uninvited, but -unloosed and pitched the wigwam under a tree outside. Presently the elders -appeared bringing, with soft speeches, sweet water, new milk, fat sheep -and goats, for which they demanded a Tobe of Cutch canvass. We passed with -them a quiet luxurious day of coffee and pipes, fresh cream and roasted -mutton: after the plain-heats we enjoyed the cool breeze of the hills, the -cloudy sky, and the verdure of the glades, made doubly green by comparison -with the parched stubbles below. - -The Eesa, here mixed with the Gudabirsi, have little power: we found them -poor and proportionally importunate. The men, wild-looking as open mouths, -staring eyes, and tangled hair could make them, gazed with extreme -eagerness upon my scarlet blanket: for very shame they did not beg it, but -the inviting texture was pulled and fingered by the greasy multitude. We -closed the hut whenever a valuable was produced, but eager eyes peeped -through every cranny, till the End of Time ejaculated "Praised be Allah!" -[43] and quoted the Arab saying, "Show not the Somal thy door, and if he -find it, block it up!" The women and children were clad in chocolate- -coloured hides, fringed at the tops: to gratify them I shot a few hawks, -and was rewarded with loud exclamations,--"Allah preserve thy hand!"--"May -thy skill never fail thee before the foe!" A crone seeing me smoke, -inquired if the fire did not burn: I handed my pipe, which nearly choked -her, and she ran away from a steaming kettle, thinking it a weapon. As my -companions observed, there was not a "Miskal of sense in a Maund of -heads:" yet the people looked upon my sun-burnt skin with a favour they -denied to the "lime-white face." - -I was anxious to proceed in the afternoon, but Raghe had arrived at the -frontier of his tribe: he had blood to settle amongst the Gudabirsi, and -without a protector he could not enter their lands. At night we slept -armed on account of the lions that infest the hills, and our huts were -surrounded with a thorn fence--a precaution here first adopted, and never -afterwards neglected. Early on the morning of the 4th of December heavy -clouds rolled down from the mountains, and a Scotch mist deepened into a -shower: our new Abban had not arrived, and the hut-mats, saturated with -rain, had become too heavy for the camels to carry. - -In the forenoon the Eesa kraal, loading their Asses [44], set out towards -the plain. This migration presented no new features, except that several -sick and decrepid were barbarously left behind, for lions and hyaenas to -devour. [45] To deceive "warhawks" who might be on the lookout, the -migrators set fire to logs of wood and masses of sheep's earth, which, -even in rain, will smoke and smoulder for weeks. - -About midday arrived the two Gudabirsi who intended escorting us to the -village of our Abbans. The elder, Rirash, was a black-skinned, wild- -looking fellow, with a shock head of hair and a deep scowl which belied -his good temper and warm heart: the other was a dun-faced youth betrothed -to Raghe's daughter. They both belonged to the Mahadasan clan, and -commenced operations by an obstinate attempt to lead us far out of our way -eastwards. The pretext was the defenceless state of their flocks and -herds, the real reason an itching for cloth and tobacco. We resisted -manfully this time, nerved by the memory of wasted days, and, despite -their declarations of Absi [46], we determined upon making westward for -the hills. - -At 2 P.M. the caravan started along the Fiumara course in rear of the -deserted kraal, and after an hour's ascent Rirash informed us that a well -was near. The Hammal and I, taking two water skins, urged our mules over -stones and thorny ground: presently we arrived at a rocky ravine, where, -surrounded by brambles, rude walls, and tough frame works, lay the wells-- -three or four holes sunk ten feet deep in the limestone. Whilst we bathed -in the sulphureous spring, which at once discolored my silver ring, -Rirash, baling up the water in his shield, filled the bags and bound them -to the saddles. In haste we rejoined the caravan, which we found about -sunset, halted by the vain fears of the guides. The ridge upon which they -stood was a mass of old mosques and groves, showing that in former days a -thick population tenanted these hills: from the summit appeared distant -herds of kine and white flocks scattered like patches of mountain quartz. -Riding in advance, we traversed the stony ridge, fell into another ravine, -and soon saw signs of human life. A shepherd descried us from afar and ran -away reckless of property; causing the End of Time to roll his head with -dignity, and to ejaculate, "Of a truth said the Prophet of Allah, 'fear is -divided.'" Presently we fell in with a village, from which the people -rushed out, some exclaiming, "Lo! let us look at the kings!" others, -"Come, see the white man, he is governor of Zayla!" I objected to such -dignity, principally on account of its price: my companions, however, were -inexorable; they would be Salatin--kings--and my colour was against claims -to low degree. This fairness, and the Arab dress, made me at different -times the ruler of Aden, the chief of Zayla, the Hajj's son, a boy, an old -woman, a man painted white, a warrior in silver armour, a merchant, a -pilgrim, a hedgepriest, Ahmed the Indian, a Turk, an Egyptian, a -Frenchman, a Banyan, a sherif, and lastly a Calamity sent down from heaven -to weary out the lives of the Somal: every kraal had some conjecture of -its own, and each fresh theory was received by my companions with roars of -laughter. - -As the Gudabirsi pursued us with shouts for tobacco and cries of wonder, I -dispersed them with a gun-shot: the women and children fled precipitately -from the horrid sound, and the men, covering their heads with their -shields, threw themselves face foremost upon the ground. Pursuing the -Fiumara course, we passed a number of kraals, whose inhabitants were -equally vociferous: out of one came a Zayla man, who informed us that the -Gudabirsi Abbans, to whom we bore Sharmarkay's letter of introduction, -were encamped within three days' march. It was reported, however, that a -quarrel had broken out between them and the Gerad Adan, their brother-in- -law; no pleasant news!--in Africa, under such circumstances, it is -customary for friends to detain, and for foes to oppose, the traveller. We -rode stoutly on, till the air darkened and the moon tipped the distant -hill peaks with a dim mysterious light. I then called a halt: we unloaded -on the banks of the Darkaynlay fiumara, so called from a tree which -contains a fiery milk, fenced ourselves in,--taking care to avoid being -trampled upon by startled camels during our sleep, by securing them in a -separate but neighbouring inclosure,--spread our couches, ate our frugal -suppers, and lost no time in falling asleep. We had travelled five hours -that day, but the path was winding, and our progress in a straight line -was at most eight miles. - -And now, dear L., being about to quit the land of the Eesa, I will sketch -the tribe. - -The Eesa, probably the most powerful branch of the Somali nation, extends -northwards to the Wayma family of the Dankali; southwards to the -Gudabirsi, and midway between Zayla and Berberah; eastwards it is bounded -by the sea, and westwards by the Gallas around Harar. It derives itself -from Dirr and Aydur, without, however, knowing aught beyond the ancestral -names, and is twitted with paganism by its enemies. This tribe, said to -number 100,000 shields, is divided into numerous clans [47]: these again -split up into minor septs [48] which plunder, and sometimes murder, one -another in time of peace. - -A fierce and turbulent race of republicans, the Eesa own nominal -allegiance to a Ugaz or chief residing in the Hadagali hills. He is -generally called "Roblay"--Prince Rainy,--the name or rather title being -one of good omen, for a drought here, like a dinner in Europe, justifies -the change of a dynasty. Every kraal has its Oddai (shaikh or head man,) -after whose name the settlement, as in Sindh and other pastoral lands, is -called. He is obeyed only when his orders suit the taste of King Demos, is -always superior to his fellows in wealth of cattle, sometimes in talent -and eloquence, and in deliberations he is assisted by the Wail or Akill-- -the Peetzo-council of Southern Africa--Elders obeyed on account of their -age. Despite, however, this apparatus of rule, the Bedouins have lost none -of the characteristics recorded in the Periplus: they are still -"uncivilised and under no restraint." Every freeborn man holds himself -equal to his ruler, and allows no royalties or prerogatives to abridge his -birthright of liberty. [49] Yet I have observed, that with all their -passion for independence, the Somal, when subject to strict rule as at -Zayla and Harar, are both apt to discipline and subservient to command. - -In character, the Eesa are childish and docile, cunning, and deficient in -judgment, kind and fickle, good-humoured and irascible, warm-hearted, and -infamous for cruelty and treachery. Even the protector will slay his -protege, and citizens married to Eesa girls send their wives to buy goats -and sheep from, but will not trust themselves amongst, their connexions. -"Traitorous as an Eesa," is a proverb at Zayla, where the people tell you -that these Bedouins with the left hand offer a bowl of milk, and stab with -the right. "Conscience," I may observe, does not exist in Eastern Africa, -and "Repentance" expresses regret for missed opportunities of mortal -crime. Robbery constitutes an honorable man: murder--the more atrocious -the midnight crime the better--makes the hero. Honor consists in taking -human life: hyaena-like, the Bedouins cannot be trusted where blood may be -shed: Glory is the having done all manner of harm. Yet the Eesa have their -good points: they are not noted liars, and will rarely perjure themselves: -they look down upon petty pilfering without violence, and they are -generous and hospitable compared with the other Somal. Personally, I had -no reason to complain of them. They were importunate beggars, but a pinch -of snuff or a handful of tobacco always made us friends: they begged me to -settle amongst them, they offered me sundry wives and,--the Somali -Bedouin, unlike the Arab, readily affiliates strangers to his tribe--they -declared that after a few days' residence, I should become one of -themselves. - -In appearance, the Eesa are distinguished from other Somal by blackness, -ugliness of feature, and premature baldness of the temples; they also -shave, or rather scrape off with their daggers, the hair high up the nape -of the neck. The locks are dyed dun, frizzled, and greased; the Widads or -learned men remove them, and none but paupers leave them in their natural -state; the mustachios are clipped close, the straggling whisker is -carefully plucked, and the pile--erroneously considered impure--is removed -either by vellication, or by passing the limbs through the fire. The eyes -of the Bedouins, also, are less prominent than those of the citizens: the -brow projects in pent-house fashion, and the organ, exposed to bright -light, and accustomed to gaze at distant objects, acquires more -concentration and power. I have seen amongst them handsome profiles, and -some of the girls have fine figures with piquant if not pretty features. - -Flocks and herds form the true wealth of the Eesa. According to them, -sheep and goats are of silver, and the cow of gold: they compare camels to -the rock, and believe, like most Moslems, the horse to have been created -from the wind. Their diet depends upon the season. In hot weather, when -forage and milk dry up, the flocks are slaughtered, and supply excellent -mutton; during the monsoon men become fat, by drinking all day long the -produce of their cattle. In the latter article of diet, the Eesa are -delicate and curious: they prefer cow's milk, then the goat's, and lastly -the ewe's, which the Arab loves best: the first is drunk fresh, and the -two latter clotted, whilst the camel's is slightly soured. The townspeople -use camel's milk medicinally: according to the Bedouins, he who lives on -this beverage, and eats the meat for forty-four consecutive days, acquires -the animal's strength. It has perhaps less "body" than any other milk, and -is deliciously sweet shortly after foaling: presently it loses flavour, -and nothing can be more nauseous than the produce of an old camel. The -Somal have a name for cream--"Laben"--but they make no use of the article, -churning it with the rest of the milk. They have no buffaloes, shudder at -the Tartar idea of mare's-milk, like the Arabs hold the name Labban [50] a -disgrace, and make it a point of honor not to draw supplies from their -cattle during the day. - -The life led by these wild people is necessarily monotonous. They rest but -little--from 11 P.M. till dawn--and never sleep in the bush, for fear of -plundering parties, Few begin the day with prayer as Moslems should: for -the most part they apply themselves to counting and milking their cattle. -The animals, all of which have names [51], come when called to the pail, -and supply the family with a morning meal. Then the warriors, grasping -their spears, and sometimes the young women armed only with staves, drive -their herds to pasture: the matrons and children, spinning or rope-making, -tend the flocks, and the kraal is abandoned to the very young, the old, -and the sick. The herdsmen wander about, watching the cattle and tasting -nothing but the pure element or a pinch of coarse tobacco. Sometimes they -play at Shahh, Shantarah, and other games, of which they are passionately -fond: with a board formed of lines traced in the sand, and bits of dry -wood or camel's earth acting pieces, they spend hour after hour, every -looker-on vociferating his opinion, and catching at the men, till -apparently the two players are those least interested in the game. Or, to -drive off sleep, they sit whistling to their flocks, or they perform upon -the Forimo, a reed pipe generally made at Harar, which has a plaintive -sound uncommonly pleasing. [52] In the evening, the kraal again resounds -with lowing and bleating: the camel's milk is all drunk, the cow's and -goat's reserved for butter and ghee, which the women prepare; the numbers -are once more counted, and the animals are carefully penned up for the -night. This simple life is varied by an occasional birth and marriage, -dance and foray, disease and murder. Their maladies are few and simple -[53]; death generally comes by the spear, and the Bedouin is naturally -long-lived. I have seen Macrobians hale and strong, preserving their -powers and faculties in spite of eighty and ninety years. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] By this route the Mukattib or courier travels on foot from Zayla to -Harar in five days at the most. The Somal reckon their journeys by the -Gedi or march, the Arab "Hamleh," which varies from four to five hours. -They begin before dawn and halt at about 11 A.M., the time of the morning -meal. When a second march is made they load at 3 P.M. and advance till -dark; thus fifteen miles would be the average of fast travelling. In -places of danger they will cover twenty-six or twenty-seven miles of -ground without halting to eat or rest: nothing less, however, than regard -for "dear life" can engender such activity. Generally two or three hours' -work per diem is considered sufficient; and, where provisions abound, -halts are long and frequent. - -[2] The Mikahil is a clan of the Habr Awal tribe living near Berberah, and -celebrated for their bloodthirsty and butchering propensities. Many of the -Midgan or serviles (a term explained in Chap. II.) are domesticated -amongst them. - -[3] So the Abyssinian chief informed M. Krapf that he loved the French, -but could not endure us--simply the effect of manner. - -[4] The first is the name of the individual; the second is that of her -father. - -[5] This delicate operation is called by the Arabs Daasah (whence the -"Dosch ceremony" at Cairo). It is used over most parts of the Eastern -world as a remedy for sickness and fatigue, and is generally preferred to -Takbis or Dugmo, the common style of shampooing, which, say many Easterns, -loosens the skin. - -[6] The Somal, from habit, enjoy no other variety; they even showed -disgust at my Latakia. Tobacco is grown in some places by the Gudabirsi -and other tribes; bat it is rare and bad. Without this article it would be -impossible to progress in East Africa; every man asks for a handful, and -many will not return milk for what they expect to receive as a gift. Their -importunity reminds the traveller of the Galloway beggars some generations -ago:--"They are for the most part great chewers of tobacco, and are so -addicted to it, that they will ask for a piece thereof from a stranger as -he is riding on his way; and therefore let not a traveller want an ounce -or two of roll tobacco in his pocket, and for an inch or two thereof he -need not fear the want of a guide by day or night." - -[7] Flesh boiled in large slices, sun-dried, broken to pieces and fried in -ghee. - -[8] The Bahr Assal or Salt Lake, near Tajurrah, annually sends into the -interior thousands of little matted parcels containing this necessary. -Inland, the Bedouins will rub a piece upon the tongue before eating, or -pass about a lump, as the Dutch did with sugar in the last war; at Harar a -donkey-load is the price of a slave; and the Abyssinians say of a -_millionaire_ "he eateth salt." - -[9] The element found upon the maritime plain is salt or brackish. There -is nothing concerning which the African traveller should be so particular -as water; bitter with nitre, and full of organic matter, it causes all -those dysenteric diseases which have made research in this part of the -world a Upas tree to the discoverer. Pocket filters are invaluable. The -water of wells should be boiled and passed through charcoal; and even then -it might be mixed to a good purpose with a few drops of proof spirit. The -Somal generally carry their store in large wickerwork pails. I preferred -skins, as more portable and less likely to taint the water. - -[10] Here, as in Arabia, boxes should be avoided, the Bedouins always -believe them to contain treasures. Day after day I have been obliged to -display the contents to crowds of savages, who amused themselves by -lifting up the case with loud cries of "hoo! hoo!! hoo!!!" (the popular -exclamation of astonishment), and by speculating upon the probable amount -of dollars contained therein. - -[11] The following list of my expenses may perhaps be useful to future -travellers. It must be observed that, had the whole outfit been purchased -at Aden, a considerable saving would have resulted:-- - - Cos. Rs. - Passage money from Aden to Zayla............................ 33 - Presents at Zayla...........................................100 - Price of four mules with saddles and bridles................225 - Price of four camels........................................ 88 - Provisions (tobacco, rice, dates &c.) for three months......428 - Price of 150 Tobes..........................................357 - Nine pieces of indigo-dyed cotton........................... 16 - Minor expenses (cowhides for camels, mats for tents, - presents to Arabs, a box of beads, three handsome - Abyssinian Tobes bought for chiefs).....................166 - Expenses at Berberah, and passage back to Aden.............. 77 - ---- - Total Cos. Rs. 1490 = L149 - ==== - -[12] I shall frequently use Somali terms, not to display my scanty -knowledge of the dialect, but because they perchance may prove serviceable -to my successors. - -[13] The Somal always "side-line" their horses and mules with stout stiff -leathern thongs provided with loops and wooden buttons; we found them upon -the whole safer than lariats or tethers. - -[14] Arabs hate "El Sifr" or whistling, which they hold to be the chit- -chat of the Jinns. Some say that the musician's mouth is not to be -purified for forty days; others that Satan, touching a man's person, -causes him to produce the offensive sound. The Hejazis objected to -Burckhardt that he could not help talking to devils, and walking about the -room like an unquiet spirit. The Somali has no such prejudice. Like the -Kafir of the Cape, he passes his day whistling to his flocks and herds; -moreover, he makes signals by changing the note, and is skilful in -imitating the song of birds. - -[15] In this country camels foal either in the Gugi (monsoon), or during -the cold season immediately after the autumnal rains. - -[16] The shepherd's staff is a straight stick about six feet long, with a -crook at one end, and at the other a fork to act as a rake. - -[17] These utensils will be described in a future chapter. - -[18] The settled Somal have a holy horror of dogs, and, Wahhabi-like, -treat man's faithful slave most cruelly. The wild people are more humane; -they pay two ewes for a good colley, and demand a two-year-old sheep as -"diyat" or blood-money for the animal, if killed. - -[19] Vultures and percnopters lie upon the wing waiting for the garbage of -the kraals; consequently they are rare near the cow-villages, where -animals are not often killed. - -[20] They apply this term to all but themselves; an Indian trader who had -travelled to Harar, complained to me that he had always been called a -Frank by the Bedouins in consequence of his wearing Shalwar or drawers. - -[21] Generally it is not dangerous to write before these Bedouins, as they -only suspect account-keeping, and none but the educated recognise a -sketch. The traveller, however, must be on his guard: in the remotest -villages he will meet Somal who have returned to savage life after -visiting the Sea-board, Arabia, and possibly India or Egypt. - -[22] I have often observed this ceremony performed upon a new turban or -other article of attire; possibly it may be intended as a mark of -contempt, assumed to blind the evil eye. - -[23] Such is the general form of the Somali grave. Sometimes two stumps of -wood take the place of the upright stones at the head and foot, and around -one grave I counted twenty trophies. - -[24] Some braves wear above the right elbow an ivory armlet called Fol or -Aj: in the south this denotes the elephant-slayer. Other Eesa clans assert -their warriorhood by small disks of white stone, fashioned like rings, and -fitted upon the little finger of the left hand. Others bind a bit of red -cloth round the brow. - -[25] It is sufficient for a Bedouin to look at the general appearance of -an animal; he at once recognises the breed. Each clan, however, in this -part of Eastern Africa has its own mark. - -[26] They found no better word than "fire" to denote my gun. - -[27] "Oddai", an old man, corresponds with the Arab Shaykh in etymology. -The Somal, however, give the name to men of all ages after marriage. - -[28] The "Dihh" is the Arab "Wady",--a fiumara or freshet. "Webbe" (Obbay, -Abbai, &c.) is a large river; "Durdur", a running stream. - -[29] I saw these Dihhs only in the dry season; at times the torrent must -be violent, cutting ten or twelve feet deep into the plain. - -[30] The name is derived from Kuranyo, an ant: it means the "place of -ants," and is so called from the abundance of a tree which attracts them. - -[31] The Arabs call these pillars "Devils," the Somal "Sigo." - -[32] The Cape Kafirs have the same prejudice against fish, comparing its -flesh, to that of serpents. In some points their squeamishness resembles -that of the Somal: he, for instance, who tastes the Rhinoceros Simus is at -once dubbed "Om Fogazan" or outcast. - -[33] This superstition may have arisen from the peculiarity that the -camel's milk, however fresh, if placed upon the fire, breaks like some -cows' milk. - -[34] "Bori" in Southern Arabia popularly means a water-pipe: here it is -used for tobacco. - -[35] "Goban" is the low maritime plain lying below the "Bor" or Ghauts, -and opposed to Ogu, the table-land above. "Ban" is an elevated grassy -prairie, where few trees grow; "Dir," a small jungle, called Haija by the -Arabs; and Khain is a forest or thick bush. "Bor," is a mountain, rock, or -hill: a stony precipice is called "Jar," and the high clay banks of a -ravine "Gebi." - -[36] Snakes are rare in the cities, but abound in the wilds of Eastern -Africa, and are dangerous to night travellers, though seldom seen by day. -To kill a serpent is considered by the Bedouins almost as meritorious as -to slay an Infidel. The Somal have many names for the reptile tribe. The -Subhanyo, a kind of whipsnake, and a large yellow rock snake called Got, -are little feared. The Abesi (in Arabic el Hayyeh,--the Cobra) is so -venomous that it kills the camel; the Mas or Hanash, and a long black -snake called Jilbis, are considered equally dangerous. Serpents are in -Somali-land the subject of many superstitions. One horn of the Cerastes, -for instance, contains a deadly poison: the other, pounded and drawn -across the eye, makes man a seer and reveals to him the treasures of the -earth. There is a flying snake which hoards precious stones, and is -attended by a hundred guards: a Somali horseman once, it is said, carried -away a jewel; he was pursued by a reptile army, and although he escaped to -his tribe, the importunity of the former proprietors was so great that the -plunder was eventually restored to them. Centipedes are little feared; -their venom leads to inconveniences more ridiculous than dangerous. -Scorpions, especially the large yellow variety, are formidable in hot -weather: I can speak of the sting from experience. The first symptom is a -sensation of nausea, and the pain shoots up after a few minutes to the -groin, causing a swelling accompanied by burning and throbbing, which last -about twelve hours. The Somal bandage above the wound and wait patiently -till the effect subsides. - -[37] These are tightened in case of accident, and act as superior -ligatures. I should, however, advise every traveller in these regions to -provide himself with a pneumatic pump, and not to place his trust in Zaal, -garlic, or opium. - -[38] The grey rat is called by the Somal "Baradublay:" in Eastern Africa -it is a minor plague, after India and Arabia, where, neglecting to sleep -in boots, I have sometimes been lamed for a week by their venomous bites. - -[39] In this country the jackal attends not upon the lion, but the Waraba. -His morning cry is taken as an omen of good or evil according to the note. - -[40] Of this bird, a red and long-legged plover, the Somal tell the -following legend. Originally her diet was meat, and her society birds of -prey: one night, however, her companions having devoured all the -provisions whilst she slept, she swore never to fly with friends, never to -eat flesh, and never to rest during the hours of darkness. When she sees -anything in the dark she repeat her oaths, and, according to the Somal, -keeps careful watch all night. There is a larger variety of this bird, -which, purblind daring daytime, rises from under the traveller's feet with -loud cries. The Somal have superstitions similar to that above noticed -about several kinds of birds. When the cry of the "Galu" (so called from -his note Gal! Gal! come in! come in!) is heard over a kraal, the people -say, "Let us leave this place, the Galu hath spoken!" At night they listen -for the Fin, also an ill-omened bird: when a man declares "the Fin did not -sleep last night," it is considered advisable to shift ground. - -[41] Throughout this country ostriches are exceedingly wild: the Rev. Mr. -Erhardt, of the Mombas Mission, informs me that they are equally so -farther south. The Somal stalk them during the day with camels, and kill -them with poisoned arrows. It is said that about 3 P.M. the birds leave -their feeding places, and traverse long distances to roost: the people -assert that they are blind at night, and rise up under the pursuer's feet. - -[42] Several Acacias afford gums, which the Bedouins eat greedily to -strengthen themselves. The town's people declare that the food produces -nothing but flatulence. - -[43] "Subhan' Allah!" an exclamation of pettishness or displeasure. - -[44] The hills not abounding in camels, like the maritime regions, asses -become the principal means of transport. - -[45] This barbarous practice is generally carried out in cases of small- -pox where contagion is feared. - -[46] Fear--danger; it is a word which haunts the traveller in Somali-land. - -[47] The Somali Tol or Tul corresponds with the Arabic Kabilah, a tribe: -under it is the Kola or Jilib (Ar. Fakhizah), a clan. "Gob," is synonymous -with the Arabic Kabail, "men of family," opposed to "Gum," the caste-less. -In the following pages I shall speak of the Somali _nation_, the Eesa -tribe, the Rer Musa _clan_, and the Rer Galan _sept_, though by no means -sure that such verbal gradation is generally recognised. - -[48] The Eesa, for instance, are divided into-- - - 1. Rer Wardik (the royal clan). 6. Rer Hurroni. - 2. Rer Abdullah. 7. Rer Urwena. - 3. Rer Musa. 8. Rer Furlabah. - 4. Rer Mummasan. 9. Rer Gada. - 5. Rer Guleni. 10. Rer Ali Addah. - -These are again subdivided: the Rer Musa (numbering half the Eesa), split -up, for instance, into-- - - 1. Rer Galan. 4. Rer Dubbah. - 2. Rer Harlah. 5. Rer Kul. - 3. Rer Gadishah. 6. Rer Gedi. - -[49] Traces of this turbulent equality may be found amongst the slavish -Kafirs in general meetings of the tribe, on the occasion of harvest home, -when the chief who at other times destroys hundreds by a gesture, is -abused and treated with contempt by the youngest warrior. - -[50] "Milk-seller." - -[51] For instance, Anfarr, the "Spotted;" Tarren, "Wheat-flour;" &c. &c. - -[52] It is used by the northern people, the Abyssinians, Gallas, Adail, -Eesa and Gudabirsi; the southern Somal ignore it. - -[53] The most dangerous disease is small-pox, which history traces to -Eastern Abyssinia, where it still becomes at times a violent epidemic, -sweeping off its thousands. The patient, if a man of note, is placed upon -the sand, and fed with rice or millet bread till he recovers or dies. The -chicken-pox kills many infants; they are treated by bathing in the fresh -blood of a sheep, covered with the skin, and exposed to the sun. Smoke and -glare, dirt and flies, cold winds and naked extremities, cause ophthalmia, -especially in the hills; this disease rarely blinds any save the citizens, -and no remedy is known. Dysentery is cured by rice and sour milk, patients -also drink clarified cows' butter; and in bad cases the stomach is -cauterized, fire and disease, according to the Somal, never coexisting. -Haemorroids, when dry, are reduced by a stick used as a bougie and allowed -to remain in loco all night. Sometimes the part affected is cupped with a -horn and knife, or a leech performs excision. The diet is camels' or -goats' flesh and milk; clarified butter and Bussorab dates--rice and -mutton are carefully avoided. For a certain local disease, they use senna -or colocynth, anoint the body with sulphur boiled in ghee, and expose it -to the sun, or they leave the patient all night in the dew;--abstinence -and perspiration generally effect a cure. For the minor form, the -afflicted drink the melted fat of a sheep's tail. Consumption is a family -complaint, and therefore considered incurable; to use the Somali -expression, they address the patient with "Allah, have mercy upon thee!" -not with "Allah cure thee!" - -There are leeches who have secret simples for curing wounds. Generally the -blood is squeezed out, the place is washed with water, the lips are sewn -up and a dressing of astringent leaves is applied. They have splints for -fractures, and they can reduce dislocations. A medical friend at Aden -partially dislocated his knee, which half-a-dozen of the faculty insisted -upon treating as a sprain. Of all his tortures none was more severe than -that inflicted by my Somali visitors. They would look at him, distinguish -the complaint, ask him how long he had been invalided, and hearing the -reply--four months--would break into exclamations of wonder. "In our -country," they cried, "when a man falls, two pull his body and two his -legs, then they tie sticks round it, give him plenty of camel's milk, and -he is well in a month;" a speech which made friend S. groan in spirit. - -Firing and clarified butter are the farrier's panaceas. Camels are cured -by sheep's head broth, asses by chopping one ear, mules by cutting off the -tail, and horses by ghee or a drench of melted fat. - - - - -CHAP. VI. - -FROM THE ZAYLA HILLS TO THE MARAR PRAIRIE. - - -I have now, dear L., quitted the maritime plain or first zone, to enter -the Ghauts, that threshold of the Ethiopian highlands which, beginning at -Tajurrah, sweeps in semicircle round the bay of Zayla, and falls about -Berberah into the range of mountains which fringes the bold Somali coast. -This chain has been inhabited, within History's memory, by three distinct -races,--the Gallas, the ancient Moslems of Adel, and by the modern Somal. -As usual, however, in the East, it has no general vernacular name. [1] - -The aspect of these Ghauts is picturesque. The primitive base consists of -micaceous granite, with veins of porphyry and dykes of the purest white -quartz: above lie strata of sandstone and lime, here dun, there yellow, or -of a dull grey, often curiously contorted and washed clear of vegetable -soil by the heavy monsoon. On these heights, which are mostly conoid with -rounded tops, joined by ridges and saddlebacks, various kinds of Acacia -cast a pallid and sickly green, like the olive tree upon the hills of -Provence. They are barren in the cold season, and the Nomads migrate to -the plains: when the monsoon covers them with rich pastures, the people -revisit their deserted kraals. The Kloofs or ravines are the most -remarkable features of this country: in some places the sides rise -perpendicularly, like gigantic walls, the breadth varying from one hundred -yards to half a mile; in others cliffs and scaurs, sapped at their -foundations, encumber the bed, and not unfrequently a broad band of white -sand stretches between two fringes of emerald green, delightful to look -upon after the bare and ghastly basalt of Southern Arabia. The Jujube -grows to a height already betraying signs of African luxuriance: through -its foliage flit birds, gaudy-coloured as kingfishers, of vivid red, -yellow, and changing-green. I remarked a long-tailed jay called Gobiyan or -Fat [2], russet-hued ringdoves, the modest honey-bird, corn quails, -canary-coloured finches, sparrows gay as those of Surinam, humming-birds -with a plume of metallic lustre, and especially a white-eyed kind of -maina, called by the Somal, Shimbir Load or the cow-bird. The Armo-creeper -[3], with large fleshy leaves, pale green, red, or crimson, and clusters -of bright berries like purple grapes, forms a conspicuous ornament in the -valleys. There is a great variety of the Cactus tribe, some growing to the -height of thirty and thirty-five feet: of these one was particularly -pointed out to me. The vulgar Somal call it Guraato, the more learned -Shajarat el Zakkum: it is the mandrake of these regions, and the round -excrescences upon the summits of its fleshy arms are supposed to resemble -men's heads and faces. On Tuesday the 5th December we arose at 6 A.M., -after a night so dewy that our clothes were drenched, and we began to -ascend the Wady Darkaynlay, which winds from east to south. After an -hour's march appeared a small cairn of rough stones, called Siyaro, or -Mazar [4], to which each person, in token of honor, added his quotum. The -Abban opined that Auliya or holy men had sat there, but the End of Time -more sagaciously conjectured that it was the site of some Galla idol or -superstitious rite. Presently we came upon the hills of the White Ant [5], -a characteristic feature in this part of Africa. Here the land has the -appearance of a Turkish cemetery on a grand scale: there it seems like a -city in ruins: in some places the pillars are truncated into a resemblance -to bee-hives, in others they cluster together, suggesting the idea of a -portico; whilst many of them, veiled by trees, and overrun with gay -creepers, look like the remains of sylvan altars. Generally the hills are -conical, and vary in height from four to twelve feet: they are counted by -hundreds, and the Somal account for the number by declaring that the -insects abandon their home when dry, and commence building another. The -older erections are worn away, by wind and rain, to a thin tapering spire, -and are frequently hollowed and arched beneath by rats and ground -squirrels. The substance, fine yellow mud, glued by the secretions of the -ant, is hard to break: it is pierced, sieve-like, by a network of tiny -shafts. I saw these hills for the first time in the Wady Darkaynlay: in -the interior they are larger and longer than near the maritime regions. - -We travelled up the Fiumara in a southerly direction till 8 A.M., when the -guides led us away from the bed. They anticipated meeting Gudabirsis: -pallid with fear, they also trembled with cold and hunger. Anxious -consultations were held. One man, Ali--surnamed "Doso," because he did -nothing but eat, drink, and stand over the fire--determined to leave us: -as, however, he had received a Tobe for pay, we put a veto upon that -proceeding. After a march of two hours, over ground so winding that we had -not covered more than three miles, our guides halted under a tree, near a -deserted kraal, at a place called El Armo, the "Armo-creeper water," or -more facetiously Dabadalashay: from Damal it bore S. W. 190°. One of our -Bedouins, mounting a mule, rode forward to gather intelligence, and bring -back a skin full of water. I asked the End of Time what they expected to -hear: he replied with the proverb "News liveth!" The Somali Bedouins have -a passion for knowing how the world wags. In some of the more desert -regions the whole population of a village will follow the wanderer. No -traveller ever passes a kraal without planting spear in the ground, and -demanding answers to a lengthened string of queries: rather than miss -intelligence he will inquire of a woman. Thus it is that news flies -through the country. Among the wild Gudabirsi the Russian war was a topic -of interest, and at Harar I heard of a violent storm, which had damaged -the shipping in Bombay Harbour, but a few weeks after the event. - -The Bedouin returned with an empty skin but a full budget. I will offer -you, dear L., a specimen of the "palaver" [6] which is supposed to prove -the aphorism that all barbarians are orators. Demosthenes leisurely -dismounts, advances, stands for a moment cross-legged--the favourite -posture in this region--supporting each hand with a spear planted in the -ground: thence he slips to squat, looks around, ejects saliva, shifts his -quid to behind his ear, places his weapons before him, takes up a bit of -stick, and traces lines which he carefully smooths away--it being ill- -omened to mark the earth. The listeners sit gravely in a semicircle upon -their heels, with their spears, from whose bright heads flashes a ring of -troubled light, planted upright, and look stedfastly on his countenance -over the upper edges of their shields with eyes apparently planted, like -those of the Blemmyes, in their breasts. When the moment for delivery is -come, the head man inquires, "What is the news?" The informant would -communicate the important fact that he has been to the well: he proceeds -as follows, noting emphasis by raising his voice, at times about six -notes, and often violently striking at the ground in front. - -"It is good news, if Allah please!" - -"Wa Sidda!"--Even so! respond the listeners, intoning or rather groaning -the response. - -"I mounted mule this morning:" - -"Even so!" - -"I departed from ye riding." - -"Even so!" - -"_There_" (with a scream and pointing out the direction with a stick). - -"Even so!" - -"_There_ I went." - -"Even so!" - -"I threaded the wood." - -"Even so!" - -"I traversed the sands." - -"Even so!" - -"I feared nothing." - -"Even so!" - -"At last I came upon cattle tracks." - -"Hoo! hoo!! hoo!!!" (an ominous pause follows this exclamation of -astonishment.) - -"They were fresh." - -"Even so!" - -"So were the earths." - -"Even so!" - -"I distinguished the feet of women." - -"Even so!" - -"But there were no camels." - -"Even so!" - -"At last I saw sticks"-- - -"Even so!" - -"Stones"-- - -"Even so!" - -"Water"-- - -"Even so!" - -"A well!!!" - -Then follows the palaver, wherein, as occasionally happens further West, -he distinguishes himself who can rivet the attention of the audience for -at least an hour without saying anything in particular. The advantage of -_their_ circumlocution, however, is that by considering a subject in every -possible light and phase as regards its cause and effect, antecedents, -actualities, and consequences, they are prepared for any emergency which, -without the palaver, might come upon them unawares. - -Although the thermometer showed summer heat, the air was cloudy and raw -blasts poured down from the mountains. At half past 3 P.M. our camels were -lazily loaded, and we followed the course of the Fiumara, which runs to -the W. and S. W. After half an hour's progress, we arrived at the gully in -which are the wells, and the guides halted because they descried half-a- -dozen youths and boys bathing and washing their Tobes. All, cattle as well -as men, were sadly thirsty: many of us had been chewing pebbles during the -morning, yet, afraid of demands for tobacco, the Bedouins would have -pursued the march without water had I not forced them to halt. We found -three holes in the sand; one was dry, a second foul, and the third -contained a scanty supply of the pure element from twenty to twenty-five -feet below the surface. A youth stood in the water and filled a wicker- -pail, which he tossed to a companion perched against the side half way up: -the latter in his turn hove it to a third, who catching it at the brink, -threw the contents, by this time half wasted, into the skin cattle trough. -We halted about half an hour to refresh man and beast, and then resumed -our way up the Wady, quitting it where a short cut avoids the frequent -windings of the bed. This operation saved but little time; the ground was -stony, the rough ascents fatigued the camels, and our legs and feet were -lacerated by the spear-like thorns. Here, the ground was overgrown with -aloes [7], sometimes six feet high with pink and "pale Pomona green" -leaves, bending in the line of beauty towards the ground, graceful in form -as the capitals of Corinthian columns, and crowned with gay-coloured -bells, but barbarously supplied with woody thorns and strong serrated -edges. There the Hig, an aloetic plant with a point so hard and sharp that -horses cannot cross ground where it grows, stood in bunches like the -largest and stiffest of rushes. [8] Senna sprang spontaneously on the -banks, and the gigantic Ushr or Asclepias shed its bloom upon the stones -and pebbles of the bed. My attendants occupied themselves with gathering -the edible pod of an Acacia called Kura [9], whilst I observed the view. -Frequent ant-hills gave an appearance of habitation to a desert still -covered with the mosques and tombs of old Adel; and the shape of the -country had gradually changed, basins and broad slopes now replacing the -thickly crowded conoid peaks of the lower regions. - -As the sun sank towards the west, Long Guled complained bitterly of the -raw breeze from the hills. We passed many villages, distinguished by the -barking of dogs and the bleating of flocks, on their way to the field: the -unhappy Raghe, however, who had now become our _protege_, would neither -venture into a settlement, nor bivouac amongst the lions. He hurried us -forwards till we arrived at a hollow called Gud, "the Hole," which -supplied us with the protection of a deserted kraal, where our camels, -half-starved and knocked-up by an eight miles' march, were speedily -unloaded. Whilst pitching the tent, we were visited by some Gudabirsi, who -attempted to seize our Abban, alleging that he owed them a cow. We replied -doughtily, that he was under our sandals: as they continued to speak in a -high tone, a pistol was discharged over their heads, after which they -cringed like dogs. A blazing fire, a warm supper, dry beds, broad jests, -and funny stories, soon restored the flagging spirits of our party. -Towards night the moon dispersed the thick mists which, gathering into -clouds, threatened rain, and the cold sensibly diminished: there was -little dew, and we should have slept comfortably had not our hungry mules, -hobbled as they were, hopped about the kraal and fought till dawn. - -On the 6th December, we arose late to avoid the cold morning air, and at 7 -A.M. set out over rough ground, hoping to ascend the Ghauts that day. -After creeping about two miles, the camels, unable to proceed, threw -themselves upon the earth, and we unwillingly called a halt at Jiyaf, a -basin below the Dobo [10] fiumara. Here, white flocks dotting the hills, -and the scavengers of the air warned us that we were in the vicinity of -villages. Our wigwam was soon full of fair-faced Gudabirsi, mostly Loajira -[11] or cow-herd boys, who, according to the custom of their class, wore -their Tobes bound scarf-like round their necks. They begged us to visit -their village, and offered a heifer for each lion shot on Mount Libahlay: -unhappily we could not afford time. These youths were followed by men and -women bringing milk, sheep, and goats, for which, grass being rare, they -asked exorbitant prices,--eighteen cubits of Cutch canvass for a lamb, and -two of blue cotton for a bottle of ghee. Amongst them was the first really -pretty face seen by me in the Somali country. The head was well formed, -and gracefully placed upon a long thin neck and narrow shoulders; the -hair, brow, and nose were unexceptionable, there was an arch look in the -eyes of jet and pearl, and a suspicion of African protuberance about the -lips, which gave the countenance an exceeding _naivete_. Her skin was a -warm, rich nut-brown, an especial charm in these regions, and her -movements had that grace which suggests perfect symmetry of limb. The poor -girl's costume, a coif for the back hair, a cloth imperfectly covering the -bosom, and a petticoat of hides, made no great mystery of forms: equally -rude were her ornaments; an armlet and pewter earrings, the work of some -blacksmith, a necklace of white porcelain beads, and sundry talismans in -cases of tarnished and blackened leather. As a tribute to her prettiness I -gave her some cloth, tobacco, and a bit of salt, which was rapidly -becoming valuable; her husband stood by, and, although the preference was -marked, he displayed neither anger nor jealousy. She showed her gratitude -by bringing us milk, and by assisting us to start next morning. In the -evening we hired three fresh camels [12] to carry our goods up the ascent, -and killed some antelopes which, in a stew, were not contemptible. The End -of Time insisted upon firing a gun to frighten away the lions, who make -night hideous with their growls, but never put in an appearance. - -The morning cold greatly increased, and we did not start till 8 A.M. After -half an hour's march up the bed of a fiumara, leading apparently to a _cul -de sac_ of lofty rocks in the hills, we quitted it for a rude zig-zag -winding along its left side, amongst bushes, thorn trees, and huge rocks. -The walls of the opposite bank were strikingly perpendicular; in some -places stratified, in others solid and polished by the course of stream -and cascade. The principal material was a granite, so coarse, that the -composing mica, quartz, and felspar separated into detached pieces as -large as a man's thumb; micaceous grit, which glittered in the sunbeams, -and various sandstones, abounded. The road caused us some trouble; the -camels' loads were always slipping from their mats; I found it necessary -to dismount from my mule, and, sitting down, we were stung by the large -black ants which infest these hills. [13] - -About half way up, we passed two cairns, and added to them our mite like -good Somal. After two hours of hard work the summit of this primitive pass -was attained, and sixty minutes more saw us on the plateau above the -hills,--the second zone of East Africa. Behind us lay the plains, of which -we vainly sought a view: the broken ground at the foot of the mountains is -broad, and mists veiled the reeking expanse of the low country. [14] The -plateau in front of us was a wide extent of rolling ground, rising -slightly towards the west; its colour was brown with a threadbare coat of -verdure, and at the bottom of each rugged slope ran a stony water-course -trending from south-west to north-east. The mass of tangled aloes, ragged -thorn, and prim-looking poison trees, [15] must once have been populous; -tombs and houses of the early Moslems covered with ruins the hills and -ridges. - -About noon, we arrived at a spot called the Kafir's Grave. It is a square -enceinte of rude stones about one hundred yards each side; and legends say -that one Misr, a Galla chief, when dying, ordered the place to be filled -seven times with she-camels destined for his Ahan or funeral feast. This -is the fourth stage upon the direct road from Zayla to Harar: we had -wasted ten days, and the want of grass and water made us anxious about our -animals. The camels could scarcely walk, and my mule's spine rose high -beneath the Arab pad:--such are the effects of Jilal [16], the worst of -travelling seasons in Eastern Africa. - -At 1 P.M. we unloaded under a sycamore tree, called, after a Galla -chieftain [17], "Halimalah," and giving its name to the surrounding -valley. This ancient of the forest is more than half decayed, several huge -limbs lie stretched upon the ground, whence, for reverence, no one removes -them: upon the trunk, or rather trunks, for its bifurcates, are marks -deeply cut by a former race, and Time has hollowed in the larger stem an -arbour capable of containing half-a-dozen men. This holy tree was, -according to the Somal, a place of prayer for the infidel, and its ancient -honors are not departed. Here, probably to commemorate the westward -progress of the tribe, the Gudabirsi Ugaz or chief has the white canvass -turban bound about his brows, and hence rides forth to witness the -equestrian games in the Harawwah Valley. As everyone who passes by, visits -the Halimalah tree, foraging parties of the Northern Eesa and the Jibril -Abokr (a clan of the Habr Awal) frequently meet, and the traveller wends -his way in fear and trembling. - -The thermometer showed an altitude of 3,350 feet: under the tree's cool -shade, the climate reminded me of Southern Italy in winter. I found a -butter-cup, and heard a wood-pecker [18] tapping on the hollow trunk, a -reminiscence of English glades. The Abban and his men urged an advance in -the afternoon. But my health had suffered from the bad water of the coast, -and the camels were faint with fatigue: we therefore dismissed the hired -beasts, carried our property into a deserted kraal, and, lighting a fire, -prepared to "make all snug" for the night. The Bedouins, chattering with -cold, stood closer to the comfortable blaze than ever did pater familias -in England: they smoked their faces, toasted their hands, broiled their -backs with intense enjoyment, and waved their legs to and fro through the -flame to singe away the pile, which at this season grows long. The End of -Time, who was surly, compared them to demons, and quoted the Arab's -saying:--"Allah never bless smooth man, or hairy woman!" On the 8th of -December, at 8 A.M., we travelled slowly up the Halimalah Valley, whose -clayey surface glistened with mica and quartz pebbles from the hills. All -the trees are thorny except the Sycamore and the Asclepias. The Gub, or -Jujube, grows luxuriantly in thickets: its dried wood is used by women to -fumigate their hair [19]: the Kedi, a tree like the porcupine,--all -spikes,--supplies the Bedouins with hatchet-handles. I was shown the Abol -with its edible gum, and a kind of Acacia, here called Galol. Its bark -dyes cloth a dull red, and the thorn issues from a bulb which, when young -and soft, is eaten by the Somal, when old it becomes woody, and hard as a -nut. At 9 A.M. we crossed the Lesser Abbaso, a Fiumara with high banks of -stiff clay and filled with large rolled stones: issuing from it, we -traversed a thorny path over ascending ground between higher hills, and -covered with large boulders and step-like layers of grit. Here appeared -several Gudabirsi tombs, heaps of stones or pebbles, surrounded by a fence -of thorns, or an enceinte of loose blocks: in the latter, slabs are used -to make such houses as children would build in play, to denote the number -of establishments left by the deceased. The new grave is known by the -conical milk-pails surmounting the stick at the head of the corpse, upon -the neighbouring tree is thrown the mat which bore the dead man to his -last home, and hard by are the blackened stones upon which his funeral -feast was cooked. At 11 A.M. we reached the Greater Abbaso, a Fiumara -about 100 yards wide, fringed with lovely verdure and full of the antelope -called Gurnuk: its watershed was, as usual in this region, from west and -south-west to east and north-east. About noon we halted, having travelled -eight miles from the Holy Tree. - -At half past three reloading we followed the course of the Abbaso Valley, -the most beautiful spot we had yet seen. The presence of mankind, however, -was denoted by the cut branches of thorn encumbering the bed: we remarked -too, the tracks of lions pursued by hunters, and the frequent streaks of -serpents, sometimes five inches in diameter. Towards evening, our party -closed up in fear, thinking that they saw spears glancing through the -trees: I treated their alarm lightly, but the next day proved that it was -not wholly imaginary. At sunset we met a shepherd who swore upon the stone -[20] to bring us milk in exchange for tobacco, and presently, after a five -miles' march, we halted in a deserted kraal on the left bank of a Fiumara. -Clouds gathered black upon the hill tops, and a comfortless blast, -threatening rain, warned us not to delay pitching the Gurgi. A large fire -was lighted, and several guns were discharged to frighten away the lions -that infest this place. Twice during the night our camels started up and -rushed round their thorn ring in alarm. - - * * * * * - -Late in the morning of Saturday, the 9th December, I set out, accompanied -by Rirash and the End of Time, to visit some ruins a little way distant -from the direct road. After an hour's ride we turned away from the Abbaso -Fiumara and entered a basin among the hills distant about sixteen miles -from the Holy Tree. This is the site of Darbiyah Kola,--Kola's Fort,--so -called from its Galla queen. It is said that this city and its neighbour -Aububah fought like certain cats in Kilkenny till both were "eaten up:" -the Gudabirsi fix the event at the period when their forefathers still -inhabited Bulhar on the coast,--about 300 years ago. If the date be -correct, the substantial ruins have fought a stern fight with time. -Remnants of houses cumber the soil, and the carefully built wells are -filled with rubbish: the palace was pointed out to me with its walls of -stone and clay intersected by layers of woodwork. The mosque is a large -roofless building containing twelve square pillars of rude masonry, and -the Mihrab, or prayer niche, is denoted by a circular arch of tolerable -construction. But the voice of the Muezzin is hushed for ever, and -creepers now twine around the ruined fane. The scene was still and dreary -as the grave; for a mile and a half in length all was ruins--ruins--ruins. - -Leaving this dead city, we rode towards the south-west between two rugged -hills of which the loftiest summit is called Wanauli. As usual they are -rich in thorns: the tall "Wadi" affords a gum useful to cloth-dyers, and -the leaves of the lofty Wumba are considered, after the Daum-palm, the -best material for mats. On the ground appeared the blue flowers of the -"Man" or "Himbah," a shrub resembling a potatoe: it bears a gay yellow -apple full of brown seeds which is not eaten by the Somal. My companions -made me taste some of the Karir berries, which in color and flavor -resemble red currants: the leaves are used as a dressing to ulcers. -Topping the ridge we stood for a few minutes to observe the view before -us. Beneath our feet lay a long grassy plain-the sight must have gladdened -the hearts of our starving mules!--and for the first time in Africa horses -appeared grazing free amongst the bushes. A little further off lay the -Aylonda valley studded with graves, and dark with verdure. Beyond it -stretched the Wady Harawwah, a long gloomy hollow in the general level. -The background was a bold sweep of blue hill, the second gradient of the -Harar line, and on its summit closing the western horizon lay a golden -streak--the Marar Prairie. Already I felt at the end of my journey. About -noon, reaching a kraal, whence but that morning our Gudabirsi Abbans had -driven off their kine, we sat under a tree and with a pistol reported -arrival. Presently the elders came out and welcomed their old acquaintance -the End of Time as a distinguished guest. He eagerly inquired about the -reported quarrel between the Abbans and their brother-in-law the Gerad -Adan. When, assured that it was the offspring of Somali imagination, he -rolled his head, and with dignity remarked, "What man shutteth to us, that -Allah openeth!" We complimented each other gravely upon the purity of our -intentions,--amongst Moslems a condition of success,--and not despising -second causes, lost no time in sending a horseman for the Abbans. -Presently some warriors came out and inquired if we were of the Caravan -that was travelling last evening up a valley with laden camels. On our -answering in the affirmative, they laughingly declared that a commando of -twelve horsemen had followed us with the intention of a sham-attack. This -is favourite sport with the Bedouin. When however the traveller shows -fright, the feint is apt to turn out a fact. On one occasion a party of -Arab merchants, not understanding the "fun of the thing," shot two Somal: -the tribe had the justice to acquit the strangers, mulcting them, however, -a few yards of cloth for the families of the deceased. In reply I fired a -pistol unexpectedly over the heads of my new hosts, and improved the -occasion of their terror by deprecating any practical facetiousness in -future. - -We passed the day under a tree: the camels escorted by my two attendants, -and the women, did not arrive till sunset, having occupied about eight -hours in marching as many miles. Fearing lions, we pitched inside the -kraal, despite crying children, scolding wives, cattle rushing about, -barking dogs, flies and ticks, filth and confinement. - -I will now attempt a description of a village in Eastern Africa. - -The Rer or Kraal [21] is a line of scattered huts on plains where thorns -are rare, beast of prey scarce, and raids not expected. In the hills it is -surrounded by a strong fence to prevent cattle straying: this, where -danger induces caution, is doubled and trebled. Yet the lion will -sometimes break through it, and the leopard clears it, prey in mouth with -a bound. The abattis has usually four entrances which are choked up with -heaps of bushes at night. The interior space is partitioned off by dwarf -hedges into rings, which contain and separate the different species of -cattle. Sometimes there is an outer compartment adjoining the exterior -fence, set apart for the camels; usually they are placed in the centre of -the kraal. Horses being most valuable are side-lined and tethered close to -the owner's hut, and rude bowers of brush and fire wood protect the -weaklings of the flocks from the heat of the sun and the inclement night -breeze. - -At intervals around and inside the outer abattis are built the Gurgi or -wigwams--hemispheric huts like old bee-hives about five feet high by six -in diameter: they are even smaller in the warm regions, but they increase -in size as the elevation of the country renders climate less genial. The -material is a framework of "Digo," or sticks bent and hardened in the -fire: to build the hut, these are planted in the ground, tied together -with cords, and covered with mats of two different kinds: the Aus composed -of small bundles of grass neatly joined, is hard and smooth; the Kibid has -a long pile and is used as couch as well as roof. The single entrance in -front is provided with one of these articles which serves as a curtain; -hides are spread upon the top during the monsoon, and little heaps of -earth are sometimes raised outside to keep out wind and rain. - -The furniture is simple as the building. Three stones and a hole form the -fireplace, near which sleep the children, kids, and lambs: there being no -chimney, the interior is black with soot. The cow-skin couches are -suspended during the day, like arms and other articles which suffer from -rats and white ants, by loops of cord to the sides. The principal -ornaments are basket-work bottles, gaily adorned with beads, cowris, and -stained leather. Pottery being here unknown, the Bedouins twist the fibres -of a root into various shapes, and make them water-tight with the powdered -bark of another tree. [22] The Han is a large wicker-work bucket, mounted -in a framework of sticks, and used to contain water on journeys. The Guraf -(a word derived from the Arabic "Ghurfah") is a conical-shaped vessel, -used to bale out the contents of a well. The Del, or milk pail, is shaped -like two cones joined at the base by lateral thongs, the upper and smaller -half acting as cup and cover. And finally the Wesi, or water bottle, -contains the traveller's store for drinking and religious ablution. - -When the kraal is to be removed, the huts and furniture are placed upon -the camels, and the hedges and earth are sometimes set on fire, to purify -the place and deceive enemies, Throughout the country black circles of -cinders or thorn diversify the hill sides, and show an extensive -population. Travellers always seek deserted kraals for security of -encampment. As they swarm with vermin by night and flies by day [23], I -frequently made strong objections to these favourite localities: the -utmost conceded to me was a fresh enclosure added by a smaller hedge to -the outside abattis of the more populous cow-kraals. - -On the 10th December we halted: the bad water, the noon-day sun of 107°, -and the cold mornings--51° being the average--had seriously affected my -health. All the population flocked to see me, darkening the hut with -nodding wigs and staring faces: and,--the Gudabirsi are polite knaves,-- -apologised for the intrusion. Men, women, and children appeared in crowds, -bringing milk and ghee, meat and water, several of the elders remembered -having seen me at Berberah [24], and the blear-eyed maidens, who were in -no wise shy, insisted upon admiring the white stranger. - -Feeling somewhat restored by repose, I started the next day, "with a tail -on" to inspect the ruins of Aububah. After a rough ride over stony ground -we arrived at a grassy hollow, near a line of hills, and dismounted to -visit the Shaykh Aububah's remains. He rests under a little conical dome -of brick, clay and wood, similar in construction to that of Zayla: it is -falling to pieces, and the adjoining mosque, long roofless, is overgrown -with trees, that rustle melancholy sounds in the light joyous breeze. -Creeping in by a dwarf door or rather hole, my Gudabirsi guides showed me -a bright object forming the key of the arch: as it shone they suspected -silver, and the End of Time whispered a sacrilegious plan for purloining -it. Inside the vault were three graves apparently empty, and upon the dark -sunken floor lay several rounded stones, resembling cannon balls, and used -as weights by the more civilised Somal. Thence we proceeded to the battle- -field, a broad sheet of sandstone, apparently dinted by the hoofs of mules -and horses: on this ground, which, according to my guides, was in olden -days soft and yielding, took place the great action between Aububah and -Darbiyah Kola. A second mosque was found with walls in tolerable repair, -but, like the rest of the place, roofless. Long Guled ascended the broken -staircase of a small square minaret, and delivered a most ignorant and -Bedouin-like Azan or call to prayer. Passing by the shells of houses, we -concluded our morning's work with a visit to the large graveyard. -Apparently it did not contain the bones of Moslems: long lines of stones -pointed westward, and one tomb was covered with a coating of hard mortar, -in whose sculptured edge my benighted friends detected magical -inscriptions. I heard of another city called Ahammed in the neighbouring -hills, but did not visit it. These are all remains of Galla settlements, -which the ignorance and exaggeration of the Somal fill with "writings" and -splendid edifices. - -Returning home we found that our Gudabirsi Bedouins had at length obeyed -the summons. The six sons of a noted chief, Ali Addah or White Ali, by -three different mothers, Beuh, Igah, Khayri, Nur, Ismail and Yunis, all -advanced towards me as I dismounted, gave the hand of friendship, and -welcomed me to their homes. With the exception of the first-named, a hard- -featured man at least forty years old, the brothers were good-looking -youths, with clear brown skins, regular features, and graceful figures. -They entered the Gurgi when invited, but refused to eat, saying, that they -came for honor not for food. The Hajj Sharmarkay's introductory letter was -read aloud to their extreme delight, and at their solicitation, I perused -it a second and a third time; then having dismissed with sundry small -presents, the two Abbans Raghe and Rirash, I wrote a flattering account of -them to the Hajj, and entrusted it to certain citizens who were returning -in caravan Zayla-wards, after a commercial tour in the interior. - -Before they departed, there was a feast after the Homeric fashion. A sheep -was "cut," disembowelled, dismembered, tossed into one of our huge -caldrons, and devoured within the hour: the almost live food [25] was -washed down with huge draughts of milk. The feasters resembled -Wordsworth's cows, "forty feeding like one:" in the left hand they held -the meat to their teeth, and cut off the slice in possession with long -daggers perilously close, were their noses longer and their mouths less -obtrusive. During the dinner I escaped from the place of flies, and -retired to a favourite tree. Here the End of Time, seeing me still in -pain, insisted upon trying a Somali medicine. He cut two pieces of dry -wood, scooped a hole in the shorter, and sharpened the longer, applied -point to socket, which he sprinkled with a little sand, placed his foot -upon the "female stick," and rubbed the other between his palms till smoke -and char appeared. He then cauterized my stomach vigorously in six -different places, quoting a tradition, "the End of Physic is Fire." - -On Tuesday the 12th December, I vainly requested the two sons of White -Ali, who had constituted themselves our guides, to mount their horses: -they feared to fatigue the valuable animals at a season when grass is rare -and dry. I was disappointed by seeing the boasted "Faras" [26] of the -Somal, in the shape of ponies hardly thirteen hands high. The head is -pretty, the eyes are well opened, and the ears are small; the form also is -good, but the original Arab breed has degenerated in the new climate. They -are soft, docile, and--like all other animals in this part of the world-- -timid: the habit of climbing rocks makes them sure-footed, and they show -the remains of blood when forced to fatigue. The Gudabirsi will seldom -sell these horses, the great safeguard against their conterminous tribes, -the Eesa and Girhi, who are all infantry: a village seldom contains more -than six or eight, and the lowest value would be ten cows or twenty Tobes. -[27] Careful of his beast when at rest, the Somali Bedouin in the saddle -is rough and cruel: whatever beauty the animal may possess in youth, -completely disappears before the fifth year, and few are without spavin, -or sprained back-sinews. In some parts of the country [28], "to ride -violently to your hut two or three times before finally dismounting, is -considered a great compliment, and the same ceremony is observed on -leaving. Springing into the saddle (if he has one), with the aid of his -spear, the Somali cavalier first endeavours to infuse a little spirit into -his half-starved hack, by persuading him to accomplish a few plunges and -capers: then, his heels raining a hurricane of blows against the animal's -ribs, and occasionally using his spear-point as a spur, away he gallops, -and after a short circuit, in which he endeavours to show himself to the -best advantage, returns to his starting point at full speed, when the -heavy Arab bit brings up the blown horse with a shock that half breaks his -jaw and fills his mouth with blood. The affection of the true Arab for his -horse is proverbial: the cruelty of the Somal to his, may, I think, be -considered equally so." The Bedouins practise horse-racing, and run for -bets, which are contested with ardor: on solemn occasions, they have rude -equestrian games, in which they display themselves and their animals. The -Gudabirsi, and indeed most of the Somal, sit loosely upon their horses. -Their saddle is a demi-pique, a high-backed wooden frame, like the -Egyptian fellah's: two light splinters leave a clear space for the spine, -and the tree is tightly bound with wet thongs: a sheepskin shabracque is -loosely spread over it, and the dwarf iron stirrup admits only the big -toe, as these people fear a stirrup which, if the horse fall, would -entangle the foot. Their bits are cruelly severe; a solid iron ring, as in -the Arab bridle, embracing the lower jaw, takes the place of a curb chain. -Some of the head-stalls, made at Berberah, are prettily made of cut -leather and bright steel ornaments like diminutive quoits. The whip is a -hard hide handle, plated with zinc, and armed with a single short broad -thong. - -With the two sons of White Ali and the End of Time, at 8 A.M., on the 12th -December, I rode forward, leaving the jaded camels in charge of my -companions and the women. We crossed the plain in a south-westerly -direction, and after traversing rolling ground, we came to a ridge, which -commanded an extensive view. Behind lay the Wanauli Hills, already purple -in the distance. On our left was a mass of cones, each dignified by its -own name; no one, it is said, can ascend them, which probably means that -it would be a fatiguing walk. Here are the visitation-places of three -celebrated saints, Amud, Sau and Shaykh Sharlagamadi, or the "Hidden from -Evil," To the north-west I was shown some blue peaks tenanted by the Eesa -Somal. In front, backed by the dark hills of Harar, lay the Harawwah -valley. The breadth is about fifteen miles: it runs from south-west to -north-east, between the Highlands of the Girhi and the rolling ground of -the Gudabirsi Somal, as far, it is said, as the Dankali country. Of old -this luxuriant waste belonged to the former tribe; about twelve years ago -it was taken from them by the Gudabirsi, who carried off at the same time -thirty cows, forty camels, and between three and four hundred sheep and -goats. - -Large herds tended by spearmen and grazing about the bush, warned us that -we were approaching the kraal in which the sons of White Ali were camped; -at half-past 10 A.M., after riding eight miles, we reached the place which -occupies the lower slope of the Northern Hills that enclose the Harawwah -valley. We spread our hides under a tree, and were soon surrounded by -Bedouins, who brought milk, sun-dried beef, ghee and honey in one of the -painted wooden bowls exported from Cutch. After breakfast, at which the -End of Time distinguished himself by dipping his meat into honey, we went -out gun in hand towards the bush. It swarmed with sand-antelope and -Gurnuk: the ground-squirrels haunted every ant-hill, hoopoos and spur- -fowls paced among the thickets, in the trees we heard the frequent cry of -the Gobiyan and the bird facetiously termed from its cry "Dobo-dogon- -guswen," and the bright-coloured hawk, the Abodi or Bakiyyah [29], lay on -wing high in the cloudless air. - -When tired of killing we returned to our cow-hides, and sat in -conversation with the Bedouins. They boasted of the skill with which they -used the shield, and seemed not to understand the efficiency of a sword- -parry: to illustrate the novel idea I gave a stick to the best man, -provided myself in the same way, and allowed him to cut at me. After -repeated failures he received a sounding blow upon the least bony portion -of his person: the crowd laughed long and loud, and the pretending -"knight-at-arms" retired in confusion. - -Darkness fell, but no caravan appeared: it had been delayed by a runaway -mule,--perhaps by the desire to restrain my vagrant propensities,--and did -not arrive till midnight. My hosts cleared a Gurgi for our reception, -brought us milk, and extended their hospitality to the full limits of even -savage complaisance. - -Expecting to march on the 13th December soon after dawn, I summoned Beuh -and his brethren to the hut, reminding him that the Hajj had promised me -an escort without delay to the village of the Gerad Adan. To my instances -they replied that, although they were most anxious to oblige, the arrival -of Mudeh the eldest son rendered a consultation necessary; and retiring to -the woods, sat in palaver from 8 A.M. to past noon. At last they came to a -resolution which could not be shaken. They would not trust one of their -number in the Gerad's country; a horseman, however, should carry a letter -inviting the Girhi chief to visit his brothers-in-law. I was assured that -Adan would not drink water before mounting to meet us: but, fear is -reciprocal, there was evidently bad blood between them, and already a -knowledge of Somali customs caused me to suspect the result of our -mission. However, a letter was written reminding the Gerad of "the word -spoken under the tree," and containing, in case of recusance, a threat to -cut off the salt well at which his cows are periodically driven to drink. -Then came the bargain for safe conduct. After much haggling, especially on -the part of the handsome Igah, they agreed to receive twenty Tobes, three -bundles of tobacco, and fourteen cubits of indigo-dyed cotton. In addition -to this I offered as a bribe one of my handsome Abyssinian shirts with a -fine silk fringe made at Aden, to be received by the man Beuh on the day -of entering the Gerad's village. - -I arose early in the next morning, having been promised by the Abbans -grand sport in the Harawwah Valley. The Somal had already divided the -elephants' spoils: they were to claim the hero's feather, I was to receive -two thirds of the ivory--nothing remained to be done but the killing. -After sundry pretences and prayers for delay, Beuh saddled his hack, the -Hammal mounted one mule, a stout-hearted Bedouin called Fahi took a -second, and we started to find the herds. The End of Time lagged in the -rear: the reflection that a mule cannot outrun an elephant, made him look -so ineffably miserable, that I sent him back to the kraal. "Dost thou -believe me to be a coward, 0 Pilgrim?" thereupon exclaimed the Mullah, -waxing bold in the very joy of his heart. "Of a truth I do!" was my reply. -Nothing abashed, he hammered his mule with heel, and departed ejaculating, -"What hath man but a single life? and he who throweth it away, what is he -but a fool?" Then we advanced with cocked guns, Beuh singing, Boanerges- -like, the Song of the Elephant. - -In the Somali country, as amongst the Kafirs, after murdering a man or -boy, the death of an elephant is considered _the_ act of heroism: most -tribes wear for it the hair-feather and the ivory bracelet. Some hunters, -like the Bushmen of the Cape [30], kill the Titan of the forests with -barbed darts carrying Waba-poison. The general way of hunting resembles -that of the Abyssinian Agageers described by Bruce. One man mounts a white -pony, and galloping before the elephant, induces him, as he readily does, ---firearms being unknown,--to charge and "chivy." The rider directs his -course along, and close to, some bush, where a comrade is concealed; and -the latter, as the animal passes at speed, cuts the back sinew of the hind -leg, where in the human subject the tendon Achilles would be, with a -sharp, broad and heavy knife. [31] This wound at first occasions little -inconvenience: presently the elephant, fancying, it is supposed, that a -thorn has stuck in his foot, stamps violently, and rubs the scratch till -the sinew is fairly divided. The animal, thus disabled, is left to perish -wretchedly of hunger and thirst: the tail, as amongst the Kafirs, is cut -off to serve as trophy, and the ivories are removed when loosened by -decomposition. In this part of Africa the elephant is never tamed. [32] - -For six hours we rode the breadth of the Harawwah Valley: it was covered -with wild vegetation, and surface-drains, that carry off the surplus of -the hills enclosing it. In some places the torrent beds had cut twenty -feet into the soil. The banks were fringed with milk-bush and Asclepias, -the Armo-creeper, a variety of thorns, and especially the yellow-berried -Jujube: here numberless birds followed bright-winged butterflies, and the -"Shaykhs of the Blind," as the people call the black fly, settled in -swarms upon our hands and faces as we rode by. The higher ground was -overgrown with a kind of cactus, which here becomes a tree, forming shady -avenues. Its quadrangular fleshy branches of emerald green, sometimes -forty feet high, support upon their summits large round bunches of a -bright crimson berry: when the plantation is close, domes of extreme -beauty appear scattered over the surface of the country. This "Hassadin" -abounds in burning milk, and the Somal look downwards when passing under -its branches: the elephant is said to love it, and in many places the -trees were torn to pieces by hungry trunks. The nearest approaches to game -were the last year's earths; likely places, however, shady trees and green -thorns near water, were by no means uncommon. When we reached the valley's -southern wall, Beuh informed us that we might ride all day, if we pleased, -with the same result. At Zayla I had been informed that elephants are -"thick as sand" in Harawwah: even the Gudabirsi, when at a distance, -declared that they fed there like sheep, and, after our failure, swore -that they killed thirty but last year. The animals were probably in the -high Harirah Valley, and would be driven downwards by the cold at a later -period: some future Gordon Cumming may therefore succeed where the Hajj -Abdullah notably failed. - -On the 15th December I persuaded the valiant Beuh, with his two brothers -and his bluff cousin Fahi, to cross the valley with us, After recovering a -mule which had strayed five miles back to the well, and composing sundry -quarrels between Shehrazade, whose swains had detained her from camel- -loading, and the Kalendar whose one eye flashed with indignation at her -conduct, we set out in a southerly direction. An hour's march brought us -to an open space surrounded by thin thorn forest: in the centre is an -ancient grave, about which are performed the equestrian games when the -turban of the Ugaz has been bound under the Holy Tree. Shepherds issued -from the bush to stare at us as we passed, and stretched forth the hand -for "Bori:" the maidens tripped forwards exclaiming, "Come, girls, let us -look at this prodigy!" and they never withheld an answer if civilly -addressed. Many of them were grown up, and not a few were old maids, the -result of the tribe's isolation; for here, as in Somaliland generally, the -union of cousins is abhorred. The ground of the valley is a stiff clay, -sprinkled with pebbles of primitive formation: the hills are mere rocks, -and the torrent banks with strata of small stones, showed a watermark -varying from ten to fifteen feet in height: in these Fiumaras we saw -frequent traces of the Edler-game, deer and hog. At 1 P.M. our camels and -mules were watered at wells in a broad wady called Jannah-Gaban or the -Little Garden; its course, I was told, lies northwards through the -Harawwah Valley to the Odla and Waruf, two depressions in the Wayma -country near Tajurrah. About half an hour afterwards we arrived at a -deserted sheepfold distant six miles from our last station. After -unloading we repaired to a neighbouring well, and found the water so hard -that it raised lumps like nettle stings in the bather's skin. The only -remedy for the evil is an unguent of oil or butter, a precaution which -should never be neglected by the African traveller. At first the sensation -of grease annoys, after a few days it is forgotten, and at last the "pat -of butter" is expected as pleasantly as the pipe or the cup of coffee. It -prevents the skin from chaps and sores, obviates the evil effects of heat, -cold, and wet, and neutralises the Proteus-like malaria poison. The Somal -never fail to anoint themselves when they can afford ghee, and the Bedouin -is at the summit of his bliss, when sitting in the blazing sun, or,--heat -acts upon these people as upon serpents,--with his back opposite a roaring -fire, he is being smeared, rubbed, and kneaded by a companion. - -My guides, fearing lions and hyenas, would pass the night inside a foul -sheepfold: I was not without difficulty persuaded to join them. At eight -next morning we set out through an uninteresting thorn-bush towards one of -those Tetes or isolated hills which form admirable bench-marks in the -Somali country. "Koralay," a terra corresponding with our Saddle-back, -exactly describes its shape: pommel and crupper, in the shape of two huge -granite boulders, were all complete, and between them was a depression for -a seat. As day advanced the temperature changed from 50° to a maximum of -121°. After marching about five miles, we halted in a broad watercourse -called Gallajab, the "Plentiful Water": there we bathed, and dined on an -excellent camel which had broken its leg by falling from a bank. - -Resuming our march at 5 P.M., we travelled over ascending ground which -must be most fertile after rain: formerly it belonged to the Girhi, and -the Gudabirsi boasted loudly of their conquest. After an hour's march we -reached the base of Koralay, upon whose lower slopes appeared a pair of -the antelopes called Alakud [33]: they are tame, easily shot, and eagerly -eaten by the Bedouins. Another hour of slow travelling brought us to a -broad Fiumara with high banks of stiff clay thickly wooded and showing a -water-mark eighteen feet above the sand. The guides named these wells -Agjogsi, probably a generic term signifying that water is standing close -by. Crossing the Fiumara we ascended a hill, and found upon the summit a -large kraal alive with heads of kine. The inhabitants flocked out to stare -at us and the women uttered cries of wonder. I advanced towards the -prettiest, and fired my rifle by way of salute over her head. The people -delighted, exclaimed, Mod! Mod!--"Honor to thee!"--and we replied with -shouts of Kulliban--"May Heaven aid ye!" [34] At 5 P.M., after five miles' -march, the camels were unloaded in a deserted kraal whose high fence -denoted danger of wild beasts. The cowherds bade us beware of lions: but a -day before a girl had been dragged out of her hut, and Moslem burial could -be given to only one of her legs. A Bedouin named Uddao, whom we hired as -mule-keeper, was ordered to spend the night singing, and, as is customary -with Somali watchmen, to address and answer himself dialogue-wise with a -different voice, in order to persuade thieves that several men are on the -alert. He was a spectacle of wildness as he sat before the blazing fire,-- -his joy by day, his companion and protector in the shades, the only step -made by him in advance of his brethren the Cynocephali. - -We were detained four days at Agjogsi by the nonappearance of the Gerad -Adan: this delay gave me an opportunity of ascending to the summit of -Koralay the Saddleback, which lay about a mile north of our encampment. As -we threaded the rocks and hollows of the side we came upon dens strewed -with cows' bones, and proving by a fresh taint that the tenants had lately -quitted them. In this country the lion is seldom seen unless surprised -asleep in his lair of thicket: during my journey, although at times the -roaring was heard all night, I saw but one. The people have a superstition -that the king of beasts will not attack a single traveller, because such a -person, they say, slew the mother of all the lions: except in darkness or -during violent storms, which excite the fiercer carnivors, he is a timid -animal, much less feared by the people than the angry and agile leopard. -Unable to run with rapidity when pressed by hunger, he pursues a party of -travellers stealthily as a cat, and, arrived within distance, springs, -strikes down the hindermost, and carries him away to the bush. - -From the summit of Koralay, we had a fair view of the surrounding country. -At least forty kraals, many of them deserted, lay within the range of -sight. On all sides except the north-west and south-east was a mass of -sombre rock and granite hill: the course of the valleys between the -several ranges was denoted by a lively green, and the plains scattered in -patches over the landscape shone with dull yellow, the effect of clay and -stubble, whilst a light mist encased the prospect in a circlet of blue and -silver. Here the End of Time conceived the jocose idea of crowning me king -of the country. With loud cries of Buh! Buh! Buh! he showered leaves of a -gum tree and a little water from a prayer bottle over my head, and then -with all solemnity bound on the turban. [35] It is perhaps fortunate that -this facetiousness was not witnessed: a crowd of Bedouins assembled below -the hill, suspecting as usual some magical practices, and, had they known -the truth, our journey might have ended abruptly. Descending, I found -porcupines' quills in abundance [36], and shot a rock pigeon called Elal- -jog--the "Dweller at wells." At the foot a "Baune" or Hyrax Abyssinicus, -resembling the Coney of Palestine [37], was observed at its favourite -pastime of sunning itself upon the rocks. - -On the evening of the 20th December the mounted messenger returned, after -a six hours' hard ride, bringing back unopened the letter addressed by me -to the Gerad, and a private message from their sister to the sons of White -Ali, advising them not to advance. Ensued terrible palavers. It appeared -that the Gerad was upon the point of mounting horse, when his subjects -swore him to remain and settle a dispute with the Amir of Harar. Our -Abbans, however, withdrew their hired camels, positively refuse to -accompany us, and Beuh privily informed the End of Time that I had -acquired through the land the evil reputation of killing everything, from -an elephant to a bird in the air. One of the younger brethren, indeed, -declared that we were forerunners of good, and that if the Gerad harmed a -hair of our heads, he would slaughter every Girhi under the sun. We had, -however, learned properly to appreciate such vaunts, and the End of Time -drily answered that their sayings were honey but their doings myrrh. Being -a low-caste and a shameless tribe, they did not reply to our reproaches. -At last, a manoeuvre was successful: Beuh and his brethren, who squatted -like sulky children in different places, were dismissed with thanks,--we -proposed placing ourselves under the safeguard of Gerad Hirsi, the Berteri -chief. This would have thrown the protection-price, originally intended -for their brother-in-law, into the hands of a rival, and had the effect of -altering their resolve. Presently we were visited by two Widad or hedge- -priests, Ao Samattar and Ao Nur [38], both half-witted fellows, but active -and kindhearted. The former wore a dirty turban, the latter a Zebid cap, a -wicker-work calotte, composed of the palm leaf's mid-rib: they carried -dressed goatskins, as prayer carpets, over their right shoulders dangled -huge wooden ink bottles with Lauh or wooden tablets for writing talismans -[39], and from the left hung a greasy bag, containing a tattered copy of -the Koran and a small MS. of prayers. They read tolerably, but did not -understand Arabic, and I presented them with cheap Bombay lithographs of -the Holy Book. The number of these idlers increased as we approached -Harar, the Alma Mater of Somali land:--the people seldom listen to their -advice, but on this occasion Ao Samattar succeeded in persuading the -valiant Beuh that the danger was visionary. Soon afterwards rode up to our -kraal three cavaliers, who proved to be sons of Adam, the future Ugaz of -the Gudabirsi tribe: this chief had fully recognized the benefits of -reopening to commerce a highway closed by their petty feuds, and sent to -say that, in consequence of his esteem for the Hajj Sharmarkay, if the -sons of White Ali feared to escort us, he in person would do the deed. -Thereupon Beuh became a "Gesi" or hero, as the End of Time ironically -called him: he sent back his brethren with their horses and camels, and -valorously prepared to act as our escort. I tauntingly asked him what he -now thought of the danger. For all reply he repeated the words, with which -the Bedouins--who, like the Arabs, have a holy horror of towns--had been -dinning daily into my ears, "They will spoil that white skin of thine at -Harar!" - -At 3 P.M., on the 21st December, we started in a westerly direction -through a gap in the hills, and presently turned to the south-west, over -rapidly rising ground, thickly inhabited, and covered with flocks and -herds. About 5 P.M., after marching two miles, we raised our wigwam -outside a populous kraal, a sheep was provided by the hospitality of Ao -Samattar, and we sat deep into the night enjoying a genial blaze. - -Early the next morning we had hoped to advance: water, however, was -wanting, and a small caravan was slowly gathering;--these details delayed -us till 4 P.M. Our line lay westward, over rising ground, towards a -conspicuous conical hill called Konti. Nothing could be worse for camels -than the rough ridges at the foot of the mountain, full of thickets, cut -by deep Fiumaras, and abounding in dangerous watercourses: the burdens -slipped now backwards then forwards, sometimes the load was almost dragged -off by thorns, and at last we were obliged to leave one animal to follow -slowly in the rear. After creeping on two miles, we bivouacked in a -deserted cow-kraal,--_sub dio_, as it was warm under the hills. That -evening our party was increased by a Gudabirsi maiden in search of a -husband: she was surlily received by Shehrazade and Deenarzade, but we -insisted upon her being fed, and superintended the operation. Her style of -eating was peculiar; she licked up the rice from the hollow of her hand. -Next morning she was carried away in our absence, greatly against her -will, by some kinsmen who had followed her. - -And now, bidding adieu to the Gudabirsi, I will briefly sketch the tribe. - -The Gudabirsi, or Gudabursi, derive themselves from Dir and Aydur, thus -claiming affinity with the Eesa: others declare their tribe to be an -offshoot from the Bahgoba clan of the Habr Awal, originally settled near -Jebel Almis, and Bulhar, on the sea-shore. The Somal unhesitatingly -stigmatize them as a bastard and ignoble race: a noted genealogist once -informed me, that they were little better than Midgans or serviles. Their -ancestors' mother, it is said, could not name the father of her child: -some proposed to slay it, others advocated its preservation, saying, -"Perhaps we shall increase by it!" Hence the name of the tribe. [40] - -The Gudabirsi are such inveterate liars that I could fix for them no -number between 3000 and 10,000. They own the rough and rolling ground -diversified with thorny hill and grassy vale, above the first or seaward -range of mountains; and they have extended their lands by conquest towards -Harar, being now bounded in that direction by the Marar Prairie. As usual, -they are subdivided into a multitude of clans. [41] - -In appearance the Gudabirsi are decidedly superior to their limitrophes -the Eesa. I have seen handsome faces amongst the men as well as the women. -Some approach closely to the Caucasian type: one old man, with olive- -coloured skin, bald brow, and white hair curling round his temples, and -occiput, exactly resembled an Anglo-Indian veteran. Generally, however, -the prognathous mouth betrays an African origin, and chewing tobacco mixed -with ashes stains the teeth, blackens the gums, and mottles the lips. The -complexion is the Abyssinian _cafe au lait_, contrasting strongly with the -sooty skins of the coast; and the hair, plentifully anointed with rancid -butter, hangs from the head in lank corkscrews the colour of a Russian -pointer's coat. The figure is rather squat, but broad and well set. - -The Gudabirsi are as turbulent and unmanageable, though not so -bloodthirsty, as the Eesa. Their late chief, Ugaz Roblay of the Bait -Samattar sept, left children who could not hold their own: the turban was -at once claimed by a rival branch, the Rer Abdillah, and a civil war -ensued. The lovers of legitimacy will rejoice to hear that when I left the -country, Galla, son of the former Prince Rainy, was likely to come to his -own again. - -The stranger's life is comparatively safe amongst this tribe: as long as -he feeds and fees them, he may even walk about unarmed. They are, however, -liars even amongst the Somal, Bobadils amongst boasters, inveterate -thieves, and importunate beggars. The smooth-spoken fellows seldom betray -emotion except when cloth or tobacco is concerned; "dissimulation is as -natural to them as breathing," and I have called one of their chiefs "dog" -without exciting his indignation. - -The commerce of these wild regions is at present in a depressed state: -were the road safe, traffic with the coast would be considerable. The -profit on hides, for instance, at Aden, would be at least cent. per cent.: -the way, however, is dangerous, and detention is frequent, consequently -the gain will not remunerate for risk and loss of time. No operation can -be undertaken in a hurry, consequently demand cannot readily be supplied. -What Laing applies to Western, may be repeated of Eastern Africa: "the -endeavour to accelerate an undertaking is almost certain to occasion its -failure." Nowhere is patience more wanted, in order to perform perfect -work. The wealth of the Gudabirsi consists principally in cattle, -peltries, hides, gums, and ghee. The asses are dun-coloured, small, and -weak; the camels large, loose, and lazy; the cows are pretty animals, with -small humps, long horns, resembling the Damara cattle, and in the grazing -season with plump, well-rounded limbs; there is also a bigger breed, not -unlike that of Tuscany. The standard is the Tobe of coarse canvass; worth -about three shillings at Aden, here it doubles in value. The price of a -good camel varies from six to eight cloths; one Tobe buys a two-year-old -heifer, three, a cow between three and four years old. A ewe costs half a -cloth: the goat, although the flesh is according to the Somal nutritive, -whilst "mutton is disease," is a little cheaper than the sheep. Hides and -peltries are usually collected at and exported from Harar; on the coast -they are rubbed over with salt, and in this state carried to Aden. Cows' -skins fetch a quarter of a dollar, or about one shilling in cloth, and two -dollars are the extreme price for the Kurjah or score of goats' skins. The -people of the interior have a rude way of tanning [42]; they macerate the -hide, dress, and stain it of a deep calf-skin colour with the bark of a -tree called Jirmah, and lastly the leather is softened with the hand. The -principal gum is the Adad, or Acacia Arabica: foreign merchants purchase -it for about half a dollar per Farasilah of twenty pounds: cow's and -sheep's butter may fetch a dollar's worth of cloth for the measure of -thirty-two pounds. This great article of commerce is good and pure in the -country, whereas at Berberah, the Habr Awal adulterate it, previous to -exportation, with melted sheep's tails. - -The principal wants of the country which we have traversed are coarse -cotton cloth, Surat tobacco, beads, and indigo-dyed stuffs for women's -coifs. The people would also be grateful for any improvement in their -breed of horses, and when at Aden I thought of taking with me some old -Arab stallions as presents to chiefs. Fortunately the project fell to the -ground: a strange horse of unusual size or beauty, in these regions, would -be stolen at the end of the first march. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] Every hill and peak, ravine and valley, will be known by some striking -epithet: as Borad, the White Hill; Libahlay, the Lions' Mountain; and so -forth. - -[2] The Arabs call it Kakatua, and consider it a species of parrot. The -name Cacatoes, is given by the Cape Boers, according to Delegorgue, to the -Coliphymus Concolor. The Gobiyan resembles in shape and flight our magpie, -it has a crest and a brown coat with patches of white, and a noisy note -like a frog. It is very cunning and seldom affords a second shot. - -[3] The berries of the Armo are eaten by children, and its leaves, which -never dry up, by the people in times of famine; they must be boiled or the -acrid juice would excoriate the mouth. - -[4] Siyaro is the Somali corruption of the Arabic Ziyarat, which, -synonymous with Mazar, means a place of pious visitation. - -[5] The Somal call the insect Abor, and its hill Dundumo. - -[6] The corrupted Portuguese word used by African travellers; in the -Western regions it is called Kelder, and the Arabs term it "Kalam." - -[7] Three species of the Dar or Aloe grow everywhere in the higher regions -of the Somali country. The first is called Dar Main, the inside of its -peeled leaf is chewed when water cannot be procured. The Dar Murodi or -Elephant's aloe is larger and useless: the Dar Digwen or Long-eared -resembles that of Socotra. - -[8] The Hig is called "Salab" by the Arabs, who use its long tough fibre -for ropes. Patches of this plant situated on moist ground at the foot of -hills, are favourite places with sand antelope, spur-fowl and other game. - -[9] The Darnel or pod has a sweetish taste, not unlike that of a withered -pea; pounded and mixed with milk or ghee, it is relished by the Bedouins -when vegetable food is scarce. - -[10] Dobo in the Somali tongue signifies mud or clay. - -[11] The Loajira (from "Loh," a cow) is a neatherd; the "Geljira" is the -man who drives camels. - -[12] For these we paid twenty-four oubits of canvass, and two of blue -cotton; equivalent to about three shillings. - -[13] The natives call them Jana; they are about three-fourths of an inch -long, and armed with stings that prick like thorns and burn violently for -a few minutes. - -[14] Near Berberah, where the descents are more rapid, such panoramas are -common. - -[15] This is the celebrated Waba, which produces the Somali Wabayo, a -poison applied to darts and arrows. It is a round stiff evergreen, not -unlike a bay, seldom taller than twenty feet, affecting hill sides and -torrent banks, growing in clumps that look black by the side of the -Acacias; thornless, with a laurel-coloured leaf, which cattle will not -touch, unless forced by famine, pretty bunches of pinkish white flowers, -and edible berries black and ripening to red. The bark is thin, the wood -yellow, compact, exceedingly tough and hard, the root somewhat like -liquorice; the latter is prepared by trituration and other processes, and -the produce is a poison in substance and colour resembling pitch. - -Travellers have erroneously supposed the arrow poison of Eastern Africa to -be the sap of a Euphorbium. The following "observations accompanying a -substance procured near Aden, and used by the Somalis to poison their -arrows," by F. S. Arnott, Esq., M.D., will be read with interest. - -"In February 1853, Dr. Arnott had forwarded to him a watery extract -prepared from the root of a tree, described as 'Wabie,' a toxicodendron -from the Somali country on the Habr Gerhajis range of the Goolies -mountains. The tree grows to the height of twenty feet. The poison is -obtained by boiling the root in water, until it attains the consistency of -an inspissated juice. When cool the barb of the arrow is anointed with the -juice, which, is regarded as a virulent poison, and it renders a wound -tainted therewith incurable. Dr. Arnott was informed that death usually -took place within an hour; that the hairs and nails dropped off after -death, and it was believed that the application of heat assisted its -poisonous qualities. He could not, however ascertain the quantity made use -of by the Somalis, and doubted if the point of an arrow would convey a -sufficient quantity to produce such immediate effects. He had tested its -powers in some other experiments, besides the ones detailed, and although -it failed in several instances, yet he was led to the conclusion that it -was a very powerful narcotic irritant poison. He had not, however, -observed the local effect said to be produced upon the point of -insertion." - -"The following trials were described:-- - -"1. A little was inserted into the inside of the ear of a sickly sheep, -and death occurred in two hours. - -"2. A little was inserted into, the inside of the ear of a healthy sheep, -and death occurred in two hours, preceded by convulsions. - -"3. Five grains were given to a dog; vomiting took place after an hour, -and death in three or four hours. - -"4. One grain was swallowed by a fowl, but no effect produced. - -"5. Three grains were given to a sheep, but without producing any effect. - -"6. A small quantity was inserted into the ear and shoulder of a dog, but -no effect was produced. - -"7. Upon the same dog two days after, the same quantity was inserted into -the thigh; death occurred in less than two hours. - -"8. Seven grains were given to a sheep without any effect whatever. - -"9. To a dog five grains were administered, but it was rejected by -vomiting; this was again repeated on the following day, with the same -result. On the same day four grains were inserted into a wound upon the -same dog; it produced violent effects in ten, and death in thirty-five, -minutes. - -"10. To a sheep two grains in solution were given without any effect being -produced. The post-mortem appearances observed were, absence of all traces -of inflammation, collapse of the lungs, and distension of the cavities of -the heart." - -Further experiments of the Somali arrow poison by B. Haines, M. B., -assistant surgeon (from Transactions of the Medical and Physical Society -of Bombay. No. 2. new series 1853-1854.) - -"Having while at Ahmednuggur received from the secretary a small quantity -of Somali arrow poison, alluded to by Mr. Vaughan in his notes on articles -of the Materia Medica, and published in the last volume of the Society's -Transactions, and called 'Wabie,' the following experiments were made with -it:-- - -"September 17th. 1. A small healthy rabbit was taken, and the skin over -the hip being divided, a piece of the poisonous extract about the size of -a corn of wheat was inserted into the cellular tissue beneath: thirty -minutes afterwards, seems disinclined to move, breathing quicker, passed * -*: one hour, again passed * * * followed by * * *; has eaten a little: one -hour and a half, appears quite to have recovered from his uneasiness, and -has become as lively as before. (This rabbit was made use of three days -afterwards for the third experiment.) - -"2. A full-grown rabbit. Some of the poison being dissolved in water a -portion of the solution corresponding to about fifteen grains was injected -into an opening in the peritoneum, so large a quantity being used, in -consequence of the apparent absence of effect in the former case: five -minutes, he appears to be in pain, squeaking occasionally; slight -convulsive retractions of the head and neck begin to take place, passed a -small quantity of * *: ten minutes, the spasms are becoming more frequent, -but are neither violent nor prolonged, respiration scarcely perceptible; -he now fell on his side: twelve minutes, several severe general -convulsions came on, and at the end of another minute he was quite dead, -the pulsation being for the last minute quite imperceptible. The chest was -instantly opened, but there was no movement of the heart whatever. - -"September 20th. 3. The rabbit used for the first experiment was taken and -an attempt was made to inject a little filtered solution into the jugular -rein, which failed from the large size of the nozzle of the syringe; a -good deal of blood was lost. A portion of the solution corresponding to -about two grains and a half of the poison was then injected into a small -opening made in the pleura. Nine minutes afterwards: symptoms precisely -resembling those in number two began to appear. Fourteen minutes: -convulsions more violent; fell on his side. Sixteen minutes, died. - -"4. A portion of the poison, as much as could be applied, was smeared over -the square iron head of an arrow, and allowed to dry. The arrow was then -shot into the buttock of a goat with sufficient force to carry the head -out of sight; twenty minutes afterwards, no effect whatever having -followed, the arrow was extracted. The poison had become softened and was -wiped completely off two of the sides, and partly off the two other sides. -The animal appeared to suffer very little pain from the wound; he was kept -for a fortnight, and then died, but not apparently from any cause -connected with the wound. In fact he was previously diseased. -Unfortunately the seat of the wound was not then examined, but a few days -previously it appeared to have healed of itself. In the rabbit of the -former experiment, three days after the insertion of the poison in the -wound, the latter was closed with a dry coagulum and presented no marks of -inflammation around it. - -"5. Two good-sized village dogs being secured, to each after several -hours' fasting, were given about five grains enveloped in meat. The -smaller one chewed it a long time, and frothed much at the mouth. He -appeared to swallow very little of it, but the larger one ate the whole up -without difficulty. After more than two hours no effect whatever being -perceptible in either animal, they were shot to get rid of them. These -experiments, though not altogether complete, certainly establish the fact -that it is a poison of no very great activity. The quantity made use of in -the second experiment was too great to allow a fair deduction to be made -as to its properties. When a fourth to a sixth of the quantity was -employed in the third experiment the same effects followed, but with -rather less rapidity; death resulting in the one case in ten, in the other -in sixteen minutes, although the death in the latter case was perhaps -hastened by the loss of blood. The symptoms more resemble those produced -by nux vomica than by any other agent. No apparent drowsiness, spasms, -slight at first, beginning in the neck, increasing in intensity, extending -over the whole body, and finally stopping respiration and with it the -action of the heart. Experiments first and fourth show that a moderate -quantity, such as may be introduced on the point of an arrow, produced no -sensible effect either on a goat or a rabbit, and it could scarcely be -supposed that it would have more on a man than on the latter animal; and -the fifth experiment proves that a full dose taken into the stomach -produces no result within a reasonable time. - -"The extract appeared to have been very carelessly prepared. It contained -much earthy matter, and even small stones, and a large proportion of what -seemed to be oxidized extractive matter also was left undisturbed when it -was treated with water: probably it was not a good specimen. It seems, -however, to keep well, and shows no disposition to become mouldy." - -[16] The Somal divide their year into four seasons:-- - -1. Gugi (monsoon, from "Gug," rain) begins in April, is violent for forty- -four days and subsides in August. Many roads may be traversed at this -season, which are death in times of drought; the country becomes "Barwako -"(in Arabic Rakha, a place of plenty,) forage and water abound, the air is -temperate, and the light showers enliven the traveller. - -2. Haga is the hot season after the monsoon, and corresponding with our -autumn: the country suffers from the Fora, a violent dusty Simum, which is -allayed by a fall of rain called Karan. - -3. Dair, the beginning of the cold season, opens the sea to shipping. The -rain which then falls is called Dairti or Hais: it comes with a west- -south-west wind from the hills of Harar. - -4. Jilal is the dry season from December to April. The country then -becomes Abar (in Arabic Jahr,) a place of famine: the Nomads migrate to -the low plains, where pasture is procurable. Some reckon as a fifth season -Kalil, or the heats between Jilal and the monsoon. - -[17] According to Bruce this tree flourishes everywhere on the low hot -plains between, the Red Sea and the Abyssinian hills. The Gallas revere it -and plant it over sacerdotal graves. It suggests the Fetiss trees of -Western Africa, and the Hiero-Sykaminon of Egypt. - -[18] There are two species of this bird, both called by the Somal, -"Daudaulay" from their tapping. - -[19] The limbs are perfumed with the "Hedi," and "Karanli," products of -the Ugadayn or southern country. - -[20] This great oath suggests the litholatry of the Arabs, derived from -the Abyssinian and Galla Sabaeans; it is regarded by the Eesa and Gudabirsi -Bedouins as even more binding than the popular religious adjurations. When -a suspected person denies his guilt, the judge places a stone before him, -saying "Tabo!" (feel!); the liar will seldom dare to touch it. Sometimes a -Somali will take up a stone and say "Dagaha," (it is a stone,) he may then -generally be believed. - -[21] Kariyah is the Arabic word. - -[22] In the northern country the water-proofing matter is, according to -travellers, the juice of the Quolquol, a species of Euphorbium. - -[23] The flies are always most troublesome where cows have been; kraals of -goats and camels are comparatively free from the nuisance. - -[24] Some years ago a French lady landed at Berberah: her white face, -according to the End of Time, made every man hate his wife and every wife -hate herself. I know not who the fair dame was: her charms and black silk -dress, however, have made a lasting impression upon the Somali heart; from -the coast to Harar she is still remembered with rapture. - -[25] The Abyssinian Brindo of omophagean fame is not eaten by the Somal, -who always boil, broil, or sun-dry their flesh. They have, however, no -idea of keeping it, whereas the more civilised citizens of Harar hang -their meat till tender. - -[26] Whilst other animals have indigenous names, the horse throughout the -Somali country retains the Arab appellation "Faras." This proves that the -Somal, like their progenitors the Gallas, originally had no cavalry. The -Gudabirsi tribe has but lately mounted itself by making purchases of the -Habr Gerhajis and the Habr Awal herds. - -[27] The milch cow is here worth two Tobes, or about six shillings. - -[28] Particularly amongst the windward tribes visited by Lieut. -Cruttenden, from whom I borrow this description. - -[29] This beautiful bird, with a black and crimson plume, and wings lined -with silver, soars high and seldom descends except at night: its shyness -prevented my shooting a specimen. The Abodi devours small deer and birds: -the female lays a single egg in a large loose nest on the summit of a tall -tree, and she abandons her home when the hand of man has violated it. The -Somal have many superstitions connected with this hawk: if it touch a -child the latter dies, unless protected by the talismanic virtues of the -"Hajar Abodi," a stone found in the bird's body. As it frequently swoops -upon children carrying meat, the belief has doubtlessly frequently -fulfilled itself. - -[30] The Bushman creeps close to the beast and wounds it in the leg or -stomach with a diminutive dart covered with a couch of black poison: if a -drop of blood appear, death results from the almost unfelt wound. - -[31] So the Veddahs of Ceylon are said to have destroyed the elephant by -shooting a tiny arrow into the sole of the foot. The Kafirs attack it in -bodies armed with sharp and broad-head "Omkondo" or assegais: at last, one -finds the opportunity of cutting deep into the hind back sinew, and so -disables the animal. - -[32] The traveller Delegorgue asserts that the Boers induce the young -elephant to accompany them, by rubbing upon its trunk the hand wetted with -the perspiration of the huntsman's brow, and that the calf, deceived by -the similarity of smell, believes that it is with its dam. The fact is, -that the orphan elephant, like the bison, follows man because it fears to -be left alone. - -[33] An antelope, about five hands high with small horns, which inhabits -the high ranges of the mountains, generally in couples, resembles the musk -deer, and is by no means shy, seldom flying till close pressed; when -running it hops awkwardly upon the toes and never goes far. - -[34] These are solemn words used in the equestrian games of the Somal. - -[35] Sometimes milk is poured over the head, as gold and silver in the -Nuzzeranah of India. These ceremonies are usually performed by low-caste -men; the free-born object to act in them. - -[36] The Somal call it Hiddik or Anukub; the quills are used as head -scratchers, and are exported to Aden for sale. - -[37] I It appears to be the Ashkoko of the Amharas, identified by Bruce -with the Saphan of the Hebrews. This coney lives in chinks and holes of -rocks: it was never seen by me on the plains. The Arabs eat it, the Somal -generally do not. - -[38] The prefix appears to be a kind of title appropriated by saints and -divines. - -[39] These charms are washed off and drunk by the people: an economical -proceeding where paper is scarce. - -[40] "Birsan" in Somali, meaning to increase. - -[41] The Ayyal Yunis, the principal clan, contains four septs viz.:-- - - 1. Jibril Yunis. 3. Ali Yunis. - 2. Nur Yunis. 4. Adan Yunis. - -The other chief clans are-- - - 1. Mikahil Dera. 7. Basannah. - 2. Rer Ugaz. 8. Bahabr Hasan. - 3. Jibrain. 9. Abdillah Mikahil. - 4. Rer Mohammed Asa. 10. Hasan Mikahil. - 5. Musa Fin. 11. Eyah Mikahil - 6. Rer Abokr. 12. Hasan Waraba. - -[42] The best prayer-skins are made at Ogadayn; there they cost about -half-a-dollar each. - - - - -CHAP. VII. - -FROM THE MARAR PRAIRIE TO HARAR. - - -Early on the 23rd December assembled the Caravan, which we were destined -to escort across the Marar Prairie. Upon this neutral ground the Eesa, -Berteri, and Habr Awal meet to rob and plunder unhappy travellers. The -Somal shuddered at the sight of a wayfarer, who rushed into our encampment -_in cuerpo_, having barely run away with his life. Not that our caravan -carried much to lose,--a few hides and pots of clarified butter, to be -exchanged for the Holcus grain of the Girhi cultivators,--still the -smallest contributions are thankfully received by these plunderers. Our -material consisted of four or five half-starved camels, about fifty -donkeys with ears cropped as a mark, and their eternal accompaniments in -Somali land, old women. The latter seemed to be selected for age, -hideousness, and strength: all day they bore their babes smothered in -hides upon their backs, and they carried heavy burdens apparently without -fatigue. Amongst them was a Bedouin widow, known by her "Wer," a strip of -the inner bark of a tree tied round the greasy fillet. [1] We were -accompanied by three Widads, provided with all the instruments of their -craft, and uncommonly tiresome companions. They recited Koran _a tort et a -travers_: at every moment they proposed Fatihahs, the name of Allah was -perpetually upon their lips, and they discussed questions of divinity, -like Gil Blas and his friends, with a violence bordering upon frenzy. One -of them was celebrated for his skill in the "Fal," or Omens: he was -constantly consulted by my companions, and informed them that we had -nought to fear except from wild beasts. The prediction was a good hit: I -must own, however, that it was not communicated to me before fulfilment. - -At half past six A.M. we began our march over rough and rising ground, a -network of thorns and water-courses, and presently entered a stony gap -between two ranges of hills. On our right was a conical peak, bearing the -remains of buildings upon its summit. Here, said Abtidon, a wild Gudabirsi -hired to look after our mules, rests the venerable Shaykh Samawai. Of old, -a number of wells existed in the gaps between the hills: these have -disappeared with those who drank of them. - -Presently we entered the Barr or Prairie of Marar, one of the long strips -of plain which diversify the Somali country. Its breadth, bounded on the -east by the rolling ground over which we had passed, on the west by -Gurays, a range of cones offshooting from the highlands of Harar, is about -twenty-seven miles. The general course is north and south: in the former -direction, it belongs to the Eesa: in the latter may be seen the peaks of -Kadau and Madir, the property of the Habr Awal tribes; and along these -ranges it extends, I was told, towards Ogadayn. The surface of the plain -is gently rolling ground; the black earth, filled with the holes of small -beasts, would be most productive, and the outer coat is an expanse of -tall, waving, sunburnt grass, so unbroken, that from a distance it -resembles the nap of yellow velvet. In the frequent Wadys, which carry off -the surplus rain of the hills, scrub and thorn trees grow in dense -thickets, and the grass is temptingly green. Yet the land lies fallow: -water and fuel are scarce at a distance from the hills, and the wildest -Bedouins dare not front the danger of foraging parties, the fatal heats of -day, and the killing colds of night. On the edges of the plain, however, -are frequent vestiges of deserted kraals. - -About mid-day, we crossed a depression in the centre, where Acacias -supplied us with gum for luncheon, and sheltered flocks of antelope. I -endeavoured to shoot the white-tailed Sig, and the large dun Oryx; but the -_brouhaha_ of the Caravan prevented execution. Shortly afterwards we came -upon patches of holcus, which had grown wild, from seeds scattered by -travellers. This was the first sight of grain that gladdened my eyes since -I left Bombay: the grave of the First Murderer never knew a Triptolemus -[2], and Zayla is a barren flat of sand. My companions eagerly devoured -the pith of this African "sweet cane," despite its ill reputation for -causing fever. I followed their example, and found it almost as good as -bad sugar. The Bedouins loaded their spare asses with the bitter gourd, -called Ubbah; externally it resembles the water melon, and becomes, when -shaped, dried, and smoked, the wickerwork of the Somal, and the pottery of -more civilized people. - -Towards evening, as the setting sun sank slowly behind the distant western -hills, the colour of the Prairie changed from glaring yellow to a golden -hue, mantled with a purple flush inexpressibly lovely. The animals of the -waste began to appear. Shy lynxes [3] and jackals fattened by many sheep's -tails [4], warned my companions that fierce beasts were nigh, ominous -anecdotes were whispered, and I was told that a caravan had lately lost -nine asses by lions. As night came on, the Bedouin Kafilah, being lightly -loaded, preceded us, and our tired camels lagged far behind. We were -riding in rear to prevent straggling, when suddenly my mule, the -hindermost, pricked his ears uneasily, and attempted to turn his head. -Looking backwards, I distinguished the form of a large animal following us -with quick and stealthy strides. My companions would not fire, thinking it -was a man: at last a rifle-ball, pinging through the air--the moon was too -young for correct shooting--put to flight a huge lion. The terror excited -by this sort of an adventure was comical to look upon: the valiant Beuh, -who, according to himself, had made his _preuves_ in a score of foughten -fields, threw his arms in the air, wildly shouting Libah! Libah!!--the -lion! the lion!!--and nothing else was talked of that evening. - -The ghostly western hills seemed to recede as we advanced over the endless -rolling plain. Presently the ground became broken and stony, the mules -stumbled in deep holes, and the camels could scarcely crawl along. As we -advanced our Widads, who, poor devils! had been "roasted" by the women all -day on account of their poverty, began to recite the Koran with might, in -gratitude for having escaped many perils. Night deepening, our attention -was rivetted by a strange spectacle; a broad sheet of bright blaze, -reminding me of Hanno's fiery river, swept apparently down a hill, and, -according to my companions, threatened the whole prairie. These accidents -are common: a huntsman burns a tree for honey, or cooks his food in the -dry grass, the wind rises and the flames spread far and wide. On this -occasion no accident occurred; the hills, however, smoked like a Solfatara -for two days. - -About 9 P.M. we heard voices, and I was told to discharge my rifle lest -the kraal be closed to us; in due time we reached a long, low, dark line -of sixty or seventy huts, disposed in a circle, so as to form a fence, -with a few bushes--thorns being hereabouts rare--in the gaps between the -abodes. The people, a mixture of Girhi and Gudabirsi Bedouins, swarmed out -to gratify their curiosity, but we were in no humour for long -conversations. Our luggage was speedily disposed in a heap near the kraal, -the mules and camels were tethered for the night, then, supperless and -shivering with cold, we crept under our mats and fell asleep. That day we -had ridden nearly fifteen hours; our halting place lay about thirty miles -from, and 240° south-west of, Koralay. - -After another delay, and a second vain message to the Gerad Adan, about -noon appeared that dignitary's sixth wife, sister to the valiant Beuh. Her -arrival disconcerted my companions, who were too proud to be protected by -a woman. "Dahabo," however, relieved their anxiety by informing us that -the Gerad had sent his eldest son Sherwa, as escort. This princess was a -gipsy-looking dame, coarsely dressed, about thirty years old, with a gay -leer, a jaunty demeanour, and the reputation of being "fast;" she showed -little shame-facedness when I saluted her, and received with noisy joy the -appropriate present of a new and handsome Tobe. About 4 P.M. returned our -second messenger, bearing with him a reproving message from the Gerad, for -not visiting him without delay; in token of sincerity, he forwarded his -baton, a knobstick about two feet long, painted in rings of Cutch colours, -red, black, and yellow alternately, and garnished on the summit with a -ball of similar material. - -At dawn on the 26th December, mounted upon a little pony, came Sherwa, -heir presumptive to the Gerad Adan's knobstick. His father had sent him to -us three days before, but he feared the Gudabirsi as much as the Gudabirsi -feared him, and he probably hung about our camp till certain that it was -safe to enter. We received him politely, and he in acknowledgment -positively declared that Beuh should not return before eating honey in his -cottage. Our Abban's heroism now became infectious. Even the End of Time, -whose hot valour had long since fallen below zero, was inspired by the -occasion, and recited, as usual with him in places and at times of extreme -safety, the Arabs' warrior lines-- - - "I have crossed the steed since my eyes saw light, - I have fronted death till he feared my sight, - And the cleaving of helm, and the riving of mail - Were the dreams of my youth,--are my manhood's delight." - -As we had finished loading, a mule's bridle was missed. Sherwa ordered -instant restitution to his father's stranger, on the ground that all the -property now belonged to the Gerad; and we, by no means idle, fiercely -threatened to bewitch the kraal. The article was presently found hard by, -on a hedge. This was the first and last case of theft which occurred to us -in the Somali country;--I have travelled through most civilised lands, and -have lost more. - -At 8 A.M. we marched towards the north-west, along the southern base of -the Gurays hills, and soon arrived at the skirt of the prairie, where a -well-trodden path warned us that we were about to quit the desert. After -advancing six miles in line we turned to the right, and recited a Fatihah -over the heap of rough stones, where, shadowed by venerable trees, lie the -remains of the great Shaykh Abd el Malik. A little beyond this spot, rises -suddenly from the plain a mass of castellated rock, the subject of many a -wild superstition. Caravans always encamp beneath it, as whoso sleeps upon -the summit loses his senses to evil spirits. At some future day Harar will -be destroyed, and "Jannah Siri" will become a flourishing town. We -ascended it, and found no life but hawks, coneys, an owl [5], and a -graceful species of black eagle [6]; there were many traces of buildings, -walls, ruined houses, and wells, whilst the sides and summit were tufted -with venerable sycamores. This act was an imprudence; the Bedouins at once -declared that we were "prospecting" for a fort, and the evil report -preceded us to Harar. - -After a mile's march from Jannah Siri, we crossed a ridge of rising -ground, and suddenly, as though by magic, the scene shifted. - -Before us lay a little Alp; the second step of the Ethiopian Highland. -Around were high and jagged hills, their sides black with the Saj [7] and -Somali pine [8], and their upper brows veiled with a thin growth of -cactus. Beneath was a deep valley, in the midst of which ran a serpentine -of shining waters, the gladdest spectacle we had yet witnessed: further in -front, masses of hill rose abruptly from shady valleys, encircled on the -far horizon by a straight blue line of ground, resembling a distant sea. -Behind us glared the desert: we had now reached the outskirts of -civilization, where man, abandoning his flocks and herds, settles, -cultivates, and attends to the comforts of life. - -The fields are either terraces upon the hill slopes or the sides of -valleys, divided by flowery hedges with lanes between, not unlike those of -rustic England; and on a nearer approach the daisy, the thistle, and the -sweet briar pleasantly affected my European eyes. The villages are no -longer moveable: the Kraal and wigwam are replaced by the Gambisa or bell- -shaped hut of Middle Africa [9], circular cottages of holcus wattle, -Covered with coarse dab and surmounted by a stiff, conical, thatch roof, -above which appears the central supporting post, crowned with a gourd or -ostrich egg. [10] Strong abbatis of thorns protects these settlements, -which stud the hills in all directions: near most of them are clumps of -tall trees, to the southern sides of which are hung, like birdcages, long -cylinders of matting, the hives of these regions. Yellow crops of holcus -rewarded the peasant's toil: in some places the long stems tied in bunches -below the ears as piled muskets, stood ready for the reaper; in others, -the barer ground showed that the task was done. The boys sat perched upon -reed platforms [11] in the trees, and with loud shouts drove away thieving -birds, whilst their fathers cut the crop with diminutive sickles, or -thrashed heaps of straw with rude flails [12], or winnowed grain by -tossing it with a flat wooden shovel against the wind. The women husked -the pineapple-formed heads in mortars composed of a hollowed trunk [13], -smeared the threshing floor with cow-dung and water to defend it from -insects, piled the holcus heads into neat yellow heaps, spanned and -crossed by streaks of various colours, brick-red and brownish-purple [14], -and stacked the Karbi or straw, which was surrounded like the grain with -thorn, as a defence against the wild hog. All seemed to consider it a -labour of love: the harvest-home song sounded pleasantly to our ears, and, -contrasting with the silent desert, the hum of man's habitation was a -music. - -Descending the steep slope, we reposed, after a seven miles' march, on the -banks of a bright rivulet, which bisects the Kobbo or valley: it runs, -according to my guides, from the north towards Ogadayn, and the direction -is significant,--about Harar I found neither hill nor stream trending from -east to west. The people of the Kutti [15] flocked out to gaze upon us: -they were unarmed, and did not, like the Bedouins, receive us with cries -of "Bori." During the halt, we bathed in the waters, upon whose banks were -a multitude of huge Mantidae, pink and tender green. Returning to the -camels, I shot a kind of crow, afterwards frequently seen. [16] It is -about three times the size of our English bird, of a bluish-black with a -snow-white poll, and a beak of unnatural proportions: the quantity of lead -which it carried off surprised me. A number of Widads assembled to greet -us, and some Habr Awal, who were returning with a caravan, gave us the -salam, and called my people cousins. "Verily," remarked the Hammal, -"amongst friends we cut one another's throats; amongst enemies we become -sons of uncles!" - -At 3 P.M. we pursued our way over rising ground, dotted with granite -blocks fantastically piled, and everywhere in sight of fields and villages -and flowing water. A furious wind was blowing, and the End of Time quoted -the Somali proverb, "heat hurts, but cold kills:" the camels were so -fatigued, and the air became so raw [17], that after an hour and a half's -march we planted our wigwams near a village distant about seven miles from -the Gurays Hills. Till late at night we were kept awake by the crazy -Widads: Ao Samattar had proposed the casuistical question, "Is it lawful -to pray upon a mountain when a plain is at hand?" Some took the _pro_, -others the _contra_, and the wordy battle raged with uncommon fury. - -On Wednesday morning at half past seven we started down hill towards -"Wilensi," a small table-mountain, at the foot of which we expected to -find the Gerad Adan awaiting us in one of his many houses, crossed a -fertile valley, and ascended another steep slope by a bad and stony road. -Passing the home of Sherwa, who vainly offered hospitality, we toiled -onwards, and after a mile and a half's march, which occupied at least two -hours, our wayworn beasts arrived at the Gerad's village. On inquiry, it -proved that the chief, who was engaged in selecting two horses and two -hundred cows, the price of blood claimed by the Amir of Harar, for the -murder of a citizen, had that day removed to Sagharrah, another -settlement. - -As we entered the long straggling village of Wilensi, our party was -divided by the Gerad's two wives. The Hammal, the Kalendar, Shehrazade, -and Deenarzade, remained with Beuh and his sister in her Gurgi, whilst -Long Guled, the End of Time, and I were conducted to the cottage of the -Gerad's prettiest wife, Sudiyah. She was a tall woman, with a light -complexion, handsomely dressed in a large Harar Tobe, with silver -earrings, and the kind of necklace called Jilbah or Kardas. [18] The -Geradah (princess) at once ordered our hides to be spread in a comfortable -part of the hut, and then supplied us with food--boiled beef, pumpkin, and -Jowari cakes. During the short time spent in that Gambisa, I had an -opportunity, dear L., of seeing the manners and customs of the settled -Somal. - -The interior of the cottage is simple. Entering the door, a single plank -with pins for hinges fitted into sockets above and below the lintel--in -fact, as artless a contrivance as ever seen in Spain or Corsica--you find -a space, divided by dwarf walls of wattle and dab into three compartments, -for the men, women, and cattle. The horses and cows, tethered at night on -the left of the door, fill the cottage with the wherewithal to pass many a -_nuit blanche_: the wives lie on the right, near a large fireplace of -stones and raised clay, and the males occupy the most comfortable part, -opposite to and farthest from the entrance. The thatched ceiling shines -jetty with smoke, which when intolerable is allowed to escape by a -diminutive window: this seldom happens, for smoke, like grease and dirt, -keeping man warm, is enjoyed by savages. Equally simply is the furniture: -the stem of a tree, with branches hacked into pegs, supports the shields, -the assegais are planted against the wall, and divers bits of wood, -projecting from the sides and the central roof-tree of the cottage, are -hung with clothes and other articles that attract white ants. Gourds -smoked inside, and coffee cups of coarse black Harar pottery, with deep -wooden platters, and prettily carved spoons of the same material, compose -the household supellex. The inmates are the Geradah and her baby, Siddik a -Galla serf, the slave girls and sundry Somal: thus we hear at all times -three languages [19] spoken within the walls. - -Long before dawn the goodwife rises, wakens her handmaidens, lights the -fire, and prepares for the Afur or morning meal. The quern is here unknown -[20]. A flat, smooth, oval slab, weighing about fifteen pounds, and a -stone roller six inches in diameter, worked with both hands, and the -weight of the body kneeling ungracefully upon it on "all fours," are used -to triturate the holcus grain. At times water must be sprinkled over the -meal, until a finely powdered paste is ready for the oven: thus several -hours' labour is required to prepare a few pounds of bread. About 6 A.M. -there appears a substantial breakfast of roast beef and mutton, with -scones of Jowari grain, the whole drenched in broth. Of the men few -perform any ablutions, but all use the tooth stick before sitting down to -eat. After the meal some squat in the sun, others transact business, and -drive their cattle to the bush till 11 A.M., the dinner hour. There is no -variety in the repasts, which are always flesh and holcus: these people -despise fowls, and consider vegetables food for cattle. During the day -there is no privacy; men, women, and children enter in crowds, and will -not be driven away by the Geradah, who inquires screamingly if they come -to stare at a baboon. My kettle especially excites their surprise; some -opine that it is an ostrich, others, a serpent: Sudiyah, however, soon -discovered its use, and begged irresistibly for the unique article. -Throughout the day her slave girls are busied in grinding, cooking, and -quarrelling with dissonant voices: the men have little occupation beyond -chewing tobacco, chatting, and having their wigs frizzled by a -professional coiffeur. In the evening the horses and cattle return home to -be milked and stabled: this operation concluded, all apply themselves to -supper with a will. They sleep but little, and sit deep into the night -trimming the fire, and conversing merrily over their cups of Farshu or -millet beer. [21] I tried this mixture several times, and found it -detestable: the taste is sour, and it flies directly to the head, in -consequence of being mixed with some poisonous bark. It is served up in -gourd bottles upon a basket of holcus heads, and strained through a -pledget of cotton, fixed across the narrow mouth, into cups of the same -primitive material: the drinkers sit around their liquor, and their -hilarity argues its intoxicating properties. In the morning they arise -with headaches and heavy eyes; but these symptoms, which we, an -industrious race, deprecate, are not disliked by the Somal--they promote -sleep and give something to occupy the vacant mind. I usually slumber -through the noise except when Ambar, a half-caste Somal, returning from a -trip to Harar, astounds us with his _contes bleus_, or wild Abtidon howls -forth some lay like this:-- - - I. - "'Tis joyesse all in Eesa's home! - The fatted oxen bleed, - And slave girls range the pails of milk, - And strain the golden mead. - - II. - "'Tis joyesse all in Eesa's home! - This day the Chieftain's pride - Shall join the song, the dance, the feast, - And bear away a bride. - - III. - "'He cometh not!' the father cried, - Smiting with spear the wall; - 'And yet he sent the ghostly man, - Yestre'en before the fall!' - - IV. - "'He cometh not!' the mother said, - A tear stood in her eye; - 'He cometh not, I dread, I dread, - And yet I know not why.' - - V. - "'He cometh not!' the maiden thought, - Yet in her glance was light, - Soft as the flash in summer's eve - Where sky and earth unite. - - VI. - "The virgins, deck'd with tress and flower, - Danced in the purple shade, - And not a soul, perchance, but wished - Herself the chosen maid. - - VII. - "The guests in groups sat gathering - Where sunbeams warmed the air, - Some laughed the feasters' laugh, and some - Wore the bent brow of care. - - VIII. - "'Tis he!--'tis he!"--all anxious peer, - Towards the distant lea; - A courser feebly nears the throng-- - Ah! 'tis his steed they see. - - IX. - "The grief cry bursts from every lip, - Fear sits on every brow, - There's blood upon the courser's flank!-- - Blood on the saddle bow! - - X. - "'Tis he!--'tis he!'--all arm and run - Towards the Marar Plain, - Where a dark horseman rides the waste - With dust-cloud for a train. - - XI. - "The horseman reins his foam-fleckt steed, - Leans on his broken spear, - Wipes his damp brow, and faint begins - To tell a tale of fear. - - XII. - "'Where is my son?'--'Go seek him there, - Far on the Marar Plain, - Where vultures and hyaenas hold - Their orgies o'er the slain. - - XIII. - "'We took our arms, we saddled horse, - We rode the East countrie, - And drove the flocks, and harried herds - Betwixt the hills and sea. - - XIV. - "'We drove the flock across the hill, - The herd across the wold-- - The poorest spearboy had returned - That day, a man of gold. - - XV. - "'Bat Awal's children mann'd the vale - Where sweet the Arman flowers, - Their archers from each bush and tree - Rained shafts in venomed showers. - - XVI. - "'Full fifty warriors bold and true - Fell as becomes the brave; - And whom the arrow spared, the spear - Reaped for the ravening grave. - - XVII. - "'Friend of my youth! shall I remain - When ye are gone before?' - He drew the wood from out his side, - And loosed the crimson gore. - - XVIII. - "Falling, he raised his broken spear, - Thrice wav'd it o'er his head, - Thrice raised the warrior's cry 'revenge!'-- - His soul was with the dead. - - XIX. - "Now, one by one, the wounded braves - Homeward were seen to wend, - Each holding on his saddle bow - A dead or dying friend. - - XX. - "Two galliards bore the Eesa's son, - The corpse was stark and bare-- - Low moaned the maid, the mother smote - Her breast in mute despair. - - XXI. - "The father bent him o'er the dead, - The wounds were all before; - Again his brow, in sorrow clad, - The garb of gladness wore. - - XXII. - "'Ho! sit ye down, nor mourn for me,' - Unto the guests he cried; - 'My son a warrior's life hath lived, - A warrior's death hath died. - - XXIII. - "'His wedding and his funeral feast - Are one, so Fate hath said; - Death bore him from the brides of earth - The brides of Heaven to wed.' - - XXIV. - "They drew their knives, they sat them down, - And fed as warriors feed; - The flesh of sheep and beeves they ate, - And quaffed the golden mead. - - XXV. - "And Eesa sat between the prayers - Until the fall of day, - When rose the guests and grasped their spears, - And each man went his way. - - XXVI. - "But in the morn arose the cry, - For mortal spirit flown; - The father's mighty heart had burst - With woe he might not own. - - XXVII. - "On the high crest of yonder hill, - They buried sire and son, - Grant, Allah! grant them Paradise-- - Gentles, my task is done!" - - * * * * * - -Immediately after our arrival at Wilensi we sent Yusuf Dera, the Gerad's -second son, to summon his father. I had to compose many disputes between -the Hammal and the End of Time: the latter was swelling with importance; -he was now accredited ambassador from the Hajj to the Girhi chief, -consequently he aimed at commanding the Caravan. We then made preparations -for departure, in case of the Gerad being unable to escort us. Shehrazade -and Deenarzade, hearing that the small-pox raged at Harar, and fearing for -their charms, begged hard to be left behind: the Kalendar was directed, -despite his manly objections, to remain in charge of these dainty dames. -The valiant Beuh was dressed in the grand Tobe promised to him; as no -consideration would induce him towards the city, he was dismissed with -small presents, and an old Girhi Bedouin, generally known as Said Wal, or -Mad Said, was chosen as our escort. Camels being unable to travel over -these rough mountain paths, our weary brutes were placed for rest and -pasture under the surveillance of Sherwa: and not wishing the trouble and -delay of hiring asses, the only transport in this country, certain -moreover that our goods were safer here than nearer Harar, we selected the -most necessary objects, and packed them in a pair of small leathern -saddlebags which could be carried by a single mule. - -All these dispositions duly made, at 10 A.M. on the 29th December we -mounted our animals, and, guided by Mad Said, trotted round the northern -side of the Wilensi table-mountain down a lane fenced with fragrant dog -roses. Then began the descent of a steep rocky hill, the wall of a woody -chasm, through whose gloomy depths the shrunken stream of a large Fiumara -wound like a thread of silver. The path would be safe to nought less -surefooted than a mule: we rode slowly over rolling stones, steps of -micaceous grit, and through thorny bush for about half an hour. In the -plain below appeared a village of the Gerad's Midgans, who came out to see -us pass, and followed the strangers to some distance. One happening to -say, "Of what use is his gun?--before he could fetch fire, I should put -this arrow through him!" I discharged a barrel over their heads, and -derided the convulsions of terror caused by the unexpected sound. - -Passing onwards we entered a continuation of the Wady Harirah. It is a -long valley choked with dense vegetation, through which meandered a line -of water brightly gilt by the sun's rays: my Somal remarked that were the -elephants now infesting it destroyed, rice, the favourite luxury, might be -grown upon its banks in abundance. Our road lay under clumps of shady -trees, over rocky watercourses, through avenues of tall cactus, and down -_tranchees_ worn by man eight and ten feet below stiff banks of rich red -clay. On every side appeared deep clefts, ravines, and earth cracks, all, -at this season, dry. The unarmed cultivators thronged from the frequent -settlements to stare, and my Somal, being no longer in their own country, -laid aside for guns their ridiculous spears. On the way passing Ao -Samattar's village, the worthy fellow made us halt whilst he went to fetch -a large bowl of sour milk. About noon the fresh western breeze obscured -the fierce sun with clouds, and we watered our mules in a mountain stream -which crossed our path thrice within as many hundred yards. After six -miles' ride reaching the valley's head, we began the descent of a rugged -pass by a rough and rocky path. The scenery around us was remarkable. The -hill sides were well wooded, and black with pine: their summits were bared -of earth by the heavy monsoon which spreads the valleys with rich soil; in -many places the beds of waterfalls shone like sheets of metal upon the -black rock; villages surrounded by fields and fences studded the country, -and the distance was a mass of purple peak and blue table in long -vanishing succession. Ascending the valley's opposite wall, we found the -remains of primaeval forests,--little glades which had escaped the axe,-- -they resounded with the cries of pintados and cynocephali. [22] Had the -yellow crops of Holcus been wheat, I might have fancied myself once more -riding in the pleasant neighbourhood of Tuscan Sienna. - -At 4 P.M., after accomplishing fifteen miles on rough ground, we sighted -Sagharrah, a snug high-fenced village of eight or nine huts nestling -against a hill side with trees above, and below a fertile grain-valley. -Presently Mad Said pointed out to us the Gerad Adan, who, attended by a -little party, was returning homewards: we fired our guns as a salute, he -however hurried on to receive us with due ceremony in his cottage. -Dismounting at the door we shook hands with him, were led through the idle -mob into a smoky closet contrived against the inside wall, and were -regaled with wheaten bread steeped in honey and rancid butter. The host -left us to eat, and soon afterwards returned:--I looked with attention at -a man upon whom so much then depended. - -Adan bin Kaushan was in appearance a strong wiry Bedouin,--before -obtaining from me a turban he wore his bushy hair dyed dun,--about forty- -five years old, at least six feet high, with decided features, a tricky -smile, and an uncertain eye. In character he proved to be one of those -cunning idiots so peculiarly difficult to deal with. Ambitious and wild -with greed of gain, he was withal so fickle that his head appeared ever -changing its contents; he could not sit quiet for half an hour, and this -physical restlessness was an outward sign of the uneasy inner man. Though -reputed brave, his treachery has won him a permanent ill fame. Some years -ago he betrothed a daughter to the eldest son of Gerad Hirsi of the -Berteri tribe, and then, contrary to Somali laws of honor, married her to -Mahommed Waiz of the Jibril Abokr. This led to a feud, in which the -disappointed suitor was slain. Adan was celebrated for polygamy even in -Eastern Africa: by means of his five sons and dozen daughters, he has -succeeded in making extensive connexions [23], and his sister, the Gisti -[24] Fatimah, was married to Abubakr, father of the present Amir. Yet the -Gerad would walk into a crocodile's mouth as willingly as within the walls -of Harar. His main reason for receiving us politely was an ephemeral fancy -for building a fort, to control the country's trade, and rival or overawe -the city. Still did he not neglect the main chance: whatever he saw he -asked for; and, after receiving a sword, a Koran, a turban, an Arab -waistcoat of gaudy satin, about seventy Tobes, and a similar proportion of -indigo-dyed stuff, he privily complained to me that the Hammal had given -him but twelve cloths. A list of his wants will best explain the man. He -begged me to bring him from Berberah a silver-hilted sword and some soap, -1000 dollars, two sets of silver bracelets, twenty guns with powder and -shot, snuff, a scarlet cloth coat embroidered with gold, some poison that -would not fail, and any other little article of luxury which might be -supposed to suit him. In return he was to present us with horses, mules, -slaves, ivory, and other valuables: he forgot, however, to do so before we -departed. - -The Gerad Adan was powerful, being the head of a tribe of cultivators, not -split up, like the Bedouins, into independent clans, and he thus exercises -a direct influence upon the conterminous races. [25] The Girhi or -"Giraffes" inhabiting these hills are, like most of the other settled -Somal, a derivation from Darud, and descended from Kombo. Despite the -unmerciful persecutions of the Gallas, they gradually migrated westwards -from Makhar, their original nest, now number 5000 shields, possess about -180 villages, and are accounted the power paramount. Though friendly with -the Habr Awal, the Girhi seldom descend, unless compelled by want of -pasture, into the plains. - -The other inhabitants of these hills are the Gallas and the Somali clans -of Berteri, Bursuk, Shaykhash, Hawiyah, Usbayhan, Marayhan, and Abaskul. - -The Gallas [26] about Harar are divided into four several clans, -separating as usual into a multitude of septs. The Alo extend westwards -from the city: the Nole inhabit the land to the east and north-east, about -two days' journey between the Eesa Somal, and Harar: on the south, are -situated the Babuli and the Jarsa at Wilensi, Sagharrah, and Kondura,-- -places described in these pages. - -The Berteri, who occupy the Gurays Range, south of, and limitrophe to, the -Gallas, and thence extend eastward to the Jigjiga hills, are estimated at -3000 shields. [27] Of Darud origin, they own allegiance to the Gerad -Hirsi, and were, when I visited the country, on bad terms with the Girhi. -The chief's family has, for several generations, been connected with the -Amirs of Harar, and the caravan's route to and from Berberah lying through -his country, makes him a useful friend and a dangerous foe. About the -Gerad Hirsi different reports were rife: some described him as cruel, -violent, and avaricious; others spoke of him as a godly and a prayerful -person: all, however, agreed that he _had_ sowed wild oats. In token of -repentance, he was fond of feeding Widads, and the Shaykh Jami of Harar -was a frequent guest at his kraal. - -The Bursuk number about 5000 shields, own no chief, and in 1854 were at -war with the Girhi, the Berteri, and especially the Gallas. In this -country, the feuds differ from those of the plains: the hill-men fight for -three days, as the End of Time phrased it, and make peace for three days. -The maritime clans are not so abrupt in their changes; moreover they claim -blood-money, a thing here unknown. - -The Shaykhash, or "Reverend" as the term means, are the only Somal of the -mountains not derived from Dir and Darud. Claiming descent from the Caliph -Abubakr, they assert that ten generations ago, one Ao Khutab bin Fakih -Umar crossed over from El Hejaz, and settled in Eastern Africa with his -six sons, Umar the greater, Umar the less, two Abdillahs, Ahmed, and -lastly Siddik. This priestly tribe is dispersed, like that of Levi, -amongst its brethren, and has spread from Efat to Ogadayn. Its principal -sub-families are, Ao Umar, the elder, and Bah Dumma, the junior, branch. - -The Hawiyah has been noticed in a previous chapter. Of the Usbayhan I saw -but few individuals: they informed me that their tribe numbered forty -villages, and about 1000 shields; that they had no chief of their own -race, but owned the rule of the Girhi and Berteri Gerads. Their principal -clans are the Rer Yusuf, Rer Said, Rer Abokr, and Yusuf Liyo. - -In the Eastern Horn of Africa, and at Ogadayn, the Marayhan is a powerful -tribe, here it is un-consequential, and affiliated to the Girhi. The -Abaskul also lies scattered over the Harar hills, and owns the Gerad Adan -as its chief. This tribe numbers fourteen villages, and between 400 and -500 shields, and is divided into the Rer Yusuf, the Jibrailah, and the -Warra Dig:--the latter clan is said to be of Galla extraction. - -On the morning after my arrival at Sagharrah I felt too ill to rise, and -was treated with unaffected kindness by all the establishment. The Gerad -sent to Harar for millet beer, Ao Samattar went to the gardens in search -of Kat, the sons Yusuf Dera and a dwarf [28] insisted upon firing me with -such ardour, that no refusal could avail: and Khayrah the wife, with her -daughters, two tall dark, smiling, and well-favoured girls of thirteen and -fifteen, sacrificed a sheep as my Fida, or Expiatory offering. Even the -Galla Christians, who flocked to see the stranger, wept for the evil fate -which had brought him so far from his fatherland, to die under a tree. -Nothing, indeed, would have been easier than such operation: all required -was the turning face to the wall, for four or five days. But to expire of -an ignoble colic!--the thing was not to be thought of, and a firm -resolution to live on sometimes, methinks, effects its object. - -On the 1st January, 1855, feeling stronger, I clothed myself in my Arab -best, and asked a palaver with the Gerad. We retired to a safe place -behind the village, where I read with pomposity the Hajj Sharmarkay's -letter. The chief appeared much pleased by our having preferred his -country to that of the Eesa: he at once opened the subject of the new -fort, and informed me that I was the builder, as his eldest daughter had -just dreamed that the stranger would settle in the land. Having discussed -the project to the Gerad's satisfaction, we brought out the guns and shot -a few birds for the benefit of the vulgar. Whilst engaged in this -occupation, appeared a party of five strangers, and three mules with -ornamented Morocco saddles, bridles, bells, and brass neck ornaments, -after the fashion of Harar. Two of these men, Haji Umar, and Nur Ambar, -were citizens: the others, Ali Hasan, Husayn Araleh, and Haji Mohammed, -were Somal of the Habr Awal tribe, high in the Amir's confidence. They had -been sent to settle with Adan the weighty matter of Blood-money. After -sitting with us almost half an hour, during which they exchanged grave -salutations with my attendants, inspected our asses with portentous -countenances, and asked me a few questions concerning my business in those -parts, they went privily to the Gerad, told him that the Arab was not one -who bought and sold, that he had no design but to spy out the wealth of -the land, and that the whole party should be sent prisoners in their hands -to Harar. The chief curtly replied that we were his friends, and bade -them, "throw far those words." Disappointed in their designs, they started -late in the afternoon, driving off their 200 cows, and falsely promising -to present our salams to the Amir. - -It became evident that some decided step must be taken. The Gerad -confessed fear of his Harari kinsman, and owned that he had lost all his -villages in the immediate neighbourhood of the city. I asked him point- -blank to escort us: he as frankly replied that it was impossible. The -request was lowered,--we begged him to accompany us as far as the -frontier: he professed inability to do so, but promised to send his eldest -son, Sherwa. - -Nothing then remained, dear L., but _payer d'audace_, and, throwing all -forethought to the dogs, to rely upon what has made many a small man -great, the good star. I addressed my companions in a set speech, advising -a mount without delay. They suggested a letter to the Amir, requesting -permission to enter his city: this device was rejected for two reasons. In -the first place, had a refusal been returned, our journey was cut short, -and our labours stultified. Secondly, the End of Time had whispered that -my two companions were plotting to prevent the letter reaching its -destination. He had charged his own sin upon their shoulders: the Hammal -and Long Guled were incapable of such treachery. But our hedge-priest was -thoroughly terrified; "a coward body after a'," his face brightened when -ordered to remain with the Gerad at Sagharrah, and though openly taunted -with poltroonery, he had not the decency to object. My companions were -then informed that hitherto our acts had been those of old women, not -soldiers, and that something savouring of manliness must be done before we -could return. They saw my determination to start alone, if necessary, and -to do them justice, they at once arose. This was the more courageous in -them, as alarmists had done their worst: but a day before, some travelling -Somali had advised them, as they valued dear life, not to accompany that -Turk to Harar. Once in the saddle, they shook off sad thoughts, declaring -that if they were slain, I should pay their blood-money, and if they -escaped, that their reward was in my hands. When in some danger, the -Hammal especially behaved with a sturdiness which produced the most -beneficial results. Yet they were true Easterns. Wearied by delay at -Harar, I employed myself in meditating flight; they drily declared that -after-wit serves no good purpose: whilst I considered the possibility of -escape, they looked only at the prospect of being dragged back with -pinioned arms by the Amir's guard. Such is generally the effect of the -vulgar Moslems' blind fatalism. - -I then wrote an English letter [29] from the Political Agent at Aden to -the Amir of Harar, proposing to deliver it in person, and throw off my -disguise. Two reasons influenced me in adopting this "neck or nothing" -plan. All the races amongst whom my travels lay, hold him nidering who -hides his origin in places of danger; and secondly, my white face had -converted me into a Turk, a nation more hated and suspected than any -Europeans, without our _prestige_. Before leaving Sagharrah, I entrusted -to the End of Time a few lines addressed to Lieut. Herne at Berberah, -directing him how to act in case of necessity. Our baggage was again -decimated: the greater part was left with Adan, and an ass carried only -what was absolutely necessary,--a change of clothes, a book or two, a few -biscuits, ammunition, and a little tobacco. My Girhi escort consisted of -Sherwa, the Bedouin Abtidon, and Mad Said mounted on the End of Time's -mule. - -At 10 A.M. on the 2nd January, all the villagers assembled, and recited -the Fatihah, consoling us with the information that we were dead men. By -the worst of foot-paths, we ascended the rough and stony hill behind -Sagharrah, through bush and burn and over ridges of rock. At the summit -was a village, where Sherwa halted, declaring that he dared not advance: a -swordsman, however, was sent on to guard us through the Galla Pass. After -an hour's ride, we reached the foot of a tall Table-mountain called -Kondura, where our road, a goat-path rough with rocks or fallen trees, and -here and there arched over with giant creepers, was reduced to a narrow -ledge, with a forest above and a forest below. I could not but admire the -beauty of this Valombrosa, which reminded me of scenes whilome enjoyed in -fair Touraine. High up on our left rose the perpendicular walls of the -misty hill, fringed with tufted pine, and on the right the shrub-clad -folds fell into a deep valley. The cool wind whistled and sunbeams like -golden shafts darted through tall shady trees-- - - Bearded with moss, and in garments green-- - -the ground was clothed with dank grass, and around the trunks grew -thistles, daisies, and blue flowers which at a distance might well pass -for violets. - -Presently we were summarily stopped by half a dozen Gallas attending upon -one Rabah, the Chief who owns the Pass. [30] This is the African style of -toll-taking: the "pike" appears in the form of a plump of spearmen, and -the gate is a pair of lances thrown across the road. Not without trouble, -for they feared to depart from the _mos majorum_, we persuaded them that -the ass carried no merchandise. Then rounding Kondura's northern flank, we -entered the Amir's territory: about thirty miles distant, and separated by -a series of blue valleys, lay a dark speck upon a tawny sheet of stubble-- -Harar. - -Having paused for a moment to savour success, we began the descent. The -ground was a slippery black soil--mist ever settles upon Kondura--and -frequent springs oozing from the rock formed beds of black mire. A few -huge Birbisa trees, the remnant of a forest still thick around the -mountain's neck, marked out the road: they were branchy from stem to -stern, and many had a girth of from twenty to twenty-five feet. [31] - -After an hour's ride amongst thistles, whose flowers of a bright redlike -worsted were not less than a child's head, we watered our mules at a rill -below the slope. Then remounting, we urged over hill and dale, where Galla -peasants were threshing and storing their grain with loud songs of joy; -they were easily distinguished by their African features, mere caricatures -of the Somal, whose type has been Arabized by repeated immigrations from -Yemen and Hadramaut. Late in the afternoon, having gained ten miles in a -straight direction, we passed through a hedge of plantains, defending the -windward side of Gafra, a village of Midgans who collect the Gerad Adan's -grain. They shouted delight on recognising their old friend, Mad Said, led -us to an empty Gambisa, swept and cleaned it, lighted a fire, turned our -mules into a field to graze, and went forth to seek food. Their hospitable -thoughts, however, were marred by the two citizens of Harar, who privately -threatened them with the Amir's wrath, if they dared to feed that Turk. - -As evening drew on, came a message from our enemies, the Habr Awal, who -offered, if we would wait till sunrise, to enter the city in our train. -The Gerad Adan had counselled me not to provoke these men; so, contrary to -the advice of my two companions, I returned a polite answer, purporting -that we would expect them till eight o'clock the next morning. - -At 7 P.M., on the 3rd January, we heard that the treacherous Habr Awal had -driven away their cows shortly after midnight. Seeing their hostile -intentions, I left my journal, sketches, and other books in charge of an -old Midgan, with directions that they should be forwarded to the Gerad -Adan, and determined to carry nothing but our arms and a few presents for -the Amir. We saddled our mules, mounted and rode hurriedly along the edge -of a picturesque chasm of tender pink granite, here and there obscured by -luxuriant vegetation. In the centre, fringed with bright banks a shallow -rill, called Doghlah, now brawls in tiny cascades, then whirls through -huge boulders towards the Erar River. Presently, descending by a ladder of -rock scarcely safe even for mules, we followed the course of the burn, and -emerging into the valley beneath, we pricked forwards rapidly, for day was -wearing on, and we did not wish the Habr Awal to precede us. - -About noon we crossed the Erar River. The bed is about one hundred yards -broad, and a thin sheet of clear, cool, and sweet water, covered with -crystal the greater part of the sand. According to my guides, its course, -like that of the hills, is southerly towards the Webbe of Ogadayn [32]: -none, however, could satisfy my curiosity concerning the course of the -only perennial stream which exists between Harar and the coast. - -In the lower valley, a mass of waving holcus, we met a multitude of Galla -peasants coming from the city market with new potlids and the empty gourds -which had contained their butter, ghee, and milk: all wondered aloud at -the Turk, concerning whom they had heard many horrors. As we commenced -another ascent appeared a Harar Grandee mounted upon a handsomely -caparisoned mule and attended by seven servants who carried gourds and -skins of grain. He was a pale-faced senior with a white beard, dressed in -a fine Tobe and a snowy turban with scarlet edges: he carried no shield, -but an Abyssinian broadsword was slung over his left shoulder. We -exchanged courteous salutations, and as I was thirsty he ordered a footman -to fill a cup with water. Half way up the hill appeared the 200 Girhi -cows, but those traitors, the Habr Awal, had hurried onwards. Upon the -summit was pointed out to me the village of Elaoda: in former times it was -a wealthy place belonging to the Gerad Adan. - -At 2 P.M. we fell into a narrow fenced lane and halted for a few minutes -near a spreading tree, under which sat women selling ghee and unspun -cotton. About two miles distant on the crest of a hill, stood the city,-- -the end of my present travel,--a long sombre line, strikingly contrasting -with the white-washed towns of the East. The spectacle, materially -speaking, was a disappointment: nothing conspicuous appeared but two grey -minarets of rude shape: many would have grudged exposing three lives to -win so paltry a prize. But of all that have attempted, none ever succeeded -in entering that pile of stones: the thorough-bred traveller, dear L., -will understand my exultation, although my two companions exchanged -glances of wonder. - -Spurring our mules we advanced at a long trot, when Mad Said stopped us to -recite a Fatihah in honor of Ao Umar Siyad and Ao Rahmah, two great saints -who repose under a clump of trees near the road. The soil on both sides of -the path is rich and red: masses of plantains, limes, and pomegranates -denote the gardens, which are defended by a bleached cow's skull, stuck -upon a short stick [33] and between them are plantations of coffee, -bastard saffron, and the graceful Kat. About half a mile eastward of the -town appears a burn called Jalah or the Coffee Water: the crowd crossing -it did not prevent my companions bathing, and whilst they donned clean -Tobes I retired to the wayside, and sketched the town. - -These operations over, we resumed our way up a rough _tranchee_ ridged -with stone and hedged with tall cactus. This ascends to an open plain. On -the right lie the holcus fields, which reach to the town wall: the left is -a heap of rude cemetery, and in front are the dark defences of Harar, with -groups of citizens loitering about the large gateway, and sitting in chat -near the ruined tomb of Ao Abdal. We arrived at 3 P.M., after riding about -five hours, which were required to accomplish twenty miles in a straight -direction. [34] - -Advancing to the gate, Mad Said accosted a warder, known by his long wand -of office, and sent our salams to the Amir, saying that we came from Aden, -and requested the honor of audience. Whilst he sped upon his errand, we -sat at the foot of a round bastion, and were scrutinised, derided, and -catechized by the curious of both sexes, especially by that conventionally -termed the fair. The three Habr Awal presently approached and scowlingly -inquired why we had not apprised them of our intention to enter the city. -It was now "war to the knife"--we did not deign a reply. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] It is worn for a year, during which modest women will not marry. Some -tribes confine the symbol to widowhood, others extend it to all male -relations; a strip of white cotton, or even a white fillet, instead of the -usual blue cloth, is used by the more civilized. - -[2] Cain is said to repose under Jebel Shamsan at Aden--an appropriate -sepulchre. - -[3] This beast, called by the Somal Jambel, closely resembles the Sindh -species. It is generally found in the plains and prairies. - -[4] In the Somali country, as in Kafirland, the Duwao or jackal is -peculiarly bold and fierce. Disdaining garbage, he carries off lambs and -kids, and fastens upon a favourite _friandise_, the sheep's tail; the -victim runs away in terror, and unless the jackal be driven off by dogs, -leaves a delicate piece of fat behind it. - -[5] The Somal call the owl "Shimbir libah"--the lion bird. - -[6] The plume was dark, chequered with white, but the bird was so wild -that no specimen could be procured. - -[7] The Arabs apply this term to tea. - -[8] The Dayyib of the Somal, and the Sinaubar of the Arabs; its line of -growth is hereabouts an altitude of 5000 feet. - -[9] Travellers in Central Africa describe exactly similar buildings, bell- -shaped huts, the materials of which are stakes, clay and reed, conical at -the top, and looking like well-thatched corn-stacks. - -[10] Amongst the Fellatahs of Western Africa, only the royal huts are -surmounted by the ostrich's egg. - -[11] These platforms are found even amongst the races inhabiting the -regions watered by the Niger. - -[12] Charred sticks about six feet long and curved at the handle. - -[13] Equally simple are the other implements. The plough, which in Eastern -Africa has passed the limits of Egypt, is still the crooked tree of all -primitive people, drawn by oxen; and the hoe is a wooden blade inserted -into a knobbed handle. - -[14] It is afterwards stored in deep dry holes, which are carefully -covered to keep out rats and insects; thus the grain is preserved -undamaged for three or four years. - -[15] This word is applied to the cultivated districts, the granaries of -Somali land. - -[16] "The huge raven with gibbous or inflated beak and white nape," writes -Mr. Blyth, "is the corvus crassirostris of Ruppell, and, together with a -nearly similar Cape species, is referred to the genus Corvultur of -Leason." - -[17] In these hills it is said sometimes to freeze; I never saw ice. - -[18] It is a string of little silver bells and other ornaments made by the -Arabs at Berberah. - -[19] Harari, Somali and Galla, besides Arabic, and other more civilized -dialects. - -[20] The Negroes of Senegal and the Hottentots use wooden mortars. At -Natal and amongst the Amazulu Kafirs, the work is done with slabs and -rollers like those described above. - -[21] In the Eastern World this well-known fermentation is generally called -"Buzab," whence the old German word "busen" and our "booze." The addition -of a dose of garlic converts it into an emetic. - -[22] The Somal will not kill these plundering brutes, like the Western -Africans believing them to be enchanted men. - -[23] Some years ago Adan plundered one of Sharmarkay's caravans; repenting -the action, he offered in marriage a daughter, who, however, died before -nuptials. - -[24] Gisti is a "princess" in Harari, equivalent to the Somali Geradah. - -[25] They are, however, divided into clans, of which the following are the -principal:-- - - 1. Bahawiyah, the race which supplies the Gerads. - 2. Abu Tunis (divided into ten septs). - 3. Rer Ibrahim (similarly divided). - 4. Jibril. - 5. Bakasiyya. - 6. Rer Muhmud. - 7. Musa Dar. - 8. Rer Auro. - 9. Rer Walembo. - 10. Rer Khalid. - -[26] I do not describe these people, the task having already been -performed by many abler pens than mine. - -[27] They are divided into the Bah Ambaro (the chief's family) and the -Shaykhashed. - -[28] The only specimen of stunted humanity seen by me in the Somali -country. He was about eighteen years old, and looked ten. - -[29] At first I thought of writing it in Arabic; but having no seal, a -_sine qua non_ in an Eastern letter, and reflecting upon the consequences -of detection or even suspicion, it appeared more politic to come boldly -forward as a European. - -[30] It belongs, I was informed, to two clans of Gallas, who year by year -in turn monopolise the profits. - -[31] Of this tree are made the substantial doors, the basins and the -porringers of Harar. - -[32] The Webbe Shebayli or Haines River. - -[33] This scarecrow is probably a talisman. In the Saharah, according to -Richardson, the skull of an ass averts the evil eye from gardens. - -[34] The following is a table of our stations, directions, and -distances:-- - - Miles -1. From Zayla to Gudingaras S.E. 165° 19 -2. To Kuranyali 145° 8 -3. To Adad 225° 25 -4. To Damal 205° 11 -5. To El Arno 190° 11 -6. To Jiyaf 202° 10 -7. To Halimalah (the Holy Tree about half way) 192° 7 - -- 91 miles. -8. To Aububah 245° 21 -9. To Koralay 165° 25 -10. To Harar 260° 65 - -- 111 miles. - --- - Total statute miles 202 - - -[Illustration: COSTUMES OF HARAR] - - - - -CHAP. VIII. - -TEN DAYS AT HARAR. - - -After waiting half an hour at the gate, we were told by the returned -warder to pass the threshold, and remounting guided our mules along the -main street, a narrow up-hill lane, with rocks cropping out from a surface -more irregular than a Perote pavement. Long Guled had given his animal -into the hands of our two Bedouins: they did not appear till after our -audience, when they informed us that the people at the entrance had -advised them to escape with the beasts, an evil fate having been prepared -for the proprietors. - -Arrived within a hundred yards of the gate of holcus-stalks, which opens -into the courtyard of this African St. James, our guide, a blear-eyed, -surly-faced, angry-voiced fellow, made signs--none of us understanding his -Harari--to dismount. We did so. He then began to trot, and roared out -apparently that we must do the same. [1] We looked at one another, the -Hammal swore that he would perish foully rather than obey, and--conceive, -dear L., the idea of a petticoated pilgrim venerable as to beard and -turban breaking into a long "double!"--I expressed much the same -sentiment. Leading our mules leisurely, in spite of the guide's wrath, we -entered the gate, strode down the yard, and were placed under a tree in -its left corner, close to a low building of rough stone, which the -clanking of frequent fetters argued to be a state-prison. - -This part of the court was crowded with Gallas, some lounging about, -others squatting in the shade under the palace walls. The chiefs were -known by their zinc armlets, composed of thin spiral circlets, closely -joined, and extending in mass from the wrist almost to the elbow: all -appeared to enjoy peculiar privileges,--they carried their long spears, -wore their sandals, and walked leisurely about the royal precincts. A -delay of half an hour, during which state-affairs were being transacted -within, gave me time to inspect a place of which so many and such -different accounts are current. The palace itself is, as Clapperton -describes the Fellatah Sultan's state-hall, a mere shed, a long, single- -storied, windowless barn of rough stone and reddish clay, with no other -insignia but a thin coat of whitewash over the door. This is the royal and -vizierial distinction at Harar, where no lesser man may stucco the walls -of his house. The courtyard was about eighty yards long by thirty in -breadth, irregularly shaped, and surrounded by low buildings: in the -centre, opposite the outer entrance, was a circle of masonry against which -were propped divers doors. [2] - -Presently the blear-eyed guide with the angry voice returned from within, -released us from the importunities of certain forward and inquisitive -youth, and motioned us to doff our slippers at a stone step, or rather -line, about twelve feet distant from the palace-wall. We grumbled that we -were not entering a mosque, but in vain. Then ensued a long dispute, in -tongues mutually unintelligible, about giving up our weapons: by dint of -obstinacy we retained our daggers and my revolver. The guide raised a door -curtain, suggested a bow, and I stood in the presence of the dreaded -chief. - -The Amir, or, as he styles himself, the Sultan Ahmad bin Sultan Abibakr, -sat in a dark room with whitewashed walls, to which hung--significant -decorations--rusty matchlocks and polished fetters. His appearance was -that of a little Indian Rajah, an etiolated youth twenty-four or twenty- -five years old, plain and thin-bearded, with a yellow complexion, wrinkled -brows and protruding eyes. His dress was a flowing robe of crimson cloth, -edged with snowy fur, and a narrow white turban tightly twisted round a -tall conical cap of red velvet, like the old Turkish headgear of our -painters. His throne was a common Indian Kursi, or raised cot, about five -feet long, with back and sides supported by a dwarf railing: being an -invalid he rested his elbow upon a pillow, under which appeared the hilt -of a Cutch sabre. Ranged in double line, perpendicular to the Amir, stood -the "court," his cousins and nearest relations, with right arms bared -after fashion of Abyssinia. - -I entered the room with a loud "Peace be upon ye!" to which H. H. replying -graciously, and extending a hand, bony and yellow as a kite's claw, -snapped his thumb and middle finger. Two chamberlains stepping forward, -held my forearms, and assisted me to bend low over the fingers, which -however I did not kiss, being naturally averse to performing that -operation upon any but a woman's hand. My two servants then took their -turn: in this case, after the back was saluted, the palm was presented for -a repetition. [3] These preliminaries concluded, we were led to and seated -upon a mat in front of the Amir, who directed towards us a frowning brow -and an inquisitive eye. - -Some inquiries were made about the chief's health: he shook his head -captiously, and inquired our errand. I drew from my pocket my own letter: -it was carried by a chamberlain, with hands veiled in his Tobe, to the -Amir, who after a brief glance laid it upon the couch, and demanded -further explanation. I then represented in Arabic that we had come from -Aden, bearing the compliments of our Daulah or governor, and that we had -entered Harar to see the light of H. H.'s countenance: this information -concluded with a little speech, describing the changes of Political Agents -in Arabia, and alluding to the friendship formerly existing between the -English and the deceased chief Abubakr. - -The Amir smiled graciously. - -This smile I must own, dear L., was a relief. We had been prepared for the -worst, and the aspect of affairs in the palace was by no means reassuring. - -Whispering to his Treasurer, a little ugly man with a badly shaven head, -coarse features, pug nose, angry eyes, and stubby beard, the Amir made a -sign for us to retire. The _baise main_ was repeated, and we backed out of -the audience-shed in high favour. According to grandiloquent Bruce, "the -Court of London and that of Abyssinia are, in their principles, one:" the -loiterers in the Harar palace yard, who had before regarded us with cut- -throat looks, now smiled as though they loved us. Marshalled by the guard, -we issued from the precincts, and after walking a hundred yards entered -the Amir's second palace, which we were told to consider our home. There -we found the Bedouins, who, scarcely believing that we had escaped alive, -grinned in the joy of their hearts, and we were at once provided from the -chief's kitchen with a dish of Shabta, holcus cakes soaked in sour milk, -and thickly powdered with red pepper, the salt of this inland region. - -When we had eaten, the treasurer reappeared, bearing the Amir's command, -that we should call upon his Wazir, the Gerad Mohammed. Resuming our -peregrinations, we entered an abode distinguished by its external streak -of chunam, and in a small room on the ground floor, cleanly white-washed -and adorned, like an old English kitchen, with varnished wooden porringers -of various sizes, we found a venerable old man whose benevolent -countenance belied the reports current about him in Somali-land. [4] Half -rising, although his wrinkled brow showed suffering, he seated me by his -side upon the carpeted masonry-bench, where lay the implements of his -craft, reeds, inkstands and whitewashed boards for paper, politely -welcomed me, and gravely stroking his cotton-coloured beard, desired my -object in good Arabic. - -I replied almost in the words used to the Amir, adding however some -details how in the old day one Madar Farih had been charged by the late -Sultan Abubakr with a present to the governor of Aden, and that it was the -wish of our people to reestablish friendly relations and commercial -intercourse with Harar. - -"Khayr inshallah!--it is well if Allah please!" ejaculated the Gerad: I -then bent over his hand, and took leave. - -Returning we inquired anxiously of the treasurer about my servants' arms -which had not been returned, and were assured that they had been placed in -the safest of store-houses, the palace. I then sent a common six-barrelled -revolver as a present to the Amir, explaining its use to the bearer, and -we prepared to make ourselves as comfortable as possible. The interior of -our new house was a clean room, with plain walls, and a floor of tamped -earth; opposite the entrance were two broad steps of masonry, raised about -two feet, and a yard above the ground, and covered with, hard matting. I -contrived to make upon the higher ledge a bed with the cushions which my -companions used as shabracques, and, after seeing the mules fed and -tethered, lay down to rest worn out by fatigue and profoundly impressed -with the _poesie_ of our position. I was under the roof of a bigoted -prince whose least word was death; amongst a people who detest foreigners; -the only European that had ever passed over their inhospitable threshold, -and the fated instrument of their future downfall. - - * * * * * - -I now proceed to a description of unknown Harar. - -The ancient capital of Hadiyah, called by the citizens "Harar Gay," [5] by -the Somal "Adari," by the Gallas "Adaray" and by the Arabs and ourselves -"Harar," [6] lies, according to my dead reckoning, 220° S.W. of, and 175 -statute miles from, Zayla--257° W. of, and 219 miles distant from, -Berberah. This would place it in 9° 20' N. lat. and 42° 17' E. long. The -thermometer showed an altitude of about 5,500 feet above the level of the -sea. [7] Its site is the slope of an hill which falls gently from west to -east. On the eastern side are cultivated fields; westwards a terraced -ridge is laid out in orchards; northwards is a detached eminence covered -with tombs; and to the south, the city declines into a low valley bisected -by a mountain burn. This irregular position is well sheltered from high -winds, especially on the northern side, by the range of which Kondura is -the lofty apex; hence, as the Persian poet sings of a heaven-favoured -city,-- - - "Its heat is not hot, nor its cold, cold." - -During my short residence the air reminded me of Tuscany. On the afternoon -of the 11th January there was thunder accompanied by rain: frequent -showers fell on the 12th, and the morning of the 13th was clear; but, as -we crossed the mountains, black clouds obscured the heavens. The monsoon -is heavy during one summer month; before it begins the crops are planted, -and they are reaped in December and January. At other seasons the air is -dry, mild, and equable. - -The province of Hadiyah is mentioned by Makrizi as one of the seven -members of the Zayla Empire [8], founded by Arab invaders, who in the 7th -century of our aera conquered and colonised the low tract between the Red -Sea and the Highlands. Moslem Harar exercised a pernicious influence upon -the fortunes of Christian Abyssinia. [9] - -The allegiance claimed by the AEthiopian Emperors from the Adel--the -Dankali and ancient Somal--was evaded at a remote period, and the -intractable Moslems were propitiated with rich presents, when they thought -proper to visit the Christian court. The Abyssinians supplied the Adel -with slaves, the latter returned the value in rock-salt, commercial -intercourse united their interests, and from war resulted injury to both -people. Nevertheless the fanatic lowlanders, propense to pillage and -proselytizing, burned the Christian churches, massacred the infidels, and -tortured the priests, until they provoked a blood feud of uncommon -asperity. - -In the 14th century (A.D. 1312-1342) Amda Sion, Emperor of AEthiopia, -taunted by Amano, King of Hadiyah, as a monarch fit only to take care of -women, overran and plundered the Lowlands from Tegulet to the Red Sea. The -Amharas were commanded to spare nothing that drew the breath of life: to -fulfil a prophecy which foretold the fall of El Islam, they perpetrated -every kind of enormity. - -Peace followed the death of Amda Sion. In the reign of Zara Yakub [10] -(A.D. 1434-1468), the flame of war was again fanned in Hadiyah by a Zayla -princess who was slighted by the AEthiopian monarch on account of the -length of her fore-teeth: the hostilities which ensued were not, however, -of an important nature. Boeda Mariana, the next occupant of the throne, -passed his life in a constant struggle for supremacy over the Adel: on his -death-bed he caused himself to be so placed that his face looked towards -those lowlands, upon whose subjugation the energies of ten years had been -vainly expended. - -At the close of the 15th century, Mahfuz, a bigoted Moslem, inflicted a -deadly blow upon Abyssinia. Vowing that he would annually spend the forty -days of Lent amongst his infidel neighbours, when, weakened by rigorous -fasts, they were less capable of bearing arms, for thirty successive years -he burned churches and monasteries, slew without mercy every male that -fell in his way, and driving off the women and children, he sold some to -strange slavers, and presented others to the Sherifs of Mecca. He bought -over Za Salasah, commander in chief of the Emperor's body guard, and -caused the assassination of Alexander (A.D. 1478-1495) at the ancient -capital Tegulet. Naud, the successor, obtained some transient advantages -over the Moslems. During the earlier reign of the next emperor, David III. -son of Naud [11], who being but eleven years old when called to the -throne, was placed under the guardianship of his mother the Iteghe Helena, -new combatants and new instruments of warfare appeared on both sides in -the field. - -After the conquest of Egypt and Arabia by Selim I. (A. D. 1516) [12] the -caravans of Abyssinian pilgrims travelling to Jerusalem were attacked, the -old were butchered and the young were swept into slavery. Many Arabian -merchants fled from Turkish violence and injustice, to the opposite coast -of Africa, whereupon the Ottomans took possession from Aden of Zayla, and -not only laid the Indian trade under heavy contributions by means of their -war-galleys, but threatened the total destruction of Abyssinia. They aided -and encouraged Mahfuz to continue his depredations, whilst the Sherif of -Meccah gave him command of Zayla, the key of the upper country, and -presented him with the green banner of a Crusader. - -On the other hand, the great Albuquerque at the same time (A.D. 1508-1515) -was viceroy of India, and to him the Iteghe Helena applied for aid. Her -ambassador arrived at Goa, "bearing a fragment of wood belonging to the -true cross on which Christ died," which relic had been sent as a token of -friendship to her brother Emanuel by the empress of AEthiopia. The overture -was followed by the arrival at Masawwah of an embassy from the king of -Portugal. Too proud, however, to await foreign aid, David at the age of -sixteen took the field in person against the Moslems. - -During the battle that ensued, Mahfuz, the Goliath of the Unbelievers, was -slain in single combat by Gabriel Andreas, a soldier of tried valour, who -had assumed the monastic life in consequence of having lost the tip of his -tongue for treasonable freedom of speech: the green standard was captured, -and 12,000 Moslems fell. David followed up his success by invading the -lowlands, and, in defiance, struck his spear through the door of the king -of Adel. - -Harar was a mere mass of Bedouin villages during the reign of Mohammed -Gragne, the "left-handed" Attila of Adel. [13] Supplied with Arab -mercenaries from Mocha, and by the Turks of Yemen with a body of -Janissaries and a train of artillery, he burst into Efat and Fatigar. In -A.D. 1528 he took possession of Shoa, overran Amhara, burned the churches -and carried away an immense booty. The next campaign enabled him to winter -at Begmeder: in the following year he hunted the Emperor David through -Tigre to the borders of Senaar, gave battle to the Christians on the banks -of the Nile, and with his own hand killed the monk Gabriel, then an old -man. Reinforced by Gideon and Judith, king and queen of the Samen Jews, -and aided by a violent famine which prostrated what had escaped the spear, -he perpetrated every manner of atrocity, captured and burned Axum, -destroyed the princes of the royal blood on the mountain of Amba Geshe -[14], and slew in A.D. 1540, David, third of his name and last emperor of -AEthiopia who displayed the magnificence of "King of Kings." - -Claudius, the successor to the tottering throne, sent as his ambassador to -Europe, one John Bermudez, a Portuguese, who had been detained in -Abyssinia, and promised, it is said, submission to the Pontiff of Rome, -and the cession of the third of his dominions in return for -reinforcements. By order of John III., Don Stephen and Don Christopher, -sons of Don Vasco de Gama, cruised up the Red Sea with a powerful -flotilla, and the younger brother, landing at Masawwah with 400 -musqueteers, slew Nur the governor and sent his head to Gondar, where the -Iteghe Sabel Wenghel received it as an omen of good fortune. Thence the -Portuguese general imprudently marched in the monsoon season, and was soon -confronted upon the plain of Ballut by Mohammed Gragne at the head of -10,000 spearmen and a host of cavalry. On the other side stood a rabble -rout of Abyssinians, and a little band of 350 Portuguese heroes headed by -the most chivalrous soldier of a chivalrous age. - -According to Father Jerome Lobo [15], who heard the events from an eye- -witness, a conference took place between the two captains. Mohammed, -encamped in a commanding position, sent a message to Don Christopher -informing him that the treacherous Abyssinians had imposed upon the king -of Portugal, and that in compassion of his opponent's youth, he would give -him and his men free passage and supplies to their own country. The -Christian presented the Moslem ambassador with a rich robe, and returned -this gallant answer, that "he and his fellow-soldiers were come with an -intention to drive Mohammed out of these countries which he had wrongfully -usurped; that his present design was, instead of returning back the way he -came, as Mohammed advised, to open himself a passage through the country -of his enemies; that Mohammed should rather think of determining whether -he would fight or yield up his ill-gotten territories than of prescribing -measures to him; that he put his whole confidence in the omnipotence of -God, and the justice of his cause; and that to show how full a sense he -had of Mohammed's kindness, he took the liberty of presenting him with a -looking-glass and a pair of pincers." - -The answer and the present so provoked the Adel Monarch that he arose from -table to attack the little troop of Portuguese, posted upon the declivity -of a hill near a wood. Above them stood the Abyssinians, who resolved to -remain quiet spectators of the battle, and to declare themselves on the -side favoured by victory. - -Mohammed began the assault with only ten horsemen, against whom an equal -number of Portuguese were detached: these fired with so much exactness -that nine of the Moors fell and the king was wounded in the leg by Peter -de Sa. In the melee which ensued, the Moslems, dismayed by their first -failure, were soon broken by the Portuguese muskets and artillery. -Mohammed preserved his life with difficulty, he however rallied his men, -and entrenched himself at a strong place called Membret (Mamrat), -intending to winter there and await succour. - -The Portuguese, more desirous of glory than wealth, pursued their enemies, -hoping to cut them entirely off: finding, however, the camp impregnable, -they entrenched themselves on a hill over against it. Their little host -diminished day by day, their friends at Masawwah could not reinforce them, -they knew not how to procure provisions, and could not depend upon their -Abyssinian allies. Yet memorious of their countrymen's great deeds, and -depending upon divine protection, they made no doubt of surmounting all -difficulties. - -Mohammed on his part was not idle. He solicited the assistance of the -Moslem princes, and by inflaming their religious zeal, obtained a -reinforcement of 2000 musqueteers from the Arabs, and a train of artillery -from the Turks of Yemen. Animated by these succours, he marched out of his -trenches to enter those of the Portuguese, who received him with the -utmost bravery, destroyed many of his men, and made frequent sallies, not, -however, without sustaining considerable losses. - -Don Christopher had already one arm broken and a knee shattered by a -musket shot. Valour was at length oppressed by superiority of numbers: the -enemy entered the camp, and put the Christians to the spear. The -Portuguese general escaped the slaughter with ten men, and retreated to a -wood, where they were discovered by a detachment of the enemy. [16] -Mohammed, overjoyed to see his most formidable enemy in his power, ordered -Don Christopher to take care of a wounded uncle and nephew, telling him -that he should answer for their lives, and upon their death, taxed him -with having hastened it. The Portuguese roundly replied that he was come -to destroy Moslems, not to save them. Enraged at this language, Mohammed -placed a stone upon his captive's head, and exposed him to the insults of -the soldiery, who inflicted upon him various tortures which he bore with -the resolution of a martyr. At length, when offered a return to India as -the price of apostacy, the hero's spirit took fire. He answered with the -highest indignation, that nothing could make him forsake his Heavenly -Master to follow an "imposter," and continued in the severest terms to -vilify the "false Prophet," till Mahommed struck off his head. [17] The -body was divided into quarters and sent to different places [18], but the -Catholics gathered their martyr's remains and interred them. Every Moor -who passed by threw a stone upon the grave, and raised in time such a heap -that Father Lobo found difficulty in removing it to exhume the relics. He -concludes with a pardonable superstition: "There is a tradition in the -country, that in the place where Don Christopher's head fell, a fountain -sprang up of wonderful virtue, which cured many diseases, otherwise past -remedy." - -Mohammed Gragne improved his victory by chasing the young Claudius over -Abyssinia, where nothing opposed the progress of his arms. At last the few -Portuguese survivors repaired to the Christian emperor, who was persuaded -to march an army against the King of Adel. Resolved to revenge their -general, the musqueteers demanded the post opposite Mohammed, and directed -all their efforts against the part where the Moslem Attila stood. His -fellow religionists still relate that when Gragne fell in action, his wife -Talwambara [19], the heroic daughter of Mahfuz, to prevent the destruction -and dispersion of the host of Islam, buried the corpse privately, and -caused a slave to personate the prince until a retreat to safe lands -enabled her to discover the stratagem to the nobles. [20] - -Father Lobo tells a different tale. According to him, Peter Leon, a -marksman of low stature, but passing valiant, who had been servant to Don -Christopher, singled the Adel king out of the crowd, and shot him in the -head as he was encouraging his men. Mohammed was followed by his enemy -till he fell down dead: the Portuguese then alighting from his horse, cut -off one of his ears and rejoined his fellow-countrymen. The Moslems were -defeated with great slaughter, and an Abyssinian chief finding Gragne's -corpse upon the ground, presented the head to the Negush or Emperor, -claiming the honor of having slain his country's deadliest foe. Having -witnessed in silence this impudence, Peter asked whether the king had but -one ear, and produced the other from his pocket to the confusion of the -Abyssinian. - -Thus perished, after fourteen years' uninterrupted fighting, the African -hero, who dashed to pieces the structure of 2500 years. Like the -"Kardillan" of the Holy Land, Mohammed Gragne is still the subject of many -a wild and grisly legend. And to the present day the people of Shoa retain -an inherited dread of the lowland Moslems. - -Mohammed was succeeded on the throne of Adel by the Amir Nur, son of -Majid, and, according to some, brother to the "Left-handed." He proposed -marriage to Talwambara, who accepted him on condition that he should lay -the head of the Emperor Claudius at her feet. In A.D. 1559, he sent a -message of defiance to the Negush, who, having saved Abyssinia almost by a -miracle, was rebuilding on Debra Work, the "Golden Mount," a celebrated -shrine which had been burned by the Moslems. Claudius, despising the -eclipses, evil prophecies, and portents which accompanied his enemy's -progress, accepted the challenge. On the 22nd March 1559, the armies were -upon the point of engaging, when the high priest of Debra Libanos, -hastening into the presence of the Negush, declared that in a vision, -Gabriel had ordered him to dissuade the Emperor of AEthiopia from -needlessly risking life. The superstitious Abyssinians fled, leaving -Claudius supported by a handful of Portuguese, who were soon slain around -him, and he fell covered with wounds. The Amir Nur cut off his head, and -laid it at the feet of Talwambara, who, in observance of her pledge, -became his wife. This Amazon suspended the trophy by its hair to the -branch of a tree opposite her abode, that her eyes might be gladdened by -the sight: after hanging two years, it was purchased by an Armenian -merchant, who interred it in the Sepulchre of St. Claudius at Antioch. The -name of the Christian hero who won every action save that in which he -perished, has been enrolled in the voluminous catalogue of Abyssinian -saints, where it occupies a conspicuous place as the destroyer of Mohammed -the Left-handed. - -The Amir Nur has also been canonized by his countrymen, who have buried -their favourite "Wali" under a little dome near the Jami Mosque at Harar. -Shortly after his decisive victory over the Christians, he surrounded the -city with its present wall,--a circumstance now invested with the garb of -Moslem fable. The warrior used to hold frequent conversations with El -Khizr: on one occasion, when sitting upon a rock, still called Gay -Humburti--Harar's Navel--he begged that some Sherif might be brought from -Meccah, to aid him in building a permanent city. By the use of the "Great -Name" the vagrant prophet instantly summoned from Arabia the Sherif Yunis, -his son Fakr el Din, and a descendant from the Ansar or Auxiliaries of the -Prophet: they settled at Harar, which throve by the blessing of their -presence. From this tradition we may gather that the city was restored, as -it was first founded and colonized, by hungry Arabs. - -The Sherifs continued to rule with some interruptions until but a few -generations ago, when the present family rose to power. According to -Bruce, they are Jabartis, who, having intermarried with Sayyid women, -claim a noble origin. They derive themselves from the Caliph Abubakr, or -from Akil, son of Abu Talib, and brother of Ali. The Ulema, although -lacking boldness to make the assertion, evidently believe them to be of -Galla or pagan extraction. - -The present city of Harar is about one mile long by half that breadth. An -irregular wall, lately repaired [21], but ignorant of cannon, is pierced -with five large gates [22], and supported by oval towers of artless -construction. The material of the houses and defences are rough stones, -the granites and sandstones of the hills, cemented, like the ancient Galla -cities, with clay. The only large building is the Jami or Cathedral, a -long barn of poverty-stricken appearance, with broken-down gates, and two -white-washed minarets of truncated conoid shape. They were built by -Turkish architects from Mocha and Hodaydah: one of them lately fell, and -has been replaced by an inferior effort of Harari art. There are a few -trees in the city, but it contains none of those gardens which give to -Eastern settlements that pleasant view of town and country combined. The -streets are narrow lanes, up hill and down dale, strewed with gigantic -rubbish-heaps, upon which repose packs of mangy or one-eyed dogs, and even -the best are encumbered with rocks and stones. The habitations are mostly -long, flat-roofed sheds, double storied, with doors composed of a single -plank, and holes for windows pierced high above the ground, and decorated -with miserable wood-work: the principal houses have separate apartments -for the women, and stand at the bottom of large court-yards closed by -gates of Holcus stalks. The poorest classes inhabit "Gambisa," the -thatched cottages of the hill-cultivators. The city abounds in mosques, -plain buildings without minarets, and in graveyards stuffed with tombs,-- -oblong troughs formed by long slabs planted edgeways in the ground. I need -scarcely say that Harar is proud of her learning, sanctity, and holy dead. -The principal saint buried in the city is Shaykh Umar Abadir El Bakri, -originally from Jeddah, and now the patron of Harar: he lies under a -little dome in the southern quarter of the city, near the Bisidimo Gate. - -The ancient capital of Hadiyah shares with Zebid in Yemen, the reputation -of being an Alma Mater, and inundates the surrounding districts with poor -scholars and crazy "Widads." Where knowledge leads to nothing, says -philosophic Volney, nothing is done to acquire it, and the mind remains in -a state of barbarism. There are no establishments for learning, no -endowments, as generally in the East, and apparently no encouragement to -students: books also are rare and costly. None but the religious sciences -are cultivated. The chief Ulema are the Kabir [23] Khalil, the Kabir -Yunis, and the Shaykh Jami: the two former scarcely ever quit their -houses, devoting all their time to study and tuition: the latter is a -Somali who takes an active part in politics. - -These professors teach Moslem literature through the medium of Harari, a -peculiar dialect confined within the walls. Like the Somali and other -tongues in this part of Eastern Africa, it appears to be partly Arabic in -etymology and grammar: the Semitic scion being grafted upon an indigenous -root: the frequent recurrence of the guttural _kh_ renders it harsh and -unpleasant, and it contains no literature except songs and tales, which -are written in the modern Naskhi character. I would willingly have studied -it deeply, but circumstances prevented:--the explorer too frequently must -rest satisfied with descrying from his Pisgah the Promised Land of -Knowledge, which another more fortunate is destined to conquer. At Zayla, -the Hajj sent to me an Abyssinian slave who was cunning in languages: but -he, to use the popular phrase, "showed his right ear with his left hand." -Inside Harar, we were so closely watched that it was found impossible to -put pen to paper. Escaped, however, to Wilensi, I hastily collected the -grammatical forms and a vocabulary, which will correct the popular -assertion that "the language is Arabic: it has an affinity with the -Amharic." [24] - -Harar has not only its own tongue, unintelligible to any save the -citizens; even its little population of about 8000 souls is a distinct -race. The Somal say of the city that it is a Paradise inhabited by asses: -certainly the exterior of the people is highly unprepossessing. Amongst -the men, I did not see a handsome face: their features are coarse and -debauched; many of them squint, others have lost an eye by small-pox, and -they are disfigured by scrofula and other diseases: the bad expression of -their countenances justifies the proverb, "Hard as the heart of Harar." -Generally the complexion is a yellowish brown, the beard short, stubby and -untractable as the hair, and the hands and wrists, feet and ancles, are -large and ill-made. The stature is moderate-sized, some of the elders show -the "pudding sides" and the pulpy stomachs of Banyans, whilst others are -lank and bony as Arabs or Jews. Their voices are loud and rude. They dress -is a mixture of Arab and Abyssinian. They shave the head, and clip the -mustachios and imperial close, like the Shafei of Yemen. Many are -bareheaded, some wear a cap, generally the embroidered Indian work, or the -common cotton Takiyah of Egypt: a few affect white turbans of the fine -Harar work, loosely twisted over the ears. The body-garment is the Tobe, -worn flowing as in the Somali country or girt with the dagger-strap round -the waist: the richer classes bind under it a Futah or loin-cloth, and the -dignitaries have wide Arab drawers of white calico. Coarse leathern -sandals, a rosary and a tooth-stick rendered perpetually necessary by the -habit of chewing tobacco, complete the costume: and arms being forbidden -in the streets, the citizens carry wands five or six feet long. - -The women, who, owing probably to the number of female slaves, are much -the more numerous, appear beautiful by contrast with their lords. They -have small heads, regular profiles, straight noses, large eyes, mouths -approaching the Caucasian type, and light yellow complexions. Dress, -however, here is a disguise to charms. A long, wide, cotton shirt, with -short arms as in the Arab's Aba, indigo-dyed or chocolate-coloured, and -ornamented with a triangle of scarlet before and behind--the base on the -shoulder and the apex at the waist--is girt round the middle with a sash -of white cotton crimson-edged. Women of the upper class, when leaving the -house, throw a blue sheet over the head, which, however, is rarely veiled. -The front and back hair parted in the centre is gathered into two large -bunches below the ears, and covered with dark blue muslin or network, -whose ends meet under the chin. This coiffure is bound round the head at -the junction of scalp and skin by a black satin ribbon which varies in -breadth according to the wearer's means: some adorn the gear with large -gilt pins, others twine in it a Taj or thin wreath of sweet-smelling -creeper. The virgins collect their locks, which are generally wavy not -wiry, and grow long as well as thick, into a knot tied _a la Diane_ behind -the head: a curtain of short close plaits escaping from the bunch, falls -upon the shoulders, not ungracefully. Silver ornaments are worn only by -persons of rank. The ear is decorated with Somali rings or red coral -beads, the neck with necklaces of the same material, and the fore-arms -with six or seven of the broad circles of buffalo and other dark horns -prepared in Western India. Finally, stars are tattooed upon the bosom, the -eyebrows are lengthened with dyes, the eyes fringed with Kohl, and the -hands and feet stained with henna. - -The female voice is harsh and screaming, especially when heard after the -delicate organs of the Somal. The fair sex is occupied at home spinning -cotton thread for weaving Tobes, sashes, and turbans; carrying their -progeny perched upon their backs, they bring water from the wells in large -gourds borne on the head; work in the gardens, and--the men considering, -like the Abyssinians, such work a disgrace--sit and sell in the long -street which here represents the Eastern bazar. Chewing tobacco enables -them to pass much of their time, and the rich diligently anoint themselves -with ghee, whilst the poorer classes use remnants of fat from the lamps. -Their freedom of manners renders a public flogging occasionally -indispensable. Before the operation begins, a few gourds full of cold -water are poured over their heads and shoulders, after which a single- -thonged whip is applied with vigour. [25] - -Both sexes are celebrated for laxity of morals. High and low indulge -freely in intoxicating drinks, beer, and mead. The Amir has established -strict patrols, who unmercifully bastinado those caught in the streets -after a certain hour. They are extremely bigoted, especially against -Christians, the effect of their Abyssinian wars, and are fond of -"Jihading" with the Gallas, over whom they boast many a victory. I have -seen a letter addressed by the late Amir to the Hajj Sharmarkay, in which -he boasts of having slain a thousand infidels, and, by way of bathos, begs -for a few pounds of English gunpowder. The Harari hold foreigners in -especial hate and contempt, and divide them into two orders, Arabs and -Somal. [26] The latter, though nearly one third of the population, or 2500 -souls, are, to use their own phrase, cheap as dust: their natural timidity -is increased by the show of pomp and power, whilst the word "prison" gives -them the horrors. - -The other inhabitants are about 3000 Bedouins, who "come and go." Up to -the city gates the country is peopled by the Gallas. This unruly race -requires to be propitiated by presents of cloth; as many as 600 Tobes are -annually distributed amongst them by the Amir. Lately, when the smallpox, -spreading from the city, destroyed many of their number, the relations of -the deceased demanded and received blood-money: they might easily capture -the place, but they preserve it for their own convenience. These Gallas -are tolerably brave, avoid matchlock balls by throwing themselves upon the -ground when they see the flash, ride well, use the spear skilfully, and -although of a proverbially bad breed, are favourably spoken of by the -citizens. The Somal find no difficulty in travelling amongst them. I -repeatedly heard at Zayla and at Harar that traders had visited the far -West, traversing for seven months a country of pagans wearing golden -bracelets [27], till they reached the Salt Sea, upon which Franks sail in -ships. [28] At Wilensi, one Mohammed, a Shaykhash, gave me his itinerary -of fifteen stages to the sources of the Abbay or Blue Nile: he confirmed -the vulgar Somali report that the Hawash and the Webbe Shebayli both take -rise in the same range of well wooded mountains which gives birth to the -river of Egypt. - -The government of Harar is the Amir. These petty princes have a habit of -killing and imprisoning all those who are suspected of aspiring to the -throne. [29] Ahmed's greatgrandfather died in jail, and his father -narrowly escaped the same fate. When the present Amir ascended the throne -he was ordered, it is said, by the Makad or chief of the Nole Gallas, to -release his prisoners, or to mount his horse and leave the city. Three of -his cousins, however, were, when I visited Harar, in confinement: one of -them since that time died, and has been buried in his fetters. The Somal -declare that the state-dungeon of Harar is beneath the palace, and that he -who once enters it, lives with unkempt beard and untrimmed nails until the -day when death sets him free. - -The Amir Ahmed's health is infirm. Some attribute his weakness to a fall -from a horse, others declare him to have been poisoned by one of his -wives. [30] I judged him consumptive. Shortly after my departure he was -upon the point of death, and he afterwards sent for a physician to Aden. -He has four wives. No. 1. is the daughter of the Gerad Hirsi; No. 2. a -Sayyid woman of Harar; No. 3. an emancipated slave girl; and No. 4. a -daughter of Gerad Abd el Majid, one of his nobles. He has two sons, who -will probably never ascend the throne; one is an infant, the other is a -boy now about five years old. - -[Illustration] - -The Amir Ahmed succeeded his father about three years ago. His rule is -severe if not just, and it has all the _prestige_ of secresy. As the -Amharas say, the "belly of the Master is not known:" even the Gerad -Mohammed, though summoned to council at all times, in sickness as in -health, dares not offer uncalled-for advice, and the queen dowager, the -Gisti Fatimah, was threatened with fetters if she persisted in -interference. Ahmed's principal occupations are spying his many stalwart -cousins, indulging in vain fears of the English, the Turks, and the Hajj -Sharmarkay, and amassing treasure by commerce and escheats. He judges -civil and religious causes in person, but he allows them with little -interference to be settled by the Kazi, Abd el Rahman bin Umar el Harari: -the latter, though a highly respectable person, is seldom troubled; rapid -decision being the general predilection. The punishments, when money forms -no part of them, are mostly according to Koranic code. The murderer is -placed in the market street, blindfolded, and bound hand and foot; the -nearest of kin to the deceased then strikes his neck with a sharp and -heavy butcher's knife, and the corpse is given over to the relations for -Moslem burial. If the blow prove ineffectual a pardon is generally -granted. When a citizen draws dagger upon another or commits any petty -offence, he is bastinadoed in a peculiar manner: two men ply their -horsewhips upon his back and breast, and the prince, in whose presence the -punishment is carried out, gives the order to stop. Theft is visited with -amputation of the hand. The prison is the award of state offenders: it is -terrible, because the captive is heavily ironed, lies in a filthy dungeon, -and receives no food but what he can obtain from his own family,--seldom -liberal under such circumstances,--buy or beg from his guards. Fines and -confiscations, as usual in the East, are favourite punishments with the -ruler. I met at Wilensi an old Harari, whose gardens and property had all -been escheated, because his son fled from justice, after slaying a man. -The Amir is said to have large hoards of silver, coffee, and ivory: my -attendant the Hammal was once admitted into the inner palace, where he saw -huge boxes of ancient fashion supposed to contain dollars. The only specie -current in Harar is a diminutive brass piece called Mahallak [31]--hand- -worked and almost as artless a medium as a modern Italian coin. It bears -on one side the words: - - [Arabic] - (Zaribat el Harar, the coinage of Harar.) - -On the reverse is the date, A.H. 1248. The Amir pitilessly punishes all -those who pass in the city any other coin. - -The Amir Ahmed is alive to the fact that some state should hedge in a -prince. Neither weapons nor rosaries are allowed in his presence; a -chamberlain's robe acts as spittoon; whenever anything is given to or -taken from him his hand must be kissed; even on horseback two attendants -fan him with the hems of their garments. Except when engaged on the -Haronic visits which he, like his father [32], pays to the streets and -byways at night, he is always surrounded by a strong body guard. He rides -to mosque escorted by a dozen horsemen, and a score of footmen with guns -and whips precede him: by his side walks an officer shading him with a -huge and heavily fringed red satin umbrella,--from India to Abyssinia the -sign of princely dignity. Even at his prayers two or three chosen -matchlockmen stand over him with lighted fusees. When he rides forth in -public, he is escorted by a party of fifty men: the running footmen crack -their whips and shout "Let! Let!" (Go! Go!) and the citizens avoid stripes -by retreating into the nearest house, or running into another street. - -The army of Harar is not imposing. There are between forty and fifty -matchlockmen of Arab origin, long settled in the place, and commanded by a -veteran Maghrebi. They receive for pay one dollar's worth of holcus per -annum, a quantity sufficient to afford five or six loaves a day: the -luxuries of life must be provided by the exercise of some peaceful craft. -Including slaves, the total of armed men may be two hundred: of these one -carries a Somali or Galla spear, another a dagger, and a third a sword, -which is generally the old German cavalry blade. Cannon of small calibre -is supposed to be concealed in the palace, but none probably knows their -use. The city may contain thirty horses, of which a dozen are royal -property: they are miserable ponies, but well trained to the rocks and -hills. The Galla Bedouins would oppose an invader with a strong force of -spearmen, the approaches to the city are difficult and dangerous, but it -is commanded from the north and west, and the walls would crumble at the -touch of a six-pounder. Three hundred Arabs and two gallopper guns would -take Harar in an hour. - -Harar is essentially a commercial town: its citizens live, like those of -Zayla, by systematically defrauding the Galla Bedouins, and the Amir has -made it a penal offence to buy by weight and scale. He receives, as -octroi, from eight to fifteen cubits of Cutch canvass for every donkey- -load passing the gates, consequently the beast is so burdened that it must -be supported by the drivers. Cultivators are taxed ten per cent., the -general and easy rate of this part of Africa, but they pay in kind, which -considerably increases the Government share. The greatest merchant may -bring to Harar 50_l._ worth of goods, and he who has 20_l._ of capital is -considered a wealthy man. The citizens seem to have a more than Asiatic -apathy, even in pursuit of gain. When we entered, a caravan was to set out -for Zayla on the morrow; after ten days, hardly one half of its number had -mustered. The four marches from the city eastward are rarely made under a -fortnight, and the average rate of their Kafilahs is not so high even as -that of the Somal. - -The principal exports from Harar are slaves, ivory, coffee, tobacco, Wars -(safflower or bastard saffron), Tobes and woven cottons, mules, holcus, -wheat, "Karanji," a kind of bread used by travellers, ghee, honey, gums -(principally mastic and myrrh), and finally sheep's fat and tallows of all -sorts. The imports are American sheeting, and other cottons, white and -dyed, muslins, red shawls, silks, brass, sheet copper, cutlery (generally -the cheap German), Birmingham trinkets, beads and coral, dates, rice, and -loaf sugar, gunpowder, paper, and the various other wants of a city in the -wild. - -Harar is still, as of old [33], the great "half way house" for slaves from -Zangaro, Gurague, and the Galla tribes, Alo and others [34]: Abyssinians -and Amharas, the most valued [35], have become rare since the King of Shoa -prohibited the exportation. Women vary in value from 100 to 400 Ashrafis, -boys from 9 to 150: the worst are kept for domestic purposes, the best are -driven and exported by the Western Arabs [36] or by the subjects of H. H. -the Imam of Muscat, in exchange for rice and dates. I need scarcely say -that commerce would thrive on the decline of slavery: whilst the Felateas -or man-razzias are allowed to continue, it is vain to expect industry in -the land. - -Ivory at Harar amongst the Kafirs is a royal monopoly, and the Amir -carries on the one-sided system of trade, common to African monarchs. -Elephants abound in Jarjar, the Erar forest, and in the Harirah and other -valleys, where they resort during the hot season, in cold descending to -the lower regions. The Gallas hunt the animals and receive for the spoil a -little cloth: the Amir sends his ivory to Berberah, and sells it by means -of a Wakil or agent. The smallest kind is called "Ruba Aj"(Quarter Ivory), -the better description "Nuss Aj"(Half Ivory), whilst" Aj," the best kind, -fetches from thirty-two to forty dollars per Farasilah of 27 Arab pounds. -[36] - -The coffee of Harar is too well known in the markets of Europe to require -description: it grows in the gardens about the town, in greater quantities -amongst the Western Gallas, and in perfection at Jarjar, a district of -about seven days' journey from Harar on the Efat road. It is said that the -Amir withholds this valuable article, fearing to glut the Berberah market: -he has also forbidden the Harash, or coffee cultivators, to travel lest -the art of tending the tree be lost. When I visited Harar, the price per -parcel of twenty-seven pounds was a quarter of a dollar, and the hire of a -camel carrying twelve parcels to Berberah was five dollars: the profit did -not repay labour and risk. - -The tobacco of Harar is of a light yellow color, with good flavour, and -might be advantageously mixed with Syrian and other growths. The Alo, or -Western Gallas, the principal cultivators, plant it with the holcus, and -reap it about five months afterwards. It is cocked for a fortnight, the -woody part is removed, and the leaf is packed in sacks for transportation -to Berberah. At Harar, men prefer it for chewing as well as smoking: women -generally use Surat tobacco. It is bought, like all similar articles, by -the eye, and about seventy pounds are to be had for a dollar. - -The Wars or Safflower is cultivated in considerable quantities around the -city: an abundance is grown in the lands of the Gallas. It is sown when -the heavy rains have ceased, and is gathered about two months afterwards. -This article, together with slaves, forms the staple commerce between -Berberah and Muscat. In Arabia, men dye with it their cotton shirts, women -and children use it to stain the skin a bright yellow; besides the purpose -of a cosmetic, it also serves as a preservative against cold. When Wars is -cheap at Harar, a pound may be bought for a quarter of a dollar. - -The Tobes and sashes of Harar are considered equal to the celebrated -cloths of Shoa: hand-woven, they as far surpass, in beauty and durability, -the vapid produce of European manufactories, as the perfect hand of man -excels the finest machinery. On the windward coast, one of these garments -is considered a handsome present for a chief. The Harari Tobe consists of -a double length of eleven cubits by two in breadth, with a border of -bright scarlet, and the average value of a good article, even in the city, -is eight dollars. They are made of the fine long-stapled cotton, which -grows plentifully upon these hills, and are soft as silk, whilst their -warmth admirably adapts them for winter wear. The thread is spun by women -with two wooden pins: the loom is worked by both sexes. - -Three caravans leave Harar every year for the Berberah market. The first -starts early in January, laden with coffee, Tobes, Wars, ghee, gums, and -other articles to be bartered for cottons, silks, shawls, and Surat -tobacco. The second sets out in February. The principal caravan, conveying -slaves, mules, and other valuable articles, enters Berberah a few days -before the close of the season: it numbers about 3000 souls, and is -commanded by one of the Amir's principal officers, who enjoys the title of -Ebi or leader. Any or all of these kafilahs might be stopped by spending -four or five hundred dollars amongst the Jibril Abokr tribe, or even by a -sloop of war at the emporium. "He who commands at Berberah, holds the -beard of Harar in his hand," is a saying which I heard even within the -city walls. - -The furniture of a house at Harar is simple,--a few skins, and in rare -cases a Persian rug, stools, coarse mats, and Somali pillows, wooden -spoons, and porringers shaped with a hatchet, finished with a knife, -stained red, and brightly polished. The gourd is a conspicuous article; -smoked inside and fitted with a cover of the same material, it serves as -cup, bottle, pipe, and water-skin: a coarse and heavy kind of pottery, of -black or brown clay, is used by some of the citizens. - -The inhabitants of Harar live well. The best meat, as in Abyssinia, is -beef: it rather resembled, however, in the dry season when I ate it, the -lean and stringy sirloins of Old England in Hogarth's days. A hundred and -twenty chickens, or sixty-six full-grown fowls, may be purchased for a -dollar, and the citizens do not, like the Somal, consider them carrion. -Goat's flesh is good, and the black-faced Berberah sheep, after the rains, -is, here as elsewhere, delicious. The staff of life is holcus. Fruit grows -almost wild, but it is not prized as an article of food; the plantains are -coarse and bad, grapes seldom come to maturity; although the brab -flourishes in every ravine, and the palm becomes a lofty tree, it has not -been taught to fructify, and the citizens do not know how to dress, -preserve, or pickle their limes and citrons. No vegetables but gourds are -known. From the cane, which thrives upon these hills, a little sugar is -made: the honey, of which, as the Abyssinians say, "the land stinks," is -the general sweetener. The condiment of East Africa, is red pepper. - - * * * * * - -To resume, dear L., the thread of our adventures at Harar. - -Immediately after arrival, we were called upon by the Arabs, a strange -mixture. One, the Haji Mukhtar, was a Maghrebi from Fez: an expatriation -of forty years had changed his hissing Arabic as little as his "rocky -face." This worthy had a coffee-garden assigned to him, as commander of -the Amir's body-guard: he introduced himself to us, however, as a -merchant, which led us to look upon him as a spy. Another, Haji Hasan, was -a thorough-bred Persian: he seemed to know everybody, and was on terms of -bosom friendship with half the world from Cairo to Calcutta, Moslem, -Christian and Pagan. Amongst the rest was a boy from Meccah, a Muscat man, -a native of Suez, and a citizen of Damascus: the others were Arabs from -Yemen. All were most civil to us at first; but, afterwards, when our -interviews with the Amir ceased, they took alarm, and prudently cut us. - -The Arabs were succeeded by the Somal, amongst whom the Hammal and Long -Guled found relatives, friends, and acquaintances, who readily recognised -them as government servants at Aden. These visitors at first came in fear -and trembling with visions of the Harar jail: they desired my men to -return the visit by night, and made frequent excuses for apparent want of -hospitality. Their apprehensions, however, soon vanished: presently they -began to prepare entertainments, and, as we were without money, they -willingly supplied us with certain comforts of life. Our three Habr Awal -enemies, seeing the tide of fortune settling in our favour, changed their -tactics: they threw the past upon their two Harari companions, and -proposed themselves as Abbans on our return to Berberah. This offer was -politely staved off; in the first place we were already provided with -protectors, and secondly these men belonged to the Ayyal Shirdon, a clan -most hostile to the Habr Gerhajis. They did not fail to do us all the harm -in their power, but again my good star triumphed. - -After a day's repose, we were summoned by the Treasurer, early in the -forenoon, to wait upon the Gerad Mohammed. Sword in hand, and followed by -the Hammal and Long Guled, I walked to the "palace," and entering a little -ground-floor-room on the right of and close to the audience-hall, found -the minister sitting upon a large dais covered with Persian carpets. He -was surrounded by six of his brother Gerads or councillors, two of them in -turbans, the rest with bare and shaven heads: their Tobes, as is customary -on such occasions of ceremony, were allowed to fall beneath the waist. The -lower part of the hovel was covered with dependents, amongst whom my Somal -took their seats: it seemed to be customs' time, for names were being -registered, and money changed hands. The Grandees were eating Kat, or as -it is here called "Jat." [37] One of the party prepared for the Prime -Minister the tenderest twigs of the tree, plucking off the points of even -the softest leaves. Another pounded the plant with a little water in a -wooden mortar: of this paste, called "El Madkuk," a bit was handed to each -person, who, rolling it into a ball, dropped it into his mouth. All at -times, as is the custom, drank cold water from a smoked gourd, and seemed -to dwell upon the sweet and pleasant draught. I could not but remark the -fine flavour of the plant after the coarser quality grown in Yemen. -Europeans perceive but little effect from it--friend S. and I once tried -in vain a strong infusion--the Arabs, however, unaccustomed to stimulants -and narcotics, declare that, like opium eaters, they cannot live without -the excitement. It seems to produce in them a manner of dreamy enjoyment, -which, exaggerated by time and distance, may have given rise to that -splendid myth the Lotos, and the Lotophagi. It is held by the Ulema here -as in Arabia, "Akl el Salikin," or the Food of the Pious, and literati -remark that it has the singular properties of enlivening the imagination, -clearing the ideas, cheering the heart, diminishing sleep, and taking the -place of food. The people of Harar eat it every day from 9 A.M. till near -noon, when they dine and afterwards indulge in something stronger,-- -millet-beer and mead. - -The Gerad, after polite inquiries, seated me by his right hand upon the -Dais, where I ate Kat and fingered my rosary, whilst he transacted the -business of the day. Then one of the elders took from a little recess in -the wall a large book, and uncovering it, began to recite a long Dua or -Blessing upon the Prophet: at the end of each period all present intoned -the response, "Allah bless our Lord Mohammed with his Progeny and his -Companions, one and all!" This exercise lasting half an hour afforded me -the opportunity,--much desired,--of making an impression. The reader, -misled by a marginal reference, happened to say, "angels, Men, and Genii:" -the Gerad took the book and found written, "Men, Angels, and Genii." -Opinions were divided as to the order of beings, when I explained that -human nature, which amongst Moslems is _not_ a little lower than the -angelic, ranked highest, because of it were created prophets, apostles, -and saints, whereas the other is but a "Wasitah" or connection between the -Creator and his creatures. My theology won general approbation and a few -kinder glances from the elders. - -Prayer concluded, a chamberlain whispered the Gerad, who arose, deposited -his black coral rosary, took up an inkstand, donned a white "Badan" or -sleeveless Arab cloak over his cotton shirt, shuffled off the Dais into -his slippers, and disappeared. Presently we were summoned to an interview -with the Amir: this time I was allowed to approach the outer door with -covered feet. Entering ceremoniously as before, I was motioned by the -Prince to sit near the Gerad, who occupied a Persian rug on the ground to -the right of the throne: my two attendants squatted upon the humbler mats -in front and at a greater distance. After sundry inquiries about the -changes that had taken place at Aden, the letter was suddenly produced by -the Amir, who looked upon it suspiciously and bade me explain its -contents. I was then asked by the Gerad whether it was my intention to buy -and sell at Harar: the reply was, "We are no buyers nor sellers [38]; we -have become your guests to pay our respects to the Amir--whom may Allah -preserve!--and that the friendship between the two powers may endure." -This appearing satisfactory, I added, in lively remembrance of the -proverbial delays of Africa, where two or three months may elapse before a -letter is answered or a verbal message delivered, that perhaps the Prince -would be pleased to dismiss us soon, as the air of Harar was too dry for -me, and my attendants were in danger of the small-pox, then raging in the -town. The Amir, who was chary of words, bent towards the Gerad, who -briefly ejaculated, "The reply will be vouchsafed:" with this -unsatisfactory answer the interview ended. - -Shortly after arrival, I sent my Salam to one of the Ulema, Shaykh Jami of -the Berteri Somal: he accepted the excuse of ill health, and at once came -to see me. This personage appeared in the form of a little black man aged -about forty, deeply pitted by small-pox, with a protruding brow, a tufty -beard and rather delicate features: his hands and feet were remarkably -small. Married to a descendant of the Sherif Yunis, he had acquired great -reputation as an Alim or Savan, a peace-policy-man, and an ardent Moslem. -Though an imperfect Arabic scholar, he proved remarkably well read in the -religious sciences, and even the Meccans had, it was said, paid him the -respect of kissing his hand during his pilgrimage. In his second -character, his success was not remarkable, the principal results being a -spear-thrust in the head, and being generally told to read his books and -leave men alone. Yet he is always doing good "lillah," that is to say, -gratis and for Allah's sake: his pugnacity and bluntness--the prerogatives -of the "peaceful"--gave him some authority over the Amir, and he has often -been employed on political missions amongst the different chiefs. Nor has -his ardour for propagandism been thoroughly gratified. He commenced his -travels with an intention of winning the crown of glory without delay, by -murdering the British Resident at Aden [39]: struck, however, with the -order and justice of our rule, he changed his intentions and offered El -Islam to the officer, who received it so urbanely, that the simple Eastern -repenting having intended to cut the Kafir's throat, began to pray -fervently for his conversion. Since that time he has made it a point of -duty to attempt every infidel: I never heard, however, that he succeeded -with a soul. - -The Shaykh's first visit did not end well. He informed me that the old -Usmanlis conquered Stamboul in the days of Umar. I imprudently objected to -the date, and he revenged himself for the injury done to his fame by the -favourite ecclesiastical process of privily damning me for a heretic, and -a worse than heathen. Moreover he had sent me a kind of ritual which I had -perused in an hour and returned to him: this prepossessed the Shaykh -strongly against me, lightly "skimming" books being a form of idleness as -yet unknown to the ponderous East. Our days at Harar were monotonous -enough. In the morning we looked to the mules, drove out the cats--as -great a nuisance here as at Aden--and ate for breakfast lumps of boiled -beef with peppered holcus-scones. We were kindly looked upon by one -Sultan, a sick and decrepid Eunuch, who having served five Amirs, was -allowed to remain in the palace. To appearance he was mad: he wore upon -his poll a motley scratch wig, half white and half black, like Day and -Night in masquerades. But his conduct was sane. At dawn he sent us bad -plantains, wheaten crusts, and cups of unpalatable coffee-tea [40], and, -assisted by a crone more decrepid than himself, prepared for me his water- -pipe, a gourd fitted with two reeds and a tile of baked clay by way of -bowl: now he "knagged" at the slave girls, who were slow to work, then -burst into a fury because some visitor ate Kat without offering it to him, -or crossed the royal threshold in sandal or slipper. The other inmates of -the house were Galla slave-girls, a great nuisance, especially one -Berille, an unlovely maid, whose shrill voice and shameless manners were a -sad scandal to pilgrims and pious Moslems. - -About 8 A.M. the Somal sent us gifts of citrons, plantains, sugar-cane, -limes, wheaten bread, and stewed fowls. At the same time the house became -full of visitors, Harari and others, most of them pretexting inquiries -after old Sultan's health. Noon was generally followed by a little -solitude, the people retiring to dinner and siesta: we were then again -provided with bread and beef from the Amir's kitchen. In the afternoon the -house again filled, and the visitors dispersed only for supper. Before -sunset we were careful to visit the mules tethered in the court-yard; -being half starved they often attempted to desert. [41] - -It was harvest home at Harar, a circumstance which worked us much annoy. -In the mornings the Amir, attended by forty or fifty guards, rode to a -hill north of the city, where he inspected his Galla reapers and -threshers, and these men were feasted every evening at our quarters with -flesh, beer, and mead. [42] The strong drinks caused many a wordy war, and -we made a point of exhorting the pagans, with poor success I own, to purer -lives. - -We spent our _soiree_ alternately bepreaching the Gallas, "chaffing" Mad -Said, who, despite his seventy years, was a hale old Bedouin, with a salt -and sullen repartee, and quarrelling with the slave-girls. Berille the -loud-lunged, or Aminah the pert, would insist upon extinguishing the fat- -fed lamp long ere bed-time, or would enter the room singing, laughing, -dancing, and clapping a measure with their palms, when, stoutly aided by -old Sultan, who shrieked like a hyaena on these occasions, we ejected her -in extreme indignation. All then was silence without: not so--alas!-- -within. Mad Said snored fearfully, and Abtidon chatted half the night with -some Bedouin friend, who had dropped in to supper. On our hard couches we -did not enjoy either the _noctes_ or the _coenoe deorum_. - -The even tenor of such days was varied by a perpetual reference to the -rosary, consulting soothsayers, and listening to reports and rumours -brought to us by the Somal in such profusion that we all sighed for a -discontinuance. The Gerad Mohammed, excited by the Habr Awal, was curious -in his inquiries concerning me: the astute Senior had heard of our leaving -the End of Time with the Gerad Adan, and his mind fell into the fancy that -we were transacting some business for the Hajj Sharmarkay, the popular -bugbear of Harar. Our fate was probably decided by the arrival of a youth -of the Ayyal Gedid clan, who reported that three brothers had landed in -the Somali country, that two of them were anxiously awaiting at Berberah -the return of the third from Harar, and that, though dressed like Moslems, -they were really Englishmen in government employ. Visions of cutting off -caravans began to assume a hard and palpable form: the Habr Awal ceased -intriguing, and the Gerad Mohammed resolved to adopt the _suaviter in -modo_ whilst dealing with his dangerous guest. - -Some days after his first visit, the Shaykh Jami, sending for the Hammal, -informed him of an intended trip from Harar: my follower suggested that we -might well escort him. The good Shaykh at once offered to apply for leave -from the Gerad Mohammed; not, however, finding the minister at home, he -asked us to meet him at the palace on the morrow, about the time of Kat- -eating. - -We had so often been disappointed in our hopes of a final "lay-public," -that on this occasion much was not expected. However, about 6 A.M., we -were all summoned, and entering the Gerad's levee-room were, as usual, -courteously received. I had distinguished his complaint,--chronic -bronchitis,--and resolving to make a final impression, related to him all -its symptoms, and promised, on reaching Aden, to send the different -remedies employed by ourselves. He clung to the hope of escaping his -sufferings, whilst the attendant courtiers looked on approvingly, and -begged me to lose no time. Presently the Gerad was sent for by the Amir, -and after a few minutes I followed him, on this occasion, alone. Ensued a -long conversation about the state of Aden, of Zayla, of Berberah, and of -Stamboul. The chief put a variety of questions about Arabia, and every -object there: the answer was that the necessity of commerce confined us to -the gloomy rock. He used some obliging expressions about desiring our -friendship, and having considerable respect for a people who built, he -understood, large ships. I took the opportunity of praising Harar in -cautious phrase, and especially of regretting that its coffee was not -better known amongst the Franks. The small wizen-faced man smiled, as -Moslems say, the smile of Umar [43]: seeing his brow relax for the first -time, I told him that, being now restored to health, we requested his -commands for Aden. He signified consent with a nod, and the Gerad, with -many compliments, gave me a letter addressed to the Political Resident, -and requested me to take charge of a mule as a present. I then arose, -recited a short prayer, the gist of which was that the Amir's days and -reign might be long in the land, and that the faces of his foes might be -blackened here and hereafter, bent over his hand and retired. Returning to -the Gerad's levee-hut, I saw by the countenances of my two attendants that -they were not a little anxious about the interview, and comforted them -with the whispered word "Achha"--"all right!" - -Presently appeared the Gerad, accompanied by two men, who brought my -servants' arms, and the revolver which I had sent to the prince. This was -a _contretemps_. It was clearly impossible to take back the present, -besides which, I suspected some finesse to discover my feelings towards -him: the other course would ensure delay. I told the Gerad that the weapon -was intended especially to preserve the Amir's life, and for further -effect, snapped caps in rapid succession to the infinite terror of the -august company. The minister returned to his master, and soon brought back -the information that after a day or two another mule should be given to -me. With suitable acknowledgments we arose, blessed the Gerad, bade adieu -to the assembly, and departed joyful, the Hammal in his glee speaking -broken English, even in the Amir's courtyard. - -Returning home, we found the good Shaykh Jami, to whom we communicated the -news with many thanks for his friendly aid. I did my best to smooth his -temper about Turkish history, and succeeded. Becoming communicative, he -informed me that the original object, of his visit was the offer of good -offices, he having been informed that, in the town was a man who brought -down the birds from heaven, and the citizens having been thrown into great -excitement by the probable intentions of such a personage. Whilst he sat -with us, Kabir Khalil, one of the principal Ulema, and one Haji Abdullah, -a Shaykh of distinguished fame who had been dreaming dreams in our favour, -sent their salams. This is one of the many occasions in which, during a -long residence in the East, I have had reason to be grateful to the -learned, whose influence over the people when unbiassed by bigotry is -decidedly for good. That evening there was great joy amongst the Somal, -who had been alarmed for the safety of my companions: they brought them -presents of Harari Tobes, and a feast of fowls, limes, and wheaten bread -for the stranger. - -On the 11th of January I was sent for by the Gerad and received the second -mule. At noon we were visited by the Shaykh Jami, who, after a long -discourse upon the subject of Sufiism [44], invited me to inspect his -books. When midday prayer was concluded we walked to his house, which -occupies the very centre of the city: in its courtyard is "Gay Humburti," -the historic rock upon which Saint Nur held converse with the Prophet -Khizr. The Shaykh, after seating us in a room about ten feet square, and -lined with scholars and dusty tomes, began reading out a treatise upon the -genealogies of the Grand Masters, and showed me in half a dozen tracts the -tenets of the different schools. The only valuable MS. in the place was a -fine old copy of the Koran; the Kamus and the Sihah were there [45], but -by no means remarkable for beauty or correctness. Books at Harar are -mostly antiques, copyists being exceedingly rare, and the square massive -character is more like Cufic with diacritical points, than the graceful -modern Naskhi. I could not, however, but admire the bindings: no Eastern -country save Persia surpasses them in strength and appearance. After some -desultory conversation the Shaykh ushered us into an inner room, or rather -a dark closet partitioned off from the study, and ranged us around the -usual dish of boiled beef, holcus bread, and red pepper. After returning -to the study we sat for a few minutes,--Easterns rarely remain long after -dinner,--and took leave, saying that we must call upon the Gerad Mohammed. - -Nothing worthy of mention occurred during our final visit to the minister. -He begged me not to forget his remedies when we reached Aden: I told him -that without further loss of time we would start on the morrow, Friday, -after prayers, and he simply ejaculated, "It is well, if Allah please!" -Scarcely had we returned home, when the clouds, which had been gathering -since noon, began to discharge heavy showers, and a few loud thunder-claps -to reverberate amongst the hills. We passed that evening surrounded by the -Somal, who charged us with letters and many messages to Berberah. Our -intention was to mount early on Friday morning. When we awoke, however, a -mule had strayed and was not brought back for some hours. Before noon -Shaykh Jami called upon us, informed us that he would travel on the most -auspicious day--Monday--and exhorted us to patience, deprecating departure -upon Friday, the Sabbath. Then he arose to take leave, blessed us at some -length, prayed that we might be borne upon the wings of safety, again -advised Monday, and promised at all events to meet us at Wilensi. - -I fear that the Shaykh's counsel was on this occasion likely to be -disregarded. We had been absent from our goods and chattels a whole -fortnight: the people of Harar are famously fickle; we knew not what the -morrow might bring forth from the Amir's mind--in fact, all these African -cities are prisons on a large scale, into which you enter by your own -will, and, as the significant proverb says, you leave by another's. -However, when the mosque prayers ended, a heavy shower and the stormy -aspect of the sky preached patience more effectually than did the divine: -we carefully tethered our mules, and unwillingly deferred our departure -till next morning. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] The Ashantees at customs' time run across the royal threshold to -escape being seized and sacrificed; possibly the trace of the pagan rite -is still preserved by Moslem Harar, where it is now held a mark of respect -and always exacted from the citizens. - -[2] I afterwards learned that when a man neglects a summons his door is -removed to the royal court-yard on the first day; on the second, it is -confiscated. The door is a valuable and venerable article in this part of -Africa. According to Bruce, Ptolemy Euergetes engraved it upon the Axum -Obelisk for the benefit of his newly conquered AEthiopian subjects, to whom -it had been unknown. - -[3] In Abyssinia, according to the Lord of Geesh, this is a mark of royal -familiarity and confidence. - -[4] About seven years ago the Hajj Sharmarkay of Zayla chose as his agent -at Harar, one of the Amir's officers, a certain Hajj Jamitay. When this -man died Sharmarkay demanded an account from his sons; at Berberah they -promised to give it, but returning to Harar they were persuaded, it is -believed, by the Gerad Mohammed, to forget their word. Upon this -Sharmarkay's friends and relations, incited by one Husayn, a Somali who -had lived many years at Harar in the Amir's favour, wrote an insulting -letter to the Gerad, beginning with, "No peace be upon thee, and no -blessings of Allah, thou butcher! son of a butcher &c. &c.!" and -concluding with a threat to pinion him in the market-place as a warning to -men. Husayn carried the letter, which at first excited general terror; -when, however, the attack did not take place, the Amir Abubakr imprisoned -the imprudent Somali till he died. Sharmarkay by way of reprisals -persuaded Alu, son of Sahlah Salaseh, king of Shoa, to seize about three -hundred Harari citizens living in his dominions and to keep them two years -in durance. - -The Amir Abubakr is said on his deathbed to have warned his son against -the Gerad. When Ahmad reported his father's decease to Zayla, the Hajj -Sharmarkay ordered a grand Maulid or Mass in honour of the departed. Since -that time, however, there has been little intercourse and no cordiality -between them. - -[5] Thus M. Isenberg (Preface to Ambaric Grammar, p. iv.) calls the city -Harrar or Ararge. - -[6] "Harar," is not an uncommon name in this part of Eastern Africa: -according to some, the city is so called from a kind of tree, according to -others, from the valley below it. - -[7] I say _about_: we were compelled to boil our thermometers at Wilensi, -not venturing upon such operation within the city. - -[8] The other six were Efat, Arabini, Duaro, Sharka, Bali and Darah. - -[9] A circumstantial account of the Jihad or Moslem crusades is, I am -told, given in the Fath el Habashah, unfortunately a rare work. The Amir -of Harar had but one volume, and the other is to be found at Mocha or -Hudaydah. - -[10] This prince built "Debra Berhan," the "Hill of glory," a church -dedicated to the Virgin Mary at Gondar. - -[11] A prince of many titles: he is generally called Wanag Suggad, "feared -amongst the lions," because he spent the latter years of his life in the -wild. - -[12] Yemen submitted to Sulayman Pasha in A.D. 1538. - -[13] "Gragne," or in the Somali dialect "Guray," means a left-handed man; -Father Lobo errs in translating it "the Lame." - -[14] This exploit has been erroneously attributed to Nur, the successor of -Mohammed. - -[15] This reverend Jesuit was commissioned in A.D. 1622, by the Count de -Vidigueira, Viceroy of the Indies, to discover where his relative Don -Christopher was buried, and to procure some of the relics. Assisted by the -son in law of the Abyssinian Emperor, Lobo marched with an army through -the Gallas, found the martyr's teeth and lower jaw, his arms and a picture -of the Holy Virgin which he always carried about him. The precious remains -were forwarded to Goa. - -I love the style of this old father, so unjustly depreciated by our -writers, and called ignorant peasant and liar by Bruce, because he claimed -for his fellow countrymen the honor of having discovered the Coy -Fountains. The Nemesis who never sleeps punished Bruce by the justest of -retributions. His pompous and inflated style, his uncommon arrogance, and -over-weening vanity, his affectation of pedantry, his many errors and -misrepresentations, aroused against him a spirit which embittered the last -years of his life. It is now the fashion to laud Bruce, and to pity his -misfortunes. I cannot but think that he deserved them. - -[16] Bruce, followed by most of our modern authors, relates a -circumstantial and romantic story of the betrayal of Don Christopher by -his mistress, a Turkish lady of uncommon beauty, who had been made -prisoner. - -The more truth-like pages of Father Lobo record no such silly scandal -against the memory of the "brave and holy Portuguese." Those who are well -read in the works of the earlier eastern travellers will remember their -horror of "handling heathens after that fashion." And amongst those who -fought for the faith an _affaire de coeur_ with a pretty pagan was held to -be a sin as deadly as heresy or magic. - -[17] Romantic writers relate that Mohammed decapitated the Christian with -his left hand. - -[18] Others assert, in direct contradiction to Father Lobo, that the body -was sent to different parts of Arabia, and the head to Constantinople. - -[19] Bruce, followed by later authorities, writes this name Del Wumbarea. - -[20] Talwambara, according to the Christians, after her husband's death, -and her army's defeat, threw herself into the wilds of Atbara, and -recovered her son Ali Gerad by releasing Prince Menas, the brother of the -Abyssinian emperor, who in David's reign had been carried prisoner to -Adel. - -The historian will admire these two widely different accounts of the left- -handed hero's death. Upon the whole he will prefer the Moslem's tradition -from the air of truth pervading it, and the various improbabilities which -appear in the more detailed story of the Christians. - -[21] Formerly the Waraba, creeping through the holes in the wall, rendered -the streets dangerous at night. They are now destroyed by opening the -gates in the evening, enticing in the animals by slaughtering cattle, and -closing the doors upon them, when they are safely speared. - -[22] The following are the names of the gates in Harari and Somali: - -_Eastward._ Argob Bari (Bar in Amharic is a gate, _e.g._ Ankobar, the gate -of Anko, a Galla Queen, and Argob is the name of a Galla clan living in -this quarter), by the Somal called Erar. - -_North._ Asum Bari (the gate of Axum), in Somali, Faldano or the Zayla -entrance. - -_West._ Asmadim Bari or Hamaraisa. - -_South._ Badro Bari or Bab Bida. - -_South East._ Sukutal Bari or Bisidimo. - -At all times these gates are carefully guarded; in the evening the keys -are taken to the Amir, after which no one can leave the city till dawn. - -[23] Kabir in Arabic means great, and is usually applied to the Almighty; -here it is a title given to the principal professors of religious science. - -[24] This is equivalent to saying that the language of the Basque -provinces is French with an affinity to English. - -[25] When ladies are bastinadoed in more modest Persia, their hands are -passed through a hole in a tent wall, and fastened for the infliction to a -Falakah or pole outside. - -[26] The hate dates from old times. Abd el Karim, uncle to the late Amir -Abubakr, sent for sixty or seventy Arab mercenaries under Haydar Assal the -Auliki, to save him against the Gallas. The matchlockmen failing in -ammunition, lost twenty of their number in battle and retired to the town, -where the Gallas, after capturing Abd el Karim, and his brother Abd el -Rahman, seized the throne, and, aided by the citizens, attempted to -massacre the strangers. These, however, defended themselves gallantly, and -would have crowned the son of Abd el Rahman, had he not in fear declined -the dignity; they then drew their pay, and marched with all the honors of -war to Zayla. - -Shortly before our arrival, the dozen of petty Arab pedlars at Harar, -treacherous intriguers, like all their dangerous race, had been plotting -against the Amir. One morning when they least expected it, their chief was -thrown into a prison which proved his grave, and the rest were informed -that any stranger found in the city should lose his head. After wandering -some months among the neighbouring villages, they were allowed to return -and live under surveillance. No one at Harar dared to speak of this event, -and we were cautioned not to indulge our curiosity. - -[27] This agrees with the Hon. R. Curzon's belief in Central African -"diggings." The traveller once saw an individual descending the Nile with -a store of nuggets, bracelets, and gold rings similar to those used as -money by the ancient Egyptians. - -[28] M. Krapf relates a tale current in Abyssinia; namely, that there is a -remnant of the slave trade between Guineh (the Guinea coast) and Shoa. -Connexion between the east and west formerly existed: in the time of John -the Second, the Portuguese on the river Zaire in Congo learned the -existence of the Abyssinian church. Travellers in Western Africa assert -that Fakihs or priests, when performing the pilgrimage pass from the -Fellatah country through Abyssinia to the coast of the Red Sea. And it has -lately been proved that a caravan line is open from the Zanzibar coast to -Benguela. - -[29] All male collaterals of the royal family, however, are not imprisoned -by law, as was formerly the case at Shoa. - -[30] This is a mere superstition; none but the most credulous can believe -that a man ever lives after an Eastern dose. - -[31] The name and coin are Abyssinian. According to Bruce, - - 20 Mahallaks are worth 1 Grush. - 12 Grush " " 1 Miskal. - 4 Miskal " " 1 Wakiyah (ounce). - -At Harar twenty-two plantains (the only small change) = one Mahallak, -twenty-two Mahallaks = one Ashrafi (now a nominal coin,) and three Ashrafi -= one dollar. - -Lieut. Cruttenden remarks, "The Ashrafi stamped at the Harar mint is a -coin peculiar to the place. It is of silver and the twenty-second part of -a dollar. The only specimen I have been able to procure bore the date of -910 of the Hagira, with the name of the Amir on one side, and, on its -reverse, 'La Ilaha ill 'Allah.'" This traveller adds in a note, "the value -of the Ashrafi changes with each successive ruler. In the reign of Emir -Abd el Shukoor, some 200 years ago, it was of gold." At present the -Ashrafi, as I have said above, is a fictitious medium used in accounts. - -[32] An old story is told of the Amir Abubakr, that during one of his -nocturnal excursions, he heard three of his subjects talking treason, and -coveting his food, his wife, and his throne. He sent for them next -morning, filled the first with good things, and bastinadoed him for not -eating more, flogged the second severely for being unable to describe the -difference between his own wife and the princess, and put the third to -death. - -[33] El Makrizi informs us that in his day Hadiyah supplied the East with -black Eunuchs, although the infamous trade was expressly forbidden by the -Emperor of Abyssinia. - -[33] The Arusi Gallas are generally driven direct from Ugadayn to -Berberah. - -[34] "If you want a brother (in arms)," says the Eastern proverb, "buy a -Nubian, if you would be rich, an Abyssinian, and if you require an ass, a -Sawahili (negro)." Formerly a small load of salt bought a boy in Southern -Abyssinia, many of them, however, died on their way to the coast. - -[35] The Firman lately issued by the Sultan and forwarded to the Pasha of -Jeddah for the Kaimakan and the Kazi of Mecca, has lately caused a kind of -revolution in Western Arabia. The Ulema and the inhabitants denounced the -rescript as opposed to the Koran, and forced the magistrate to take -sanctuary. The Kaimakan came to his assistance with Turkish troops, the -latter, however, were soon pressed back into their fort. At this time, the -Sherif Abd el Muttalib arrived at Meccah, from Taif, and almost -simultaneously Reshid Pasha came from Constantinople with orders to seize -him, send him to the capital, and appoint the Sherif Nazir to act until -the nomination of a successor, the state prisoner Mohammed bin Aun. - -The tumult redoubled. The people attributing the rescript to the English -and French Consuls of Jeddah, insisted upon pulling down their flags. The -Pasha took them under his protection, and on the 14th January, 1856, the -"Queen" steamer was despatched from Bombay, with orders to assist the -government and to suppress the contest. - -[36] This weight, as usual in the East, varies at every port. At Aden the -Farasilah is 27 lbs., at Zayla 20 lbs., and at Berberah 35 lbs. - -[37] See Chap. iii. El Makrizi, describing the kingdom of Zayla, uses the -Harari not the Arabic term; he remarks that it is unknown to Egypt and -Syria, and compares its leaf to that of the orange. - -[38] In conversational Arabic "we" is used without affectation for "I." - -[39] The Shaykh himself gave me this information. As a rule it is most -imprudent for Europeans holding high official positions in these barbarous -regions, to live as they do, unarmed and unattended. The appearance of -utter security may impose, where strong motives for assassination are -wanting. At the same time the practice has occasioned many losses which -singly, to use an Indian statesman's phrase, would have "dimmed a -victory." - -[40] In the best coffee countries, Harar and Yemen, the berry is reserved -for exportation. The Southern Arabs use for economy and health--the bean -being considered heating--the Kishr or follicle. This in Harar is a -woman's drink. The men considering the berry too dry and heating for their -arid atmosphere, toast the leaf on a girdle, pound it and prepare an -infusion which they declare to be most wholesome, but which certainly -suggests weak senna. The boiled coffee-leaf has been tried and approved of -in England; we omit, however, to toast it. - -[41] In Harar a horse or a mule is never lost, whereas an ass straying -from home is rarely seen again. - -[42] This is the Abyssinian "Tej," a word so strange to European organs, -that some authors write it "Zatsh." At Harar it is made of honey dissolved -in about fifteen parts of hot water, strained and fermented for seven days -with the bark of a tree called Kudidah; when the operation is to be -hurried, the vessel is placed near the fire. Ignorant Africa can ferment, -not distil, yet it must be owned she is skilful in her rude art. Every -traveller has praised the honey-wine of the Highlands, and some have not -scrupled to prefer it to champagne. It exhilarates, excites and acts as an -aphrodisiac; the consequence is, that at Harar all men, pagans and sages, -priests and rulers, drink it. - -[43] The Caliph Umar is said to have smiled once and wept once. The smile -was caused by the recollection of his having eaten his paste-gods in the -days of ignorance. The tear was shed in remembrance of having buried -alive, as was customary amongst the Pagan Arabs, his infant daughter, who, -whilst he placed her in the grave, with her little hands beat the dust off -his beard and garment. - -[44] The Eastern parent of Free-Masonry. - -[45] Two celebrated Arabic dictionaries. - - - - -CHAP. IX. - -A RIDE TO BERBERAH. - - -Long before dawn on Saturday, the 13th January, the mules were saddled, -bridled, and charged with our scanty luggage. After a hasty breakfast we -shook hands with old Sultan the Eunuch, mounted and pricked through the -desert streets. Suddenly my weakness and sickness left me--so potent a -drug is joy!--and, as we passed the gates loudly salaming to the warders, -who were crouching over the fire inside, a weight of care and anxiety fell -from me like a cloak of lead. - -Yet, dear L., I had time, on the top of my mule for musing upon how -melancholy a thing is success. Whilst failure inspirits a man, attainment -reads the sad prosy lesson that all our glories - - "Are shadows, not substantial things." - -Truly said the sayer, "disappointment is the salt of life"--a salutary -bitter which strengthens the mind for fresh exertion, and gives a double -value to the prize. - -This shade of melancholy soon passed away. The morning was beautiful. A -cloudless sky, then untarnished by sun, tinged with reflected blue the -mist-crowns of the distant peaks and the smoke wreaths hanging round the -sleeping villages, and the air was a cordial after the rank atmosphere of -the town. The dew hung in large diamonds from the coffee trees, the spur- -fowl crew blithely in the bushes by the way-side:--briefly, never did the -face of Nature appear to me so truly lovely. - -We hurried forwards, unwilling to lose time and fearing the sun of the -Erar valley. With arms cocked, a precaution against the possibility of -Galla spears in ambuscade, we crossed the river, entered the yawning chasm -and ascended the steep path. My companions were in the highest spirits, -nothing interfered with the general joy, but the villain Abtidon, who -loudly boasted in a road crowded with market people, that the mule which -he was riding had been given to us by the Amir as a Jizyah or tribute. The -Hammal, direfully wrath, threatened to shoot him upon the spot, and it was -not without difficulty that I calmed the storm. - -Passing Gafra we ascertained from the Midgans that the Gerad Adan had sent -for my books and stored them in his own cottage. We made in a direct line -for Kondura. At one P.M. we safely threaded the Galla's pass, and about an -hour afterwards we exclaimed "Alhamdulillah" at the sight of Sagharrah and -the distant Marar Prairie. Entering the village we discharged our fire- -arms: the women received us with the Masharrad or joy-cry, and as I passed -the enclosure the Geradah Khayrah performed the "Fola" by throwing over me -some handfuls of toasted grain. [1] The men gave cordial _poignees de -mains_, some danced with joy to see us return alive; they had heard of our -being imprisoned, bastinadoed, slaughtered; they swore that the Gerad was -raising an army to rescue or revenge us--in fact, had we been their -kinsmen more excitement could not have been displayed. Lastly, in true -humility, crept forward the End of Time, who, as he kissed my hand, was -upon the point of tears: he had been half-starved, despite his dignity as -Sharmarkay's Mercury, and had spent his weary nights and days reciting the -chapter Y.S. and fumbling the rosary for omens. The Gerad, he declared, -would have given him a sheep and one of his daughters to wife, -temporarily, but Sherwa had interfered, he had hindered the course of his -sire's generosity: "Cursed be he," exclaimed the End of Time, "who with -dirty feet defiles the pure water of the stream!" - -We entered the smoky cottage. The Gerad and his sons were at Wilensi -settling the weighty matter of a caravan which had been plundered by the -Usbayhan tribe--in their absence the good Khayrah and her daughters did -the duties of hospitality by cooking rice and a couple of fowls. A -pleasant evening was spent in recounting our perils as travellers will do, -and complimenting one another upon the power of our star. - -At eight the next morning we rode to Wilensi. As we approached it all the -wayfarers and villagers inquired Hibernically if we were the party that -had been put to death by the Amir of Harar. Loud congratulations and -shouts of joy awaited our arrival. The Kalendar was in a paroxysm of -delight: both Shehrazade and Deenarzade were affected with giggling and -what might be blushing. We reviewed our property and found that the One- -eyed had been a faithful steward, so faithful indeed, that he had well -nigh starved the two women. Presently appeared the Gerad and his sons -bringing with them my books; the former was at once invested with a gaudy -Abyssinian Tobe of many colours, in which he sallied forth from the -cottage the admired of all admirers. The pretty wife Sudiyah and the good -Khayrah were made happy by sundry gifts of huge Birmingham ear-rings, -brooches and bracelets, scissors, needles, and thread. The evening as -usual ended in a feast. - -"We halted a week at Wilensi to feed,--in truth my companions had been -faring lentenly at Harar,--and to lay in stock and strength for the long -desert march before us. A Somali was despatched to the city under orders -to load an ass with onions, tobacco, spices, wooden platters, and Karanji -[2], which our penniless condition had prevented our purchasing. I spent -the time collecting a vocabulary of the Harari tongue under the auspices -of Mad Said and All the poet, a Somali educated at the Alma Mater. He was -a small black man, long-headed and long-backed, with remarkably prominent -eyes, a bulging brow, nose pertly turned up, and lean jaws almost -unconscious of beard. He knew the Arabic, Somali, Galla, and Harari -languages, and his acuteness was such, that I found no difficulty in what -usually proves the hardest task,--extracting the grammatical forms. "A -poet, the son of a Poet," to use his own phrase, he evinced a Horatian -respect for the beverage which bards love, and his discourse, whenever it -strayed from the line of grammar, savoured of over reverence for the -goddess whom Pagans associated with Bacchus and Ceres. He was also a -patriot and a Tyrtaeus. No clan ever attacked his Girhis without smarting -under terrible sarcasms, and his sneers at the young warriors for want of -ardour in resisting Gudabirsi encroachments, were quoted as models of the -"withering." Stimulated by the present of a Tobe, he composed a song in -honor of the pilgrim: I will offer a literal translation of the exordium, -though sentient of the fact that modesty shrinks from such quotations. - - "Formerly, my sire and self held ourselves songsters: - Only to day, however, I really begin to sing. - At the order of Abdullah, Allah sent, my tongue is loosed, - The son of the Kuraysh by a thousand generations, - He hath visited Audal, and Sahil and Adari [3]; - A hundred of his ships float on the sea; - His intellect," &c. &c. &c. - -When not engaged with Ali the Poet I amused myself by consoling Mad Said, -who was deeply afflicted, his son having received an ugly stab in the -shoulder. Thinking, perhaps, that the Senior anticipated some evil results -from the wound, I attempted to remove the impression. "Alas, 0 Hajj!" -groaned the old man, "it is not that!--how can the boy be _my boy_, I who -have ever given instead of receiving stabs?" nor would he be comforted, on -account of the youth's progeniture. At other times we summoned the heads -of the clans and proceeded to write down their genealogies. This always -led to a scene beginning with piano, but rapidly rising to the strepitoso. -Each tribe and clan wished to rank first, none would be even second,--what -was to be done? When excitement was at its height, the paper and pencil -were torn out of my hand, stubby beards were pitilessly pulled, and -daggers half started from their sheaths. These quarrels were, however, -easily composed, and always passed off in storms of abuse, laughter, and -derision. - -With the end of the week's repose came Shaykh Jami, the Berteri, equipped -as a traveller with sword, praying-skin, and water-bottle. This bustling -little divine, whose hobby it was to make every man's business his own, -was accompanied by his brother, in nowise so prayerful a person, and by -four burly, black-looking Widads, of whose birth, learning, piety, and -virtues he spoke in terms eloquent. I gave them a supper of rice, ghee, -and dates in my hut, and with much difficulty excused myself on plea of -ill health from a Samrah or night's entertainment--the chaunting some -serious book from evening even to the small hours. The Shaykh informed me -that his peaceful errand on that occasion was to determine a claim of -blood-money amongst the neighbouring Bedouins. The case was rich in Somali -manners. One man gave medicine to another who happened to die about a -month afterwards: the father of the deceased at once charged the mediciner -with poisoning, and demanded the customary fine. Mad Said grumbled certain -disrespectful expressions about the propriety of divines confining -themselves to prayers and the Koran, whilst the Gerad Adan, after -listening to the Shaykh's violent denunciation of the Somali doctrine, -"Fire, but not shame!" [4] conducted his head-scratcher, and with sly -sarcasm declared that he had been Islamized afresh that day. - -On Sunday, the 21st of January, our messenger returned from Harar, -bringing with him supplies for the road: my vocabulary was finished, and -as nothing delayed us at Wilensi, I determined to set out the next day. -When the rumour went abroad every inhabitant of the village flocked to our -hut, with the view of seeing what he could beg or borrow: we were soon -obliged to close it, with peremptory orders that none be admitted but the -Shaykh Jami. The divine appeared in the afternoon accompanied by all the -incurables of the country side: after hearing the tale of the blood-money, -I determined that talismans were the best and safest of medicines in those -mountains. The Shaykh at first doubted their efficacy. But when my diploma -as a master Sufi was exhibited, a new light broke upon him and his -attendant Widads. "Verily he hath declared himself this day!" whispered -each to his neighbour, still sorely mystified. Shaykh Jami carefully -inspected the document, raised it reverently to his forehead, and muttered -some prayers: he then in humble phrase begged a copy, and required from me -"Ijazah" or permission to act as master. The former request was granted -without hesitation, about the latter I preferred to temporize: he then -owned himself my pupil, and received, as a well-merited acknowledgment of -his services, a pencil and a silk turban. - -The morning fixed for our departure came; no one, however, seemed ready to -move. The Hammal, who but the night before had been full of ardour and -activity, now hung back; we had no coffee, no water-bags, and Deenarzade -had gone to buy gourds in some distant village. This was truly African: -twenty-six days had not sufficed to do the work of a single watch! No -servants had been procured for us by the Gerad, although he had promised a -hundred whenever required. Long Guled had imprudently lent his dagger to -the smooth-tongued Yusuf Dera, who hearing of the departure, naturally -absconded. And, at the last moment, one Abdy Aman, who had engaged himself -at Harar as guide to Berberah for the sum of ten dollars, asked a score. - -A display of energy was clearly necessary. I sent the Gerad with -directions to bring the camels at once, and ordered the Hammal to pull -down the huts. Abdy Aman was told to go to Harar--or the other place--Long -Guled was promised another dagger at Berberah; a message was left -directing Deenarzade to follow, and the word was given to load. - -By dint of shouting and rough language, the caravan was ready at 9 A.M. -The Gerad Adan and his ragged tail leading, we skirted the eastern side of -Wilensi, and our heavily laden camels descended with pain the rough and -stony slope of the wide Kloof dividing it from the Marar Prairie. At 1 -P.M. the chief summoned us to halt: we pushed on, however, without -regarding him. Presently, Long Guled and the End of Time were missing; -contrary to express orders they had returned to seek the dagger. To ensure -discipline, on this occasion I must have blown out the long youth's -brains, which were, he declared, addled by the loss of his weapon: the -remedy appeared worse than the disease. - -Attended only by the Hammal, I entered with pleasure the Marar Prairie. In -vain the Gerad entreated us not to venture upon a place swarming with -lions; vainly he promised to kill sheep and oxen for a feast;--we took -abrupt leave of him, and drove away the camels. - -Journeying slowly over the skirt of the plain, when rejoined by the -truants, we met a party of travellers, who, as usual, stopped to inquire -the news. Their chief, mounted upon an old mule, proved to be Madar Farih, -a Somali well known at Aden. He consented to accompany us as far as the -halting place, expressed astonishment at our escaping Harar, and gave us -intelligence which my companions judged grave. The Gerad Hirsi of the -Berteri, amongst whom Madar had been living, was incensed with us for -leaving the direct road. Report informed him, moreover, that we had given -600 dollars and various valuables to the Gerad Adan,--Why then had he been -neglected? Madar sensibly advised us to push forward that night, and to -'ware the bush, whence Midgans might use their poisoned arrows. - -We alighted at the village formerly beneath Gurays, now shifted to a short -distance from those hills. Presently appeared Deenarzade, hung round with -gourds and swelling with hurt feelings: she was accompanied by Dahabo, -sister of the valiant Beuh, who, having for ever parted from her graceless -husband, the Gerad, was returning under our escort to the Gurgi of her -family. Then came Yusuf Dera with a smiling countenance and smooth -manners, bringing the stolen dagger and many excuses for the mistake; he -was accompanied by a knot of kinsmen deputed by the Gerad as usual for no -good purpose. That worthy had been informed that his Berteri rival offered -a hundred cows for our persons, dead or alive: he pathetically asked my -attendants "Do you love your pilgrim?" and suggested that if they did so, -they might as well send him a little more cloth, upon the receipt of which -he would escort us with fifty horsemen. - -My Somal lent a willing ear to a speech which smelt of falsehood a mile -off: they sat down to debate; the subject was important, and for three -mortal hours did that palaver endure. I proposed proceeding at once. They -declared that the camels could not walk, and that the cold of the prairie -was death to man. Pointing to a caravan of grain-carriers that awaited our -escort, I then spoke of starting next morning. Still they hesitated. At -length darkness came on, and knowing it to be a mere waste of time to -debate over night about dangers to be faced next day, I ate my dates and -drank my milk, and lay down to enjoy tranquil sleep in the deep silence of -the desert. - -The morning of the 23rd of January found my companions as usual in a state -of faint-heartedness. The Hammal was deputed to obtain permission for -fetching the Gerad and all the Gerad's men. This was positively refused. I -could not, however, object to sending sundry Tobes to the cunning idiot, -in order to back up a verbal request for the escort. Thereupon Yusuf Dera, -Madar Farih, and the other worthies took leave, promising to despatch the -troop before noon: I saw them depart with pleasure, feeling that we had -bade adieu to the Girhis. The greatest danger we had run was from the -Gerad Adan, a fact of which I was not aware till some time after my return -to Berberah: he had always been plotting an _avanie_ which, if attempted, -would have cost him dear, but at the same time would certainly have proved -fatal to us. - -Noon arrived, but no cavalry. My companions had promised that if -disappointed they would start before nightfall and march till morning. But -when the camels were sent for, one, as usual if delay was judged -advisable, had strayed: they went in search of him, so as to give time for -preparation to the caravan. I then had a sharp explanation with my men, -and told them in conclusion that it was my determination to cross the -Prairie alone, if necessary, on the morrow. - -That night heavy clouds rolled down from the Gurays Hills, and veiled the -sky with a deeper gloom. Presently came a thin streak of blue lightning -and a roar of thunder, which dispersed like flies the mob of gazers from -around my Gurgi; then rain streamed through our hut as though we had been -dwelling under a system of cullenders. Deenarzade declared herself too ill -to move; Shehrazade swore that she would not work: briefly, that night was -by no means pleasantly spent. - -At dawn, on the 24th, we started across the Marar Prairie with a caravan -of about twenty men and thirty women, driving camels, carrying grain, -asses, and a few sheep. The long straggling line gave a "wide berth" to -the doughty Hirsi and his Berteris, whose camp-fires were clearly visible -in the morning grey. The air was raw; piles of purple cloud settled upon -the hills, whence cold and damp gusts swept the plain; sometimes we had a -shower, at others a Scotch mist, which did not fail to penetrate our thin -raiment. My people trembled, and their teeth chattered as though they were -walking upon ice. In our slow course we passed herds of quagga and -gazelles, but the animals were wild, and both men and mules were unequal -to the task of stalking them. About midday we closed up, for our path -wound through the valley wooded with Acacia,--fittest place for an -ambuscade of archers. We dined in the saddle on huge lumps of sun-dried -beef, and bits of gum gathered from the trees. - -Having at length crossed the prairie without accident, the caravan people -shook our hands, congratulated one another, and declared that they owed -their lives to us. About an hour after sunset we arrived at Abtidon's -home, a large kraal at the foot of the Konti cone: fear of lions drove my -people into the enclosure, where we passed a night of scratching. I was -now haunted by the dread of a certain complaint for which sulphur is said -to be a specific. This is the pest of the inner parts of Somali-land; the -people declare it to arise from flies and fleas: the European would derive -it from the deficiency, or rather the impossibility, of ablutions. - -"Allah help the Goer, but the Return is Rolling:" this adage was ever upon -the End of Time's tongue, yet my fate was apparently an exception to the -general rule. On the 25th January, we were delayed by the weakness of the -camels, which had been half starved in the Girhi mountains. And as we were -about to enter the lands of the Habr Awal [5], then at blood feud with my -men, all Habr Gerhajis, probably a week would elapse before we could -provide ourselves with a fit and proper protector. Already I had been -delayed ten days after the appointed time, my comrades at Berberah would -be apprehensive of accidents, and although starting from Wilensi we had -resolved to reach the coast within the fortnight, a month's march was in -clear prospect. - -Whilst thus chewing the cud of bitter thought where thought was of scant -avail, suddenly appeared the valiant Beuh, sent to visit us by Dahabo his -gay sister. He informed us that a guide was in the neighbourhood, and the -news gave me an idea. I proposed that he should escort the women, camels, -and baggage under command of the Kalendar to Zayla, whilst we, mounting -our mules and carrying only our arms and provisions for four days, might -push through the lands of the Habr Awal. After some demur all consented. - -It was not without apprehension that I pocketed all my remaining -provisions, five biscuits, a few limes, and sundry lumps of sugar. Any -delay or accident to our mules would starve us; in the first place, we -were about to traverse a desert, and secondly where Habr Awal were, they -would not sell meat or milk to Habr Gerhajis. My attendants provided -themselves with a small provision of sun-dried beef, grain, and -sweetmeats: only one water-bottle, however, was found amongst the whole -party. We arose at dawn after a wet night on the 26th January, but we did -not start till 7 A.M., the reason being that all the party, the Kalendar, -Shehrazade and Deenarzade, claimed and would have his and her several and -distinct palaver. - -Having taken leave of our friends and property [6], we spurred our mules, -and guided by Beuh, rode through cloud and mist towards Koralay the -Saddle-back hill. After an hour's trot over rugged ground falling into the -Harawwah valley, we came to a Gudabirsi village, where my companions -halted to inquire the news, also to distend their stomachs with milk. -Thence we advanced slowly, as the broken path required, through thickets -of wild henna to the kraal occupied by Beuh's family. At a distance we -were descried by an old acquaintance, Fahi, who straightways began to -dance like a little Polyphemus, his shock-wig waving in the air: plentiful -potations of milk again delayed my companions, who were now laying in a -four days' stock. - -Remounting, we resumed our journey over a mass of rock and thicket, -watered our mules at holes in a Fiumara, and made our way to a village -belonging to the Ugaz or chief of the Gudabirsi tribe. He was a middle- -aged man of ordinary presence, and he did not neglect to hold out his hand -for a gift which we could not but refuse. Halting for about an hour, we -persuaded a guide, by the offer of five dollars and a pair of cloths, to -accompany us. "Dubayr"--the Donkey--who belonged to the Bahgobo clan of -the Habr Awal, was a "long Lankin," unable, like all these Bedouins, to -endure fatigue. He could not ride, the saddle cut him, and he found his -mule restive; lately married, he was incapacitated for walking, and he -suffered sadly from thirst. The Donkey little knew, when he promised to -show Berberah on the third day, what he had bound himself to perform: -after the second march he was induced, only by the promise of a large -present, and one continual talk of food, to proceed, and often he threw -his lengthy form upon the ground, groaning that his supreme hour was at -hand. In the land which we were to traverse every man's spear would be -against us. By way of precaution, we ordered our protector to choose -desert roads and carefully to avoid all kraals. At first, not -understanding our reasons, and ever hankering after milk, he could not -pass a thorn fence without eyeing it wistfully. On the next day, however, -he became more tractable, and before reaching Berberah he showed himself, -in consequence of some old blood feud, more anxious even than ourselves to -avoid villages. - -Remounting, under the guidance of the Donkey, we resumed our east-ward -course. He was communicative even for a Somali, and began by pointing out, -on the right of the road, the ruins of a stone-building, called, as -customary in these countries, a fort. Beyond it we came to a kraal, whence -all the inhabitants issued with shouts and cries for tobacco. Three -o'clock P.M. brought us to a broad Fiumara choked with the thickest and -most tangled vegetation: we were shown some curious old Galla wells, deep -holes about twenty feet in diameter, excavated in the rock; some were dry, -others overgrown with huge creepers, and one only supplied us with -tolerable water. The Gudabirsi tribe received them from the Girhi in lieu -of blood-money: beyond this watercourse, the ground belongs to the Rer -Yunis Jibril, a powerful clan of the Habr Awal, and the hills are thickly -studded with thorn-fence and kraal. - -Without returning the salutations of the Bedouins, who loudly summoned us -to stop and give them the news, we trotted forwards in search of a -deserted sheep-fold. At sunset we passed, upon an eminence on our left, -the ruins of an ancient settlement, called after its patron Saint, Ao -Barhe: and both sides of the mountain road were flanked by tracts of -prairie-land, beautifully purpling in the evening air. After a ride of -thirty-five miles, we arrived at a large fold, where, by removing the -inner thorn-fences, we found fresh grass for our starving beasts. The -night was raw and windy, and thick mists deepened into a drizzle, which -did not quench our thirst, but easily drenched the saddle cloths, our only -bedding. In one sense, however, the foul weather was propitious to us. Our -track might easily have been followed by some enterprising son of Yunis -Jibril; these tracts of thorny bush are favourite places for cattle -lifting; moreover the fire was kept blazing all night, yet our mules were -not stolen. - -We shook off our slumbers before dawn on the 27th. I remarked near our -resting-place, one of those detached heaps of rock, common enough in the -Somali country: at one extremity a huge block projects upwards, and -suggests the idea of a gigantic canine tooth. The Donkey declared that the -summit still bears traces of building, and related the legend connected -with Moga Medir. [7] There, in times of old, dwelt a Galla maiden whose -eye could distinguish a plundering party at the distance of five days' -march. The enemies of her tribe, after sustaining heavy losses, hit upon -the expedient of an attack, not _en chemise_, but with their heads muffled -in bundles of hay. When Moga, the maiden, informed her sire and clan that -a prairie was on its way towards the hill, they deemed her mad; the -manoeuvre succeeded, and the unhappy seer lost her life. The legend -interested me by its wide diffusion. The history of Zarka, the blue-eyed -witch of the Jadis tribe, who seized Yemamah by her gramarye, and our -Scotch tale of Birnam wood's march, are Asiatic and European facsimiles of -African "Moga's Tooth." - -At 7 A.M. we started through the mist, and trotted eastwards in search of -a well. The guide had deceived us: the day before he had promised water at -every half mile; he afterwards owned with groans that we should not drink -before nightfall. These people seem to lie involuntarily: the habit of -untruth with them becomes a second nature. They deceive without object for -deceit, and the only way of obtaining from them correct information is to -inquire, receive the answer, and determine it to be diametrically opposed -to fact. - -I will not trouble you, dear L., with descriptions of the uniform and -uninteresting scenery through which we rode,--horrid hills upon which -withered aloes brandished their spears, plains apparently rained upon by a -shower of stones, and rolling ground abounding only with thorns like the -"wait-a-bits" of Kafir land, created to tear man's skin or clothes. Our -toil was rendered doubly toilsome by the Eastern travellers' dread--the -demon of Thirst rode like Care behind us. For twenty-four hours we did not -taste water, the sun parched our brains, the mirage mocked us at every -turn, and the effect was a species of monomania. As I jogged along with -eyes closed against the fiery air, no image unconnected with the want -suggested itself. Water ever lay before me--water lying deep in the shady -well--water in streams bubbling icy from the rock--water in pellucid lakes -inviting me to plunge and revel in their treasures. Now an Indian cloud -was showering upon me fluid more precious than molten pearl, then an -invisible hand offered a bowl for which the mortal part would gladly have -bartered years of life. Then--drear contrast!--I opened my eyes to a heat- -reeking plain, and a sky of that eternal metallic blue so lovely to -painter and poet, so blank and deathlike to us, whose [Greek _kalon_] was -tempest, rain-storm, and the huge purple nimbus. I tried to talk--it was -in vain, to sing in vain, vainly to think; every idea was bound up in one -subject, water. [8] - -As the sun sank into the East we descended the wide Gogaysa valley. With -unspeakable delight we saw in the distance a patch of lively green: our -animals scented the blessing from afar, they raised their drooping ears, -and started with us at a canter, till, turning a corner, we suddenly -sighted sundry little wells. To spring from the saddle, to race with our -mules, who now feared not the crumbling sides of the pits, to throw -ourselves into the muddy pools, to drink a long slow draught, and to dash -the water over our burning faces, took less time to do than to recount. A -calmer inspection showed a necessity for caution;--the surface was alive -with tadpoles and insects: prudence, however, had little power at that -time, we drank, and drank, and then drank again. As our mules had fallen -with avidity upon the grass, I proposed to pass a few hours near the well. -My companions, however, pleading the old fear of lions, led the way to a -deserted kraal upon a neighbouring hill. We had marched about thirty miles -eastward, and had entered a safe country belonging to the Bahgoba, our -guide's clan. - -At sunrise on the 28th of January, the Donkey, whose limbs refused to -work, was lifted into the saddle, declaring that the white man must have -been sent from heaven, as a special curse upon the children of Ishak. We -started, after filling the water-bottle, down the Gogaysa valley. Our -mules were becoming foot-sore, and the saddles had already galled their -backs; we were therefore compelled to the additional mortification of -travelling at snail's pace over the dreary hills, and through the -uninteresting bush. - -About noon we entered Wady Danan, or "The Sour," a deep chasm in the -rocks; the centre is a winding sandy watercourse, here and there grassy -with tall rushes, and affording at every half mile a plentiful supply of -sweet water. The walls of the ravine are steep and rugged, and the thorny -jungle clustering at the sides gives a wild appearance to the scene. -Traces of animals, quagga and gazelle, every where abounded: not being -however, in "Dianic humour," and unwilling to apprise Bedouins of our -vicinity, I did not fire a shot. As we advanced large trees freshly barked -and more tender plants torn up by the roots, showed the late passage of a -herd of elephants: my mule, though the bravest of our beasts, was in a -state of terror all the way. The little grey honey-bird [9] tempted us to -wander with all his art: now he sat upon the nearest tree chirping his -invitation to a feast, then he preceded us with short jerking flights to -point out the path. My people, however, despite the fondness for honey -inherent in the Somali palate [10], would not follow him, deciding that -on, this occasion his motives for inviting us were not of the purest. - -Emerging from the valley, we urged on our animals over comparatively level -ground, in the fallacious hope of seeing the sea that night. The trees -became rarer as we advanced and the surface metallic. In spots the path -led over ironstone that resembled slag. In other places the soil was -ochre-coloured [11]: the cattle lick it, probably on account of the -aluminous matter with which it is mixed. Everywhere the surface was burnt -up by the sun, and withered from want of rain. Towards evening we entered -a broad slope called by the Somal Dihh Murodi, or Murodilay, the -Elephants' Valley. Crossing its breadth from west to east, we traversed -two Fiumaras, the nearer "Hamar," the further "Las Dorhhay," or the -Tamarisk waterholes. They were similar in appearance, the usual Wady about -100 yards wide, pearly sand lined with borders of leek green, pitted with -dry wells around which lay heaps of withered thorns and a herd of gazelles -tripping gracefully over the quartz carpet. - -After spanning the valley we began to ascend the lower slopes of a high -range, whose folds formed like a curtain the bold background of the view. -This is the landward face of the Ghauts, over which we were to pass before -sighting the sea. Masses of cold grey cloud rolled from the table-formed -summit, we were presently shrouded in mist, and as we advanced, rain began -to fall. The light of day vanishing, we again descended into a Fiumara -with a tortuous and rocky bed, the main drain of the landward mountain -side. My companions, now half-starved,--they had lived through three days -on a handful of dates and sweetmeats,--devoured with avidity the wild -Jujube berries that strewed the stones. The guide had preceded us: when we -came up with him, he was found seated upon a grassy bank on the edge of -the rugged torrent bed. We sprang in pleased astonishment from the saddle, -dire had been the anticipations that our mules,--one of them already -required driving with the spear,--would, after another night of -starvation, leave us to carry their loads upon our own hacks. The cause of -the phenomenon soon revealed itself. In the rock was a hole about two feet -wide, whence a crystal sheet welled over the Fiumara bank, forming a -paradise for frog and tadpole. This "Ga'angal" is considered by the Somal -a "fairies' well:" all, however, that the Donkey could inform me was, that -when the Nomads settle in the valley, the water sinks deep below the -earth--a knot which methinks might be unravelled without the interposition -of a god. The same authority declared it to be the work of the "old -ancient" Arabs. - -The mules fell hungrily upon the succulent grass, and we, with the most -frugal of suppers, prepared to pass the rainy night. Presently, however, -the doves and Katas [12], the only birds here requiring water, approached -in flights, and fearing to drink, fluttered around us with shrill cries. -They suggested to my companions the possibility of being visited in sleep -by more formidable beasts, and even man: after a short halt, an advance -was proposed; and this was an offer which, on principle, I never refused. -We remounted our mules, now refreshed and in good spirits, and began to -ascend the stony face of the Eastern hill through a thick mist, deepening -the darkness. As we reached the bleak summit, a heavy shower gave my -companions a pretext to stop: they readily found a deserted thorn fence, -in which we passed a wet night. That day we had travelled at least thirty- -five miles without seeing the face of man: the country was parched to a -cinder for want of water, and all the Nomads had migrated to the plains. - -The morning of the 29th January was unusually fine: the last night's rain -hung in masses of mist about the hill-sides, and the rapid evaporation -clothed the clear background with deep blue. We began the day by ascending -a steep goat-track: it led to a sandy Fiumara, overgrown with Jujubes and -other thorns, abounding in water, and showing in the rocky sides, caverns -fit for a race of Troglodytes. Pursuing the path over a stony valley lying -between parallel ranges of hill, we halted at about 10 A.M. in a large -patch of grass-land, the produce of the rain, which for some days past had -been fertilising the hill-tops. Whilst our beasts grazed greedily, we sat -under a bush, and saw far beneath us the low country which separates the -Ghauts from the sea. Through an avenue in the rolling nimbus, we could -trace the long courses of Fiumaras, and below, where mist did not obstruct -the sight, the tawny plains, cut with watercourses glistening white, shone -in their eternal summer. - -Shortly after 10 A.M., we resumed our march, and began the descent of the -Ghauts by a ravine to which the guide gave the name of 'Kadar.' No sandy -watercourse, the 'Pass' of this barbarous land, here facilitates the -travellers' advance: the rapid slope of the hill presents a succession of -blocks and boulders piled one upon the other in rugged steps, apparently -impossible to a laden camel. This ravine, the Splugen of Somaliland, led -us, after an hour's ride, to the Wady Duntu, a gigantic mountain-cleft -formed by the violent action of torrents. The chasm winds abruptly between -lofty walls of syenite and pink granite, glittering with flaky mica, and -streaked with dykes and veins of snowy quartz: the strata of the -sandstones that here and there projected into the bed were wonderfully -twisted around a central nucleus, as green boughs might be bent about a -tree. Above, the hill-tops towered in the air, here denuded of vegetable -soil by the heavy monsoon, there clothed from base to brow with gum trees, -whose verdure was delicious to behold. The channel was now sandy, then -flagged with limestone in slippery sheets, or horrid with rough boulders: -at times the path was clear and easy; at others, a precipice of twenty or -thirty feet, which must be a little cataract after rain, forced us to -fight our way through the obstinate thorns that defended some spur of -ragged hill. As the noontide heat, concentrated in this funnel, began to -affect man and beast, we found a granite block, under whose shady brow -clear water, oozing from the sand, formed a natural bath, and sat there -for a while to enjoy the spectacle and the atmosphere, perfumed, as in -part of Persia and Northern Arabia, by the aromatic shrubs of the desert. - -After a short half-hour, we remounted and pursued our way down the Duntu -chasm. As we advanced, the hills shrank in size, the bed became more -level, and the walls of rock, gradually widening out, sank into the plain. -Brisk and elastic above, the air, here soft, damp, and tepid, and the sun -burning with a more malignant heat, convinced us that we stood once more -below the Ghauts. For two hours we urged our mules in a south-east -direction down the broad and winding Fiumara, taking care to inspect every -well, but finding them all full of dry sand. Then turning eastwards, we -crossed a plain called by the Donkey "Battaladayti Taranay"--the Flats of -Taranay--an exact representation of the maritime regions about Zayla. -Herds of camels and flocks of milky sheep browsing amongst thorny Acacia -and the tufted Kulan, suggested pleasing visions to starving travellers, -and for the first time after three days of hard riding, we saw the face of -man. The shepherds, Mikahil of the Habr Awal tribe, all fled as we -approached: at last one was bold enough to stand and deliver the news. My -companions were refreshed by good reports: there had been few murders, and -the sea-board was tolerably clear of our doughty enemies, the Ayyal Ahmed. -We pricked over the undulating growth of parched grass, shaping our -course for Jebel Almis, to sailors the chief landmark of this coast, and -for a certain thin blue stripe on the far horizon, upon which we gazed -with gladdened eyes. - -Our road lay between low brown hills of lime and sandstone, the Sub-Ghauts -forming a scattered line between the maritime mountains and the sea. -Presently the path was choked by dense scrub of the Arman Acacia: its -yellow blossoms scented the air, but hardly made amends for the injuries -of a thorn nearly two inches long, and tipped with a wooden point sharp as -a needle. Emerging, towards evening, from this bush, we saw large herds of -camels, and called their guardians to come and meet us. For all reply they -ran like ostriches to the nearest rocks, tittering the cry of alarm, and -when we drew near each man implored us to harry his neighbour's cattle. -Throughout our wanderings in Somaliland this had never occurred: it -impressed me strongly with the disturbed state of the regions inhabited by -the Habr Awal. After some time we persuaded a Bedouin who, with frantic -gestures, was screaming and flogging his camels, to listen: reassured by -our oaths, he declared himself to be a Bahgoba, and promised to show us a -village of the Ayyal Gedid. The Hammal, who had married a daughter of this -clan, and had constituted his father-in-law my protector at Berberah, made -sure of a hospitable reception: "To-night we shall sleep under cover and -drink milk," quoth one hungry man to another, who straightways rejoined, -"And we shall eat mutton!" - -After dark we arrived at a kraal, we unsaddled our mules and sat down near -it, indulging in Epicurean anticipations. Opposite us, by the door of a -hut, was a group of men who observed our arrival, but did not advance or -salute us. Impatient, I fired a pistol, when a gruff voice asked why we -disturbed the camels that were being milked. "We have fallen upon the -Ayyal Shirdon"--our bitterest enemies--whispered the End of Time. The same -voice then demanded in angrier accents, "Of what tribe be ye?" We boldly -answered, "Of the Habr Gerhajis." Thereupon ensued a war of words. The -Ayyal Shirdon inquired what we wanted, where we had been, and how we -dared, seeing that peace had not been concluded between the tribes, to -enter their lands. We replied civilly as our disappointment would permit, -but apparently gained little by soft words. The inhospitable Bedouins -declared our arrival to be in the seventeenth house of Geomancy--an advent -probable as the Greek Kalends--and rudely insisted upon knowing what had -taken us to Harar. At last, a warrior, armed with two spears, came to meet -us, and bending down recognized the End of Time: after a few short -sentences he turned on his heel and retired. I then directed Long Guled to -approach the group, and say that a traveller was at their doors ready and -willing to give tobacco in exchange for a draught of milk. They refused -point-blank, and spoke of fighting: we at once made ready with our -weapons, and showing the plain, bade them come on and receive a "belly -full." During the lull which followed this obliging proposal we saddled -our mules and rode off, in the grimmest of humours, loudly cursing the -craven churls who knew not the value of a guest. - -We visited successively three villages of the Ayyal Gedid: the Hammal -failed to obtain even a drop of water from his connexions, and was taunted -accordingly. He explained their inhospitality by the fact that all the -warriors being at Berberah, the villages contained nothing but women, -children, servants, and flocks. The Donkey when strictly questioned -declared that no well nearer than Bulhar was to be found: as men and mules -were faint with thirst, I determined to push forward to water that night. -Many times the animals were stopped, a mute hint that they could go no -further: I spurred onwards, and the rest, as on such occasions they had -now learned to do, followed without a word. Our path lay across a plain -called Banka Hadla, intersected in many places by deep watercourses, and -thinly strewed with Kulan clumps. The moon arose, but cast a cloud-veiled -and uncertain light: our path, moreover, was not clear, as the guide, worn -out by fatigue, tottered on far in the rear. - -About midnight we heard--delightful sound!--the murmur of the distant sea. -Revived by the music, we pushed on more cheerily. At last the Donkey -preceded us, and about 3 A.M. we found, in a Fiumara, some holes which -supplied us with bitter water, truly delicious after fifteen hours of -thirst. Repeated draughts of the element, which the late rains had -rendered potable, relieved our pain, and hard by we found a place where -coarse stubbly grass saved our mules from starvation. Then rain coming on, -we coiled ourselves under the saddle cloths, and, reckless alike of Ayyal -Ahmed and Ayyal Shirdon, slept like the dead. - -At dawn on the 30th January, I arose and inspected the site of Bulhar. It -was then deserted, a huge heap of bleached bones being the only object -suggestive of a settlement. This, at different times, has been a thriving -place, owing to its roadstead, and the feuds of Berberah: it was generally -a village of Gurgis, with some stone-houses built by Arabs. The coast, -however, is open and havenless, and the Shimal wind, feared even at the -Great Port, here rages with resistless violence. Yet the place revives -when plundering parties render the plain unsafe: the timid merchants here -embark their goods and persons, whilst their camels are marched round the -bay. - -Mounting at 6 A.M. we started slowly along the sea coast, and frequently -halted on the bushy Fiumara-cut plain. About noon we bathed in the sea, -and sat on the sands for a while, my people praying for permission to pass -the kraals of their enemies, the Ayyal Ahmed, by night. This, their last -request, was graciously granted: to say sooth, rapid travelling was now -impossible; the spear failed to urge on one mule, and the Hammal was -obliged to flog before him another wretched animal. We then traversed an -alluvial plain, lately flooded, where slippery mud doubled the fatigue of -our cattle; and, at 3 P.M., again halted on a patch of grass below the -rocky spur of Dabasenis, a hill half way between Bulhar and Berberah. On -the summit I was shown an object that makes travellers shudder, a thorn- -tree, under which the Habr Gerhajis [13] and their friends of the Eesa -Musa sit, vulture-like, on the look-out for plunder and murder. Advancing -another mile, we came to some wells, where we were obliged to rest our -animals. Having there finished our last mouthful of food, we remounted, -and following the plain eastward, prepared for a long night-march. - -As the light of day waned we passed on the right hand a table-formed hill, -apparently a detached fragment of the sub-Ghauts or coast range. This spot -is celebrated in local legends as "Auliya Kumbo," the Mount of Saints, -where the forty-four Arab Santons sat in solemn conclave before dispersing -over the Somali country to preach El Islam. It lies about six hours of -hard walking from Berberah. - -At midnight we skirted Bulho Faranji, the Franks' Watering-place [14], a -strip of ground thickly covered with trees. Abounding in grass and water, -it has been the site of a village: when we passed it, however, all was -desert. By the moon's light we descried, as we silently skirted the sea, -the kraals and folds of our foe the Ayyal Ahmed, and at times we could -distinguish the lowing of their cattle: my companions chuckled hugely at -the success of their manoeuvre, and perhaps not without reason. At -Berberah we were afterwards informed that a shepherd in the bush had -witnessed and reported our having passed, when the Ayyal Ahmed cursed the -star that had enabled us to slip unhurt through their hands. - -Our mules could scarcely walk: after every bow-shot they rolled upon the -ground and were raised only by the whip. A last halt was called when -arrived within four miles of Berberah: the End of Time and Long Guled, -completely worn out, fell fast asleep upon the stones. Of all the party -the Hammal alone retained strength and spirits: the sturdy fellow talked, -sang, and shouted, and, whilst the others could scarcely sit their mules, -he danced his war-dance and brandished his spear. I was delighted with his -"pluck." - -Now a long dark line appears upon the sandy horizon--it grows more -distinct in the shades of night--the silhouettes of shipping appear -against sea and sky. A cry of joy bursts from every mouth: cheer, boys, -cheer, our toils here touch their end! - -The End of Time first listened to the small still voice of Caution. He -whispered anxiously to make no noise lest enemies might arise, that my -other attendants had protectors at Berberah, but that he, the hated and -feared, as the _locum tenens_ of Sharmarkay,--the great _bete noire_,-- -depended wholly upon my defence. The Donkey led us slowly and cautiously -round the southern quarter of the sleeping town, through bone heaps and -jackals tearing their unsavoury prey: at last he marched straight into the -quarter appropriated to the Ayyal Gedid our protectors. Anxiously I -inquired if my comrades had left Berberah, and heard with delight that -they awaited me there. It was then 2 A.M. and we had marched at least -forty miles. The Somal, when in fear of forays, drive laden camels over -this distance in about ten hours. - -I dismounted at the huts where my comrades were living. A glad welcome, a -dish of rice, and a glass of strong waters--pardon dear L., these details ---made amends for past privations and fatigue. The servants and the -wretched mules were duly provided for, and I fell asleep, conscious of -having performed a feat which, like a certain ride to York, will live in -local annals for many and many a year. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] It is an Arab as well as a Somali ceremony to throw a little Kaliyah -or Salul (toasted grain) over the honored traveller when he enters hut or -tent. - -[2] Bread made of holcus grain dried and broken into bits; it is thrown -into broth or hot water, and thus readily supplies the traveller with a -wholesome _panade_. - -[3] The Somal invariably call Berberah the "Sahil," (meaning in Arabic the -sea-shore,) as Zayla with them is "Audal," and Harar "Adari." - -[4] "Al Nar wa la al Ar," an Arabic maxim, somewhat more forcible than our -"death rather than dishonor." - -[5] This is the second great division of the Somal people, the father of -the tribe being Awal, the cadet of Ishak el Hazrami. - -The Habr Awal occupy the coast from Zayla and Siyaro to the lands -bordering upon the Berteri tribe. They own the rule of a Gerad, who -exercises merely a nominal authority. The late chief's name was "Bon," he -died about four years ago, but his children have not yet received the -turban. The royal race is the Ayyal Abdillah, a powerful clan extending -from the Dabasanis Hills to near Jigjiga, skirting the Marar Prairie. - -The Habr Awal are divided into a multitude of clans: of these I shall -specify only the principal, the subject of the maritime Somal being -already familiar to our countrymen. The Esa Musa inhabit part of the -mountains south of Berberah. The Mikahil tenant the lowlands on the coast -from Berberah to Siyaro. Two large clans, the Ayyal Yunis and the Ayyal -Ahmed, have established themselves in Berberah and at Bulhar. Besides -these are the Ayyal Abdillah Saad, the Ayyal Geraato, who live amongst the -Ayyal Yunis,--the Bahgobo and the Ayyal Hamed. - -[6] My property arrived safe at Aden after about two months. The mule left -under the Kalendar's charge never appeared, and the camels are, I believe, -still grazing among the Eesa. The fair Shehrazade, having amassed a little -fortune, lost no time in changing her condition, an example followed in -due time by Deenarzade. And the Kalendar, after a visit to Aden, returned -to electrify his Zayla friends with long and terrible tales of travel. - -[7] "Moga's eye-tooth." - -[8] As a rule, twelve hours without water in the desert during hot -weather, kill a man. I never suffered severely from thirst but on this -occasion; probably it was in consequence of being at the time but in weak -health. - -[9] I have never shot this feathered friend of man, although frequent -opportunities presented themselves. He appears to be the Cuculus Indicator -(le Coucou Indicateur) and the Om-Shlanvo of the Kafirs; the Somal call -him Maris. Described by Father Lobo and Bruce, he is treated as a myth by -Le Vaillant; M. Wiedman makes him cry "Shirt! Shirt! Shirt!" Dr. Sparrman -"Tcherr! Tcherr!" Mr. Delegorgue "Chir! Chir! Chir!" His note suggested to -me the shrill chirrup of a sparrow, and his appearance that of a -greenfinch. - -Buffon has repeated what a traveller had related, namely, that the honey- -bird is a little traitor who conducts men into ambuscades prepared by wild -beasts. The Lion-Slayer in S. Africa asserts it to be the belief of -Hottentots and the interior tribes, that the bird often lures the unwary -pursuer to danger, sometimes guiding him to the midday retreat of a -grizzly lion, or bringing him suddenly upon the den of the crouching -panther. M. Delegorgue observes that the feeble bird probably seeks aid in -removing carrion for the purpose of picking up flies and worms; he acquits -him of malice prepense, believing that where the prey is, there -carnivorous beasts may be met. - -The Somal, however, carry their superstition still farther. The honey-bird -is never trusted by them; he leads, they say, either to the lions' den or -the snakes' hiding-place, and often guides his victim into the jaws of the -Kaum or plundering party. - -[10] The Somal have several kinds of honey. The Donyale or wasp-honey, is -scanty and bad; it is found in trees and obtained by smoking and cutting -the branch. The Malab Shinni or bee-honey, is either white, red or brown; -the first is considered the most delicate in flavour. - -[11] The Somal call it Arrah As. - -[12] The sand-grouse of Egypt and Arabia, the rock-pigeon of Sindh and the -surrounding countries. - -[13] The Habr Gerhajis, or eldest branch of the sons of Ishak (generally -including the children of "Arab"), inhabit the Ghauts behind Berberah, -whence they extend for several days' march towards Ogadayn, the southern -region. This tribe is divided into a multitude of clans. The Ismail Arrah -supply the Sultan, a nominal chief like the Eesa Ugaz; they extend from -Makhar to the south of Gulays, number about 15,000 shields and are -subdivided into three septs. The Musa Arrah hold the land between Gulays -and the seats of the Mijjarthayn and Warsangeli tribes on the windward -coast. The Ishak Arrah count 5000 or 6000 shields, and inhabit the Gulays -Range. The other sons of Arrah (the fourth in descent from Ishak), namely, -Mikahil, Gambah, Daudan, and others, also became founders of small clans. -The Ayyal Daud, facetiously called "Idagallah" or earth-burrowers, and -sprung from the second son of Gerhajis, claim the country south of the -Habr Awal, reckon about 4000 shields, and are divided into 11 or 12 septs. - -As has been noticed, the Habr Gerhajis have a perpetual blood feud with -the Habr Awal, and, even at Aden, they have fought out their quarrels with -clubs and stones. Yet as cousins they willingly unite against a common -enemy, the Eesa for instance, and become the best of friends. - -[14] So called from the Mary Anne brig, here plundered in 1825. - - - - -CHAP. X. - -BERBERAH AND ITS ENVIRONS. - - -It is interesting to compare the earliest with the latest account of the -great emporium of Eastern Africa. - -Bartema, writing in the sixteenth century "of Barbara and the Island of -Ethiope," offers the following brief description:--"After that the -tempests were appeased, we gave wind to our sails, and in short time -arrived at an island named Barbara, the prince whereof is a Mahometan. [1] -The island is not great but fruitful and well peopled: it hath abundance -of flesh. The inhabitants are of colour inclining to black. All their -riches is in herds of cattle." - -Lieut. Cruttenden of the I. N., writing in 1848, thus describes the -place:--"The annual fair is one of the most interesting sights on the -coast, if only from the fact of many different and distant tribes being -drawn together for a short time, to be again scattered in all directions. -Before the towers of Berbera were built [2], the place from April to the -early part of October was utterly deserted, not even a fisherman being -found there; but no sooner did the season change, than the inland tribes -commenced moving down towards the coast, and preparing their huts for -their expected visitors. Small craft from the ports of Yemen, anxious to -have an opportunity of purchasing before vessels from the gulf could -arrive, hastened across, followed about a fortnight to three weeks later -by their larger brethren from Muscat, Soor, and Ras el Khyma, and the -valuably freighted Bagalas [3] from Bahrein, Bussorah, and Graen. Lastly, -the fat and wealthy Banian traders from Porebunder, Mandavie, and Bombay, -rolled across in their clumsy Kotias [3], and with a formidable row of -empty ghee jars slung over the quarters of their vessels, elbowed -themselves into a permanent position in the front tier of craft in the -harbour, and by their superior capital, cunning, and influence soon -distanced all competitors." - -"During the height of the fair, Berbera is a perfect Babel, in confusion -as in languages: no chief is acknowledged, and the customs of bygone days -are the laws of the place. Disputes between the inland tribes daily arise, -and are settled by the spear and dagger, the combatants retiring to the -beach at a short distance from the town, in order that they may not -disturb the trade. Long strings of camels are arriving and departing day -and night, escorted generally by women alone, until at a distance from the -town; and an occasional group of dusky and travel-worn children marks the -arrival of the slave Cafila from Hurrur and Efat." - -"At Berbera, the Gurague and Hurrur slave merchant meets his correspondent -from Bussorah, Bagdad, or Bunder Abbas; and the savage Gidrbeersi -(Gudabirsi), with his head tastefully ornamented with a scarlet sheepskin -in lieu of a wig, is seen peacefully bartering his ostrich feathers and -gums with the smooth-spoken Banian from Porebunder, who prudently living -on board his ark, and locking up his puggree [4], which would infallibly -be knocked off the instant he was seen wearing it, exhibits but a small -portion of his wares at a time, under a miserable mat spread on the -beach." - -"By the end of March the fair is nearly at a close, and craft of all -kinds, deeply laden, and sailing generally in parties of three and four, -commence their homeward journey. The Soori boats are generally the last to -leave, and by the first week in April, Berbera is again deserted, nothing -being left to mark the site of a town lately containing 20,000 -inhabitants, beyond bones of slaughtered camels and sheep, and the -framework of a few huts, which is carefully piled on the beach in -readiness for the ensuing year. Beasts of prey now take the opportunity to -approach the sea: lions are commonly seen at the town well during the hot -weather; and in April last year, but a week after the fair had ended, I -observed three ostriches quietly walking on the beach." [5] - -Of the origin of Berberah little is known. El Firuzabadi derives it, with -great probability, from two Himyar chiefs of Southern Arabia. [6] About -A.D. 522 the troops of Anushirwan expelled the Abyssinians from Yemen, and -re-established there a Himyari prince under vassalage of the Persian -Monarch. Tradition asserts the port to have been occupied in turns by the -Furs [7], the Arabs, the Turks, the Gallas, and the Somal. And its future -fortunes are likely to be as varied as the past. - -The present decadence of Berberah is caused by petty internal feuds. -Gerhajis the eldest son of Ishak el Hazrami, seized the mountain ranges of -Gulays and Wagar lying about forty miles behind the coast, whilst Awal, -the cadet, established himself and his descendants upon the lowlands from -Berberah to Zayla. Both these powerful tribes assert a claim to the -customs and profits of the port on the grounds that they jointly conquered -it from the Gallas. [8] The Habr Awal, however, being in possession, would -monopolize the right: a blood feud rages, and the commerce of the place -suffers from the dissensions of the owners. - -Moreover the Habr Awal tribe is not without internal feuds. Two kindred -septs, the Ayyal Yunis Nuh and the Ayyal Ahmed Nuh [9], established -themselves originally at Berberah. The former, though the more numerous, -admitted the latter for some years to a participation of profits, but when -Aden, occupied by the British, rendered the trade valuable, they drove out -the weaker sept, and declared themselves sole "Abbans" to strangers during -the fair. A war ensued. The sons of Yunis obtained aid of the Mijjarthayn -tribe. The sons of Ahmed called in the Habr Gerhajis, especially the Musa -Arrah clan, to which the Hajj Sharmarkay belongs, and, with his -assistance, defeated and drove out the Ayyal Yunis. These, flying from -Berberah, settled at the haven of Bulhar, and by their old connection with -the Indian and other foreign traders, succeeded in drawing off a -considerable amount of traffic. But the roadstead was insecure: many -vessels were lost, and in 1847 the Eesa Somal slaughtered the women and -children of the new-comers, compelling them to sue the Ayyal Ahmed for -peace. Though the feud thus ended, the fact of its having had existence -ensures bad blood: amongst these savages treaties are of no avail, and the -slightest provocation on either side becomes a signal for renewed -hostilities. - - * * * * * - -After this dry disquisition we will return, dear L., to my doings at -Berberah. - -Great fatigue is seldom followed by long sleep. Soon after sunrise I -awoke, hearing loud voices proceeding from a mass of black face and tawny -wig, that blocked up the doorway, pressing forward to see their new -stranger. The Berberah people had been informed by the Donkey of our -having ridden from the Girhi hills in five days: they swore that not only -the thing was impossible, but moreover that we had never sighted Harar. -Having undergone the usual catechising with credit, I left the thatched -hat in which my comrades were living, and proceeded to inspect my -attendants and cattle. The former smiled blandly: they had acquitted -themselves of their trust, they had outwitted the Ayyal Ahmed, who would -be furious thereat, they had filled themselves with dates, rice, and -sugared tea--another potent element of moral satisfaction--and they -trusted that a few days would show them their wives and families. The End -of Time's brow, however, betrayed an _arriere pensee_; once more his -cowardice crept forth, and he anxiously whispered that his existence -depended upon my protection. The poor mules were by no means so easily -restored. Their backs, cut to the bone by the saddles, stood up like those -of angry cats, their heads drooped sadly, and their hams showed red marks -of the spear-point. Directing them to be washed in the sea, dressed with -cold-water bandages, and copiously fed, I proceeded to inspect the -Berberah Plain. - -The "Mother of the Poor," as the Arabs call the place, in position -resembles Zayla. The town,--if such name can be given to what is now a -wretched clump of dirty mat-huts,--is situated on the northern edge of -alluvial ground, sloping almost imperceptibly from the base of the -Southern hills. The rapacity of these short-sighted savages has contracted -its dimensions to about one sixth of its former extent: for nearly a mile -around, the now desert land is strewed with bits of glass and broken -pottery. Their ignorance has chosen the worst position: _Mos Majorum_ is -the Somali code, where father built there son builds, and there shall -grandson build. To the S. and E. lies a saline sand-flat, partially -overflowed by high tides: here are the wells of bitter water, and the -filth and garbage make the spot truly offensive. Northwards the sea-strand -has become a huge cemetery, crowded with graves whose dimensions explain -the Somali legend that once there were giants in the land: tradition -assigns to it the name of Bunder Abbas. Westward, close up to the town, -runs the creek which forms the wealth of Berberah. A long strip of sand -and limestone--the general formation of the coast--defends its length from -the northern gales, the breadth is about three quarters of a mile, and the -depth varies from six to fifteen fathoms near the Ras or Spit at which -ships anchor before putting out to sea. - -Behind the town, and distant about seven miles, lie the Sub-Ghauts, a bold -background of lime and sandstone. Through a broad gap called Duss Malablay -[10] appear in fine weather the granite walls of Wagar and Gulays, whose -altitude by aneroid was found to be 5700 feet above the level of the sea. -[11] On the eastward the Berberah plain is bounded by the hills of Siyaro, -and westwards the heights of Dabasenis limit the prospect. [12] - -It was with astonishment that I reflected upon the impolicy of having -preferred Aden to this place. - -The Emporium of Eastern Africa has a salubrious climate [13], abundance of -sweet water--a luxury to be "fully appreciated only after a residence at -Aden" [14]--a mild monsoon, a fine open country, an excellent harbour, and -a soil highly productive. It is the meeting-place of commerce, has few -rivals, and with half the sums lavished in Arabia upon engineer follies of -stone and lime, the environs might at this time have been covered with -houses, gardens, and trees. - -The Eye of Yemen, to quote Carlyle, is a "mountain of misery towering -sheer up like a bleak Pisgah, with outlooks only into desolation, sand, -salt water, and despair." The camp is in a "Devil's Punchbowl," stiflingly -hot during nine months of the year, and subject to alternations of -sandstorm and Simum, "without either seed, water, or trees," as Ibn -Batutah described it 500 years ago, unproductive for want of rain,--not a -sparrow can exist there, nor will a crow thrive, [15]--and essentially -unhealthy. [156] Our loss in operatives is only equalled by our waste of -rupees; and the general wish of Western India is, that the extinct sea of -fire would, Vesuvius-like, once more convert this dismal cape into a -living crater. - -After a day's rest--physical not spiritual, for the Somal were as usual -disputing violently about the Abbanship [17]--I went with my comrades to -visit an interesting ruin near the town. On the way we were shown pits of -coarse sulphur and alum mixed with sand; in the low lands senna and -colocynth were growing wild. After walking a mile south-south-east, from -present Berberah to a rise in the plain, we found the remains of a small -building about eight yards square divided into two compartments. It is -apparently a Mosque: one portion, the sole of which is raised, shows -traces of the prayer niche; the other might have contained the tomb of -some saint now obsolete, or might have been a fort to protect a -neighbouring tank. The walls are of rubble masonry and mud, revetted with -a coating of cement hard as stone, and mixed with small round pebbles. -[18] Near it is a shallow reservoir of stone and lime, about five yards by -ten, proved by the aqueduct, part of which still remains, to be a tank of -supply. Removing the upper slabs, we found the interior lined with a -deposit of sulphate of lime and choked with fine drift sand; the breadth -is about fifteen inches and the depth nine. After following it fifty yards -toward the hills, we lost the trace; the loose stones had probably been -removed for graves, and the soil may have buried the firmer portion. - -Mounting our mules we then rode in a south-south-east direction towards -the Dubar Hills, The surface of the ground, apparently level, rises about -100 feet per mile. In most parts a soft sand overlying hard loam, like -work _en pise_, limestone and coralline; it shows evidences of inundation: -water-worn stones of a lime almost as compact as marble, pieces of quartz, -selenite, basalt, granite, and syenite in nodules are everywhere sprinkled -over the surface. [19] Here and there torrents from the hills had cut -channels five or six feet below the level, and a thicker vegetation -denoted the lines of bed. The growth of wild plants, scanty near the -coast, became more luxuriant as we approached the hills; the Arman Acacia -flourished, the Kulan tree grew in clumps, and the Tamarisk formed here -and there a dense thicket. Except a few shy antelope, [20] we saw no game. - -A ride of seven or eight miles led us to the dry bed of a watercourse -overgrown with bright green rushes, and known to the people as Dubar Wena, -or Great Dubar. This strip of ground, about half a mile long, collects the -drainage of the hills above it: numerous Las or Pits, in the centre of the -bed, four or five feet deep, abundantly supply the flocks and herds. -Although the surface of the ground, where dry, was white with impure -nitre, the water tasted tolerably sweet. Advancing half a mile over the -southern shoulder of a coarse and shelly mass of limestone, we found the -other rushy swamp, called Dubar Yirr or Little Dubar. A spring of warm and -bitter water flowed from the hill over the surface to a distance of 400 or -500 yards, where it was absorbed by the soil. The temperature of the -sources immediately under the hill was 106° Fahr., the thermometer -standing at 80° in the air, and the aneroid gave an altitude of 728 feet -above the sea. - -The rocks behind these springs were covered with ruins of mosques and -houses. We visited a little tower commanding the source; it was built in -steps, the hill being cut away to form the two lower rooms, and the second -story showed three compartments. The material was rubble and the form -resembled Galla buildings; we found, however, fine mortar mixed with -coarse gravel, bits of glass bottles and blue glazed pottery, articles now -unknown to this part of Africa. On the summit of the highest peak our -guides pointed out remains of another fort similar to the old Turkish -watchtowers at Aden. - -About three quarters of a mile from the Little Dubar, we found the head of -the Berberah Aqueduct. Thrown across a watercourse apparently of low -level, it is here more substantially built than near the beach, and -probably served as a force pipe until the water found a fall. We traced -the line to a distance of ten yards, where it disappeared beneath the -soil, and saw nothing resembling a supply-tank except an irregularly -shaped natural pool. [21] - -A few days afterwards, accompanied by Lieut. Herne, I rode out to inspect -the Biyu Gora or Night-running Water. After advancing about ten miles in a -south-east direction from Berberah, we entered rough and broken ground, -and suddenly came upon a Fiumara about 250 yards broad. The banks were -fringed with Brab and Tamarisk, the Daum palm and green rushes: a clear -sparkling and shallow stream bisected the sandy bed, and smaller branches -wandered over the surface. This river, the main drain of the Ghauts and -Sub-Ghauts, derives its name from the increased volume of the waters -during night: evaporation by day causes the absorption of about a hundred -yards. We found its temperature 73° Fahr. (in the air 78°), and our people -dug holes in the sand instead of drinking from the stream, a proof that -they feared leeches. [22] The taste of the water was bitter and nauseous. -[23] - -Following the course of the Biyu Gora through two low parallel ranges of -conglomerate, we entered a narrow gorge, in which lime and sandstone -abound. The dip of the strata is about 45° west, the strike north and -south. Water springs from under every stone, drops copiously from the -shelves of rock, oozes out of the sand, and bubbles up from the mould. The -temperature is exceedingly variable: in some places the water is icy cold, -in others, the thermometer shows 68° Fahr., in others, 101°--the maximum, -when we visited it, being 126°. The colours are equally diverse. Here, the -polished surface of the sandstone is covered with a hoar of salt and -nitre. [24] There, where the stream does not flow, are pools dyed -greenish-black or rust-red by iron sediment. The gorge's sides are a vivid -red: a peculiar creeper hangs from the rocks, and water trickles down its -metallic leaves. The upper cliffs are crowned with tufts of the dragon's- -blood tree. - -Leaving our mules with an attendant, we began to climb the rough and rocky -gorge which, as the breadth diminishes, becomes exceedingly picturesque. -In one part, the side of a limestone hill hundreds of feet in height, has -slipped into the chasm, half filling it with gigantic boulders: through -these the noisy stream whirls, now falling in small cascades, then gliding -over slabs of sheet rock: here it cute grooved channels and deep basins -clean and sharp as artificial baths in the sandstone, there it flows -quietly down a bed of pure sparkling sand. The high hills above are of a -tawny yellow: the huge boulders, grisly white, bear upon their summits the -drift wood of the last year's inundation. During the monsoon, when a -furious torrent sweeps down from the Wagar Hills, this chasm must afford a -curiously wild spectacle. - -Returning from a toilsome climb, we found some of the Ayyal Ahmed building -near the spot where Biyu Gora is absorbed, the usual small stone tower. -The fact had excited attention at Berberah; the erection was intended to -store grain, but the suspicious savages, the Eesa Musa, and Mikahil, who -hold the land, saw in it an attempt to threaten their liberties. On our -way home we passed through some extensive cemeteries: the tombs were in -good preservation; there was nothing peculiar in their construction, yet -the Somal were positive that they belonged to a race preceding their own. -Near them were some ruins of kilns,--comparatively modern, for bits of -charcoal were mixed with broken pieces of pottery,--and the oblong tracery -of a dwelling-house divided into several compartments: its material was -the sun-dried brick of Central Asia, here a rarity. - -After visiting these ruins there was little to detain me at Berberah. The -town had become intolerable, the heat under a mat hut was extreme, the -wind and dust were almost as bad as Aden, and the dirt perhaps even worse. -As usual we had not a moment's privacy, Arabs as well as the Somal -assuming the right of walking in, sitting down, looking hard, chatting -with one another, and departing. Before the voyage, however, I was called -upon to compose a difficulty upon the subject of Abbanship. The Hammal had -naturally constituted his father-in-law, one Burhale Nuh, of the Ayyal -Gedid, protector to Lieut. Herne and myself. Burhale had proved himself a -rascal: he had been insolent as well as dishonest, and had thrown frequent -obstacles in his employer's way; yet custom does not permit the Abban to -be put away like a wife, and the Hammal's services entitled him to the -fullest consideration. On the other hand Jami Hasan, a chief and a doughty -man of the Ayyal Ahmed, had met me at Aden early in 1854, and had received -from me a ring in token of Abbanship. During my absence at Harar, he had -taken charge of Lieut. Stroyan. On the very morning of my arrival he came -to the hut, sat down spear in hand, produced the ring and claimed my -promise. In vain I objected that the token had been given when a previous -trip was intended, and that the Hammal must not be disappointed: Jami -replied that once an Abban always an Abban, that he hated the Hammal and -all his tribe, and that he would enter into no partnership with Burhale -Nuh:--to complicate matters, Lieut. Stroyan spoke highly of his courage -and conduct. Presently he insisted rudely upon removing his _protege_ to -another part of the town: this passed the limits of our patience, and -decided the case against him. - -For some days discord raged between the rivals. At last it was settled -that I should choose my own Abban in presence of a general council of the -Elders. The chiefs took their places upon the shore, each with his -followers forming a distinct semicircle, and all squatting with shield and -spear planted upright in the ground. When sent for, I entered the circle -sword in hand, and sat down awaiting their pleasure. After much murmuring -had subsided, Jami asked in a loud voice, "Who is thy protector?" The -reply was, "Burhale Nuh!" Knowing, however, how little laconism is prized -by an East-African audience, I did not fail to follow up this answer with -an Arabic speech of the dimensions of an average sermon, and then -shouldering my blade left the circle abruptly. The effect was success. Our -wild friends sat from afternoon till sunset: as we finished supper one of -them came in with the glad tidings of a "peace conference." Jami had asked -Burhale to swear that he intended no personal offence in taking away a -_protege_ pledged to himself: Burhale had sworn, and once more the olive -waved over the braves of Berberah. - -On the 5th February 1855, taking leave of my comrades, I went on board El -Kasab or the Reed--such was the ill-omened name of our cranky craft--to -the undisguised satisfaction of the Hammal, Long Guled, and the End of -Time, who could scarcely believe in their departure from Berberah with -sound skins. [25] Coasting with a light breeze, early after noon on the -next day we arrived at Siyaro, a noted watering-place for shipping, about -nineteen miles east of the emporium. The roadstead is open to the north, -but a bluff buttress of limestone rock defends it from the north-east -gales. Upon a barren strip of sand lies the material of the town; two -houses of stone and mud, one yet unfinished, the other completed about -thirty years ago by Farih Binni, a Mikahil chief. - -Some dozen Bedouin spearmen, Mikahil of a neighbouring kraal, squatted -like a line of crows upon the shore to receive us as we waded from the -vessel. They demanded money in too authoritative a tone before allowing us -to visit the wells, which form their principal wealth. Resolved not to -risk a quarrel so near Berberah, I was returning to moralise upon the fate -of Burckhardt--after a successful pilgrimage refused admittance to Aaron's -tomb at Sinai--when a Bedouin ran to tell us that we might wander where we -pleased. He excused himself and his companions by pleading necessity, and -his leanness lent conviction to the plea. - -The larger well lies close to the eastern wall of the dwelling-house: it -is about eighteen feet deep, one third sunk through ground, the other two -thirds through limestone, and at the bottom is a small supply of sweet -clear water, Near it I observed some ruined tanks, built with fine mortar -like that of the Berberah ruins. The other well lies about half a mile to -the westward of the former: it is also dug in the limestone rock. A few -yards to the north-east of the building is the Furzeh or custom-house, -whose pristine simplicity tempts me to describe it:--a square of ground -surrounded by a dwarf rubble enclosure, and provided with a proportional -mosque, a tabular block of coralline niched in the direction of Meccah. On -a little eminence of rock to the westward, rise ruined walls, said by my -companions to have been built by a Frank, who bought land from the Mikahil -and settled on this dismal strand. - -Taking leave of the Bedouins; whose hearts were gladdened by a few small -presents, we resumed our voyage eastwards along the coast. Next morning, -we passed two broken pyramids of dark rock called Dubada Gumbar Madu--the -Two Black Hills. After a tedious day's sail, twenty miles in twenty-four -hours, the Captain of El Kasab landed us in a creek west of Aynterad. A -few sheep-boats lay at anchor in this "back-bay," as usual when the sea is -heavy at the roadstead; and the crews informed us that a body of Bedouins -was marching to attack the village. Abdy Mohammed Diban, proprietor of the -Aynterad Fort, having constituted me his protector, and remained at -Berberah, I armed my men, and ordering the Captain of the "Reed" to bring -his vessel round at early dawn, walked hurriedly over the three miles that -separated us from the place. Arrived at the fort, we found that Abdy's -slaves knew nothing of the reported attack. They received me, however, -hospitably, and brought a supper of their only provision, vile dates and -dried meat. Unwilling to diminish the scanty store, the Hammal and I but -dipped our hands in the dish: Long Guled and the End of Time, however, -soon cleared the platters, while abusing roundly the unpalatable food. -After supper, a dispute arose between the Hammal and one of the Habr Tul -Jailah, the tribe to whom the land belongs. The Bedouin, not liking my -looks, proposed to put his spear into me. The Hammal objected that if the -measure were carried out, he would return the compliment in kind. Ensued a -long dispute, and the listeners laughed heartily at the utter indifference -with which I gave ear. When it concluded, amicably as may be expected, the -slaves spread a carpet upon a coarse Berberah couch, and having again -vented their hilarity in a roar of laughter, left me to sleep. - -We had eaten at least one sheep per diem, and mutton baked in the ship's -oven is delicious to the Somali mouth. Remained on board another dinner, a -circumstance which possibly influenced the weak mind of the Captain of the -"Reed." Awaking at dawn, I went out, expecting to find the vessel within -stone's throw: it was nowhere visible. About 8 A.M., it appeared in sight, -a mere speck upon the sea-horizon, and whilst it approached, I inspected -the settlement. - -Aynterad, an inconsiderable place lying east-north-east of, and about -forty miles from, Berberah, is a favourite roadstead principally on -account of its water, which rivals that of Siyaro. The anchorage is bad: -the Shimal or north wind sweeps long lines of heavy wave into the open -bay, and the bottom is a mass of rock and sand-reef. The fifty sunburnt -and windsoiled huts which compose the settlement, are built upon a bank of -sand overlying the normal limestone: at the time when I visited it, the -male population had emigrated _en masse_ to Berberah. It is principally -supported by the slave trade, the Arabs preferring to ship their purchases -at some distance from the chief emporium. [26] Lieut. Herne, when he -visited it, found a considerable amount of "black bullion" in the market. - -The fort of Aynterad, erected thirty years ago by Mohammed Diban, is a -stone and mud house square and flat-roofed, with high windows, an attempt -at crenelles, and, for some reason intelligible only to its own Vitruvius, -but a single bastion at the northern angle. There is no well, and the mass -of huts cluster close to the walls. The five guns here deposited by -Sharmarkay when expelled from Berberah, stand on the ground outside the -fort, which is scarcely calculated to bear heavy carronades: they are -unprovided with balls, but that is a trifle where pebbles abound. -Moreover, Abdy's slaves are well armed with matchlock and pistol, and the -Bedouin Tul Jailah [27] find the spear ineffectual against stone walls. -The garrison has frequently been blockaded by its troublesome neighbours, -whose prowess, however, never extended beyond preliminaries. - -To allay my impatience, that morning I was invited into several huts for -the purpose of drinking sour milk. A malicious joy filled my soul, as -about noon, the Machiavellian Captain of the "Reed" managed to cast -anchor, after driving his crazy craft through a sea which the violent -Shimal was flinging in hollow curves foam-fringed upon the strand. I stood -on the shore making signs for a canoe. My desires were disregarded, as -long as decency admitted. At last, about 1 P.M., I found myself upon the -quarter-deck. - -"Dawwir el farman,"--shift the yard!--I shouted with a voice of thunder. - -The answer was a general hubbub. "He surely will not sail in a sea like -this?" asked the trembling Captain of my companions. - -"He will!" sententiously quoth the Hammal, with a Burleigh nod. - -"It blows wind--" remonstrated the Rais. - -"And if it blew fire?" asked the Hammal with the air _goguenard_, meaning -that from the calamity of Frankish obstinacy there was no refuge. - -A kind of death-wail arose, during which, to hide untimely laughter, I -retreated to a large drawer, in the stern of the vessel, called a cabin. -There my ears could distinguish the loud entreaties of the crew vainly -urging my attendants to propose a day's delay. Then one of the garrison, -accompanied by the Captain who shook as with fever, resolved to act -forlorn hope, and bring a _feu d'enfer_ of phrases to bear upon the -Frank's hard brain. Scarcely, however, had the head of the sentence been -delivered, before he was playfully upraised by his bushy hair and a handle -somewhat more substantial, carried out of the cabin, and thrown, like a -bag of biscuit, on the deck. - -The case was hopeless. All strangers plunged into the sea,--the popular -way of landing in East Africa,--the anchor was weighed, the ton of sail -shaken out, and the "Reed" began to dip and rise in the yeasty sea -laboriously as an alderman dancing a polka. - -For the first time in my life I had the satisfaction of seeing the Somal -unable to eat--unable to eat mutton. In sea-sickness and needless terror, -the captain, crew, and passengers abandoned to us all the baked sheep, -which we three, not being believers in the Evil Eye, ate from head to -trotters with especial pleasure. That night the waves broke over us. The -End of Time occupied himself in roaring certain orisons, which are reputed -to calm stormy seas: he desisted only when Long Guled pointed out that a -wilder gust seemed to follow as in derision each more emphatic period. The -Captain, a noted reprobate, renowned on shore for his knowledge of erotic -verse and admiration of the fair sex, prayed with fervour: he was joined -by several of the crew, who apparently found the charm of novelty in the -edifying exercise. About midnight a Sultan el Bahr or Sea-king--a species -of whale--appeared close to our counter; and as these animals are infamous -for upsetting vessels in waggishness, the sight elicited a yell of terror -and a chorus of religious exclamations. - -On the morning of Friday, the 9th February 1855, we hove in sight of Jebel -Shamsan, the loftiest peak of the Aden Crater. And ere evening fell, I had -the pleasure of seeing the faces of friends and comrades once more. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] I cannot guess why Bartema decided "Barbara" to be an island, except -that he used "insula" in the sense of "peninsula." The town is at very -high tides flooded round, but the old traveller manifestly speaks of the -country. - -[2] These are the four martello towers erected, upon the spot where the -town of huts generally stands, by the Hajj Sharmarkay, who garrisoned them -with thirty Arab and Negro matchlockmen. They are now in ruins, having -been dismantled by orders from Aden. - -[3] The former is an Arab craft, the latter belongs to the Northern Coasts -of Western India. - -[4] A turban. - -[5] The wild animals have now almost entirely disappeared. As will -afterwards be shown, the fair since 1848 has diminished to one third its -former dimensions. - -[6] This subject has been fully discussed in Chap. IV. - -[7] The old Persians. - -[8] Especially the sea-board Habr Gerbajis clans,--the Musa Arrah, the Ali -Said, and the Saad Yunis--are interested in asserting their claims. - -[9] Yunis and Ahmed were brothers, children of Nuh, the ninth in descent -from Ishak el Hazrami. The former had four sons, Hosh Yunis, Gedid Yunis, -Mahmud Yunis, and Shirdon Yunis; their descendants are all known as the -Ayyal or progeny of Yunis. The Ayyal Ahmed Nuh hold the land immediately -behind the town, and towards the Ghauts, blend with the Eesa Musa. The -Mikahil claim the Eastern country from Siyaro to Illanti, a wooded valley -affording good water and bad anchorage to wind-bound vessels. - -[10] In the centre of the gap is a detached rock called Daga Malablay. - -[11] It was measured by Lt. Herne, who remarks of this range that "cold in -winter, as the presence of the pine-tree proves, and cooled in summer by -the Monsoon, abounding in game from a spur fowl to an elephant; this hill -would make an admirable Sanitarium." Unfortunately Gulays is tenanted by -the Habr Gerhajis, and Wagar by the Eesa Musa, treacherous races. - -[12] This part of Somali land is a sandy plain, thinly covered with thorns -and bounded by two ranges, the Ghauts and Sub-Ghauts. The latter or -maritime mountains begin at Tajurrah, and extend to Karam (long. 46° E.), -where they break into detached groups; the distance from the coast varies -from 6 to 15 miles, the height from 2000 to 3000 feet, and the surface is -barren, the rock being denuded of soil by rain. The Ghauts lie from 8 to -40 miles from the sea, they average from 4000 to 6000 feet, are thickly -covered with gum-arabic and frankincense trees, the wild fig and the -Somali pine, and form the seaward wall of the great table-land of the -interior. The Northern or maritime face is precipitous, the summit is -tabular and slopes gently southwards. The general direction is E. by N. -and W. by S., there are, however, some spurs at the three hills termed -"Ourat," which project towards the north. Each portion of the plain -between these ranges has some local name, such as the "Shimberali Valley" -extending westwards from the detached hill Dimoli, to Gauli, Dinanjir and -Gularkar. Intersected with Fiumaras which roll torrents during the -monsoon, they are covered with a scrub of thorns, wild fig, aloe, and -different kinds of Cactus. - -[13] The climate of Berberah is cool during the winter, and though the sun -is at all times burning, the atmosphere, as in Somali land generally, is -healthy. In the dry season the plain is subject to great heats, but lying -open to the north, the sea-breeze is strong and regular. In the monsoon -the air is cloudy, light showers frequently fall, and occasionally heavy -storms come up from the southern hills. - -[14] I quote Lieut. Cruttenden. The Berberah water has acquired a bad name -because the people confine themselves to digging holes three or four feet -deep in the sand, about half-a-mile from high-water mark. They are -reconciled to it by its beneficial effects, especially after and before a -journey. Good water, however, can be procured in any of the Fiumaras -intersecting the plain; when the Hajj Sharmarkay's towers commanded the -town wells, the people sank pits in low ground a few hundred yards -distant, and procured a purer beverage. The Banyans, who are particular -about their potations, drink the sweet produce of Siyaro, a roadstead -about nineteen miles eastward of Berberah. - -[15] The experiment was tried by an officer who brought from Bombay a -batch of sparrows and crows. The former died, scorbutic I presume; the -latter lingered through an unhappy life, and to judge from the absence of -young, refused to entail their miseries upon posterity. - -[16] The climate of Aden, it may be observed, has a reputation for -salubrity which it does not deserve. The returns of deaths prove it to be -healthy for the European soldier as London, and there are many who have -built their belief upon the sandy soil of statistics. But it is the -practice of every sensible medical man to hurry his patients out of Aden; -they die elsewhere,--some I believe recover,--and thus the deaths caused -by the crater are attributed statistically to Bombay or the Red Sea. - -Aden is for Asiatics a hot-bed of scurry and ulcer. Of the former disease -my own corps, I am informed, had in hospital at one time 200 cases above -the usual amount of sickness; this arises from the brackish water, the -want of vegetables, and lastly the cachexy induced by an utter absence of -change, diversion, and excitement. The ulcer is a disease endemic in -Southern Arabia; it is frequently fatal, especially to the poorer classes -of operatives, when worn out by privation, hardship, and fatigue. - -[17] The Abban is now the pest of Berberah. Before vessels have cast -anchor, or indeed have rounded the Spit, a crowd of Somal, eager as hotel- -touters, may be seen running along the strand. They swim off, and the -first who arrives on board inquires the name of the Abban; if there be -none he touches the captain or one of the crew and constitutes himself -protector. For merchandise sent forward, the man who conveys it becomes -answerable. - -The system of dues has become complicated. Formerly, the standard of value -at Berberah was two cubits of the blue cotton-stuff called Sauda; this is -now converted into four pice of specie. Dollars form the principal -currency; rupees are taken at a discount. Traders pay according to degree, -the lowest being one per cent., taken from Muscat and Suri merchants. The -shopkeeper provides food for his Abban, and presents him at the close of -the season with a Tobe, a pair of sandals, and half-a-dozen dollars. -Wealthy Banyans and Mehmans give food and raiment, and before departure -from 50 to 200 dollars. This class, however, derives large profits; they -will lend a few dollars to the Bedouin at the end of the Fair, on -condition of receiving cent. per cent., at the opening of the next season. -Travellers not transacting business must feed the protector, but cannot -properly be forced to pay him. Of course the Somal take every advantage of -Europeans. Mr. Angelo, a merchant from Zanzibar, resided two months at -Bulhar; his broker of the Ayyal Gedid tribe, and an Arab who accompanied -him, extracted, it is said, 3000 dollars. As a rule the Abban claims one -per cent. on sales and purchases, and two dollars per head of slaves. For -each bale of cloth, half-a-dollar in coin is taken; on gums and coffee the -duty is one pound in twenty-seven. Cowhides pay half-a-dollar each, sheep -and goat's skins four pice, and ghee about one per cent. - -Lieut. Herne calculates that the total money dues during the Fair-season -amount to 2000 dollars, and that, in the present reduced state of -Berberah, not more than 10,000_l._ worth of merchandize is sold. This -estimate the natives of the place declare to be considerably under the -mark. - -[18] The similarity between the Persian "Gach" and this cement, which is -found in many ruins about Berberah, has been remarked by other travellers. - -[19] The following note by Dr. Carter of Bombay will be interesting to -Indian geologists. - -"Of the collection of geological specimens and fossils from Berberah above -mentioned, Lieut. Burton states that the latter are found on the plain of -Berberah, and the former in the following order between the sea and the -summits of mountains (600 feet high), above it--that is, the ridge -immediate behind Berberah. - -"1. Country along the coast consists of a coralline limestone, (tertiary -formation,) with drifts of sand, &c. 2. Sub-Ghauts and lower ranges (say -2000 feet high), of sandstone capped with limestone, the former -preponderating. 3. Above the Ghauts a plateau of primitive rocks mixed -with sandstone, granite, syenite, mica schiste, quartz rock, micaceous -grit, &c. - -"The fawn-coloured fossils from his coralline limestone are evidently the -same as those of the tertiary formation along the south-east coast of -Arabia, and therefore the same as those of Cutch; and it is exceedingly -interesting to find that among the blue-coloured fossils which are -accompanied by specimens of the blue shale, composing the beds from which -they have been weathered out, are species of Terebratula Belemnites, -identical with those figured in Grant's Geology of Cutch; thus enabling us -to extend those beds of the Jurassic formation which exist in Cutch, and -along the south-eastern coast of Arabia, across to Africa." - -[20] These animals are tolerably tame in the morning, as day advances -their apprehension of man increases. - -[21] Lieut. Cruttenden in considering what nation could have constructed, -and at what period the commerce of Berberah warranted, so costly an -undertaking, is disposed to attribute it to the Persian conquerors of Aden -in the days of Anushirwan. He remarks that the trade carried on in the Red -Sea was then great, the ancient emporia of Hisn Ghorab and Aden prosperous -and wealthy, and Berberah doubtless exported, as it does now, ivory, gums, -and ostrich feathers. But though all the maritime Somali country abounds -in traditions of the Furs or ancient Persians, none of the buildings near -Berberah justify our assigning to them, in a country of monsoon rain and -high winds, an antiquity of 1300 years. - -The Somal assert that ten generations ago their ancestors drove out the -Gallas from Berberah, and attribute these works to the ancient Pagans. -That nation of savages, however, was never capable of constructing a -scientific aqueduct. I therefore prefer attributing these remains at -Berberah to the Ottomans, who, after the conquest of Aden by Sulayman -Pacha in A.D. 1538, held Yemen for about 100 years, and as auxiliaries of -the King of Adel, penetrated as far as Abyssinia. Traces of their -architecture are found at Zayla and Harar, and according to tradition, -they possessed at Berberah a settlement called, after its founder, Bunder -Abbas. - -[22] Here, as elsewhere in Somali land, the leech is of the horse-variety. -It might be worth while to attempt breeding a more useful species after -the manner recommended by Capt. R. Johnston, the Sub-Assistant Commissary -General in Sindh (10th April, 1845). In these streams leeches must always -be suspected; inadvertently swallowed, they fix upon the inner coat of the -stomach, and in Northern Africa have caused, it is said, some deaths among -the French soldiers. - -[23] Yet we observed frogs and a small species of fish. - -[24] Either this or the sulphate of magnesia, formed by the decomposition -of limestone, may account for the bitterness of the water. - -[25] They had been in some danger: a treacherous murder perpetrated a few -days before our arrival had caused all the Habr Gerbajis to fly from the -town and assemble 5000 men at Bulhar for battle and murder. This -proceeding irritated the Habr Awal, and certainly, but for our presence, -the strangers would have been scurvily treated by their "cousins." - -[26] Of all the slave-dealers on this coast, the Arabs are the most -unscrupulous. In 1855, one Mohammed of Muscat, a shipowner, who, moreover, -constantly visits Aden, bought within sight of our flag a free-born Arab -girl of the Yafai tribe, from the Akarib of Bir Hamid, and sold her at -Berberah to a compatriot. Such a crime merits severe punishment; even the -Abyssinians visit with hanging the Christian convicted of selling a fellow -religionist. The Arab slaver generally marries his properly as a ruse, and -arrived at Muscat or Bushire, divorces and sells them. Free Somali women -have not unfrequently met with this fate. - -[27] The Habr Tul Jailah (mother of the tribe of Jailah) descendants of -Ishak el Hazrami by a slave girl, inhabit the land eastward of Berberah. -Their principal settlements after Aynterad are the three small ports of -Karam, Unkor, and Hays. The former, according to Lieut. Cruttenden, is -"the most important from its possessing a tolerable harbour, and from its -being the nearest point from Aden, the course to which place is N. N. W., ---consequently the wind is fair, and the boats laden with sheep for the -Aden market pass but one night at sea, whilst those from Berberah are -generally three. What greatly enhances the value of Kurrum (Karam), -however, is its proximity to the country of the Dulbahanteh, who approach -within four days of Kurrum, and who therefore naturally have their chief -trade through that port. The Ahl Tusuf, a branch of the Habertel Jahleh, -at present hold possession of Kurrum, and between them and the tribes to -windward there exists a most bitter and irreconcileable feud, the -consequence of sundry murders perpetrated about five years since at -Kurrum, and which hitherto have not been avenged. The small ports of -Enterad, Unkor, Heis, and Rukudah are not worthy of mention, with the -exception of the first-named place, which has a trade with Aden in sheep." - - - - -POSTSCRIPT. - - -On Saturday, the 7th April 1855, the H. E. I. Company's Schooner "Mahi," -Lieut. King, I. N., commanding, entered the harbour of Berberah, where her -guns roared forth a parting salute to the "Somali Expedition." - -The Emporium of East Africa was at the time of my landing, in a state of -confusion. But a day before, the great Harar caravan, numbering 3000 -souls, and as many cattle, had entered for the purpose of laying in the -usual eight months' supplies, and purchase, barter, and exchange were -transacted in most hurried and unbusiness-like manner. All day, and during -the greater part of night, the town rang with the voices of buyer and -seller: to specify no other articles of traffic, 500 slaves of both sexes -were in the market. [1] Long lines of laden and unladen camels were to be -seen pacing the glaring yellow shore; rumours of plundering parties at -times brought swarms of spear-men, bounding and yelling like wild beasts, -from the town; already small parties of travellers had broken ground for -their return journey; and the foul heap of mat hovels, to which this -celebrated mart had been reduced, was steadily shrinking in dimensions. - -Our little party consisted of forty-two souls. At Aden I had applied -officially for some well-trained Somali policemen, but as an increase of -that establishment had been urged upon the home authorities, my request -was refused. We were fain to content ourselves with a dozen recruits of -various races, Egyptian, Nubian, Arab and Negro, whom we armed with sabres -and flint muskets. The other members of the expedition were our private -servants, and about a score of Somal under our rival protectors Jami Hasan -and Burhale Nuh. The Ras or Captain of the Kafilah was one Mahmud of the -Mijjarthayn, better known at Aden as El Balyuz or the Envoy: he had the -reputation of being a shrewd manager, thoroughly acquainted with the -habits and customs, as well as the geography, of Somaliland. - -Our camp was pitched near the site of the proposed Agency, upon a rocky -ridge within musket-shot of the southern extremity of the creek, and about -three quarters of a mile distant from the town. This position had been -selected for the benefit of the "Mahi's" guns. Political exigencies -required the "Mahi" to relieve the "Elphinstone," then blockading the -seaboard of our old Arab foe, the Fazli chief; she was unable to remain -upon the coast, and superintend our departure, a measure which I had -strongly urged. Our tents were pitched in one line: Lieut. Stroyan's was -on the extreme right, about a dozen paces distant was the "Rowtie" [2] -occupied by Lieut. Herne and myself, and at a similar distance on the left -of the camp was that in which Lieut. Speke slept. The baggage was placed -between the two latter, the camels were tethered in front upon a sandy bed -beneath the ridge our camping-ground, and in rear stood the horses and -mules. During day-time all were on the alert: at night two sentries were -posted, regularly relieved, and visited at times by the Ras and ourselves. - -I had little reason to complain of my reception at Berberah. The chiefs -appeared dissatisfied with the confinement of one Mohammed Sammattar, the -Abban who accompanied Lieut. Speke to the Eastern country: they listened, -however, with respectful attention to a letter in which the Political -Resident at Aden enjoined them to treat us with consideration and -hospitality. - -There had been petty disputes with Burhale Nuh, and the elders of the Eesa -Musa tribe, touching the hire of horse-keepers and camel-drivers: such -events, however, are not worthy to excite attention in Africa. My friend -at Harar, the Shaykh Jami, had repeatedly called upon us, ate bread and -salt, recommended us to his fellow countrymen, and used my intervention in -persuading avaricious ship-owners to transport, gratis, pauper pilgrims to -Arabia. The people, after seeing the deaths of a few elephants, gradually -lowered their loud boasts and brawling claims: they assisted us in digging -a well, offered their services as guides and camel-drivers, and in some -cases insisted upon encamping near us for protection. Briefly, we saw no -grounds of apprehension. During thirty years, not an Englishman of the -many that had visited it had been molested at Berberah, and apparently -there was as little to fear in it as within the fortifications of Aden. -[3] - -Under these favourable circumstances we might have set out at once towards -the interior. Our camels, fifty-six in number, had been purchased [4], and -the Ogadayn Caravan was desirous of our escort. But we wished to witness -the close of the Berberah fair, and we expected instruments and other -necessaries by the mid-April mail from Europe. [5] - -About 8 P.M., on the 9th April, a shower, accompanied by thunder and -lightning, came up from the southern hills, where rain had been falling -for some days, and gave notice that the Gugi or Somali monsoon had begun. -This was the signal for the Bedouins to migrate to the Plateau above the -hills. [6] Throughout the town the mats were stripped from their -frameworks of stick and pole [7], the camels were laden, and thousands of -travellers lined the roads. The next day Berberah was almost deserted -except by the pilgrims who intended to take ship, and by merchants, who, -fearful of plundering parties, awaited the first favourable hour for -setting sail. Our protectors, Jami and Burhale, receiving permission to -accompany their families and flocks, left us in charge of their sons and -relations. On the 15th April the last vessel sailed out of the creek, and -our little party remained in undisputed possession of the place. - -Three days afterwards, about noon, an Aynterad craft _en route_ from Aden -entered the solitary harbour freighted with about a dozen Somal desirous -of accompanying us towards Ogadayn, the southern region. She would have -sailed that evening; fortunately, however, I had ordered our people to -feast her commander and crew with rice and the irresistible dates. - -At sunset on the same day we were startled by a discharge of musketry -behind the tents: the cause proved to be three horsemen, over whose heads -our guard had fired in case they might be a foraging party. I reprimanded -our people sharply for this act of folly, ordering them in future to -reserve their fire, and when necessary to shoot into, not above, a crowd. -After this we proceeded to catechise the strangers, suspecting them to be -scouts, the usual forerunners of a Somali raid: the reply was so plausible -that even the Balyuz, with all his acuteness, was deceived. The Bedouins -had forged a report that their ancient enemy the Hajj Sharmarkay was -awaiting with four ships at the neighbouring port, Siyaro, the opportunity -of seizing Berberah whilst deserted, and of re-erecting his forts there -for the third time. Our visitors swore by the divorce-oath,--the most -solemn which the religious know,--that a vessel entering the creek at such -unusual season, they had been sent to ascertain whether it had been -freighted with materials for building, and concluded by laughingly asking -if we feared danger from the tribe of our own protectors. Believing them, -we posted as usual two sentries for the night, and retired to rest in our -wonted security. - -Between 2 and 3 A.M. of the 19th April I was suddenly aroused by the -Balyuz, who cried aloud that the enemy was upon us. [8] Hearing a rush of -men like a stormy wind, I sprang up, called for my sabre, and sent Lieut. -Herne to ascertain the force of the foray. Armed with a "Colt," he went to -the rear and left of the camp, the direction of danger, collected some of -the guard,--others having already disappeared,--and fired two shots into -the assailants. Then finding himself alone, he turned hastily towards the -tent; in so doing he was tripped up by the ropes, and as he arose, a -Somali appeared in the act of striking at him with a club. Lieut. Herne -fired, floored the man, and rejoining me, declared that the enemy was in -great force and the guard nowhere. Meanwhile, I had aroused Lieuts. -Stroyan and Speke, who were sleeping in the extreme right and left tents. -The former, it is presumed, arose to defend himself, but, as the sequel -shows, we never saw him alive. [9] Lieut. Speke, awakened by the report of -firearms, but supposing it the normal false alarm,--a warning to -plunderers,--he remained where he was: presently hearing clubs rattling -upon his tent, and feet shuffling around, he ran to my Rowtie, which we -prepared to defend as long as possible. - -The enemy swarmed like hornets with shouts and screams intending to -terrify, and proving that overwhelming odds were against us: it was by no -means easy to avoid in the shades of night the jobbing of javelins, and -the long heavy daggers thrown at our legs from under and through the -opening of the tent. We three remained together: Lieut. Herne knelt by my -right, on my left was Lieut. Speke guarding the entrance, I stood in the -centre, having nothing but a sabre. The revolvers were used by my -companions with deadly effect: unfortunately there was but one pair. When -the fire was exhausted, Lieut. Herne went to search for his powder-horn, -and that failing, to find some spears usually tied to the tent-pole. -Whilst thus engaged, he saw a man breaking into the rear of our Rowtie, -and came back to inform me of the circumstance. - -At this time, about five minutes after the beginning of the affray, the -tent had been almost beaten down, an Arab custom with which we were all -familiar, and had we been entangled in its folds, we should have been -speared with unpleasant facility. I gave the word for escape, and sallied -out, closely followed by Lieut. Herne, with Lieut. Speke in the rear. The -prospect was not agreeable. About twenty men were kneeling and crouching -at the tent entrance, whilst many dusk figures stood further off, or ran -about shouting the war-cry, or with shouts and blows drove away our -camels. Among the enemy were many of our friends and attendants: the coast -being open to them, they naturally ran away, firing a few useless shots -and receiving a modicum of flesh wounds. - -After breaking through the mob at the tent entrance, imagining that I saw -the form of Lieut. Stroyan lying upon the sand, I cut my way towards it -amongst a dozen Somal, whose war-clubs worked without mercy, whilst the -Balyuz, who was violently pushing me out of the fray, rendered the strokes -of my sabre uncertain. This individual was cool and collected: though -incapacitated by a sore right-thumb from using the spear, he did not shun -danger, and passed unhurt through the midst of the enemy: his efforts, -however, only illustrated the venerable adage, "defend me from my -friends." I turned to cut him down: he cried out in alarm; the well-known -voice caused an instant's hesitation: at that moment a spearman stepped -forward, left his javelin in my mouth, and retired before he could be -punished. Escaping as by a miracle, I sought some support: many of our -Somal and servants lurking in the darkness offered to advance, but "tailed -off" to a man as we approached the foe. Presently the Balyuz reappeared, -and led me towards the place where he believed my three comrades had taken -refuge. I followed him, sending the only man that showed presence of mind, -one Golab of the Yusuf tribe, to bring back the Aynterad craft from the -Spit into the centre of the harbour [10]. Again losing the Balyuz in the -darkness, I spent the interval before dawn wandering in search of my -comrades, and lying down when overpowered with faintness and pain: as the -day broke, with my remaining strength I reached the head of the creek, was -carried into the vessel, and persuaded the crew to arm themselves and -visit the scene of our disasters. - -Meanwhile, Lieut. Herne, who had closely followed me, fell back, using the -butt-end of his discharged sixshooter upon the hard heads around him: in -so doing he came upon a dozen men, who though they loudly vociferated, -"Kill the Franks who are killing the Somal!" allowed him to pass -uninjured. - -He then sought his comrades in the empty huts of the town, and at early -dawn was joined by the Balyuz, who was similarly employed. When day broke -he sent a Negro to stop the native craft, which was apparently sailing out -of the harbour, and in due time came on board. With the exception of -sundry stiff blows with the war-club, Lieut. Herne had the fortune to -escape unhurt. - -On the other hand, Lieut. Speke's escape was in every way wonderful. -Sallying from the tent he levelled his "Dean and Adams" close to an -assailant's breast. The pistol refused to revolve. A sharp blow of a war- -club upon the chest felled our comrade, who was in the rear and unseen. -When he fell, two or three men sprang upon him, pinioned his hands behind, -felt him for concealed weapons,--an operation to which he submitted in -some alarm,--and led him towards the rear, as he supposed to be -slaughtered. There, Lieut. Speke, who could scarcely breathe from the pain -of the blow, asked a captor to tie his hands before, instead of behind, -and begged a drop of water to relieve his excruciating thirst. The savage -defended him against a number of the Somal who came up threatening and -brandishing their spears, he brought a cloth for the wounded man to lie -upon, and lost no time in procuring a draught of water. - -Lieut. Speke remained upon the ground till dawn. During the interval he -witnessed the war-dance of the savages--a scene striking in the extreme. -The tallest and largest warriors marched in a ring round the tents and -booty, singing, with the deepest and most solemn tones, the song of -thanksgiving. At a little distance the grey uncertain light disclosed four -or five men, lying desperately hurt, whilst their kinsmen kneaded their -limbs, poured water upon their wounds, and placed lumps of dates in their -stiffening hands. [11] As day broke, the division of plunder caused angry -passions to rise. The dead and dying were abandoned. One party made a rush -upon the cattle, and with shouts and yells drove them off towards the -wild, some loaded themselves with goods, others fought over pieces of -cloth, which they tore with hand and dagger, whilst the disappointed, -vociferating with rage, struck at one another and brandished their spears. -More than once during these scenes, a panic seized them; they moved off in -a body to some distance; and there is little doubt that had our guard -struck one blow, we might still have won the day. - -Lieut. Speke's captor went to seek his own portion of the spoil, when a -Somal came up and asked in Hindostani, what business the Frank had in -their country, and added that he would kill him if a Christian, but spare -the life of a brother Moslem. The wounded man replied that he was going to -Zanzibar, that he was still a Nazarene, and therefore that the work had -better be done at once:--the savage laughed and passed on. He was -succeeded by a second, who, equally compassionate, whirled a sword round -his head, twice pretended to strike, but returned to the plunder without -doing damage. Presently came another manner of assailant. Lieut. Speke, -who had extricated his hands, caught the spear levelled at his breast, but -received at the same moment a blow from a club which, paralyzing his arm, -caused him to lose his hold. In defending his heart from a succession of -thrusts, he received severe wounds on the back of his hand, his right -shoulder, and his left thigh. Pausing a little, the wretch crossed to the -other side, and suddenly passed his spear clean through the right leg of -the wounded man: the latter "smelling death," then leapt up, and taking -advantage of his assailant's terror, rushed headlong towards the sea. -Looking behind, he avoided the javelin hurled at his back, and had the -good fortune to run, without further accident, the gauntlet of a score of -missiles. When pursuit was discontinued, he sat down faint from loss of -blood upon a sandhill. Recovering strength by a few minutes' rest, he -staggered on to the town, where some old women directed him to us. Then, -pursuing his way, he fell in with the party sent to seek him, and by their -aid reached the craft, having walked and run at least three miles, after -receiving eleven wounds, two of which had pierced his thighs. A touching -lesson how difficult it is to kill a man in sound health! [12] - -When the three survivors had reached the craft, Yusuf, the captain, armed -his men with muskets and spears, landed them near the camp, and -ascertained that the enemy, expecting a fresh attack, had fled, carrying -away our cloth, tobacco, swords, and other weapons. [13] The corpse of -Lieut. Stroyan was then brought on board. Our lamented comrade was already -stark and cold. A spear had traversed his heart, another had pierced his -abdomen, and a frightful gash, apparently of a sword, had opened the upper -part of his forehead: the body had been bruised with war-clubs, and the -thighs showed marks of violence after death. This was the severest -affliction that befell us. We had lived together like brothers: Lieut. -Stroyan was a universal favourite, and his sterling qualities of manly -courage, physical endurance, and steady perseverance had augured for him a -bright career, thus prematurely cut off. Truly melancholy to us was the -contrast between the evening when he sat with us full of life and spirits, -and the morning when we saw amongst us a livid corpse. - -We had hoped to preserve the remains of our friend for interment at Aden. -But so rapid were the effects of exposure, that we were compelled most -reluctantly, on the morning of the 20th April, to commit them to the deep, -Lieut. Herne reading the funeral service. - -Then with heavy hearts we set sail for the near Arabian shore, and, after -a tedious two days, carried to our friends the news of unexpected -disaster. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] The Fair-season of 1864-56 began on the 16th November, and may be said -to have broken up on the 15th April. - -The principal caravans which visit Berberah are from Harar the Western, -and Ogadayn, the Southern region: they collect the produce of the numerous -intermediate tribes of the Somal. The former has been described in the -preceding pages. The following remarks upon the subject of the Ogadayn -caravan are the result of Lieuts. Stroyan and Herne's observations at -Berberah. - -"Large caravans from Ogadayn descend to the coast at the beginning and the -end of the Fair-season. They bring slaves from the Arusa country, cattle -in great quantities, gums of sorts, clarified butter, ivory, ostrich -feathers, and rhinoceros horns to be made into handles for weapons. These -are bartered for coarse cotton cloth of three kinds, for English and -American sheeting in pieces of seventy-five, sixty-six, sixty-two, and -forty-eight yards, black and indigo-dyed calicos in lengths of sixteen -yards, nets or fillets worn by the married women, iron and steel in small -bars, lead and zinc, beads of various kinds, especially white porcelain -and speckled glass, dates and rice." - -The Ayyal Ahmed and Ayyal Yunis classes of the Habr Awal Somal have -constituted themselves Abbans or brokers to the Ogadayn Caravans, and the -rapacity of the patron has produced a due development of roguery in the -client. The principal trader of this coast is the Banyan from Aden find -Cutch, facetiously termed by the Somal their "Milch-cows." The African -cheats by mismeasuring the bad cotton cloth, and the Indian by falsely -weighing the coffee, ivory, ostrich feathers and other valuable articles -which he receives in return. Dollars and even rupees are now preferred to -the double breadth of eight cubits which constitutes the well known -"Tobe." - -[2] A Sepoy's tent, pent-house shaped, supported by a single transverse -and two upright poles and open at one of the long ends. - -[3] Since returning I have been informed, however, by the celebrated -Abyssinian traveller M. Antoine d'Abbadie, that in no part of the wild -countries which he visited was his life so much perilled as at Berberah. - -[4] Lieut. Speke had landed at Karam harbour on the 24th of March, in -company with the Ras, in order to purchase camels. For the Ayyun or best -description he paid seven dollars and a half; the Gel Ad (white camels) -cost on an average four. In five days he had collected twenty-six, the -number required, and he then marched overland from Karam to Berberah. - -I had taken the precaution of detaching Lieut. Speke to Karam in lively -remembrance of my detention for want of carriage at Zayla, and in -consequence of a report raised by the Somal of Aden that a sufficient -number of camels was not procurable at Berberah. This proved false. -Lieuts. Stroyan and Herne found no difficulty whatever in purchasing -animals at the moderate price of five dollars and three quarters a head: -for the same sum they could have bought any reasonable number. Future -travellers, however, would do well not to rely solely upon Berberah for a -supply of this necessary, especially at seasons when the place is not -crowded with caravans. - -[5] The Elders of the Habr Awal, I have since been informed, falsely -asserted that they repeatedly urged us, with warnings of danger, to leave -Berberah at the end of the fair, but that we positively refused -compliance, for other reasons. The facts of the case are those stated in -the text. - -[6] They prefer travelling during the monsoon, on account of the abundance -of water. - -[7] The framework is allowed to remain for use next Fair-season. - -[8] The attacking party, it appears, was 350 strong; 12 of the Mikahil, 15 -of the Habr Gerhajis, and the rest Eesa Musa. One Ao Ali wore, it is said, -the ostrich feather for the murder of Lieut. Stroyan. - -[9] Mohammed, his Indian servant, stated that rising at my summons he had -rushed to his tent, armed himself with a revolver, and fired six times -upon his assassins. Unhappily, however, Mohammed did not see his master -fall, and as he was foremost amongst the fugitives, scant importance -attaches to his evidence. - -[10] At this season native craft quitting Berberah make for the Spit late -in the evening, cast anchor there, and set sail with the land breeze -before dawn. Our lives hung upon a thread. Had the vessel departed, as she -intended, the night before the attack, nothing could have saved us from -destruction. - -[11] The Somal place dates in the hands of the fallen to ascertain the -extent of injury: he who cannot eat that delicacy is justly decided to be -_in articulo_. - -[12] In less than a month after receiving such injuries, Lieut. Speke was -on his way to England: he has never felt the least inconvenience from the -wounds, which closed up like cuts in Indian-rubber. - -[13] They had despised the heavy sacks of grain, the books, broken boxes, -injured instruments, and a variety of articles which they did not -understand. We spent that day at Berberah, bringing off our property, and -firing guns to recall six servants who were missing. They did not appear, -having lost no time in starting for Karam and Aynterad, whence they made -their way in safety to Aden. On the evening of the 19th of April, unable -to remove the heavier effects, and anxious to return with the least -possible delay, I ordered them to be set on fire. - - - - -APPENDIX I. - - -DIARY AND OBSERVATIONS -MADE BY LIEUTENANT SPEKE, WHEN ATTEMPTING TO REACH THE WADY NOGAL. - - -DIARY. - - -On the 28th October, 1854, Lieutenant Speke arrived at Kurayat, a small -village near Las Kuray (Goree Bunder), in the country called by the Somal -"Makhar," or the eastern maritime region. During the period of three -months and a half he was enabled to make a short excursion above the -coast-mountains, visiting the Warsingali, the Dulbahanta, and the Habr -Gerhajis tribes, and penetrating into a region unknown to Europeans. The -bad conduct of his Abban, and the warlike state of the country, prevented -his reaching the "Wady Nogal," which, under more favourable circumstances -and with more ample leisure than our plans allowed him, he conceives to be -a work of little difficulty and no danger. He has brought back with him -ample notices of the region visited, and has been enabled to make a -valuable collection of the Fauna, which have been forwarded to the Curator -of the Royal As. Society's Museum, Calcutta. On the 15th February, 1855, -Lieutenant Speke revisited Kurayat, and there embarked for Aden. - -Before proceeding to Lieutenant Speke's Journal, it may be useful to give -a brief and general account of the region explored. - -The portion of the Somali country visited by Lieutenant Speke may be -divided into a Maritime Plain, a Range of Mountains, and an elevated -Plateau. - -The Maritime Plain, at the points visited by Lieutenant Speke, is a sandy -tract overlying limestone, level to the foot of the hills, and varying -from half a mile to two miles in breadth. Water is not everywhere -procurable. At the village of Las Kuray, there is an old and well built -well, about twelve feet deep, producing an abundant and excellent supply. -It appears that the people have no implements, and are too barbarous to be -capable of so simple an engineering operation as digging. The vegetation -presents the usual appearance of salsolaceous plants thinly scattered over -the surface, with here and there a stunted growth of Arman or Acacia. The -watershed is of course from south to north, and the rain from the hills is -carried off by a number of Fiumaras or freshets, with broad shallow beds, -denoting that much of the monsoon rain falling in the mountains is there -absorbed, and that little finds its way to the sea. At this season (the -dry weather) the plain is thinly inhabited; there are no villages except -on the sea-shore, and even these were found by the traveller almost -entirely deserted, mostly women occupying the houses, whilst the men were -absent, trading and tending cattle in the hills. The harbours are, -generally speaking, open and shallow road-steads, where ships find no -protection; there is, however, one place (Las Galwayta), where, it is -said, deep water extends to the shore. - -Meteorological observations show a moderate temperature, clear air, and a -regular north-easterly wind. It is probable that, unlike the Berberah -Plain, the monsoon rain here falls in considerable quantities. This land -belongs in part to the Warsingali. Westwards of Las Galwayta, which is the -frontier, the Habr Gerhajis lay claim to the coast. The two tribes, as -usual in that unhappy land, are on terms of "Dam" or blood-feud; yet they -intermarry. - -The animals observed were, the Waraba, a dark-coloured cynhyena, with a -tail partly white, a grey jackal, and three different kinds of antelopes. -Besides gulls, butcher birds, and a description of sparrow, no birds were -found on the Maritime Plain. - -The Range of Mountains is that long line which fringes the Somali coast -from Tajurrah to Ras Jerd Hafun (Cape Guardafui). In the portion visited -by Lieutenant Speke it is composed principally of limestones, some white, -others brownish, and full of fossil shells. The seaward face is a gradual -slope, yet as usual more abrupt than the landward side, especially in the -upper regions. Steep irregular ravines divide the several masses of hill. -The range was thinly covered with Acacia scrub in the lower folds. The -upper portion was thickly clad with acacia and other thorns, and upon the -summit, the Somali pine tree observed by me near Harar, and by Lieutenant -Herne at Gulays, first appeared. Rain had freshly fallen. - -The animal creation was represented by the leopard, hyena, rhinoceros, -Waraba, four kinds of antelopes, hares and rats, tailless and long-tailed. -It is poor in sea birds (specimens of those collected have been forwarded -to the As. Society's Museum), and but one description of snake was -observed. These hills belong partly to the Warsingali, and partly to the -Habr Gerhajis. The frontier is in some places denoted by piles of rough -stones. As usual, violations of territorial right form the rule, not the -exception, and trespass is sure to be followed by a "war." The meteorology -of these hills is peculiar. The temperature appears to be but little lower -than the plain: the wind was north-easterly; and both monsoons bring heavy -rains. - -At Yafir, on the summit of the hill, Lieutenant Speke's thermometer showed -an altitude of about 7500 feet. The people of the country do not know what -ice means. Water is very scarce in these hills, except during the monsoon: -it is found in springs which are far apart; and in the lower slopes -collected rain water is the sole resource. This scarcity renders the -habits of the people peculiarly filthy. - -After descending about 2000 feet from the crest of the mountains to the -southern fall, Lieutenant Speke entered upon the platform which forms the -country of the Eastern Somal. He is persuaded that the watershed of this -extensive tract is from N.W. to S.E., contrary to the opinion of -Lieutenant Cruttenden, who, from information derived from the Somal, -determined the slope to be due south. "Nogal" appears, according to -Lieutenant Speke, to be the name of a tract of land occupied by the -Warsingali, the Mijjarthayn, and the northern clan of the Dulbahantas, as -Bohodlay in Haud is inhabited by the southern. Nogal is a sterile table- -land, here and there thinly grown with thorns, perfectly useless for -agriculture, and, unless it possess some mineral wealth, valueless. The -soil is white and stony, whereas Haud or Ogadayn is a deep red, and is -described as having some extensive jungles. Between the two lies a large -watercourse, called "Tuk Der," or the Long River. It is dry during the -cold season, but during the rains forms a flood, tending towards the -Eastern Ocean. This probably is the line which in our maps is put down as -"Wady Nogal, a very fertile and beautiful valley." - -The surface of the plateau is about 4100 feet above the level of the sea: -it is a space of rolling ground, stony and white with broken limestone. -Water is found in pools, and in widely scattered springs: it is very -scarce, and in a district near and south of the hills Lieutenant Speke was -stopped by want of this necessary. The climate appeared to our traveller -delightful In some places the glass fell at 6 A.M. to 25°, yet at noon on -the same day the mercury rose to 76°. The wind was always N. E., sometimes -gentle, and occasionally blowing strongly but without dust. The rainy -monsoon must break here with violence, and the heat be fearful in the hot -season. The principal vegetation of this plateau was Acacia, scarce and -stunted; in some places under the hills and in the watercourses these -trees are numerous and well grown. On the other hand, extensive tracts -towards the south are almost barren. The natives speak of Malmal (myrrh) -and the Luban (incense) trees. The wild animals are principally antelopes; -there are also ostriches, onagers, Waraba, lions (reported to exist), -jackals, and vermin. The bustard and florikan appear here. The Nomads -possess large flocks of sheep, the camels, cows, and goats being chiefly -found at this season on the seaward side of the hills, where forage is -procurable. The horses were stunted tattoos, tolerably well-bred, but soft -for want of proper food. It is said that the country abounds in horses, -but Lieutenant Speke "doubts the fact." The eastern portion of the plateau -visited by our traveller belongs to the Warsingali, the western to the -Dulbahantas: the former tribe extends to the S. E., whilst the latter -possess the lands lying about the Tuk Der, the Nogal, and Haud. These two -tribes are at present on bad terms, owing to a murder which led to a -battle: the quarrel has been allowed to rest till lately, when it was -revived at a fitting opportunity. But there is no hostility between the -Southern Dulbahantas and the Warsingali, on the old principle that "an -enemy's enemy is a friend." - -On the 21st October, 1854, Lieutenant Speke, from the effects of a stiff -easterly wind and a heavy sea, made by mistake the harbour of Rakudah. -This place has been occupied by the Rer Dud, descendants of Sambur, son of -Ishak. It is said to consist of an small fort, and two or three huts of -matting, lately re-erected. About two years ago the settlement was laid -waste by the rightful owners of the soil, the Musa Abokr, a sub-family of -the Habr Tal Jailah. - -_22nd October_.--Without landing, Lieutenant Speke coasted along to Bunder -Hais, where he went on shore. Hais is a harbour belonging to the Musa -Abokr. It contains a "fort," a single-storied, flat-roofed, stone and mud -house, about 20 feet square, one of those artless constructions to which -only Somal could attach importance. There are neither muskets nor cannon -among the braves of Hais. The "town" consists of half a dozen mud huts, -mostly skeletons. The anchoring ground is shallow, but partly protected by -a spur of hill, and the sea abounds in fish. Four Buggaloes (native craft) -were anchored here, waiting for a cargo of Dumbah sheep and clarified -butter, the staple produce of the place. Hais exports to Aden, Mocha, and -other parts of Arabia; it also manufactures mats, with the leaves of the -Daum palm and other trees. Lieutenant Speke was well received by one Ali, -the Agil, or petty chief of the place: he presented two sheep to the -traveller. On the way from Bunder Jedid to Las Kuray, Lieutenant Speke -remarks that Las Galwayta would be a favourable site for a Somali -settlement. The water is deep even close to the shore, and there is an -easy ascent from it to the summit of the mountains. The consequence is -that it is coveted by the Warsingali, who are opposed by the present -proprietors, the Habr Gerhajis. The Sultan of the former family resists -any settlement for fear of dividing and weakening their force; it is too -far from their pastures, and they have not men enough for both purposes. - -_28th October_.--Lieutenant Speke landed at Kurayat, near Las Kuray, and -sent a messenger to summon the chief, Mohammed Ali, Gerad or Prince of the -Warsingali tribe. - -During a halt of twenty-one days, the traveller had an opportunity of -being initiated into the mysteries of Somali medicine and money hiding. -The people have but two cures for disease, one the actual cautery, the -other a purgative, by means of melted sheep's-tail, followed by such a -draught of camel's milk that the stomach, having escaped the danger of -bursting, is suddenly and completely relieved. It is here the custom of -the wealthy to bury their hoards, and to reveal the secret only when at -the point of death. Lieutenant Speke went to a place where it is said a -rich man had deposited a considerable sum, and described his "cache" as -being "on a path in a direct line between two trees as far as the arms can -reach with a stick." The hoarder died between forty and fifty years ago, -and his children have been prevented by the rocky nature of the ground, -and their forgetting to ask which was the right side of the tree, from -succeeding in anything beyond turning up the stones. - -Las Kuray is an open roadstead for native craft. The town is considered -one of the principal strongholds of the coast. There are three large and -six small "forts," similar in construction to those of Hais; all are -occupied by merchants, and are said to belong to the Sultan. The mass of -huts may be between twenty and thirty in number. They are matted -buildings, long and flat-roofed; half a dozen families inhabit the same -house, which is portioned off for such accommodation. Public buildings -there are none, and no wall protects the place. It is in the territory of -the Warsingali, and owns the rule of the Gerad or Prince, who sometimes -lives here, and at other times inhabits the Jungle. Las Kuray exports -gums, Dumbah sheep, and guano, the latter considered valuable, and sent to -Makalla in Arabia, to manure the date plantations. - -Four miles westward of Las Kuray is Kurayat, also called Little Kuray. It -resembles the other settlement, and is not worth description. Lieutenant -Speke here occupied a fort or stone house belong to his Abban; finding the -people very suspicious, he did not enter Las Kuray for prudential motives. -There the Sultan has no habitation; when he visited the place he lodged in -the house of a Nacoda or ship-captain. - -Lieutenant Speke was delayed at Kurayat by the pretext of want of cattle; -in reality to be plundered. The Sultan, who inhabits the Jungle, did not -make his appearance till repeatedly summoned. About the tenth day the old -man arrived on foot, attended by a dozen followers; he was carefully -placed in the centre of a double line bristling with spears, and marched -past to his own fort. Lieutenant Speke posted his servants with orders to -fire a salute of small firearms. The consequence was that the evening was -spent in prayers. - -During Lieutenant Speke's first visit to the Sultan, who received him -squatting on the ground outside the house in which he lodged, with his -guards about him, the dignitary showed great trepidation, but returned -salams with politeness.< He is described as a fine-looking man, between -forty-eight and fifty years of age; he was dressed in an old and dirty -Tobe, had no turban, and appeared unarmed. He had consulted the claims of -"dignity" by keeping the traveller waiting ten days whilst he journeyed -twenty miles. Before showing himself he had privily held a Durbar at Las -Kuray; it was attended by the Agils of the tribe, by Mohammed Samattar -(Lieutenant Speke's Abban), and the people generally. Here the question -was debated whether the traveller was to be permitted to see the country. -The voice of the multitude was as usual _contra_, fearing to admit a wolf -into the fold. It was silenced however by the Sultan, who thought fit to -favour the English, and by the Abban, who settled the question, saying -that he, as the Sultan's subject, was answerable for all that might -happen, and that the chief might believe him or not;--"how could such -Jungle-folk know anything?" - -On the morning of the 8th November the Sultan returned Lieutenant Speke's -visit. The traveller took the occasion of "opening his desire to visit the -Warsingali country and the lands on the road to Berberah, keeping inland -about 200 miles, more or less according to circumstances, and passing -through the Dulbahantas." To this the Sultan replied, that "as far as his -dominions extended the traveller was perfectly at liberty to go where he -liked; but as for visiting the Dulbahantas, he could not hear of or -countenance it." Mahmud Ali, Gerad or Prince of the southern Dulbahantas, -was too far away for communication, and Mohammed Ali Gerad, the nearest -chief, had only ruled seven or eight years; his power therefore was not -great. Moreover, these two were at war; the former having captured, it is -said, 2000 horses, 400 camels, and a great number of goats and sheep, -besides wounding a man. During the visit, which lasted from 8 A.M. to 2 -P.M., the Sultan refused nothing but permission to cross the frontier, -fearing, he said, lest an accident should embroil him with our Government. -Lieutenant Speke gave them to understand that he visited their country, -not as a servant of the Company, but merely as a traveller wishing to see -sport. This of course raised a laugh; it was completely beyond their -comprehension. They assured him, however, that he had nothing to apprehend -in the Warsingali country, where the Sultan's order was like that of the -English. The Abban then dismissed the Sultan to Las Kuray, fearing the -appetites of his followers; and the guard, on departure, demanded a cloth -each by way of honorarium. This was duly refused, and they departed in -discontent. The people frequently alluded to two grand grievances. In the -first place they complained of an interference on the part of our -Government, in consequence of a quarrel which took place seven years ago -at Aden, between them and the Habr Tal Jailah tribe of Karam. The -Political Resident, it is said, seized three vessels belonging to the -Warsingali, who had captured one of the ships belonging to their enemies; -the former had command of the sea, but since that event they have been -reduced to a secondary rank. This grievance appears to be based on solid -grounds. Secondly, they complained of the corruption of their brethren by -intercourse with a civilised people, especially by visiting Aden: the -remedy for this evil lies in their own hands, but desire of gain would -doubtless defeat any moral sanitary measure which their Elders could -devise. They instanced the state of depravity into which the Somal about -Berberah had fallen, and prided themselves highly upon their respect for -the rights of _meum_ and _tuum_, so completely disregarded by the Western -States. But this virtue may arise from the severity of their -chastisements; mutilation of the hand being the usual award to theft. -Moreover Lieutenant Speke's Journal does not impress the reader highly -with their honesty. And lastly, I have found the Habr Awal at Berberah, on -the whole, a more respectable race than the Warsingali. - -Lieutenant Speke's delay at Kurayat was caused by want of carriage. He -justly remarks that "every one in this country appeals to precedent"; the -traveller, therefore, should carefully ascertain the price of everything, -and adhere to it, as those who follow him twenty years afterwards will be -charged the same. One of the principal obstacles to Lieutenant Speke's -progress was the large sum given to the natives by an officer who visited -this coast some years ago. Future travellers should send before them a -trusty Warsingali to the Sultan, with a letter specifying the necessary -arrangements, a measure which would save trouble and annoyance to both -parties. - -On the 10th of November the Sultan came early to Lieutenant Speke's house. -He received a present of cloth worth about forty rupees. After comparing -his forearm with every other man's and ascertaining the mean, he measured -and re-measured each piece, an operation which lasted several hours. A -flint gun was presented to him, evidently the first he had ever handled; -he could scarcely bring it up to his shoulder, and persisted in shutting -the wrong eye. Then he began as usual to beg for more cloth, powder, and -lead. By his assistance Lieutenant Speke bought eight camels, inferior -animals, at rather a high price, from 10 to 16-1/2 cloths (equivalent to -dollars) per head. It is the custom for the Sultan, or in his absence, for -an Agil to receive a tithe of the price; and it is his part to see that -the traveller is not overcharged. He appears to have discharged his duty -very inefficiently, a dollar a day being charged for the hire of a single -donkey. Lieutenant Speke regrets that he did not bring dollars or rupees, -cloth on the coast being now at a discount. - -After the usual troubles and vexations of a first move in Africa, on the -16th of November, 1854, Lieutenant Speke marched about three miles along -the coast, and pitched at a well close to Las Kuray. He was obliged to -leave about a quarter of his baggage behind, finding it impossible with -his means to hire donkeys, the best conveyance across the mountains, where -camels must be very lightly laden. The Sultan could not change, he said, -the route settled by a former Sahib. He appears, though famed for honesty -and justice, to have taken a partial view of Lieutenant Speke's property. -When the traveller complained of his Abban, the reply was, "This is the -custom of the country, I can see no fault; all you bring is the Abban's, -and he can do what he likes with it." - -The next day was passed unpleasantly enough in the open air, to force a -march, and the Sultan and his party stuck to the date-bag, demanding to be -fed as servants till rations were served out to them. - -_18th November_.--About 2 A.M. the camels (eleven in number) were lightly -loaded, portions of the luggage being sent back to Kurayat till more -carriage could be procured. The caravan crossed the plain southwards, and -after about two miles' march entered a deep stony watercourse winding -through the barren hills. After five miles' progress over rough ground, -Lieutenant Speke unloaded under a tree early in the afternoon near some -pools of sweet rain water collected in natural basins of limestone dotting -the watercourse. The place is called Iskodubuk; the name of the -watercourse is Duktura. The Sultan and the Abban were both left behind to -escort the baggage from Las Kuray to Kurayat. They promised to rejoin -Lieutenant Speke before nightfall; the former appeared after five, the -latter after ten, days. The Sultan sent his son Abdallah, a youth of about -fifteen years old, who proved so troublesome that Lieutenant Speke was -forced repeatedly to dismiss him: still the lad would not leave the -caravan till it reached the Dulbahanta frontier. And the Abban delayed a -Negro servant, Lieutenant Speke's gun-bearer, trying by many offers and -promises to seduce him from service. - -_19th November_.--At dawn the camels were brought in; they had been -feeding at large all night, which proves the safety of the country. After -three hours' work at loading, the caravan started up the watercourse. The -road was rugged; at times the watercourse was blocked up with boulders, -which compelled the travellers temporarily to leave it. With a little -cutting away of projecting rocks, which are of soft stone, the road might -be made tolerably easy. Scattered and stunted Acacias, fringed with fresh -green foliage, relieved the eye; all else was barren rock. After marching -about two miles the traveller was obliged to halt by the Sultan; a -messenger arrived with the order. The halting-place is called Damalay. It -is in the bed of the watercourse, stagnating rain, foul-looking but sweet, -lying close by. As in all other parts of this Fiumara, the bed was dotted -with a bright green tree, sometimes four feet high, resembling a willow. -Lieutenant Speke spread his mat in the shade, and spent the rest of the -day at his diary and in conversation with the natives. - -The next day was also spent at Damalay. The interpreter, Mohammed Ahmed, a -Somali of the Warsingali tribe, and all the people, refused positively to -advance. Lieutenant Speke started on foot to Las Kuray in search of the -Abban: he was followed at some distance by the Somal, and the whole party -returned on hearing a report that the chief and the Abban were on the way. -The traveller seems on this occasion to have formed a very low estimate of -the people. He stopped their food until they promised to start the next -day. - -_21st November_.--The caravan marched at gun-fire, and, after a mile, left -the watercourse, and ascended by a rough camel-path a buttress of hill -leading to the ridge of the mountains. The ascent was not steep, but the -camels were so bad that they could scarcely be induced to advance. The -country was of a more pleasant aspect, a shower of rain having lately -fallen. At this height the trees grow thicker and finer, the stones are -hidden by grass and heather, and the air becomes somewhat cooler. After a -six miles' march Lieutenant Speke encamped at a place called Adhai. Sweet -water was found within a mile's walk;--the first spring from which our -traveller drank. Here he pitched a tent. - -At Adhai Lieutenant Speke was detained nine days by the non-appearance of -his "Protector" and the refusal of his followers to march without him. The -camels were sent back with the greatest difficulty to fetch the portion of -the baggage left behind. On the 24th Lieutenant Speke sent his Hindostani -servant to Las Kuray, with orders to bring up the baggage. "Imam" started -alone and on foot, not being permitted to ride a pony hired by the -traveller: he reported that there is a much better road for laden camels -from the coast to the crest of the hills. Though unprotected, he met with -no difficulty, and returned two days afterwards, having seen the baggage -_en route_. During Lieutenant Speke's detention, the Somal battened on his -provisions, seeing that his two servants were absent, and that no one -guarded the bags. Half the rice had been changed at Las Kuray for an -inferior description. The camel drivers refused their rations because all -their friends (thirty in number) were not fed. The Sultan's son taught -them to win the day by emptying and hiding the water-skins, by threatening -to kill the servants if they fetched water, and by refusing to do work. -During the discussion, which appears to have been lively, the eldest of -the Sultan's four sons, Mohammed Aul, appeared from Las Kuray. He seems to -have taken a friendly part, stopped the discussion, and sent away the -young prince as a nuisance. Unfortunately, however, the latter reappeared -immediately that the date bags were opened, and Mohammed Aul stayed only -two days in Lieutenant Speke's neighbourhood. On the 28th November the -Abban appeared. The Sultan then forced upon Lieutenant Speke his brother -Hasan as a second Abban, although this proceeding is contrary to the -custom of the country. The new burden, however, after vain attempts at -extortion, soon disappeared, carrying away with him a gun. - -For tanning water-skins the Somal here always use, when they can procure -it, a rugged bark with a smooth epidermis of a reddish tinge, a pleasant -aromatic odour, and a strong astringent flavour. They call it Mohur: -powdered and sprinkled dry on a wound, it acts as a styptic. Here was -observed an aloe-formed plant, with a strong and woody thorn on the top. -It is called Haskul or Hig; the fibres are beaten out with sticks or -stones, rotted in water, and then made into cord. In other parts the young -bark of the acacia is used; it is first charred on one side, then reduced -to fibre by mastication, and lastly twisted into the semblance of a rope. - -From a little manuscript belonging to the Abban, Lieutenant Speke learned -that about 440 years ago (A.D. 1413), one Darud bin Ismail, unable to live -with his elder brother at Mecca, fled with a few followers to these -shores. In those days the land was ruled, they say, by a Christian chief -called Kin, whose Wazir, Wharrah, was the terror of all men. Darud -collected around him, probably by proselytising, a strong party: he -gradually increased his power, and ended by expelling the owners of the -country, who fled to the N.W. as far as Abyssinia. Darud, by an Asyri -damsel, had a son called Kabl Ullah, whose son Harti had, as progeny, -Warsingali, Dulbahanta, and Mijjarthayn. These three divided the country -into as many portions, which, though great territorial changes have taken -place, to this day bear their respective owners' names. - -Of this I have to observe, that universal tradition represents the Somal -to be a people of half-caste origin, African and Arabian; moreover, that -they expelled the Gallas from the coast, until the latter took refuge in -the hills of Harar. The Gallas are a people partly Moslem, partly -Christian, and partly Pagan; this may account for the tradition above -recorded. Most Somal, however, declare "Darud" to be a man of ignoble -origin, and do not derive him from the Holy City. Some declare he was -driven from Arabia for theft. Of course each tribe exaggerates its own -nobility with as reckless a defiance of truth as their neighbours -depreciate it. But I have made a rule always to doubt what semi-barbarians -write. Writing is the great source of historical confusion, because -falsehoods accumulate in books, persons are confounded, and fictions -assume, as in the mythologic genealogies of India, Persia, Greece, and -Rome, a regular and systematic form. On the other hand, oral tradition is -more trustworthy; witness the annals and genealogies preserved in verse by -the Bhats of Cutch, the Arab Nassab, and the Bards of Belochistan. - -_30th November_.--The Sultan took leave of Lieutenant Speke, and the -latter prepared to march in company with the Abban, the interpreter, the -Sultan's two sons, and a large party. By throwing the tent down and -sitting in the sun he managed to effect a move. In the evening the camels -started from Adhai up a gradual ascent along a strong path. The way was -covered with bush, jungle, and trees. The frankincense, it is said, -abounded; gum trees of various kinds were found; and the traveller -remarked a single stunted sycamore growing out of a rock. I found the tree -in all the upper regions of the Somali country, and abundant in the Harar -Hills. After two miles' march the caravan halted at Habal Ishawalay, on -the northern side of the mountains, within three miles of the crest. The -halting-ground was tolerably level, and not distant from the waters of -Adhai, the only spring in the vicinity. The travellers slept in a deserted -Kraal, surrounded by a stout fence of Acacia thorns heaped up to keep out -the leopards and hyenas. During the heat Lieutenant Speke sat under a -tree. Here he remained three days; the first in order to bring up part of -his baggage which had been left behind; the second to send on a portion to -the next halting-place; and the third in consequence of the Abban's -resolution to procure Ghee or clarified butter. The Sultan could not -resist the opportunity of extorting something by a final visit--for a -goat, killed and eaten by the camel-drivers contrary to Lieutenant Speke's -orders, a dollar was demanded. - -_4th December_, 1854.--About dawn the caravan was loaded, and then -proceeded along a tolerably level pathway through a thick growth of thorn -trees towards a bluff hill. The steep was reached about 9 A.M., and the -camels toiled up the ascent by a stony way, dropping their loads for want -of ropes, and stumbling on their road. The summit, about 500 yards -distant, was reached in an hour. At Yafir, on the crest of the mountains, -the caravan halted two hours for refreshment. Lieutenant Speke describes -the spot in the enthusiastic language of all travellers who have visited -the Seaward Range of the Somali Hills. It appears, however, that it is -destitute of water. About noon the camels were again loaded, and the -caravan proceeded across the mountains by a winding road over level ground -for four miles. This point commanded an extensive view of the Southern -Plateau. In that direction the mountains drop in steps or terraces, and -are almost bare; as in other parts rough and flat topped piles of stones, -reminding the traveller of the Tartar Cairns, were observed. I remarked -the same in the Northern Somali country; and in both places the people -gave a similar account of them, namely, that they are the work of an -earlier race, probably the Gallas. Some of them are certainly tombs, for -human bones are turned up; in others empty chambers are discovered; and in -a few are found earthern and large copper pots. Lieutenant Speke on one -occasion saw an excavated mound propped up inside by pieces of timber, and -apparently built without inlet. It was opened about six years ago by a -Warsingali, in order to bury his wife, when a bar of metal (afterwards -proved by an Arab to be gold) and a gold ring, similar to what is worn by -women in the nose, were discovered. In other places the natives find, it -is said, women's bracelets, beads, and similar articles still used by the -Gallas. - -After nightfall the caravan arrived at Mukur, a halting-place in the -southern declivity of the hills. Here Lieutenant Speke remarked that the -large watercourse in which he halted becomes a torrent during the rains, -carrying off the drainage towards the eastern coast. He had marched that -day seventeen miles, when the party made a Kraal with a few bushes. Water -was found within a mile in a rocky basin; it was fetid and full of -animalculae. Here appeared an old woman driving sheep and goats into Las -Kuray, a circumstance which shows that the country is by no means -dangerous. - -After one day's halt at Mukur to refresh the camels, on the 6th December -Lieutenant Speke started at about 10 A.M. across the last spur of the -hills, and presently entered a depression dividing the hills from the -Plateau. Here the country was stony and white-coloured, with watercourses -full of rounded stones. The Jujube and Acacias were here observed to be on -a large scale, especially in the lowest ground. After five miles the -traveller halted at a shallow watercourse, and at about half a mile -distant found sweet but dirty water in a deep hole in the rock. The name -of this station was Karrah. - -_8th December_.--Early in the morning the caravan moved on to Rhat, a -distance of eight miles: it arrived at about noon. The road lay through -the depression at the foot of the hills. In the patches of heather -Florikan was found. The Jujube-tree was very large. In the rains this -country is a grassy belt, running from west to east, along a deep and -narrow watercourse, called Rhat Tug, or the Fiumara of Rhat, which flows -eastward towards the ocean. At this season, having been "eaten up," the -land was almost entirely deserted; the Kraals lay desolate, the herdsmen -had driven off their cows to the hills, and the horses had been sent -towards the Mijjarthayn country. A few camels and donkeys were seen: -considering that their breeding is left to chance, the blood is not -contemptible. The sheep and goats are small, and their coats, as usual in -these hot countries, remain short. Lieutenant Speke was informed that, -owing to want of rain, and it being the breeding season, the inland and -Nomad Warsingali live entirely on flesh, one meal serving for three days. -This was a sad change of affairs from what took place six weeks before the -traveller's arrival, when there had been a fall of rain, and the people -spent their time revelling on milk, and sleeping all day under the shade -of the trees--the Somali idea of perfect happiness. - -On the 9th December Lieutenant Speke, halting at Rhat, visited one of -"Kin's" cities, now ruined by time, and changed by the Somal having -converted it into a cemetery. The remains were of stone and mud, as usual -in this part of the world. The houses are built in an economical manner; -one straight wall, nearly 30 feet long, runs down the centre, and is -supported by a number of lateral chambers facing opposite ways, _e. g._ - -[2 Illustrations] - -This appears to compose the village, and suggests a convent or a -monastery. To the west, and about fifty yards distant, are ruins of stone -and good white mortar, probably procured by burning the limestone rock. -The annexed ground plan will give an idea of these interesting remains, -which are said to be those of a Christian house of worship. In some parts -the walls are still 10 feet high, and they show an extent of civilisation -now completely beyond the Warsingali. It may be remarked of them that the -direction of the niche, as well as the disposition of the building, would -denote a Moslem mosque. At the same time it must be remembered that the -churches of the Eastern Christians are almost always made to front -Jerusalem, and the Gallas being a Moslem and Christian race, the sects -would borrow their architecture from each other. The people assert these -ruins to be those of Nazarenes. Yet in the Jid Ali valley of the -Dulbahantas Lieutenant Speke found similar remains, which the natives -declared to be one of their forefathers' mosques; the plan and the -direction were the same as those now described. Nothing, however, is -easier than to convert St. Sophia into the Aya Sufiyyah mosque. Moreover, -at Jid Ali, the traveller found it still the custom of the people to erect -a Mala, or cross of stone or wood covered with plaster, at the head and -foot of every tomb. - -[Illustration] - -The Dulbahantas, when asked about these crosses, said it was their custom, -derived from sire and grandsire. This again would argue that a Christian -people once inhabited these now benighted lands. - -North of the building now described is a cemetery, in which the Somal -still bury their dead. Here Lieutenant Speke also observed crosses, but he -was prevented by the superstition of the people from examining them. - -On an eminence S.W. of, and about seventy yards from the main building, -are the isolated remains of another erection, said by the people to be a -fort. The foundation is level with the ground, and shows two compartments -opening into each other. - -[Illustration] - -Rhat was the most southerly point reached by Lieutenant Speke. He places -it about thirty miles distant from the coast, and at the entrance of the -Great Plateau. Here he was obliged to turn westward, because at that -season of the year the country to the southward is desolate for want of -rain--a warning to future visitors. During the monsoon this part of the -land is preferred by the people: grass grows, and there would be no -obstacle to travellers. - -Before quitting Rhat, the Abban and the interpreter went to the length of -ordering Lieutenant Speke not to fire a gun. This detained him a whole -day. - -_11th December_.--Early in the morning, Lieutenant Speke started in a -westerly direction, still within sight of the mountains, where not -obstructed by the inequalities of the ground. The line taken was over an -elevated flat, in places covered with the roots of parched up grass; here -it was barren, and there appeared a few Acacias. The view to the south was -shortened by rolling ground: hollow basins, sometimes fifteen miles broad, -succeed each other; each sends forth from its centre a watercourse to -drain off the water eastward. The face of the country, however, is very -irregular, and consequently description is imperfect. This day ostriches -and antelopes were observed in considerable numbers. After marching ten -miles the caravan halted at Barham, where they found a spring of clear and -brackish water from the limestone rock, and flowing about 600 yards down a -deep rocky channel, in parts lined with fine Acacias. A Kraal was found -here, and the traveller passed a comfortable night. - -_12th December_.--About 9 A.M. the caravan started, and threaded a valley, -which, if blessed with a fair supply of water, would be very fertile. -Whilst everything else is burned up by the sun on the high ground, a -nutritious weed, called Buskallay, fattens the sheep and goats. Wherever, -therefore, a spring is found, men flock to the place and fence themselves -in a Kraal. About half-way the travellers reached Darud bin Ismail's tomb, -a parallelogram of loose stones about one foot high, of a battered and -ignoble appearance; at one extremity stood a large sloping stone, with a -little mortar still clinging to it. No outer fence surrounded the tomb, -which might easily be passed by unnoticed: no honors were paid to the -memory of the first founder of the tribe, and the Somal did not even -recite a Fatihah over his dust. After marching about twelve miles, the -caravan encamped at Labbahdilay, in the bed of a little watercourse which -runs into the Yubbay Tug. Here they found a small pool of bad rain water. -They made a rude fence to keep out the wild beasts, and in it passed the -night. - -_13th December_.--The Somal showed superior activity in marching three -successive days; the reason appears to be that the Abban was progressing -towards his home. At sunrise the camels were loaded, and at 8 A.M. the -caravan started up a valley along the left bank of a watercourse called -the Yubbay Tug. This was out of the line, but the depth of the -perpendicular sides prevented any attempt at crossing it. The people of -the country have made a peculiar use of this feature of ground. During the -last war, ten or eleven years ago, between the Warsingali and the -Dulbahantas, the latter sent a large foraging party over the frontier. The -Warsingali stationed a strong force at the head of the watercourse to -prevent its being turned, and exposed their flocks and herds on the -eastern bank to tantalise the hungry enemy. The Dulbahantas, unable to -cross the chasm, and unwilling, like all Somali heroes even in their -wrath, to come to blows with the foe, retired in huge disgust. After -marching five miles, the caravan halted, the Abban declaring that he and -the Sultan's younger son must go forward to feel the way; in other words, -to visit his home. His pretext was a good one. In countries where postal -arrangements do not exist, intelligence flies quicker than on the wings of -paper. Many evil rumours had preceded Lieutenant Speke, and the inland -tribe professed, it was reported, to despise a people who can only -threaten the coast. The Dulbahantas had been quarrelling amongst -themselves for the last thirteen years, and were now determined to settle -the dispute by a battle. Formerly they were all under one head; but one -Ali Harram, an Akil or minor chief, determined to make his son, Mohammed -Ali, Gerad or Prince of the clans inhabiting the northern provinces. After -five years' intrigue the son was proclaimed, and carried on the wars -caused by his father, declaring an intention to fight to the last. He has, -however, been successfully opposed by Mahmud Ali, the rightful chief of -the Dulbahanta family; the southern clans of Haud and beyond the Nogal -being more numerous and more powerful than the northern divisions. No -merchant, Arab or other, thinks of penetrating into this country, -principally on account of the expense. Lieutenant Speke is of opinion that -his cloth and rice would easily have stopped the war for a time: the -Dulbahantas threatened and blustered, but allowed themselves easily to be -pacified. - -It is illustrative of the customs of this people that, when the -Dulbahantas had their hands engaged, and left their rear unprotected, -under the impression that no enemies were behind, the Warsingali instantly -remembered that one of their number had been murdered by the other race -many years ago. The blood-money had been paid, and peace had been -concluded, but the opportunity was too tempting to be resisted. - -The Yubbay Tug watercourse begins abruptly, being as broad and deep at the -head as it is in the trunk. When Lieutenant Speke visited it, it was dry; -there was but a thin growth of trees in it, showing that water does not -long remain there. Immediately north of it lies a woody belt, running up -to the foot of the mountains, and there bifurcating along the base. -Southwards, the Yubbay is said to extend to a considerable distance, but -Somali ideas of distance are peculiar, and absorption is a powerful agent -in these latitudes. - -Till the 21st December Lieutenant Speke was delayed at the Yubbay Tug. His -ropes had been stolen by discharged camel-men, and he was unable to -replace them. - -On the 15th December one of the Midgan or Serviles was tried for stealing -venison from one of his fellows. The Sultan, before his departure, had -commissioned three of Lieutenant Speke's attendants to act as judges in -case of such emergency: on this occasion the interpreter was on the -Woolsack, and he sensibly fined the criminal two sheep to be eaten on the -road. From inquiries, I have no doubt that these Midgan are actually -reduced by famine at times to live on a food which human nature abhors. In -the northern part of the Somali country I never heard of cannibalism, -although the Servile tribes will eat birds and other articles of food -disdained by Somal of gentle blood. Lieutenant Speke complains of the -scarcity and the quality of the water, "which resembles the mixture -commonly known as black draught." Yet it appears not to injure health; and -the only disease found endemic is an ophthalmia, said to return -periodically every three years. The animals have learned to use sparingly -what elsewhere is a daily necessary; camels are watered twice a month, -sheep thrice, and horses every two or three days. No wild beasts or birds, -except the rock pigeon and duck, ever drink except when rain falls. - -The pickaxe and spade belonging to the traveller were greatly desired; in -one place water was found, but more generally the people preferred digging -for honey in the rocks. Of the inhabitants we find it recorded that, like -all Nomads, they are idle to the last degree, contenting themselves with -tanned skins for dress and miserable huts for lodging. Changing ground for -the flocks and herds is a work of little trouble; one camel and a donkey -carry all the goods and chattels, including water, wife, and baby. Milk in -all stages (but never polluted by fire), wild honey, and flesh, are their -only diet; some old men have never tasted grain. Armed with spear and -shield, they are in perpetual dread of an attack. It is not strange that -under such circumstances the population should be thin and scattered; they -talk of thousands going to war, but the wary traveller suspects gross -exaggeration. They preserve the abominable Galla practice of murdering -pregnant women in hopes of mutilating a male foetus. - -On the 20th December Lieutenant Speke was informed by the Sultan's son -that the Dulbahantas would not permit him to enter their country. As a -favour, however, they would allow him to pass towards the home of the -Abban, who, having married a Dulbahanta girl was naturalised amongst them. - -_21st December_.--Early in the morning Lieutenant Speke, accompanied by -the interpreter, the Sultan's son, one servant, and two or three men to -lead a pair of camels, started eastward. The rest of the animals (nine in -number) were left behind in charge of Imam, a Hindostani boy, and six or -seven men under him, The reason for this step was that Husayn Haji, an -Agil of the Dulbahantas and a connection of the Abban, demanded, as sole -condition for permitting Lieutenant Speke to visit "Jid Ali," that the -traveller should give up all his property. Before leaving the valley, he -observed a hillock glistening white: it appears from its salt, bitter -taste, to have been some kind of nitrate efflorescing from the ground. The -caravan marched about a mile across the deep valley of Yubbay Tug, and -ascended its right side by a beaten track: they then emerged from a thin -jungle in the lower grounds to the stony hills which compose the country. -Here the line pursued was apparently parallel to the mountains bordering -upon the sea: between the two ridges was a depression, in which lay a -small watercourse. The road ran along bleak undulating ground, with belts -of Acacia in the hollows: here and there appeared a sycamore tree. On the -road two springs were observed, both of bitter water, one deep below the -surface, the other close to the ground; patches of green grass grew around -them. Having entered the Dulbahanta frontier, the caravan unloaded in the -evening, after a march of thirteen miles, at a depression called Ali. No -water was found there. - -_22nd December_.--Early in the morning the traveller started westward, -from Ali, wishing that night to make Jid Ali, about eighteen miles -distant. After marching thirteen miles over the same monotonous country as -before, Lieutenant Speke was stopped by Husayn Haji, the Agil, who -declared that Guled Ali, another Agil, was opposed to his progress. After -a long conversation, Lieutenant Speke reasoned him into compliance; but -that night they were obliged to halt at Birhamir, within five miles of Jid -Ali. The traveller was offered as many horses as he wanted, and a free -passage to Berberah, if he would take part in the battle preparing between -the two rival clans of Dulbahantas: he refused, on plea of having other -engagements. But whenever the question of penetrating the country was -started, there came the same dry answer: "No beggar had even attempted to -visit them--what, then, did the Englishman want?" The Abban's mother came -out from her hut, which was by the wayside, and with many terrors -endeavoured to stop the traveller. - -_23rd December_.--Next morning the Abban appeared, and, by his sorrowful -surprise at seeing Lieutenant Speke across the frontier, showed that he -only had made the difficulty. The caravan started early, and, travelling -five miles over stony ground, reached the Jid Ali valley. This is a long -belt of fertile soil, running perpendicular to the seaward range; it -begins opposite Bunder Jedid, at a gap in the mountains through which the -sea is, they say, visible. In breadth, at the part first visited by -Lieutenant Speke, it is about two miles: it runs southward, and during -rain probably extends to about twenty miles inland. Near the head of the -valley is a spring of bitter water, absorbed by the soil after a quarter -of a mile's course: in the monsoon, however, a considerable torrent must -flow down this depression. Ducks and snipe are found here. The valley -shows, even at this season, extensive patches of grass, large acacia -trees, bushes, and many different kinds of thorns: it is the most wooded -lowland seen by Lieutenant Speke. Already the Nomads are here changing -their habits; two small enclosures have been cultivated by an old -Dulbahanta, who had studied agriculture during a pilgrimage to Meccah. The -Jowari grows luxuriantly, with stalks 8 and 9 feet high, and this first -effort had well rewarded the enterpriser. Lieutenant Speke lent the slave -Farhan, to show the art of digging; for this he received the present of a -goat. I may here remark that everywhere in the Somali country the people -are prepared to cultivate grain, and only want some one to take the -initiative. As yet they have nothing but their hands to dig with. A few -scattered huts were observed near Jid Ali, the grass not being yet -sufficiently abundant to support collected herds. - -Lieutenant Speke was delayed nineteen days at Jid Ali by various pretexts. -The roads were reported closed. The cloth and provisions were exhausted. -Five horses must be bought from the Abban for thirty dollars a head (they -were worth one fourth that sum), as presents. The first European that -visited the Western Country had stopped rain for six months, and the Somal -feared for the next monsoon. All the people would flock in, demanding at -least what the Warsingali had received; otherwise they threatened the -traveller's life. On the 26th of December Lieutenant Speke moved three -miles up the valley to some distance from water, the crowd being -troublesome, and preventing his servants eating. On the 31st of December -all the baggage was brought up from near Abi: one of the camels, being -upon the point of death, was killed and devoured. It was impossible to -keep the Abban from his home, which was distant about four miles: numerous -messages were sent in vain, but Lieutenant Speke drew him from his hut by -"sitting in Dhurna," or dunning him into compliance. At last arose a -violent altercation. All the Warsingali and Dulbahanta servants were taken -away, water was stopped, the cattle were cast loose, and the traveller was -told to arm and defend himself and his two men:--they would all be slain -that night and the Abban would abandon them to the consequences of their -obstinacy. They were not killed, however, and about an hour afterwards the -Somal reappeared, declaring that they had no intention of deserting. - -_11th January_, 1855.--About 10 A.M. the caravan started without the Abban -across the head of the Jid Ali valley. The land was flat, abounding in -Acacia, and showing signs of sun parched grass cropped close by the -cattle. After a five miles' march the travellers came to a place called -Biyu Hablay; they unloaded under a tree and made a Kraal. Water was -distant. Around were some courses, ending abruptly in the soft absorbing -ground. Here the traveller was met by two Dulbahantas, who demanded his -right to enter their lands, and insinuated that a force was gathering to -oppose him. They went away, however, after a short time, threatening with -smiles to come again. Lieutenant Speke was also informed that the Southern -Dulbahanta tribes had been defeated with loss by the northern clans, and -that his journey would be interrupted by them. Here the traveller remarked -how willing are the Somal to study: as usual in this country, any man who -reads the Koran and can write out a verset upon a board is an object of -envy. The people are fanatic. They rebuked the interpreter for not praying -regularly, for eating from a Christian's cooking pot, and for cutting -deer's throats low down (to serve as specimens); they also did not approve -of the traveller's throwing date stones into the fire. As usual, they are -fearful boasters. Their ancestors turned Christians out of the country. -They despise guns. They consider the Frank formidable only behind walls: -they are ready to fight it out in the plain, and they would gallop around -cannon so that not a shot would tell. Vain words to conceal the hearts of -hares! Lieutenant Speke justly remarks that, on account of the rough way -in which they are brought up, the Somal would become excellent policemen; -they should, however, be separated from their own people, and doubtless -the second generation might be trained into courage. - -At Biyu Hablay Lieutenant Speke, finding time as well as means deficient, -dropped all idea of marching to Berberah. He wished to attempt a north- -western route to Hais, but the Rer Hamaturwa (a clan of the Habr Gerhajis -who occupy the mountain) positively refused passage. Permission was -accorded by that clan to march due north upon Bunder Jedid, where, -however, the traveller feared that no vessel might be found. As a last -resource he determined to turn to the north-east, and, by a new road -through the Habr Gerhajis, to make Las Kuray. - -_18th January_.--The Abban again returned from his home, and accompanied -Lieutenant Speke on his first march to the north-east. Early in the -morning the caravan started over the ground before described: on this -occasion, however, it traversed the belt of jungle at the foot of the -mountains. After a march of six miles they halted at "Mirhiddo," under a -tree on elevated ground, in a mere desert, no water being nearer than the -spring of Jid Ali. The Abban took the opportunity of Lieutenant Speke -going out specimen-hunting to return home, contrary to orders, and he did -not reappear till the traveller walked back and induced him to march. Here -a second camel, being "in articulo," was cut up and greedily devoured. - -_21st January_.--The Abban appeared in the morning, and the caravan -started about noon, over the stony ground at the foot of the hills. After -a mile's march, the "Protector" again disappeared, in open defiance of -orders. That day's work was about ten miles. The caravan halted, late at -night, in the bed of a watercourse, called Hanfallal. Lieutenant Speke -visited the spring, which is of extraordinary sweetness for the Warsingali -country: it flows from a cleft in the rock broad enough to admit a man's -body, and about 60 feet deep. - -_23rd January_.--Lieutenant Speke was about to set out under the guidance -of Awado, the Abban's mother, when her graceless son reappeared. At noon -the caravan travelled along a rough road, over the lower spurs of the -mountains: they went five miles, and it was evening when they unloaded in -a watercourse a little distance up the hills, at a place called Dallmalay. -The bed was about 150 yards broad, full of jungle, and showed signs of a -strong deep stream during the monsoon. The travellers made up a Kraal, but -found no water there. - -_24th January_.--Early in the morning the caravan started, and ascended by -a path over the hills. The way was bare of verdure, but easy: here a camel -unable to walk, though unloaded, was left behind. One of Lieutenant -Speke's discharged camel-men, a Warsingali, being refused passage by the -Habr Gerhajis, on account of some previous quarrel, found a stray camel, -and carried it off to his home amongst the Dulbahantas. He afterwards -appeared at Las Kuray, having taken the road by which the travellers -entered the country. Having marched eleven miles, the caravan arrived in -the evening at Gobamiray, a flat on the crest of the mountains. Here again -thick jungle appeared, and the traveller stood over more on the seaward -side. Water was distant. - -On arriving, the camels were seized by the Urus Sugay, a clan of the Habr -Gerhajis. The poor wretches pretended to show fight, and asked if they -were considered a nation of women, that their country was to be entered -without permission. Next morning they volunteered to act as escort. - -_25th January_.--Loading was forbidden by the valiant sons of Habr -Gerhajis; but as they were few in number, and the Warsingali clan was -near, it went on without interruption. This day, like the latter, was -cloudy; heavy showers fell for some hours, and the grass was springing up. -Rain had lasted for some time, and had not improved the road. This fall is -called by the people "Dairti:" it is confined to the hills, whereas the -Gugi or monsoon is general over the plateau. - -About noon the caravan marched, late, because the Abban's two horses had -strayed. These animals belonged to a relation of the "Protector," who -called them his own, and wished as a civility to sell the garrons at the -highest possible price to his client. The caravan marched down a tortuous -and difficult road, descending about four miles. It unloaded as evening -drew near, and the travellers found at Gambagahh a good dormitory, a cave -which kept out the rain. Water was standing close by in a pool. The whole -way was a thick jungle of bush and thorn. - -_26th January_.--The Somal insisted upon halting to eat, and the caravan -did not start before noon. The road was tolerable and the descent oblique. -The jungle was thick and the clouds thicker; rain fell heavily as usual in -the afternoon. Five cloths were given to the Habr Gerhajis as a bribe for -passage. After a march of six miles the caravan halted at a place called -Minan. Here they again found a cave which protected them from the rain. -Water was abundant in the hollows of the rock. - -_27th January_.--Early in the morning the caravan set out, and descended -the hill obliquely by a tolerable road. They passed a number of thorn -trees, bearing a gum called Falafala or Luban Meyti, a kind of -frankincense: it is thrown upon the fire, and the women are in the habit -of standing over it. After travelling six miles the travellers unloaded at -Hundurgal, on the bank of a watercourse leading to Las Galwayta: some -pools of rain-water were observed in the rocky hollows of the bed. - -_28th January_.--At about 9 A.M. the caravan crossed one of the lower -ridges of the mountains by a tolerable road. Lieutenant Speke had preceded -his camels, and was sitting down to rest, when he was startled by hearing -the rapid discharge of a revolver. His valiant Abban, either in real or in -pretended terror of the Habr Gerhajis had fired the pistol as a warning. -It had the effect of collecting a number of Bedouins to stare at the -travellers, and cogitate on what they could obtain: they offered, however, -no opposition. - -At midday the caravan reached a broad and deep Fiumara, which contained a -spring of good sweet water flowing towards the sea. Here they halted for -refreshment. Again advancing, they traversed another ridge, and, after a -march of twelve miles, arrived in the evening at another little -watercourse on the Maritime Plain. That day was clear and warm, the rain -being confined to the upper ranges. The name of the halting-place was -Farjeh. - -_29th January_.--The caravan marched over the plain into Kurayat, or -Little Las Kuray, where Lieutenant Speke, after a detention of upwards of -a fortnight, took boat, and after five days' sail arrived at Aden, where I -was expecting him. He was charged forty dollars--five times the proper -sum--for a place in a loaded Buggalow: from Aden to Bombay thirty-five -dollars is the hire of the whole cabin. This was the last act of the -Abban, who is now by the just orders of the acting Political Resident, -Aden, expiating his divers offences in the Station Jail. - - -CONCLUSION. - -Lieutenant Speke has passed through three large tribes, the Warsingali, -the Dulbahanta, and the Habr Gerhajis. - -The Warsingali have a Sultan or Chief, whose orders are obeyed after a -fashion by all the clans save one, the Bihidur. He cannot demand the -attendance of a subject even to protect the country, and has no power to -raise recruits; consequently increase of territory is never contemplated -in this part of the Somali country. In case of murder, theft, or dispute -between different tribes, the aggrieved consult the Sultan, who, -assembling the elders, deputes them to feel the inclinations of the -"public." The people prefer revenging themselves by violence, as every man -thereby hopes to gain something. The war ends when the enemy has more -spears than cattle left--most frequently, however, by mutual consent, when -both are tired of riding the country. Expeditions seldom meet one another, -this retiring as that advances, and he is deemed a brave who can lift a -few head of cattle and return home in safety. The commissariat department -is rudely organised: at the trysting-place, generally some water, the -people assemble on a day fixed by the Sultan, and slaughter sheep: each -person provides himself by hanging some dried meat upon his pony. It is -said that on many occasions men have passed upwards of a week with no -other sustenance than water. This extensive branch of the Somal is divided -into eighteen principal clans, viz.: - -1. Rer Gerad (the royal family). -2. Rer Fatih. -3. Rer Abdullah. -4. Rer Bihidur. -5. Bohogay Salabay. -6. Adan Yakub. -7. Gerad Umar. -8. Gerad Yusuf. -9. Gerad Liban. -10. Nuh Umar. -11. Adan Said. -12. Rer Haji. -13. Dubbays. -14. Warlabah. -15. Bayabarhay. -16. Rer Yasif. -17. Hindudub. -18. Rer Garwayna. - -The Northern Dulbahantas are suffering greatly from intestine war. They -are even less tractable than the Warsingali. Their Sultan is a ruler only -in name; no one respects his person or consults him in matters of -importance: their Gerad was in the vicinity of the traveller; but evasive -answers were returned (probably in consequence of the Abban's -machinations) to every inquiry. The elders and men of substance settle -local matters, and all have a voice in everything that concerns the -general weal: such for instance as the transit of a traveller. Lieutenant -Speke saw two tribes, the Mahmud Gerad and Rer Ali Nalay. The latter is -subdivided into six septs. - -The Habr Gerhajis, here scattered and cut up, have little power. Their -royal family resides near Berberah, but no one as yet wears the turban; -and even when investiture takes place, a ruler's authority will not extend -to Makhar. Three clans of this tribe inhabit this part of the Somali -country, viz., Bah Gummaron, Rer Hamturwa, and Urus Sugay. - -I venture to submit a few remarks upon the subject of the preceding diary. - -It is evident from the perusal of these pages that though the traveller -suffered from the system of black-mail to which the inhospitable Somal of -Makhar subject all strangers, though he was delayed, persecuted by his -"protector," and threatened with war, danger, and destruction, his life -was never in real peril. Some allowance must also be made for the people -of the country. Lieutenant Speke was of course recognised as a servant of -Government; and savages cannot believe that a man wastes his rice and -cloth to collect dead beasts and to ascertain the direction of streams. He -was known to be a Christian; he is ignorant of the Moslem faith; and, most -fatal to his enterprise, he was limited in time. Not knowing either the -Arabic or the Somali tongue, he was forced to communicate with the people -through the medium of his dishonest interpreter and Abban. - -I have permitted myself to comment upon the system of interference pursued -by the former authorities of Aden towards the inhabitants of the Somali -coast. A partial intermeddling with the quarrels of these people is -unwise. We have the whole line completely in our power. An armed cruiser, -by a complete blockade, would compel the inhabitants to comply with any -requisitions. But either our intervention should be complete,--either we -should constitute ourselves sole judges of all disputes, or we should -sedulously turn a deaf ear to their complaints. The former I not only -understand to be deprecated by our rulers, but I also hold it to be -imprudent. Nothing is more dangerous than to influence in any way the -savage balance of power between these tribes: by throwing our weight on -one side we may do them incalculable mischief. The Somal, like the Arab -Bedouins, live in a highly artificial though an apparently artless state -of political relations; and the imperfect attempt of strangers to -interfere would be turned to the worst account by the designing adventurer -and the turbulent spirit who expects to rise by means of anarchy and -confusion. Hitherto our partial intervention between the Habr Awal of -Berberah and the Habr Gerhajis of Zayla has been fraught with evils to -them, and consequently to us. - -But it is a rapidly prevailing custom for merchants and travellers to -engage an Abban or Protector, not on the African coast, as was formerly -case, but at Aden. It is clearly advantageous to encourage this practice, -since it gives us a right in case of fraud or violence to punish the Abban -as he deserves. - -Lastly, we cannot expect great things without some establishment at -Berberah. Were a British agent settled there, he could easily select the -most influential and respectable men, to be provided with a certificate -entitling them to the honor and emolument of protecting strangers. Nothing -would tend more surely than this measure to open up the new country to -commerce and civilisation. And it must not be inferred, from a perusal of -the foregoing pages, that the land is valueless. Lieutenant Speke saw but -a small portion of it, and that, too, during the dead season. Its exports -speak for themselves: guano, valuable gums, hides, peltries, mats, -clarified butter, honey, and Dumbah sheep. From the ruins and the -traditions of the country, it is clear that a more civilised race once -held these now savage shores, and the disposition of the people does not -discourage the hope entertained by every Englishman--that of raising his -fellow man in the scale of civilisation. - -Camp, Aden, March, 1855. - - - - -METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS - -_Made by Lieutenant Speke, during his Experimental Tour in Eastern Africa, -portions of Warsingali, Dulbahanta, &c._ - - - Date. | 6 A.M. | Noon. | 3 P.M. | Meteorological Notices. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 1854. -Oct. 29. 70° 87° *112° Wind from the N. E. strong. (*Exposed - " 30. 70 87 85 Ditto. to sun.) - " 31. 68 88 85 Ditto. -Nov. 1. 67 88 82 Ditto. (These observations from - " 2. 62 86 85 Ditto. the 29th Oct. to the 7th - " 3. 59 86 " Nov., were taken in the - " 4. 65 86 84 Ditto. tent.) - " 5. 65 88 -- Ditto. - " 6. 63 88 86 Ditto. - " 7. 74 90 88 Cloudy in the morning. - " 8. 66 83 88 Wind strong from the N. E. (In open - " 9. 64 84 82 Ditto. air, but not exposed - " 10. 69 84 82 Ditto. to the sun.) - " 11. 70 84 82 Ditto. - " 12. 68 83 82 - " 13. 64 85 82 - " 14. 77 82 82 - " 15. 70 83 83 - " 16. 72 83 82 - " 17. 62 110 104 In open air exposed to sun. - " 18. 62 95 96 - " 19. 62 102 95 All these observations were taken - " 20. -- 98 103 during the N. E. monsoon, when the - " 21. " " " wind comes from that quarter. It - " 22. 59 74 77 generally makes its appearance - " 23. 56 81 75 about half-past 9 A.M. - " 24. 59 78 82 - " 25. 58 78 79 - " 26. 60 74 75 - " 27. 59 82 77 - " 28. 59 82 72 - " 29. 59 -- 80 - " 30. 61 82 80 - Dec. 1. 52 78 86 - " 2. 50 86 89 - " 3. " " " - " 4. -- 69 " - " 5. 54 84 84 - " 6. -- 97 98 - " 7. 52 -- 89 - " 8. 52 95 100 - " 9. 38 90 94 - " 10. 42 92 91 - " 11. 42 " " - " 12. 45 73 " - " 13. 40 81 82 - " 14. 25 76 82 - " 15. 33 80 82 - " 16. 47 91 89 - " 17. 36 84 90 - " 18. 34 82 84 - " 19. 54 78 84 - " 20. 52 77 83 - " 31. -- 89 88 - - 1855. -Jan. 1. 40 98 98 In open air exposed to the sun. - " 2. 43 84 88 All these observations were taken - " 3. 34 84 86 during the N. E. monsoon, when - " 4. 32 86 84 the wind comes from that quarter; - " 5. 28 96 87 generally making its appearance at - " 6. 34 92 94 about half-past 9 A.M. - " 7. 39 91 80 - " 8. 39 95 " - " 9. 40 81 " - " 10. 55 -- 72 - " 11. 50 91 90 - " 12. 53 87 90 - " 13. 51 94 94 - " 14. 39 84 95 - " 16. 40 81 87 - " 17. 46 78 81 - " 18. 42 86 88 - " 19. 44 82 83 - " 20. 40 " " - " 21. 38 87 93 - " 22. 50 91 84 - " 23. 52 86 98 - " 24. 52 -- 62 On the north or sea face of the - " 25. 51 79 66 Warsangali Hills, during 24th, - " 26. 58 65 63 25th, and 26th, had rain and heavy - " 27. 58 " " clouds daring the day: blowing - " 30. 72 82 82 off towards the evening. - " 31. 71 88 93 From the 27th to the 7th the -Feb. 1. 67 96 80 observations were taken at the sea. - " 2. 74 89 80 - " 3. 68 87 88 - " 4. 68 89 " - " 5. 68 84 83 - " 6. 72 88 " On the 7th observations were taken - " 7. 68 83 " in tent. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - | Govern. | | - | Therm. ! Therm. | Feet. - | boiled. | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 1854 -Nov. 1st. At Las Guray 212° 88° 0000 - 22nd. At Adhai 204.25 81 4577 - 30th. At Habal Ishawalay 203 58 5052 -Dec. 4th. At Yafir, top of range 200.25 69 6704 - 5th. At Mukur, on plateau 205.5 67 3660 - 7th. At Rhat Tug, on plateau 206.5 62 3077 - 15th. At Yubbay Tug, on plateau 204 62 4498 - Government boiling therm. broke - here. - Common therm. out of bazar boiled - at sea level 209° - Thermometer 76 - 1855 Com. ther. -Jan. 1st. At Jid Alli, on plateau 202° 62 3884 - 12th. At Biyu Hablay 201. 62 4 449 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - -APPENDIX II. - -GRAMMATICAL OUTLINE AND VOCABULARY - -HARARI LANGUAGE. - - -[Editor's note: This appendix was omitted because of the large number of -Arabic characters it contains, which makes it impossible to reproduce -accurately following PG standards.] - - - - -APPENDIX III - -METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS IN THE COLD SEASON OF 1854-5, - -BY -LIEUTENANTS HERNE, STROYAN, AND BURTON. - - -[Editor's note: This appendix contains tables of numbers that are too wide -to be reproduced accurately following PG standards.] - - - - -APPENDIX IV. - -It has been found necessary to omit this Appendix. - - -[Editor's note: This appendix, written in Latin by Burton, contained -descriptions of sexual customs among certain tribes. It was removed by the -publisher of the book, who apparently considered it to be too _risque_ for -the Victorian public.] - - - - -APPENDIX V. - -A CONDENSED ACCOUNT OF AN ATTEMPT TO REACH HARAR FROM ANKOBAR. - - -The author is Lieutenant, now Commander, WILLIAM BARKER of the Indian -Navy, one of the travellers who accompanied Sir William Cornwallis, then -Captain, Harris on his mission to the court of Shoa. His services being -required by the Bombay Government, he was directed by Captain Harris, on -October 14th, 1841, to repair to the coast via Harar, by a road "hitherto -untrodden by Europeans." These pages will reward perusal as a narrative of -adventure, especially as they admirably show what obstacles the suspicious -characters and the vain terrors of the Bedouins have thrown in the way of -energy and enterprise. - - -"Aden, February 28, 1842. - -"Shortly after I had closed my last communication to Captain Harris of the -Bombay Engineers on special duty at the Court of Shoa (14. Jan. 1842), a -report arrived at Allio Amba that Demetrius, an Albanian who had been for -ten years resident in the Kingdom of Shoa, and who had left it for -Tajoorah, accompanied by "Johannes," another Albanian, by three Arabs, -formerly servants of the Embassy, and by several slaves, had been murdered -by the Bedoos (Bedouins) near Murroo. This caused a panic among my -servants. I allayed it with difficulty, but my interpreter declared his -final intention of deserting me, as the Hurruri caravan had threatened to -kill him if he persisted in accompanying me. Before proceeding farther it -may be as well to mention that I had with me four servants, one a mere -lad, six mules and nine asses to carry my luggage and provisions. - -"I had now made every arrangement, having, as the Wallasena Mahomed Abugas -suggested, purchased a fine horse and a Tobe for my protector and guide, -Datah Mahomed of the clan Seedy Habroo, a subtribe of the Debeneh. It was -too late to recede: accordingly at an early hour on Saturday, the 15th -January, 1842, I commenced packing, and about 8 A.M. took my departure -from the village of Allio Amba. I had spent there a weary three months, -and left it with that mixture of pleasure and regret felt only by those -who traverse unknown and inhospitable regions. I had made many friends, -who accompanied me for some distance on the road, and took leave of me -with a deep feeling which assured me of their sympathy. Many endeavoured -to dissuade me from the journey, but my lot was cast. - -"About five miles from Allio, I met the nephew of the Wallasena, who -accompanied me to Farri, furnished me with a house there, and ordered my -mules and asses to be taken care of. Shortly after my arrival the guide, -an old man, made his appearance and seemed much pleased by my punctuality. - -"At noon, on Sunday the 16th, the Wallasena arrived, and sent over his -compliments, with a present of five loaves of bread. I called upon him in -the evening, and reminded him of the letter he had promised me; he ordered -it to be prepared, taking for copy the letter which the king (Sahala -Salassah of Shoa) had given to me. - -"My guide having again promised to forward me in safety, the Wallasena -presented him with a spear, a shield, and a Tobe, together with the horse -and the cloth which I had purchased for him. About noon on Monday the -17th, we quitted Farri with a slave-caravan bound for Tajoorah. I was -acquainted with many of these people, the Wallasena also recommended me -strongly to the care of Mahomed ibn Buraitoo and Dorranu ibn Kamil. We -proceeded to Datharal, the Wallasena and his nephew having escorted me as -far as Denehmelli, where they took leave. I found the Caffilah to consist -of fifteen Tajoorians, and about fifty camels laden with provisions for -the road, fifty male and about twenty female slaves, mostly children from -eight to ten years of age. My guide had with him five camels laden with -grain, two men and two women. - -"The Ras el Caffilah (chief of the caravan) was one Ibrahim ibn Boorantoo, -who it appears had been chief of the embassy caravan, although Essakh -(Ishak) gave out that he was. It is certain that this man always gave -orders for pitching the camp and for loading; but we being unaware of the -fact that he was Ras el Caffilah, he had not received presents on the -arrival of the Embassy at Shoa. Whilst unloading the camels, the following -conversation took place. 'Ya Kabtan!' (0 Captain) said he addressing me -with a sneer, 'where are you going to?--do you think the Bedoos will let -you pass through their country? We shall see! Now I will tell you!--you -Feringis have treated me very ill!--you loaded Essakh and others with -presents, but never gave me anything. I have, as it were, a knife in my -stomach which is continually cutting me--this knife you have placed there! -But, inshallah! it is now my turn! I will be equal with you!--you think of -going to Hurrur--we shall see!' I replied, 'You know me not! It is true I -was ignorant that you were Ras el Caffilah on our way to Shoa. You say you -have a knife cutting your inside--I can remove that knife! Those who treat -me well, now that I am returning to my country, shall be rewarded; for, -the Lord be praised! there I have the means of repaying my friends, but in -Shoa I am a beggar. Those that treat me ill shall also receive their -reward.' - -"My mules, being frightened at the sight of the camels, were exceedingly -restive; one of them strayed and was brought back by Deeni ibn Hamed, a -young man who was indebted to me for some medicines and a trifling present -which he had received from the embassy. Ibrahim, the Ras el Caffilah, -seeing him lead it back, called out, 'So you also have become servant to -the Kafir (infidel)!' At the same time Datah Mahomed, the guide, addressed -to me some remark which he asked Ibrahim to explain; the latter replied in -a sarcastic manner in Arabic, a language with which I am unacquainted. [1] -This determined hostility on the part of the Ras el Caffilah was -particularly distressing to me, as I feared he would do me much mischief. -I therefore determined to gain him over to my interests, and accordingly, -taking Deeni on one side, I promised him a handsome present if he would -take an opportunity of explaining to Ibrahim that he should be well -rewarded if he behaved properly, and at the same time that if he acted -badly, that a line or two sent to Aden would do him harm. I also begged -him to act as my interpreter as long as we were together, and he -cheerfully agreed to do so. - -"We were on the point of resuming our journey on Tuesday the 18th, when it -was found that the mule of the el Caffilah had strayed. After his conduct -on the preceding evening, he was ashamed to come to me, but he deputed one -of the caravan people to request the loan of one of my mules to go in -quest of his. I gave him one readily. We were detained that day as the -missing animal was not brought back till late. Notwithstanding my -civility, I observed him in close conversation with Datah Mahomed, about -the rich presents which the Feringis had given to Essakh and others, and I -frequently observed him pointing to my luggage in an expressive manner. -Towards evening the guide came to me and said, 'My son! I am an old man, -my teeth are bad, I cannot eat this parched grain--I see you eat bread. -Now we are friends, you must give me some of it!' I replied that several -times after preparing for the journey, I had been disappointed and at last -started on a short notice--that I was but scantily supplied with -provisions, and had a long journey before me: notwithstanding which I was -perfectly willing that he should share with me what I had as long as it -lasted, and that as he was a great chief, I expected that he would furnish -me with a fresh supply on arriving at his country. He then said, 'it is -well! but why did you not buy me a mule instead of a horse?' My reply was -that I had supposed that the latter would be more acceptable to him. I -divided the night into three watches: my servants kept the first and -middle, and I myself the morning. - -"We quitted Dattenab, the frontier station, at about 7 o'clock A.M., on -Wednesday the 19th. The country at this season presented a more lively -appearance than when we travelled over it before, grass being abundant: on -the trees by the roadside was much gum Acacia, which the Caffilah people -collected as they passed. I was pleased to remark that Ibrahim was the -only person ill-disposed towards me, the rest of the travellers were civil -and respectful. At noon we halted under some trees by the wayside. -Presently we were accosted by six Bedoos of the Woemah tribe who were -travelling from Keelulho to Shoa: they informed us that Demetrius had been -plundered and stripped by the Takyle tribe, that one Arab and three male -slaves had been slain, and that another Arab had fled on horseback to the -Etoh (Ittu) Gallas, whence nothing more had been heard of him: the rest of -the party were living under the protection of Shaykh Omar Buttoo of the -Takyle. The Bedoos added that plunderers were lying in wait on the banks -of the river Howash for the white people that were about to leave Shoa. -The Ras el Caffilah communicated to me this intelligence, and concluded by -saying: 'Now, if you wish to return, I will take you back, but if you say -forward, let us proceed!' I answered, 'Let us proceed!' I must own that -the intelligence pleased me not; two of my servants were for returning, -but they were persuaded to go on to the next station, where we would be -guided by circumstances. About 2 o'clock P.M. we again proceeded, after a -long "Cullam" or talk, which ended in Datah Mahomed sending for assistance -to a neighbouring tribe. During a conversation with the Ras el Caffilah, I -found out that the Bedoos were lying in wait, not for the white people, -but for our caravan. It came out that these Bedouins had had the worst of -a quarrel with the last Caffilah from Tajoorah: they then threatened to -attack it in force on its return. The Ras el Caffilah was assured that as -long as we journeyed together, I should consider his enemies my enemies, -and that being well supplied with firearms, I would assist him on all -occasions. This offer pleased him, and we became more friendly. We passed -several deserted villages of the Bedoos, who had retired for want of water -towards the Wadys, and about 7 o'clock P.M. halted at the lake Leadoo. - -"On the morning of Thursday the 20th, Datah Mahomed came to me and -delivered himself though Deeni as follows: 'My son! our father the -Wallasena entrusted you to my care, we feasted together in Gouchoo--you -are to me as the son of my house! Yesterday I heard that the Bedoos were -waiting to kill, but fear not, for I have sent to the Seedy Habroo for -some soldiers, who will be here soon. Now these soldiers are sent for on -your account; they will want much cloth, but you are a sensible person, -and will of course pay them well. They will accompany us beyond the -Howash!' I replied,' It is true, the Wallasena entrusted me to your care. -He also told me that you were a great chief, and could forward me on my -journey. I therefore did not prepare a large supply of cloth--a long -journey is before me--what can be spared shall be freely given, but you -must tell the soldiers that I have but little. You are now my father!' - -"Scarcely had I ceased when the soldiers, fine stout-looking savages, -armed with spear, shield, and crease, mustering about twenty-five, made -their appearance. It was then 10 A.M. The word was given to load the -camels, and we soon moved forward. I found my worthy protector exceedingly -good-natured and civil, dragging on my asses and leading my mules. Near -the Howash we passed several villages, in which I could not but remark the -great proportion of children. At about 3 P.M. we forded the river, which -was waist-deep, and on the banks of which were at least 3000 head of -horned cattle. Seeing no signs of the expected enemy, we journeyed on till -5 P.M., when we halted at the south-eastern extremity of the Howash Plain, -about one mile to the eastward of a small pool of water. - -"At daylight on Friday the 21st it was discovered that Datah Mahomed's -horse had disappeared. This was entirely his fault; my servants had -brought it back when it strayed during the night, but he said, 'Let it -feed, it will not run away!' When I condoled with him on the loss of so -noble an animal, he replied, 'I know very well who has taken it: one of my -cousins asked me for it yesterday, and because I refused to give it he has -stolen it; never mind, Inshallah! I will steal some of his camels.' After -a 'Cullam' about what was to be given to our worthy protectors, it was -settled that I should contribute three cloths and the Caffilah ten; -receiving these, they departed much satisfied. Having filled our water- -skins, we resumed our march a little before noon. Several herds of -antelope and wild asses appeared on the way. At 7 P.M. we halted near -Hano. Prevented from lighting a fire for fear of the Galla, I was obliged -to content myself with some parched grain, of which I had prepared a large -supply. - -"At sunrise on the 22nd we resumed our journey, the weather becoming warm -and the grass scanty. At noon we halted near Shaykh Othman. I was glad to -find that Deeni had succeeded in converting the Ras el Caffilah from an -avowed enemy to a staunch friend, at least outwardly so; he has now become -as civil and obliging as he was before the contrary. There being no water -at this station, I desired my servant Adam not to make any bread, -contenting myself with the same fare as that of the preceding evening. -This displeasing Datah Mahomed, some misunderstanding arose, which, from -their ignorance of each other's language, might, but for the interference -of the Ras el Caffilah and Deeni, have led to serious results. An -explanation ensued, which ended in Datah Mahomed seizing me by the beard, -hugging and embracing me in a manner truly unpleasant. I then desired Adam -to make him some bread and coffee, and harmony was once more restored. -This little disturbance convinced me that if once left among these savages -without any interpreter, that I should be placed in a very dangerous -situation. The Ras el Caffilah also told me that unless he saw that the -road was clear for me to Hurrur, and that there was no danger to be -apprehended, that he could not think of leaving me, but should take me -with him to Tajoorah. He continued, 'You know not the Emir of Hurrur: when -he hears of your approach he will cause you to be waylaid by the Galla. -Why not come with me to Tajoorah? If you fear being in want of provisions -we have plenty, and you shall share all we have!' I was much surprised at -this change of conduct on the part of the Ras el Caffilah, and by way of -encouraging him to continue friendly, spared not to flatter him, saying it -was true I did not know him before, but now I saw he was a man of -excellent disposition. At three P.M. we again moved forward. Grass became -more abundant; in some places it was luxuriant and yet green. We halted at -eight P.M. The night was cold with a heavy dew, and there being no fuel, I -again contented myself with parched grain. - -"At daylight on the 23rd we resumed our march. Datah Mahomed asked for two -mules, that he and his friend might ride forward to prepare for my -reception at his village. I lent him the animals, but after a few minutes -he returned to say that I had given him the two worst, and he would not go -till I dismounted and gave him the mule which I was riding. About noon we -arrived at the lake Toor Erain Murroo, where the Bedouins were in great -numbers watering their flocks and herds, at least 3000 head of horned -cattle and sheep innumerable. Datah Mahomed, on my arrival, invited me to -be seated under the shade of a spreading tree, and having introduced me to -his people as his guest and the friend of the Wallasena, immediately -ordered some milk, which was brought in a huge bowl fresh and warm from -the cow; my servants were similarly provided. During the night Adam shot a -fox, which greatly astonished the Bedouins, and gave them even more dread -of our fire-arms. Hearing that Demetrius and his party, who had been -plundered of everything, were living at a village not far distant, I -offered to pay the Ras el Caffilah any expense he might be put to if he -would permit them to accompany our caravan to Tajoorah. He said that he -had no objection to their joining the Caffilah, but that he had been -informed their wish was to return to Shoa. I had a long conversation with -the Ras, who begged of me not to go to Hurrur; 'for,' he said, 'it is well -known that the Hurruri caravan remained behind solely on your account. You -will therefore enter the town, should you by good fortune arrive there at -all, under unfavourable circumstances. I am sure that the Emir [2], who -may receive you kindly, will eventually do you much mischief, besides -which these Bedouins will plunder you of all your property.' The other -people of the caravan, who are all my friends, also spoke in the same -strain. This being noted as a bad halting place, all kept watch with us -during the night. - -"The mules and camels having had their morning feed, we set out at about -10 A.M. on Monday the 24th for the village of Datah Mahomed, he having -invited the Caffilah's people and ourselves to partake of his hospitality -and be present at his marriage festivities. The place is situated about -half a mile to the E. N. E. of the lake; it consists of about sixty huts, -surrounded by a thorn fence with separate enclosures for the cattle. The -huts are formed of curved sticks, with their ends fastened in the ground, -covered with mats, in shape approaching to oval, about five feet high, -fifteen feet long, and eight broad. Arrived at the village, we found the -elders seated under the shade of a venerable Acacia feasting; six bullocks -were immediately slaughtered for the Caffilah and ourselves. At sunset a -camel was brought out in front of the building and killed--the Bedoos are -extremely fond of this meat. In the evening I had a long conversation with -Datah Mahomed, who said, 'My son! you have as yet given me nothing. The -Wallasena gave me everything. My horse has been stolen--I want a mule and -much cloth.' Deeni replied for me that the mules were presents from the -king (Sahala Salassah) to the Governor of Aden: this the old man would not -believe. I told him that I had given him the horse and Tobe, but he -exclaimed, 'No, no! my son; the Wallasena is our father; he told me that -he had given them to me, and also that you would give me great things when -you arrived at my village. My son! the Wallasena would not lie.' Datah was -then called away. - -"Early on the morning of Tuesday the 25th, Datah Mahomed invited me and -the elders of the Caffilah to his hut, where he supplied us liberally with -milk; clarified butter was then handed round, and the Tajoorians anointed -their bodies. After we had left his hut, he came to me, and in presence of -the Ras el Caffilah and Deeni said, 'You see I have treated you with great -honour, you must give me a mule and plenty of cloth, as all my people want -cloth. You have given me nothing as yet!' Seeing that I became rather -angry, and declared solemnly that I had given him the horse and Tobe, he -smiled and said, 'I know that, but I want a mule, my horse has been -stolen.'--I replied that I would see about it. He then asked for all my -blue cloth and my Arab 'Camblee' (blanket). My portmanteau being rather -the worse for wear--its upper leather was torn--he thrust in his fingers, -and said, with a most avaricious grin, 'What have you here?' I immediately -arose and exclaimed, 'You are not my father; the Wallasena told me you -would treat me kindly; this is not doing so.' He begged pardon and said, -'Do not be frightened, my son; I will take nothing from you but what you -give me freely. You think I am a bad man; people have been telling you ill -things about me. I am now an old man, and have given up such child's work -as plundering people.' It became, however, necessary to inquire of Datah -Mahomed what were his intentions with regard to myself. I found that I had -been deceived at Shoa; there it was asserted that he lived at Errur and -was brother to Bedar, one of the most powerful chiefs of the Adel, instead -of which it proved that he was not so highly connected, and that he -visited Errur only occasionally. Datah told me that his marriage feast -would last seven days, after which he would forward me to Doomi, where we -should find Bedar, who would send me either to Tajoorah or to Hurrur, as -he saw fit. - -"I now perceived that all hope of reaching Hurrur was at an end. Vexed and -disappointed at having suffered so much in vain, I was obliged to resign -the idea of going there for the following reasons: The Mission treasury -was at so low an ebb that I had left Shoa with only three German crowns, -and the prospect of meeting on the road Mahomed Ali in charge of the -second division of the Embassy and the presents, who could have supplied -me with money. The constant demands of Datah Mahomed for tobacco, for -cloth, in fact for everything he saw, would become ten times more annoying -were I left with him without an interpreter. The Tajoorians, also, one -all, begged me not to remain, saying, 'Think not of your property, but -only of your and your servants' lives. Come with us to Tajoorah; we will -travel quick, and you shall share our provisions.' At last I consented to -this new arrangement, and Datah Mahomed made no objection. This -individual, however, did not leave me till he had extorted from me my best -mule, all my Tobes (eight in number), and three others, which I borrowed -from the caravan people. He departed about midnight, saying that he would -take away his mule in the morning. - -"At 4 A.M. on the 26th I was disturbed by Datah Mahomed, who took away his -mule, and then asked for more cloth, which was resolutely refused. He then -begged for my 'Camblee,' which, as it was my only covering, I would not -part with, and checked him by desiring him to strip me if he wished it. He -then left me and returned in about an hour, with a particular friend who -had come a long way expressly to see me. I acknowledged the honour, and -deeply regretted that I had only words to pay for it, he himself having -received my last Tobe. 'However,' I continued, seeing the old man's brow -darken, 'I will endeavour to borrow one from the Caffilah people.' Deeni -brought me one, which was rejected as inferior. I then said, 'You see my -dress--that cloth is better than what I wear--but here; take my turban.' -This had the desired effect; the cloth was accepted. At length Datah -Mahomed delivered me over to the charge of the Ras el Caffilah in a very -impressive manner, and gave me his blessing. We resumed our journey at 2 -P.M., when I joined heartily with the caravan people in their 'Praise be -to God! we are at length clear of the Bedoos!' About 8 P.M. we halted at -Metta. - -"At half-past 4 A.M. on the 27th we started; all the people of the -Caffilah were warm in their congratulations that I had given up the Hurrur -route. At 9 A.M. we halted at Codaitoo: the country bears marks of having -been thickly inhabited during the rains, but at present, owing to the want -of water, not an individual was to be met with. At Murroo we filled our -water-skins, there being no water between that place and Doomi, distant -two days' journey. As the Ras el Caffilah had heard that the Bedoos were -as numerous as the hairs of his head at Doomi and Keelulhoo, he determined -to avoid both and proceed direct to Warrahambili, where water was -plentiful and Bedoos were few, owing to the scarcity of grass. This, he -said, was partly on my account and partly on his own, as he would be much -troubled by the Bedouins of Doomi, many of them being his kinsmen. We -continued our march from 3 P.M. till 9 P.M., when we halted at Boonderrah. - -"At 4 P.M., on January 28th, we moved forward through the Waddy -Boonderrah, which was dry at that season; grass, however, was still -abundant. From 11 A.M. till 4 P.M., we halted at Geera Dohiba. Then again -advancing we traversed, by a very rough road, a deep ravine, called the -"Place of Lions." The slaves are now beginning to be much knocked up, many -of them during the last march were obliged to be put upon camels. I forgot -to mention that one died the day we left Murroo. At 10 P.M. we halted at -Hagaioo Geera Dohiba: this was formerly the dwelling-place of Hagaioo, -chief of the Woemah (Dankali), but the Eesa Somali having made a -successful attack upon him, and swept off all his cattle, he deserted it. -During the night the barking of dogs betrayed the vicinity of a Bedoo -encampment, and caused us to keep a good look-out. Water being too scarce -to make bread, I contented myself with coffee and parched grain. - -"At daylight on the 29th we resumed our journey, and passed by an -encampment of the Eesa, About noon we reached Warrahambili. Thus far we -have done well, but the slaves are now so exhausted that a halt of two -days will be necessary to recruit their strength. In this Wady we found an -abundance of slightly brackish water, and a hot spring. - -"_Sunday, 30th January._--A Caffilah, travelling from Tajoorah to Shoa, -passed by. The people kindly offered to take my letters. Mahomed ibn -Boraitoo, one of the principal people in the Caffilah, presented me with a -fine sheep and a quantity of milk, which I was glad to accept. There had -been a long-standing quarrel between him and our Ras el Caffilah. When the -latter heard that I accepted the present he became very angry, and said to -my servant, Adam, 'Very well, your master chooses to take things from -other people; why did he not ask me if he wanted sheep? We shall see!' -Adam interrupted him by saying, 'Be not angry; my master did not ask for -the sheep, it was brought to him as a present; it has been slaughtered, -and I was just looking for you to distribute it among the people of the -Caffilah.' This appeased him; and Adam added, 'If my master hears your -words he will be angry, for he wishes to be friends with all people.' I -mention the above merely to show how very little excites these savages to -anger. The man who gave me the sheep, hearing that I wished to go to -Tajoorah, offered to take me there in four days. I told him I would first -consult the Ras el Caffilah, who declared it would not be safe for me to -proceed from this alone, but that from Dakwaylaka (three marches in -advance) he himself would accompany me in. The Ras then presented me with -a sheep. - -"We resumed our journey at 1 P.M., January 31st, passed several parties of -Eesa, and at 8 P.M. halted at Burroo Ruddah. - -"On February 1st we marched from 4 A.M. to 11 A.M., when we halted in the -Wady Fiahloo, dry at this season. Grass was abundant. At 3 P.M. we resumed -our journey. Crossing the plain of Amahdoo some men were observed to the -southward, marching towards the Caffilah; the alarm and the order to close -up were instantly given; our men threw aside their upper garments and -prepared for action, being fully persuaded that it was a party of Eesa -coming to attack them. However, on nearer approach we observed several -camels with them; two men were sent on to inquire who they were; they -proved to be a party of Somalis going to Ousak for grain. At 8 P.M. we -halted on the plain of Dakwaylaka. - -"At daylight on February the 2nd, the Ras el Caffilah, Deeni, and Mahomed -accompanied me in advance of the caravan to water our mules at Dakwaylaka. -Arriving there about 11 A.M. we found the Bedoos watering their cattle. -Mahomed unbridled his animal, which rushed towards the trough from which -the cattle were drinking; the fair maid who was at the well baling out the -water into the trough immediately set up the shrill cry of alarm, and we -were compelled to move about a mile up the Wady, when we came to a pool of -water black as ink. Thirsty as I was I could not touch the stuff. The -Caffilah arrived about half-past 1 P.M., by which time the cattle of the -Bedoos had all been driven off to grass, so that the well was at our -service. We encamped close to it. Ibrahim recommended that Adam Burroo of -the Assoubal tribe, a young Bedoo, and a relation of his should accompany -our party. I promised him ten dollars at Tajoorah. [3] At 3 P.M., having -completed my arrangements, and leaving one servant behind to bring up the -luggage, I quitted the Caffilah amidst the universal blessings of the -people. I was accompanied by Ibrahim, the Ras el Caffilah, Deeni ibn -Hamid, my interpreter, three of my servants, and the young Bedoo, all -mounted on mules. One baggage mule, fastened behind one of my servants' -animals, carried a little flour, parched grain, and coffee, coffee-pot, -frying-pan, and one suit of clothes for each. Advancing at a rapid pace, -about 5 P.M. we came up with a party consisting of Eesa, with their -camels. One of them instantly collected the camels, whilst the others -hurried towards us in a suspicious way. The Bedoo hastened to meet them, -and we were permitted, owing, I was told, to my firearms, the appearance -of which pleased them not, to proceed quietly. At 7 P.M., having arrived -at a place where grass was abundant, we turned off the road and halted. - -"At 1:30 A.M., on Thursday, 3rd February, as the moon rose we saddled our -mules and pushed forward at a rapid pace. At 4 A.M. we halted and had a -cup of coffee each, when we again mounted. As the day broke we came upon -an encampment of the Debeneh, who hearing the clatter of our mules' hoofs, -set up the cry of alarm. The Bedoo pacified them: they had supposed us to -be a party of Eesa. We continued our journey, and about 10 A.M. we halted -for breakfast, which consisted of coffee and parched grain. At noon we -again moved forward, and at 3 P.M., having arrived at a pool of water -called Murhabr in the Wady Dalabayah, we halted for about an hour to make -some bread. We then continued through the Wady, passed several Bedoo -encampments till a little after dark, when we descended into the plain of -Gurgudeli. Here observing several fires, the Bedoo crawled along to -reconnoitre, and returned to say they were Debeneh. We gave them a wide -berth, and about 8:30 P.M. halted. We were cautioned not to make a fire, -but I had a great desire for a cup of coffee after the fatigue of this -long march. Accordingly we made a small fire, concealing it with shields. - -"At 3 A.M. on Friday, the 4th February, we resumed our journey. After -about an hour and a half arriving at a good grazing ground, we halted to -feed the mules, and then watered them at Alooli. At 1 P.M. I found the sun -so oppressive that I was obliged to halt for two hours. We had struck off -to the right of the route pursued by the Embassy, and crossed, not the -Salt Lake, but the hills to the southward. The wind blowing very strong -considerably retarded our progress, so that we did not arrive at Dahfurri, -our halting-place, till sunset. Dahfurri is situated about four miles to -the southward of Mhow, the encampment of the Embassy near the Lake, and -about 300 yards to the eastward of the road. Here we found a large basin -of excellent water, which the Tajoorians informed me was a mere mass of -mud when we passed by to Shoa, but that the late rains had cleared away -all the impurities. After sunset a gale of wind blew. - -"At 1 A.M. on the 5th February, the wind having decreased we started. -Passing through the pass of the Rer Essa, the barking of dogs caused us -some little uneasiness, as it betrayed the vicinity of the Bedoo, whether -friend or foe we knew not. Ibrahim requested us to keep close order, and -to be silent. As day broke we descended into the plain of Warrah Lissun, -where we halted and ate the last of the grain. After half an hour's halt -we continued our journey. Ibrahim soon declared his inability to keep up -with us, so he recommended me to the care of the Bedoo and Deeni, saying -he would follow slowly. We arrived at Sagulloo about 11 A.M., and Ibrahim -about two hours afterwards. At 3 P.M. we resumed our march, and a little -before sunset arrived at Ambaboo. - -"The elders had a conference which lasted about a quarter of an hour, when -they came forward and welcomed me, directing men to look after my mules. I -was led to a house which had been cleaned for my reception. Ibrahim then -brought water and a bag of dates, and shortly afterwards some rice and -milk. Many villagers called to pay their respects, and remained but a -short time as I wanted repose: they would scarcely believe that I had -travelled in eighteen days from Shoa, including four day's halt. - -"Early on the morning of the 6th February I set out for Tajoorah, where I -was received with every demonstration of welcome by both rich and poor. -The Sultan gave me his house, and after I had drunk a cup of coffee with -him, considerately ordered away all the people who had flocked to see me, -as, he remarked, I must be tired after so rapid a journey. - -"It may not be amiss to mention here that the British character stands -very high at Tajoorah. The people assured me that since the British had -taken Aden they had enjoyed peace and security, and that from being -beggars they had become princes. As a proof of their sincerity they said -with pride, 'Look at our village, you saw it a year and a half ago, you -know what it was then, behold what is now!' I confessed that it had been -much improved." - -(From Tajoorah the traveller, after awarding his attendants, took boat for -Zayla, where he was hospitably received by the Hajj Sharmarkay's agent. -Suffering severely from fever, on Monday the 14th February he put to sea -again and visited Berberah, where he lived in Sharmarkay's house, and -finally he arrived at Aden on Friday the 25th February, 1842. He concludes -the narrative of his adventure as follows.) - -"It is due to myself that I should offer some explanation for the rough -manner in which this report is drawn up. On leaving Shoa the Caffilah -people marked with a jealous eye that I seemed to number the slaves and -camels, and Deeni reported to me that they had observed my making entries -in my note-book. Whenever the Bedoos on the road caught sight of a piece -of paper, they were loud in their demands for it. [4] Our marches were so -rapid that I was scarcely allowed time sufficient to prepare for the -fatigues of the ensuing day, and experience had taught me the necessity of -keeping a vigilant watch. [5] Aware that Government must be anxious for -information from the 'Mission,' I performed the journey in a shorter space -of time than any messenger, however highly paid, has yet done it, and for -several days lived on coffee and parched grain. Moreover, on arrival at -Aden, I was so weak from severe illness that I could write but at short -intervals. - -"It will not, I trust, be considered that the alteration in my route was -caused by trivial circumstances. It would have been absurd to have -remained with the Bedoos without an interpreter: there would have been -daily disputes and misunderstandings, and I had already sufficient insight -into the character of Datah Mahomed to perceive that his avarice was -insatiable. Supposing I had passed through his hands, there was the chief -of Bedar, who, besides expecting much more than I had given to Datah -Mahomed, would, it is almost certain, eventually have forwarded me to -Tajoorah. Finally, if I can believe the innumerable reports of the people, -both at Tajoorah and Zalaya, neither I myself nor my servants would ever -have passed through the kingdom of Hurrur. The jealousy of the prince -against foreigners is so great that, although he would not injure them -within the limits of his own dominions, he would cause them to waylaid and -murdered on the road." - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] Thus in the original. It may be a mistake, for Captain Barker is, I am -informed, a proficient in conversational Arabic. - -[2] This chief was the Emir Abubakr, father of Ahmed: the latter was -ruling when I entered Harar in 1855. - -[3] As the youth gave perfect satisfaction, he received, besides the ten -dollars, a Tobe and a European saddle, "to which he had taken a great -fancy." - -[4] In these wild countries every bit of paper written over is considered -to be a talisman or charm. - -[5] A sergeant, a corporal, and a Portuguese cook belonging to Captain -Harris's mission were treacherously slain near Tajoorah at night. The -murderers were Hamid Saborayto, and Mohammed Saborayto, two Dankalis of -the Ad All clan. In 1842 they seem to have tried a _ruse de guerre_ upon -M. Rochet, and received from him only too mild a chastisement. 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Project Gutenberg is a TradeMark and may not be -used in any sales of Project Gutenberg eBooks or other materials be -they hardware or software or any other related product without -express permission.] - -*END THE SMALL PRINT! FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN EBOOKS*Ver.02/11/02*END* - diff --git a/old/8ffea10.zip b/old/8ffea10.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index aa81c62..0000000 --- a/old/8ffea10.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/old-2025-03-16/6886-8.txt b/old/old-2025-03-16/6886-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index c0c6a0d..0000000 --- a/old/old-2025-03-16/6886-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,12838 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's First Footsteps in East Africa, by Richard F. Burton - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: First Footsteps in East Africa - or, an Exploration of Harar - -Author: Richard F. Burton - -Posting Date: February 13, 2012 [EBook #6886] -Release Date: November, 2004 -First Posted: February 7, 2003 -Last Updated: March 29, 2004 -Last Updated: February 12, 2012 - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FIRST FOOTSTEPS IN EAST AFRICA *** - - - - -Produced by Anne Soulard, Carlo Traverso and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team. This file was produced from -images generously made available by the Bibliothèque -nationale de France (BnF/Gallica) at http://gallica.bnf.fr.) - - - - - - - - - - - -[Illustration: HARAR FROM THE COFFE STREAM] - -FIRST FOOTSTEPS IN EAST AFRICA; OR, AN EXPLORATION OF HARAR. - -BY -RICHARD F. BURTON - - - - -TO -THE HONORABLE -JAMES GRANT LUMSDEN, -MEMBER OF COUNCIL, ETC. ETC. BOMBAY. - - -I have ventured, my dear Lumsden, to address you in, and inscribe to you, -these pages. Within your hospitable walls my project of African travel was -matured, in the fond hope of submitting, on return, to your friendly -criticism, the record of adventures in which you took so warm an interest. -Dis aliter visum! Still I would prove that my thoughts are with you, and -thus request you to accept with your wonted _bonhommie_ this feeble token -of a sincere good will. - - - - -PREFACE. - - -Averse to writing, as well as to reading, diffuse Prolegomena, the author -finds himself compelled to relate, at some length, the circumstances which -led to the subject of these pages. - -In May 1849, the late Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Malcolm, formerly -Superintendent of the Indian Navy, in conjunction with Mr. William John -Hamilton, then President of the Royal Geographical Society of Great -Britain, solicited the permission of the Court of Directors of the -Honorable East India Company to ascertain the productive resources of the -unknown Somali Country in East Africa. [1] The answer returned, was to the -following effect:-- - -"If a fit and proper person volunteer to travel in the Somali Country, he -goes as a private traveller, the Government giving no more protection to -him than they would to an individual totally unconnected with the service. -They will allow the officer who obtains permission to go, during his -absence on the expedition to retain all the pay and allowances he may be -enjoying when leave was granted: they will supply him with all the -instruments required, afford him a passage going and returning, and pay -the actual expenses of the journey." - -The project lay dormant until March 1850, when Sir Charles Malcolm and -Captain Smyth, President of the Royal Geographical Society of Great -Britain, waited upon the chairman of the Court of Directors of the -Honorable East India Company. He informed them that if they would draw up -a statement of what was required, and specify how it could be carried into -effect, the document should be forwarded to the Governor-General of India, -with a recommendation that, should no objection arise, either from expense -or other causes, a fit person should be permitted to explore the Somali -Country. - -Sir Charles Malcolm then offered the charge of the expedition to Dr. -Carter of Bombay, an officer favourably known to the Indian world by his -services on board the "Palinurus" brig whilst employed upon the maritime -survey of Eastern Arabia. Dr. Carter at once acceded to the terms proposed -by those from whom the project emanated; but his principal object being to -compare the geology and botany of the Somali Country with the results of -his Arabian travels, he volunteered to traverse only that part of Eastern -Africa which lies north of a line drawn from Berberah to Ras Hafun,--in -fact, the maritime mountains of the Somal. His health not permitting him -to be left on shore, he required a cruizer to convey him from place to -place, and to preserve his store of presents and provisions. By this means -he hoped to land at the most interesting points and to penetrate here and -there from sixty to eighty miles inland, across the region which he -undertook to explore. - -On the 17th of August, 1850, Sir Charles Malcolm wrote to Dr. Carter in -these terms:--"I have communicated with the President of the Royal -Geographical Society and others: the feeling is, that though much valuable -information could no doubt be gained by skirting the coast (as you -propose) both in geology and botany, yet that it does not fulfil the -primary and great object of the London Geographical Society, which was, -and still is, to have the interior explored." The Vice-Admiral, however, -proceeded to say that, under the circumstances of the case, Dr. Carter's -plans were approved of, and asked him to confer immediately with Commodore -Lushington; then Commander in Chief of the Indian Navy. - -In May, 1851, Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Malcolm died: geographers and -travellers lost in him an influential and an energetic friend. During the -ten years of his superintendence over the Indian Navy that service rose, -despite the incubus of profound peace, to the highest distinction. He -freely permitted the officers under his command to undertake the task of -geographical discovery, retaining their rank, pay, and batta, whilst the -actual expenses of their journeys were defrayed by contingent bills. All -papers and reports submitted to the local government were favourably -received, and the successful traveller looked forward to distinction and -advancement. - -During the decade which elapsed between 1828 and 1838, "officers of the -Indian Navy journeyed, as the phrase is, _with their lives in their -hands_, through the wildest districts of the East. Of these we name the -late Commander J. A. Young, Lieutenants Wellsted, Wyburd, Wood, and -Christopher, retired Commander Ormsby, the present Capt. H. B. Lynch C.B., -Commanders Felix Jones and W. C. Barker, Lieutenants Cruttenden and -Whitelock. Their researches extended from the banks of the Bosphorus to -the shores of India. Of the vast, the immeasurable value of such -services," to quote the words of the Quarterly Review (No. cxxix. Dec. -1839), "which able officers thus employed, are in the mean time rendering -to science, to commerce, to their country, and to the whole civilized -world, we need say nothing:--nothing we could say would be too much." - -"In five years, the admirable maps of that coral-bound gulf--the Red Sea-- -were complete: the terrors of the navigation had given place to the -confidence inspired by excellent surveys. In 1829 the Thetis of ten guns, -under Commander Robert Moresby, convoyed the first coal ship up the Red -Sea, of the coasts of which this skilful and enterprising seaman made a -cursory survey, from which emanated the subsequent trigonometrical -operations which form our present maps. Two ships were employed, the -'Benares' and 'Palinurus,' the former under Commander Elwon, the latter -under Commander Moresby. It remained, however, for the latter officer to -complete the work. Some idea may be formed of the perils these officers -and men went through, when we state the 'Benares' was forty-two times -aground. - -"Robert Moresby, the genius of the Red Sea, conducted also the survey of -the Maldive Islands and groups known as the Chagos Archipelago. He -narrowly escaped being a victim to the deleterious climate of his station, -and only left it when no longer capable of working. A host of young and -ardent officers,--Christopher, Young, Powell, Campbell, Jones, Barker, and -others,--ably seconded him: death was busy amongst them for months and so -paralyzed by disease were the living, that the anchors could scarcely be -raised for a retreat to the coast of India. Renovated by a three months' -stay, occasionally in port, where they were strengthened by additional -numbers, the undaunted remnants from time to time returned to their task; -and in 1837, gave to the world a knowledge of those singular groups which -heretofore--though within 150 miles of our coasts--had been a mystery -hidden within the dangers that environed them. The beautiful maps of the -Red Sea, drafted by the late Commodore Carless [2], then a lieutenant, -will ever remain permanent monuments of Indian Naval Science, and the -daring of its officers and men. Those of the Maldive and Chagos groups, -executed by Commander then Acting Lieutenant Felix Jones, were, we hear, -of such a high order, that they were deemed worthy of special inspection -by the Queen." - -"While these enlightening operations were in progress, there were others -of this profession, no less distinguished, employed on similar -discoveries. The coast of Mekran westward from Scinde, was little known, -but it soon found a place in the hydrographical offices of India, under -Captain, then Lieutenant, Stafford Haines, and his staff, who were engaged -on it. The journey to the Oxus, made by Lieut. Wood, Sir. A. Burnes's -companion in his Lahore and Afghan missions, is a page of history which -may not be opened to us again in our own times; while in Lieut. Carless's -drafts of the channels of the Indus, we trace those designs, that the -sword of Sir Charles Napier only was destined to reveal." - -"The ten years prior to that of 1839 were those of fitful repose, such as -generally precedes some great outbreak. The repose afforded ample leisure -for research, and the shores of the island of Socotra, with the south -coast of Arabia, were carefully delineated. Besides the excellent maps of -these regions, we are indebted to the survey for that unique work on Oman, -by the late Lieut. Wellsted of this service, and for valuable notices from -the pen of Lieut. Cruttenden. [3] - -"Besides the works we have enumerated, there were others of the same -nature, but on a smaller scale, in operation at the same period around our -own coasts. The Gulf of Cambay, and the dangerous sands known as the -Molucca Banks, were explored and faithfully mapped by Captain Richard -Ethersey, assisted by Lieutenant (now Commander) Fell. Bombay Harbour was -delineated again on a grand scale by Capt. R. Cogan, assisted by Lieut. -Peters, now both dead; and the ink of the Maldive charts had scarcely -dried, when the labours of those employed were demanded of the Indian -Government by Her Majesty's authorities at Ceylon, to undertake -trigonometrical surveys of that Island, and the dangerous and shallow -gulfs on either side of the neck of sand connecting it with India. They -were the present Captains F. F. Powell, and Richard Ethersey, in the -Schooner 'Royal Tiger' and 'Shannon,' assisted by Lieut. (now Commander) -Felix Jones, and the late Lieut. Wilmot Christopher, who fell in action -before Mooltan. The first of these officers had charge of one of the -tenders under Lieut. Powell, and the latter another under Lieut. Ethersey. -The maps of the Pamban Pass and the Straits of Manaar were by the hand of -Lieut. Felix Jones, who was the draftsman also on this survey: they speak -for themselves." [4] - -In 1838 Sir Charles Malcolm was succeeded by Sir Robert Oliver, an "old -officer of the old school"--a strict disciplinarian, a faithful and honest -servant of Government, but a violent, limited, and prejudiced man. He -wanted "sailors," individuals conversant with ropes and rigging, and -steeped in knowledge of shot and shakings, he loved the "rule of thumb," -he hated "literary razors," and he viewed science with the profoundest -contempt. About twenty surveys were ordered to be discontinued as an -inauguratory measure, causing the loss of many thousand pounds, -independent of such contingencies as the "Memnon." [5] Batta was withheld -from the few officers who obtained leave, and the life of weary labour on -board ship was systematically made monotonous and uncomfortable:--in local -phrase it was described as "many stripes and no stars." Few measures were -omitted to heighten the shock of contrast. No notice was taken of papers -forwarded to Government, and the man who attempted to distinguish himself -by higher views than quarter-deck duties, found himself marked out for the -angry Commodore's red-hot displeasure. No place was allowed for charts and -plans: valuable original surveys, of which no duplicates existed, lay -tossed amongst the brick and mortar with which the Marine Office was being -rebuilt. No instruments were provided for ships, even a barometer was not -supplied in one case, although duly indented for during five years. Whilst -Sir Charles Malcolm ruled the Bombay dockyards, the British name rose high -in the Indian, African, and Arabian seas. Each vessel had its presents-- -guns, pistols, and powder, Abbas, crimson cloth and shawls, watches, -telescopes, and similar articles--with a suitable stock of which every -officer visiting the interior on leave was supplied. An order from Sir -Robert Oliver withdrew presents as well as instruments: with them -disappeared the just idea of our faith and greatness as a nation -entertained by the maritime races, who formerly looked forward to the -arrival of our cruizers. Thus the Indian navy was crushed by neglect and -routine into a mere transport service, remarkable for little beyond -constant quarrels between sea-lieutenants and land-lieutenants, sailor- -officers and soldier-officers, their "passengers." And thus resulted that -dearth of enterprise--alluded to _ex cathedra_ by a late President of the -Royal Geographical Society of Great Britain--which now characterises -Western India erst so celebrated for ardour in adventure. - -To return to the subject of East African discovery. Commodore Lushington -and Dr. Carter met in order to concert some measures for forwarding the -plans of a Somali Expedition. It was resolved to associate three persons, -Drs. Carter and Stocks, and an officer of the Indian navy: a vessel was -also warned for service on the coast of Africa. This took place in the -beginning of 1851: presently Commodore Lushington resigned his command, -and the project fell to the ground. - -The author of these pages, after his return from El Hajaz to Bombay, -conceived the idea of reviving the Somali Expedition: he proposed to start -in the spring of 1854, and accompanied by two officers, to penetrate _via_ -Harar and Gananah to Zanzibar. His plans were favourably received by the -Right Hon. Lord Elphinstone, the enlightened governor of the colony, and -by the local authorities, amongst whom the name of James Grant Lumsden, -then Member of Council, will ever suggest the liveliest feelings of -gratitude and affection. But it being judged necessary to refer once more -for permission to the Court of Directors, an official letter bearing date -the 28th April 1854 was forwarded from Bombay with a warm recommendation. -Lieut. Herne of the 1st Bombay European Regiment of Fusileers, an officer -skilful in surveying, photography, and mechanics, together with the -writer, obtained leave, pending the reference, and a free passage to Aden -in Arabia. On the 23rd August a favourable reply was despatched by the -Court of Directors. - -Meanwhile the most painful of events had modified the original plan. The -third member of the Expedition, Assistant Surgeon J. Ellerton Stocks, -whose brilliant attainments as a botanist, whose long and enterprising -journeys, and whose eminently practical bent of mind had twice recommended -him for the honors and trials of African exploration, died suddenly in the -prime of life. Deeply did his friends lament him for many reasons: a -universal favourite, he left in the social circle a void never to be -filled up, and they mourned the more that Fate had not granted him the -time, as it had given him the will and the power, to trace a deeper and -more enduring mark upon the iron tablets of Fame. - -No longer hoping to carry out his first project, the writer determined to -make the geography and commerce of the Somali country his principal -objects. He therefore applied to the Bombay Government for the assistance -of Lieut. William Stroyan, I. N., an officer distinguished by his surveys -on the coast of Western India, in Sindh, and on the Panjab Rivers. It was -not without difficulty that such valuable services were spared for the -deadly purpose of penetrating into Eastern Africa. All obstacles, however, -were removed by their ceaseless and energetic efforts, who had fostered -the author's plans, and early in the autumn of 1854, Lieut. Stroyan -received leave to join the Expedition. At the same time, Lieut. J. H. -Speke, of the 46th Regiment Bengal N. I., who had spent many years -collecting the Fauna of Thibet and the Himalayan mountains, volunteered to -share the hardships of African exploration. - -In October 1854, the writer and his companions received at Aden in Arabia -the sanction of the Court of Directors. It was his intention to march in a -body, using Berberah as a base of operations, westwards to Harar, and -thence in a south-easterly direction towards Zanzibar. - -But the voice of society at Aden was loud against the expedition. The -rough manners, the fierce looks, and the insolent threats of the Somal-- -the effects of our too peaceful rule--had pre-possessed the timid colony -at the "Eye of Yemen" with an idea of extreme danger. The Anglo-Saxon -spirit suffers, it has been observed, from confinement within any but -wooden walls, and the European degenerates rapidly, as do his bull-dogs, -his game-cocks, and other pugnacious animals, in the hot, enervating, and -unhealthy climates of the East. The writer and his comrades were -represented to be men deliberately going to their death, and the Somal at -Aden were not slow in imitating the example of their rulers. The savages -had heard of the costly Shoa Mission, its 300 camels and 50 mules, and -they longed for another rehearsal of the drama: according to them a vast -outlay was absolutely necessary, every village must be feasted, every -chief propitiated with magnificent presents, and dollars must be dealt out -by handfuls. The Political Resident refused to countenance the scheme -proposed, and his objection necessitated a further change of plans. - -Accordingly, Lieut. Herne was directed to proceed, after the opening of -the annual fair-season, to Berberah, where no danger was apprehended. It -was judged that the residence of this officer upon the coast would produce -a friendly feeling on the part of the Somal, and, as indeed afterwards -proved to be the case, would facilitate the writer's egress from Harar, by -terrifying the ruler for the fate of his caravans. [6] Lieut. Herne, who -on the 1st of January 1855, was joined by Lieut. Stroyan, resided on the -African coast from November to April; he inquired into the commerce, the -caravan lines, and the state of the slave trade, visited the maritime -mountains, sketched all the places of interest, and made a variety of -meteorological and other observations as a prelude to extensive research. - -Lieut. Speke was directed to land at Bunder Guray, a small harbour in the -"Arz el Aman," or "Land of Safety," as the windward Somal style their -country. His aim was to trace the celebrated Wady Nogal, noting its -watershed and other peculiarities, to purchase horses and camels for the -future use of the Expedition, and to collect specimens of the reddish -earth which, according to the older African travellers, denotes the -presence of gold dust. [7] Lieut. Speke started on the 23rd October 1854, -and returned, after about three months, to Aden. He had failed, through -the rapacity and treachery of his guide, to reach the Wady Nogal. But he -had penetrated beyond the maritime chain of hills, and his journal -(condensed in the Appendix) proves that he had collected some novel and -important information. - -Meanwhile the author, assuming the disguise of an Arab merchant, prepared -to visit the forbidden city of Harar. He left Aden on the 29th of October -1854, arrived at the capital of the ancient Hadiyah Empire on the 3rd -January 1855, and on the 9th of the ensuing February returned in safety to -Arabia, with the view of purchasing stores and provisions for a second and -a longer journey. [8] What unforeseen circumstance cut short the career of -the proposed Expedition, the Postscript of the present volume will show. - -The following pages contain the writer's diary, kept daring his march to -and from Harar. It must be borne in mind that the region traversed on this -occasion was previously known only by the vague reports of native -travellers. All the Abyssinian discoverers had traversed the Dankali and -other northern tribes: the land of the Somal was still a _terra -incognita_. Harar, moreover, had never been visited, and few are the -cities of the world which in the present age, when men hurry about the -earth, have not opened their gates to European adventure. The ancient -metropolis of a once mighty race, the only permanent settlement in Eastern -Africa, the reported seat of Moslem learning, a walled city of stone -houses, possessing its independent chief, its peculiar population, its -unknown language, and its own coinage, the emporium of the coffee trade, -the head-quarters of slavery, the birth-place of the Kat plant, [9] and -the great manufactory of cotton-cloths, amply, it appeared, deserved the -trouble of exploration. That the writer was successful in his attempt, the -following pages will prove. Unfortunately it was found impossible to use -any instruments except a pocket compass, a watch, and a portable -thermometer more remarkable for convenience than correctness. But the way -was thus paved for scientific observation: shortly after the author's -departure from Harar, the Amir or chief wrote to the Acting Political -Resident at Aden, earnestly begging to be supplied with a "Frank -physician," and offering protection to any European who might be persuaded -to visit his dominions. - -The Appendix contains the following papers connected with the movements of -the expedition in the winter of 1854. - -1. The diary and observations made by Lieut. Speke, when attempting to -reach the Wady Nogal. - -2. A sketch of the grammar, and a vocabulary of the Harari tongue. This -dialect is little known to European linguists: the only notices of it -hitherto published are in Salt's Abyssinia, Appendix I. p. 6-10.; by Balbi -Atlas Ethnogr. Tab. xxxix. No. 297.; Kielmaier, Ausland, 1840, No. 76.; -and Dr. Beke (Philological Journal, April 25. 1845.) - -3. Meteorological observations in the cold season of 1854-55 by Lieuts. -Herne, Stroyan, and the Author. - -4. A brief description of certain peculiar customs, noticed in Nubia, by -Brown and Werne under the name of fibulation. - -5. The conclusion is a condensed account of an attempt to reach Harar from -Ankobar. [10] On the 14th October 1841, Major Sir William Cornwallis -Harris (then Captain in the Bombay Engineers), Chief of the Mission sent -from India to the King of Shoa, advised Lieut. W. Barker, I. N., whose -services were imperatively required by Sir Robert Oliver, to return from -Abyssinia _via_ Harar, "over a road hitherto untrodden by Europeans." As -His Majesty Sahalah Selassie had offered friendly letters to the Moslem -Amir, Capt. Harris had "no doubt of the success of the enterprise." -Although the adventurous explorer was prevented by the idle fears of the -Bedouin Somal and the rapacity of his guides from visiting the city, his -pages, as a narrative of travel, will amply reward perusal. They have been -introduced into this volume mainly with the view of putting the reader in -possession of all that has hitherto been written and not published, upon -the subject of Harar. [11] For the same reason the author has not -hesitated to enrich his pages with observations drawn from Lieutenants -Cruttenden and Rigby. The former printed in the Transactions of the Bombay -Geographical Society two excellent papers: one headed a "Report on the -Mijjertheyn Tribe of Somallies inhabiting the district forming the North -East Point of Africa;" secondly, a "Memoir on the Western or Edoor Tribes, -inhabiting the Somali coast of North East Africa; with the Southern -Branches of the family of Darood, resident on the banks of the Webbe -Shebayli, commonly called the River Webbe." Lieut. C. P. Rigby, 16th -Regiment Bombay N. I., published, also in the Transactions of the -Geographical Society of Bombay, an "Outline of the Somali Language, with -Vocabulary," which supplied a great lacuna in the dialects of Eastern -Africa. - -A perusal of the following pages will convince the reader that the -extensive country of the Somal is by no means destitute of capabilities. -Though partially desert, and thinly populated, it possesses valuable -articles of traffic, and its harbours export the produce of the Gurague, -Abyssinian, Galla, and other inland races. The natives of the country are -essentially commercial: they have lapsed into barbarism by reason of their -political condition--the rude equality of the Hottentots,--but they appear -to contain material for a moral regeneration. As subjects they offer a -favourable contrast to their kindred, the Arabs of El Yemen, a race -untameable as the wolf, and which, subjugated in turn by Abyssinian, -Persian, Egyptian, and Turk, has ever preserved an indomitable spirit of -freedom, and eventually succeeded in skaking off the yoke of foreign -dominion. For half a generation we have been masters of Aden, filling -Southern Arabia with our calicos and rupees--what is the present state of -affairs there? We are dared by the Bedouins to come forth from behind our -stone walls and fight like men in the plain,--British _proteges_ are -slaughtered within the range of our guns,--our allies' villages have been -burned in sight of Aden,--our deserters are welcomed and our fugitive -felons protected,--our supplies are cut off, and the garrison is reduced -to extreme distress, at the word of a half-naked bandit,--the miscreant -Bhagi who murdered Capt. Mylne in cold blood still roams the hills -unpunished,--gross insults are the sole acknowledgments of our peaceful -overtures,--the British flag has been fired upon without return, our -cruizers being ordered to act only on the defensive,--and our forbearance -to attack is universally asserted and believed to arise from mere -cowardice. Such is, and such will be, the character of the Arab! - -The Sublime Porte still preserves her possessions in the Tahamah, and the -regions conterminous to Yemen, by the stringent measures with which -Mohammed Ali of Egypt opened the robber-haunted Suez road. Whenever a Turk -or a traveller is murdered, a few squadrons of Irregular Cavalry are -ordered out; they are not too nice upon the subject of retaliation, and -rarely refuse to burn a village or two, or to lay waste the crops near the -scene of outrage. - -A civilized people, like ourselves, objects to such measures for many -reasons, of which none is more feeble than the fear of perpetuating a -blood feud with the Arabs. Our present relations with them are a "very -pretty quarrel," and moreover one which time must strengthen, cannot -efface. By a just, wholesome, and unsparing severity we may inspire the -Bedouin with fear instead of contempt: the veriest visionary would deride -the attempt to animate him with a higher sentiment. - -"Peace," observes a modern sage, "is the dream of the wise, war is the -history of man." To indulge in such dreams is but questionable wisdom. It -was not a "peace-policy" which gave the Portuguese a seaboard extending -from Cape Non to Macao. By no peace policy the Osmanlis of a past age -pushed their victorious arms from the deserts of Tartary to Aden, to -Delhi, to Algiers, and to the gates of Vienna. It was no peace policy -which made the Russians seat themselves upon the shores of the Black, the -Baltic, and the Caspian seas: gaining in the space of 150 years, and, -despite war, retaining, a territory greater than England and France -united. No peace policy enabled the French to absorb region after region -in Northern Africa, till the Mediterranean appears doomed to sink into a -Gallic lake. The English of a former generation were celebrated for -gaining ground in both hemispheres: their broad lands were not won by a -peace policy, which, however, in this our day, has on two distinct -occasions well nigh lost for them the "gem of the British Empire"--India. -The philanthropist and the political economist may fondly hope, by outcry -against "territorial aggrandizement," by advocating a compact frontier, by -abandoning colonies, and by cultivating "equilibrium," to retain our rank -amongst the great nations of the world. Never! The facts of history prove -nothing more conclusively than this: a race either progresses or -retrogrades, either increases or diminishes: the children of Time, like -their sire, cannot stand still. - -The occupation of the port of Berberah has been advised for many reasons. - -In the first place, Berberah is the true key of the Red Sea, the centre of -East African traffic, and the only safe place for shipping upon the -western Erythroean shore, from Suez to Guardafui. Backed by lands capable -of cultivation, and by hills covered with pine and other valuable trees, -enjoying a comparatively temperate climate, with a regular although thin -monsoon, this harbour has been coveted by many a foreign conqueror. -Circumstances have thrown it as it were into our arms, and, if we refuse -the chance, another and a rival nation will not be so blind. - -Secondly, we are bound to protect the lives of British subjects upon this -coast. In A.D. 1825 the crew of the "Mary Ann" brig was treacherously -murdered by the Somal. The consequence of a summary and exemplary -punishment [12] was that in August 1843, when the H.E.I.C.'s war-steamer -"Memnon" was stranded at Ras Assayr near Cape Guardafui, no outrage was -attempted by the barbarians, upon whose barren shores our seamen remained -for months labouring at the wreck. In A.D. 1855 the Somal, having -forgotten the old lesson, renewed their practices of pillaging and -murdering strangers. It is then evident that this people cannot be trusted -without supervision, and equally certain that vessels are ever liable to -be cast ashore in this part of the Red Sea. But a year ago the French -steam corvette, "Le Caiman," was lost within sight of Zayla; the Bedouin -Somal, principally Eesa, assembled a fanatic host, which was, however, -dispersed before blood had been drawn, by the exertion of the governor and -his guards. It remains for us, therefore, to provide against such -contingencies. Were one of the Peninsular and Oriental Company's vessels -cast by any accident upon this inhospitable shore, in the present state of -affairs the lives of the passengers, and the cargo, would be placed in -imminent peril. - -In advocating the establishment of an armed post at Berberah no stress is -laid upon the subject of slavery. To cut off that traffic the possession -of the great export harbour is by no means necessary. Whenever a British -cruizer shall receive positive and _bona fide_ orders to search native -craft, and to sell as prizes all that have slaves on board, the trade will -receive a death-blow. - -Certain measures have been taken during the last annual fair to punish the -outrage perpetrated by the Somal at Berberah in A.D. 1855. The writer on -his return to Aden proposed that the several clans implicated in the -offence should at once be expelled from British dominions. This -preliminary was carried out by the Acting Political Resident at Aden. -Moreover, it was judged advisable to blockade the Somali coast, from -Siyaro to Zayla, not concluded, until, in the first place, Lieut. -Stroyan's murderer, and the ruffian who attempted to spear Lieut. Speke in -cold blood, should be given up [13]; and secondly, that due compensation -for all losses should be made by the plunderers. The former condition was -approved by the Right Honorable the Governor-General of India, who, -however, objected, it is said, to the money-demand. [14] At present the -H.E. I.C.'s cruizers "Mahi," and "Elphinstone," are blockading the harbour -of Berberah, the Somal have offered 15,000 dollars' indemnity, and they -pretend, as usual, that the murderer has been slain by his tribe. - -To conclude. The writer has had the satisfaction of receiving from his -comrades assurances that they are willing to accompany him once more in -task of African Exploration. The plans of the Frank are now publicly known -to the Somali. Should the loss of life, however valuable, be an obstacle -to prosecuting them, he must fall in the esteem of the races around him. -On the contrary, should he, after duly chastising the offenders, carry out -the original plan, he will command the respect of the people, and wipe out -the memory of a temporary reverse. At no distant period the project will, -it is hoped, be revived. Nothing is required but permission to renew the -attempt--an indulgence which will not be refused by a Government raised by -energy, enterprise, and perseverance from the ranks of merchant society to -national wealth and imperial grandeur. - -14. St. James's Square, -10th February, 1856. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] It occupies the whole of the Eastern Horn, extending from the north of -Bab el Mandeb to several degrees south of Cape Guardafui. In the former -direction it is bounded by the Dankali and the Ittoo Gallas; in the latter -by the Sawahil or Negrotic regions; the Red Sea is its eastern limit, and -westward it stretches to within a few miles of Harar. - -[2] In A.D. 1838, Lieut. Carless surveyed the seaboard of the Somali -country, from Ras Hafun to Burnt Island; unfortunately his labours were -allowed by Sir Charles Malcolm's successor to lie five years in the -obscurity of MS. Meanwhile the steam frigate "Memnon," Capt. Powell -commanding, was lost at Ras Assayr; a Norie's chart, an antiquated -document, with an error of from fifteen to twenty miles, being the only -map of reference on board. Thus the Indian Government, by the dilatoriness -and prejudices of its Superintendent of Marine, sustained an unjustifiable -loss of at least 50,000_l._ - -[3] In A.D. 1836-38, Lieut. Cruttenden published descriptions of travel, -which will be alluded to in a subsequent part of this preface. - -[4] This "hasty sketch of the scientific labours of the Indian navy," is -extracted from an able anonymous pamphlet, unpromisingly headed -"Grievances and Present Condition of our Indian Officers." - -[5] In A.D. 1848, the late Mr. Joseph Hume called in the House of Commons -for a return of all Indian surveys carried on during the ten previous -years. The result proved that no less than a score had been suddenly -"broken up," by order of Sir Robert Oliver. - -[6] This plan was successfully adopted by Messrs. Antoine and Arnauld -d'Abbadie, when travelling in dangerous parts of Abyssinia and the -adjacent countries. - -[7] In A.D. 1660, Vermuyden found gold at Gambia always on naked and -barren hills embedded in a reddish earth. - -[8] The writer has not unfrequently been blamed by the critics of Indian -papers, for venturing into such dangerous lands with an outfit nearly -1500_l._ in value. In the Somali, as in other countries of Eastern Africa, -travellers must carry not only the means of purchasing passage, but also -the very necessaries of life. Money being unknown, such bulky articles as -cotton-cloth, tobacco, and beads are necessary to provide meat and milk, -and he who would eat bread must load his camels with grain. The Somal of -course exaggerate the cost of travelling; every chief, however, may demand -a small present, and every pauper, as will be seen in the following pages, -expects to be fed. - -[9] It is described at length in Chap. III. - -[10] The author hoped to insert Lieut. Berne's journal, kept at Berberah, -and the different places of note in its vicinity; as yet, however, the -paper has not been received. - -[11] Harar has frequently been described by hearsay; the following are the -principal authorities:-- - -Rochet (Second Voyage Dans le Pays des Adels, &c. Paris, 1846.), page 263. - -Sir. W. Cornwallis Harris (Highlands of AEthiopia, vol. i. ch. 43. et -passim). - -Cruttenden (Transactions of the Bombay Geological Society A.D. 1848). - -Barker (Report of the probable Position of Harar. Vol. xii. Royal -Geographical Society). - -M'Queen (Geographical Memoirs of Abyssinia, prefixed to Journals of Rev. -Messrs. Isenberg and Krapf). - -Christopher (Journal whilst commanding the H. C.'s brig "Tigris," on the -East Coast of Africa). - -Of these by far the most correct account is that of Lieut. Cruttenden. - -[12] In A.D. 1825, the Government of Bombay received intelligence that a -brig from the Mauritius had been seized, plundered, and broken up near -Berberah, and that part of her crew had been barbarously murdered by the -Somali. The "Elphinstone" sloop of war (Capt. Greer commanding) was sent -to blockade the coast; when her guns opened fire, the people fled with -their wives and children, and the spot where a horseman was killed by a -cannon ball is still shown on the plain near the town. Through the -intervention of El Hajj Sharmarkay, the survivors were recovered; the -Somal bound themselves to abstain from future attacks upon English -vessels, and also to refund by annual instalments the full amount of -plundered property. For the purpose of enforcing the latter stipulation it -was resolved that a vessel of war should remain upon the coast until the -whole was liquidated. When attempts at evasion occurred, the traffic was -stopped by sending all craft outside the guard-ship, and forbidding -intercourse with the shore. The "Coote" (Capt. Pepper commanding), the -"Palinurus" and the "Tigris," in turn with the "Elphinstone," maintained -the blockade through the trading seasons till 1833. About 6000_l._ were -recovered, and the people were strongly impressed with the fact that we -had both the will and the means to keep their plundering propensities -within bounds. - -[13] The writer advised that these men should be hung upon the spot where -the outrage was committed, that the bodies should be burned and the ashes -cast into the sea, lest by any means the murderers might become martyrs. -This precaution should invariably be adopted when Moslems assassinate -Infidels. - -[14] The reason of the objection is not apparent. A savage people is -imperfectly punished by a few deaths: the fine is the only true way to -produce a lasting impression upon their heads and hearts. Moreover, it is -the custom of India and the East generally, and is in reality the only -safeguard of a traveller's property. - - -[Illustration: Map to illustrate LIEUT. BURTON'S Route to HARAR _from a -Sketch by the late Lieut. W. Stroyan, Indian Navy._] - -[Illustration: BERBERAH] - - - - -CONTENTS. - - -PREFACE - -CHAPTER I. -Departure from Aden - -CHAP. II. -Life in Zayla - -CHAP. III. -Excursions near Zayla - -CHAP. IV. -The Somal, their Origin and Peculiarities - -CHAP. V. -From Zayla to the Hills - -CHAP. VI. -From the Zayla Hills to the Marar Prairie - -CHAP. VII. -From the Marar Prairie to Harar - -CHAP. VIII. -Ten Days at Harar - -CHAP. IX. -A Ride to Berberah - -CHAP. X. -Berberah and its Environs - -POSTSCRIPT - -APPENDICES - - - - -LIST OF PLATES. - - -Harar, from the Coffe Stream -Map of Berberah -Route to Harar -The Hammal -Costume of Harar -H. H. Ahmed Bin Abibakr, Amir of Harar - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -DEPARTURE FROM ADEN. - - -I doubt not there are many who ignore the fact that in Eastern Africa, -scarcely three hundred miles distant from Aden, there is a counterpart of -ill-famed Timbuctoo in the Far West. The more adventurous Abyssinian -travellers, Salt and Stuart, Krapf and Isenberg, Barker and Rochet,--not -to mention divers Roman Catholic Missioners,--attempted Harar, but -attempted it in vain. The bigoted ruler and barbarous people threatened -death to the Infidel who ventured within their walls; some negro Merlin -having, it is said, read Decline and Fall in the first footsteps of the -Frank. [1] Of all foreigners the English were, of course, the most hated -and dreaded; at Harar slavery still holds its head-quarters, and the old -Dragon well knows what to expect from the hand of St. George. Thus the -various travellers who appeared in beaver and black coats became persuaded -that the city was inaccessible, and Europeans ceased to trouble themselves -about Harar. - -It is, therefore, a point of honor with me, dear L., to utilise my title -of Haji by entering the city, visiting the ruler, and returning in safety, -after breaking the guardian spell. - -The most auspicious day in the Moslem year for beginning a journey is, -doubtless, the 6th of the month Safar [2], on which, quoth the Prophet, El -Islam emerged from obscurity. Yet even at Aden we could not avail -ourselves of this lucky time: our delays and difficulties were a fit -prelude for a journey amongst those "Blameless Ethiopians," with whom no -less a personage than august Jove can dine and depart. [3] - -On Sunday, the 29th October, 1854, our manifold impediments were -pronounced complete. Friend S. threw the slipper of blessing at my back, -and about 4 P.M. embarking from Maala Bunder, we shook out our "muslin," -and sailed down the fiery harbour. Passing the guard-boat, we delivered -our permit; before venturing into the open sea we repeated the Fatihah- -prayer in honor of the Shaykh Majid, inventor of the mariners' compass -[4], and evening saw us dancing on the bright clear tide, whose "magic -waves," however, murmured after another fashion the siren song which -charmed the senses of the old Arabian voyagers. [5] - -Suddenly every trace of civilisation fell from my companions as if it had -been a garment. At Aden, shaven and beturbaned, Arab fashion, now they -threw off all dress save the loin cloth, and appeared in their dark -morocco. Mohammed filled his mouth with a mixture of coarse Surat tobacco -and ashes,--the latter article intended, like the Anglo-Indian soldier's -chili in his arrack, to "make it bite." Guled uncovered his head, a member -which in Africa is certainly made to go bare, and buttered himself with an -unguent redolent of sheep's tail; and Ismail, the rais or captain of our -"foyst," [6] the Sahalah, applied himself to puffing his nicotiana out of -a goat's shank-bone. Our crew, consisting of seventy-one men and boys, -prepared, as evening fell, a mess of Jowari grain [7] and grease, the -recipe of which I spare you, and it was despatched in a style that would -have done credit to Kafirs as regards gobbling, bolting, smearing lips, -licking fingers, and using ankles as napkins. Then with a light easterly -breeze and the ominous cliffs of Little Aden still in sight, we spread our -mats on deck and prepared to sleep under the moon. [8] - -My companions, however, felt, without perhaps comprehending, the joviality -arising from a return to Nature. Every man was forthwith nicknamed, and -pitiless was the raillery upon the venerable subjects of long and short, -fat and thin. One sang a war-song, another a love-song, a third some song -of the sea, whilst the fourth, an Eesa youth, with the villanous -expression of face common to his tribe, gave us a rain measure, such as -men chaunt during wet weather. All these effusions were _naive_ and -amusing: none, however, could bear English translation without an amount -of omission which would change their nature. Each effort of minstrelsy was -accompanied by roars of laughter, and led to much manual pleasantry. All -swore that they had never spent, intellectually speaking, a more charming -_soiree_, and pitied me for being unable to enter thoroughly into the -spirit of the dialogue. Truly it is not only the polished European, as was -said of a certain travelling notability, that lapses with facility into -pristine barbarism. - -I will now introduce you to my companions. The managing man is one -Mohammed Mahmud [9], generally called El Hammal or the porter: he is a -Havildar or sergeant in the Aden police, and was entertained for me by -Lieut. Dansey, an officer who unfortunately was not "confirmed" in a -political appointment at Aden. The Hammal is a bull-necked, round-headed -fellow of lymphatic temperament, with a lamp-black skin, regular features, -and a pulpy figure,--two rarities amongst his countrymen, who compare him -to a Banyan. An orphan in early youth, and becoming, to use his own -phrase, sick of milk, he ran away from his tribe, the Habr Gerhajis, and -engaged himself as a coaltrimmer with the slaves on board an Indian war- -steamer. After rising in rank to the command of the crew, he became -servant and interpreter to travellers, visited distant lands--Egypt and -Calcutta--and finally settled as a Feringhee policeman. He cannot read or -write, but he has all the knowledge to be acquired by fifteen or twenty -years, hard "knocking about:" he can make a long speech, and, although he -never prays, a longer prayer; he is an excellent mimic, and delights his -auditors by imitations and descriptions of Indian ceremony, Egyptian -dancing, Arab vehemence, Persian abuse, European vivacity, and Turkish -insolence. With prodigious inventiveness, and a habit of perpetual -intrigue, acquired in his travels, he might be called a "knowing" man, but -for the truly Somali weakness of showing in his countenance all that -passes through his mind. This people can hide nothing: the blank eye, the -contracting brow, the opening nostril and the tremulous lip, betray, -despite themselves, their innermost thoughts. - -The second servant, whom I bring before you is Guled, another policeman at -Aden. He is a youth of good family, belonging to the Ismail Arrah, the -royal clan of the great Habr Gerhajis tribe. His father was a man of -property, and his brethren near Berberah, are wealthy Bedouins: yet he ran -away from his native country when seven or eight years old, and became a -servant in the house of a butter merchant at Mocha. Thence he went to -Aden, where he began with private service, and ended his career in the -police. He is one of those long, live skeletons, common amongst the Somal: -his shoulders are parallel with his ears, his ribs are straight as a -mummy's, his face has not an ounce of flesh upon it, and his features -suggest the idea of some lank bird: we call him Long Guled, to which he -replies with the Yemen saying "Length is Honor, even in Wood." He is brave -enough, because he rushes into danger without reflection; his great -defects are weakness of body and nervousness of temperament, leading in -times of peril to the trembling of hands, the dropping of caps, and the -mismanagement of bullets: besides which, he cannot bear hunger, thirst, or -cold. - -The third is one Abdy Abokr, also of the Habr Gerhajis, a personage whom, -from, his smattering of learning and his prodigious rascality, we call the -Mulla "End of Time." [10] He is a man about forty, very old-looking for -his age, with small, deep-set cunning eyes, placed close together, a hook -nose, a thin beard, a bulging brow, scattered teeth, [11] and a short -scant figure, remarkable only for length of back. His gait is stealthy, -like a cat's, and he has a villanous grin. This worthy never prays, and -can neither read nor write; but he knows a chapter or two of the Koran, -recites audibly a long Ratib or task, morning and evening [12], whence, -together with his store of hashed Hadis (tradition), he derives the title -of Widad or hedge-priest. His tongue, primed with the satirical sayings of -Abn Zayd el Helali, and Humayd ibn Mansur [13], is the terror of men upon -whom repartee imposes. His father was a wealthy shipowner in his day; but, -cursed with Abdy and another son, the old man has lost all his property, -his children have deserted him, and he now depends entirely upon the -charity of the Zayla chief. The "End of Time" has squandered considerable -sums in travelling far and wide from Harar to Cutch, he has managed -everywhere to perpetrate some peculiar villany. He is a pleasant -companion, and piques himself upon that power of quotation which in the -East makes a polite man. If we be disposed to hurry, he insinuates that -"Patience is of Heaven, Haste of Hell." When roughly addressed, he -remarks,-- - - "There are cures for the hurts of lead and steel, - But the wounds of the tongue--they never heal!" - -If a grain of rice adhere to our beards, he says, smilingly, "the gazelle -is in the garden;" to which we reply "we will hunt her with the five." -[14] Despite these merits, I hesitated to engage him, till assured by the -governor of Zayla that he was to be looked upon as a son, and, moreover, -that he would bear with him one of those state secrets to an influential -chief which in this country are never committed to paper. I found him an -admirable buffoon, skilful in filling pipes and smoking them; _au reste_, -an individual of "many words and little work," infinite intrigue, -cowardice, cupidity, and endowed with a truly evil tongue. - -The morning sun rose hot upon us, showing Mayyum and Zubah, the giant -staples of the "Gate under the Pleiades." [15] Shortly afterwards, we came -in sight of the Barr el Ajam (barbarian land), as the Somal call their -country [16], a low glaring flat of yellow sand, desert and heat-reeking, -tenanted by the Eesa, and a meet habitat for savages. Such to us, at -least, appeared the land of Adel. [17] At midday we descried the Ras el -Bir,--Headland of the Well,--the promontory which terminates the bold -Tajurrah range, under which lie the sleeping waters of the Maiden's Sea. -[18] During the day we rigged out an awning, and sat in the shade smoking -and chatting merrily, for the weather was not much hotter than on English -summer seas. Some of the crew tried praying; but prostrations are not -easily made on board ship, and El Islam, as Umar shrewdly suspected, was -not made for a seafaring race. At length the big red sun sank slowly -behind the curtain of sky-blue rock, where lies the not yet "combusted" -village of Tajurrah. [19] We lay down to rest with the light of day, and -had the satisfaction of closing our eyes upon a fair though captious -breeze. - -On the morning of the 31st October, we entered the Zayla Creek, which -gives so much trouble to native craft. We passed, on the right, the low -island of Masha, belonging to the "City of the Slave Merchant,"-- -Tajurrah,--and on the left two similar patches of seagirt sand, called -Aybat and Saad el Din. These places supply Zayla, in the Kharif or hot -season [20], with thousands of gulls' eggs,--a great luxury. At noon we -sighted our destination. Zayla is the normal African port,--a strip of -sulphur-yellow sand, with a deep blue dome above, and a foreground of the -darkest indigo. The buildings, raised by refraction, rose high, and -apparently from the bosom of the deep. After hearing the worst accounts of -it, I was pleasantly disappointed by the spectacle of white-washed houses -and minarets, peering above a long low line of brown wall, flanked with -round towers. - -As we slowly threaded the intricate coral reefs of the port, a bark came -scudding up to us; it tacked, and the crew proceeded to give news in -roaring tones. Friendship between the Amir of Harar and the governor of -Zayla had been broken; the road through the Eesa Somal had been closed by -the murder of Masud, a favourite slave and adopted son of Sharmarkay; all -strangers had been expelled the city for some misconduct by the Harar -chief; moreover, small-pox was raging there with such violence that the -Galla peasantry would allow neither ingress nor egress. [21] I had the -pleasure of reflecting for some time, dear L., upon the amount of -responsibility incurred by using the phrase "I will;" and the only -consolation that suggested itself was the stale assurance that - - "Things at the worst most surely mend." - -No craft larger than a canoe can ride near Zayla. After bumping once or -twice against the coral reefs, it was considered advisable for our good -ship, the Sahalat, to cast anchor. My companions caused me to dress, put -me with my pipe and other necessaries into a cock-boat, and, wading -through the water, shoved it to shore. Lastly, at Bab el Sahil, the -Seaward or Northern Gate, they proceeded to array themselves in the -bravery of clean Tobes and long daggers strapped round the waist; each man -also slung his targe to his left arm, and in his right hand grasped lance -and javelin. At the gate we were received by a tall black spearman with a -"Ho there! to the governor;" and a crowd of idlers gathered to inspect the -strangers. Marshalled by the warder, we traversed the dusty roads--streets -they could not be called--of the old Arab town, ran the gauntlet of a -gaping mob, and finally entering a mat door, found ourselves in the -presence of the governor. - -I had met Sharmarkay at Aden, where he received from the authorities -strong injunctions concerning my personal safety: the character of a -Moslem merchant, however, requiring us to appear strangers, an -introduction by our master of ceremonies, the Hammal, followed my -entrance. Sharmarkay was living in an apartment by no means splendid, -preferring an Arish or kind of cow-house,--as the Anglo-Indian Nabobs do -the bungalow - - "with mat half hung, - The walls of plaster and the floors of * * * *," - ---to all his substantial double-storied houses. The ground was wet and -comfortless; a part of the reed walls was lined with cots bearing -mattresses and silk-covered pillows, a cross between a divan and a couch: -the only ornaments were a few weapons, and a necklace of gaudy beads -suspended near the door. I was placed upon the principal seat: on the -right were the governor and the Hammal; whilst the lowest portion of the -room was occupied by Mohammed Sharmarkay, the son and heir. The rest of -the company squatted upon chairs, or rather stools, of peculiar -construction. Nothing could be duller than this _assemblee_: pipes and -coffee are here unknown; and there is nothing in the East to act -substitute for them. [22] - -The governor of Zayla, El Hajj Sharmarkay bin Ali Salih, is rather a -remarkable man. He is sixteenth, according to his own account, in descent -from Ishak el Hazrami [23], the saintly founder of the great Gerhajis and -Awal tribes. His enemies derive him from a less illustrious stock; and the -fairness of his complexion favours the report that his grandfather Salih -was an Abyssinian slave. Originally the Nacoda or captain of a native -craft, he has raised himself, chiefly by British influence, to the -chieftainship of his tribe. [24] As early as May, 1825, he received from -Captain Bagnold, then our resident at Mocha, a testimonial and a reward, -for a severe sword wound in the left arm, received whilst defending the -lives of English seamen. [25] He afterwards went to Bombay, where he was -treated with consideration; and about fifteen years ago he succeeded the -Sayyid Mohammed el Barr as governor of Zayla and its dependencies, under -the Ottoman Pasha in Western Arabia. - -The Hajj Sharmarkay in his youth was a man of Valour: he could not read or -write; but he carried in battle four spears [26], and his sword-cut was -recognisable. He is now a man about sixty years old, at least six feet two -inches in stature, large-limbed, and raw-boned: his leanness is hidden by -long wide robes. He shaves his head and upper lip Shafei-fashion, and his -beard is represented by a ragged tuft of red-stained hair on each side of -his chin. A visit to Aden and a doctor cost him one eye, and the other is -now white with age. His dress is that of an Arab, and he always carries -with him a broad-bladed, silver-hilted sword. Despite his years, he is a -strong, active, and energetic man, ever looking to the "main chance." With -one foot in the grave, he meditates nothing but the conquest of Harar and -Berberah, which, making him master of the seaboard, would soon extend his -power as in days of old even to Abyssinia. [27] To hear his projects, you -would fancy them the offspring of a brain in the prime of youth: in order -to carry them out he would even assist in suppressing the profitable -slave-trade. [28] - -After half an hour's visit I was led by the Hajj through the streets of -Zayla [29], to one of his substantial houses of coralline and mud -plastered over with glaring whitewash. The ground floor is a kind of -warehouse full of bales and boxes, scales and buyers. A flight of steep -steps leads into a long room with shutters to exclude the light, floored -with tamped earth, full of "evening flyers" [30], and destitute of -furniture. Parallel to it are three smaller apartments; and above is a -terraced roof, where they who fear not the dew and the land-breeze sleep. -[31] I found a room duly prepared; the ground was spread with mats, and -cushions against the walls denoted the Divan: for me was placed a Kursi or -cot, covered with fine Persian rugs and gaudy silk and satin pillows. The -Hajj installed us with ceremony, and insisted, despite my remonstrances, -upon occupying the floor whilst I sat on the raised seat. After ushering -in supper, he considerately remarked that travelling is fatiguing, and -left us to sleep. - -The well-known sounds of El Islam returned from memory. Again the -melodious chant of the Muezzin,--no evening bell can compare with it for -solemnity and beauty,--and in the neighbouring mosque, the loudly intoned -Amin and Allaho Akbar,--far superior to any organ,--rang in my ear. The -evening gun of camp was represented by the Nakkarah, or kettle-drum, -sounded about seven P.M. at the southern gate; and at ten a second -drumming warned the paterfamilias that it was time for home, and thieves, -and lovers,--that it was the hour for bastinado. Nightfall was ushered in -by the song, the dance, and the marriage festival,--here no permission is -required for "native music in the lines,"--and muffled figures flitted -mysteriously through the dark alleys. - - * * * * * - -After a peep through the open window, I fell asleep, feeling once more at -home. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] "A tradition exists," says Lieut. Cruttenden, "amongst the people of -Harar, that the prosperity of their city depends upon the exclusion of all -travellers not of the Moslem faith, and all Christians are specially -interdicted." These freaks of interdiction are common to African rulers, -who on occasions of war, famine or pestilence, struck with some -superstitious fear, close their gates to strangers. - -[2] The 6th of Safar in 1864 corresponds with our 28th October. The Hadis -is [Arabic] "when the 6th of Safar went forth, my faith from the cloud -came forth." - -[3] The Abyssinian law of detaining guests,--Pedro Covilhao the first -Portuguese envoy (A.D. 1499) lived and died a prisoner there,--appears to -have been the Christian modification of the old Ethiopic rite of -sacrificing strangers. - -[4] It would be wonderful if Orientals omitted to romance about the origin -of such an invention as the Dayrah or compass. Shaykh Majid is said to -have been a Syrian saint, to whom Allah gave the power of looking upon -earth, as though it were a ball in his hand. Most Moslems agree in -assigning this origin to the Dayrah, and the Fatihah in honor of the holy -man, is still repeated by the pious mariner. - -Easterns do not "box the compass" after our fashion: with them each point -has its own name, generally derived from some prominent star on the -horizon. Of these I subjoin a list as in use amongst the Somal, hoping -that it may be useful to Oriental students. The names in hyphens are those -given in a paper on the nautical instrument of the Arabs by Jas. Prinseps -(Journal of the As. Soc., December 1836). The learned secretary appears -not to have heard the legend of Shaykh Majid, for he alludes to the -"Majidi Kitab" or Oriental Ephemeris, without any explanation. - -North Jah [Arabic] East Matla [Arabic] -N. by E. Farjad [Arabic] E. by S. Jauza [Arabic] - (or [Arabic]) E.S.E. Tir [Arabic] -N.N.E. Naash [Arabic] S.E. by E. Iklil [Arabic] -N.E. by E. Nakab [Arabic] S.E. Akrab [Arabic] -N.E. Ayyuk [Arabic] S.E. by S. Himarayn [Arabic] -N.E. by E. Waki [Arabic] S.S.E. Suhayl [Arabic] -E.N.E. Sumak [Arabic] S. by E. Suntubar [Arabic] -E. by N. Surayya [Arabic] (or [Arabic]) - -The south is called El Kutb ([Arabic]) and the west El Maghib ([Arabic]). -The western points are named like the eastern. North-east, for instance is -Ayyuk el Matlai; north-west, Ayyuk el Maghibi. Finally, the Dayrah Jahi is -when the magnetic needle points due north. The Dayrah Farjadi (more common -in these regions), is when the bar is fixed under Farjad, to allow for -variation, which at Berberah is about 4° 50' west. - -[5] The curious reader will find in the Herodotus of the Arabs, El -Masudi's "Meadows of gold and mines of gems," a strange tale of the blind -billows and the singing waves of Berberah and Jofuni (Cape Guardafui, the -classical Aromata). - -[6] "Foyst" and "buss," are the names applied by old travellers to the -half-decked vessels of these seas. - -[7] Holcus Sorghum, the common grain of Africa and Arabia: the Somali call -it Hirad; the people of Yemen, Taam. - -[8] The Somal being a people of less nervous temperament than the Arabs -and Indians, do not fear the moonlight. - -[9] The first name is that of the individual, as the Christian name with -us, the second is that of the father; in the Somali country, as in India, -they are not connected by the Arab "bin"--son of. - -[10] Abdy is an abbreviation of Abdullah; Abokr, a corruption of Abubekr. -The "End of Time" alludes to the prophesied corruption of the Moslem -priesthood in the last epoch of the world. - -[11] This peculiarity is not uncommon amongst the Somal; it is considered -by them a sign of warm temperament. - -[12] The Moslem should first recite the Farz prayers, or those ordered in -the Koran; secondly, the Sunnat or practice of the Prophet; and thirdly -the Nafilah or Supererogatory. The Ratib or self-imposed task is the last -of all; our Mulla placed it first, because he could chaunt it upon his -mule within hearing of the people. - -[13] Two modern poets and wits well known in Yemen. - -[14] That is to say, "we will remove it with the five fingers." These are -euphuisms to avoid speaking broadly and openly of that venerable feature, -the beard. - -[15] Bab el Mandeb is called as above by Humayd from its astronomical -position. Jebel Mayyum is in Africa, Jebel Zubah or Muayyin, celebrated as -the last resting-place of a great saint, Shaykh Said, is in Arabia. - -[16] Ajam properly means all nations not Arab. In Egypt and Central Asia -it is now confined to Persians. On the west of the Red Sea, it is -invariably used to denote the Somali country: thence Bruce draws the Greek -and Latin name of the coast, Azamia, and De Sacy derives the word "Ajan," -which in our maps is applied to the inner regions of the Eastern Horn. So -in Africa, El Sham, which properly means Damascus and Syria, is applied to -El Hejaz. - -[17] Adel, according to M. Krapf, derived its name from the Ad Ali, a -tribe of the Afar or Danakil nation, erroneously used by Arab synecdoche -for the whole race. Mr. Johnston (Travels in Southern Abyssinia, ch. 1.) -more correctly derives it from Adule, a city which, as proved by the -monument which bears its name, existed in the days of Ptolemy Euergetes -(B.C. 247-222), had its own dynasty, and boasted of a conqueror who -overcame the Troglodytes, Sabaeans, Homerites, &c., and pushed his -conquests as far as the frontier of Egypt. Mr. Johnston, however, -incorrectly translates Barr el Ajam "land of fire," and seems to confound -Avalites and Adulis. - -[18] Bahr el Banatin, the Bay of Tajurrah. - -[19] A certain German missionary, well known in this part of the world, -exasperated by the seizure of a few dollars and a claim to the _droit -d'aubaine_, advised the authorities of Aden to threaten the "combustion" -of Tajurrah. The measure would have been equally unjust and unwise. A -traveller, even a layman, is bound to put up peaceably with such trifles; -and to threaten "combustion" without being prepared to carry out the -threat is the readiest way to secure contempt. - -[20] The Kharif in most parts of the Oriental world corresponds with our -autumn. In Eastern Africa it invariably signifies the hot season preceding -the monsoon rains. - -[21] The circumstances of Masud's murder were truly African. The slave -caravans from Abyssinia to Tajurrah were usually escorted by the Rer -Guleni, a clan of the great Eesa tribe, and they monopolised the profits -of the road. Summoned to share their gains with their kinsmen generally, -they refused upon which the other clans rose about August, 1854, and cut -off the road. A large caravan was travelling down in two bodies, each of -nearly 300 slaves; the Eesa attacked the first division, carried off the -wives and female slaves, whom they sold for ten dollars a head, and -savagely mutilated upwards of 100 wretched boys. This event caused the -Tajurrah line to be permanently closed. The Rer Guleni in wrath, at once -murdered Masud, a peaceful traveller, because Inna Handun, his Abban or -protector, was of the party who had attacked their proteges: they came -upon him suddenly as he was purchasing some article, and stabbed him in -the back, before he could defend himself. - -[22] In Zayla there is not a single coffee-house. The settled Somal care -little for the Arab beverage, and the Bedouins' reasons for avoiding it -are not bad. "If we drink coffee once," say they, "we shall want it again, -and then where are we to get it?" The Abyssinian Christians, probably to -distinguish themselves from Moslems, object to coffee as well as to -tobacco. The Gallas, on the other hand, eat it: the powdered bean is mixed -with butter, and on forays a lump about the size of a billiard-ball is -preferred to a substantial meal. - -[23] The following genealogical table was given to me by Mohammed -Sharmarkay:-- - - 1. Ishak (ibn Ahmed ibn Abdillah). - 2. Gerhajis (his eldest son). - 3. Said (the eldest son; Daud being the second). - 4. Arrah, (also the eldest; Ili, _i.e._ Ali, being the second). - 5. Musa (the third son: the eldest was Ismail; then, in - succession, Ishak, Misa, Mikahil, Gambah, Dandan, &c.) - 6. Ibrahim. - 7. Fikih (_i.e._ Fakih.) - 8. Adan (_i.e._ Adam.) - 9. Mohammed. - 10. Hamid. - 11. Jibril (_i.e._ Jibrail). - 12. Ali. - 13. Awaz. - 14. Salih. - 15. Ali. - 16. Sharmarkay. - -The last is a peculiarly Somali name, meaning "one who sees no harm."-- -Shar-ma-arkay. - -[24] Not the hereditary chieftainship of the Habr Gerhajis, which belongs -to a particular clan. - -[25] The following is a copy of the document:-- - -"This Testimonial, together with an Honorary Dress, is presented by the -British Resident at Mocha to Nagoda Shurmakey Ally Sumaulley, in token of -esteem and regard for his humane and gallant conduct at the Port of -Burburra, on the coast of Africa, April 10. 1825, in saving the lives of -Captain William Lingard, chief officer of the Brig Mary Anne, when that -vessel was attacked and plundered by the natives. The said Nagoda is -therefore strongly recommended to the notice and good offices of Europeans -in general, but particularly so to all English gentlemen visiting these -seas." - -[26] Two spears being the usual number: the difficulty of three or four -would mainly consist in their management during action. - -[27] In July, 1855, the Hajj Sharmarkay was deposed by the Turkish Pasha -of Hodaydah, ostensibly for failing to keep some road open, or, according -to others, for assisting to plunder a caravan belonging to the Dankali -tribe. It was reported that he had been made a prisoner, and the Political -Resident at Aden saw the propriety of politely asking the Turkish -authorities to "be easy" upon the old man. In consequence of this -representation, he was afterwards allowed, on paying a fine of 3000 -dollars, to retire to Aden. - -I deeply regret that the Hajj should have lost his government. He has ever -clung to the English party, even in sore temptation. A few years ago, the -late M. Rochet (soi-disant d'Hericourt), French agent at Jeddah, paying -treble its value, bought from Mohammed Sharmarkay, in the absence of the -Hajj, a large stone house, in order to secure a footing at Zayla. The old -man broke off the bargain on his return, knowing how easily an Agency -becomes a Fort, and preferring a considerable loss to the presence of -dangerous friends. - -[28] During my residence at Zayla few slaves were imported, owing to the -main road having been closed. In former years the market was abundantly -stocked; the numbers annually shipped to Mocha, Hodaydah, Jeddah, and -Berberah, varied from 600 to 1000. The Hajj received as duty one gold -"Kirsh," or about three fourths of a dollar, per head. - -[29] Zayla, called Audal or Auzal by the Somal, is a town about the size -of Suez, built for 3000 or 4000 inhabitants, and containing a dozen large -whitewashed stone houses, and upwards of 200 Arish or thatched huts, each -surrounded by a fence of wattle and matting. The situation is a low and -level spit of sand, which high tides make almost an island. There is no -Harbour: a vessel of 250 tons cannot approach within a mile of the -landing-place; the open roadstead is exposed to the terrible north wind, -and when gales blow from the west and south, it is almost unapproachable. -Every ebb leaves a sandy flat, extending half a mile seaward from the -town; the reefy anchorage is difficult of entrance after sunset, and the -coralline bottom renders wading painful. - -The shape of this once celebrated town is a tolerably regular -parallelogram, of which the long sides run from east to west. The walls, -without guns or embrasures, are built, like the houses, of coralline -rubble and mud, in places dilapidated. There are five gates. The Bab el -Sahil and the Bab el Jadd (a new postern) open upon the sea from the -northern wall. At the Ashurbara, in the southern part of the enceinte, the -Bedouins encamp, and above it the governor holds his Durbar. The Bab Abd -el Kadir derives its name from a saint buried outside and eastward of the -city, and the Bab el Saghir is pierced in the western wall. - -The public edifices are six mosques, including the Jami, or cathedral, for -Friday prayer: these buildings have queer little crenelles on whitewashed -walls, and a kind of elevated summer-house to represent the minaret. Near -one of them are remains of a circular Turkish Munar, manifestly of modern -construction. There is no Mahkamah or Kazi's court; that dignitary -transacts business at his own house, and the Festival prayers are recited -near the Saint's Tomb outside the eastern gate. The northeast angle of the -town is occupied by a large graveyard with the usual deleterious -consequences. - -The climate of Zayla is cooler than that of Aden, and, the site being open -all around, it is not so unhealthy. Much spare room is enclosed by the -town walls: evaporation and Nature's scavengers act succedanea for -sewerage. - -Zayla commands the adjacent harbour of Tajurrah, and is by position the -northern port of Aussa (the ancient capital of Adel), of Harar, and of -southern Abyssinia: the feuds of the rulers have, however, transferred the -main trade to Berberah. It sends caravans northwards to the Dankali, and -south-westwards, through the Eesa and Gudabirsi tribes as far as Efat and -Gurague. It is visited by Cafilas from Abyssinia, and the different races -of Bedouins, extending from the hills to the seaboard. The exports are -valuable--slaves, ivory, hides, honey, antelope horns, clarified butter, -and gums: the coast abounds in sponge, coral, and small pearls, which Arab -divers collect in the fair season. In the harbour I found about twenty -native craft, large and small: of these, ten belonged to the governor. -They trade with Berberah, Arabia, and Western India, and are navigated by -"Rajput" or Hindu pilots. - -Provisions at Zayla are cheap; a family of six persons live well for about -30_l._ per annum. The general food is mutton: a large sheep costs one -dollar, a small one half the price; camels' meat, beef, and in winter kid, -abound. Fish is rare, and fowls are not commonly eaten. Holcus, when dear, -sells at forty pounds per dollar, at seventy pounds when cheap. It is -usually levigated with slab and roller, and made into sour cakes. Some, -however, prefer the Arab form "balilah," boiled and mixed with ghee. Wheat -and rice are imported: the price varies from forty to sixty pounds the -Riyal or dollar. Of the former grain the people make a sweet cake called -Sabaya, resembling the Fatirah of Egypt: a favourite dish also is -"harisah"--flesh, rice flour, and boiled wheat, all finely pounded and -mixed together. Milk is not procurable during the hot weather; after rain -every house is full of it; the Bedouins bring it in skins and sell it for -a nominal sum. - -Besides a large floating population, Zayla contains about 1500 souls. They -are comparatively a fine race of people, and suffer from little but fever -and an occasional ophthalmia. Their greatest hardship is the want of the -pure element: the Hissi or well, is about four miles distant from the -town, and all the pits within the walls supply brackish or bitter water, -fit only for external use. This is probably the reason why vegetables are -unknown, and why a horse, a mule, or even a dog, is not to be found in the -place. - -[30] "Fid-mer," or the evening flyer, is the Somali name for a bat. These -little animals are not disturbed in houses, because they keep off flies -and mosquitoes, the plagues of the Somali country. Flies abound in the -very jungles wherever cows have been, and settle in swarms upon the -traveller. Before the monsoon their bite is painful, especially that of -the small green species; and there is a red variety called "Diksi as," -whose venom, according to the people, causes them to vomit. The latter -abounds in Gulays and the hill ranges of the Berberah country: it is -innocuous during the cold season. The mosquito bites bring on, according -to the same authority, deadly fevers: the superstition probably arises -from the fact that mosquitoes and fevers become formidable about the same -time. - -[31] Such a building at Zayla would cost at most 500 dollars. At Aden, -2000 rupees, or nearly double the sum, would be paid for a matted shed, -which excludes neither sun, nor wind, nor rain. - - - - -CHAP. II. - -LIFE IN ZAYLA. - - -I will not weary you, dear L., with descriptions of twenty-six quiet, -similar, uninteresting days,--days of sleep, and pipes, and coffee,--spent -at Zayla, whilst a route was traced out, guides were propitiated, camels -were bought, mules sent for, and all the wearisome preliminaries of -African travel were gone through. But a _journee_ in the Somali country -may be a novelty to you: its events shall be succinctly depicted. - -With earliest dawn we arise, thankful to escape from mosquitoes and close -air. We repair to the terrace where devotions are supposed to be -performed, and busy ourselves in watching our neighbours. Two in -particular engage my attention: sisters by different mothers. The daughter -of an Indian woman is a young person of fast propensities,--her chocolate- -coloured skin, long hair, and parrot-like profile [1] are much admired by -the _elegants_ of Zayla; and she coquettes by combing, dancing, singing, -and slapping the slave-girls, whenever an adorer may be looking. We sober- -minded men, seeing her, quote the well-known lines-- - - "Without justice a king is a cloud without rain; - Without goodness a sage is a field without fruit; - Without manners a youth is a bridleless horse; - Without lore an old man is a waterless wady; - Without modesty woman is bread without salt." - -The other is a matron of Abyssinian descent, as her skin, scarcely darker -than a gipsy's, her long and bright blue fillet, and her gaudily fringed -dress, denote. She tattoos her face [2]: a livid line extends from her -front hair to the tip of her nose; between her eyebrows is an ornament -resembling a _fleur-de-lis_, and various beauty-spots adorn the corners of -her mouth and the flats of her countenance. She passes her day -superintending the slave-girls, and weaving mats [3], the worsted work of -this part of the world. We soon made acquaintance, as far as an exchange -of salams. I regret, however, to say that there was some scandal about my -charming neighbour; and that more than once she was detected making -signals to distant persons with her hands. [4] - -At 6 A.M. we descend to breakfast, which usually consists of sour grain -cakes and roast mutton--at this hour a fine trial of health and cleanly -living. A napkin is passed under my chin, as if I were a small child, and -a sound scolding is administered when appetite appears deficient. Visitors -are always asked to join us: we squat on the uncarpeted floor, round a -circular stool, eat hard, and never stop to drink. The appetite of Africa -astonishes us; we dispose of six ounces here for every one in Arabia,-- -probably the effect of sweet water, after the briny produce of the "Eye of -Yemen." We conclude this early breakfast with coffee and pipes, and -generally return, after it, to the work of sleep. - -Then, provided with some sanctified Arabic book, I prepare for the -reception of visitors. They come in by dozens,--no man having apparently -any business to occupy him,--doff their slippers at the door, enter -wrapped up in their Tobes or togas [5], and deposit their spears, point- -upwards, in the corner; those who have swords--the mark of respectability -in Eastern Africa--place them at their feet. They shake the full hand (I -was reproved for offering the fingers only); and when politely disposed, -the inferior wraps his fist in the hem of his garment. They have nothing -corresponding with the European idea of manners: they degrade all ceremony -by the epithet Shughl el banat, or "girls' work," and pique themselves -upon downrightness of manner,--a favourite mask, by the by, for savage -cunning to assume. But they are equally free from affectation, shyness, -and vulgarity; and, after all, no manners are preferable to bad manners. - -Sometimes we are visited at this hour by Mohammed Sharmarkay, eldest son -of the old governor. He is in age about thirty, a fine tall figure, -slender but well knit, beardless and of light complexion, with large eyes, -and a length of neck which a lady might covet. His only detracting feature -is a slight projection of the oral region, that unmistakable proof of -African blood. His movements have the grace of strength and suppleness: he -is a good jumper, runs well, throws the spear admirably, and is a -tolerable shot. Having received a liberal education at Mocha, he is held a -learned man by his fellow-countrymen. Like his father he despises -presents, looking higher; with some trouble I persuaded him to accept a -common map of Asia, and a revolver. His chief interest was concentrated in -books: he borrowed my Abu Kasim to copy [6], and was never tired of -talking about the religious sciences: he had weakened his eyes by hard -reading, and a couple of blisters were sufficient to win his gratitude. -Mohammed is now the eldest son [7]; he appears determined to keep up the -family name, having already married ten wives: the issue, however, two -infant sons, were murdered by the Eesa Bedouins. Whenever he meets his -father in the morning, he kisses his hand, and receives a salute upon the -forehead. He aspires to the government of Zayla, and looks forward more -reasonably than the Hajj to the day when the possession of Berberah will -pour gold into his coffers. He shows none of his father's "softness:" he -advocates the bastinado, and, to keep his people at a distance, he has -married an Arab wife, who allows no adult to enter the doors. The Somal, -Spaniard-like, remark, "He is one of ourselves, though a little richer;" -but when times change and luck returns, they are not unlikely to find -themselves mistaken. - -Amongst other visitors, we have the Amir el Bahr, or Port Captain, and the -Nakib el Askar (_Commandant de place_), Mohammed Umar el Hamumi. This is -one of those Hazramaut adventurers so common in all the countries -bordering upon Arabia: they are the Swiss of the East, a people equally -brave and hardy, frugal and faithful, as long as pay is regular. Feared by -the soft Indians and Africans for their hardness and determination, the -common proverb concerning them is, "If you meet a viper and a Hazrami, -spare the viper." Natives of a poor and rugged region, they wander far and -wide, preferring every country to their own; and it is generally said that -the sun rises not upon a land that does not contain a man from Hazramaut. -[8] This commander of an army of forty men [9] often read out to us from -the Kitab el Anwar (the Book of Lights) the tale of Abu Jahl, that Judas -of El Islam made ridiculous. Sometimes comes the Sayyid Mohammed el Barr, -a stout personage, formerly governor of Zayla, and still highly respected -by the people on acount of his pure pedigree. With him is the Fakih Adan, -a savan of ignoble origin. [10] When they appear the conversation becomes -intensely intellectual; sometimes we dispute religion, sometimes politics, -at others history and other humanities. Yet it is not easy to talk history -with a people who confound Miriam and Mary, or politics to those whose -only idea of a king is a robber on a large scale, or religion to men who -measure excellence by forbidden meats, or geography to those who represent -the earth in this guise. Yet, though few of our ideas are in common, there -are many words; the verbosity of these anti-Laconic oriental dialects [11] -renders at least half the subject intelligible to the most opposite -thinkers. When the society is wholly Somal, I write Arabic, copy some -useful book, or extract from it, as Bentley advised, what is fit to quote. -When Arabs are present, I usually read out a tale from "The Thousand and -One Nights," that wonderful work, so often translated, so much turned -over, and so little understood at home. The most familiar of books in -England, next to the Bible, it is one of the least known, the reason being -that about one fifth is utterly unfit for translation; and the most -sanguine orientalist would not dare to render literally more than three -quarters of the remainder. Consequently, the reader loses the contrast,-- -the very essence of the book,--between its brilliancy and dulness, its -moral putrefaction, and such pearls as - - "Cast the seed of good works on the least fit soil. - Good is never wasted, however it may be laid out." - -And in a page or two after such divine sentiment, the ladies of Bagdad sit -in the porter's lap, and indulge in a facetiousness which would have -killed Pietro Aretino before his time. - -[Illustration] - -Often I am visited by the Topchi-Bashi, or master of the ordnance,--half a -dozen honeycombed guns,--a wild fellow, Bashi Buzuk in the Hejaz and -commandant of artillery at Zayla. He shaves my head on Fridays, and on -other days tells me wild stories about his service in the Holy Land; how -Kurdi Usman slew his son-in-law, Ibn Rumi, and how Turkcheh Bilmez would -have murdered Mohammed Ali in his bed. [12] Sometimes the room is filled -with Arabs, Sayyids, merchants, and others settled in the place: I saw -nothing amongst them to justify the oft-quoted saw, "Koraysh pride and -Zayla's boastfulness." More generally the assembly is one of the Somal, -who talk in their own tongue, laugh, yell, stretch their legs, and lie -like cattle upon the floor, smoking the common Hukkah, which stands in the -centre, industriously cleaning their teeth with sticks, and eating snuff -like Swedes. Meanwhile, I occupy the Kursi or couch, sometimes muttering -from a book to excite respect, or reading aloud for general information, -or telling fortunes by palmistry, or drawing out a horoscope. - -It argues "peculiarity," I own, to enjoy such a life. In the first place, -there is no woman's society: El Islam seems purposely to have loosened the -ties between the sexes in order to strengthen the bonds which connect man -and man. [13] Secondly, your house is by no means your castle. You must -open your doors to your friend at all hours; if when inside it suit him to -sing, sing he will; and until you learn solitude in a crowd, or the art of -concentration, you are apt to become _ennuye_ and irritable. You must -abandon your prejudices, and for a time cast off all European -prepossessions in favour of Indian politeness, Persian polish, Arab -courtesy, or Turkish dignity. - - "They are as free as Nature e'er made man;" - -and he who objects to having his head shaved in public, to seeing his -friends combing their locks in his sitting-room, to having his property -unceremoniously handled, or to being addressed familiarly by a perfect -stranger, had better avoid Somaliland. - -You will doubtless, dear L., convict me, by my own sentiments, of being an -"amateur barbarian." You must, however, remember that I visited Africa -fresh from Aden, with its dull routine of meaningless parades and tiresome -courts martial, where society is broken by ridiculous distinctions of -staff-men and regimental-men, Madras-men and Bombay-men, "European" -officers, and "black" officers; where literature is confined to acquiring -the art of explaining yourself in the jargons of half-naked savages; where -the business of life is comprised in ignoble official squabbles, dislikes, -disapprobations, and "references to superior authority;" where social -intercourse is crushed by "gup," gossip, and the scandal of small colonial -circles; where--pleasant predicament for those who really love women's -society!--it is scarcely possible to address fair dame, preserving at the -same time her reputation and your own, and if seen with her twice, all -"camp" will swear it is an "affair;" where, briefly, the march of mind is -at a dead halt, and the march of matter is in double quick time to the -hospital or sick-quarters. Then the fatal struggle for Name, and the -painful necessity of doing the most with the smallest materials for a -reputation! In Europe there are a thousand grades of celebrity, from -statesmanship to taxidermy; all, therefore, co-exist without rivalry. -Whereas, in these small colonies, there is but one fame, and as that leads -directly to rupees and rank, no man willingly accords it to his neighbour. -And, finally, such semi-civilised life abounds in a weary ceremoniousness. -It is highly improper to smoke outside your bungalow. You shall pay your -visits at 11 A.M., when the glass stands at 120°. You shall be generally -shunned if you omit your waistcoat, no matter what the weather be. And if -you venture to object to these Median laws,--as I am now doing,--you -elicit a chorus of disapproval, and acquire some evil name. - -About 11 A.M., when the fresh water arrives from the Hissi or wells, the -Hajj sends us dinner, mutton stews, of exceeding greasiness, boiled rice, -maize cakes, sometimes fish, and generally curds or milk. We all sit round -a primitive form of the Round Table, and I doubt that King Arthur's -knights ever proved doughtier trenchermen than do my companions. We then -rise to pipes and coffee, after which, excluding visitors, my attendants -apply themselves to a siesta, I to my journal and studies. - -At 2 P.M. there is a loud clamour at the door: if it be not opened in -time, we are asked if we have a Nazarene inside. Enters a crowd of -visitors, anxious to pass the afternoon. We proceed with a copy of the -forenoon till the sun declines, when it is time to escape the flies, to -repair to the terrace for fresh air, or to dress for a walk. Generally our -direction is through the town eastwards, to a plain of dilapidated graves -and salt sand, peopled only by land-crabs. At the extremity near the sea -is a little mosque of wattle-work: we sit there under the shade, and play -a rude form of draughts, called Shantarah, or at Shahh, a modification of -the former. [14] More often, eschewing these effeminacies, we shoot at a -mark, throw the javelin, leap, or engage in some gymnastic exercise. The -favourite Somali weapons are the spear, dagger, and war-club; the bow and -poisoned arrows are peculiar to the servile class, who know - - "the dreadful art - To taint with deadly drugs the barbed dart;" - -and the people despise, at the same time that they fear firearms, -declaring them to be cowardly weapons [15] with which the poltroon can -slay the bravest. - -The Somali spear is a form of the Cape Assegai. A long, thin, pliant and -knotty shaft of the Dibi, Diktab, and Makari trees, is dried, polished, -and greased with rancid butter: it is generally of a dull yellow colour, -and sometimes bound, as in Arabia, with brass wire for ornament. Care is -applied to make the rod straight, or the missile flies crooked: it is -garnished with an iron button at the head, and a long thin tapering head -of coarse bad iron [16], made at Berberah and other places by the Tomal. -The length of the shaft may be four feet eight inches; the blade varies -from twenty to twenty-six inches, and the whole weapon is about seven feet -long. Some polish the entire spear-head, others only its socket or ferule; -commonly, however, it is all blackened by heating it to redness, and -rubbing it with cow's horn. In the towns, one of these weapons is carried; -on a journey and in battle two, as amongst the Tibboos,--a small javelin -for throwing and a large spear reserved for the thrust. Some warriors -especially amongst the Eesa, prefer a coarse heavy lance, which never -leaves the hand. The Somali spear is held in various ways: generally the -thumb and forefinger grasp the third nearest to the head, and the shaft -resting upon the palm is made to quiver. In action, the javelin is rarely -thrown at a greater distance than six or seven feet, and the heavier -weapon is used for "jobbing." Stripped to his waist, the thrower runs -forward with all the action of a Kafir, whilst the attacked bounds about -and crouches to receive it upon the round targe, which it cannot pierce. -He then returns the compliment, at the same time endeavouring to break the -weapon thrown at him by jumping and stamping upon it. The harmless -missiles being exhausted, both combatants draw their daggers, grapple with -the left hand, and with the right dig hard and swift at each other's necks -and shoulders. When matters come to this point, the duel is soon decided, -and the victor, howling his slogan, pushes away from his front the dying -enemy, and rushes off to find another opponent. A puerile weapon during -the day, when a steady man can easily avoid it, the spear is terrible in -night attacks or in the "bush," whence it can be hurled unseen. For -practice, we plant a pair of slippers upright in the ground, at the -distance of twelve yards, and a skilful spearman hits the mark once in -every three throws. - -The Somali dagger is an iron blade about eighteen inches long by two in -breadth, pointed and sharp at both edges. The handle is of buffalo or -other horn, with a double scoop to fit the grasp; and at the hilt is a -conical ornament of zinc. It is worn strapped round the waist by a thong -sewed to the sheath, and long enough to encircle the body twice: the point -is to the right, and the handle projects on the left. When in town, the -Somal wear their daggers under the Tobe: in battle, the strap is girt over -the cloth to prevent the latter being lost. They always stab from above: -this is as it should be, a thrust with a short weapon "underhand" may be -stopped, if the adversary have strength enough to hold the stabber's -forearm. The thrust is parried with the shield, and a wound is rarely -mortal except in the back: from the great length of the blade, the least -movement of the man attacked causes it to fall upon the shoulder-blade. - -The "Budd," or Somali club, resembles the Kafir "Tonga." It is a knobstick -about a cubit long, made of some hard wood: the head is rounded on the -inside, and the outside is cut to an edge. In quarrels, it is considered a -harmless weapon, and is often thrown at the opponent and wielded viciously -enough where the spear point would carefully be directed at the buckler. -The Gashan or shield is a round targe about eighteen inches in diameter; -some of the Bedouins make it much larger. Rhinoceros' skin being rare, the -usual material is common bull's hide, or, preferably, that of the Oryx, -called by the Arabs Waal, and by the Somal, Baid. These shields are -prettily cut, and are always protected when new with a covering of -canvass. The boss in the centre easily turns a spear, and the strongest -throw has very little effect even upon the thinnest portion. When not -used, the Gashan is slung upon the left forearm: during battle, the -handle, which is in the middle, is grasped by the left hand, and held out -at a distance from the body. - -We are sometimes joined in our exercises by the Arab mercenaries, who are -far more skilful than the Somal. The latter are unacquainted with the -sword, and cannot defend themselves against it with the targe; they know -little of dagger practice, and were beaten at their own weapon, the -javelin, by the children of Bir Hamid. Though unable to jump for the -honour of the turban, I soon acquired the reputation of being the -strongest man in Zayla: this is perhaps the easiest way of winning respect -from a barbarous people, who honour body, and degrade mind to mere -cunning. - -When tired of exercise we proceed round the walls to the Ashurbara or -Southern Gate. Here boys play at "hockey" with sticks and stones -energetically as in England: they are fine manly specimens of the race, -but noisy and impudent, like all young savages. At two years of age they -hold out the right hand for sweetmeats, and if refused become insolent. -The citizens amuse themselves with the ball [17], at which they play -roughly as Scotch linkers: they are divided into two parties, bachelors -and married men; accidents often occur, and no player wears any but the -scantiest clothing, otherwise he would retire from the conflict in rags. -The victors sing and dance about the town for hours, brandishing their -spears, shouting their slogans, boasting of ideal victories,--the -Abyssinian Donfatu, or war-vaunt,--and advancing in death-triumph with -frantic gestures: a battle won would be celebrated with less circumstance -in Europe. This is the effect of no occupation--the _primum mobile_ of the -Indian prince's kite-flying and all the puerilities of the pompous East. - -We usually find an encampment of Bedouins outside the gate. Their tents -are worse than any gipsy's, low, smoky, and of the rudest construction. -These people are a spectacle of savageness. Their huge heads of shock -hair, dyed red and dripping with butter, are garnished with a Firin, or -long three-pronged comb, a stick, which acts as scratcher when the owner -does not wish to grease his fingers, and sometimes with the ominous -ostrich feather, showing that the wearer has "killed his man:" a soiled -and ragged cotton cloth covers their shoulders, and a similar article is -wrapped round their loins.[18] All wear coarse sandals, and appear in the -bravery of targe, spear, and dagger. Some of the women would be pretty did -they not resemble the men in their scowling, Satanic expression of -countenance: they are decidedly _en deshabille,_ but a black skin always -appears a garb. The cantonment is surrounded by asses, camels, and a troop -of naked Flibertigibbets, who dance and jump in astonishment whenever they -see me: "The white man! the white man!" they shriek; "run away, run away, -or we shall be eaten!" [19] On one occasion, however, my _amour propre_ -was decidedly flattered by the attentions of a small black girl, -apparently four or five years old, who followed me through the streets -ejaculating "Wa Wanaksan!"--"0 fine!" The Bedouins, despite their fierce -scowls, appear good-natured; the women flock out of the huts to stare and -laugh, the men to look and wonder. I happened once to remark, "Lo, we come -forth to look at them and they look at us; we gaze at their complexion and -they gaze at ours!" A Bedouin who understood Arabic translated this speech -to the others, and it excited great merriment. In the mining counties of -civilised England, where the "genial brickbat" is thrown at the passing -stranger, or in enlightened Scotland, where hair a few inches too long or -a pair of mustachios justifies "mobbing," it would have been impossible -for me to have mingled as I did with these wild people. - -We must return before sunset, when the gates are locked and the keys are -carried to the Hajj, a vain precaution, when a donkey could clear half a -dozen places in the town wall. The call to evening prayer sounds as we -enter: none of my companions pray [20], but all when asked reply in the -phrase which an Englishman hates, "Inshallah Bukra"--"if Allah please, to- -morrow!"--and they have the decency not to appear in public at the hours -of devotion. The Somal, like most Africans, are of a somewhat irreverent -turn of mind. [21] When reproached with gambling, and asked why they -persist in the forbidden pleasure, they simply answer "Because we like." -One night, encamped amongst the Eesa, I was disturbed by a female voice -indulging in the loudest lamentations: an elderly lady, it appears, was -suffering from tooth-ache, and the refrain of her groans was, "O Allah, -may thy teeth ache like mine! O Allah, may thy gums be sore as mine are!" -A well-known and characteristic tale is told of the Gerad Hirsi, now chief -of the Berteri tribe. Once meeting a party of unarmed pilgrims, he asked -them why they had left their weapons at home: they replied in the usual -phrase, "Nahnu mutawakkilin"--"we are trusters (in Allah)." That evening, -having feasted them hospitably, the chief returned hurriedly to the hut, -declaring that his soothsayer ordered him at once to sacrifice a pilgrim, -and begging the horror-struck auditors to choose the victim. They cast -lots and gave over one of their number: the Gerad placed him in another -hut, dyed his dagger with sheep's blood, and returned to say that he must -have a second life. The unhappy pilgrims rose _en masse_, and fled so -wildly that the chief, with all the cavalry of the desert, found -difficulty in recovering them. He dismissed them with liberal presents, -and not a few jibes about their trustfulness. The wilder Bedouins will -inquire where Allah is to be found: when asked the object of the question, -they reply, "If the Eesa could but catch him they would spear him upon the -spot,--who but he lays waste their homes and kills their cattle and -wives?" Yet, conjoined to this truly savage incapability of conceiving the -idea of a Supreme Being, they believe in the most ridiculous -exaggerations: many will not affront a common pilgrim, for fear of being -killed by a glance or a word. - -Our supper, also provided by the hospitable Hajj, is the counterpart of -the midday dinner. After it we repair to the roof, to enjoy the prospect -of the far Tajurrah hills and the white moonbeams sleeping upon the nearer -sea. The evening star hangs like a diamond upon the still horizon: around -the moon a pink zone of light mist, shading off into turquoise blue, and a -delicate green like chrysopraz, invests the heavens with a peculiar charm. -The scene is truly suggestive: behind us, purpling in the night-air and -silvered by the radiance from above, lie the wolds and mountains tenanted -by the fiercest of savages; their shadowy mysterious forms exciting vague -alarms in the traveller's breast. Sweet as the harp of David, the night- -breeze and the music of the water come up from the sea; but the ripple and -the rustling sound alternate with the hyena's laugh, the jackal's cry, and -the wild dog's lengthened howl. - -Or, the weather becoming cold, we remain below, and Mohammed Umar returns -to read out more "Book of Lights," or some pathetic ode. I will quote in -free translation the following production of the celebrated poet Abd el -Rahman el Burai, as a perfect specimen of melancholy Arab imagery: - - "No exile is the banished to the latter end of earth, - The exile is the banished to the coffin and the tomb - - "He hath claims on the dwellers in the places of their birth - Who wandereth the world, for he lacketh him a home. - - "Then, blamer, blame me not, were my heart within thy breast, - The sigh would take the place of thy laughter and thy scorn. - - "Let me weep for the sin that debars my soul of rest, - The tear may yet avail,--all in vain I may not mourn! [22] - - "Woe! woe to thee, Flesh!--with a purer spirit now - The death-day were a hope, and the judgment-hour a joy! - - "One morn I woke in pain, with a pallor on my brow, - As though the dreaded Angel were descending to destroy: - - "They brought to me a leech, saying, 'Heal him lest he die!' - On that day, by Allah, were his drugs a poor deceit! - - "They stripped me and bathed me, and closed the glazing eye, - And dispersed unto prayers, and to haggle for my sheet. - - "The prayers without a bow [23] they prayed over me that day, - Brought nigh to me the bier, and disposed me within. - - "Four bare upon their shoulders this tenement of clay, - Friend and kinsmen in procession bore the dust of friend and kin. - - "They threw upon me mould of the tomb and went their way-- - A guest, 'twould seem, had flitted from the dwellings of the tribe! - - "My gold and my treasures each a share they bore away, - Without thanks, without praise, with a jest and with a jibe. - - "My gold and my treasures each his share they bore away, - On me they left the weight!--with me they left the sin! - - "That night within the grave without hoard or child I lay, - No spouse, no friend were there, no comrade and no kin. - - "The wife of my youth, soon another husband found-- - A stranger sat at home on the hearthstone of my sire. - - "My son became a slave, though not purchased nor bound, - The hireling of a stranger, who begrudged him his hire. - - "Such, alas, is human life! such the horror of his death! - Man grows like a grass, like a god he sees no end. - - "Be wise, then, ere too late, brother! praise with every breath - The hand that can chastise, the arm that can defend: - - "And bless thou the Prophet, the averter of our ills, - While the lightning flasheth bright o'er the ocean and the hills." - -At this hour my companions become imaginative and superstitious. One -Salimayn, a black slave from the Sawahil [24], now secretary to the Hajj, -reads our fortunes in the rosary. The "fal" [25], as it is called, acts a -prominent part in Somali life. Some men are celebrated for accuracy of -prediction; and in times of danger, when the human mind is ever open to -the "fooleries of faith," perpetual reference is made to their art. The -worldly wise Salimayn, I observed, never sent away a questioner with an -ill-omened reply, but he also regularly insisted upon the efficacy of -sacrifice and almsgiving, which, as they would assuredly be neglected, -afforded him an excuse in case of accident. Then we had a recital of the -tales common to Africa, and perhaps to all the world. In modern France, as -in ancient Italy, "versipelles" become wolves and hide themselves in the -woods: in Persia they change themselves into bears, and in Bornou and Shoa -assume the shapes of lions, hyenas, and leopards. [26] The origin of this -metamorphic superstition is easily traceable, like man's fetisism or -demonology, to his fears: a Bedouin, for instance, becomes dreadful by the -reputation of sorcery: bears and hyenas are equally terrible; and the two -objects of horror are easily connected. Curious to say, individuals having -this power were pointed out to me, and people pretended to discover it in -their countenances: at Zayla I was shown a Bedouin, by name Farih Badaun, -who notably became a hyena at times, for the purpose of tasting human -blood. [27] About forty years ago, three brothers, Kayna, Fardayna, and -Sollan, were killed on Gulays near Berberah for the crime of -metamorphosis. The charge is usually substantiated either by the bestial -tail remaining appended to a part of the human shape which the owner has -forgotten to rub against the magic tree, or by some peculiar wound which -the beast received and the man retained. Kindred to this superstition is -the belief that many of the Bedouins have learned the languages of birds -and beasts. Another widely diffused fancy is that of the Aksar [28], which -in this pastoral land becomes a kind of wood: wonderful tales are told of -battered milk-pails which, by means of some peg accidentally cut in the -jungle, have been found full of silver, or have acquired the qualities of -cornucopiae. It is supposed that a red heifer always breaks her fast upon -the wonderful plant, consequently much time and trouble have been expended -by the Somal in watching the morning proceedings of red heifers. At other -times we hear fearful tales of old women who, like the Jigar Khwar of -Persia, feed upon man's liver: they are fond of destroying young children; -even adults are not ashamed of defending themselves with talismans. In -this country the crone is called Bidaa or Kumayyo, words signifying a -witch: the worst is she that destroys her own progeny. No wound is visible -in this vampyre's victim: generally he names his witch, and his friends -beat her to death unless she heal him: many are thus martyred; and in -Somali land scant notice is taken of such a peccadillo as murdering an old -woman. The sex indeed has by no means a good name: here, as elsewhere, -those who degrade it are the first to abuse it for degradation. At Zayla -almost all quarrels are connected with women; the old bewitch in one way, -the young in another, and both are equally maligned. "Wit in a woman," -exclaims one man, "is a habit of running away in a dromedary." "Allah," -declares another, "made woman of a crooked bone; he who would straighten -her, breaketh her." Perhaps, however, by these generalisms of abuse the -sex gains: they prevent personal and individual details; and no society of -French gentlemen avoids mentioning in public the name of a woman more -scrupulously than do the misogynist Moslems. - -After a conversazione of two hours my visitors depart, and we lose no -time--for we must rise at cockcrow--in spreading our mats round the common -room. You would admire the Somali pillow [29], a dwarf pedestal of carved -wood, with a curve upon which the greasy poll and its elaborate _frisure_ -repose. Like the Abyssinian article, it resembles the head-rest of ancient -Egypt in all points, except that it is not worked with Typhons and other -horrors to drive away dreadful dreams. Sometimes the sound of the -kettledrum, the song, and the clapping of hands, summon us at a later hour -than usual to a dance. The performance is complicated, and, as usual with -the trivialities easily learned in early youth, it is uncommonly difficult -to a stranger. Each dance has its own song and measure, and, contrary to -the custom of El Islam, the sexes perform together. They begin by clapping -the hands and stamping where they stand; to this succeed advancing, -retiring, wheeling about, jumping about, and the other peculiarities of -the Jim Crow school. The principal measures are those of Ugadayn and -Batar; these again are divided and subdivided;--I fancy that the -description of Dileho, Jibwhayn, and Hobala would be as entertaining and -instructive to you, dear L., as Polka, Gavotte, and Mazurka would be to a -Somali. - -On Friday--our Sunday--a drunken crier goes about the town, threatening -the bastinado to all who neglect their five prayers. At half-past eleven a -kettledrum sounds a summons to the Jami or Cathedral. It is an old barn -rudely plastered with whitewash; posts or columns of artless masonry -support the low roof, and the smallness of the windows, or rather air- -holes, renders its dreary length unpleasantly hot. There is no pulpit; the -only ornament is a rude representation of the Meccan Mosque, nailed like a -pothouse print to the wall; and the sole articles of furniture are ragged -mats and old boxes, containing tattered chapters of the Koran in greasy -bindings. I enter with a servant carrying a prayer carpet, encounter the -stare of 300 pair of eyes, belonging to parallel rows of squatters, recite -the customary two-bow prayer in honor of the mosque, placing sword and -rosary before me, and then, taking up a Koran, read the Cow Chapter (No. -18.) loud and twangingly. At the Zohr or mid-day hour, the Muezzin inside -the mosque, standing before the Khatib or preacher, repeats the call to -prayer, which the congregation, sitting upon their shins and feet, intone -after him. This ended, all present stand up, and recite every man for -himself, a two-bow prayer of Sunnat or Example, concluding with the -blessing on the Prophet and the Salam over each shoulder to all brother -Believers. The Khatib then ascends his hole in the wall, which serves for -pulpit, and thence addresses us with "The peace be upon you, and the mercy -of Allah, and his benediction;" to which we respond through the Muezzin, -"And upon you be peace, and Allah's mercy!" After sundry other religious -formulas and their replies, concluding with a second call to prayer, our -preacher rises, and in the voice with which Sir Hudibras was wont - - "To blaspheme custard through the nose," - -preaches El Waaz [30], or the advice-sermon. He sits down for a few -minutes, and then, rising again, recites El Naat, or the Praise of the -Prophet and his Companions. These are the two heads into which the Moslem -discourse is divided; unfortunately, however, there is no application. Our -preacher, who is also Kazi or Judge, makes several blunders in his Arabic, -and he reads his sermons, a thing never done in El Islam, except by the -_modice docti_. The discourse over, our clerk, who is, if possible, worse -than the curate, repeats the form of call termed El Ikamah; then entering -the Mihrab or niche, he recites the two-bow Friday litany, with, and in -front of, the congregation. I remarked no peculiarity in the style of -praying, except that all followed the practice of the Shafeis in El -Yemen,--raising the hands for a moment, instead of letting them depend -along the thighs, between the Rukaat or bow and the Sujdah or prostration. -This public prayer concluded, many people leave the mosque; a few remain -for more prolonged devotions. - -There is a queer kind of family likeness between this scene and that of a -village church, in some quiet nook of rural England. Old Sharmarkay, the -squire, attended by his son, takes his place close to the pulpit; and -although the _Honoratiores_ have no padded and cushioned pews, they -comport themselves very much as if they had. Recognitions of the most -distant description are allowed before the service commences: looking -around is strictly forbidden during prayers; but all do not regard the -prohibition, especially when a new moustache enters. Leaving the church, -men shake hands, stand for a moment to exchange friendly gossip, or -address a few words to the preacher, and then walk home to dinner. There -are many salient points of difference. No bonnets appear in public: the -squire, after prayers, gives alms to the poor, and departs escorted by two -dozen matchlock-men, who perseveringly fire their shotted guns. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] This style of profile--highly oval, with the chin and brow receding-- -is very conspicuous in Eastern Africa, where the face, slightly -prognathous, projects below the nose. - -[2] Gall-nuts form the base of the tattooing dye. It is worked in with a -needle, when it becomes permanent: applied with a pen, it requires to be -renewed about once a fortnight. - -[3] Mats are the staple manufacture in Eastern, as in many parts of -Western, Africa. The material is sometimes Daum or other palm: there are, -however, many plants in more common use; they are made of every variety in -shape and colour, and are dyed red, black, and yellow,--madder from -Tajurrah and alum being the matter principally used. - -[4] When woman addresses woman she always uses her voice. - -[5] The Tobe, or Abyssinian "Quarry," is the general garment of Africa -from Zayla to Bornou. In the Somali country it is a cotton sheet eight -cubits long, and two breadths sewn together. An article of various uses, -like the Highland plaid, it is worn in many ways; sometimes the right arm -is bared; in cold weather the whole person is muffled up, and in summer it -is allowed to full below the waist. Generally it is passed behind the -back, rests upon the left shoulder, is carried forward over the breast, -surrounds the body, and ends hanging on the left shoulder, where it -displays a gaudy silk fringe of red and yellow. This is the man's Tobe. -The woman's dress is of similar material, but differently worn: the edges -are knotted generally over the right, sometimes over the left shoulder; it -is girdled round the waist, below which hangs a lappet, which in cold -weather can be brought like a hood over the head. Though highly becoming, -and picturesque as the Roman toga, the Somali Tobe is by no means the most -decorous of dresses: women in the towns often prefer the Arab costume,--a -short-sleeved robe extending to the knee, and a Futah or loin-cloth -underneath. - -As regards the word Tobe, it signifies, in Arabic, a garment generally: -the Somal call it "Maro," and the half Tobe a "Shukkah." - -[6] Abu Kasim of Gaza, a well known commentator upon Abu Shujaa of -Isfahan, who wrote a text-book of the Shafei school. - -[7] The Hajj had seven sons, three of whom died in infancy. Ali and -Mahmud, the latter a fine young man, fell victims to small pox: Mohammed -is now the eldest, and the youngest is a child called Ahmed, left for -education at Mocha. The Hajj has also two daughters, married to Bedouin -Somal. - -[8] It is related that a Hazrami, flying from his fellow-countrymen, -reached a town upon the confines of China. He was about to take refuge in -a mosque, but entering, he stumbled over the threshold. "Ya Amud el Din"-- -"0 Pillar of the Faith!" exclaimed a voice from the darkness, calling upon -the patron saint of Hazramaut to save a Moslem from falling. "May the -Pillar of the Faith break thy head," exclaimed the unpatriotic traveller, -at once rising to resume his vain peregrinations. - -[9] Mercenaries from Mocha, Hazramaut, and Bir Hamid near Aden: they are -armed with matchlock, sword, and dagger; and each receives from the -governor a monthly stipend of two dollars and a half. - -[10] The system of caste, which prevails in El Yemen, though not in the -northern parts of Arabia, is general throughout the Somali country. The -principal families of outcasts are the following. - -The Yebir correspond with the Dushan of Southern Arabia: the males are -usually jesters to the chiefs, and both sexes take certain parts at -festivals, marriages, and circumcisions. The number is said to be small, -amounting to about 100 families in the northern Somali country. - -The Tomal or Handad, the blacksmiths, originally of Aydur race, have -become vile by intermarriage with serviles. They must now wed maidens of -their own class, and live apart from the community: their magical -practices are feared by the people,--the connection of wits and witchcraft -is obvious,--and all private quarrels are traced to them. It has been -observed that the blacksmith has ever been looked upon with awe by -barbarians on the same principle that made Vulcan a deity. In Abyssinia -all artisans are Budah, sorcerers, especially the blacksmith, and he is a -social outcast as among the Somal; even in El Hejaz, a land, unlike Yemen, -opposed to distinctions amongst Moslems, the Khalawiyah, who work in -metal, are considered vile. Throughout the rest of El Islam the blacksmith -is respected as treading in the path of David, the father of the craft. - -The word "Tomal," opposed to Somal, is indigenous. "Handad "is palpably a -corruption of the Arabic "Haddad," ironworker. - -The Midgan, "one-hand," corresponds with the Khadim of Yemen: he is called -Kami or "archer" by the Arabs. There are three distinct tribes of this -people, who are numerous in the Somali country: the best genealogists -cannot trace their origin, though some are silly enough to derive them, -like the Akhdam, from Shimr. All, however, agree in expelling the Midgan -from the gentle blood of Somali land, and his position has been compared -to that of Freedman amongst the Romans. These people take service under -the different chiefs, who sometimes entertain great numbers to aid in -forays and frays; they do not, however, confine themselves to one craft. -Many Midgans employ themselves in hunting and agriculture. Instead of -spear and shield, they carry bows and a quiver full of diminutive arrows, -barbed and poisoned with the Waba,--a weapon used from Faizoghli to the -Cape of Good Hope. Like the Veddah of Ceylon, the Midgan is a poor shot, -and scarcely strong enough to draw his stiff bow. He is accused of -maliciousness; and the twanging of his string will put to flight a whole -village. The poison is greatly feared: it causes, say the people, the hair -and nails to drop off, and kills a man in half an hour. The only treatment -known is instant excision of the part; and this is done the more -frequently, because here, as in other parts of Africa, such _stigmates_ -are deemed ornamental. - -In appearance the Midgan is dark and somewhat stunted; he is known to the -people by peculiarities of countenance and accent. - -[11] The reason why Europeans fail to explain their thoughts to Orientals -generally is that they transfer the Laconism of Western to Eastern -tongues. We for instance say, "Fetch the book I gave you last night." This -in Hindostani, to choose a well-known tongue, must be smothered with words -thus: "What book was by me given to you yesterday by night, that book -bringing to me, come!" - -[12] I have alluded to these subjects in a previous work upon the subject -of Meccah and El Medinah. - -[13] This is one of the stock complaints against the Moslem scheme. Yet is -it not practically the case with ourselves? In European society, the best -are generally those who prefer the companionship of their own sex; the -"ladies' man" and the woman who avoids women are rarely choice specimens. - -[14] The Shantarah board is thus made, with twenty-five points technically -called houses. [Illustration] The players have twelve counters a piece, -and each places two at a time upon any of the unoccupied angles, till all -except the centre are filled up. The player who did not begin the game -must now move a man; his object is to inclose one of his adversary's -between two of his own, in which case he removes it, and is entitled to -continue moving till he can no longer take. It is a game of some skill, -and perpetual practice enables the Somal to play it as the Persians do -backgammon, with great art and little reflection. The game is called -Kurkabod when, as in our draughts, the piece passing over one of the -adversary's takes it. - -Shahh is another favourite game. The board is made thus, [Illustration] -and the pieces as at Shantarah are twelve in number. The object is to -place three men in line,--as the German Muhle and the Afghan "Kitar,"-- -when any one of the adversary's pieces may be removed. - -Children usually prefer the game called indifferently Togantog and -Saddikiya. A double line of five or six holes is made in the ground, four -counters are placed in each, and when in the course of play four men meet -in the same hole, one of the adversary's is removed. It resembles the -Bornou game, played with beans and holes in the sand. Citizens and the -more civilised are fond of "Bakkis," which, as its name denotes, is a -corruption of the well-known Indian Pachisi. None but the travelled know -chess, and the Damal (draughts) and Tavola (backgammon) of the Turks. - -[15] The same objection against "villanous saltpetre" was made by -ourselves in times of old: the French knights called gunpowder the Grave -of Honor. This is natural enough, the bravest weapon being generally the -shortest--that which places a man hand to hand with his opponent. Some of -the Kafir tribes have discontinued throwing the Assegai, and enter battle -wielding it as a pike. Usually, also, the shorter the weapon is, the more -fatal are the conflicts in which it is employed. The old French "Briquet," -the Afghan "Charay," and the Goorka "Kukkri," exemplify this fact in the -history of arms. - -[16] In the latter point it differs from the Assegai, which is worked by -the Kafirs to the finest temper. - -[17] It is called by the Arabs Kubabah, by the Somal Goasa. Johnston -(Travels in Southern Abyssinia, chap. 8.) has described the game; he errs, -however, in supposing it peculiar to the Dankali tribes. - -[18] This is in fact the pilgrim dress of El Islam; its wide diffusion to -the eastward, as well as west of the Red Sea, proves its antiquity as a -popular dress. - -[19] I often regretted having neglected the precaution of a bottle of -walnut juice,--a white colour is decidedly too conspicuous in this part of -the East. - -[20] The strict rule of the Moslem faith is this: if a man neglect to -pray, he is solemnly warned to repent. Should he simply refuse, without, -however, disbelieving in prayer, he is to be put to death, and receive -Moslem burial; in the other contingency, he is not bathed, prayed for, or -interred in holy ground. This severe order, however, lies in general -abeyance. - -[21] "Tuarick grandiloquence," says Richardson (vol. i. p. 207.), "savours -of blasphemy, e.g. the lands, rocks, and mountains of Ghat do not belong -to God but to the Azghar." Equally irreverent are the Kafirs of the Cape. -They have proved themselves good men in wit as well as war; yet, like the -old Greenlanders and some of the Burmese tribes, they are apparently -unable to believe in the existence of the Supreme. A favourite question to -the missionaries was this, "Is your God white or black?" If the European, -startled by the question, hesitated for a moment, they would leave him -with open signs of disgust at having been made the victims of a hoax. - -The assertion generally passes current that the idea of an Omnipotent -Being is familiar to all people, even the most barbarous. My limited -experience argues the contrary. Savages begin with fetisism and demon- -worship, they proceed to physiolatry (the religion of the Vedas) and -Sabaeism: the deity is the last and highest pinnacle of the spiritual -temple, not placed there except by a comparatively civilised race of high -development, which leads them to study and speculate upon cosmical and -psychical themes. This progression is admirably wrought out in Professor -Max Muller's "Rig Veda Sanhita." - -[22] The Moslem corpse is partly sentient in the tomb, reminding the -reader of Tennyson: - - "I thought the dead had peace, but it is not so; - To have no peace in the grave, is that not sad?" - -[23] The prayers for the dead have no Rukaat or bow as in other orisons. - -[24] The general Moslem name for the African coast from the Somali -seaboard southwards to the Mozambique, inhabited by negrotic races. - -[25] The Moslem rosary consists of ninety-nine beads divided into sets of -thirty-three each by some peculiar sign, as a bit of red coral. -[Illustration] The consulter, beginning at a chance place, counts up to -the mark: if the number of beads be odd, he sets down a single dot, if -even, two. This is done four times, when a figure is produced as in the -margin. Of these there are sixteen, each having its peculiar name and -properties. The art is merely Geomancy in its rudest shape; a mode of -vaticination which, from its wide diffusion, must be of high antiquity. -The Arabs call it El Baml, and ascribe its present form to the Imam Jaafar -el Sadik; amongst them it is a ponderous study, connected as usual with -astrology. Napoleon's "Book of Fate" is a specimen of the old Eastern -superstition presented to Europe in a modern and simple form. - -[26] In this country, as in Western and Southern Africa, the leopard, not -the wolf, is the shepherd's scourge. - -[27] Popular superstition in Abyssinia attributes the same power to the -Felashas or Jews. - -[28] Our Elixir, a corruption of the Arabic El Iksir. - -[29] In the Somali tongue its name is Barki: they make a stool of similar -shape, and call it Barjimo. - -[30] Specimens of these discourses have been given by Mr. Lane, Mod. -Egypt, chap. 3. It is useless to offer others, as all bear the closest -resemblance. - - - - -CHAP. III. - -EXCURSIONS NEAR ZAYLA. - - -We determined on the 9th of November to visit the island of Saad el Din, -the larger of the two patches of ground which lie about two miles north of -the town. Reaching our destination, after an hour's lively sail, we passed -through a thick belt of underwood tenanted by swarms of midges, with a -damp chill air crying fever, and a fetor of decayed vegetation smelling -death. To this succeeded a barren flat of silt and sand, white with salt -and ragged with salsolaceous stubble, reeking with heat, and covered with -old vegetation. Here, says local tradition, was the ancient site of Zayla -[1], built by Arabs from Yemen. The legend runs that when Saad el Din was -besieged and slain by David, King of Ethiopia, the wells dried up and the -island sank. Something doubtless occurred which rendered a removal -advisable: the sons of the Moslem hero fled to Ahmed bin El Ashraf, Prince -of Senaa, offering their allegiance if he would build fortifications for -them and aid them against the Christians of Abyssinia. The consequence was -a walled circuit upon the present site of Zayla: of its old locality -almost may be said "periere ruinae." - -During my stay with Sharmarkay I made many inquiries about historical -works, and the Kazi; Mohammed Khatib, a Harar man of the Hawiyah tribe, -was at last persuaded to send his Daftar, or office papers, for my -inspection. They formed a kind of parish register of births, deaths, -marriages, divorces, and manumissions. From them it appeared that in A.H. -1081 (A.D. 1670-71) the Shanabila Sayyids were Kazis of Zayla and retained -the office for 138 years. It passed two generations ago into the hands of -Mohammed Musa, a Hawiyah, and the present Kazi is his nephew. - -The origin of Zayla, or, as it is locally called, "Audal," is lost in the -fogs of Phoenician fable. The Avalites [2] of the Periplus and Pliny, it -was in earliest ages dependent upon the kingdom of Axum. [3] About the -seventh century, when the Southern Arabs penetrated into the heart of -Abyssinia [4], it became the great factory of the eastern coast, and rose -to its height of splendour. Taki el Din Makrizi [5] includes under the -name of Zayla, a territory of forty-three days' march by forty, and -divides it into seven great provinces, speaking about fifty languages, and -ruled by Amirs, subject to the Hati (Hatze) of Abyssinia. - -In the fourteenth century it became celebrated by its wars with the kings -of Abyssinia: sustaining severe defeats the Moslems retired upon their -harbour, which, after an obstinate defence fell into the hands of the -Christians. The land was laid waste, the mosques were converted into -churches, and the Abyssinians returned to their mountains laden with -booty. About A.D. 1400, Saad el Din, the heroic prince of Zayla, was -besieged in his city by the Hatze David the Second: slain by a spear- -thrust, he left his people powerless in the hands of their enemies, till -his sons, Sabr el Din, Ali, Mansur, and Jemal el Din retrieved the cause -of El Islam. - -Ibn Batuta, a voyager of the fourteenth century, thus describes the place: -"I then went from Aden by sea, and after four days came to the city of -Zayla. This is a settlement, of the Berbers [6], a people of Sudan, of the -Shafia sect. Their country is a desert of two months' extent; the first -part is termed Zayla, the last Makdashu. The greatest number of the -inhabitants, however, are of the Rafizah sect. [7] Their food is mostly -camels' flesh and fish. [8] The stench of the country is extreme, as is -also its filth, from the stink of the fish and the blood of camels which -are slaughtered in its streets." - -About A.D. 1500 the Turks conquered Yemen, and the lawless Janissaries, -"who lived upon the very bowels of commerce" [9], drove the peaceable Arab -merchants to the opposite shore. The trade of India, flying from the same -enemy, took refuge in Adel, amongst its partners. [10] The Turks of -Arabia, though they were blind to the cause, were sensible of the great -influx of wealth into the opposite kingdoms. They took possession, -therefore, of Zayla, which they made a den of thieves, established there -what they called a custom-house [11], and, by means of that post and -galleys cruising in the narrow straits of Bab el Mandeb, they laid the -Indian trade to Adel under heavy contributions that might indemnify them -for the great desertion their violence and injustice had occasioned in -Arabia. - -This step threatened the very existence both of Adel and Abyssinia; and -considering the vigorous government of the one, and the weak politics and -prejudices of the other, it is more than probable that the Turks would -have subdued both, had they not in India, their chief object, met the -Portuguese, strongly established. - -Bartema, travelling in A.D. 1503, treats in his 15th chapter of "Zeila in -AEthiopia and the great fruitlessness thereof, and of certain strange -beasts seen there." - -"In this city is great frequentation of merchandise, as in a most famous -mart. There is marvellous abundance of gold and iron, and an innumerable -number of black slaves sold for small prices; these are taken in War by -the Mahomedans out of AEthiopia, of the kingdom of Presbyter Johannes, or -Preciosus Johannes, which some also call the king of Jacobins or Abyssins, -being a Christian; and are carried away from thence into Persia, Arabia -Felix, Babylonia of Nilus or Alcair, and Meccah. In this city justice and -good laws are observed. [12] ... It hath an innumerable multitude of -merchants; the walls are greatly decayed, and the haven rude and -despicable. The King or Sultan of the city is a Mahomedan, and -entertaineth in wages a great multitude of footmen and horsemen. They are -greatly given to war, and wear only one loose single vesture: they are of -dark ash colour, inclining to black." - -In July 1516 Zayla was taken, and the town burned by a Portuguese -armament, under Lopez Suarez Alberguiera. When the Turks were compelled -to retire from Southern Arabia, it became subject to the Prince of Senaa, -who gave it in perpetuity to the family of a Senaani merchant. - -The kingdom of Yemen falling into decay, Zayla passed under the authority -of the Sherif of Mocha, who, though receiving no part of the revenue, had -yet the power of displacing the Governor. By him it was farmed out to the -Hajj Sharmarkay, who paid annually to Sayyid Mohammed el Barr, at Mocha, -the sum of 750 crowns, and reserved all that he could collect above that -sum for himself. In A.D. 1848 Zayla was taken from the family El Barr, and -farmed out to Sharmarkay by the Turkish Governor of Mocha and Hodaydah. - -The extant remains at Saad el Din are principally those of water-courses, -rude lines of coralline, stretching across the plain towards wells, now -lost [13], and diminutive tanks, made apparently to collect rain water. -One of these latter is a work of some art--a long sunken vault, with a -pointed arch projecting a few feet above the surface of the ground; -outside it is of rough stone, the interior is carefully coated with fine -lime, and from the roof long stalactites depend. Near it is a cemetery: -the graves are, for the most part, provided with large slabs of close -black basalt, planted in the ground edgeways, and in the shape of a small -oblong. The material was most probably brought from the mountains near -Tajurrah: at another part of the island I found it in the shape of a -gigantic mill-stone, half imbedded in the loose sand. Near the cemetery we -observed a mound of rough stones surrounding an upright pole; this is the -tomb of Shaykh Saad el Din, formerly the hero, now the favourite patron -saint of Zayla,--still popularly venerated, as was proved by the remains -of votive banquets, broken bones, dried garbage, and stones blackened by -the fire. - -After wandering through the island, which contained not a human being save -a party of Somal boatmen, cutting firewood for Aden, and having massacred -a number of large fishing hawks and small sea-birds, to astonish the -natives, our companions, we returned to the landing-place. Here an awning -had been spread; the goat destined for our dinner--I have long since -conquered all dislike, dear L., to seeing dinner perambulating--had been -boiled and disposed in hunches upon small mountains of rice, and jars of -sweet water stood in the air to cool. After feeding, regardless of -Quartana and her weird sisterhood, we all lay down for siesta in the light -sea-breeze. Our slumbers were heavy, as the Zayla people say is ever the -case at Saad el Din, and the sun had declined low ere we awoke. The tide -was out, and we waded a quarter of a mile to the boat, amongst giant crabs -who showed grisly claws, sharp coralline, and sea-weed so thick as to -become almost a mat. You must believe me when I tell you that in the -shallower parts the sun was painfully hot, even to my well tried feet. We -picked up a few specimens of fine sponge, and coral, white and red, which, -if collected, might be valuable to Zayla, and, our pic-nic concluded, we -returned home. - -On the 14th November we left the town to meet a caravan of the Danakil -[14], and to visit the tomb of the great saint Abu Zarbay. The former -approached in a straggling line of asses, and about fifty camels laiden -with cows' hides, ivories and one Abyssinian slave-girl. The men were wild -as ourang-outangs, and the women fit only to flog cattle: their animals -were small, meagre-looking, and loosely made; the asses of the Bedouins, -however, are far superior to those of Zayla, and the camels are, -comparatively speaking, well bred. [15] In a few minutes the beasts were -unloaded, the Gurgis or wigwams pitched, and all was prepared for repose. -A caravan so extensive being an unusual event,--small parties carrying -only grain come in once or twice a week,--the citizens abandoned even -their favourite game of ball, with an eye to speculation. We stood at -"Government House," over the Ashurbara Gate, to see the Bedouins, and we -quizzed (as Town men might denounce a tie or scoff at a boot) the huge -round shields and the uncouth spears of these provincials. Presently they -entered the streets, where we witnessed their frantic dance in presence of -the Hajj and other authorities. This is the wild men's way of expressing -their satisfaction that Fate has enabled them to convoy the caravan -through all the dangers of the desert. - -The Shaykh Ibrahim Abu Zarbay [16] lies under a whitewashed dome close to -the Ashurbara Gate of Zayla: an inscription cut in wood over the doorway -informs us that the building dates from A.H. 1155=AD. 1741-2. It is now -dilapidated, the lintel is falling in, the walls are decaying, and the -cupola, which is rudely built, with primitive gradients,--each step -supported as in Cashmere and other parts of India, by wooden beams,-- -threatens the heads of the pious. The building is divided into two -compartments, forming a Mosque and a Mazar or place of pious visitation: -in the latter are five tombs, the two largest covered with common chintz -stuff of glaring colours. Ibrahim was one of the forty-four Hazrami saints -who landed at Berberah, sat in solemn conclave upon Auliya Kumbo or Holy -Hill, and thence dispersed far and wide for the purpose of propagandism. -He travelled to Harar about A.D. 1430 [17], converted many to El Islam, -and left there an honored memory. His name is immortalised in El Yemen by -the introduction of El Kat. [17] - -Tired of the town, I persuaded the Hajj to send me with an escort to the -Hissi or well. At daybreak I set out with four Arab matchlock-men, and -taking a direction nearly due west, waded and walked over an alluvial -plain flooded by every high tide. On our way we passed lines of donkeys -and camels carrying water-skins from the town; they were under guard like -ourselves, and the sturdy dames that drove them indulged in many a loud -joke at our expense. After walking about four miles we arrived at what is -called the Takhushshah--the sandy bed of a torrent nearly a mile broad -[19], covered with a thin coat of caked mud: in the centre is a line of -pits from three to four feet deep, with turbid water at the bottom. Around -them were several frame-works of four upright sticks connected by -horizontal bars, and on these were stretched goats'-skins, forming the -cattle-trough of the Somali country. About the wells stood troops of -camels, whose Eesa proprietors scowled fiercely at us, and stalked over -the plain with their long, heavy spears: for protection against these -people, the citizens have erected a kind of round tower, with a ladder for -a staircase. Near it are some large tamarisks and the wild henna of the -Somali country, which supplies a sweet-smelling flower, but is valueless -as a dye. A thick hedge of thorn-trees surrounds the only cultivated -ground near Zayla: as Ibn Said declared in old times, "the people have no -gardens, and know nothing of fruits." The variety and the luxuriance of -growth, however, prove that industry is the sole desideratum. I remarked -the castor-plant,--no one knows its name or nature [20],--the Rayhan or -Basil, the Kadi, a species of aloe, whose strongly scented flowers the -Arabs of Yemen are fond of wearing in their turbans. [21] Of vegetables, -there were cucumbers, egg-plants, and the edible hibiscus; the only fruit -was a small kind of water-melon. - -After enjoying a walk through the garden and a bath at the well, I -started, gun in hand, towards the jungly plain that stretches towards the -sea. It abounds in hares, and in a large description of spur-fowl [22]; -the beautiful little sand antelope, scarcely bigger than an English rabbit -[23], bounded over the bushes, its thin legs being scarcely perceptible -during the spring. I was afraid to fire with ball, the place being full of -Bedouins' huts, herds, and dogs, and the vicinity of man made the animals -too wild for small shot. In revenge, I did considerable havoc amongst the -spur-fowl, who proved equally good for sport and the pot, besides knocking -over a number of old crows, whose gall the Arab soldiers wanted for -collyrium. [24] Beyond us lay Warabalay or Hyaenas' hill [25]: we did not -visit it, as all its tenants had been driven away by the migration of the -Nomads. - -Returning, we breakfasted in the garden, and rain coming on, we walked out -to enjoy the Oriental luxury of a wetting. Ali Iskandar, an old Arab -mercenary, afforded us infinite amusement: a little opium made him half -crazy, when his sarcastic pleasantries never ceased. We then brought out -the guns, and being joined by the other escort, proceeded to a trial of -skill. The Arabs planted a bone about 200 paces from us,--a long distance -for a people who seldom fire beyond fifty yards;--moreover, the wind blew -the flash strongly in their faces. Some shot two or three dozen times wide -of the mark and were derided accordingly: one man hit the bone; he at once -stopped practice, as the wise in such matters will do, and shook hands -with all the party. He afterwards showed that his success on this occasion -had been accidental; but he was a staunch old sportsman, remarkable, as -the Arab Bedouins generally are, for his skill and perseverance in -stalking. Having no rifle, I remained a spectator. My revolvers excited -abundant attention, though none would be persuaded to touch them. The -largest, which fitted with a stock became an excellent carbine, was at -once named Abu Sittah (the Father of Six) and the Shaytan or Devil: the -pocket pistol became the Malunah or Accursed, and the distance to which it -carried ball made every man wonder. The Arabs had antiquated matchlocks, -mostly worn away to paper thinness at the mouth: as usual they fired with -the right elbow raised to the level of the ear, and the left hand grasping -the barrel, where with us the breech would be. Hassan Turki had one of -those fine old Shishkhanah rifles formerly made at Damascus and Senaa: it -carried a two-ounce ball with perfect correctness, but was so badly -mounted in its block-butt, shaped like a Dutch cheese, that it always -required a rest. - -On our return home we met a party of Eesa girls, who derided my colour and -doubted the fact of my being a Moslem. The Arabs declared me to be a -Shaykh of Shaykhs, and translated to the prettiest of the party an -impromptu proposal of marriage. She showed but little coyness, and stated -her price to be an Audulli or necklace [26], a couple of Tobes,--she asked -one too many--a few handfuls of beads, [27] and a small present for her -papa. She promised, naively enough, to call next day and inspect the -goods: the publicity of the town did not deter her, but the shamefacedness -of my two companions prevented our meeting again. Arrived at Zayla after a -sunny walk, the Arab escort loaded their guns, formed a line for me to -pass along, fired a salute, and entered to coffee and sweetmeats. - -On the 24th of November I had an opportunity of seeing what a timid people -are these Somal of the towns, who, as has been well remarked, are, like -the settled Arabs, the worst specimens of their race. Three Eesa Bedouins -appeared before the southern gate, slaughtered a cow, buried its head, and -sent for permission to visit one of their number who had been imprisoned -by the Hajj for the murder of his son Masud. The place was at once thrown -into confusion, the gates were locked, and the walls manned with Arab -matchlock men: my three followers armed themselves, and I was summoned to -the fray. Some declared that the Bedouins were "doing" [28] the town; -others that they were the van of a giant host coming to ravish, sack, and -slay: it turned out that these Bedouins had preceded their comrades, who -were bringing in, as the price of blood [29], an Abyssinian slave, seven -camels, seven cows, a white mule, and a small black mare. The prisoner was -visited by his brother, who volunteered to share his confinement, and the -meeting was described as most pathetic: partly from mental organisation -and partly from the peculiarities of society, the only real tie -acknowledged by these people is that which connects male kinsmen. The -Hajj, after speaking big, had the weakness to let the murderer depart -alive: this measure, like peace-policy in general, is the best and surest -way to encourage bloodshed and mutilation. But a few months before, an -Eesa Bedouin enticed out of the gates a boy about fifteen, and slaughtered -him for the sake of wearing the feather. His relations were directed to -receive the Diyat or blood fine, and the wretch was allowed to depart -unhurt--a silly clemency! - -You must not suppose, dear L., that I yielded myself willingly to the -weary necessity of a month at Zayla. But how explain to you the obstacles -thrown in our way by African indolence, petty intrigue, and interminable -suspicion? Four months before leaving Aden I had taken the precaution of -meeting the Hajj, requesting him to select for us an Abban [30], or -protector, and to provide camels and mules; two months before starting I -had advanced to him the money required in a country where nothing can be -done without a whole or partial prepayment. The protector was to be -procured anywhere, the cattle at Tajurrah, scarcely a day's sail from -Zayla: when I arrived nothing was forthcoming. I at once begged the -governor to exert himself: he politely promised to start a messenger that -hour, and he delayed doing so for ten days. An easterly wind set in and -gave the crew an excuse for wasting another fortnight. [31] Travellers are -an irritable genus: I stormed and fretted at the delays to show -earnestness of purpose. All the effect was a paroxysm of talking. The Hajj -and his son treated me, like a spoilt child, to a double allowance of food -and milk: they warned me that the small-pox was depopulating Harar, that -the road swarmed with brigands, and that the Amir or prince was certain -destruction,--I contented myself with determining that both were true -Oriental hyperbolists, and fell into more frequent fits of passion. The -old man could not comprehend my secret. "If the English," he privately -remarked, "wish to take Harar, let them send me 500 soldiers; if not, I -can give all information concerning it." When convinced of my -determination to travel, he applied his mind to calculating the benefit -which might be derived from the event, and, as the following pages will -show, he was not without success. - -Towards the end of November, four camels were procured, an Abban was -engaged, we hired two women cooks and a fourth servant; my baggage was -reformed, the cloth and tobacco being sewn up in matting, and made to fit -the camels' sides [32]; sandals were cut out for walking, letters were -written, messages of dreary length,--too important to be set down in black -and white,--were solemnly entrusted to us, palavers were held, and affairs -began to wear the semblance of departure. The Hajj strongly recommended us -to one of the principal families of the Gudabirsi tribe, who would pass us -on to their brother-in-law Adan, the Gerad or prince of the Girhi; and he, -in due time, to his kinsman the Amir of Harar. The chain was commenced by -placing us under the protection of one Raghe, a petty Eesa chief of the -Mummasan clan. By the good aid of the Hajj and our sweetmeats, he was -persuaded, for the moderate consideration of ten Tobes [33], to accompany -us to the frontier of his clan, distant about fifty miles, to introduce us -to the Gudabirsi, and to provide us with three men as servants, and a -suitable escort, a score or so, in dangerous places. He began, with us in -an extravagant manner, declaring that nothing but "name" induced him to -undertake the perilous task; that he had left his flocks and herds at a -season of uncommon risk, and that all his relations must receive a certain -honorarium. But having paid at least three pounds for a few days of his -society, we declined such liberality, and my companions, I believe, -declared that it would be "next time:"--on all such occasions I make a -point of leaving the room, since for one thing given at least five are -promised on oath. Raghe warned us seriously to prepare for dangers and -disasters, and this seemed to be the general opinion of Zayla, whose timid -citizens determined that we were tired of our lives. The cold had driven -the Nomads from the hills to the warm maritime Plains [34], we should -therefore traverse a populous region; and, as the End of Time aptly -observed, "Man eats you up, the Desert does not." Moreover this year the -Ayyal Nuh Ismail, a clan of the Habr Awal tribe, is "out," and has been -successful against the Eesa, who generally are the better men. They sweep -the country in Kaum or Commandos [35], numbering from twenty to two -hundred troopers, armed with assegai, dagger, and shield, and carrying a -water skin and dried meat for a three days' ride, sufficient to scour the -length of the low land. The honest fellows are not so anxious to plunder -as to ennoble themselves by taking life: every man hangs to his saddle bow -an ostrich [36] feather,--emblem of truth,--and the moment his javelin has -drawn blood, he sticks it into his tufty pole with as much satisfaction as -we feel when attaching a medal to our shell-jackets. It is by no means -necessary to slay the foe in fair combat: Spartan-like, treachery is -preferred to stand-up fighting; and you may measure their ideas of honor, -by the fact that women are murdered in cold blood, as by the Amazulus, -with the hope that the unborn child may prove a male. The hero carries -home the trophy of his prowess [37], and his wife, springing from her -tent, utters a long shrill scream of joy, a preliminary to boasting of her -man's valour, and bitterly taunting the other possessors of _noirs -faineants_: the derided ladies abuse their lords with peculiar virulence, -and the lords fall into paroxysms of envy, hatred, and malice. During my -short stay at Zayla six or seven murders were committed close to the -walls: the Abban brought news, a few hours before our departure, that two -Eesas had been slaughtered by the Habr Awal. The Eesa and Dankali also -have a blood feud, which causes perpetual loss of life. But a short time -ago six men of these two tribes were travelling together, when suddenly -the last but one received from the hindermost a deadly spear thrust in the -back. The wounded man had the presence of mind to plunge his dagger in the -side of the wayfarer who preceded him, thus dying, as the people say, in -company. One of these events throws the country into confusion, for the -_vendetta_ is rancorous and bloody, as in ancient Germany or in modern -Corsica. Our Abban enlarged upon the unpleasant necessity of travelling -all night towards the hills, and lying _perdu_ during the day. The most -dangerous times are dawn and evening tide: the troopers spare their horses -during the heat, and themselves during the dew-fall. Whenever, in the -desert,--where, says the proverb, all men are enemies--you sight a fellow -creature from afar, you wave the right arm violently up and down, -shouting "War Joga! War Joga!"--stand still! stand still! If they halt, -you send a parliamentary to within speaking distance. Should they advance -[38], you fire, taking especial care not to miss; when two saddles are -emptied, the rest are sure to decamp. - -I had given the Abban orders to be in readiness,--my patience being -thoroughly exhausted,--on Sunday, the 26th of November, and determined to -walk the whole way, rather than waste another day waiting for cattle. As -the case had become hopeless, a vessel was descried standing straight from -Tajurrah, and, suddenly as could happen in the Arabian Nights, four fine -mules, saddled and bridled, Abyssinian fashion, appeared at the door. [39] - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] Brace describes Zayla as "a small island, on the very coast of Adel." -To reconcile discrepancy, he adopts the usual clumsy expedient of -supposing two cities of the same name, one situated seven degrees south of -the other. Salt corrects the error, but does not seem to have heard of old -Zayla's insular position. - -[2] The inhabitants were termed Avalitae, and the Bay "Sinus Avaliticus." -Some modern travellers have confounded it with Adule or Adulis, the port -of Axum, founded by fugitive Egyptian slaves. The latter, however, lies -further north: D'Anville places it at Arkiko, Salt at Zula (or Azule), -near the head of Annesley Bay. - -[3] The Arabs were probably the earliest colonists of this coast. Even the -Sawahil people retain a tradition that their forefathers originated in the -south of Arabia. - -[4] To the present day the district of Gozi is peopled by Mohammedans -called Arablet, "whose progenitors," according to Harris, "are said by -tradition to have been left there prior to the reign of Nagasi, first King -of Shoa. Hossain, Wahabit, and Abdool Kurreem, generals probably detached -from the victorious army of Graan (Mohammed Gragne), are represented to -have come from Mecca, and to have taken possession of the country,--the -legend assigning to the first of these warriors as his capital, the -populous village of Medina, which is conspicuous on a cone among the -mountains, shortly after entering the valley of Robi." - -[5] Historia Regum Islamiticorum in Abyssinia, Lugd. Bat. 1790. - -[6] The affinity between the Somal and the Berbers of Northern Africa, -and their descent from Canaan, son of Ham, has been learnedly advanced -and refuted by several Moslem authors. The theory appears to have arisen -from a mistake; Berberah, the great emporium of the Somali country, -being confounded with the Berbers of Nubia. - -[7] Probably Zaidi from Yemen. At present the people of Zayla are all -orthodox Sunnites. - -[8] Fish, as will be seen in these pages, is no longer a favourite article -of diet. - -[9] Bruce, book 8. - -[10] Hence the origin of the trade between Africa and Cutch, which -continues uninterrupted to the present time. Adel, Arabia, and India, as -Bruce remarks, were three partners in one trade, who mutually exported -their produce to Europe, Asia, and Africa, at that time the whole known -world. - -[11] The Turks, under a show of protecting commerce, established these -posts in their different ports. But they soon made it appear that the end -proposed was only to ascertain who were the subjects from whom they could -levy the most enormous extortions. Jeddah, Zebid, and Mocha, the places of -consequence nearest to Abyssinia on the Arabian coast, Suakin, a seaport -town on the very barriers of Abyssinia, in the immediate way of their -caravan to Cairo on the African side, were each under the command of a -Turkish Pasha and garrisoned by Turkish troops sent thither from -Constantinople by the emperors Selim and Sulayman. - -[12] Bartema's account of its productions is as follows: "The soil beareth -wheat and hath abundance of flesh and divers other commodious things. It -hath also oil, not of olives, but of some other thing, I know not what. -There is also plenty of honey and wax; there are likewise certain sheep -having their tails of the weight of sixteen pounds, and exceeding fat; the -head and neck are black, and all the rest white. There are also sheep -altogether white, and having tails of a cubit long, and hanging down like -a great cluster of grapes, and have also great laps of skin hanging down -from their throats, as have bulls and oxen, hanging down almost to the -ground. There are also certain kind with horns like unto harts' horns; -these are wild, and when they be taken are given to the Sultan of that -city as a kingly present. I saw there also certain kind having only one -horn in the midst of the forehead, as hath the unicorn, and about a span -of length, but the horn bendeth backward: they are of bright shining red -colour. But they that have harts' horns are inclining to black colour. -Living is there good and cheap." - -[13] The people have a tradition that a well of sweet water exists unseen -in some part of the island. When Saad el Din was besieged in Zayla by the -Hatze David, the host of El Islam suffered severely for the want of the -fresh element. - -[14] The singular is Dankali, the plural Danakil: both words are Arabic, -the vernacular name being "Afar" or "Afer," the Somali "Afarnimun." The -word is pronounced like the Latin "Afer," an African. - -[15] Occasionally at Zayla--where all animals are expensive--Dankali -camels may be bought: though small, they resist hardship and fatigue -better than the other kinds. A fair price would be about ten dollars. The -Somal divide their animals into two kinds, Gel Ad and Ayyun. The former is -of white colour, loose and weak, but valuable, I was told by Lieut. Speke, -in districts where little water is found: the Ayyun is darker and -stronger; its price averages about a quarter more than the Gel Ad. - -To the Arabian traveller nothing can be more annoying than these Somali -camels. They must be fed four hours during the day, otherwise they cannot -march. They die from change of food or sudden removal to another country. -Their backs are ever being galled, and, with all precautions, a month's -march lays them up for three times that period. They are never used for -riding, except in cases of sickness or accidents. - -The Somali ass is generally speaking a miserable animal. Lieut. Speke, -however, reports that on the windward coast it is not to be despised. At -Harar I found a tolerable breed, superior in appearance but inferior in -size to the thoroughbred little animals at Aden. They are never ridden; -their principal duty is that of carrying water-skins to and from the -walls. - -[16] He is generally called Abu Zerbin, more rarely Abu Zarbayn, and Abu -Zarbay. I have preferred the latter orthography upon the authority of the -Shaykh Jami, most learned of the Somal. - -[17] In the same year (A.D. 1429-30) the Shaykh el Shazili, buried under a -dome at Mocha, introduced coffee into Arabia. - -[18] The following is an extract from the Pharmaceutical Journal, vol. -xii. No. v. Nov. 1. 1852. Notes upon the drugs observed at Aden Arabia, by -James Vaughan, Esq., M.R.C.S.E., Assist. Surg., B.A., Civil and Port. -Surg., Aden, Arabia. - -"Kat [Arabic], the name of a drug which is brought into Aden from the -interior, and largely used, especially by the Arabs, as a pleasurable -excitant. It is generally imported in small camel-loads, consisting of a -number of parcels, each containing about forty slender twigs with the -leaves attached, and carefully wrapped so as to prevent as much as -possible exposure to the atmosphere. The leaves form the edible part, and -these, when chewed, are said to produce great hilarity of spirits, and an -agreeable state of wakefulness. Some estimate may be formed of the strong -predilection which the Arabs have for this drug from the quantity used in -Aden alone, which averages about 280 camel-loads annually. The market -price is one and a quarter rupees per parcel, and the exclusive privilege -of selling it is farmed by the government for 1500 rupees per year. -Forskal found the plant growing on the mountains of Yemen, and has -enumerated it as a new genus in the class Pentandria, under the name of -Catha. He notices two species, and distinguishes them as _Catha edulis_ -and _Catha spinosa_. According to his account it is cultivated on the same -ground as coffee, and is planted from cuttings. Besides the effects above -stated, the Arabs, he tells us, believe the land where it grows to be -secure from the inroads of plague; and that a twig of the Kat carried in -the bosom is a certain safeguard against infection. The learned botanist -observes, with respect to these supposed virtues, 'Gustus foliorum tamen -virtutem tantam indicare non videtur.' Like coffee, Kat, from its -acknowledged stimulating effects, has been a fertile theme for the -exercise of Mahomedan casuistry, and names of renown are ranged on both -sides of the question, whether the use of Kat does or does not contravene -the injunction of the Koran, Thou shalt not drink wine or anything -intoxicating. The succeeding notes, borrowed chiefly from De Sacy's -researches, may be deemed worthy of insertion here. - -"Sheikh Abdool Kader Ansari Jezeri, a learned Mahomedan author, in his -treatise on the use of coffee, quotes the following from the writings of -Fakr ood Deen Mekki:--'It is said that the first who introduced coffee was -the illustrious saint Aboo Abdallah Mahomed Dhabhani ibn Said; but we have -learned by the testimony of many persons that the use of coffee in Yemen, -its origin, and first introduction into that country are due to the -learned All Shadeli ibn Omar, one of the disciples of the learned doctor -Nasr ood Deen, who is regarded as one of the chiefs among the order -Shadeli, and whose worth attests the high degree of spirituality to which -they had attained. Previous to that time they made coffee of the vegetable -substance called Cafta, which is the same as the leaf known under the name -of Kat, and not of Boon (the coffee berry) nor any preparation of Boon. -The use of this beverage extended in course of time as far as Aden, but in -the days of Mahomed Dhabhani the vegetable substance from which it was -prepared disappeared from Aden. Then it was that the Sheik advised those -who had become his disciples to try the drink made from the Boon, which -was found to produce the same effect as the Kat, inducing sleeplessness, -and that it was attended with less expense and trouble. The use of coffee -has been kept up from that time to the present.' - -"D'Herbelot states that the beverage called Calmat al Catiat or Caftah, -was prohibited in Yemen in consequence of its effects upon the brain. On -the other hand a synod of learned Mussulmans is said to have decreed that -as beverages of Kat and Cafta do not impair the health or impede the -observance of religious duties, but only increase hilarity and good- -humour, it was lawful to use them, as also the drink made from the boon or -coffee-berry. I am not aware that Kat is used in Aden in any other way -than for mastication. From what I have heard, however, I believe that a -decoction resembling tea is made from the leaf by the Arabs in the -interior; and one who is well acquainted with our familiar beverage -assures me that the effects are not unlike those produced by strong green -tea, with this advantage in favour of Kat, that the excitement is always -of a pleasing and agreeable kind. [Note: "Mr. Vaughan has transmitted two -specimens called Tubbare Kat and Muktaree Kat, from the districts in which -they are produced: the latter fetches the lower price. Catha edulis -_Forsk._, Nat. Ord. Celastraceae, is figured in Dr. Lindley's Vegetable -Kingdom, p. 588. (London, 1846). But there is a still more complete -representation of the plant under the name of Catha Forskalii _Richard_, -in a work published under the auspices of the French government, entitled, -'Voyage en Abyssinie execute pendant les annees 1839-43, par une -commission scientifique composee de MM. Theophile Lefebvre, Lieut. du -Vaisseau, A. Petit et Martin-Dillon, docteurs medecins, naturalistes du -Museum, Vignaud dessinateur.' The botanical portion of this work, by M. -Achille Richard, is regarded either as a distinct publication under the -title of Tentamen Florae Abyssinicae, or as a part of the Voyage en -Abyssinie. M. Richard enters into some of the particulars relative to the -synonyms of the plant, from which it appears that Vahl referred Forskal's -genus Catha to the Linnaean genus Celastrus, changing the name of Catha -edulis to Celastrus edulis. Hochstetter applied the name of Celastrus -edulis to an Abyssinian species (Celastrus obscurus _Richard_), which he -imagined identical with Forskal's Catha edulis, while of the real Catha -edulis _Forsk._, he formed a new genus and species, under the name of -Trigonotheca serrata _Hochs_. Nat. Ord. Hippocrateaceae. I quote the -following references from the Tentamen Florae Abyssinicae, vol. i. p. 134.: -'Catha Forskalii _Nob._ Catha No. 4. Forsk. loc. cit, (Flor. AEgypt. Arab. -p. 63.) Trigonotheca serrata _Hochs._ in pl. Schimp. Abyss. sect. ii, No. -649. Celastrus edulis _Vahl, Ecl._ 1. 21.' Although In the Flora -AEgyptiaco-Arabica of Forskal no specific name is applied to the Catha at -p. 63, it is enumerated as Catha edulis at p. 107. The reference to -Celastrus edulis is not contained in the Eclogae Americanae of Vahl, but in -the author's Symbolae Botanicae (Hanulae, 1790, fol.) pars i. p. 21. (Daniel -Hanbury signed.)] - -[19] This is probably the "River of Zayla," alluded to by Ibn Said and -others. Like all similar features in the low country, it is a mere surface -drain. - -[20] In the upper country I found a large variety growing wild in the -Fiumaras. The Bedouins named it Buamado, but ignored its virtues. - -[21] This ornament is called Musbgur. - -[22] A large brown bird with black legs, not unlike the domestic fowl. The -Arabs call it Dijajat el Barr, (the wild hen): the Somal "digarin," a word -also applied to the Guinea fowl, which it resembles in its short strong -fight and habit of running. Owing to the Bedouin prejudice against eating -birds, it is found in large coveys all over the country. - -[23] It has been described by Salt and others. The Somal call it Sagaro, -the Arabs Ghezalah: it is found throughout the land generally in pairs, -and is fond of ravines under the hills, beds of torrents, and patches of -desert vegetation. It is easily killed by a single pellet of shot striking -the neck. The Somal catch it by a loop of strong twine hung round a gap in -a circuit of thorn hedge, or they run it down on foot, an operation -requiring half a day on account of its fleetness, which enables it to -escape the jackal and wild dog. When caught it utters piercing cries. Some -Bedouins do not eat the flesh: generally, however, it is considered a -delicacy, and the skulls and bones of these little animals lie strewed -around the kraals. - -[24] The Somal hold the destruction of the "Tuka" next in religious merit -to that of the snake. They have a tradition that the crow, originally -white, became black for his sins. When the Prophet and Abubekr were -concealed in the cave, the pigeon hid there from their pursuers: the crow, -on the contrary, sat screaming "ghar! ghar!" (the cave! the cave!) upon -which Mohammed ordered him into eternal mourning, and ever to repeat the -traitorous words. - -There are several species of crows in this part of Africa. Besides the -large-beaked bird of the Harar Hills, I found the common European variety, -with, however, the breast feathers white tipped in small semicircles as -far as the abdomen. The little "king-crow" of India is common: its bright -red eye and purplish plume render it a conspicuous object as it perches -upon the tall camel's back or clings to waving plants. - -[25] The Waraba or Durwa is, according to Mr. Blyth, the distinguished -naturalist, now Curator of the Asiatic Society's Museum at Calcutta, the -Canis pictus seu venaticus (Lycaon pictus or Wilde Honde of the Cape -Boers). It seems to be the Chien Sauvage or Cynhyene (Cynhyaena venatica) -of the French traveller M. Delegorgue, who in his "Voyage dans l'Afrique -Australe," minutely and diffusely describes it. Mr. Gordon Cumming -supposes it to form the connecting link between the wolf and the hyaena. -This animal swarms throughout the Somali country, prowls about the camps -all night, dogs travellers, and devours every thing he can find, at times -pulling down children and camels, and when violently pressed by hunger, -men. The Somal declare the Waraba to be a hermaphrodite; so the ancients -supposed the hyaena to be of both sexes, an error arising from the peculiar -appearance of an orifice situated near two glands which secrete an -unctuous fluid. - -[26] Men wear for ornament round the neck a bright red leather thong, upon -which are strung in front two square bits of true or imitation amber or -honey stone: this "Mekkawi," however, is seldom seen amongst the Bedouins. -The Audulli or woman's necklace is a more elaborate affair of amber, glass -beads, generally coloured, and coral: every matron who can afford it, -possesses at least one of these ornaments. Both sexes carry round the -necks or hang above the right elbow, a talisman against danger and -disease, either in a silver box or more generally sewn up in a small case -of red morocco. The Bedouins are fond of attaching a tooth-stick to the -neck thong. - -[27] Beads are useful in the Somali country as presents, and to pay for -trifling purchases: like tobacco they serve for small change. The kind -preferred by women and children is the "binnur," large and small white -porcelain: the others are the red, white, green, and spotted twisted -beads, round and oblong. Before entering a district the traveller should -ascertain what may be the especial variety. Some kind are greedily sought -for in one place, and in another rejected with disdain. - -[28] The Somali word "Fal" properly means "to do;" "to bewitch," is its -secondary sense. - -[29] The price of blood in the Somali country is the highest sanctioned by -El Islam. It must be remembered that amongst the pagan Arabs, the Korayah -"diyat," was twenty she-camels. Abd el Muttaleb, grandfather of Mohammed, -sacrificed 100 animals to ransom the life of his son, forfeited by a rash -vow, and from that time the greater became the legal number. The Somal -usually demand 100 she-camels, or 300 sheep and a few cows; here, as in -Arabia, the sum is made up by all the near relations of the slayer; 30 of -the animals may be aged, and 30 under age, but the rest must be sound and -good. Many tribes take less,--from strangers 100 sheep, a cow, and a -camel;--but after the equivalent is paid, the murderer or one of his clan, -contrary to the spirit of El Islam, is generally killed by the kindred or -tribe of the slain. When blood is shed in the same tribe, the full -reparation, if accepted by the relatives, is always exacted; this serves -the purpose of preventing fratricidal strife, for in such a nation of -murderers, only the Diyat prevents the taking of life. - -Blood money, however, is seldom accepted unless the murdered man has been -slain with a lawful weapon. Those who kill with the Dankaleh, a poisonous -juice rubbed upon meat, are always put to death by the members of their -own tribe. - -[30] The Abban or protector of the Somali country is the Mogasa of the -Gallas, the Akh of El Hejaz, the Ghafir of the Sinaitic Peninsula, and the -Rabia of Eastern Arabia. It must be observed, however, that the word -denotes the protege as well as the protector; In the latter sense it is -the polite address to a Somali, as Ya Abbaneh, O Protectress, would be to -his wife. - -The Abban acts at once as broker, escort, agent, and interpreter, and the -institution may be considered the earliest form of transit dues. In all -sales he receives a certain percentage, his food and lodging are provided -at the expense of his employer, and he not unfrequently exacts small -presents from his kindred. In return he is bound to arrange all -differences, and even to fight the battles of his client against his -fellow-countrymen. Should the Abban be slain, his tribe is bound to take -up the cause and to make good the losses of their protege. El Taabanah, -the office, being one of "name," the eastern synonym for our honour, as -well as of lucre, causes frequent quarrels, which become exceedingly -rancorous. - -According to the laws of the country, the Abban is master of the life and -property of his client. The traveller's success will depend mainly upon -his selection: if inferior in rank, the protector can neither forward nor -defend him; if timid, he will impede advance; and if avaricious, he will, -by means of his relatives, effectually stop the journey by absorbing the -means of prosecuting it. The best precaution against disappointment would -be the registering Abbans at Aden; every donkey-boy will offer himself as -a protector, but only the chiefs of tribes should be provided with -certificates. During my last visit to Africa, I proposed that English -officers visiting the country should be provided with servants not -protectors, the former, however, to be paid like the latter; all the -people recognised the propriety of the step. - -In the following pages occur manifold details concerning the complicated -subject, El Taabanah. - -[31] Future travellers would do well either to send before them a trusty -servant with orders to buy cattle; or, what would be better, though a -little more expensive, to take with them from Aden all the animals -required. - -[32] The Somal use as camel saddles the mats which compose their huts; -these lying loose upon the animal's back, cause, by slipping backwards and -forwards, the loss of many a precious hour, and in wet weather become half -a load. The more civilised make up of canvass or "gunny bags" stuffed with -hay and provided with cross bars, a rude packsaddle, which is admirably -calculated to gall the animal's back. Future travellers would do well to -purchase camel-saddles at Aden, where they are cheap and well made. - -[33] He received four cloths of Cutch canvass, and six others of coarse -American sheeting. At Zayla these articles are double the Aden value, -which would be about thirteen rupees or twenty-six shillings; in the bush -the price is quadrupled. Before leaving us the Abban received at least -double the original hire. Besides small presents of cloth, dates, tobacco -and rice to his friends, he had six cubits of Sauda Wilayati or English -indigo-dyed calico for women's fillets, and two of Sauda Kashshi, a Cutch -imitation, a Shukkah or half Tobe for his daughter, and a sheep for -himself, together with a large bundle of tobacco. - -[34] When the pastures are exhausted and the monsoon sets in, the Bedouins -return to their cool mountains; like the Iliyat of Persia, they have their -regular Kishlakh and Yaylakh. - -[35] "Kaum" is the Arabic, "All" the Somali, term for these raids. - -[36] Amongst the old Egyptians the ostrich feather was the symbol of -truth. The Somal call it "Bal," the Arabs "Rish;" it is universally used -here as the sign and symbol of victory. Generally the white feather only -is stuck in the hair; the Eesa are not particular in using black when they -can procure no other. All the clans wear it in the back hair, but each has -its own rules; some make it a standard decoration, others discard it after -the first few days. The learned have an aversion to the custom, -stigmatising it as pagan and idolatrous; the vulgar look upon it as the -highest mark of honor. - -[37] This is an ancient practice in Asia as well as in Africa. The -Egyptian temples show heaps of trophies placed before the monarchs as eyes -or heads were presented in Persia. Thus in 1 Sam. xviii. 25., David brings -the spoils of 200 Philistines, and shows them in full tale to the king, -that he might be the king's son-in-law. Any work upon the subject of -Abyssinia (Bruce, book 7. chap, 8.), or the late Afghan war, will prove -that the custom of mutilation, opposed as it is both to Christianity and -El Islam, is still practised in the case of hated enemies and infidels; -and De Bey remarks of the Cape Kafirs, "victores caesis excidunt [Greek: -_tu aidoui_], quae exsiccata regi afferunt." - -[38] When attacking cattle, the plundering party endeavour with shoots and -noise to disperse the herds, whilst the assailants huddle them together, -and attempt to face the danger in parties. - -[39] For the cheapest I paid twenty-three, for the dearest twenty-six -dollars, besides a Riyal upon each, under the names of custom dues and -carriage. The Hajj had doubtless exaggerated the price, but all were good -animals, and the traveller has no right to complain, except when he pays -dear for a bad article. - - - - -CHAP. IV. - -THE SOMAL, THEIR ORIGIN AND PECULIARITIES. - - -Before leaving Zayla, I must not neglect a short description of its -inhabitants, and the remarkable Somal races around it. - -Eastern Africa, like Arabia, presents a population composed of three -markedly distinct races. - -1. The Aborigines or Hamites, such as the Negro Sawahili, the Bushmen, -Hottentots, and other races, having such physiological peculiarities as -the steatopyge, the tablier, and other developments described, in 1815, by -the great Cuvier. - -2. The almost pure Caucasian of the northern regions, west of Egypt: their -immigration comes within the range of comparatively modern history. - -3. The half-castes in Eastern Africa are represented principally by the -Abyssinians, Gallas, Somals, and Kafirs. The first-named people derive -their descent from Menelek, son of Solomon by the Queen of Sheba: it is -evident from their features and figures,--too well known to require -description,--that they are descended from Semitic as well as Hamitic -progenitors. [1] About the origin of the Gallas there is a diversity of -opinion. [2] Some declare them to be Meccan Arabs, who settled on the -western coast of the Red Sea at a remote epoch: according to the -Abyssinians, however, and there is little to find fault with in their -theory, the Gallas are descended from a princess of their nation, who was -given in marriage to a slave from the country south of Gurague. She bare -seven sons, who became mighty robbers and founders of tribes: their -progenitors obtained the name of Gallas, after the river Gala, in Gurague, -where they gained a decisive victory over their kinsmen the Abyssins. [3] A -variety of ethnologic and physiological reasons,--into which space and -subject prevent my entering,--argue the Kafirs of the Cape to be a -northern people, pushed southwards by some, to us, as yet, unknown cause. -The origin of the Somal is a matter of modern history. - -"Barbarah" (Berberah) [4], according to the Kamus, is "a well known town -in El Maghrib, and a race located between El Zanj--Zanzibar and the -Negrotic coast--and El Habash [5]: they are descended from the Himyar -chiefs Sanhaj ([Arabic]) and Sumamah ([Arabic]), and they arrived at the -epoch of the conquest of Africa by the king Afrikus (Scipio Africanus?)." -A few details upon the subject of mutilation and excision prove these to -have been the progenitors of the Somal [6], who are nothing but a slice of -the great Galla nation Islamised and Semiticised by repeated immigrations -from Arabia. In the Kamus we also read that Samal ([Arabic]) is the name -of the father of a tribe, so called because he _thrust out_ ([Arabic], -_samala_) his brother's eye. [7] The Shaykh Jami, a celebrated -genealogist, informed me that in A.H. 666 = A.D. 1266-7, the Sayyid Yusuf -el Baghdadi visited the port of Siyaro near Berberah, then occupied by an -infidel magician, who passed through mountains by the power of his -gramarye: the saint summoned to his aid Mohammed bin Tunis el Siddiki, of -Bayt el Fakih in Arabia, and by their united prayers a hill closed upon -the pagan. Deformed by fable, the foundation of the tale is fact: the -numerous descendants of the holy men still pay an annual fine, by way of -blood-money to the family of the infidel chief. The last and most -important Arab immigration took place about fifteen generations or 450 -years ago, when the Sherif Ishak bin Ahmed [8] left his native country -Hazramaut, and, with forty-four saints, before mentioned, landed on -Makhar,--the windward coast extending from Karam Harbour to Cape -Guardafui. At the town of Met, near Burnt Island, where his tomb still -exists, he became the father of all the gentle blood and the only certain -descent in the Somali country: by Magaden, a free woman, he had Gerhajis, -Awal, and Arab; and by a slave or slaves, Jailah, Sambur, and Rambad. -Hence the great clans, Habr Gerhajis and Awal, who prefer the matronymic-- -Habr signifying a mother,--since, according to their dictum, no man knows -who may be his sire. [9] These increased and multiplied by connection and -affiliation to such an extent that about 300 years ago they drove their -progenitors, the Galla, from Berberah, and gradually encroached upon them, -till they intrenched themselves in the Highlands of Harar. - -The old and pagan genealogies still known to the Somal, are Dirr, Aydur, -Darud, and, according to some, Hawiyah. Dirr and Aydur, of whom nothing is -certainly known but the name [10], are the progenitors of the northern -Somal, the Eesa, Gudabirsi, Ishak, and Bursuk tribes. Darud Jabarti [11] -bin Ismail bin Akil (or Ukayl) is supposed by his descendants to have been -a noble Arab from El Hejaz, who, obliged to flee his country, was wrecked -on the north-east coast of Africa, where he married a daughter of the -Hawiyah tribe: rival races declare him to have been a Galla slave, who, -stealing the Prophet's slippers [12], was dismissed with the words, Inna- -_tarad_-na-hu (verily we have rejected him): hence his name Tarud -([Arabic]) or Darud, the Rejected. [13] The etymological part of the story -is, doubtless, fabulous; it expresses, however, the popular belief that -the founder of the eastward or windward tribes, now extending over the -seaboard from Bunder Jedid to Ras Hafun, and southward from the sea to the -Webbes [14], was a man of ignoble origin. The children of Darud are now -divided into two great bodies: "Harti" is the family name of the -Dulbahanta, Ogadayn, Warsangali and Mijjarthayn, who call themselves sons -of Harti bin Kombo bin Kabl Ullah bin Darud: the other Darud tribes not -included under that appellation are the Girhi, Berteri, Marayhan, and -Bahabr Ali. The Hawiyah are doubtless of ancient and pagan origin; they -call all Somal except themselves Hashiyah, and thus claim to be equivalent -to the rest of the nation. Some attempt, as usual, to establish a holy -origin, deriving themselves like the Shaykhash from the Caliph Abubekr: -the antiquity, and consequently the Pagan origin of the Hawiyah are proved -by its present widely scattered state; it is a powerful tribe in the -Mijjarthayn country, and yet is found in the hills of Harar. - -The Somal, therefore, by their own traditions, as well as their strongly -marked physical peculiarities, their customs, and their geographical -position, may be determined to be a half-caste tribe, an offshoot of the -great Galla race, approximated, like the originally Negro-Egyptian, to the -Caucasian type by a steady influx of pure Asiatic blood. - -In personal appearance the race is not unprepossessing. The crinal hair is -hard and wiry, growing, like that of a half-caste West Indian, in stiff -ringlets which sprout in tufts from the scalp, and, attaining a moderate -length, which they rarely surpass, hang down. A few elders, savans, and -the wealthy, who can afford the luxury of a turban, shave the head. More -generally, each filament is duly picked out with the comb or a wooden -scratcher like a knitting-needle, and the mass made to resemble a child's -"pudding," an old bob-wig, a mop, a counsellor's peruke, or an old- -fashioned coachman's wig,--there are a hundred ways of dressing the head. -The Bedouins, true specimens of the "greasy African race," wear locks -dripping with rancid butter, and accuse their citizen brethren of being -more like birds than men. The colouring matter of the hair, naturally a -bluish-black, is removed by a mixture of quicklime and water, or in the -desert by a _lessive_ of ashes [15]: this makes it a dull yellowish-white, -which is converted into red permanently by henna, temporarily by ochreish -earth kneaded with water. The ridiculous Somali peruke of crimsoned -sheepskin,--almost as barbarous an article as the Welsh,--is apparently a -foreign invention: I rarely saw one in the low country, although the hill -tribes about Harar sometimes wear a black or white "scratch-wig." The head -is rather long than round, and generally of the amiable variety, it is -gracefully put on the shoulders, belongs equally to Africa and Arabia, and -would be exceedingly weak but for the beauty of the brow. As far as the -mouth, the face, with the exception of high cheek-bones, is good; the -contour of the forehead ennobles it; the eyes are large and well-formed, -and the upper features are frequently handsome and expressive. The jaw, -however, is almost invariably prognathous and African; the broad, turned- -out lips betray approximation to the Negro; and the chin projects to the -detriment of the facial angle. The beard is represented by a few tufts; it -is rare to see anything equal to even the Arab development: the long and -ample eyebrows admired by the people are uncommon, and the mustachios are -short and thin, often twisted outwards in two dwarf curls. The mouth is -coarse as well as thick-lipped; the teeth rarely project as in the Negro, -but they are not good; the habit of perpetually chewing coarse Surat -tobacco stains them [16], the gums become black and mottled, and the use -of ashes with the quid discolours the lips. The skin, amongst the tribes -inhabiting the hot regions, is smooth, black, and glossy; as the altitude -increases it becomes lighter, and about Harar it is generally of a _cafe -au lait_ colour. The Bedouins are fond of raising beauty marks in the -shape of ghastly seams, and the thickness of the epidermis favours the -size of these _stigmates_. The male figure is tall and somewhat ungainly. -In only one instance I observed an approach to the steatopyge, making the -shape to resemble the letter S; but the shoulders are high, the trunk is -straight, the thighs fall off, the shin bones bow slightly forwards, and -the feet, like the hands, are coarse, large, and flat. Yet with their -hair, of a light straw colour, decked with the light waving feather, and -their coal-black complexions set off by that most graceful of garments the -clean white Tobe [17], the contrasts are decidedly effective. - -In mind the Somal are peculiar as in body. They are a people of most -susceptible character, and withal uncommonly hard to please. They dislike -the Arabs, fear and abhor the Turks, have a horror of Franks, and despise -all other Asiatics who with them come under the general name of Hindi -(Indians). The latter are abused on all occasions for cowardice, and a -want of generosity, which has given rise to the following piquant epigram: - - "Ask not from the Hindi thy want: - Impossible that the Hindi can be generous! - Had there been one liberal man in El Hind, - Allah had raised up a prophet in El Hind!" - -They have all the levity and instability of the Negro character; light- -minded as the Abyssinians,--described by Gobat as constant in nothing but -inconstancy,--soft, merry, and affectionate souls, they pass without any -apparent transition into a state of fury, when they are capable of -terrible atrocities. At Aden they appear happier than in their native -country. There I have often seen a man clapping his hands and dancing, -childlike, alone to relieve the exuberance of his spirits: here they -become, as the Mongols and other pastoral people, a melancholy race, who -will sit for hours upon a bank gazing at the moon, or croning some old -ditty under the trees. This state is doubtless increased by the perpetual -presence of danger and the uncertainty of life, which make them think of -other things but dancing and singing. Much learning seems to make them -mad; like the half-crazy Fakihs of the Sahara in Northern Africa, the -Widad, or priest, is generally unfitted for the affairs of this world, and -the Hafiz or Koran-reciter, is almost idiotic. As regards courage, they -are no exception to the generality of savage races. They have none of the -recklessness standing in lieu of creed which characterises the civilised -man. In their great battles a score is considered a heavy loss; usually -they will run after the fall of half a dozen: amongst a Kraal full of -braves who boast a hundred murders, not a single maimed or wounded man -will be seen, whereas in an Arabian camp half the male population will -bear the marks of lead and steel. The bravest will shirk fighting if he -has forgotten his shield: the sight of a lion and the sound of a gun -elicit screams of terror, and their Kaum or forays much resemble the style -of tactics rendered obsolete by the Great Turenne, when the tactician's -chief aim was not to fall in with his enemy. Yet they are by no means -deficient in the wily valour of wild men: two or three will murder a -sleeper bravely enough; and when the passions of rival tribes, between -whom there has been a blood feud for ages, are violently excited, they -will use with asperity the dagger and spear. Their massacres are fearful. -In February, 1847, a small sept, the Ayyal Tunis, being expelled from -Berberah, settled at the roadstead of Bulhar, where a few merchants, -principally Indian and Arab, joined them. The men were in the habit of -leaving their women and children, sick and aged, at the encampment inland, -whilst, descending to the beach, they carried on their trade. One day, as -they were thus employed, unsuspicious of danger, a foraging party of about -2500 Eesas attacked the camp: men, women, and children were -indiscriminately put to the spear, and the plunderers returned to their -villages in safety, laden with an immense amount of booty. At present, a -man armed with a revolver would be a terror to the country; the day, -however, will come when the matchlock will supersede the assegai, and then -the harmless spearman in his strong mountains will become, like the Arab, -a formidable foe. Travelling among the Bedouins, I found them kind and -hospitable. A pinch of snuff or a handful of tobacco sufficed to win every -heart, and a few yards of coarse cotton cloth supplied all our wants, I -was petted like a child, forced to drink milk and to eat mutton; girls -were offered to me in marriage; the people begged me to settle amongst -them, to head their predatory expeditions, free them from lions, and kill -their elephants; and often a man has exclaimed in pitying accents, "What -hath brought thee, delicate as thou art, to sit with us on the cowhide in -this cold under a tree?" Of course they were beggars, princes and paupers, -lairds and loons, being all equally unfortunate; the Arabs have named the -country Bilad Wa Issi,--the "Land of Give me Something;"--but their wants -were easily satisfied, and the open hand always made a friend. - -The Somal hold mainly to the Shafei school of El Islam: their principal -peculiarity is that of not reciting prayers over the dead even in the -towns. The marriage ceremony is simple: the price of the bride and the -feast being duly arranged, the formula is recited by some priest or -pilgrim. I have often been requested to officiate on these occasions, and -the End of Time has done it by irreverently reciting the Fatihah over the -happy pair. [18] The Somal, as usual amongst the heterogeneous mass -amalgamated by El Islam, have a diversity of superstitions attesting their -Pagan origin. Such for instance are their oaths by stones, their reverence -of cairns and holy trees, and their ordeals of fire and water, the Bolungo -of Western Africa. A man accused of murder or theft walks down a trench -full of live charcoal and about a spear's length, or he draws out of the -flames a smith's anvil heated to redness: some prefer picking four or five -cowries from a large pot full of boiling water. The member used is at once -rolled up in the intestines of a sheep and not inspected for a whole day. -They have traditionary seers called Tawuli, like the Greegree-men of -Western Africa, who, by inspecting the fat and bones of slaughtered -cattle, "do medicine," predict rains, battles, and diseases of animals. -This class is of both sexes: they never pray or bathe, and are therefore -considered always impure; thus, being feared, they are greatly respected -by the vulgar. Their predictions are delivered in a rude rhyme, often put -for importance into the mouth of some deceased seer. During the three -months called Rajalo [19] the Koran is not read over graves, and no -marriage ever takes place. The reason of this peculiarity is stated to be -imitation of their ancestor Ishak, who happened not to contract a -matrimonial alliance at such epoch: it is, however, a manifest remnant of -the Pagan's auspicious and inauspicious months. Thus they sacrifice she- -camels in the month Sabuh, and keep holy with feasts and bonfires the -Dubshid or New Year's Day. [20] At certain unlucky periods when the moon -is in ill-omened Asterisms those who die are placed in bundles of matting -upon a tree, the idea being that if buried a loss would result to the -tribe. [21] - -Though superstitious, the Somal are not bigoted like the Arabs, with the -exception of those who, wishing to become learned, visit Yemen or El -Hejaz, and catch the complaint. Nominal Mohammedans, El Islam hangs so -lightly upon them, that apparently they care little for making it binding -upon others. - -The Somali language is no longer unknown to Europe. It is strange that a -dialect which has no written character should so abound in poetry and -eloquence. There are thousands of songs, some local, others general, upon -all conceivable subjects, such as camel loading, drawing water, and -elephant hunting; every man of education knows a variety of them. The -rhyme is imperfect, being generally formed by the syllable "ay" -(pronounced as in our word "hay"), which gives the verse a monotonous -regularity; but, assisted by a tolerably regular alliteration and cadence, -it can never be mistaken for prose, even without the song which invariably -accompanies it. The country teems with "poets, poetasters, poetitos, and -poetaccios:" every man has his recognised position in literature as -accurately defined as though he had been reviewed in a century of -magazines,--the fine ear of this people [22] causing them to take the -greatest pleasure in harmonious sounds and poetical expressions, whereas a -false quantity or a prosaic phrase excite their violent indignation. Many -of these compositions are so idiomatic that Arabs settled for years -amongst the Somal cannot understand them, though perfectly acquainted with -the conversational style. Every chief in the country must have a panegyric -to be sung by his clan, and the great patronise light literature by -keeping a poet. The amatory is of course the favourite theme: sometimes it -appears in dialogue, the rudest form, we are told, of the Drama. The -subjects are frequently pastoral: the lover for instance invites his -mistress to walk with him towards the well in Lahelo, the Arcadia of the -land; he compares her legs to the tall straight Libi tree, and imprecates -the direst curses on her head if she refuse to drink with him the milk of -his favourite camel. There are a few celebrated ethical compositions, in -which the father lavishes upon his son all the treasures of Somali good -advice, long as the somniferous sermons of Mentor to the insipid son of -Ulysses. Sometimes a black Tyrtaeus breaks into a wild lament for the loss -of warriors or territory; he taunts the clan with cowardice, reminds them -of their slain kindred, better men than themselves, whose spirits cannot -rest unavenged in their gory graves, and urges a furious onslaught upon -the exulting victor. - -And now, dear L., I will attempt to gratify your just curiosity concerning -_the_ sex in Eastern Africa. - -The Somali matron is distinguished--externally--from the maiden by a -fillet of blue network or indigo-dyed cotton, which, covering the head and -containing the hair, hangs down to the neck. Virgins wear their locks -long, parted in the middle, and plaited in a multitude of hard thin -pigtails: on certain festivals they twine flowers and plaster the head -like Kafir women with a red ochre,--the _coiffure_ has the merit of -originality. With massive rounded features, large flat craniums, long big -eyes, broad brows, heavy chins, rich brown complexions, and round faces, -they greatly resemble the stony beauties of Egypt--the models of the land -ere Persia, Greece, and Rome reformed the profile and bleached the skin. -They are of the Venus Kallipyga order of beauty: the feature is scarcely -ever seen amongst young girls, but after the first child it becomes -remarkable to a stranger. The Arabs have not failed to make it a matter of -jibe. - - "'Tis a wonderful fact that your hips swell - Like boiled rice or a skin blown out," - -sings a satirical Yemeni: the Somal retort by comparing the lank haunches -of their neighbours to those of tadpoles or young frogs. One of their -peculiar charms is a soft, low, and plaintive voice, derived from their -African progenitors. Always an excellent thing in woman, here it has an -undefinable charm. I have often lain awake for hours listening to the -conversation of the Bedouin girls, whose accents sounded in my ears rather -like music than mere utterance. - -In muscular strength and endurance the women of the Somal are far superior -to their lords: at home they are engaged all day in domestic affairs, and -tending the cattle; on journeys their manifold duties are to load and -drive the camels, to look after the ropes, and, if necessary, to make -them; to pitch the hut, to bring water and firewood, and to cook. Both -sexes are equally temperate from necessity; the mead and the millet-beer, -so common among the Abyssinians and the Danakil, are entirely unknown to -the Somal of the plains. As regards their morals, I regret to say that the -traveller does not find them in the golden state which Teetotal doctrines -lead him to expect. After much wandering, we are almost tempted to believe -the bad doctrine that morality is a matter of geography; that nations and -races have, like individuals, a pet vice, and that by restraining one you -only exasperate another. As a general rule Somali women prefer -_amourettes_ with strangers, following the well-known Arab proverb, "The -new comer filleth the eye." In cases of scandal, the woman's tribe -revenges its honour upon the man. Should a wife disappear with a fellow- -clansman, and her husband accord divorce, no penal measures are taken, but -she suffers in reputation, and her female friends do not spare her. -Generally, the Somali women are of cold temperament, the result of -artificial as well as natural causes: like the Kafirs, they are very -prolific, but peculiarly bad mothers, neither loved nor respected by their -children. The fair sex lasts longer in Eastern Africa than in India and -Arabia: at thirty, however, charms are on the wane, and when old age comes -on they are no exceptions to the hideous decrepitude of the East. - -The Somal, when they can afford it, marry between the ages of fifteen and -twenty. Connections between tribes are common, and entitle the stranger to -immunity from the blood-feud: men of family refuse, however, to ally -themselves with the servile castes. Contrary to the Arab custom, none of -these people will marry cousins; at the same time a man will give his -daughter to his uncle, and take to wife, like the Jews and Gallas, a -brother's relict. Some clans, the Habr Yunis for instance, refuse maidens -of the same or even of a consanguineous family. This is probably a -political device to preserve nationality and provide against a common -enemy. The bride, as usual in the East, is rarely consulted, but frequent -_tete a tetes_ at the well and in the bush when tending cattle effectually -obviate this inconvenience: her relatives settle the marriage portion, -which varies from a cloth and a bead necklace to fifty sheep or thirty -dollars, and dowries are unknown. In the towns marriage ceremonies are -celebrated with feasting and music. On first entering the nuptial hut, the -bridegroom draws forth his horsewhip and inflicts memorable chastisement -upon the fair person of his bride, with the view of taming any lurking -propensity to shrewishness. [23] This is carrying out with a will the Arab -proverb, - - "The slave girl from her capture, the wife from her wedding." - -During the space of a week the spouse remains with his espoused, scarcely -ever venturing out of the hut; his friends avoid him, and no lesser event -than a plundering party or dollars to gain, would justify any intrusion. -If the correctness of the wife be doubted, the husband on the morning -after marriage digs a hole before his door and veils it with matting, or -he rends the skirt of his Tobe, or he tears open some new hut-covering: -this disgraces the woman's family. Polygamy is indispensable in a country -where children are the principal wealth. [24] The chiefs, arrived at -manhood, immediately marry four wives: they divorce the old and -unfruitful, and, as amongst the Kafirs, allow themselves an unlimited -number in peculiar cases, especially when many of the sons have fallen. -Daughters, as usual in Oriental countries, do not "count" as part of the -family: they are, however, utilised by the father, who disposes of them to -those who can increase his wealth and importance. Divorce is exceedingly -common, for the men are liable to sudden fits of disgust. There is little -ceremony in contracting marriage with any but maidens. I have heard a man -propose after half an hour's acquaintance, and the fair one's reply was -generally the question direct concerning "settlements." Old men frequently -marry young girls, but then the portion is high and the _menage a trois_ -common. - -The Somal know none of the exaggerated and chivalrous ideas by which -passion becomes refined affection amongst the Arab Bedouins and the sons -of civilisation, nor did I ever hear of an African abandoning the spear -and the sex to become a Darwaysh. Their "Hudhudu," however, reminds the -traveller of the Abyssinian "eye-love," the Afghan's "Namzad-bazi," and -the Semite's "Ishkuzri," which for want of a better expression we -translate "Platonic love." [25] This meeting of the sexes, however, is -allowed in Africa by male relatives; in Arabia and Central Asia it -provokes their direst indignation. Curious to say, throughout the Somali -country, kissing is entirely unknown. - -Children are carried on their mothers' backs or laid sprawling upon the -ground for the first two years [26]: they are circumcised at the age of -seven or eight, provided with a small spear, and allowed to run about -naked till the age of puberty. They learn by conversation, not books, eat -as much as they can beg, borrow and steal, and grow up healthy, strong, -and well proportioned according to their race. - -As in El Islam generally, so here, a man cannot make a will. The property -of the deceased is divided amongst his children,--the daughters receiving -a small portion, if any of it. When a man dies without issue, his goods -and chattels are seized upon by his nearest male relatives; one of them -generally marries the widow, or she is sent back to her family. Relicts, -as a rule, receive no legacies. - -You will have remarked, dear L., that the people of Zayla are by no means -industrious. They depend for support upon the Desert: the Bedouin becomes -the Nazil or guest of the townsman, and he is bound to receive a little -tobacco, a few beads, a bit of coarse cotton cloth, or, on great -occasions, a penny looking-glass and a cheap German razor, in return for -his slaves, ivories, hides, gums, milk, and grain. Any violation of the -tie is severely punished by the Governor, and it can be dissolved only by -the formula of triple divorce: of course the wild men are hopelessly -cheated [27], and their citizen brethren live in plenty and indolence. -After the early breakfast, the male portion of the community leave their -houses on business, that is to say, to chat, visit, and _flaner_ about the -streets and mosques. [28] They return to dinner and the siesta, after -which they issue forth again, and do not come home till night. Friday is -always an idle day, festivals are frequent, and there is no work during -weddings and mournings. The women begin after dawn to plait mats and -superintend the slaves, who are sprinkling the house with water, grinding -grain for breakfast, cooking, and breaking up firewood: to judge, however, -from the amount of chatting and laughter, there appears to be far less -work than play. - -In these small places it is easy to observe the mechanism of a government -which, _en grand_, becomes that of Delhi, Teheran, and Constantinople. The -Governor farms the place from the Porte: he may do what he pleases as long -as he pays his rent with punctuality and provides presents and _douceurs_ -for the Pasha of Mocha. He punishes the petty offences of theft, quarrels, -and arson by fines, the bastinado, the stocks, or confinement in an Arish -or thatch-hut: the latter is a severe penalty, as the prisoner must -provide himself with food. In cases of murder, he either refers to Mocha -or he carries out the Kisas--lex talionis--by delivering the slayer to the -relatives of the slain. The Kazi has the administration of the Shariat or -religious law: he cannot, however, pronounce sentence without the -Governor's permission; and generally his powers are confined to questions -of divorce, alimony, manumission, the wound-mulct, and similar cases which -come within Koranic jurisdiction. Thus the religious code is ancillary and -often opposed to "El Jabr,"--"the tyranny,"--the popular designation of -what we call Civil Law. [29] Yet is El Jabr, despite its name, generally -preferred by the worldly wise. The Governor contents himself with a -moderate bribe, the Kazi is insatiable: the former may possibly allow you -to escape unplundered, the latter assuredly will not. This I believe to be -the history of religious jurisdiction in most parts of the world. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] Eusebius declares that the Abyssinians migrated from Asia to Africa -whilst the Hebrews were in Egypt (circ. A. M. 2345); and Syncellus places -the event about the age of the Judges. - -[2] Moslems, ever fond of philological fable, thus derive the word Galla. -When Ullabu, the chief, was summoned by Mohammed to Islamise, the -messenger returned to report that "he said _no_,"--Kal la pronounced Gal -la,--which impious refusal, said the Prophet, should from that time become -the name of the race. - -[3] Others have derived them from Metcha, Karaiyo, and Tulema, three sons -of an AEthiopian Emperor by a female slave. They have, according to some -travellers, a prophecy that one day they will march to the east and north, -and conquer the inheritance of their Jewish ancestors. Mr. Johnston -asserts that the word Galla is "merely another form of _Calla_, which in -the ancient Persian, Sanscrit, Celtic, and their modern derivative -languages, under modified, but not changed terms, is expressive of -blackness." The Gallas, however, are not a black people. - -[4] The Aden stone has been supposed to name the "Berbers," who must have -been Gallas from the vicinity of Berberah. A certain amount of doubt still -hangs on the interpretation: the Rev. Mr. Forster and Dr. Bird being the -principal contrasts. - - _Rev. Mr. Forster._ _Dr. Bird_ - - "We assailed with cries of "He, the Syrian philosopher - hatred and rage the Abyssinians in Abadan, Bishop of - and Berbers. Cape Aden, who inscribed this - in the desert, blesses the - "We rode forth wrathfully institution of the faith." - against this refuse of mankind." - -[5] This word is generally translated Abyssinia; oriental geographers, -however, use it in a more extended sense. The Turks have held possessions -in "Habash," in Abyssinia never. - -[6] The same words are repeated in the Infak el Maysur fl Tarikh bilad el -Takrur (Appendix to Denham and Clapperton's Travels, No. xii.), again -confounding the Berbers and the Somal. Afrikus, according to that author, -was a king of Yemen who expelled the Berbers from Syria! - -[7] The learned Somal invariably spell their national name with an initial -Sin, and disregard the derivation from Saumal ([Arabic]), which would -allude to the hardihood of the wild people. An intelligent modern -traveller derives "Somali" from the Abyssinian "Soumahe" or heathens, and -asserts that it corresponds with the Arabic word Kafir or unbeliever, the -name by which Edrisi, the Arabian geographer, knew and described the -inhabitants of the Affah (Afar) coast, to the east of the Straits of Bab -el Mandeb. Such derivation is, however, unadvisable. - -[8] According to others he was the son of Abdullah. The written -genealogies of the Somal were, it is said, stolen by the Sherifs of Yemen, -who feared to leave with the wild people documents that prove the nobility -of their descent. - -[9] The salient doubt suggested by this genealogy is the barbarous nature -of the names. A noble Arab would not call his children Gerhajis, Awal, and -Rambad. - -[10] Lieut. Cruttenden applies the term Edoor (Aydur) to the descendants -of Ishak, the children of Gerhajis, Awal, and Jailah. His informants and -mine differ, therefore, _toto coelo_. According to some, Dirr was the -father of Aydur; others make Dirr (it has been written Tir and Durr) to -have been the name of the Galla family into which Shaykh Ishak married. - -[11] Some travellers make Jabarti or Ghiberti to signify "slaves" from the -Abyssinian Guebra; others "Strong in the Faith" (El Islam). Bruce applies -it to the Moslems of Abyssinia: it is still used, though rarely, by the -Somal, who in these times generally designate by it the Sawahili or Negro -Moslems. - -[12] The same scandalous story is told of the venerable patron saint of -Aden, the Sherif Haydrus. - -[13] Darud bin Ismail's tomb is near the Yubbay Tug in the windward -mountains; an account of it will be found in Lieut. Speke's diary. - -[14] The two rivers Shebayli and Juba. - -[15] Curious to any this mixture does not destroy the hair; it would soon -render a European bald. Some of the Somal have applied it to their beards; -the result has been the breaking and falling off of the filaments. - -[16] Few Somal except the citizens smoke, on account of the expense, all, -however, use the Takhzinah or quid. - -[17] The best description of the dress is that of Fenelon: "Leurs habits -sont aises a faire, car en ce doux climat on ne porte qu'une piece -d'etoffe fine et legere, qui n'est point taillee, et que chacun met a -longs plis autour de son corps pour la modestie; lui donnant la forme -qu'il veut." - -[18] Equivalent to reading out the Church Catechism at an English wedding. - -[19] Certain months of the lunar year. In 1854, the third Rajalo, -corresponding with Rabia the Second, began on the 21st of December. - -[20] The word literally means, "lighting of fire." It corresponds with the -Nayruz of Yemen, a palpable derivation, as the word itself proves, from -the old Guebre conquerors. In Arabia New Year's Day is called Ras el -Sanah, and is not celebrated by any peculiar solemnities. The ancient -religion of the Afar coast was Sabaeism, probably derived from the Berbers -or shepherds,--according to Bruce the first faith of the East, and the -only religion of Eastern Africa. The Somal still retain a tradition that -the "Furs," or ancient Guebres, once ruled the land. - -[21] Their names also are generally derived from their Pagan ancestors: a -list of the most common may be interesting to ethnologists. Men are called -Rirash, Igah, Beuh, Fahi, Samattar, Farih, Madar, Raghe, Dubayr, Irik, -Diddar, Awalah, and Alyan. Women's names are Aybla, Ayyo, Aurala, Ambar, -Zahabo, Ashkaro, Alka, Asoba, Gelo, Gobe, Mayran and Samaweda. - -[22] It is proved by the facility with which they pick up languages, -Western us well as Eastern, by mere ear and memory. - -[23] So the old Muscovites, we are told, always began married life with a -sound flogging. - -[24] I would not advise polygamy amongst highly civilised races, where the -sexes are nearly equal, and where reproduction becomes a minor duty. -Monogamy is the growth of civilisation: a plurality of wives is the -natural condition of man in thinly populated countries, where he who has -the largest family is the greatest benefactor of his kind. - -[25] The old French term "la petite oie" explains it better. Some trace of -the custom may be found in the Kafir's Slambuka or Schlabonka, for a -description of which I must refer to the traveller Delegorgue. - -[26] The Somal ignore the Kafir custom during lactation. - -[27] The citizens have learned the Asiatic art of bargaining under a -cloth. Both parties sit opposite each other, holding hands: if the little -finger for instance be clasped, it means 6, 60, or 600 dollars, according -to the value of the article for sale; if the ring finger, 7, 70, or 700, -and so on. - -[28] So, according to M. Krapf, the Suaheli of Eastern Africa wastes his -morning hours in running from house to house, to his friends or superiors, -_ku amkia_ (as he calls it), to make his morning salutations. A worse than -Asiatic idleness is the curse of this part of the world. - -[29] Diwan el Jabr, for instance, is a civil court, opposed to the -Mahkamah or the Kazi's tribunal. - - - - -CHAP. V. - -FROM ZAYLA TO THE HILLS. - - -Two routes connect Zayla with Harar; the south-western or direct line -numbers ten long or twenty short stages [1]: the first eight through the -Eesa country, and the last two among the Nole Gallas, who own the rule of -"Waday," a Makad or chief of Christian persuasion. The Hajj objected to -this way, on account of his recent blood-feud with the Rer Guleni. He -preferred for me the more winding road which passes south, along the -coast, through the Eesa Bedouins dependent upon Zayla, to the nearest -hills, and thence strikes south-westwards among the Gudabirsi and Girhi -Somal, who extend within sight of Harar. I cannot but suspect that in -selecting this route the good Sharmarkay served another purpose besides my -safety. Petty feuds between the chiefs had long "closed the path," and -perhaps the Somal were not unwilling that British cloth and tobacco should -re-open it. - -Early in the morning of the 27th of November, 1854, the mules and all the -paraphernalia of travel stood ready at the door. The five camels were -forced to kneel, growling angrily the while, by repeated jerks at the -halter: their forelegs were duly tied or stood upon till they had shifted -themselves into a comfortable position, and their noses were held down by -the bystanders whenever, grasshopper-like, they attempted to spring up. -Whilst spreading the saddle-mats, our women, to charm away remembrance of -chafed hump and bruised sides, sang with vigor the "Song of Travel": - - "0 caravan-men, we deceive ye not, we have laden the camels! - Old women on the journey are kenned by their sleeping I - (0 camel) can'st sniff the cock-boat and the sea? - Allah guard thee from the Mikahil and their Midgans!" [2] - -As they arose from squat it was always necessary to adjust their little -mountains of small packages by violently "heaving up" one side,--an -operation never failing to elicit a vicious grunt, a curve of the neck, -and an attempt to bite. One camel was especially savage; it is said that -on his return to Zayla, he broke a Bedouin girl's neck. Another, a -diminutive but hardy little brute of Dankali breed, conducted himself so -uproariously that he at once obtained the name of El Harami, or the -Ruffian. - -About 3 P.M., accompanied by the Hajj, his amiable son Mohammed, and a -party of Arab matchlockmen, who escorted me as a token of especial -respect, I issued from the Ashurbara Gate, through the usual staring -crowds, and took the way of the wilderness. After half a mile's march, we -exchanged affectionate adieus, received much prudent advice about keeping -watch and ward at night, recited the Fatihah with upraised palms, and with -many promises to write frequently and to meet soon, shook hands and -parted. The soldiers gave me a last volley, to which I replied with the -"Father of Six." - -You see, dear L., how travelling maketh man _banal_. It is the natural -consequence of being forced to find, in every corner where Fate drops you -for a month, a "friend of the soul," and a "moon-faced beauty." With -Orientals generally, you _must_ be on extreme terms, as in Hibernia, -either an angel of light or, that failing, a goblin damned. In East Africa -especially, English phlegm, shyness, or pride, will bar every heart and -raise every hand against you [3], whereas what M. Rochet calls "a certain -_rondeur_ of manner" is a specific for winning affection. You should walk -up to your man, clasp his fist, pat his back, speak some unintelligible -words to him,--if, as is the plan of prudence, you ignore the language,-- -laugh a loud guffaw, sit by his side, and begin pipes and coffee. He then -proceeds to utilise you, to beg in one country for your interest, and in -another for your tobacco. You gently but decidedly thrust that subject out -of the way, and choose what is most interesting to yourself. As might be -expected, he will at times revert to his own concerns; your superior -obstinacy will oppose effectual passive resistance to all such efforts; by -degrees the episodes diminish in frequency and duration; at last they -cease altogether. The man is now your own. - -You will bear in mind, if you please, that I am a Moslem merchant, a -character not to be confounded with the notable individuals seen on -'Change. Mercator in the East is a compound of tradesman, divine, and T. -G. Usually of gentle birth, he is everywhere welcomed and respected; and -he bears in his mind and manner that, if Allah please, he may become prime -minister a month after he has sold you a yard of cloth. Commerce appears -to be an accident, not an essential, with him; yet he is by no means -deficient in acumen. He is a grave and reverend signior, with rosary in -hand and Koran on lip, is generally a pilgrim, talks at dreary length -about Holy Places, writes a pretty hand, has read and can recite much -poetry, is master of his religion, demeans himself with respectability, is -perfect in all points of ceremony and politeness, and feels equally at -home whether sultan or slave sit upon his counter. He has a wife and -children in his own country, where he intends to spend the remnant of his -days; but "the world is uncertain"--"Fate descends, and man's eye seeth it -not"--"the earth is a charnel house"; briefly, his many wise old saws give -him a kind of theoretical consciousness that his bones may moulder in -other places but his father-land. - -To describe my little caravan. Foremost struts Raghe, our Eesa guide, in -all the bravery of Abbanship. He is bareheaded and clothed in Tobe and -slippers: a long, heavy, horn-hilted dagger is strapped round his waist, -outside his dress; in his right hand he grasps a ponderous wire-bound -spear, which he uses as a staff, and the left forearm supports a round -targe of battered hide. Being a man of education, he bears on one shoulder -a Musalla or prayer carpet of tanned leather, the article used throughout -the Somali country; slung over the other is a Wesi or wicker bottle -containing water for religious ablution. He is accompanied by some men who -carry a little stock of town goods and drive a camel colt, which by the by -they manage to lose before midnight. - -My other attendants must now be introduced to you, as they are to be for -the next two months companions of our journey. - -First in the list are the fair Samaweda Yusuf, and Aybla Farih [4], buxom -dames about thirty years old, who presently secured the classical -nicknames of Shehrazade, and Deenarzade. They look each like three average -women rolled into one, and emphatically belong to that race for which the -article of feminine attire called, I believe, a "bussle" would be quite -superfluous. Wonderful, truly, is their endurance of fatigue! During the -march they carry pipe and tobacco, lead and flog the camels, adjust the -burdens, and will never be induced to ride, in sickness or in health. At -the halt they unload the cattle, dispose the parcels in a semicircle, -pitch over them the Gurgi or mat tent, cook our food, boil tea and coffee, -and make themselves generally useful. They bivouack outside our abode, -modesty not permitting the sexes to mingle, and in the severest cold wear -no clothing but a head fillet and an old Tobe. They have curious soft -voices, which contrast agreeably with the harsh organs of the males. At -first they were ashamed to see me; but that feeling soon wore off, and -presently they enlivened the way with pleasantries far more naive than -refined. To relieve their greatest fatigue, nothing seems necessary but -the "Jogsi:" [5] they lie at full length, prone, stand upon each other's -backs trampling and kneading with the toes, and rise like giants much -refreshed. Always attendant upon these dames is Yusuf, a Zayla lad who, -being one-eyed, was pitilessly named by my companions the "Kalendar;" he -prays frequently, is strict in his morals, and has conceived, like Mrs. -Brownrigg, so exalted an idea of discipline, that, but for our influence, -he certainly would have beaten the two female 'prentices to death. They -hate him therefore, and he knows it. - -Immediately behind Raghe and his party walk Shehrazade and Deenarzade, the -former leading the head camel, the latter using my chibouque stick as a -staff. She has been at Aden, and sorely suspects me; her little black eyes -never meet mine; and frequently, with affected confusion, she turns her -sable cheek the clean contrary way. Strung together by their tails, and -soundly beaten when disposed to lag, the five camels pace steadily along -under their burdens,--bales of Wilayati or American sheeting, Duwwarah or -Cutch canvass, with indigo-dyed stuff slung along the animals' sides, and -neatly sewn up in a case of matting to keep off dust and rain,--a cow's -hide, which serves as a couch, covering the whole. They carry a load of -"Mushakkar" (bad Mocha dates) for the Somal, with a parcel of better -quality for ourselves, and a half hundredweight of coarse Surat tobacco -[6]; besides which we have a box of beads, and another of trinkets, -mosaic-gold earrings, necklaces, watches, and similar nick-nacks. Our -private provisions are represented by about 300 lbs. of rice,--here the -traveller's staff of life,--a large pot full of "Kawurmeh" [7], dates, -salt [8], clarified butter, tea, coffee, sugar, a box of biscuits in case -of famine, "Halwa" or Arab sweetmeats to be used when driving hard -bargains, and a little turmeric for seasoning. A simple _batterie de -cuisine_, and sundry skins full of potable water [9], dangle from chance -rope-ends; and last, but not the least important, is a heavy box [10] of -ammunition sufficient for a three months' sporting tour. [11] In the rear -of the caravan trudges a Bedouin woman driving a donkey,--the proper -"tail" in these regions, where camels start if followed by a horse or -mule. An ill-fated sheep, a parting present from the Hajj, races and -frisks about the Cafilah. It became so tame that the Somal received an -order not to "cut" it; one day, however, I found myself dining, and that -pet lamb was the _menu_. - -By the side of the camels ride my three attendants, the pink of Somali -fashion. Their frizzled wigs are radiant with grease; their Tobes are -splendidly white, with borders dazzlingly red; their new shields are -covered with canvass cloth; and their two spears, poised over the right -shoulder, are freshly scraped, oiled, blackened, and polished. They have -added my spare rifle, and guns to the camel-load; such weapons are well -enough at Aden, in Somali-land men would deride the outlandish tool! I -told them that in my country women use bows and arrows, moreover that -lancers are generally considered a corps of non-combatants; in vain! they -adhered as strongly--so mighty a thing is prejudice--to their partiality -for bows, arrows, and lances. Their horsemanship is peculiar, they balance -themselves upon little Abyssinian saddles, extending the leg and raising -the heel in the Louis Quinze style of equitation, and the stirrup is an -iron ring admitting only the big toe. I follow them mounting a fine white -mule, which, with its gaudily _galonne_ Arab pad and wrapper cloth, has a -certain dignity of look; a double-barrelled gun lies across my lap; and a -rude pair of holsters, the work of Hasan Turki, contains my Colt's six- -shooters. - -Marching in this order, which was to serve as a model, we travelled due -south along the coast, over a hard, stoneless, and alluvial plain, here -dry, there muddy (where the tide reaches), across boggy creeks, broad -water-courses, and warty flats of black mould powdered with nitrous salt, -and bristling with the salsolaceous vegetation familiar to the Arab -voyager. Such is the general formation of the plain between the mountains -and the sea, whose breadth, in a direct line, may measure from forty-five -to forty-eight miles. Near the first zone of hills, or sub-Ghauts, it -produces a thicker vegetation; thorns and acacias of different kinds -appear in clumps; and ground broken with ridges and ravines announces the -junction. After the monsoon this plain is covered with rich grass. At -other seasons it affords but a scanty supply of an "aqueous matter" -resembling bilgewater. The land belongs to the Mummasan clan of the Eesa: -how these "Kurrah-jog" or "sun-dwellers," as the Bedouins are called by -the burgher Somal, can exist here in summer, is a mystery. My arms were -peeled even in the month of December; and my companions, panting with the -heat, like the Atlantes of Herodotus, poured forth reproaches upon the -rising sun. The townspeople, when forced to hurry across it in the hotter -season, cover themselves during the day with Tobes wetted every half hour -in sea water; yet they are sometimes killed by the fatal thirst which the -Simum engenders. Even the Bedouins are now longing for rain; a few weeks' -drought destroys half their herds. - -Early in the afternoon our Abban and a woman halted for a few minutes, -performed their ablutions, and prayed with a certain display: satisfied -apparently, with the result, they never repeated the exercise. About -sunset we passed, on the right, clumps of trees overgrowing a water called -"Warabod", the Hyena's Well; this is the first Marhalah or halting-place -usually made by travellers to the interior. Hence there is a direct path -leading south-south-west, by six short marches, to the hills. Our Abban, -however, was determined that we should not so easily escape his kraal. -Half an hour afterwards we passed by the second station, "Hangagarri", a -well near the sea: frequent lights twinkling through the darkening air -informed us that we were in the midst of the Eesa. At 8 P.M. we reached -"Gagab", the third Marhalah, where the camels, casting themselves upon the -ground, imperatively demanded a halt. Raghe was urgent for an advance, -declaring that already he could sight the watchfires of his Rer or tribe -[12]; but the animals carried the point against him. They were presently -unloaded and turned out to graze, and the lariats of the mules, who are -addicted to running away, were fastened to stones for want of pegs [13]. -Then, lighting a fire, we sat down to a homely supper of dates. - -The air was fresh and clear; and the night breeze was delicious after the -steamy breath of day. The weary confinement of walls made the splendid -expanse a luxury to the sight, whilst the tumbling of the surf upon the -near shore, and the music of the jackal, predisposed to sweet sleep. We -now felt that at length the die was cast. Placing my pistols by my side, -with my rifle butt for a pillow, and its barrel as a bed-fellow, I sought -repose with none of that apprehension which even the most stout-hearted -traveller knows before the start. It is the difference between fancy and -reality, between anxiety and certainty: to men gifted with any imaginative -powers the anticipation must ever be worse than the event. Thus it -happens, that he who feels a thrill of fear before engaging in a peril, -exchanges it for a throb of exultation when he finds himself hand to hand -with the danger. - -The "End of Time" volunteered to keep watch that night. When the early -dawn glimmered he aroused us, and blew up the smouldering fire, whilst our -women proceeded to load the camels. We pursued our way over hard alluvial -soil to sand, and thence passed into a growth of stiff yellow grass not -unlike a stubble in English September. Day broke upon a Somali Arcadia, -whose sole flaws were salt water and Simum. Whistling shepherds [14] -carried in their arms the younglings of the herds, or, spear in hand, -drove to pasture long regular lines of camels, that waved their vulture- -like heads, and arched their necks to bite in play their neighbours' -faces, humps, and hind thighs. They were led by a patriarch, to whose -throat hung a Kor or wooden bell, the preventive for straggling; and most -of them were followed (for winter is the breeding season) by colts in -every stage of infancy. [15] Patches of sheep, with snowy skins and jetty -faces, flocked the yellow plain; and herds of goats resembling deer were -driven by hide-clad children to the bush. Women, in similar attire, -accompanied them, some chewing the inner bark of trees, others spinning -yarns of a white creeper called Sagsug for ropes and tent-mats. The boys -carried shepherds' crooks [16], and bore their watering pails [17], -foolscap fashion, upon their heads. Sometimes they led the ram, around -whose neck a cord of white leather was bound for luck; at other times they -frisked with the dog, an animal by no means contemptible in the eyes of -the Bedouins. [18] As they advanced, the graceful little sand antelope -bounded away over the bushes; and above them, soaring high in the -cloudless skies, were flights of vultures and huge percnopters, unerring -indicators of man's habitation in Somali-land. [19] - -A net-work of paths showed that we were approaching a populous place; and -presently men swarmed forth from their hive-shaped tents, testifying their -satisfaction at our arrival, the hostile Habr Awal having threatened to -"eat them up." We rode cautiously, as is customary, amongst the yeaning -she-camels, who are injured by a sudden start, and about 8 A.M. arrived at -our guide's kraal, the fourth station, called "Gudingaras," or the low -place where the Garas tree grows. The encampment lay south-east (165°) of, -and about twenty miles from, Zayla. - -Raghe disappeared, and the Bedouins flocked out to gaze upon us as we -approached the kraal. Meanwhile Shehrazade and Deenarzade fetched tent- -sticks from the village, disposed our luggage so as to form a wall, rigged -out a wigwam, spread our beds in the shade, and called aloud for sweet and -sour milk. I heard frequently muttered by the red-headed spearmen, the -ominous term "Faranj" [20]; and although there was no danger, it was -deemed advisable to make an impression without delay. Presently they began -to deride our weapons: the Hammal requested them to put up one of their -shields as a mark; they laughed aloud but shirked compliance. At last a -large brown, bare-necked vulture settled on the ground at twenty paces' -distance. The Somal hate the "Gurgur", because he kills the dying and -devours the dead on the battle-field: a bullet put through the bird's body -caused a cry of wonder, and some ran after the lead as it span whistling -over the ridge. Then loading with swan-shot, which these Bedouins had -never seen, I knocked over a second vulture flying. Fresh screams followed -the marvellous feat; the women exclaimed "Lo! he bringeth down the birds -from heaven;" and one old man, putting his forefinger in his mouth, -praised Allah and prayed to be defended from such a calamity. The effect -was such that I determined always to carry a barrel loaded with shot as the -best answer for all who might object to "Faranj." - -We spent our day in the hut after the normal manner, with a crowd of -woolly-headed Bedouins squatting perseveringly opposite our quarters, -spear in hand, with eyes fixed upon every gesture. Before noon the door- -mat was let down,--a precaution also adopted whenever box or package was -opened,--we drank milk and ate rice with "a kitchen" of Kawurmah. About -midday the crowd retired to sleep; my companions followed their example, -and I took the opportunity of sketching and jotting down notes. [21] Early -in the afternoon the Bedouins returned, and resumed their mute form of -pleading for tobacco: each man, as he received a handful, rose slowly from -his hams and went his way. The senior who disliked the gun was importunate -for a charm to cure his sick camel: having obtained it, he blessed us in a -set speech, which lasted at least half an hour, and concluded with -spitting upon the whole party for good luck. [22] It is always well to -encourage these Nestors; they are regarded with the greatest reverence by -the tribes, who believe that - - "old experience doth attain - To something like prophetic strain;" - -and they can either do great good or cause much petty annoyance. - -In the evening I took my gun, and, accompanied by the End of Time, went -out to search for venison: the plain, however, was full of men and cattle, -and its hidden denizens had migrated. During our walk we visited the tomb -of an Eesa brave. It was about ten feet long, heaped up with granite -pebbles, bits of black basalt, and stones of calcareous lime: two upright -slabs denoted the position of the head and feet, and upon these hung the -deceased's milk-pails, much the worse for sun and wind. Round the grave -was a thin fence of thorns: opposite the single narrow entrance, were -three blocks of stone planted in line, and showing the number of enemies -slain by the brave. [23] Beyond these trophies, a thorn roofing, supported -by four bare poles, served to shade the relatives, when they meet to sit, -feast, weep, and pray. - -The Bedouin funerals and tombs are equally simple. They have no favourite -cemeteries as in Sindh and other Moslem and pastoral lands: men are buried -where they die, and the rarity of the graves scattered about the country -excited my astonishment. The corpse is soon interred. These people, like -most barbarians, have a horror of death and all that reminds them of it: -on several occasions I have been begged to throw away a hut-stick, that -had been used to dig a grave. The bier is a rude framework of poles bound -with ropes of hide. Some tie up the body and plant it in a sitting -posture, to save themselves the trouble of excavating deep: this perhaps -may account for the circular tombs seen in many parts of the country. -Usually the corpse is thrust into a long hole, covered with wood and -matting, and heaped over with earth and thorns, half-protected by an oval -mass of loose stones, and abandoned to the jackals and hyenas. - -We halted a day at Gudingaras, wishing to see the migration of a tribe. -Before dawn, on the 30th November, the Somali Stentor proclaimed from the -ridge-top, "Fetch your camels!--Load your goods!--We march!" About 8 A.M. -we started in the rear. The spectacle was novel to me. Some 150 spearmen, -assisted by their families, were driving before them divisions which, in -total, might amount to 200 cows, 7000 camels, and 11,000 or 12,000 sheep -and goats. Only three wore the Bal or feather, which denotes the brave; -several, however, had the other decoration--an ivory armlet. [24] Assisted -by the boys, whose heads were shaved in a cristated fashion truly -ridiculous, and large pariah dogs with bushy tails, they drove the beasts -and carried the colts, belaboured runaway calves, and held up the hind -legs of struggling sheep. The sick, of whom there were many,--dysentery -being at the time prevalent,--were carried upon camels with their legs -protruding in front from under the hide-cover. Many of the dromedaries -showed the Habr Awal brand [25]: laden with hutting materials and domestic -furniture, they were led by the maidens: the matrons, followed, bearing -their progeny upon their backs, bundled in the shoulder-lappets of cloth -or hide. The smaller girls, who, in addition to the boys' crest, wore a -circlet of curly hair round the head, carried the weakling lambs and kids, -or aided their mammas in transporting the baby. Apparently in great fear -of the "All" or Commando, the Bedouins anxiously inquired if I had my -"fire" with me [26], and begged us to take the post of honour--the van. As -our little party pricked forward, the camels started in alarm, and we were -surprised to find that this tribe did not know the difference between -horses and mules. Whenever the boys lost time in sport or quarrel, they -were threatened by their fathers with the jaws of that ogre, the white -stranger; and the women exclaimed, as they saw us approach, "Here comes -the old man who knows knowledge!" [27] - -Having skirted the sea for two hours, I rode off with the End of Time to -inspect the Dihh Silil [28], a fiumara which runs from the western hills -north-eastwards to the sea. Its course is marked by a long line of -graceful tamarisks, whose vivid green looked doubly bright set off by -tawny stubble and amethyst-blue sky. These freshets are the Edens of Adel. -The banks are charmingly wooded with acacias of many varieties, some -thorned like the fabled Zakkum, others parachute-shaped, and planted in -impenetrable thickets: huge white creepers, snake-shaped, enclasp giant -trees, or connect with their cordage the higher boughs, or depend like -cables from the lower branches to the ground. Luxuriant parasites abound: -here they form domes of flashing green, there they surround with verdure -decayed trunks, and not unfrequently cluster into sylvan bowers, under -which--grateful sight!--appears succulent grass. From the thinner thorns -the bell-shaped nests of the Loxia depend, waving in the breeze, and the -wood resounds with the cries of bright-winged choristers. The torrent-beds -are of the clearest and finest white sand, glittering with gold-coloured -mica, and varied with nodules of clear and milky quartz, red porphyry, and -granites of many hues. Sometimes the centre is occupied by an islet of -torn trees and stones rolled in heaps, supporting a clump of thick jujube -or tall acacia, whilst the lower parts of the beds are overgrown with long -lines of lively green colocynth. [29] Here are usually the wells, -surrounded by heaps of thorns, from which the leaves have been browsed -off, and dwarf sticks that support the water-hide. When the flocks and -herds are absent, troops of gazelles may be seen daintily pacing the -yielding surface; snake trails streak the sand, and at night the fiercer -kind of animals, lions, leopards, and elephants, take their turn. In -Somali-land the well is no place of social meeting; no man lingers to chat -near it, no woman visits it, and the traveller fears to pitch hut where -torrents descend, and where enemies, human and bestial, meet. - -We sat under a tree watching the tribe defile across the water-course: -then remounting, after a ride of two miles, we reached a ground called -Kuranyali [30], upon which the wigwams of the Nomads were already rising. -The parched and treeless stubble lies about eight miles from and 145° S.E. -of Gudingaras; both places are supplied by Angagarri, a well near the sea, -which is so distant that cattle, to return before nightfall, must start -early in the morning. - -My attendants had pitched the Gurgi or hut: the Hammal and Long Guled -were, however, sulky on account of my absence, and the Kalendar appeared -disposed to be mutinous. The End of Time, who never lost an opportunity to -make mischief, whispered in my ear, "Despise thy wife, thy son, and thy -servant, or they despise thee!" The old saw was not wanted, however, to -procure for them a sound scolding. Nothing is worse for the Eastern -traveller than the habit of "sending to Coventry:"--it does away with all -manner of discipline. - -We halted that day at Kuranyali, preparing water and milk for two long -marches over the desert to the hills. Being near the shore, the air was -cloudy, although men prayed for a shower in vain: about midday the -pleasant seabreeze fanned our cheeks, and the plain was thronged with tall -pillars of white sand. [31] - -The heat forbade egress, and our Wigwam was crowded with hungry visitors. -Raghe, urged thereto by his tribe, became importunate, now for tobacco, -then for rice, now for dates, then for provisions in general. No wonder -that the Prophet made his Paradise for the Poor a mere place of eating and -drinking. The half-famished Bedouins, Somal or Arab, think of nothing -beyond the stomach,--their dreams know no higher vision of bliss than mere -repletion. A single article of diet, milk or flesh, palling upon man's -palate, they will greedily suck the stones of eaten dates: yet, Abyssinian -like, they are squeamish and fastidious as regards food. They despise the -excellent fish with which Nature has so plentifully stocked their seas. -[32] "Speak not to me with that mouth which eateth fish!" is a favourite -insult amongst the Bedouins. If you touch a bird or a fowl of any -description, you will be despised even by the starving beggar. You must -not eat marrow or the flesh about the sheep's thigh-bone, especially when -travelling, and the kidneys are called a woman's dish. None but the -Northern Somal will touch the hares which abound in the country, and many -refuse the sand antelope and other kinds of game, not asserting that the -meat is unlawful, but simply alleging a disgust. Those who chew coffee -berries are careful not to place an even number in their mouths, and -camel's milk is never heated, for fear of bewitching the animal. [33] The -Somali, however, differs in one point from his kinsman the Arab: the -latter prides himself upon his temperance; the former, like the North -American Indian, measures manhood by appetite. A "Son of the Somal" is -taught, as soon as his teeth are cut, to devour two pounds of the toughest -mutton, and ask for more: if his powers of deglutition fail, he is derided -as degenerate. - -On the next day (Friday, 1st Dec.) we informed the Abban that we intended -starting early in the afternoon, and therefore warned him to hold himself -and his escort, together with the water and milk necessary for our march, -in readiness. He promised compliance and disappeared. About 3 P.M. the -Bedouins, armed as usual with spear and shield, began to gather round the -hut, and--nothing in this country can be done without that terrible -"palaver!"--the speechifying presently commenced. Raghe, in a lengthy -harangue hoped that the tribe would afford us all the necessary supplies -and assist us in the arduous undertaking. His words elicited no hear! -hear!--there was an evident unwillingness on the part of the wild men to -let us, or rather our cloth and tobacco, depart. One remarked, with surly -emphasis, that he had "seen no good and eaten no Bori [34] from that -caravan, why should he aid it?" When we asked the applauding hearers what -they had done for us, they rejoined by inquiring whose the land was? -Another, smitten by the fair Shehrazade's bulky charms, had proposed -matrimony, and offered as dowry a milch camel: she "temporised," not -daring to return a positive refusal, and the suitor betrayed a certain -Hibernian _velleite_ to consider consent an unimportant part of the -ceremony. The mules had been sent to the well, with orders to return -before noon: at 4 P.M. they were not visible. I then left the hut, and, -sitting on a cow's-hide in the sun, ordered my men to begin loading, -despite the remonstrances of the Abban and the interference of about fifty -Bedouins. As we persisted, they waxed surlier, and declared that all which -was ours became theirs, to whom the land belonged: we did not deny the -claim, but simply threatened sorcery-death, by wild beasts and foraging -parties, to their "camels, children, and women." This brought them to -their senses, the usual effect of such threats; and presently arose the -senior who had spat upon us for luck's sake. With his toothless jaws he -mumbled a vehement speech, and warned the tribe that it was not good to -detain such strangers: they lent ready ears to the words of Nestor, -saying, "Let us obey him, he is near his end!" The mules arrived, but when -I looked for the escort, none was forthcoming. At Zayla it was agreed that -twenty men should protect us across the desert, which is the very passage -of plunder; now, however, five or six paupers offered to accompany us for -a few miles. We politely declined troubling them, but insisted upon the -attendance of our Abban and three of his kindred: as some of the Bedouins -still opposed us, our aged friend once more arose, and by copious abuse -finally silenced them. We took leave of him with many thanks and handfuls -of tobacco, in return for which he blessed us with fervour. Then, mounting -our mules, we set out, followed for at least a mile by a long tail of -howling boys, who, ignorant of clothing, except a string of white beads -round the neck, but armed with dwarf spears, bows, and arrows, showed all -the impudence of baboons. They derided the End of Time's equitation till I -feared a scene;--sailor-like, he prided himself upon graceful -horsemanship, and the imps were touching his tenderest point. - -Hitherto, for the Abban's convenience, we had skirted the sea, far out of -the direct road: now we were to strike south-westwards into the interior. -At 6 P. M. we started across a "Goban" [35] which eternal summer gilds -with a dull ochreish yellow, towards a thin blue strip of hill on the far -horizon. The Somal have no superstitious dread of night and its horrors, -like Arabs and Abyssinians: our Abban, however, showed a wholesome mundane -fear of plundering parties, scorpions, and snakes. [36] I had been careful -to fasten round my ankles the twists of black wool called by the Arabs -Zaal [37], and universally used in Yemen; a stock of garlic and opium, -here held to be specifics, fortified the courage of the party, whose fears -were not wholly ideal, for, in the course of the night, Shehrazade nearly -trod upon a viper. - -At first the plain was a network of holes, the habitations of the Jir Ad -[38], a field rat with ruddy back and white belly, the Mullah or Parson, a -smooth-skinned lizard, and the Dabagalla, a ground squirrel with a -brilliant and glossy coat. As it became dark arose a cheerful moon, -exciting the howlings of the hyenas, the barkings of their attendant -jackals [39], and the chattered oaths of the Hidinhitu bird. [40] Dotted -here and there over the misty landscape, appeared dark clumps of a tree -called "Kullan," a thorn with an edible berry not unlike the jujube, and -banks of silvery mist veiled the far horizon from the sight. - -We marched rapidly and in silence, stopping every quarter of an hour to -raise the camels' loads as they slipped on one side. I had now an -opportunity of seeing how feeble a race is the Somal. My companions on the -line of march wondered at my being able to carry a gun; they could -scarcely support, even whilst riding, the weight of their spears, and -preferred sitting upon them to spare their shoulders. At times they were -obliged to walk because the saddles cut them, then they remounted because -their legs were tired; briefly, an English boy of fourteen would have -shown more bottom than the sturdiest. This cannot arise from poor diet, -for the citizens, who live generously, are yet weaker than the Bedouins; -it is a peculiarity of race. When fatigued they become reckless and -impatient of thirst: on this occasion, though want of water stared us in -the face, one skin of the three was allowed to fall upon the road and -burst, and the second's contents were drunk before we halted. - -At 11 P.M., after marching twelve miles in direct line, we bivouacked upon -the plain. The night breeze from the hills had set in, and my attendants -chattered with cold: Long Guled in particular became stiff as a mummy. -Raghe was clamorous against a fire, which might betray our whereabouts in -the "Bush Inn." But after such a march the pipe was a necessity, and the -point was carried against him. - -After a sound sleep under the moon, we rose at 5 A.M. and loaded the -camels. It was a raw morning. A large nimbus rising from the east obscured -the sun, the line of blue sea was raised like a ridge by refraction, and -the hills, towards which we were journeying, now showed distinct falls and -folds. Troops of Dera or gazelles, herding like goats, stood, stared at -us, turned their white tails, faced away, broke into a long trot, and -bounded over the plain as we approached. A few ostriches appeared, but -they were too shy even for bullet. [41] At 8 P.M. we crossed one of the -numerous drains which intersect this desert--"Biya Hablod," or the Girls' -Water, a fiumara running from south-west to east and north-east. Although -dry, it abounded in the Marer, a tree bearing yellowish red berries full -of viscous juice like green gum,--edible but not nice,--and the brighter -vegetation showed that water was near the surface. About two hours -afterwards, as the sun became oppressive, we unloaded in a water-course, -called by my companions Adad or the Acacia Gum [42]: the distance was -about twenty-five miles, and the direction S. W. 225° of Kuranyali. - -We spread our couches of cowhide in the midst of a green mass of tamarisk -under a tall Kud tree, a bright-leaved thorn, with balls of golden gum -clinging to its boughs, dry berries scattered in its shade, and armies of -ants marching to and from its trunk. All slept upon the soft white sand, -with arms under their hands, for our spoor across the desert was now -unmistakeable. At midday rice was boiled for us by the indefatigable -women, and at 3 P.M. we resumed our march towards the hills, which had -exchanged their shadowy blue for a coat of pronounced brown. Journeying -onwards, we reached the Barragid fiumara, and presently exchanged the -plain for rolling ground covered with the remains of an extinct race, and -probably alluded to by El Makrizi when he records that the Moslems of Adel -had erected, throughout the country, a vast number of mosques and -oratories for Friday and festival prayers. Places of worship appeared in -the shape of parallelograms, unhewed stones piled upon the ground, with a -semicircular niche in the direction of Meccah. The tombs, different from -the heaped form now in fashion, closely resembled the older erections in -the island of Saad El Din, near Zayla--oblong slabs planted deep in the -soil. We also observed frequent hollow rings of rough blocks, circles -measuring about a cubit in diameter: I had not time to excavate them, and -the End of Time could only inform me that they belonged to the "Awwalin," -or olden inhabitants. - -At 7 P.M., as evening was closing in, we came upon the fresh trail of a -large Habr Awal cavalcade. The celebrated footprint seen by Robinson -Crusoe affected him not more powerfully than did this "daaseh" my -companions. The voice of song suddenly became mute. The women drove the -camels hurriedly, and all huddled together, except Raghe, who kept well to -the front ready for a run. Whistling with anger, I asked my attendants -what had slain them: the End of Time, in a hollow voice, replied, "Verily, -0 pilgrim, whoso seeth the track, seeth the foe!" and he quoted in tones -of terror those dreary lines-- - - "Man is but a handful of dust, - And life is a violent storm." - -We certainly were a small party to contend against 200 horsemen,--nine men -and two women: moreover all except the Hammal and Long Guled would -infallibly have fled at the first charge. - -Presently we sighted the trails of sheep and goats, showing the proximity -of a village: their freshness was ascertained by my companions after an -eager scrutiny in the moon's bright beams. About half an hour afterwards, -rough ravines with sharp and thorny descents warned us that we had -exchanged the dangerous plain for a place of safety where horsemen rarely -venture. Raghe, not admiring the "open," hurried us onward, in hope of -reaching some kraal. At 8 P.M., however, seeing the poor women lamed with -thorns, and the camels casting themselves upon the ground, I resolved to -halt. Despite all objections, we lighted a fire, finished our store of bad -milk--the water had long ago been exhausted--and lay down in the cold, -clear air, covering ourselves with hides and holding our weapons. - -At 6 A.M. we resumed our ride over rough stony ground, the thorns tearing -our feet and naked legs, and the camels slipping over the rounded waste of -drift pebbles. The Bedouins, with ears applied to the earth, listened for -a village, but heard none. Suddenly we saw two strangers, and presently we -came upon an Eesa kraal. It was situated in a deep ravine, called Damal, -backed by a broad and hollow Fiumara at the foot of the hills, running -from west to east, and surrounded by lofty trees, upon which brown kites, -black vultures, and percnopters like flakes of snow were mewing. We had -marched over a winding path about eleven miles from, and in a south-west -direction (205°) of, Adad. Painful thoughts suggested themselves: in -consequence of wandering southwards, only six had been taken off thirty -stages by the labours of seven days. - -As usual in Eastern Africa, we did not enter the kraal uninvited, but -unloosed and pitched the wigwam under a tree outside. Presently the elders -appeared bringing, with soft speeches, sweet water, new milk, fat sheep -and goats, for which they demanded a Tobe of Cutch canvass. We passed with -them a quiet luxurious day of coffee and pipes, fresh cream and roasted -mutton: after the plain-heats we enjoyed the cool breeze of the hills, the -cloudy sky, and the verdure of the glades, made doubly green by comparison -with the parched stubbles below. - -The Eesa, here mixed with the Gudabirsi, have little power: we found them -poor and proportionally importunate. The men, wild-looking as open mouths, -staring eyes, and tangled hair could make them, gazed with extreme -eagerness upon my scarlet blanket: for very shame they did not beg it, but -the inviting texture was pulled and fingered by the greasy multitude. We -closed the hut whenever a valuable was produced, but eager eyes peeped -through every cranny, till the End of Time ejaculated "Praised be Allah!" -[43] and quoted the Arab saying, "Show not the Somal thy door, and if he -find it, block it up!" The women and children were clad in chocolate- -coloured hides, fringed at the tops: to gratify them I shot a few hawks, -and was rewarded with loud exclamations,--"Allah preserve thy hand!"--"May -thy skill never fail thee before the foe!" A crone seeing me smoke, -inquired if the fire did not burn: I handed my pipe, which nearly choked -her, and she ran away from a steaming kettle, thinking it a weapon. As my -companions observed, there was not a "Miskal of sense in a Maund of -heads:" yet the people looked upon my sun-burnt skin with a favour they -denied to the "lime-white face." - -I was anxious to proceed in the afternoon, but Raghe had arrived at the -frontier of his tribe: he had blood to settle amongst the Gudabirsi, and -without a protector he could not enter their lands. At night we slept -armed on account of the lions that infest the hills, and our huts were -surrounded with a thorn fence--a precaution here first adopted, and never -afterwards neglected. Early on the morning of the 4th of December heavy -clouds rolled down from the mountains, and a Scotch mist deepened into a -shower: our new Abban had not arrived, and the hut-mats, saturated with -rain, had become too heavy for the camels to carry. - -In the forenoon the Eesa kraal, loading their Asses [44], set out towards -the plain. This migration presented no new features, except that several -sick and decrepid were barbarously left behind, for lions and hyaenas to -devour. [45] To deceive "warhawks" who might be on the lookout, the -migrators set fire to logs of wood and masses of sheep's earth, which, -even in rain, will smoke and smoulder for weeks. - -About midday arrived the two Gudabirsi who intended escorting us to the -village of our Abbans. The elder, Rirash, was a black-skinned, wild- -looking fellow, with a shock head of hair and a deep scowl which belied -his good temper and warm heart: the other was a dun-faced youth betrothed -to Raghe's daughter. They both belonged to the Mahadasan clan, and -commenced operations by an obstinate attempt to lead us far out of our way -eastwards. The pretext was the defenceless state of their flocks and -herds, the real reason an itching for cloth and tobacco. We resisted -manfully this time, nerved by the memory of wasted days, and, despite -their declarations of Absi [46], we determined upon making westward for -the hills. - -At 2 P.M. the caravan started along the Fiumara course in rear of the -deserted kraal, and after an hour's ascent Rirash informed us that a well -was near. The Hammal and I, taking two water skins, urged our mules over -stones and thorny ground: presently we arrived at a rocky ravine, where, -surrounded by brambles, rude walls, and tough frame works, lay the wells-- -three or four holes sunk ten feet deep in the limestone. Whilst we bathed -in the sulphureous spring, which at once discolored my silver ring, -Rirash, baling up the water in his shield, filled the bags and bound them -to the saddles. In haste we rejoined the caravan, which we found about -sunset, halted by the vain fears of the guides. The ridge upon which they -stood was a mass of old mosques and groves, showing that in former days a -thick population tenanted these hills: from the summit appeared distant -herds of kine and white flocks scattered like patches of mountain quartz. -Riding in advance, we traversed the stony ridge, fell into another ravine, -and soon saw signs of human life. A shepherd descried us from afar and ran -away reckless of property; causing the End of Time to roll his head with -dignity, and to ejaculate, "Of a truth said the Prophet of Allah, 'fear is -divided.'" Presently we fell in with a village, from which the people -rushed out, some exclaiming, "Lo! let us look at the kings!" others, -"Come, see the white man, he is governor of Zayla!" I objected to such -dignity, principally on account of its price: my companions, however, were -inexorable; they would be Salatin--kings--and my colour was against claims -to low degree. This fairness, and the Arab dress, made me at different -times the ruler of Aden, the chief of Zayla, the Hajj's son, a boy, an old -woman, a man painted white, a warrior in silver armour, a merchant, a -pilgrim, a hedgepriest, Ahmed the Indian, a Turk, an Egyptian, a -Frenchman, a Banyan, a sherif, and lastly a Calamity sent down from heaven -to weary out the lives of the Somal: every kraal had some conjecture of -its own, and each fresh theory was received by my companions with roars of -laughter. - -As the Gudabirsi pursued us with shouts for tobacco and cries of wonder, I -dispersed them with a gun-shot: the women and children fled precipitately -from the horrid sound, and the men, covering their heads with their -shields, threw themselves face foremost upon the ground. Pursuing the -Fiumara course, we passed a number of kraals, whose inhabitants were -equally vociferous: out of one came a Zayla man, who informed us that the -Gudabirsi Abbans, to whom we bore Sharmarkay's letter of introduction, -were encamped within three days' march. It was reported, however, that a -quarrel had broken out between them and the Gerad Adan, their brother-in- -law; no pleasant news!--in Africa, under such circumstances, it is -customary for friends to detain, and for foes to oppose, the traveller. We -rode stoutly on, till the air darkened and the moon tipped the distant -hill peaks with a dim mysterious light. I then called a halt: we unloaded -on the banks of the Darkaynlay fiumara, so called from a tree which -contains a fiery milk, fenced ourselves in,--taking care to avoid being -trampled upon by startled camels during our sleep, by securing them in a -separate but neighbouring inclosure,--spread our couches, ate our frugal -suppers, and lost no time in falling asleep. We had travelled five hours -that day, but the path was winding, and our progress in a straight line -was at most eight miles. - -And now, dear L., being about to quit the land of the Eesa, I will sketch -the tribe. - -The Eesa, probably the most powerful branch of the Somali nation, extends -northwards to the Wayma family of the Dankali; southwards to the -Gudabirsi, and midway between Zayla and Berberah; eastwards it is bounded -by the sea, and westwards by the Gallas around Harar. It derives itself -from Dirr and Aydur, without, however, knowing aught beyond the ancestral -names, and is twitted with paganism by its enemies. This tribe, said to -number 100,000 shields, is divided into numerous clans [47]: these again -split up into minor septs [48] which plunder, and sometimes murder, one -another in time of peace. - -A fierce and turbulent race of republicans, the Eesa own nominal -allegiance to a Ugaz or chief residing in the Hadagali hills. He is -generally called "Roblay"--Prince Rainy,--the name or rather title being -one of good omen, for a drought here, like a dinner in Europe, justifies -the change of a dynasty. Every kraal has its Oddai (shaikh or head man,) -after whose name the settlement, as in Sindh and other pastoral lands, is -called. He is obeyed only when his orders suit the taste of King Demos, is -always superior to his fellows in wealth of cattle, sometimes in talent -and eloquence, and in deliberations he is assisted by the Wail or Akill-- -the Peetzo-council of Southern Africa--Elders obeyed on account of their -age. Despite, however, this apparatus of rule, the Bedouins have lost none -of the characteristics recorded in the Periplus: they are still -"uncivilised and under no restraint." Every freeborn man holds himself -equal to his ruler, and allows no royalties or prerogatives to abridge his -birthright of liberty. [49] Yet I have observed, that with all their -passion for independence, the Somal, when subject to strict rule as at -Zayla and Harar, are both apt to discipline and subservient to command. - -In character, the Eesa are childish and docile, cunning, and deficient in -judgment, kind and fickle, good-humoured and irascible, warm-hearted, and -infamous for cruelty and treachery. Even the protector will slay his -protege, and citizens married to Eesa girls send their wives to buy goats -and sheep from, but will not trust themselves amongst, their connexions. -"Traitorous as an Eesa," is a proverb at Zayla, where the people tell you -that these Bedouins with the left hand offer a bowl of milk, and stab with -the right. "Conscience," I may observe, does not exist in Eastern Africa, -and "Repentance" expresses regret for missed opportunities of mortal -crime. Robbery constitutes an honorable man: murder--the more atrocious -the midnight crime the better--makes the hero. Honor consists in taking -human life: hyaena-like, the Bedouins cannot be trusted where blood may be -shed: Glory is the having done all manner of harm. Yet the Eesa have their -good points: they are not noted liars, and will rarely perjure themselves: -they look down upon petty pilfering without violence, and they are -generous and hospitable compared with the other Somal. Personally, I had -no reason to complain of them. They were importunate beggars, but a pinch -of snuff or a handful of tobacco always made us friends: they begged me to -settle amongst them, they offered me sundry wives and,--the Somali -Bedouin, unlike the Arab, readily affiliates strangers to his tribe--they -declared that after a few days' residence, I should become one of -themselves. - -In appearance, the Eesa are distinguished from other Somal by blackness, -ugliness of feature, and premature baldness of the temples; they also -shave, or rather scrape off with their daggers, the hair high up the nape -of the neck. The locks are dyed dun, frizzled, and greased; the Widads or -learned men remove them, and none but paupers leave them in their natural -state; the mustachios are clipped close, the straggling whisker is -carefully plucked, and the pile--erroneously considered impure--is removed -either by vellication, or by passing the limbs through the fire. The eyes -of the Bedouins, also, are less prominent than those of the citizens: the -brow projects in pent-house fashion, and the organ, exposed to bright -light, and accustomed to gaze at distant objects, acquires more -concentration and power. I have seen amongst them handsome profiles, and -some of the girls have fine figures with piquant if not pretty features. - -Flocks and herds form the true wealth of the Eesa. According to them, -sheep and goats are of silver, and the cow of gold: they compare camels to -the rock, and believe, like most Moslems, the horse to have been created -from the wind. Their diet depends upon the season. In hot weather, when -forage and milk dry up, the flocks are slaughtered, and supply excellent -mutton; during the monsoon men become fat, by drinking all day long the -produce of their cattle. In the latter article of diet, the Eesa are -delicate and curious: they prefer cow's milk, then the goat's, and lastly -the ewe's, which the Arab loves best: the first is drunk fresh, and the -two latter clotted, whilst the camel's is slightly soured. The townspeople -use camel's milk medicinally: according to the Bedouins, he who lives on -this beverage, and eats the meat for forty-four consecutive days, acquires -the animal's strength. It has perhaps less "body" than any other milk, and -is deliciously sweet shortly after foaling: presently it loses flavour, -and nothing can be more nauseous than the produce of an old camel. The -Somal have a name for cream--"Laben"--but they make no use of the article, -churning it with the rest of the milk. They have no buffaloes, shudder at -the Tartar idea of mare's-milk, like the Arabs hold the name Labban [50] a -disgrace, and make it a point of honor not to draw supplies from their -cattle during the day. - -The life led by these wild people is necessarily monotonous. They rest but -little--from 11 P.M. till dawn--and never sleep in the bush, for fear of -plundering parties, Few begin the day with prayer as Moslems should: for -the most part they apply themselves to counting and milking their cattle. -The animals, all of which have names [51], come when called to the pail, -and supply the family with a morning meal. Then the warriors, grasping -their spears, and sometimes the young women armed only with staves, drive -their herds to pasture: the matrons and children, spinning or rope-making, -tend the flocks, and the kraal is abandoned to the very young, the old, -and the sick. The herdsmen wander about, watching the cattle and tasting -nothing but the pure element or a pinch of coarse tobacco. Sometimes they -play at Shahh, Shantarah, and other games, of which they are passionately -fond: with a board formed of lines traced in the sand, and bits of dry -wood or camel's earth acting pieces, they spend hour after hour, every -looker-on vociferating his opinion, and catching at the men, till -apparently the two players are those least interested in the game. Or, to -drive off sleep, they sit whistling to their flocks, or they perform upon -the Forimo, a reed pipe generally made at Harar, which has a plaintive -sound uncommonly pleasing. [52] In the evening, the kraal again resounds -with lowing and bleating: the camel's milk is all drunk, the cow's and -goat's reserved for butter and ghee, which the women prepare; the numbers -are once more counted, and the animals are carefully penned up for the -night. This simple life is varied by an occasional birth and marriage, -dance and foray, disease and murder. Their maladies are few and simple -[53]; death generally comes by the spear, and the Bedouin is naturally -long-lived. I have seen Macrobians hale and strong, preserving their -powers and faculties in spite of eighty and ninety years. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] By this route the Mukattib or courier travels on foot from Zayla to -Harar in five days at the most. The Somal reckon their journeys by the -Gedi or march, the Arab "Hamleh," which varies from four to five hours. -They begin before dawn and halt at about 11 A.M., the time of the morning -meal. When a second march is made they load at 3 P.M. and advance till -dark; thus fifteen miles would be the average of fast travelling. In -places of danger they will cover twenty-six or twenty-seven miles of -ground without halting to eat or rest: nothing less, however, than regard -for "dear life" can engender such activity. Generally two or three hours' -work per diem is considered sufficient; and, where provisions abound, -halts are long and frequent. - -[2] The Mikahil is a clan of the Habr Awal tribe living near Berberah, and -celebrated for their bloodthirsty and butchering propensities. Many of the -Midgan or serviles (a term explained in Chap. II.) are domesticated -amongst them. - -[3] So the Abyssinian chief informed M. Krapf that he loved the French, -but could not endure us--simply the effect of manner. - -[4] The first is the name of the individual; the second is that of her -father. - -[5] This delicate operation is called by the Arabs Daasah (whence the -"Dosch ceremony" at Cairo). It is used over most parts of the Eastern -world as a remedy for sickness and fatigue, and is generally preferred to -Takbis or Dugmo, the common style of shampooing, which, say many Easterns, -loosens the skin. - -[6] The Somal, from habit, enjoy no other variety; they even showed -disgust at my Latakia. Tobacco is grown in some places by the Gudabirsi -and other tribes; bat it is rare and bad. Without this article it would be -impossible to progress in East Africa; every man asks for a handful, and -many will not return milk for what they expect to receive as a gift. Their -importunity reminds the traveller of the Galloway beggars some generations -ago:--"They are for the most part great chewers of tobacco, and are so -addicted to it, that they will ask for a piece thereof from a stranger as -he is riding on his way; and therefore let not a traveller want an ounce -or two of roll tobacco in his pocket, and for an inch or two thereof he -need not fear the want of a guide by day or night." - -[7] Flesh boiled in large slices, sun-dried, broken to pieces and fried in -ghee. - -[8] The Bahr Assal or Salt Lake, near Tajurrah, annually sends into the -interior thousands of little matted parcels containing this necessary. -Inland, the Bedouins will rub a piece upon the tongue before eating, or -pass about a lump, as the Dutch did with sugar in the last war; at Harar a -donkey-load is the price of a slave; and the Abyssinians say of a -_millionaire_ "he eateth salt." - -[9] The element found upon the maritime plain is salt or brackish. There -is nothing concerning which the African traveller should be so particular -as water; bitter with nitre, and full of organic matter, it causes all -those dysenteric diseases which have made research in this part of the -world a Upas tree to the discoverer. Pocket filters are invaluable. The -water of wells should be boiled and passed through charcoal; and even then -it might be mixed to a good purpose with a few drops of proof spirit. The -Somal generally carry their store in large wickerwork pails. I preferred -skins, as more portable and less likely to taint the water. - -[10] Here, as in Arabia, boxes should be avoided, the Bedouins always -believe them to contain treasures. Day after day I have been obliged to -display the contents to crowds of savages, who amused themselves by -lifting up the case with loud cries of "hoo! hoo!! hoo!!!" (the popular -exclamation of astonishment), and by speculating upon the probable amount -of dollars contained therein. - -[11] The following list of my expenses may perhaps be useful to future -travellers. It must be observed that, had the whole outfit been purchased -at Aden, a considerable saving would have resulted:-- - - Cos. Rs. - Passage money from Aden to Zayla............................ 33 - Presents at Zayla...........................................100 - Price of four mules with saddles and bridles................225 - Price of four camels........................................ 88 - Provisions (tobacco, rice, dates &c.) for three months......428 - Price of 150 Tobes..........................................357 - Nine pieces of indigo-dyed cotton........................... 16 - Minor expenses (cowhides for camels, mats for tents, - presents to Arabs, a box of beads, three handsome - Abyssinian Tobes bought for chiefs).....................166 - Expenses at Berberah, and passage back to Aden.............. 77 - ---- - Total Cos. Rs. 1490 = L149 - ==== - -[12] I shall frequently use Somali terms, not to display my scanty -knowledge of the dialect, but because they perchance may prove serviceable -to my successors. - -[13] The Somal always "side-line" their horses and mules with stout stiff -leathern thongs provided with loops and wooden buttons; we found them upon -the whole safer than lariats or tethers. - -[14] Arabs hate "El Sifr" or whistling, which they hold to be the chit- -chat of the Jinns. Some say that the musician's mouth is not to be -purified for forty days; others that Satan, touching a man's person, -causes him to produce the offensive sound. The Hejazis objected to -Burckhardt that he could not help talking to devils, and walking about the -room like an unquiet spirit. The Somali has no such prejudice. Like the -Kafir of the Cape, he passes his day whistling to his flocks and herds; -moreover, he makes signals by changing the note, and is skilful in -imitating the song of birds. - -[15] In this country camels foal either in the Gugi (monsoon), or during -the cold season immediately after the autumnal rains. - -[16] The shepherd's staff is a straight stick about six feet long, with a -crook at one end, and at the other a fork to act as a rake. - -[17] These utensils will be described in a future chapter. - -[18] The settled Somal have a holy horror of dogs, and, Wahhabi-like, -treat man's faithful slave most cruelly. The wild people are more humane; -they pay two ewes for a good colley, and demand a two-year-old sheep as -"diyat" or blood-money for the animal, if killed. - -[19] Vultures and percnopters lie upon the wing waiting for the garbage of -the kraals; consequently they are rare near the cow-villages, where -animals are not often killed. - -[20] They apply this term to all but themselves; an Indian trader who had -travelled to Harar, complained to me that he had always been called a -Frank by the Bedouins in consequence of his wearing Shalwar or drawers. - -[21] Generally it is not dangerous to write before these Bedouins, as they -only suspect account-keeping, and none but the educated recognise a -sketch. The traveller, however, must be on his guard: in the remotest -villages he will meet Somal who have returned to savage life after -visiting the Sea-board, Arabia, and possibly India or Egypt. - -[22] I have often observed this ceremony performed upon a new turban or -other article of attire; possibly it may be intended as a mark of -contempt, assumed to blind the evil eye. - -[23] Such is the general form of the Somali grave. Sometimes two stumps of -wood take the place of the upright stones at the head and foot, and around -one grave I counted twenty trophies. - -[24] Some braves wear above the right elbow an ivory armlet called Fol or -Aj: in the south this denotes the elephant-slayer. Other Eesa clans assert -their warriorhood by small disks of white stone, fashioned like rings, and -fitted upon the little finger of the left hand. Others bind a bit of red -cloth round the brow. - -[25] It is sufficient for a Bedouin to look at the general appearance of -an animal; he at once recognises the breed. Each clan, however, in this -part of Eastern Africa has its own mark. - -[26] They found no better word than "fire" to denote my gun. - -[27] "Oddai", an old man, corresponds with the Arab Shaykh in etymology. -The Somal, however, give the name to men of all ages after marriage. - -[28] The "Dihh" is the Arab "Wady",--a fiumara or freshet. "Webbe" (Obbay, -Abbai, &c.) is a large river; "Durdur", a running stream. - -[29] I saw these Dihhs only in the dry season; at times the torrent must -be violent, cutting ten or twelve feet deep into the plain. - -[30] The name is derived from Kuranyo, an ant: it means the "place of -ants," and is so called from the abundance of a tree which attracts them. - -[31] The Arabs call these pillars "Devils," the Somal "Sigo." - -[32] The Cape Kafirs have the same prejudice against fish, comparing its -flesh, to that of serpents. In some points their squeamishness resembles -that of the Somal: he, for instance, who tastes the Rhinoceros Simus is at -once dubbed "Om Fogazan" or outcast. - -[33] This superstition may have arisen from the peculiarity that the -camel's milk, however fresh, if placed upon the fire, breaks like some -cows' milk. - -[34] "Bori" in Southern Arabia popularly means a water-pipe: here it is -used for tobacco. - -[35] "Goban" is the low maritime plain lying below the "Bor" or Ghauts, -and opposed to Ogu, the table-land above. "Ban" is an elevated grassy -prairie, where few trees grow; "Dir," a small jungle, called Haija by the -Arabs; and Khain is a forest or thick bush. "Bor," is a mountain, rock, or -hill: a stony precipice is called "Jar," and the high clay banks of a -ravine "Gebi." - -[36] Snakes are rare in the cities, but abound in the wilds of Eastern -Africa, and are dangerous to night travellers, though seldom seen by day. -To kill a serpent is considered by the Bedouins almost as meritorious as -to slay an Infidel. The Somal have many names for the reptile tribe. The -Subhanyo, a kind of whipsnake, and a large yellow rock snake called Got, -are little feared. The Abesi (in Arabic el Hayyeh,--the Cobra) is so -venomous that it kills the camel; the Mas or Hanash, and a long black -snake called Jilbis, are considered equally dangerous. Serpents are in -Somali-land the subject of many superstitions. One horn of the Cerastes, -for instance, contains a deadly poison: the other, pounded and drawn -across the eye, makes man a seer and reveals to him the treasures of the -earth. There is a flying snake which hoards precious stones, and is -attended by a hundred guards: a Somali horseman once, it is said, carried -away a jewel; he was pursued by a reptile army, and although he escaped to -his tribe, the importunity of the former proprietors was so great that the -plunder was eventually restored to them. Centipedes are little feared; -their venom leads to inconveniences more ridiculous than dangerous. -Scorpions, especially the large yellow variety, are formidable in hot -weather: I can speak of the sting from experience. The first symptom is a -sensation of nausea, and the pain shoots up after a few minutes to the -groin, causing a swelling accompanied by burning and throbbing, which last -about twelve hours. The Somal bandage above the wound and wait patiently -till the effect subsides. - -[37] These are tightened in case of accident, and act as superior -ligatures. I should, however, advise every traveller in these regions to -provide himself with a pneumatic pump, and not to place his trust in Zaal, -garlic, or opium. - -[38] The grey rat is called by the Somal "Baradublay:" in Eastern Africa -it is a minor plague, after India and Arabia, where, neglecting to sleep -in boots, I have sometimes been lamed for a week by their venomous bites. - -[39] In this country the jackal attends not upon the lion, but the Waraba. -His morning cry is taken as an omen of good or evil according to the note. - -[40] Of this bird, a red and long-legged plover, the Somal tell the -following legend. Originally her diet was meat, and her society birds of -prey: one night, however, her companions having devoured all the -provisions whilst she slept, she swore never to fly with friends, never to -eat flesh, and never to rest during the hours of darkness. When she sees -anything in the dark she repeat her oaths, and, according to the Somal, -keeps careful watch all night. There is a larger variety of this bird, -which, purblind daring daytime, rises from under the traveller's feet with -loud cries. The Somal have superstitions similar to that above noticed -about several kinds of birds. When the cry of the "Galu" (so called from -his note Gal! Gal! come in! come in!) is heard over a kraal, the people -say, "Let us leave this place, the Galu hath spoken!" At night they listen -for the Fin, also an ill-omened bird: when a man declares "the Fin did not -sleep last night," it is considered advisable to shift ground. - -[41] Throughout this country ostriches are exceedingly wild: the Rev. Mr. -Erhardt, of the Mombas Mission, informs me that they are equally so -farther south. The Somal stalk them during the day with camels, and kill -them with poisoned arrows. It is said that about 3 P.M. the birds leave -their feeding places, and traverse long distances to roost: the people -assert that they are blind at night, and rise up under the pursuer's feet. - -[42] Several Acacias afford gums, which the Bedouins eat greedily to -strengthen themselves. The town's people declare that the food produces -nothing but flatulence. - -[43] "Subhan' Allah!" an exclamation of pettishness or displeasure. - -[44] The hills not abounding in camels, like the maritime regions, asses -become the principal means of transport. - -[45] This barbarous practice is generally carried out in cases of small- -pox where contagion is feared. - -[46] Fear--danger; it is a word which haunts the traveller in Somali-land. - -[47] The Somali Tol or Tul corresponds with the Arabic Kabilah, a tribe: -under it is the Kola or Jilib (Ar. Fakhizah), a clan. "Gob," is synonymous -with the Arabic Kabail, "men of family," opposed to "Gum," the caste-less. -In the following pages I shall speak of the Somali _nation_, the Eesa -tribe, the Rer Musa _clan_, and the Rer Galan _sept_, though by no means -sure that such verbal gradation is generally recognised. - -[48] The Eesa, for instance, are divided into-- - - 1. Rer Wardik (the royal clan). 6. Rer Hurroni. - 2. Rer Abdullah. 7. Rer Urwena. - 3. Rer Musa. 8. Rer Furlabah. - 4. Rer Mummasan. 9. Rer Gada. - 5. Rer Guleni. 10. Rer Ali Addah. - -These are again subdivided: the Rer Musa (numbering half the Eesa), split -up, for instance, into-- - - 1. Rer Galan. 4. Rer Dubbah. - 2. Rer Harlah. 5. Rer Kul. - 3. Rer Gadishah. 6. Rer Gedi. - -[49] Traces of this turbulent equality may be found amongst the slavish -Kafirs in general meetings of the tribe, on the occasion of harvest home, -when the chief who at other times destroys hundreds by a gesture, is -abused and treated with contempt by the youngest warrior. - -[50] "Milk-seller." - -[51] For instance, Anfarr, the "Spotted;" Tarren, "Wheat-flour;" &c. &c. - -[52] It is used by the northern people, the Abyssinians, Gallas, Adail, -Eesa and Gudabirsi; the southern Somal ignore it. - -[53] The most dangerous disease is small-pox, which history traces to -Eastern Abyssinia, where it still becomes at times a violent epidemic, -sweeping off its thousands. The patient, if a man of note, is placed upon -the sand, and fed with rice or millet bread till he recovers or dies. The -chicken-pox kills many infants; they are treated by bathing in the fresh -blood of a sheep, covered with the skin, and exposed to the sun. Smoke and -glare, dirt and flies, cold winds and naked extremities, cause ophthalmia, -especially in the hills; this disease rarely blinds any save the citizens, -and no remedy is known. Dysentery is cured by rice and sour milk, patients -also drink clarified cows' butter; and in bad cases the stomach is -cauterized, fire and disease, according to the Somal, never coexisting. -Haemorroids, when dry, are reduced by a stick used as a bougie and allowed -to remain in loco all night. Sometimes the part affected is cupped with a -horn and knife, or a leech performs excision. The diet is camels' or -goats' flesh and milk; clarified butter and Bussorab dates--rice and -mutton are carefully avoided. For a certain local disease, they use senna -or colocynth, anoint the body with sulphur boiled in ghee, and expose it -to the sun, or they leave the patient all night in the dew;--abstinence -and perspiration generally effect a cure. For the minor form, the -afflicted drink the melted fat of a sheep's tail. Consumption is a family -complaint, and therefore considered incurable; to use the Somali -expression, they address the patient with "Allah, have mercy upon thee!" -not with "Allah cure thee!" - -There are leeches who have secret simples for curing wounds. Generally the -blood is squeezed out, the place is washed with water, the lips are sewn -up and a dressing of astringent leaves is applied. They have splints for -fractures, and they can reduce dislocations. A medical friend at Aden -partially dislocated his knee, which half-a-dozen of the faculty insisted -upon treating as a sprain. Of all his tortures none was more severe than -that inflicted by my Somali visitors. They would look at him, distinguish -the complaint, ask him how long he had been invalided, and hearing the -reply--four months--would break into exclamations of wonder. "In our -country," they cried, "when a man falls, two pull his body and two his -legs, then they tie sticks round it, give him plenty of camel's milk, and -he is well in a month;" a speech which made friend S. groan in spirit. - -Firing and clarified butter are the farrier's panaceas. Camels are cured -by sheep's head broth, asses by chopping one ear, mules by cutting off the -tail, and horses by ghee or a drench of melted fat. - - - - -CHAP. VI. - -FROM THE ZAYLA HILLS TO THE MARAR PRAIRIE. - - -I have now, dear L., quitted the maritime plain or first zone, to enter -the Ghauts, that threshold of the Ethiopian highlands which, beginning at -Tajurrah, sweeps in semicircle round the bay of Zayla, and falls about -Berberah into the range of mountains which fringes the bold Somali coast. -This chain has been inhabited, within History's memory, by three distinct -races,--the Gallas, the ancient Moslems of Adel, and by the modern Somal. -As usual, however, in the East, it has no general vernacular name. [1] - -The aspect of these Ghauts is picturesque. The primitive base consists of -micaceous granite, with veins of porphyry and dykes of the purest white -quartz: above lie strata of sandstone and lime, here dun, there yellow, or -of a dull grey, often curiously contorted and washed clear of vegetable -soil by the heavy monsoon. On these heights, which are mostly conoid with -rounded tops, joined by ridges and saddlebacks, various kinds of Acacia -cast a pallid and sickly green, like the olive tree upon the hills of -Provence. They are barren in the cold season, and the Nomads migrate to -the plains: when the monsoon covers them with rich pastures, the people -revisit their deserted kraals. The Kloofs or ravines are the most -remarkable features of this country: in some places the sides rise -perpendicularly, like gigantic walls, the breadth varying from one hundred -yards to half a mile; in others cliffs and scaurs, sapped at their -foundations, encumber the bed, and not unfrequently a broad band of white -sand stretches between two fringes of emerald green, delightful to look -upon after the bare and ghastly basalt of Southern Arabia. The Jujube -grows to a height already betraying signs of African luxuriance: through -its foliage flit birds, gaudy-coloured as kingfishers, of vivid red, -yellow, and changing-green. I remarked a long-tailed jay called Gobiyan or -Fat [2], russet-hued ringdoves, the modest honey-bird, corn quails, -canary-coloured finches, sparrows gay as those of Surinam, humming-birds -with a plume of metallic lustre, and especially a white-eyed kind of -maina, called by the Somal, Shimbir Load or the cow-bird. The Armo-creeper -[3], with large fleshy leaves, pale green, red, or crimson, and clusters -of bright berries like purple grapes, forms a conspicuous ornament in the -valleys. There is a great variety of the Cactus tribe, some growing to the -height of thirty and thirty-five feet: of these one was particularly -pointed out to me. The vulgar Somal call it Guraato, the more learned -Shajarat el Zakkum: it is the mandrake of these regions, and the round -excrescences upon the summits of its fleshy arms are supposed to resemble -men's heads and faces. On Tuesday the 5th December we arose at 6 A.M., -after a night so dewy that our clothes were drenched, and we began to -ascend the Wady Darkaynlay, which winds from east to south. After an -hour's march appeared a small cairn of rough stones, called Siyaro, or -Mazar [4], to which each person, in token of honor, added his quotum. The -Abban opined that Auliya or holy men had sat there, but the End of Time -more sagaciously conjectured that it was the site of some Galla idol or -superstitious rite. Presently we came upon the hills of the White Ant [5], -a characteristic feature in this part of Africa. Here the land has the -appearance of a Turkish cemetery on a grand scale: there it seems like a -city in ruins: in some places the pillars are truncated into a resemblance -to bee-hives, in others they cluster together, suggesting the idea of a -portico; whilst many of them, veiled by trees, and overrun with gay -creepers, look like the remains of sylvan altars. Generally the hills are -conical, and vary in height from four to twelve feet: they are counted by -hundreds, and the Somal account for the number by declaring that the -insects abandon their home when dry, and commence building another. The -older erections are worn away, by wind and rain, to a thin tapering spire, -and are frequently hollowed and arched beneath by rats and ground -squirrels. The substance, fine yellow mud, glued by the secretions of the -ant, is hard to break: it is pierced, sieve-like, by a network of tiny -shafts. I saw these hills for the first time in the Wady Darkaynlay: in -the interior they are larger and longer than near the maritime regions. - -We travelled up the Fiumara in a southerly direction till 8 A.M., when the -guides led us away from the bed. They anticipated meeting Gudabirsis: -pallid with fear, they also trembled with cold and hunger. Anxious -consultations were held. One man, Ali--surnamed "Doso," because he did -nothing but eat, drink, and stand over the fire--determined to leave us: -as, however, he had received a Tobe for pay, we put a veto upon that -proceeding. After a march of two hours, over ground so winding that we had -not covered more than three miles, our guides halted under a tree, near a -deserted kraal, at a place called El Armo, the "Armo-creeper water," or -more facetiously Dabadalashay: from Damal it bore S. W. 190°. One of our -Bedouins, mounting a mule, rode forward to gather intelligence, and bring -back a skin full of water. I asked the End of Time what they expected to -hear: he replied with the proverb "News liveth!" The Somali Bedouins have -a passion for knowing how the world wags. In some of the more desert -regions the whole population of a village will follow the wanderer. No -traveller ever passes a kraal without planting spear in the ground, and -demanding answers to a lengthened string of queries: rather than miss -intelligence he will inquire of a woman. Thus it is that news flies -through the country. Among the wild Gudabirsi the Russian war was a topic -of interest, and at Harar I heard of a violent storm, which had damaged -the shipping in Bombay Harbour, but a few weeks after the event. - -The Bedouin returned with an empty skin but a full budget. I will offer -you, dear L., a specimen of the "palaver" [6] which is supposed to prove -the aphorism that all barbarians are orators. Demosthenes leisurely -dismounts, advances, stands for a moment cross-legged--the favourite -posture in this region--supporting each hand with a spear planted in the -ground: thence he slips to squat, looks around, ejects saliva, shifts his -quid to behind his ear, places his weapons before him, takes up a bit of -stick, and traces lines which he carefully smooths away--it being ill- -omened to mark the earth. The listeners sit gravely in a semicircle upon -their heels, with their spears, from whose bright heads flashes a ring of -troubled light, planted upright, and look stedfastly on his countenance -over the upper edges of their shields with eyes apparently planted, like -those of the Blemmyes, in their breasts. When the moment for delivery is -come, the head man inquires, "What is the news?" The informant would -communicate the important fact that he has been to the well: he proceeds -as follows, noting emphasis by raising his voice, at times about six -notes, and often violently striking at the ground in front. - -"It is good news, if Allah please!" - -"Wa Sidda!"--Even so! respond the listeners, intoning or rather groaning -the response. - -"I mounted mule this morning:" - -"Even so!" - -"I departed from ye riding." - -"Even so!" - -"_There_" (with a scream and pointing out the direction with a stick). - -"Even so!" - -"_There_ I went." - -"Even so!" - -"I threaded the wood." - -"Even so!" - -"I traversed the sands." - -"Even so!" - -"I feared nothing." - -"Even so!" - -"At last I came upon cattle tracks." - -"Hoo! hoo!! hoo!!!" (an ominous pause follows this exclamation of -astonishment.) - -"They were fresh." - -"Even so!" - -"So were the earths." - -"Even so!" - -"I distinguished the feet of women." - -"Even so!" - -"But there were no camels." - -"Even so!" - -"At last I saw sticks"-- - -"Even so!" - -"Stones"-- - -"Even so!" - -"Water"-- - -"Even so!" - -"A well!!!" - -Then follows the palaver, wherein, as occasionally happens further West, -he distinguishes himself who can rivet the attention of the audience for -at least an hour without saying anything in particular. The advantage of -_their_ circumlocution, however, is that by considering a subject in every -possible light and phase as regards its cause and effect, antecedents, -actualities, and consequences, they are prepared for any emergency which, -without the palaver, might come upon them unawares. - -Although the thermometer showed summer heat, the air was cloudy and raw -blasts poured down from the mountains. At half past 3 P.M. our camels were -lazily loaded, and we followed the course of the Fiumara, which runs to -the W. and S. W. After half an hour's progress, we arrived at the gully in -which are the wells, and the guides halted because they descried half-a- -dozen youths and boys bathing and washing their Tobes. All, cattle as well -as men, were sadly thirsty: many of us had been chewing pebbles during the -morning, yet, afraid of demands for tobacco, the Bedouins would have -pursued the march without water had I not forced them to halt. We found -three holes in the sand; one was dry, a second foul, and the third -contained a scanty supply of the pure element from twenty to twenty-five -feet below the surface. A youth stood in the water and filled a wicker- -pail, which he tossed to a companion perched against the side half way up: -the latter in his turn hove it to a third, who catching it at the brink, -threw the contents, by this time half wasted, into the skin cattle trough. -We halted about half an hour to refresh man and beast, and then resumed -our way up the Wady, quitting it where a short cut avoids the frequent -windings of the bed. This operation saved but little time; the ground was -stony, the rough ascents fatigued the camels, and our legs and feet were -lacerated by the spear-like thorns. Here, the ground was overgrown with -aloes [7], sometimes six feet high with pink and "pale Pomona green" -leaves, bending in the line of beauty towards the ground, graceful in form -as the capitals of Corinthian columns, and crowned with gay-coloured -bells, but barbarously supplied with woody thorns and strong serrated -edges. There the Hig, an aloetic plant with a point so hard and sharp that -horses cannot cross ground where it grows, stood in bunches like the -largest and stiffest of rushes. [8] Senna sprang spontaneously on the -banks, and the gigantic Ushr or Asclepias shed its bloom upon the stones -and pebbles of the bed. My attendants occupied themselves with gathering -the edible pod of an Acacia called Kura [9], whilst I observed the view. -Frequent ant-hills gave an appearance of habitation to a desert still -covered with the mosques and tombs of old Adel; and the shape of the -country had gradually changed, basins and broad slopes now replacing the -thickly crowded conoid peaks of the lower regions. - -As the sun sank towards the west, Long Guled complained bitterly of the -raw breeze from the hills. We passed many villages, distinguished by the -barking of dogs and the bleating of flocks, on their way to the field: the -unhappy Raghe, however, who had now become our _protege_, would neither -venture into a settlement, nor bivouac amongst the lions. He hurried us -forwards till we arrived at a hollow called Gud, "the Hole," which -supplied us with the protection of a deserted kraal, where our camels, -half-starved and knocked-up by an eight miles' march, were speedily -unloaded. Whilst pitching the tent, we were visited by some Gudabirsi, who -attempted to seize our Abban, alleging that he owed them a cow. We replied -doughtily, that he was under our sandals: as they continued to speak in a -high tone, a pistol was discharged over their heads, after which they -cringed like dogs. A blazing fire, a warm supper, dry beds, broad jests, -and funny stories, soon restored the flagging spirits of our party. -Towards night the moon dispersed the thick mists which, gathering into -clouds, threatened rain, and the cold sensibly diminished: there was -little dew, and we should have slept comfortably had not our hungry mules, -hobbled as they were, hopped about the kraal and fought till dawn. - -On the 6th December, we arose late to avoid the cold morning air, and at 7 -A.M. set out over rough ground, hoping to ascend the Ghauts that day. -After creeping about two miles, the camels, unable to proceed, threw -themselves upon the earth, and we unwillingly called a halt at Jiyaf, a -basin below the Dobo [10] fiumara. Here, white flocks dotting the hills, -and the scavengers of the air warned us that we were in the vicinity of -villages. Our wigwam was soon full of fair-faced Gudabirsi, mostly Loajira -[11] or cow-herd boys, who, according to the custom of their class, wore -their Tobes bound scarf-like round their necks. They begged us to visit -their village, and offered a heifer for each lion shot on Mount Libahlay: -unhappily we could not afford time. These youths were followed by men and -women bringing milk, sheep, and goats, for which, grass being rare, they -asked exorbitant prices,--eighteen cubits of Cutch canvass for a lamb, and -two of blue cotton for a bottle of ghee. Amongst them was the first really -pretty face seen by me in the Somali country. The head was well formed, -and gracefully placed upon a long thin neck and narrow shoulders; the -hair, brow, and nose were unexceptionable, there was an arch look in the -eyes of jet and pearl, and a suspicion of African protuberance about the -lips, which gave the countenance an exceeding _naivete_. Her skin was a -warm, rich nut-brown, an especial charm in these regions, and her -movements had that grace which suggests perfect symmetry of limb. The poor -girl's costume, a coif for the back hair, a cloth imperfectly covering the -bosom, and a petticoat of hides, made no great mystery of forms: equally -rude were her ornaments; an armlet and pewter earrings, the work of some -blacksmith, a necklace of white porcelain beads, and sundry talismans in -cases of tarnished and blackened leather. As a tribute to her prettiness I -gave her some cloth, tobacco, and a bit of salt, which was rapidly -becoming valuable; her husband stood by, and, although the preference was -marked, he displayed neither anger nor jealousy. She showed her gratitude -by bringing us milk, and by assisting us to start next morning. In the -evening we hired three fresh camels [12] to carry our goods up the ascent, -and killed some antelopes which, in a stew, were not contemptible. The End -of Time insisted upon firing a gun to frighten away the lions, who make -night hideous with their growls, but never put in an appearance. - -The morning cold greatly increased, and we did not start till 8 A.M. After -half an hour's march up the bed of a fiumara, leading apparently to a _cul -de sac_ of lofty rocks in the hills, we quitted it for a rude zig-zag -winding along its left side, amongst bushes, thorn trees, and huge rocks. -The walls of the opposite bank were strikingly perpendicular; in some -places stratified, in others solid and polished by the course of stream -and cascade. The principal material was a granite, so coarse, that the -composing mica, quartz, and felspar separated into detached pieces as -large as a man's thumb; micaceous grit, which glittered in the sunbeams, -and various sandstones, abounded. The road caused us some trouble; the -camels' loads were always slipping from their mats; I found it necessary -to dismount from my mule, and, sitting down, we were stung by the large -black ants which infest these hills. [13] - -About half way up, we passed two cairns, and added to them our mite like -good Somal. After two hours of hard work the summit of this primitive pass -was attained, and sixty minutes more saw us on the plateau above the -hills,--the second zone of East Africa. Behind us lay the plains, of which -we vainly sought a view: the broken ground at the foot of the mountains is -broad, and mists veiled the reeking expanse of the low country. [14] The -plateau in front of us was a wide extent of rolling ground, rising -slightly towards the west; its colour was brown with a threadbare coat of -verdure, and at the bottom of each rugged slope ran a stony water-course -trending from south-west to north-east. The mass of tangled aloes, ragged -thorn, and prim-looking poison trees, [15] must once have been populous; -tombs and houses of the early Moslems covered with ruins the hills and -ridges. - -About noon, we arrived at a spot called the Kafir's Grave. It is a square -enceinte of rude stones about one hundred yards each side; and legends say -that one Misr, a Galla chief, when dying, ordered the place to be filled -seven times with she-camels destined for his Ahan or funeral feast. This -is the fourth stage upon the direct road from Zayla to Harar: we had -wasted ten days, and the want of grass and water made us anxious about our -animals. The camels could scarcely walk, and my mule's spine rose high -beneath the Arab pad:--such are the effects of Jilal [16], the worst of -travelling seasons in Eastern Africa. - -At 1 P.M. we unloaded under a sycamore tree, called, after a Galla -chieftain [17], "Halimalah," and giving its name to the surrounding -valley. This ancient of the forest is more than half decayed, several huge -limbs lie stretched upon the ground, whence, for reverence, no one removes -them: upon the trunk, or rather trunks, for its bifurcates, are marks -deeply cut by a former race, and Time has hollowed in the larger stem an -arbour capable of containing half-a-dozen men. This holy tree was, -according to the Somal, a place of prayer for the infidel, and its ancient -honors are not departed. Here, probably to commemorate the westward -progress of the tribe, the Gudabirsi Ugaz or chief has the white canvass -turban bound about his brows, and hence rides forth to witness the -equestrian games in the Harawwah Valley. As everyone who passes by, visits -the Halimalah tree, foraging parties of the Northern Eesa and the Jibril -Abokr (a clan of the Habr Awal) frequently meet, and the traveller wends -his way in fear and trembling. - -The thermometer showed an altitude of 3,350 feet: under the tree's cool -shade, the climate reminded me of Southern Italy in winter. I found a -butter-cup, and heard a wood-pecker [18] tapping on the hollow trunk, a -reminiscence of English glades. The Abban and his men urged an advance in -the afternoon. But my health had suffered from the bad water of the coast, -and the camels were faint with fatigue: we therefore dismissed the hired -beasts, carried our property into a deserted kraal, and, lighting a fire, -prepared to "make all snug" for the night. The Bedouins, chattering with -cold, stood closer to the comfortable blaze than ever did pater familias -in England: they smoked their faces, toasted their hands, broiled their -backs with intense enjoyment, and waved their legs to and fro through the -flame to singe away the pile, which at this season grows long. The End of -Time, who was surly, compared them to demons, and quoted the Arab's -saying:--"Allah never bless smooth man, or hairy woman!" On the 8th of -December, at 8 A.M., we travelled slowly up the Halimalah Valley, whose -clayey surface glistened with mica and quartz pebbles from the hills. All -the trees are thorny except the Sycamore and the Asclepias. The Gub, or -Jujube, grows luxuriantly in thickets: its dried wood is used by women to -fumigate their hair [19]: the Kedi, a tree like the porcupine,--all -spikes,--supplies the Bedouins with hatchet-handles. I was shown the Abol -with its edible gum, and a kind of Acacia, here called Galol. Its bark -dyes cloth a dull red, and the thorn issues from a bulb which, when young -and soft, is eaten by the Somal, when old it becomes woody, and hard as a -nut. At 9 A.M. we crossed the Lesser Abbaso, a Fiumara with high banks of -stiff clay and filled with large rolled stones: issuing from it, we -traversed a thorny path over ascending ground between higher hills, and -covered with large boulders and step-like layers of grit. Here appeared -several Gudabirsi tombs, heaps of stones or pebbles, surrounded by a fence -of thorns, or an enceinte of loose blocks: in the latter, slabs are used -to make such houses as children would build in play, to denote the number -of establishments left by the deceased. The new grave is known by the -conical milk-pails surmounting the stick at the head of the corpse, upon -the neighbouring tree is thrown the mat which bore the dead man to his -last home, and hard by are the blackened stones upon which his funeral -feast was cooked. At 11 A.M. we reached the Greater Abbaso, a Fiumara -about 100 yards wide, fringed with lovely verdure and full of the antelope -called Gurnuk: its watershed was, as usual in this region, from west and -south-west to east and north-east. About noon we halted, having travelled -eight miles from the Holy Tree. - -At half past three reloading we followed the course of the Abbaso Valley, -the most beautiful spot we had yet seen. The presence of mankind, however, -was denoted by the cut branches of thorn encumbering the bed: we remarked -too, the tracks of lions pursued by hunters, and the frequent streaks of -serpents, sometimes five inches in diameter. Towards evening, our party -closed up in fear, thinking that they saw spears glancing through the -trees: I treated their alarm lightly, but the next day proved that it was -not wholly imaginary. At sunset we met a shepherd who swore upon the stone -[20] to bring us milk in exchange for tobacco, and presently, after a five -miles' march, we halted in a deserted kraal on the left bank of a Fiumara. -Clouds gathered black upon the hill tops, and a comfortless blast, -threatening rain, warned us not to delay pitching the Gurgi. A large fire -was lighted, and several guns were discharged to frighten away the lions -that infest this place. Twice during the night our camels started up and -rushed round their thorn ring in alarm. - - * * * * * - -Late in the morning of Saturday, the 9th December, I set out, accompanied -by Rirash and the End of Time, to visit some ruins a little way distant -from the direct road. After an hour's ride we turned away from the Abbaso -Fiumara and entered a basin among the hills distant about sixteen miles -from the Holy Tree. This is the site of Darbiyah Kola,--Kola's Fort,--so -called from its Galla queen. It is said that this city and its neighbour -Aububah fought like certain cats in Kilkenny till both were "eaten up:" -the Gudabirsi fix the event at the period when their forefathers still -inhabited Bulhar on the coast,--about 300 years ago. If the date be -correct, the substantial ruins have fought a stern fight with time. -Remnants of houses cumber the soil, and the carefully built wells are -filled with rubbish: the palace was pointed out to me with its walls of -stone and clay intersected by layers of woodwork. The mosque is a large -roofless building containing twelve square pillars of rude masonry, and -the Mihrab, or prayer niche, is denoted by a circular arch of tolerable -construction. But the voice of the Muezzin is hushed for ever, and -creepers now twine around the ruined fane. The scene was still and dreary -as the grave; for a mile and a half in length all was ruins--ruins--ruins. - -Leaving this dead city, we rode towards the south-west between two rugged -hills of which the loftiest summit is called Wanauli. As usual they are -rich in thorns: the tall "Wadi" affords a gum useful to cloth-dyers, and -the leaves of the lofty Wumba are considered, after the Daum-palm, the -best material for mats. On the ground appeared the blue flowers of the -"Man" or "Himbah," a shrub resembling a potatoe: it bears a gay yellow -apple full of brown seeds which is not eaten by the Somal. My companions -made me taste some of the Karir berries, which in color and flavor -resemble red currants: the leaves are used as a dressing to ulcers. -Topping the ridge we stood for a few minutes to observe the view before -us. Beneath our feet lay a long grassy plain-the sight must have gladdened -the hearts of our starving mules!--and for the first time in Africa horses -appeared grazing free amongst the bushes. A little further off lay the -Aylonda valley studded with graves, and dark with verdure. Beyond it -stretched the Wady Harawwah, a long gloomy hollow in the general level. -The background was a bold sweep of blue hill, the second gradient of the -Harar line, and on its summit closing the western horizon lay a golden -streak--the Marar Prairie. Already I felt at the end of my journey. About -noon, reaching a kraal, whence but that morning our Gudabirsi Abbans had -driven off their kine, we sat under a tree and with a pistol reported -arrival. Presently the elders came out and welcomed their old acquaintance -the End of Time as a distinguished guest. He eagerly inquired about the -reported quarrel between the Abbans and their brother-in-law the Gerad -Adan. When, assured that it was the offspring of Somali imagination, he -rolled his head, and with dignity remarked, "What man shutteth to us, that -Allah openeth!" We complimented each other gravely upon the purity of our -intentions,--amongst Moslems a condition of success,--and not despising -second causes, lost no time in sending a horseman for the Abbans. -Presently some warriors came out and inquired if we were of the Caravan -that was travelling last evening up a valley with laden camels. On our -answering in the affirmative, they laughingly declared that a commando of -twelve horsemen had followed us with the intention of a sham-attack. This -is favourite sport with the Bedouin. When however the traveller shows -fright, the feint is apt to turn out a fact. On one occasion a party of -Arab merchants, not understanding the "fun of the thing," shot two Somal: -the tribe had the justice to acquit the strangers, mulcting them, however, -a few yards of cloth for the families of the deceased. In reply I fired a -pistol unexpectedly over the heads of my new hosts, and improved the -occasion of their terror by deprecating any practical facetiousness in -future. - -We passed the day under a tree: the camels escorted by my two attendants, -and the women, did not arrive till sunset, having occupied about eight -hours in marching as many miles. Fearing lions, we pitched inside the -kraal, despite crying children, scolding wives, cattle rushing about, -barking dogs, flies and ticks, filth and confinement. - -I will now attempt a description of a village in Eastern Africa. - -The Rer or Kraal [21] is a line of scattered huts on plains where thorns -are rare, beast of prey scarce, and raids not expected. In the hills it is -surrounded by a strong fence to prevent cattle straying: this, where -danger induces caution, is doubled and trebled. Yet the lion will -sometimes break through it, and the leopard clears it, prey in mouth with -a bound. The abattis has usually four entrances which are choked up with -heaps of bushes at night. The interior space is partitioned off by dwarf -hedges into rings, which contain and separate the different species of -cattle. Sometimes there is an outer compartment adjoining the exterior -fence, set apart for the camels; usually they are placed in the centre of -the kraal. Horses being most valuable are side-lined and tethered close to -the owner's hut, and rude bowers of brush and fire wood protect the -weaklings of the flocks from the heat of the sun and the inclement night -breeze. - -At intervals around and inside the outer abattis are built the Gurgi or -wigwams--hemispheric huts like old bee-hives about five feet high by six -in diameter: they are even smaller in the warm regions, but they increase -in size as the elevation of the country renders climate less genial. The -material is a framework of "Digo," or sticks bent and hardened in the -fire: to build the hut, these are planted in the ground, tied together -with cords, and covered with mats of two different kinds: the Aus composed -of small bundles of grass neatly joined, is hard and smooth; the Kibid has -a long pile and is used as couch as well as roof. The single entrance in -front is provided with one of these articles which serves as a curtain; -hides are spread upon the top during the monsoon, and little heaps of -earth are sometimes raised outside to keep out wind and rain. - -The furniture is simple as the building. Three stones and a hole form the -fireplace, near which sleep the children, kids, and lambs: there being no -chimney, the interior is black with soot. The cow-skin couches are -suspended during the day, like arms and other articles which suffer from -rats and white ants, by loops of cord to the sides. The principal -ornaments are basket-work bottles, gaily adorned with beads, cowris, and -stained leather. Pottery being here unknown, the Bedouins twist the fibres -of a root into various shapes, and make them water-tight with the powdered -bark of another tree. [22] The Han is a large wicker-work bucket, mounted -in a framework of sticks, and used to contain water on journeys. The Guraf -(a word derived from the Arabic "Ghurfah") is a conical-shaped vessel, -used to bale out the contents of a well. The Del, or milk pail, is shaped -like two cones joined at the base by lateral thongs, the upper and smaller -half acting as cup and cover. And finally the Wesi, or water bottle, -contains the traveller's store for drinking and religious ablution. - -When the kraal is to be removed, the huts and furniture are placed upon -the camels, and the hedges and earth are sometimes set on fire, to purify -the place and deceive enemies, Throughout the country black circles of -cinders or thorn diversify the hill sides, and show an extensive -population. Travellers always seek deserted kraals for security of -encampment. As they swarm with vermin by night and flies by day [23], I -frequently made strong objections to these favourite localities: the -utmost conceded to me was a fresh enclosure added by a smaller hedge to -the outside abattis of the more populous cow-kraals. - -On the 10th December we halted: the bad water, the noon-day sun of 107°, -and the cold mornings--51° being the average--had seriously affected my -health. All the population flocked to see me, darkening the hut with -nodding wigs and staring faces: and,--the Gudabirsi are polite knaves,-- -apologised for the intrusion. Men, women, and children appeared in crowds, -bringing milk and ghee, meat and water, several of the elders remembered -having seen me at Berberah [24], and the blear-eyed maidens, who were in -no wise shy, insisted upon admiring the white stranger. - -Feeling somewhat restored by repose, I started the next day, "with a tail -on" to inspect the ruins of Aububah. After a rough ride over stony ground -we arrived at a grassy hollow, near a line of hills, and dismounted to -visit the Shaykh Aububah's remains. He rests under a little conical dome -of brick, clay and wood, similar in construction to that of Zayla: it is -falling to pieces, and the adjoining mosque, long roofless, is overgrown -with trees, that rustle melancholy sounds in the light joyous breeze. -Creeping in by a dwarf door or rather hole, my Gudabirsi guides showed me -a bright object forming the key of the arch: as it shone they suspected -silver, and the End of Time whispered a sacrilegious plan for purloining -it. Inside the vault were three graves apparently empty, and upon the dark -sunken floor lay several rounded stones, resembling cannon balls, and used -as weights by the more civilised Somal. Thence we proceeded to the battle- -field, a broad sheet of sandstone, apparently dinted by the hoofs of mules -and horses: on this ground, which, according to my guides, was in olden -days soft and yielding, took place the great action between Aububah and -Darbiyah Kola. A second mosque was found with walls in tolerable repair, -but, like the rest of the place, roofless. Long Guled ascended the broken -staircase of a small square minaret, and delivered a most ignorant and -Bedouin-like Azan or call to prayer. Passing by the shells of houses, we -concluded our morning's work with a visit to the large graveyard. -Apparently it did not contain the bones of Moslems: long lines of stones -pointed westward, and one tomb was covered with a coating of hard mortar, -in whose sculptured edge my benighted friends detected magical -inscriptions. I heard of another city called Ahammed in the neighbouring -hills, but did not visit it. These are all remains of Galla settlements, -which the ignorance and exaggeration of the Somal fill with "writings" and -splendid edifices. - -Returning home we found that our Gudabirsi Bedouins had at length obeyed -the summons. The six sons of a noted chief, Ali Addah or White Ali, by -three different mothers, Beuh, Igah, Khayri, Nur, Ismail and Yunis, all -advanced towards me as I dismounted, gave the hand of friendship, and -welcomed me to their homes. With the exception of the first-named, a hard- -featured man at least forty years old, the brothers were good-looking -youths, with clear brown skins, regular features, and graceful figures. -They entered the Gurgi when invited, but refused to eat, saying, that they -came for honor not for food. The Hajj Sharmarkay's introductory letter was -read aloud to their extreme delight, and at their solicitation, I perused -it a second and a third time; then having dismissed with sundry small -presents, the two Abbans Raghe and Rirash, I wrote a flattering account of -them to the Hajj, and entrusted it to certain citizens who were returning -in caravan Zayla-wards, after a commercial tour in the interior. - -Before they departed, there was a feast after the Homeric fashion. A sheep -was "cut," disembowelled, dismembered, tossed into one of our huge -caldrons, and devoured within the hour: the almost live food [25] was -washed down with huge draughts of milk. The feasters resembled -Wordsworth's cows, "forty feeding like one:" in the left hand they held -the meat to their teeth, and cut off the slice in possession with long -daggers perilously close, were their noses longer and their mouths less -obtrusive. During the dinner I escaped from the place of flies, and -retired to a favourite tree. Here the End of Time, seeing me still in -pain, insisted upon trying a Somali medicine. He cut two pieces of dry -wood, scooped a hole in the shorter, and sharpened the longer, applied -point to socket, which he sprinkled with a little sand, placed his foot -upon the "female stick," and rubbed the other between his palms till smoke -and char appeared. He then cauterized my stomach vigorously in six -different places, quoting a tradition, "the End of Physic is Fire." - -On Tuesday the 12th December, I vainly requested the two sons of White -Ali, who had constituted themselves our guides, to mount their horses: -they feared to fatigue the valuable animals at a season when grass is rare -and dry. I was disappointed by seeing the boasted "Faras" [26] of the -Somal, in the shape of ponies hardly thirteen hands high. The head is -pretty, the eyes are well opened, and the ears are small; the form also is -good, but the original Arab breed has degenerated in the new climate. They -are soft, docile, and--like all other animals in this part of the world-- -timid: the habit of climbing rocks makes them sure-footed, and they show -the remains of blood when forced to fatigue. The Gudabirsi will seldom -sell these horses, the great safeguard against their conterminous tribes, -the Eesa and Girhi, who are all infantry: a village seldom contains more -than six or eight, and the lowest value would be ten cows or twenty Tobes. -[27] Careful of his beast when at rest, the Somali Bedouin in the saddle -is rough and cruel: whatever beauty the animal may possess in youth, -completely disappears before the fifth year, and few are without spavin, -or sprained back-sinews. In some parts of the country [28], "to ride -violently to your hut two or three times before finally dismounting, is -considered a great compliment, and the same ceremony is observed on -leaving. Springing into the saddle (if he has one), with the aid of his -spear, the Somali cavalier first endeavours to infuse a little spirit into -his half-starved hack, by persuading him to accomplish a few plunges and -capers: then, his heels raining a hurricane of blows against the animal's -ribs, and occasionally using his spear-point as a spur, away he gallops, -and after a short circuit, in which he endeavours to show himself to the -best advantage, returns to his starting point at full speed, when the -heavy Arab bit brings up the blown horse with a shock that half breaks his -jaw and fills his mouth with blood. The affection of the true Arab for his -horse is proverbial: the cruelty of the Somal to his, may, I think, be -considered equally so." The Bedouins practise horse-racing, and run for -bets, which are contested with ardor: on solemn occasions, they have rude -equestrian games, in which they display themselves and their animals. The -Gudabirsi, and indeed most of the Somal, sit loosely upon their horses. -Their saddle is a demi-pique, a high-backed wooden frame, like the -Egyptian fellah's: two light splinters leave a clear space for the spine, -and the tree is tightly bound with wet thongs: a sheepskin shabracque is -loosely spread over it, and the dwarf iron stirrup admits only the big -toe, as these people fear a stirrup which, if the horse fall, would -entangle the foot. Their bits are cruelly severe; a solid iron ring, as in -the Arab bridle, embracing the lower jaw, takes the place of a curb chain. -Some of the head-stalls, made at Berberah, are prettily made of cut -leather and bright steel ornaments like diminutive quoits. The whip is a -hard hide handle, plated with zinc, and armed with a single short broad -thong. - -With the two sons of White Ali and the End of Time, at 8 A.M., on the 12th -December, I rode forward, leaving the jaded camels in charge of my -companions and the women. We crossed the plain in a south-westerly -direction, and after traversing rolling ground, we came to a ridge, which -commanded an extensive view. Behind lay the Wanauli Hills, already purple -in the distance. On our left was a mass of cones, each dignified by its -own name; no one, it is said, can ascend them, which probably means that -it would be a fatiguing walk. Here are the visitation-places of three -celebrated saints, Amud, Sau and Shaykh Sharlagamadi, or the "Hidden from -Evil," To the north-west I was shown some blue peaks tenanted by the Eesa -Somal. In front, backed by the dark hills of Harar, lay the Harawwah -valley. The breadth is about fifteen miles: it runs from south-west to -north-east, between the Highlands of the Girhi and the rolling ground of -the Gudabirsi Somal, as far, it is said, as the Dankali country. Of old -this luxuriant waste belonged to the former tribe; about twelve years ago -it was taken from them by the Gudabirsi, who carried off at the same time -thirty cows, forty camels, and between three and four hundred sheep and -goats. - -Large herds tended by spearmen and grazing about the bush, warned us that -we were approaching the kraal in which the sons of White Ali were camped; -at half-past 10 A.M., after riding eight miles, we reached the place which -occupies the lower slope of the Northern Hills that enclose the Harawwah -valley. We spread our hides under a tree, and were soon surrounded by -Bedouins, who brought milk, sun-dried beef, ghee and honey in one of the -painted wooden bowls exported from Cutch. After breakfast, at which the -End of Time distinguished himself by dipping his meat into honey, we went -out gun in hand towards the bush. It swarmed with sand-antelope and -Gurnuk: the ground-squirrels haunted every ant-hill, hoopoos and spur- -fowls paced among the thickets, in the trees we heard the frequent cry of -the Gobiyan and the bird facetiously termed from its cry "Dobo-dogon- -guswen," and the bright-coloured hawk, the Abodi or Bakiyyah [29], lay on -wing high in the cloudless air. - -When tired of killing we returned to our cow-hides, and sat in -conversation with the Bedouins. They boasted of the skill with which they -used the shield, and seemed not to understand the efficiency of a sword- -parry: to illustrate the novel idea I gave a stick to the best man, -provided myself in the same way, and allowed him to cut at me. After -repeated failures he received a sounding blow upon the least bony portion -of his person: the crowd laughed long and loud, and the pretending -"knight-at-arms" retired in confusion. - -Darkness fell, but no caravan appeared: it had been delayed by a runaway -mule,--perhaps by the desire to restrain my vagrant propensities,--and did -not arrive till midnight. My hosts cleared a Gurgi for our reception, -brought us milk, and extended their hospitality to the full limits of even -savage complaisance. - -Expecting to march on the 13th December soon after dawn, I summoned Beuh -and his brethren to the hut, reminding him that the Hajj had promised me -an escort without delay to the village of the Gerad Adan. To my instances -they replied that, although they were most anxious to oblige, the arrival -of Mudeh the eldest son rendered a consultation necessary; and retiring to -the woods, sat in palaver from 8 A.M. to past noon. At last they came to a -resolution which could not be shaken. They would not trust one of their -number in the Gerad's country; a horseman, however, should carry a letter -inviting the Girhi chief to visit his brothers-in-law. I was assured that -Adan would not drink water before mounting to meet us: but, fear is -reciprocal, there was evidently bad blood between them, and already a -knowledge of Somali customs caused me to suspect the result of our -mission. However, a letter was written reminding the Gerad of "the word -spoken under the tree," and containing, in case of recusance, a threat to -cut off the salt well at which his cows are periodically driven to drink. -Then came the bargain for safe conduct. After much haggling, especially on -the part of the handsome Igah, they agreed to receive twenty Tobes, three -bundles of tobacco, and fourteen cubits of indigo-dyed cotton. In addition -to this I offered as a bribe one of my handsome Abyssinian shirts with a -fine silk fringe made at Aden, to be received by the man Beuh on the day -of entering the Gerad's village. - -I arose early in the next morning, having been promised by the Abbans -grand sport in the Harawwah Valley. The Somal had already divided the -elephants' spoils: they were to claim the hero's feather, I was to receive -two thirds of the ivory--nothing remained to be done but the killing. -After sundry pretences and prayers for delay, Beuh saddled his hack, the -Hammal mounted one mule, a stout-hearted Bedouin called Fahi took a -second, and we started to find the herds. The End of Time lagged in the -rear: the reflection that a mule cannot outrun an elephant, made him look -so ineffably miserable, that I sent him back to the kraal. "Dost thou -believe me to be a coward, 0 Pilgrim?" thereupon exclaimed the Mullah, -waxing bold in the very joy of his heart. "Of a truth I do!" was my reply. -Nothing abashed, he hammered his mule with heel, and departed ejaculating, -"What hath man but a single life? and he who throweth it away, what is he -but a fool?" Then we advanced with cocked guns, Beuh singing, Boanerges- -like, the Song of the Elephant. - -In the Somali country, as amongst the Kafirs, after murdering a man or -boy, the death of an elephant is considered _the_ act of heroism: most -tribes wear for it the hair-feather and the ivory bracelet. Some hunters, -like the Bushmen of the Cape [30], kill the Titan of the forests with -barbed darts carrying Waba-poison. The general way of hunting resembles -that of the Abyssinian Agageers described by Bruce. One man mounts a white -pony, and galloping before the elephant, induces him, as he readily does, ---firearms being unknown,--to charge and "chivy." The rider directs his -course along, and close to, some bush, where a comrade is concealed; and -the latter, as the animal passes at speed, cuts the back sinew of the hind -leg, where in the human subject the tendon Achilles would be, with a -sharp, broad and heavy knife. [31] This wound at first occasions little -inconvenience: presently the elephant, fancying, it is supposed, that a -thorn has stuck in his foot, stamps violently, and rubs the scratch till -the sinew is fairly divided. The animal, thus disabled, is left to perish -wretchedly of hunger and thirst: the tail, as amongst the Kafirs, is cut -off to serve as trophy, and the ivories are removed when loosened by -decomposition. In this part of Africa the elephant is never tamed. [32] - -For six hours we rode the breadth of the Harawwah Valley: it was covered -with wild vegetation, and surface-drains, that carry off the surplus of -the hills enclosing it. In some places the torrent beds had cut twenty -feet into the soil. The banks were fringed with milk-bush and Asclepias, -the Armo-creeper, a variety of thorns, and especially the yellow-berried -Jujube: here numberless birds followed bright-winged butterflies, and the -"Shaykhs of the Blind," as the people call the black fly, settled in -swarms upon our hands and faces as we rode by. The higher ground was -overgrown with a kind of cactus, which here becomes a tree, forming shady -avenues. Its quadrangular fleshy branches of emerald green, sometimes -forty feet high, support upon their summits large round bunches of a -bright crimson berry: when the plantation is close, domes of extreme -beauty appear scattered over the surface of the country. This "Hassadin" -abounds in burning milk, and the Somal look downwards when passing under -its branches: the elephant is said to love it, and in many places the -trees were torn to pieces by hungry trunks. The nearest approaches to game -were the last year's earths; likely places, however, shady trees and green -thorns near water, were by no means uncommon. When we reached the valley's -southern wall, Beuh informed us that we might ride all day, if we pleased, -with the same result. At Zayla I had been informed that elephants are -"thick as sand" in Harawwah: even the Gudabirsi, when at a distance, -declared that they fed there like sheep, and, after our failure, swore -that they killed thirty but last year. The animals were probably in the -high Harirah Valley, and would be driven downwards by the cold at a later -period: some future Gordon Cumming may therefore succeed where the Hajj -Abdullah notably failed. - -On the 15th December I persuaded the valiant Beuh, with his two brothers -and his bluff cousin Fahi, to cross the valley with us, After recovering a -mule which had strayed five miles back to the well, and composing sundry -quarrels between Shehrazade, whose swains had detained her from camel- -loading, and the Kalendar whose one eye flashed with indignation at her -conduct, we set out in a southerly direction. An hour's march brought us -to an open space surrounded by thin thorn forest: in the centre is an -ancient grave, about which are performed the equestrian games when the -turban of the Ugaz has been bound under the Holy Tree. Shepherds issued -from the bush to stare at us as we passed, and stretched forth the hand -for "Bori:" the maidens tripped forwards exclaiming, "Come, girls, let us -look at this prodigy!" and they never withheld an answer if civilly -addressed. Many of them were grown up, and not a few were old maids, the -result of the tribe's isolation; for here, as in Somaliland generally, the -union of cousins is abhorred. The ground of the valley is a stiff clay, -sprinkled with pebbles of primitive formation: the hills are mere rocks, -and the torrent banks with strata of small stones, showed a watermark -varying from ten to fifteen feet in height: in these Fiumaras we saw -frequent traces of the Edler-game, deer and hog. At 1 P.M. our camels and -mules were watered at wells in a broad wady called Jannah-Gaban or the -Little Garden; its course, I was told, lies northwards through the -Harawwah Valley to the Odla and Waruf, two depressions in the Wayma -country near Tajurrah. About half an hour afterwards we arrived at a -deserted sheepfold distant six miles from our last station. After -unloading we repaired to a neighbouring well, and found the water so hard -that it raised lumps like nettle stings in the bather's skin. The only -remedy for the evil is an unguent of oil or butter, a precaution which -should never be neglected by the African traveller. At first the sensation -of grease annoys, after a few days it is forgotten, and at last the "pat -of butter" is expected as pleasantly as the pipe or the cup of coffee. It -prevents the skin from chaps and sores, obviates the evil effects of heat, -cold, and wet, and neutralises the Proteus-like malaria poison. The Somal -never fail to anoint themselves when they can afford ghee, and the Bedouin -is at the summit of his bliss, when sitting in the blazing sun, or,--heat -acts upon these people as upon serpents,--with his back opposite a roaring -fire, he is being smeared, rubbed, and kneaded by a companion. - -My guides, fearing lions and hyenas, would pass the night inside a foul -sheepfold: I was not without difficulty persuaded to join them. At eight -next morning we set out through an uninteresting thorn-bush towards one of -those Tetes or isolated hills which form admirable bench-marks in the -Somali country. "Koralay," a terra corresponding with our Saddle-back, -exactly describes its shape: pommel and crupper, in the shape of two huge -granite boulders, were all complete, and between them was a depression for -a seat. As day advanced the temperature changed from 50° to a maximum of -121°. After marching about five miles, we halted in a broad watercourse -called Gallajab, the "Plentiful Water": there we bathed, and dined on an -excellent camel which had broken its leg by falling from a bank. - -Resuming our march at 5 P.M., we travelled over ascending ground which -must be most fertile after rain: formerly it belonged to the Girhi, and -the Gudabirsi boasted loudly of their conquest. After an hour's march we -reached the base of Koralay, upon whose lower slopes appeared a pair of -the antelopes called Alakud [33]: they are tame, easily shot, and eagerly -eaten by the Bedouins. Another hour of slow travelling brought us to a -broad Fiumara with high banks of stiff clay thickly wooded and showing a -water-mark eighteen feet above the sand. The guides named these wells -Agjogsi, probably a generic term signifying that water is standing close -by. Crossing the Fiumara we ascended a hill, and found upon the summit a -large kraal alive with heads of kine. The inhabitants flocked out to stare -at us and the women uttered cries of wonder. I advanced towards the -prettiest, and fired my rifle by way of salute over her head. The people -delighted, exclaimed, Mod! Mod!--"Honor to thee!"--and we replied with -shouts of Kulliban--"May Heaven aid ye!" [34] At 5 P.M., after five miles' -march, the camels were unloaded in a deserted kraal whose high fence -denoted danger of wild beasts. The cowherds bade us beware of lions: but a -day before a girl had been dragged out of her hut, and Moslem burial could -be given to only one of her legs. A Bedouin named Uddao, whom we hired as -mule-keeper, was ordered to spend the night singing, and, as is customary -with Somali watchmen, to address and answer himself dialogue-wise with a -different voice, in order to persuade thieves that several men are on the -alert. He was a spectacle of wildness as he sat before the blazing fire,-- -his joy by day, his companion and protector in the shades, the only step -made by him in advance of his brethren the Cynocephali. - -We were detained four days at Agjogsi by the nonappearance of the Gerad -Adan: this delay gave me an opportunity of ascending to the summit of -Koralay the Saddleback, which lay about a mile north of our encampment. As -we threaded the rocks and hollows of the side we came upon dens strewed -with cows' bones, and proving by a fresh taint that the tenants had lately -quitted them. In this country the lion is seldom seen unless surprised -asleep in his lair of thicket: during my journey, although at times the -roaring was heard all night, I saw but one. The people have a superstition -that the king of beasts will not attack a single traveller, because such a -person, they say, slew the mother of all the lions: except in darkness or -during violent storms, which excite the fiercer carnivors, he is a timid -animal, much less feared by the people than the angry and agile leopard. -Unable to run with rapidity when pressed by hunger, he pursues a party of -travellers stealthily as a cat, and, arrived within distance, springs, -strikes down the hindermost, and carries him away to the bush. - -From the summit of Koralay, we had a fair view of the surrounding country. -At least forty kraals, many of them deserted, lay within the range of -sight. On all sides except the north-west and south-east was a mass of -sombre rock and granite hill: the course of the valleys between the -several ranges was denoted by a lively green, and the plains scattered in -patches over the landscape shone with dull yellow, the effect of clay and -stubble, whilst a light mist encased the prospect in a circlet of blue and -silver. Here the End of Time conceived the jocose idea of crowning me king -of the country. With loud cries of Buh! Buh! Buh! he showered leaves of a -gum tree and a little water from a prayer bottle over my head, and then -with all solemnity bound on the turban. [35] It is perhaps fortunate that -this facetiousness was not witnessed: a crowd of Bedouins assembled below -the hill, suspecting as usual some magical practices, and, had they known -the truth, our journey might have ended abruptly. Descending, I found -porcupines' quills in abundance [36], and shot a rock pigeon called Elal- -jog--the "Dweller at wells." At the foot a "Baune" or Hyrax Abyssinicus, -resembling the Coney of Palestine [37], was observed at its favourite -pastime of sunning itself upon the rocks. - -On the evening of the 20th December the mounted messenger returned, after -a six hours' hard ride, bringing back unopened the letter addressed by me -to the Gerad, and a private message from their sister to the sons of White -Ali, advising them not to advance. Ensued terrible palavers. It appeared -that the Gerad was upon the point of mounting horse, when his subjects -swore him to remain and settle a dispute with the Amir of Harar. Our -Abbans, however, withdrew their hired camels, positively refuse to -accompany us, and Beuh privily informed the End of Time that I had -acquired through the land the evil reputation of killing everything, from -an elephant to a bird in the air. One of the younger brethren, indeed, -declared that we were forerunners of good, and that if the Gerad harmed a -hair of our heads, he would slaughter every Girhi under the sun. We had, -however, learned properly to appreciate such vaunts, and the End of Time -drily answered that their sayings were honey but their doings myrrh. Being -a low-caste and a shameless tribe, they did not reply to our reproaches. -At last, a manoeuvre was successful: Beuh and his brethren, who squatted -like sulky children in different places, were dismissed with thanks,--we -proposed placing ourselves under the safeguard of Gerad Hirsi, the Berteri -chief. This would have thrown the protection-price, originally intended -for their brother-in-law, into the hands of a rival, and had the effect of -altering their resolve. Presently we were visited by two Widad or hedge- -priests, Ao Samattar and Ao Nur [38], both half-witted fellows, but active -and kindhearted. The former wore a dirty turban, the latter a Zebid cap, a -wicker-work calotte, composed of the palm leaf's mid-rib: they carried -dressed goatskins, as prayer carpets, over their right shoulders dangled -huge wooden ink bottles with Lauh or wooden tablets for writing talismans -[39], and from the left hung a greasy bag, containing a tattered copy of -the Koran and a small MS. of prayers. They read tolerably, but did not -understand Arabic, and I presented them with cheap Bombay lithographs of -the Holy Book. The number of these idlers increased as we approached -Harar, the Alma Mater of Somali land:--the people seldom listen to their -advice, but on this occasion Ao Samattar succeeded in persuading the -valiant Beuh that the danger was visionary. Soon afterwards rode up to our -kraal three cavaliers, who proved to be sons of Adam, the future Ugaz of -the Gudabirsi tribe: this chief had fully recognized the benefits of -reopening to commerce a highway closed by their petty feuds, and sent to -say that, in consequence of his esteem for the Hajj Sharmarkay, if the -sons of White Ali feared to escort us, he in person would do the deed. -Thereupon Beuh became a "Gesi" or hero, as the End of Time ironically -called him: he sent back his brethren with their horses and camels, and -valorously prepared to act as our escort. I tauntingly asked him what he -now thought of the danger. For all reply he repeated the words, with which -the Bedouins--who, like the Arabs, have a holy horror of towns--had been -dinning daily into my ears, "They will spoil that white skin of thine at -Harar!" - -At 3 P.M., on the 21st December, we started in a westerly direction -through a gap in the hills, and presently turned to the south-west, over -rapidly rising ground, thickly inhabited, and covered with flocks and -herds. About 5 P.M., after marching two miles, we raised our wigwam -outside a populous kraal, a sheep was provided by the hospitality of Ao -Samattar, and we sat deep into the night enjoying a genial blaze. - -Early the next morning we had hoped to advance: water, however, was -wanting, and a small caravan was slowly gathering;--these details delayed -us till 4 P.M. Our line lay westward, over rising ground, towards a -conspicuous conical hill called Konti. Nothing could be worse for camels -than the rough ridges at the foot of the mountain, full of thickets, cut -by deep Fiumaras, and abounding in dangerous watercourses: the burdens -slipped now backwards then forwards, sometimes the load was almost dragged -off by thorns, and at last we were obliged to leave one animal to follow -slowly in the rear. After creeping on two miles, we bivouacked in a -deserted cow-kraal,--_sub dio_, as it was warm under the hills. That -evening our party was increased by a Gudabirsi maiden in search of a -husband: she was surlily received by Shehrazade and Deenarzade, but we -insisted upon her being fed, and superintended the operation. Her style of -eating was peculiar; she licked up the rice from the hollow of her hand. -Next morning she was carried away in our absence, greatly against her -will, by some kinsmen who had followed her. - -And now, bidding adieu to the Gudabirsi, I will briefly sketch the tribe. - -The Gudabirsi, or Gudabursi, derive themselves from Dir and Aydur, thus -claiming affinity with the Eesa: others declare their tribe to be an -offshoot from the Bahgoba clan of the Habr Awal, originally settled near -Jebel Almis, and Bulhar, on the sea-shore. The Somal unhesitatingly -stigmatize them as a bastard and ignoble race: a noted genealogist once -informed me, that they were little better than Midgans or serviles. Their -ancestors' mother, it is said, could not name the father of her child: -some proposed to slay it, others advocated its preservation, saying, -"Perhaps we shall increase by it!" Hence the name of the tribe. [40] - -The Gudabirsi are such inveterate liars that I could fix for them no -number between 3000 and 10,000. They own the rough and rolling ground -diversified with thorny hill and grassy vale, above the first or seaward -range of mountains; and they have extended their lands by conquest towards -Harar, being now bounded in that direction by the Marar Prairie. As usual, -they are subdivided into a multitude of clans. [41] - -In appearance the Gudabirsi are decidedly superior to their limitrophes -the Eesa. I have seen handsome faces amongst the men as well as the women. -Some approach closely to the Caucasian type: one old man, with olive- -coloured skin, bald brow, and white hair curling round his temples, and -occiput, exactly resembled an Anglo-Indian veteran. Generally, however, -the prognathous mouth betrays an African origin, and chewing tobacco mixed -with ashes stains the teeth, blackens the gums, and mottles the lips. The -complexion is the Abyssinian _cafe au lait_, contrasting strongly with the -sooty skins of the coast; and the hair, plentifully anointed with rancid -butter, hangs from the head in lank corkscrews the colour of a Russian -pointer's coat. The figure is rather squat, but broad and well set. - -The Gudabirsi are as turbulent and unmanageable, though not so -bloodthirsty, as the Eesa. Their late chief, Ugaz Roblay of the Bait -Samattar sept, left children who could not hold their own: the turban was -at once claimed by a rival branch, the Rer Abdillah, and a civil war -ensued. The lovers of legitimacy will rejoice to hear that when I left the -country, Galla, son of the former Prince Rainy, was likely to come to his -own again. - -The stranger's life is comparatively safe amongst this tribe: as long as -he feeds and fees them, he may even walk about unarmed. They are, however, -liars even amongst the Somal, Bobadils amongst boasters, inveterate -thieves, and importunate beggars. The smooth-spoken fellows seldom betray -emotion except when cloth or tobacco is concerned; "dissimulation is as -natural to them as breathing," and I have called one of their chiefs "dog" -without exciting his indignation. - -The commerce of these wild regions is at present in a depressed state: -were the road safe, traffic with the coast would be considerable. The -profit on hides, for instance, at Aden, would be at least cent. per cent.: -the way, however, is dangerous, and detention is frequent, consequently -the gain will not remunerate for risk and loss of time. No operation can -be undertaken in a hurry, consequently demand cannot readily be supplied. -What Laing applies to Western, may be repeated of Eastern Africa: "the -endeavour to accelerate an undertaking is almost certain to occasion its -failure." Nowhere is patience more wanted, in order to perform perfect -work. The wealth of the Gudabirsi consists principally in cattle, -peltries, hides, gums, and ghee. The asses are dun-coloured, small, and -weak; the camels large, loose, and lazy; the cows are pretty animals, with -small humps, long horns, resembling the Damara cattle, and in the grazing -season with plump, well-rounded limbs; there is also a bigger breed, not -unlike that of Tuscany. The standard is the Tobe of coarse canvass; worth -about three shillings at Aden, here it doubles in value. The price of a -good camel varies from six to eight cloths; one Tobe buys a two-year-old -heifer, three, a cow between three and four years old. A ewe costs half a -cloth: the goat, although the flesh is according to the Somal nutritive, -whilst "mutton is disease," is a little cheaper than the sheep. Hides and -peltries are usually collected at and exported from Harar; on the coast -they are rubbed over with salt, and in this state carried to Aden. Cows' -skins fetch a quarter of a dollar, or about one shilling in cloth, and two -dollars are the extreme price for the Kurjah or score of goats' skins. The -people of the interior have a rude way of tanning [42]; they macerate the -hide, dress, and stain it of a deep calf-skin colour with the bark of a -tree called Jirmah, and lastly the leather is softened with the hand. The -principal gum is the Adad, or Acacia Arabica: foreign merchants purchase -it for about half a dollar per Farasilah of twenty pounds: cow's and -sheep's butter may fetch a dollar's worth of cloth for the measure of -thirty-two pounds. This great article of commerce is good and pure in the -country, whereas at Berberah, the Habr Awal adulterate it, previous to -exportation, with melted sheep's tails. - -The principal wants of the country which we have traversed are coarse -cotton cloth, Surat tobacco, beads, and indigo-dyed stuffs for women's -coifs. The people would also be grateful for any improvement in their -breed of horses, and when at Aden I thought of taking with me some old -Arab stallions as presents to chiefs. Fortunately the project fell to the -ground: a strange horse of unusual size or beauty, in these regions, would -be stolen at the end of the first march. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] Every hill and peak, ravine and valley, will be known by some striking -epithet: as Borad, the White Hill; Libahlay, the Lions' Mountain; and so -forth. - -[2] The Arabs call it Kakatua, and consider it a species of parrot. The -name Cacatoes, is given by the Cape Boers, according to Delegorgue, to the -Coliphymus Concolor. The Gobiyan resembles in shape and flight our magpie, -it has a crest and a brown coat with patches of white, and a noisy note -like a frog. It is very cunning and seldom affords a second shot. - -[3] The berries of the Armo are eaten by children, and its leaves, which -never dry up, by the people in times of famine; they must be boiled or the -acrid juice would excoriate the mouth. - -[4] Siyaro is the Somali corruption of the Arabic Ziyarat, which, -synonymous with Mazar, means a place of pious visitation. - -[5] The Somal call the insect Abor, and its hill Dundumo. - -[6] The corrupted Portuguese word used by African travellers; in the -Western regions it is called Kelder, and the Arabs term it "Kalam." - -[7] Three species of the Dar or Aloe grow everywhere in the higher regions -of the Somali country. The first is called Dar Main, the inside of its -peeled leaf is chewed when water cannot be procured. The Dar Murodi or -Elephant's aloe is larger and useless: the Dar Digwen or Long-eared -resembles that of Socotra. - -[8] The Hig is called "Salab" by the Arabs, who use its long tough fibre -for ropes. Patches of this plant situated on moist ground at the foot of -hills, are favourite places with sand antelope, spur-fowl and other game. - -[9] The Darnel or pod has a sweetish taste, not unlike that of a withered -pea; pounded and mixed with milk or ghee, it is relished by the Bedouins -when vegetable food is scarce. - -[10] Dobo in the Somali tongue signifies mud or clay. - -[11] The Loajira (from "Loh," a cow) is a neatherd; the "Geljira" is the -man who drives camels. - -[12] For these we paid twenty-four oubits of canvass, and two of blue -cotton; equivalent to about three shillings. - -[13] The natives call them Jana; they are about three-fourths of an inch -long, and armed with stings that prick like thorns and burn violently for -a few minutes. - -[14] Near Berberah, where the descents are more rapid, such panoramas are -common. - -[15] This is the celebrated Waba, which produces the Somali Wabayo, a -poison applied to darts and arrows. It is a round stiff evergreen, not -unlike a bay, seldom taller than twenty feet, affecting hill sides and -torrent banks, growing in clumps that look black by the side of the -Acacias; thornless, with a laurel-coloured leaf, which cattle will not -touch, unless forced by famine, pretty bunches of pinkish white flowers, -and edible berries black and ripening to red. The bark is thin, the wood -yellow, compact, exceedingly tough and hard, the root somewhat like -liquorice; the latter is prepared by trituration and other processes, and -the produce is a poison in substance and colour resembling pitch. - -Travellers have erroneously supposed the arrow poison of Eastern Africa to -be the sap of a Euphorbium. The following "observations accompanying a -substance procured near Aden, and used by the Somalis to poison their -arrows," by F. S. Arnott, Esq., M.D., will be read with interest. - -"In February 1853, Dr. Arnott had forwarded to him a watery extract -prepared from the root of a tree, described as 'Wabie,' a toxicodendron -from the Somali country on the Habr Gerhajis range of the Goolies -mountains. The tree grows to the height of twenty feet. The poison is -obtained by boiling the root in water, until it attains the consistency of -an inspissated juice. When cool the barb of the arrow is anointed with the -juice, which, is regarded as a virulent poison, and it renders a wound -tainted therewith incurable. Dr. Arnott was informed that death usually -took place within an hour; that the hairs and nails dropped off after -death, and it was believed that the application of heat assisted its -poisonous qualities. He could not, however ascertain the quantity made use -of by the Somalis, and doubted if the point of an arrow would convey a -sufficient quantity to produce such immediate effects. He had tested its -powers in some other experiments, besides the ones detailed, and although -it failed in several instances, yet he was led to the conclusion that it -was a very powerful narcotic irritant poison. He had not, however, -observed the local effect said to be produced upon the point of -insertion." - -"The following trials were described:-- - -"1. A little was inserted into the inside of the ear of a sickly sheep, -and death occurred in two hours. - -"2. A little was inserted into, the inside of the ear of a healthy sheep, -and death occurred in two hours, preceded by convulsions. - -"3. Five grains were given to a dog; vomiting took place after an hour, -and death in three or four hours. - -"4. One grain was swallowed by a fowl, but no effect produced. - -"5. Three grains were given to a sheep, but without producing any effect. - -"6. A small quantity was inserted into the ear and shoulder of a dog, but -no effect was produced. - -"7. Upon the same dog two days after, the same quantity was inserted into -the thigh; death occurred in less than two hours. - -"8. Seven grains were given to a sheep without any effect whatever. - -"9. To a dog five grains were administered, but it was rejected by -vomiting; this was again repeated on the following day, with the same -result. On the same day four grains were inserted into a wound upon the -same dog; it produced violent effects in ten, and death in thirty-five, -minutes. - -"10. To a sheep two grains in solution were given without any effect being -produced. The post-mortem appearances observed were, absence of all traces -of inflammation, collapse of the lungs, and distension of the cavities of -the heart." - -Further experiments of the Somali arrow poison by B. Haines, M. B., -assistant surgeon (from Transactions of the Medical and Physical Society -of Bombay. No. 2. new series 1853-1854.) - -"Having while at Ahmednuggur received from the secretary a small quantity -of Somali arrow poison, alluded to by Mr. Vaughan in his notes on articles -of the Materia Medica, and published in the last volume of the Society's -Transactions, and called 'Wabie,' the following experiments were made with -it:-- - -"September 17th. 1. A small healthy rabbit was taken, and the skin over -the hip being divided, a piece of the poisonous extract about the size of -a corn of wheat was inserted into the cellular tissue beneath: thirty -minutes afterwards, seems disinclined to move, breathing quicker, passed * -*: one hour, again passed * * * followed by * * *; has eaten a little: one -hour and a half, appears quite to have recovered from his uneasiness, and -has become as lively as before. (This rabbit was made use of three days -afterwards for the third experiment.) - -"2. A full-grown rabbit. Some of the poison being dissolved in water a -portion of the solution corresponding to about fifteen grains was injected -into an opening in the peritoneum, so large a quantity being used, in -consequence of the apparent absence of effect in the former case: five -minutes, he appears to be in pain, squeaking occasionally; slight -convulsive retractions of the head and neck begin to take place, passed a -small quantity of * *: ten minutes, the spasms are becoming more frequent, -but are neither violent nor prolonged, respiration scarcely perceptible; -he now fell on his side: twelve minutes, several severe general -convulsions came on, and at the end of another minute he was quite dead, -the pulsation being for the last minute quite imperceptible. The chest was -instantly opened, but there was no movement of the heart whatever. - -"September 20th. 3. The rabbit used for the first experiment was taken and -an attempt was made to inject a little filtered solution into the jugular -vein, which failed from the large size of the nozzle of the syringe; a -good deal of blood was lost. A portion of the solution corresponding to -about two grains and a half of the poison was then injected into a small -opening made in the pleura. Nine minutes afterwards: symptoms precisely -resembling those in number two began to appear. Fourteen minutes: -convulsions more violent; fell on his side. Sixteen minutes, died. - -"4. A portion of the poison, as much as could be applied, was smeared over -the square iron head of an arrow, and allowed to dry. The arrow was then -shot into the buttock of a goat with sufficient force to carry the head -out of sight; twenty minutes afterwards, no effect whatever having -followed, the arrow was extracted. The poison had become softened and was -wiped completely off two of the sides, and partly off the two other sides. -The animal appeared to suffer very little pain from the wound; he was kept -for a fortnight, and then died, but not apparently from any cause -connected with the wound. In fact he was previously diseased. -Unfortunately the seat of the wound was not then examined, but a few days -previously it appeared to have healed of itself. In the rabbit of the -former experiment, three days after the insertion of the poison in the -wound, the latter was closed with a dry coagulum and presented no marks of -inflammation around it. - -"5. Two good-sized village dogs being secured, to each after several -hours' fasting, were given about five grains enveloped in meat. The -smaller one chewed it a long time, and frothed much at the mouth. He -appeared to swallow very little of it, but the larger one ate the whole up -without difficulty. After more than two hours no effect whatever being -perceptible in either animal, they were shot to get rid of them. These -experiments, though not altogether complete, certainly establish the fact -that it is a poison of no very great activity. The quantity made use of in -the second experiment was too great to allow a fair deduction to be made -as to its properties. When a fourth to a sixth of the quantity was -employed in the third experiment the same effects followed, but with -rather less rapidity; death resulting in the one case in ten, in the other -in sixteen minutes, although the death in the latter case was perhaps -hastened by the loss of blood. The symptoms more resemble those produced -by nux vomica than by any other agent. No apparent drowsiness, spasms, -slight at first, beginning in the neck, increasing in intensity, extending -over the whole body, and finally stopping respiration and with it the -action of the heart. Experiments first and fourth show that a moderate -quantity, such as may be introduced on the point of an arrow, produced no -sensible effect either on a goat or a rabbit, and it could scarcely be -supposed that it would have more on a man than on the latter animal; and -the fifth experiment proves that a full dose taken into the stomach -produces no result within a reasonable time. - -"The extract appeared to have been very carelessly prepared. It contained -much earthy matter, and even small stones, and a large proportion of what -seemed to be oxidized extractive matter also was left undisturbed when it -was treated with water: probably it was not a good specimen. It seems, -however, to keep well, and shows no disposition to become mouldy." - -[16] The Somal divide their year into four seasons:-- - -1. Gugi (monsoon, from "Gug," rain) begins in April, is violent for forty- -four days and subsides in August. Many roads may be traversed at this -season, which are death in times of drought; the country becomes "Barwako -"(in Arabic Rakha, a place of plenty,) forage and water abound, the air is -temperate, and the light showers enliven the traveller. - -2. Haga is the hot season after the monsoon, and corresponding with our -autumn: the country suffers from the Fora, a violent dusty Simum, which is -allayed by a fall of rain called Karan. - -3. Dair, the beginning of the cold season, opens the sea to shipping. The -rain which then falls is called Dairti or Hais: it comes with a west- -south-west wind from the hills of Harar. - -4. Jilal is the dry season from December to April. The country then -becomes Abar (in Arabic Jahr,) a place of famine: the Nomads migrate to -the low plains, where pasture is procurable. Some reckon as a fifth season -Kalil, or the heats between Jilal and the monsoon. - -[17] According to Bruce this tree flourishes everywhere on the low hot -plains between, the Red Sea and the Abyssinian hills. The Gallas revere it -and plant it over sacerdotal graves. It suggests the Fetiss trees of -Western Africa, and the Hiero-Sykaminon of Egypt. - -[18] There are two species of this bird, both called by the Somal, -"Daudaulay" from their tapping. - -[19] The limbs are perfumed with the "Hedi," and "Karanli," products of -the Ugadayn or southern country. - -[20] This great oath suggests the litholatry of the Arabs, derived from -the Abyssinian and Galla Sabaeans; it is regarded by the Eesa and Gudabirsi -Bedouins as even more binding than the popular religious adjurations. When -a suspected person denies his guilt, the judge places a stone before him, -saying "Tabo!" (feel!); the liar will seldom dare to touch it. Sometimes a -Somali will take up a stone and say "Dagaha," (it is a stone,) he may then -generally be believed. - -[21] Kariyah is the Arabic word. - -[22] In the northern country the water-proofing matter is, according to -travellers, the juice of the Quolquol, a species of Euphorbium. - -[23] The flies are always most troublesome where cows have been; kraals of -goats and camels are comparatively free from the nuisance. - -[24] Some years ago a French lady landed at Berberah: her white face, -according to the End of Time, made every man hate his wife and every wife -hate herself. I know not who the fair dame was: her charms and black silk -dress, however, have made a lasting impression upon the Somali heart; from -the coast to Harar she is still remembered with rapture. - -[25] The Abyssinian Brindo of omophagean fame is not eaten by the Somal, -who always boil, broil, or sun-dry their flesh. They have, however, no -idea of keeping it, whereas the more civilised citizens of Harar hang -their meat till tender. - -[26] Whilst other animals have indigenous names, the horse throughout the -Somali country retains the Arab appellation "Faras." This proves that the -Somal, like their progenitors the Gallas, originally had no cavalry. The -Gudabirsi tribe has but lately mounted itself by making purchases of the -Habr Gerhajis and the Habr Awal herds. - -[27] The milch cow is here worth two Tobes, or about six shillings. - -[28] Particularly amongst the windward tribes visited by Lieut. -Cruttenden, from whom I borrow this description. - -[29] This beautiful bird, with a black and crimson plume, and wings lined -with silver, soars high and seldom descends except at night: its shyness -prevented my shooting a specimen. The Abodi devours small deer and birds: -the female lays a single egg in a large loose nest on the summit of a tall -tree, and she abandons her home when the hand of man has violated it. The -Somal have many superstitions connected with this hawk: if it touch a -child the latter dies, unless protected by the talismanic virtues of the -"Hajar Abodi," a stone found in the bird's body. As it frequently swoops -upon children carrying meat, the belief has doubtlessly frequently -fulfilled itself. - -[30] The Bushman creeps close to the beast and wounds it in the leg or -stomach with a diminutive dart covered with a couch of black poison: if a -drop of blood appear, death results from the almost unfelt wound. - -[31] So the Veddahs of Ceylon are said to have destroyed the elephant by -shooting a tiny arrow into the sole of the foot. The Kafirs attack it in -bodies armed with sharp and broad-head "Omkondo" or assegais: at last, one -finds the opportunity of cutting deep into the hind back sinew, and so -disables the animal. - -[32] The traveller Delegorgue asserts that the Boers induce the young -elephant to accompany them, by rubbing upon its trunk the hand wetted with -the perspiration of the huntsman's brow, and that the calf, deceived by -the similarity of smell, believes that it is with its dam. The fact is, -that the orphan elephant, like the bison, follows man because it fears to -be left alone. - -[33] An antelope, about five hands high with small horns, which inhabits -the high ranges of the mountains, generally in couples, resembles the musk -deer, and is by no means shy, seldom flying till close pressed; when -running it hops awkwardly upon the toes and never goes far. - -[34] These are solemn words used in the equestrian games of the Somal. - -[35] Sometimes milk is poured over the head, as gold and silver in the -Nuzzeranah of India. These ceremonies are usually performed by low-caste -men; the free-born object to act in them. - -[36] The Somal call it Hiddik or Anukub; the quills are used as head -scratchers, and are exported to Aden for sale. - -[37] I It appears to be the Ashkoko of the Amharas, identified by Bruce -with the Saphan of the Hebrews. This coney lives in chinks and holes of -rocks: it was never seen by me on the plains. The Arabs eat it, the Somal -generally do not. - -[38] The prefix appears to be a kind of title appropriated by saints and -divines. - -[39] These charms are washed off and drunk by the people: an economical -proceeding where paper is scarce. - -[40] "Birsan" in Somali, meaning to increase. - -[41] The Ayyal Yunis, the principal clan, contains four septs viz.:-- - - 1. Jibril Yunis. 3. Ali Yunis. - 2. Nur Yunis. 4. Adan Yunis. - -The other chief clans are-- - - 1. Mikahil Dera. 7. Basannah. - 2. Rer Ugaz. 8. Bahabr Hasan. - 3. Jibrain. 9. Abdillah Mikahil. - 4. Rer Mohammed Asa. 10. Hasan Mikahil. - 5. Musa Fin. 11. Eyah Mikahil - 6. Rer Abokr. 12. Hasan Waraba. - -[42] The best prayer-skins are made at Ogadayn; there they cost about -half-a-dollar each. - - - - -CHAP. VII. - -FROM THE MARAR PRAIRIE TO HARAR. - - -Early on the 23rd December assembled the Caravan, which we were destined -to escort across the Marar Prairie. Upon this neutral ground the Eesa, -Berteri, and Habr Awal meet to rob and plunder unhappy travellers. The -Somal shuddered at the sight of a wayfarer, who rushed into our encampment -_in cuerpo_, having barely run away with his life. Not that our caravan -carried much to lose,--a few hides and pots of clarified butter, to be -exchanged for the Holcus grain of the Girhi cultivators,--still the -smallest contributions are thankfully received by these plunderers. Our -material consisted of four or five half-starved camels, about fifty -donkeys with ears cropped as a mark, and their eternal accompaniments in -Somali land, old women. The latter seemed to be selected for age, -hideousness, and strength: all day they bore their babes smothered in -hides upon their backs, and they carried heavy burdens apparently without -fatigue. Amongst them was a Bedouin widow, known by her "Wer," a strip of -the inner bark of a tree tied round the greasy fillet. [1] We were -accompanied by three Widads, provided with all the instruments of their -craft, and uncommonly tiresome companions. They recited Koran _a tort et a -travers_: at every moment they proposed Fatihahs, the name of Allah was -perpetually upon their lips, and they discussed questions of divinity, -like Gil Blas and his friends, with a violence bordering upon frenzy. One -of them was celebrated for his skill in the "Fal," or Omens: he was -constantly consulted by my companions, and informed them that we had -nought to fear except from wild beasts. The prediction was a good hit: I -must own, however, that it was not communicated to me before fulfilment. - -At half past six A.M. we began our march over rough and rising ground, a -network of thorns and water-courses, and presently entered a stony gap -between two ranges of hills. On our right was a conical peak, bearing the -remains of buildings upon its summit. Here, said Abtidon, a wild Gudabirsi -hired to look after our mules, rests the venerable Shaykh Samawai. Of old, -a number of wells existed in the gaps between the hills: these have -disappeared with those who drank of them. - -Presently we entered the Barr or Prairie of Marar, one of the long strips -of plain which diversify the Somali country. Its breadth, bounded on the -east by the rolling ground over which we had passed, on the west by -Gurays, a range of cones offshooting from the highlands of Harar, is about -twenty-seven miles. The general course is north and south: in the former -direction, it belongs to the Eesa: in the latter may be seen the peaks of -Kadau and Madir, the property of the Habr Awal tribes; and along these -ranges it extends, I was told, towards Ogadayn. The surface of the plain -is gently rolling ground; the black earth, filled with the holes of small -beasts, would be most productive, and the outer coat is an expanse of -tall, waving, sunburnt grass, so unbroken, that from a distance it -resembles the nap of yellow velvet. In the frequent Wadys, which carry off -the surplus rain of the hills, scrub and thorn trees grow in dense -thickets, and the grass is temptingly green. Yet the land lies fallow: -water and fuel are scarce at a distance from the hills, and the wildest -Bedouins dare not front the danger of foraging parties, the fatal heats of -day, and the killing colds of night. On the edges of the plain, however, -are frequent vestiges of deserted kraals. - -About mid-day, we crossed a depression in the centre, where Acacias -supplied us with gum for luncheon, and sheltered flocks of antelope. I -endeavoured to shoot the white-tailed Sig, and the large dun Oryx; but the -_brouhaha_ of the Caravan prevented execution. Shortly afterwards we came -upon patches of holcus, which had grown wild, from seeds scattered by -travellers. This was the first sight of grain that gladdened my eyes since -I left Bombay: the grave of the First Murderer never knew a Triptolemus -[2], and Zayla is a barren flat of sand. My companions eagerly devoured -the pith of this African "sweet cane," despite its ill reputation for -causing fever. I followed their example, and found it almost as good as -bad sugar. The Bedouins loaded their spare asses with the bitter gourd, -called Ubbah; externally it resembles the water melon, and becomes, when -shaped, dried, and smoked, the wickerwork of the Somal, and the pottery of -more civilized people. - -Towards evening, as the setting sun sank slowly behind the distant western -hills, the colour of the Prairie changed from glaring yellow to a golden -hue, mantled with a purple flush inexpressibly lovely. The animals of the -waste began to appear. Shy lynxes [3] and jackals fattened by many sheep's -tails [4], warned my companions that fierce beasts were nigh, ominous -anecdotes were whispered, and I was told that a caravan had lately lost -nine asses by lions. As night came on, the Bedouin Kafilah, being lightly -loaded, preceded us, and our tired camels lagged far behind. We were -riding in rear to prevent straggling, when suddenly my mule, the -hindermost, pricked his ears uneasily, and attempted to turn his head. -Looking backwards, I distinguished the form of a large animal following us -with quick and stealthy strides. My companions would not fire, thinking it -was a man: at last a rifle-ball, pinging through the air--the moon was too -young for correct shooting--put to flight a huge lion. The terror excited -by this sort of an adventure was comical to look upon: the valiant Beuh, -who, according to himself, had made his _preuves_ in a score of foughten -fields, threw his arms in the air, wildly shouting Libah! Libah!!--the -lion! the lion!!--and nothing else was talked of that evening. - -The ghostly western hills seemed to recede as we advanced over the endless -rolling plain. Presently the ground became broken and stony, the mules -stumbled in deep holes, and the camels could scarcely crawl along. As we -advanced our Widads, who, poor devils! had been "roasted" by the women all -day on account of their poverty, began to recite the Koran with might, in -gratitude for having escaped many perils. Night deepening, our attention -was rivetted by a strange spectacle; a broad sheet of bright blaze, -reminding me of Hanno's fiery river, swept apparently down a hill, and, -according to my companions, threatened the whole prairie. These accidents -are common: a huntsman burns a tree for honey, or cooks his food in the -dry grass, the wind rises and the flames spread far and wide. On this -occasion no accident occurred; the hills, however, smoked like a Solfatara -for two days. - -About 9 P.M. we heard voices, and I was told to discharge my rifle lest -the kraal be closed to us; in due time we reached a long, low, dark line -of sixty or seventy huts, disposed in a circle, so as to form a fence, -with a few bushes--thorns being hereabouts rare--in the gaps between the -abodes. The people, a mixture of Girhi and Gudabirsi Bedouins, swarmed out -to gratify their curiosity, but we were in no humour for long -conversations. Our luggage was speedily disposed in a heap near the kraal, -the mules and camels were tethered for the night, then, supperless and -shivering with cold, we crept under our mats and fell asleep. That day we -had ridden nearly fifteen hours; our halting place lay about thirty miles -from, and 240° south-west of, Koralay. - -After another delay, and a second vain message to the Gerad Adan, about -noon appeared that dignitary's sixth wife, sister to the valiant Beuh. Her -arrival disconcerted my companions, who were too proud to be protected by -a woman. "Dahabo," however, relieved their anxiety by informing us that -the Gerad had sent his eldest son Sherwa, as escort. This princess was a -gipsy-looking dame, coarsely dressed, about thirty years old, with a gay -leer, a jaunty demeanour, and the reputation of being "fast;" she showed -little shame-facedness when I saluted her, and received with noisy joy the -appropriate present of a new and handsome Tobe. About 4 P.M. returned our -second messenger, bearing with him a reproving message from the Gerad, for -not visiting him without delay; in token of sincerity, he forwarded his -baton, a knobstick about two feet long, painted in rings of Cutch colours, -red, black, and yellow alternately, and garnished on the summit with a -ball of similar material. - -At dawn on the 26th December, mounted upon a little pony, came Sherwa, -heir presumptive to the Gerad Adan's knobstick. His father had sent him to -us three days before, but he feared the Gudabirsi as much as the Gudabirsi -feared him, and he probably hung about our camp till certain that it was -safe to enter. We received him politely, and he in acknowledgment -positively declared that Beuh should not return before eating honey in his -cottage. Our Abban's heroism now became infectious. Even the End of Time, -whose hot valour had long since fallen below zero, was inspired by the -occasion, and recited, as usual with him in places and at times of extreme -safety, the Arabs' warrior lines-- - - "I have crossed the steed since my eyes saw light, - I have fronted death till he feared my sight, - And the cleaving of helm, and the riving of mail - Were the dreams of my youth,--are my manhood's delight." - -As we had finished loading, a mule's bridle was missed. Sherwa ordered -instant restitution to his father's stranger, on the ground that all the -property now belonged to the Gerad; and we, by no means idle, fiercely -threatened to bewitch the kraal. The article was presently found hard by, -on a hedge. This was the first and last case of theft which occurred to us -in the Somali country;--I have travelled through most civilised lands, and -have lost more. - -At 8 A.M. we marched towards the north-west, along the southern base of -the Gurays hills, and soon arrived at the skirt of the prairie, where a -well-trodden path warned us that we were about to quit the desert. After -advancing six miles in line we turned to the right, and recited a Fatihah -over the heap of rough stones, where, shadowed by venerable trees, lie the -remains of the great Shaykh Abd el Malik. A little beyond this spot, rises -suddenly from the plain a mass of castellated rock, the subject of many a -wild superstition. Caravans always encamp beneath it, as whoso sleeps upon -the summit loses his senses to evil spirits. At some future day Harar will -be destroyed, and "Jannah Siri" will become a flourishing town. We -ascended it, and found no life but hawks, coneys, an owl [5], and a -graceful species of black eagle [6]; there were many traces of buildings, -walls, ruined houses, and wells, whilst the sides and summit were tufted -with venerable sycamores. This act was an imprudence; the Bedouins at once -declared that we were "prospecting" for a fort, and the evil report -preceded us to Harar. - -After a mile's march from Jannah Siri, we crossed a ridge of rising -ground, and suddenly, as though by magic, the scene shifted. - -Before us lay a little Alp; the second step of the Ethiopian Highland. -Around were high and jagged hills, their sides black with the Saj [7] and -Somali pine [8], and their upper brows veiled with a thin growth of -cactus. Beneath was a deep valley, in the midst of which ran a serpentine -of shining waters, the gladdest spectacle we had yet witnessed: further in -front, masses of hill rose abruptly from shady valleys, encircled on the -far horizon by a straight blue line of ground, resembling a distant sea. -Behind us glared the desert: we had now reached the outskirts of -civilization, where man, abandoning his flocks and herds, settles, -cultivates, and attends to the comforts of life. - -The fields are either terraces upon the hill slopes or the sides of -valleys, divided by flowery hedges with lanes between, not unlike those of -rustic England; and on a nearer approach the daisy, the thistle, and the -sweet briar pleasantly affected my European eyes. The villages are no -longer moveable: the Kraal and wigwam are replaced by the Gambisa or bell- -shaped hut of Middle Africa [9], circular cottages of holcus wattle, -Covered with coarse dab and surmounted by a stiff, conical, thatch roof, -above which appears the central supporting post, crowned with a gourd or -ostrich egg. [10] Strong abbatis of thorns protects these settlements, -which stud the hills in all directions: near most of them are clumps of -tall trees, to the southern sides of which are hung, like birdcages, long -cylinders of matting, the hives of these regions. Yellow crops of holcus -rewarded the peasant's toil: in some places the long stems tied in bunches -below the ears as piled muskets, stood ready for the reaper; in others, -the barer ground showed that the task was done. The boys sat perched upon -reed platforms [11] in the trees, and with loud shouts drove away thieving -birds, whilst their fathers cut the crop with diminutive sickles, or -thrashed heaps of straw with rude flails [12], or winnowed grain by -tossing it with a flat wooden shovel against the wind. The women husked -the pineapple-formed heads in mortars composed of a hollowed trunk [13], -smeared the threshing floor with cow-dung and water to defend it from -insects, piled the holcus heads into neat yellow heaps, spanned and -crossed by streaks of various colours, brick-red and brownish-purple [14], -and stacked the Karbi or straw, which was surrounded like the grain with -thorn, as a defence against the wild hog. All seemed to consider it a -labour of love: the harvest-home song sounded pleasantly to our ears, and, -contrasting with the silent desert, the hum of man's habitation was a -music. - -Descending the steep slope, we reposed, after a seven miles' march, on the -banks of a bright rivulet, which bisects the Kobbo or valley: it runs, -according to my guides, from the north towards Ogadayn, and the direction -is significant,--about Harar I found neither hill nor stream trending from -east to west. The people of the Kutti [15] flocked out to gaze upon us: -they were unarmed, and did not, like the Bedouins, receive us with cries -of "Bori." During the halt, we bathed in the waters, upon whose banks were -a multitude of huge Mantidae, pink and tender green. Returning to the -camels, I shot a kind of crow, afterwards frequently seen. [16] It is -about three times the size of our English bird, of a bluish-black with a -snow-white poll, and a beak of unnatural proportions: the quantity of lead -which it carried off surprised me. A number of Widads assembled to greet -us, and some Habr Awal, who were returning with a caravan, gave us the -salam, and called my people cousins. "Verily," remarked the Hammal, -"amongst friends we cut one another's throats; amongst enemies we become -sons of uncles!" - -At 3 P.M. we pursued our way over rising ground, dotted with granite -blocks fantastically piled, and everywhere in sight of fields and villages -and flowing water. A furious wind was blowing, and the End of Time quoted -the Somali proverb, "heat hurts, but cold kills:" the camels were so -fatigued, and the air became so raw [17], that after an hour and a half's -march we planted our wigwams near a village distant about seven miles from -the Gurays Hills. Till late at night we were kept awake by the crazy -Widads: Ao Samattar had proposed the casuistical question, "Is it lawful -to pray upon a mountain when a plain is at hand?" Some took the _pro_, -others the _contra_, and the wordy battle raged with uncommon fury. - -On Wednesday morning at half past seven we started down hill towards -"Wilensi," a small table-mountain, at the foot of which we expected to -find the Gerad Adan awaiting us in one of his many houses, crossed a -fertile valley, and ascended another steep slope by a bad and stony road. -Passing the home of Sherwa, who vainly offered hospitality, we toiled -onwards, and after a mile and a half's march, which occupied at least two -hours, our wayworn beasts arrived at the Gerad's village. On inquiry, it -proved that the chief, who was engaged in selecting two horses and two -hundred cows, the price of blood claimed by the Amir of Harar, for the -murder of a citizen, had that day removed to Sagharrah, another -settlement. - -As we entered the long straggling village of Wilensi, our party was -divided by the Gerad's two wives. The Hammal, the Kalendar, Shehrazade, -and Deenarzade, remained with Beuh and his sister in her Gurgi, whilst -Long Guled, the End of Time, and I were conducted to the cottage of the -Gerad's prettiest wife, Sudiyah. She was a tall woman, with a light -complexion, handsomely dressed in a large Harar Tobe, with silver -earrings, and the kind of necklace called Jilbah or Kardas. [18] The -Geradah (princess) at once ordered our hides to be spread in a comfortable -part of the hut, and then supplied us with food--boiled beef, pumpkin, and -Jowari cakes. During the short time spent in that Gambisa, I had an -opportunity, dear L., of seeing the manners and customs of the settled -Somal. - -The interior of the cottage is simple. Entering the door, a single plank -with pins for hinges fitted into sockets above and below the lintel--in -fact, as artless a contrivance as ever seen in Spain or Corsica--you find -a space, divided by dwarf walls of wattle and dab into three compartments, -for the men, women, and cattle. The horses and cows, tethered at night on -the left of the door, fill the cottage with the wherewithal to pass many a -_nuit blanche_: the wives lie on the right, near a large fireplace of -stones and raised clay, and the males occupy the most comfortable part, -opposite to and farthest from the entrance. The thatched ceiling shines -jetty with smoke, which when intolerable is allowed to escape by a -diminutive window: this seldom happens, for smoke, like grease and dirt, -keeping man warm, is enjoyed by savages. Equally simply is the furniture: -the stem of a tree, with branches hacked into pegs, supports the shields, -the assegais are planted against the wall, and divers bits of wood, -projecting from the sides and the central roof-tree of the cottage, are -hung with clothes and other articles that attract white ants. Gourds -smoked inside, and coffee cups of coarse black Harar pottery, with deep -wooden platters, and prettily carved spoons of the same material, compose -the household supellex. The inmates are the Geradah and her baby, Siddik a -Galla serf, the slave girls and sundry Somal: thus we hear at all times -three languages [19] spoken within the walls. - -Long before dawn the goodwife rises, wakens her handmaidens, lights the -fire, and prepares for the Afur or morning meal. The quern is here unknown -[20]. A flat, smooth, oval slab, weighing about fifteen pounds, and a -stone roller six inches in diameter, worked with both hands, and the -weight of the body kneeling ungracefully upon it on "all fours," are used -to triturate the holcus grain. At times water must be sprinkled over the -meal, until a finely powdered paste is ready for the oven: thus several -hours' labour is required to prepare a few pounds of bread. About 6 A.M. -there appears a substantial breakfast of roast beef and mutton, with -scones of Jowari grain, the whole drenched in broth. Of the men few -perform any ablutions, but all use the tooth stick before sitting down to -eat. After the meal some squat in the sun, others transact business, and -drive their cattle to the bush till 11 A.M., the dinner hour. There is no -variety in the repasts, which are always flesh and holcus: these people -despise fowls, and consider vegetables food for cattle. During the day -there is no privacy; men, women, and children enter in crowds, and will -not be driven away by the Geradah, who inquires screamingly if they come -to stare at a baboon. My kettle especially excites their surprise; some -opine that it is an ostrich, others, a serpent: Sudiyah, however, soon -discovered its use, and begged irresistibly for the unique article. -Throughout the day her slave girls are busied in grinding, cooking, and -quarrelling with dissonant voices: the men have little occupation beyond -chewing tobacco, chatting, and having their wigs frizzled by a -professional coiffeur. In the evening the horses and cattle return home to -be milked and stabled: this operation concluded, all apply themselves to -supper with a will. They sleep but little, and sit deep into the night -trimming the fire, and conversing merrily over their cups of Farshu or -millet beer. [21] I tried this mixture several times, and found it -detestable: the taste is sour, and it flies directly to the head, in -consequence of being mixed with some poisonous bark. It is served up in -gourd bottles upon a basket of holcus heads, and strained through a -pledget of cotton, fixed across the narrow mouth, into cups of the same -primitive material: the drinkers sit around their liquor, and their -hilarity argues its intoxicating properties. In the morning they arise -with headaches and heavy eyes; but these symptoms, which we, an -industrious race, deprecate, are not disliked by the Somal--they promote -sleep and give something to occupy the vacant mind. I usually slumber -through the noise except when Ambar, a half-caste Somal, returning from a -trip to Harar, astounds us with his _contes bleus_, or wild Abtidon howls -forth some lay like this:-- - - I. - "'Tis joyesse all in Eesa's home! - The fatted oxen bleed, - And slave girls range the pails of milk, - And strain the golden mead. - - II. - "'Tis joyesse all in Eesa's home! - This day the Chieftain's pride - Shall join the song, the dance, the feast, - And bear away a bride. - - III. - "'He cometh not!' the father cried, - Smiting with spear the wall; - 'And yet he sent the ghostly man, - Yestre'en before the fall!' - - IV. - "'He cometh not!' the mother said, - A tear stood in her eye; - 'He cometh not, I dread, I dread, - And yet I know not why.' - - V. - "'He cometh not!' the maiden thought, - Yet in her glance was light, - Soft as the flash in summer's eve - Where sky and earth unite. - - VI. - "The virgins, deck'd with tress and flower, - Danced in the purple shade, - And not a soul, perchance, but wished - Herself the chosen maid. - - VII. - "The guests in groups sat gathering - Where sunbeams warmed the air, - Some laughed the feasters' laugh, and some - Wore the bent brow of care. - - VIII. - "'Tis he!--'tis he!"--all anxious peer, - Towards the distant lea; - A courser feebly nears the throng-- - Ah! 'tis his steed they see. - - IX. - "The grief cry bursts from every lip, - Fear sits on every brow, - There's blood upon the courser's flank!-- - Blood on the saddle bow! - - X. - "'Tis he!--'tis he!'--all arm and run - Towards the Marar Plain, - Where a dark horseman rides the waste - With dust-cloud for a train. - - XI. - "The horseman reins his foam-fleckt steed, - Leans on his broken spear, - Wipes his damp brow, and faint begins - To tell a tale of fear. - - XII. - "'Where is my son?'--'Go seek him there, - Far on the Marar Plain, - Where vultures and hyaenas hold - Their orgies o'er the slain. - - XIII. - "'We took our arms, we saddled horse, - We rode the East countrie, - And drove the flocks, and harried herds - Betwixt the hills and sea. - - XIV. - "'We drove the flock across the hill, - The herd across the wold-- - The poorest spearboy had returned - That day, a man of gold. - - XV. - "'Bat Awal's children mann'd the vale - Where sweet the Arman flowers, - Their archers from each bush and tree - Rained shafts in venomed showers. - - XVI. - "'Full fifty warriors bold and true - Fell as becomes the brave; - And whom the arrow spared, the spear - Reaped for the ravening grave. - - XVII. - "'Friend of my youth! shall I remain - When ye are gone before?' - He drew the wood from out his side, - And loosed the crimson gore. - - XVIII. - "Falling, he raised his broken spear, - Thrice wav'd it o'er his head, - Thrice raised the warrior's cry 'revenge!'-- - His soul was with the dead. - - XIX. - "Now, one by one, the wounded braves - Homeward were seen to wend, - Each holding on his saddle bow - A dead or dying friend. - - XX. - "Two galliards bore the Eesa's son, - The corpse was stark and bare-- - Low moaned the maid, the mother smote - Her breast in mute despair. - - XXI. - "The father bent him o'er the dead, - The wounds were all before; - Again his brow, in sorrow clad, - The garb of gladness wore. - - XXII. - "'Ho! sit ye down, nor mourn for me,' - Unto the guests he cried; - 'My son a warrior's life hath lived, - A warrior's death hath died. - - XXIII. - "'His wedding and his funeral feast - Are one, so Fate hath said; - Death bore him from the brides of earth - The brides of Heaven to wed.' - - XXIV. - "They drew their knives, they sat them down, - And fed as warriors feed; - The flesh of sheep and beeves they ate, - And quaffed the golden mead. - - XXV. - "And Eesa sat between the prayers - Until the fall of day, - When rose the guests and grasped their spears, - And each man went his way. - - XXVI. - "But in the morn arose the cry, - For mortal spirit flown; - The father's mighty heart had burst - With woe he might not own. - - XXVII. - "On the high crest of yonder hill, - They buried sire and son, - Grant, Allah! grant them Paradise-- - Gentles, my task is done!" - - * * * * * - -Immediately after our arrival at Wilensi we sent Yusuf Dera, the Gerad's -second son, to summon his father. I had to compose many disputes between -the Hammal and the End of Time: the latter was swelling with importance; -he was now accredited ambassador from the Hajj to the Girhi chief, -consequently he aimed at commanding the Caravan. We then made preparations -for departure, in case of the Gerad being unable to escort us. Shehrazade -and Deenarzade, hearing that the small-pox raged at Harar, and fearing for -their charms, begged hard to be left behind: the Kalendar was directed, -despite his manly objections, to remain in charge of these dainty dames. -The valiant Beuh was dressed in the grand Tobe promised to him; as no -consideration would induce him towards the city, he was dismissed with -small presents, and an old Girhi Bedouin, generally known as Said Wal, or -Mad Said, was chosen as our escort. Camels being unable to travel over -these rough mountain paths, our weary brutes were placed for rest and -pasture under the surveillance of Sherwa: and not wishing the trouble and -delay of hiring asses, the only transport in this country, certain -moreover that our goods were safer here than nearer Harar, we selected the -most necessary objects, and packed them in a pair of small leathern -saddlebags which could be carried by a single mule. - -All these dispositions duly made, at 10 A.M. on the 29th December we -mounted our animals, and, guided by Mad Said, trotted round the northern -side of the Wilensi table-mountain down a lane fenced with fragrant dog -roses. Then began the descent of a steep rocky hill, the wall of a woody -chasm, through whose gloomy depths the shrunken stream of a large Fiumara -wound like a thread of silver. The path would be safe to nought less -surefooted than a mule: we rode slowly over rolling stones, steps of -micaceous grit, and through thorny bush for about half an hour. In the -plain below appeared a village of the Gerad's Midgans, who came out to see -us pass, and followed the strangers to some distance. One happening to -say, "Of what use is his gun?--before he could fetch fire, I should put -this arrow through him!" I discharged a barrel over their heads, and -derided the convulsions of terror caused by the unexpected sound. - -Passing onwards we entered a continuation of the Wady Harirah. It is a -long valley choked with dense vegetation, through which meandered a line -of water brightly gilt by the sun's rays: my Somal remarked that were the -elephants now infesting it destroyed, rice, the favourite luxury, might be -grown upon its banks in abundance. Our road lay under clumps of shady -trees, over rocky watercourses, through avenues of tall cactus, and down -_tranchees_ worn by man eight and ten feet below stiff banks of rich red -clay. On every side appeared deep clefts, ravines, and earth cracks, all, -at this season, dry. The unarmed cultivators thronged from the frequent -settlements to stare, and my Somal, being no longer in their own country, -laid aside for guns their ridiculous spears. On the way passing Ao -Samattar's village, the worthy fellow made us halt whilst he went to fetch -a large bowl of sour milk. About noon the fresh western breeze obscured -the fierce sun with clouds, and we watered our mules in a mountain stream -which crossed our path thrice within as many hundred yards. After six -miles' ride reaching the valley's head, we began the descent of a rugged -pass by a rough and rocky path. The scenery around us was remarkable. The -hill sides were well wooded, and black with pine: their summits were bared -of earth by the heavy monsoon which spreads the valleys with rich soil; in -many places the beds of waterfalls shone like sheets of metal upon the -black rock; villages surrounded by fields and fences studded the country, -and the distance was a mass of purple peak and blue table in long -vanishing succession. Ascending the valley's opposite wall, we found the -remains of primaeval forests,--little glades which had escaped the axe,-- -they resounded with the cries of pintados and cynocephali. [22] Had the -yellow crops of Holcus been wheat, I might have fancied myself once more -riding in the pleasant neighbourhood of Tuscan Sienna. - -At 4 P.M., after accomplishing fifteen miles on rough ground, we sighted -Sagharrah, a snug high-fenced village of eight or nine huts nestling -against a hill side with trees above, and below a fertile grain-valley. -Presently Mad Said pointed out to us the Gerad Adan, who, attended by a -little party, was returning homewards: we fired our guns as a salute, he -however hurried on to receive us with due ceremony in his cottage. -Dismounting at the door we shook hands with him, were led through the idle -mob into a smoky closet contrived against the inside wall, and were -regaled with wheaten bread steeped in honey and rancid butter. The host -left us to eat, and soon afterwards returned:--I looked with attention at -a man upon whom so much then depended. - -Adan bin Kaushan was in appearance a strong wiry Bedouin,--before -obtaining from me a turban he wore his bushy hair dyed dun,--about forty- -five years old, at least six feet high, with decided features, a tricky -smile, and an uncertain eye. In character he proved to be one of those -cunning idiots so peculiarly difficult to deal with. Ambitious and wild -with greed of gain, he was withal so fickle that his head appeared ever -changing its contents; he could not sit quiet for half an hour, and this -physical restlessness was an outward sign of the uneasy inner man. Though -reputed brave, his treachery has won him a permanent ill fame. Some years -ago he betrothed a daughter to the eldest son of Gerad Hirsi of the -Berteri tribe, and then, contrary to Somali laws of honor, married her to -Mahommed Waiz of the Jibril Abokr. This led to a feud, in which the -disappointed suitor was slain. Adan was celebrated for polygamy even in -Eastern Africa: by means of his five sons and dozen daughters, he has -succeeded in making extensive connexions [23], and his sister, the Gisti -[24] Fatimah, was married to Abubakr, father of the present Amir. Yet the -Gerad would walk into a crocodile's mouth as willingly as within the walls -of Harar. His main reason for receiving us politely was an ephemeral fancy -for building a fort, to control the country's trade, and rival or overawe -the city. Still did he not neglect the main chance: whatever he saw he -asked for; and, after receiving a sword, a Koran, a turban, an Arab -waistcoat of gaudy satin, about seventy Tobes, and a similar proportion of -indigo-dyed stuff, he privily complained to me that the Hammal had given -him but twelve cloths. A list of his wants will best explain the man. He -begged me to bring him from Berberah a silver-hilted sword and some soap, -1000 dollars, two sets of silver bracelets, twenty guns with powder and -shot, snuff, a scarlet cloth coat embroidered with gold, some poison that -would not fail, and any other little article of luxury which might be -supposed to suit him. In return he was to present us with horses, mules, -slaves, ivory, and other valuables: he forgot, however, to do so before we -departed. - -The Gerad Adan was powerful, being the head of a tribe of cultivators, not -split up, like the Bedouins, into independent clans, and he thus exercises -a direct influence upon the conterminous races. [25] The Girhi or -"Giraffes" inhabiting these hills are, like most of the other settled -Somal, a derivation from Darud, and descended from Kombo. Despite the -unmerciful persecutions of the Gallas, they gradually migrated westwards -from Makhar, their original nest, now number 5000 shields, possess about -180 villages, and are accounted the power paramount. Though friendly with -the Habr Awal, the Girhi seldom descend, unless compelled by want of -pasture, into the plains. - -The other inhabitants of these hills are the Gallas and the Somali clans -of Berteri, Bursuk, Shaykhash, Hawiyah, Usbayhan, Marayhan, and Abaskul. - -The Gallas [26] about Harar are divided into four several clans, -separating as usual into a multitude of septs. The Alo extend westwards -from the city: the Nole inhabit the land to the east and north-east, about -two days' journey between the Eesa Somal, and Harar: on the south, are -situated the Babuli and the Jarsa at Wilensi, Sagharrah, and Kondura,-- -places described in these pages. - -The Berteri, who occupy the Gurays Range, south of, and limitrophe to, the -Gallas, and thence extend eastward to the Jigjiga hills, are estimated at -3000 shields. [27] Of Darud origin, they own allegiance to the Gerad -Hirsi, and were, when I visited the country, on bad terms with the Girhi. -The chief's family has, for several generations, been connected with the -Amirs of Harar, and the caravan's route to and from Berberah lying through -his country, makes him a useful friend and a dangerous foe. About the -Gerad Hirsi different reports were rife: some described him as cruel, -violent, and avaricious; others spoke of him as a godly and a prayerful -person: all, however, agreed that he _had_ sowed wild oats. In token of -repentance, he was fond of feeding Widads, and the Shaykh Jami of Harar -was a frequent guest at his kraal. - -The Bursuk number about 5000 shields, own no chief, and in 1854 were at -war with the Girhi, the Berteri, and especially the Gallas. In this -country, the feuds differ from those of the plains: the hill-men fight for -three days, as the End of Time phrased it, and make peace for three days. -The maritime clans are not so abrupt in their changes; moreover they claim -blood-money, a thing here unknown. - -The Shaykhash, or "Reverend" as the term means, are the only Somal of the -mountains not derived from Dir and Darud. Claiming descent from the Caliph -Abubakr, they assert that ten generations ago, one Ao Khutab bin Fakih -Umar crossed over from El Hejaz, and settled in Eastern Africa with his -six sons, Umar the greater, Umar the less, two Abdillahs, Ahmed, and -lastly Siddik. This priestly tribe is dispersed, like that of Levi, -amongst its brethren, and has spread from Efat to Ogadayn. Its principal -sub-families are, Ao Umar, the elder, and Bah Dumma, the junior, branch. - -The Hawiyah has been noticed in a previous chapter. Of the Usbayhan I saw -but few individuals: they informed me that their tribe numbered forty -villages, and about 1000 shields; that they had no chief of their own -race, but owned the rule of the Girhi and Berteri Gerads. Their principal -clans are the Rer Yusuf, Rer Said, Rer Abokr, and Yusuf Liyo. - -In the Eastern Horn of Africa, and at Ogadayn, the Marayhan is a powerful -tribe, here it is un-consequential, and affiliated to the Girhi. The -Abaskul also lies scattered over the Harar hills, and owns the Gerad Adan -as its chief. This tribe numbers fourteen villages, and between 400 and -500 shields, and is divided into the Rer Yusuf, the Jibrailah, and the -Warra Dig:--the latter clan is said to be of Galla extraction. - -On the morning after my arrival at Sagharrah I felt too ill to rise, and -was treated with unaffected kindness by all the establishment. The Gerad -sent to Harar for millet beer, Ao Samattar went to the gardens in search -of Kat, the sons Yusuf Dera and a dwarf [28] insisted upon firing me with -such ardour, that no refusal could avail: and Khayrah the wife, with her -daughters, two tall dark, smiling, and well-favoured girls of thirteen and -fifteen, sacrificed a sheep as my Fida, or Expiatory offering. Even the -Galla Christians, who flocked to see the stranger, wept for the evil fate -which had brought him so far from his fatherland, to die under a tree. -Nothing, indeed, would have been easier than such operation: all required -was the turning face to the wall, for four or five days. But to expire of -an ignoble colic!--the thing was not to be thought of, and a firm -resolution to live on sometimes, methinks, effects its object. - -On the 1st January, 1855, feeling stronger, I clothed myself in my Arab -best, and asked a palaver with the Gerad. We retired to a safe place -behind the village, where I read with pomposity the Hajj Sharmarkay's -letter. The chief appeared much pleased by our having preferred his -country to that of the Eesa: he at once opened the subject of the new -fort, and informed me that I was the builder, as his eldest daughter had -just dreamed that the stranger would settle in the land. Having discussed -the project to the Gerad's satisfaction, we brought out the guns and shot -a few birds for the benefit of the vulgar. Whilst engaged in this -occupation, appeared a party of five strangers, and three mules with -ornamented Morocco saddles, bridles, bells, and brass neck ornaments, -after the fashion of Harar. Two of these men, Haji Umar, and Nur Ambar, -were citizens: the others, Ali Hasan, Husayn Araleh, and Haji Mohammed, -were Somal of the Habr Awal tribe, high in the Amir's confidence. They had -been sent to settle with Adan the weighty matter of Blood-money. After -sitting with us almost half an hour, during which they exchanged grave -salutations with my attendants, inspected our asses with portentous -countenances, and asked me a few questions concerning my business in those -parts, they went privily to the Gerad, told him that the Arab was not one -who bought and sold, that he had no design but to spy out the wealth of -the land, and that the whole party should be sent prisoners in their hands -to Harar. The chief curtly replied that we were his friends, and bade -them, "throw far those words." Disappointed in their designs, they started -late in the afternoon, driving off their 200 cows, and falsely promising -to present our salams to the Amir. - -It became evident that some decided step must be taken. The Gerad -confessed fear of his Harari kinsman, and owned that he had lost all his -villages in the immediate neighbourhood of the city. I asked him point- -blank to escort us: he as frankly replied that it was impossible. The -request was lowered,--we begged him to accompany us as far as the -frontier: he professed inability to do so, but promised to send his eldest -son, Sherwa. - -Nothing then remained, dear L., but _payer d'audace_, and, throwing all -forethought to the dogs, to rely upon what has made many a small man -great, the good star. I addressed my companions in a set speech, advising -a mount without delay. They suggested a letter to the Amir, requesting -permission to enter his city: this device was rejected for two reasons. In -the first place, had a refusal been returned, our journey was cut short, -and our labours stultified. Secondly, the End of Time had whispered that -my two companions were plotting to prevent the letter reaching its -destination. He had charged his own sin upon their shoulders: the Hammal -and Long Guled were incapable of such treachery. But our hedge-priest was -thoroughly terrified; "a coward body after a'," his face brightened when -ordered to remain with the Gerad at Sagharrah, and though openly taunted -with poltroonery, he had not the decency to object. My companions were -then informed that hitherto our acts had been those of old women, not -soldiers, and that something savouring of manliness must be done before we -could return. They saw my determination to start alone, if necessary, and -to do them justice, they at once arose. This was the more courageous in -them, as alarmists had done their worst: but a day before, some travelling -Somali had advised them, as they valued dear life, not to accompany that -Turk to Harar. Once in the saddle, they shook off sad thoughts, declaring -that if they were slain, I should pay their blood-money, and if they -escaped, that their reward was in my hands. When in some danger, the -Hammal especially behaved with a sturdiness which produced the most -beneficial results. Yet they were true Easterns. Wearied by delay at -Harar, I employed myself in meditating flight; they drily declared that -after-wit serves no good purpose: whilst I considered the possibility of -escape, they looked only at the prospect of being dragged back with -pinioned arms by the Amir's guard. Such is generally the effect of the -vulgar Moslems' blind fatalism. - -I then wrote an English letter [29] from the Political Agent at Aden to -the Amir of Harar, proposing to deliver it in person, and throw off my -disguise. Two reasons influenced me in adopting this "neck or nothing" -plan. All the races amongst whom my travels lay, hold him nidering who -hides his origin in places of danger; and secondly, my white face had -converted me into a Turk, a nation more hated and suspected than any -Europeans, without our _prestige_. Before leaving Sagharrah, I entrusted -to the End of Time a few lines addressed to Lieut. Herne at Berberah, -directing him how to act in case of necessity. Our baggage was again -decimated: the greater part was left with Adan, and an ass carried only -what was absolutely necessary,--a change of clothes, a book or two, a few -biscuits, ammunition, and a little tobacco. My Girhi escort consisted of -Sherwa, the Bedouin Abtidon, and Mad Said mounted on the End of Time's -mule. - -At 10 A.M. on the 2nd January, all the villagers assembled, and recited -the Fatihah, consoling us with the information that we were dead men. By -the worst of foot-paths, we ascended the rough and stony hill behind -Sagharrah, through bush and burn and over ridges of rock. At the summit -was a village, where Sherwa halted, declaring that he dared not advance: a -swordsman, however, was sent on to guard us through the Galla Pass. After -an hour's ride, we reached the foot of a tall Table-mountain called -Kondura, where our road, a goat-path rough with rocks or fallen trees, and -here and there arched over with giant creepers, was reduced to a narrow -ledge, with a forest above and a forest below. I could not but admire the -beauty of this Valombrosa, which reminded me of scenes whilome enjoyed in -fair Touraine. High up on our left rose the perpendicular walls of the -misty hill, fringed with tufted pine, and on the right the shrub-clad -folds fell into a deep valley. The cool wind whistled and sunbeams like -golden shafts darted through tall shady trees-- - - Bearded with moss, and in garments green-- - -the ground was clothed with dank grass, and around the trunks grew -thistles, daisies, and blue flowers which at a distance might well pass -for violets. - -Presently we were summarily stopped by half a dozen Gallas attending upon -one Rabah, the Chief who owns the Pass. [30] This is the African style of -toll-taking: the "pike" appears in the form of a plump of spearmen, and -the gate is a pair of lances thrown across the road. Not without trouble, -for they feared to depart from the _mos majorum_, we persuaded them that -the ass carried no merchandise. Then rounding Kondura's northern flank, we -entered the Amir's territory: about thirty miles distant, and separated by -a series of blue valleys, lay a dark speck upon a tawny sheet of stubble-- -Harar. - -Having paused for a moment to savour success, we began the descent. The -ground was a slippery black soil--mist ever settles upon Kondura--and -frequent springs oozing from the rock formed beds of black mire. A few -huge Birbisa trees, the remnant of a forest still thick around the -mountain's neck, marked out the road: they were branchy from stem to -stern, and many had a girth of from twenty to twenty-five feet. [31] - -After an hour's ride amongst thistles, whose flowers of a bright redlike -worsted were not less than a child's head, we watered our mules at a rill -below the slope. Then remounting, we urged over hill and dale, where Galla -peasants were threshing and storing their grain with loud songs of joy; -they were easily distinguished by their African features, mere caricatures -of the Somal, whose type has been Arabized by repeated immigrations from -Yemen and Hadramaut. Late in the afternoon, having gained ten miles in a -straight direction, we passed through a hedge of plantains, defending the -windward side of Gafra, a village of Midgans who collect the Gerad Adan's -grain. They shouted delight on recognising their old friend, Mad Said, led -us to an empty Gambisa, swept and cleaned it, lighted a fire, turned our -mules into a field to graze, and went forth to seek food. Their hospitable -thoughts, however, were marred by the two citizens of Harar, who privately -threatened them with the Amir's wrath, if they dared to feed that Turk. - -As evening drew on, came a message from our enemies, the Habr Awal, who -offered, if we would wait till sunrise, to enter the city in our train. -The Gerad Adan had counselled me not to provoke these men; so, contrary to -the advice of my two companions, I returned a polite answer, purporting -that we would expect them till eight o'clock the next morning. - -At 7 P.M., on the 3rd January, we heard that the treacherous Habr Awal had -driven away their cows shortly after midnight. Seeing their hostile -intentions, I left my journal, sketches, and other books in charge of an -old Midgan, with directions that they should be forwarded to the Gerad -Adan, and determined to carry nothing but our arms and a few presents for -the Amir. We saddled our mules, mounted and rode hurriedly along the edge -of a picturesque chasm of tender pink granite, here and there obscured by -luxuriant vegetation. In the centre, fringed with bright banks a shallow -rill, called Doghlah, now brawls in tiny cascades, then whirls through -huge boulders towards the Erar River. Presently, descending by a ladder of -rock scarcely safe even for mules, we followed the course of the burn, and -emerging into the valley beneath, we pricked forwards rapidly, for day was -wearing on, and we did not wish the Habr Awal to precede us. - -About noon we crossed the Erar River. The bed is about one hundred yards -broad, and a thin sheet of clear, cool, and sweet water, covered with -crystal the greater part of the sand. According to my guides, its course, -like that of the hills, is southerly towards the Webbe of Ogadayn [32]: -none, however, could satisfy my curiosity concerning the course of the -only perennial stream which exists between Harar and the coast. - -In the lower valley, a mass of waving holcus, we met a multitude of Galla -peasants coming from the city market with new potlids and the empty gourds -which had contained their butter, ghee, and milk: all wondered aloud at -the Turk, concerning whom they had heard many horrors. As we commenced -another ascent appeared a Harar Grandee mounted upon a handsomely -caparisoned mule and attended by seven servants who carried gourds and -skins of grain. He was a pale-faced senior with a white beard, dressed in -a fine Tobe and a snowy turban with scarlet edges: he carried no shield, -but an Abyssinian broadsword was slung over his left shoulder. We -exchanged courteous salutations, and as I was thirsty he ordered a footman -to fill a cup with water. Half way up the hill appeared the 200 Girhi -cows, but those traitors, the Habr Awal, had hurried onwards. Upon the -summit was pointed out to me the village of Elaoda: in former times it was -a wealthy place belonging to the Gerad Adan. - -At 2 P.M. we fell into a narrow fenced lane and halted for a few minutes -near a spreading tree, under which sat women selling ghee and unspun -cotton. About two miles distant on the crest of a hill, stood the city,-- -the end of my present travel,--a long sombre line, strikingly contrasting -with the white-washed towns of the East. The spectacle, materially -speaking, was a disappointment: nothing conspicuous appeared but two grey -minarets of rude shape: many would have grudged exposing three lives to -win so paltry a prize. But of all that have attempted, none ever succeeded -in entering that pile of stones: the thorough-bred traveller, dear L., -will understand my exultation, although my two companions exchanged -glances of wonder. - -Spurring our mules we advanced at a long trot, when Mad Said stopped us to -recite a Fatihah in honor of Ao Umar Siyad and Ao Rahmah, two great saints -who repose under a clump of trees near the road. The soil on both sides of -the path is rich and red: masses of plantains, limes, and pomegranates -denote the gardens, which are defended by a bleached cow's skull, stuck -upon a short stick [33] and between them are plantations of coffee, -bastard saffron, and the graceful Kat. About half a mile eastward of the -town appears a burn called Jalah or the Coffee Water: the crowd crossing -it did not prevent my companions bathing, and whilst they donned clean -Tobes I retired to the wayside, and sketched the town. - -These operations over, we resumed our way up a rough _tranchee_ ridged -with stone and hedged with tall cactus. This ascends to an open plain. On -the right lie the holcus fields, which reach to the town wall: the left is -a heap of rude cemetery, and in front are the dark defences of Harar, with -groups of citizens loitering about the large gateway, and sitting in chat -near the ruined tomb of Ao Abdal. We arrived at 3 P.M., after riding about -five hours, which were required to accomplish twenty miles in a straight -direction. [34] - -Advancing to the gate, Mad Said accosted a warder, known by his long wand -of office, and sent our salams to the Amir, saying that we came from Aden, -and requested the honor of audience. Whilst he sped upon his errand, we -sat at the foot of a round bastion, and were scrutinised, derided, and -catechized by the curious of both sexes, especially by that conventionally -termed the fair. The three Habr Awal presently approached and scowlingly -inquired why we had not apprised them of our intention to enter the city. -It was now "war to the knife"--we did not deign a reply. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] It is worn for a year, during which modest women will not marry. Some -tribes confine the symbol to widowhood, others extend it to all male -relations; a strip of white cotton, or even a white fillet, instead of the -usual blue cloth, is used by the more civilized. - -[2] Cain is said to repose under Jebel Shamsan at Aden--an appropriate -sepulchre. - -[3] This beast, called by the Somal Jambel, closely resembles the Sindh -species. It is generally found in the plains and prairies. - -[4] In the Somali country, as in Kafirland, the Duwao or jackal is -peculiarly bold and fierce. Disdaining garbage, he carries off lambs and -kids, and fastens upon a favourite _friandise_, the sheep's tail; the -victim runs away in terror, and unless the jackal be driven off by dogs, -leaves a delicate piece of fat behind it. - -[5] The Somal call the owl "Shimbir libah"--the lion bird. - -[6] The plume was dark, chequered with white, but the bird was so wild -that no specimen could be procured. - -[7] The Arabs apply this term to tea. - -[8] The Dayyib of the Somal, and the Sinaubar of the Arabs; its line of -growth is hereabouts an altitude of 5000 feet. - -[9] Travellers in Central Africa describe exactly similar buildings, bell- -shaped huts, the materials of which are stakes, clay and reed, conical at -the top, and looking like well-thatched corn-stacks. - -[10] Amongst the Fellatahs of Western Africa, only the royal huts are -surmounted by the ostrich's egg. - -[11] These platforms are found even amongst the races inhabiting the -regions watered by the Niger. - -[12] Charred sticks about six feet long and curved at the handle. - -[13] Equally simple are the other implements. The plough, which in Eastern -Africa has passed the limits of Egypt, is still the crooked tree of all -primitive people, drawn by oxen; and the hoe is a wooden blade inserted -into a knobbed handle. - -[14] It is afterwards stored in deep dry holes, which are carefully -covered to keep out rats and insects; thus the grain is preserved -undamaged for three or four years. - -[15] This word is applied to the cultivated districts, the granaries of -Somali land. - -[16] "The huge raven with gibbous or inflated beak and white nape," writes -Mr. Blyth, "is the corvus crassirostris of Ruppell, and, together with a -nearly similar Cape species, is referred to the genus Corvultur of -Leason." - -[17] In these hills it is said sometimes to freeze; I never saw ice. - -[18] It is a string of little silver bells and other ornaments made by the -Arabs at Berberah. - -[19] Harari, Somali and Galla, besides Arabic, and other more civilized -dialects. - -[20] The Negroes of Senegal and the Hottentots use wooden mortars. At -Natal and amongst the Amazulu Kafirs, the work is done with slabs and -rollers like those described above. - -[21] In the Eastern World this well-known fermentation is generally called -"Buzab," whence the old German word "busen" and our "booze." The addition -of a dose of garlic converts it into an emetic. - -[22] The Somal will not kill these plundering brutes, like the Western -Africans believing them to be enchanted men. - -[23] Some years ago Adan plundered one of Sharmarkay's caravans; repenting -the action, he offered in marriage a daughter, who, however, died before -nuptials. - -[24] Gisti is a "princess" in Harari, equivalent to the Somali Geradah. - -[25] They are, however, divided into clans, of which the following are the -principal:-- - - 1. Bahawiyah, the race which supplies the Gerads. - 2. Abu Tunis (divided into ten septs). - 3. Rer Ibrahim (similarly divided). - 4. Jibril. - 5. Bakasiyya. - 6. Rer Muhmud. - 7. Musa Dar. - 8. Rer Auro. - 9. Rer Walembo. - 10. Rer Khalid. - -[26] I do not describe these people, the task having already been -performed by many abler pens than mine. - -[27] They are divided into the Bah Ambaro (the chief's family) and the -Shaykhashed. - -[28] The only specimen of stunted humanity seen by me in the Somali -country. He was about eighteen years old, and looked ten. - -[29] At first I thought of writing it in Arabic; but having no seal, a -_sine qua non_ in an Eastern letter, and reflecting upon the consequences -of detection or even suspicion, it appeared more politic to come boldly -forward as a European. - -[30] It belongs, I was informed, to two clans of Gallas, who year by year -in turn monopolise the profits. - -[31] Of this tree are made the substantial doors, the basins and the -porringers of Harar. - -[32] The Webbe Shebayli or Haines River. - -[33] This scarecrow is probably a talisman. In the Saharah, according to -Richardson, the skull of an ass averts the evil eye from gardens. - -[34] The following is a table of our stations, directions, and -distances:-- - - Miles -1. From Zayla to Gudingaras S.E. 165° 19 -2. To Kuranyali 145° 8 -3. To Adad 225° 25 -4. To Damal 205° 11 -5. To El Arno 190° 11 -6. To Jiyaf 202° 10 -7. To Halimalah (the Holy Tree about half way) 192° 7 - -- 91 miles. -8. To Aububah 245° 21 -9. To Koralay 165° 25 -10. To Harar 260° 65 - -- 111 miles. - --- - Total statute miles 202 - - -[Illustration: COSTUMES OF HARAR] - - - - -CHAP. VIII. - -TEN DAYS AT HARAR. - - -After waiting half an hour at the gate, we were told by the returned -warder to pass the threshold, and remounting guided our mules along the -main street, a narrow up-hill lane, with rocks cropping out from a surface -more irregular than a Perote pavement. Long Guled had given his animal -into the hands of our two Bedouins: they did not appear till after our -audience, when they informed us that the people at the entrance had -advised them to escape with the beasts, an evil fate having been prepared -for the proprietors. - -Arrived within a hundred yards of the gate of holcus-stalks, which opens -into the courtyard of this African St. James, our guide, a blear-eyed, -surly-faced, angry-voiced fellow, made signs--none of us understanding his -Harari--to dismount. We did so. He then began to trot, and roared out -apparently that we must do the same. [1] We looked at one another, the -Hammal swore that he would perish foully rather than obey, and--conceive, -dear L., the idea of a petticoated pilgrim venerable as to beard and -turban breaking into a long "double!"--I expressed much the same -sentiment. Leading our mules leisurely, in spite of the guide's wrath, we -entered the gate, strode down the yard, and were placed under a tree in -its left corner, close to a low building of rough stone, which the -clanking of frequent fetters argued to be a state-prison. - -This part of the court was crowded with Gallas, some lounging about, -others squatting in the shade under the palace walls. The chiefs were -known by their zinc armlets, composed of thin spiral circlets, closely -joined, and extending in mass from the wrist almost to the elbow: all -appeared to enjoy peculiar privileges,--they carried their long spears, -wore their sandals, and walked leisurely about the royal precincts. A -delay of half an hour, during which state-affairs were being transacted -within, gave me time to inspect a place of which so many and such -different accounts are current. The palace itself is, as Clapperton -describes the Fellatah Sultan's state-hall, a mere shed, a long, single- -storied, windowless barn of rough stone and reddish clay, with no other -insignia but a thin coat of whitewash over the door. This is the royal and -vizierial distinction at Harar, where no lesser man may stucco the walls -of his house. The courtyard was about eighty yards long by thirty in -breadth, irregularly shaped, and surrounded by low buildings: in the -centre, opposite the outer entrance, was a circle of masonry against which -were propped divers doors. [2] - -Presently the blear-eyed guide with the angry voice returned from within, -released us from the importunities of certain forward and inquisitive -youth, and motioned us to doff our slippers at a stone step, or rather -line, about twelve feet distant from the palace-wall. We grumbled that we -were not entering a mosque, but in vain. Then ensued a long dispute, in -tongues mutually unintelligible, about giving up our weapons: by dint of -obstinacy we retained our daggers and my revolver. The guide raised a door -curtain, suggested a bow, and I stood in the presence of the dreaded -chief. - -The Amir, or, as he styles himself, the Sultan Ahmad bin Sultan Abibakr, -sat in a dark room with whitewashed walls, to which hung--significant -decorations--rusty matchlocks and polished fetters. His appearance was -that of a little Indian Rajah, an etiolated youth twenty-four or twenty- -five years old, plain and thin-bearded, with a yellow complexion, wrinkled -brows and protruding eyes. His dress was a flowing robe of crimson cloth, -edged with snowy fur, and a narrow white turban tightly twisted round a -tall conical cap of red velvet, like the old Turkish headgear of our -painters. His throne was a common Indian Kursi, or raised cot, about five -feet long, with back and sides supported by a dwarf railing: being an -invalid he rested his elbow upon a pillow, under which appeared the hilt -of a Cutch sabre. Ranged in double line, perpendicular to the Amir, stood -the "court," his cousins and nearest relations, with right arms bared -after fashion of Abyssinia. - -I entered the room with a loud "Peace be upon ye!" to which H. H. replying -graciously, and extending a hand, bony and yellow as a kite's claw, -snapped his thumb and middle finger. Two chamberlains stepping forward, -held my forearms, and assisted me to bend low over the fingers, which -however I did not kiss, being naturally averse to performing that -operation upon any but a woman's hand. My two servants then took their -turn: in this case, after the back was saluted, the palm was presented for -a repetition. [3] These preliminaries concluded, we were led to and seated -upon a mat in front of the Amir, who directed towards us a frowning brow -and an inquisitive eye. - -Some inquiries were made about the chief's health: he shook his head -captiously, and inquired our errand. I drew from my pocket my own letter: -it was carried by a chamberlain, with hands veiled in his Tobe, to the -Amir, who after a brief glance laid it upon the couch, and demanded -further explanation. I then represented in Arabic that we had come from -Aden, bearing the compliments of our Daulah or governor, and that we had -entered Harar to see the light of H. H.'s countenance: this information -concluded with a little speech, describing the changes of Political Agents -in Arabia, and alluding to the friendship formerly existing between the -English and the deceased chief Abubakr. - -The Amir smiled graciously. - -This smile I must own, dear L., was a relief. We had been prepared for the -worst, and the aspect of affairs in the palace was by no means reassuring. - -Whispering to his Treasurer, a little ugly man with a badly shaven head, -coarse features, pug nose, angry eyes, and stubby beard, the Amir made a -sign for us to retire. The _baise main_ was repeated, and we backed out of -the audience-shed in high favour. According to grandiloquent Bruce, "the -Court of London and that of Abyssinia are, in their principles, one:" the -loiterers in the Harar palace yard, who had before regarded us with cut- -throat looks, now smiled as though they loved us. Marshalled by the guard, -we issued from the precincts, and after walking a hundred yards entered -the Amir's second palace, which we were told to consider our home. There -we found the Bedouins, who, scarcely believing that we had escaped alive, -grinned in the joy of their hearts, and we were at once provided from the -chief's kitchen with a dish of Shabta, holcus cakes soaked in sour milk, -and thickly powdered with red pepper, the salt of this inland region. - -When we had eaten, the treasurer reappeared, bearing the Amir's command, -that we should call upon his Wazir, the Gerad Mohammed. Resuming our -peregrinations, we entered an abode distinguished by its external streak -of chunam, and in a small room on the ground floor, cleanly white-washed -and adorned, like an old English kitchen, with varnished wooden porringers -of various sizes, we found a venerable old man whose benevolent -countenance belied the reports current about him in Somali-land. [4] Half -rising, although his wrinkled brow showed suffering, he seated me by his -side upon the carpeted masonry-bench, where lay the implements of his -craft, reeds, inkstands and whitewashed boards for paper, politely -welcomed me, and gravely stroking his cotton-coloured beard, desired my -object in good Arabic. - -I replied almost in the words used to the Amir, adding however some -details how in the old day one Madar Farih had been charged by the late -Sultan Abubakr with a present to the governor of Aden, and that it was the -wish of our people to reestablish friendly relations and commercial -intercourse with Harar. - -"Khayr inshallah!--it is well if Allah please!" ejaculated the Gerad: I -then bent over his hand, and took leave. - -Returning we inquired anxiously of the treasurer about my servants' arms -which had not been returned, and were assured that they had been placed in -the safest of store-houses, the palace. I then sent a common six-barrelled -revolver as a present to the Amir, explaining its use to the bearer, and -we prepared to make ourselves as comfortable as possible. The interior of -our new house was a clean room, with plain walls, and a floor of tamped -earth; opposite the entrance were two broad steps of masonry, raised about -two feet, and a yard above the ground, and covered with, hard matting. I -contrived to make upon the higher ledge a bed with the cushions which my -companions used as shabracques, and, after seeing the mules fed and -tethered, lay down to rest worn out by fatigue and profoundly impressed -with the _poesie_ of our position. I was under the roof of a bigoted -prince whose least word was death; amongst a people who detest foreigners; -the only European that had ever passed over their inhospitable threshold, -and the fated instrument of their future downfall. - - * * * * * - -I now proceed to a description of unknown Harar. - -The ancient capital of Hadiyah, called by the citizens "Harar Gay," [5] by -the Somal "Adari," by the Gallas "Adaray" and by the Arabs and ourselves -"Harar," [6] lies, according to my dead reckoning, 220° S.W. of, and 175 -statute miles from, Zayla--257° W. of, and 219 miles distant from, -Berberah. This would place it in 9° 20' N. lat. and 42° 17' E. long. The -thermometer showed an altitude of about 5,500 feet above the level of the -sea. [7] Its site is the slope of an hill which falls gently from west to -east. On the eastern side are cultivated fields; westwards a terraced -ridge is laid out in orchards; northwards is a detached eminence covered -with tombs; and to the south, the city declines into a low valley bisected -by a mountain burn. This irregular position is well sheltered from high -winds, especially on the northern side, by the range of which Kondura is -the lofty apex; hence, as the Persian poet sings of a heaven-favoured -city,-- - - "Its heat is not hot, nor its cold, cold." - -During my short residence the air reminded me of Tuscany. On the afternoon -of the 11th January there was thunder accompanied by rain: frequent -showers fell on the 12th, and the morning of the 13th was clear; but, as -we crossed the mountains, black clouds obscured the heavens. The monsoon -is heavy during one summer month; before it begins the crops are planted, -and they are reaped in December and January. At other seasons the air is -dry, mild, and equable. - -The province of Hadiyah is mentioned by Makrizi as one of the seven -members of the Zayla Empire [8], founded by Arab invaders, who in the 7th -century of our area conquered and colonised the low tract between the Red -Sea and the Highlands. Moslem Harar exercised a pernicious influence upon -the fortunes of Christian Abyssinia. [9] - -The allegiance claimed by the AEthiopian Emperors from the Adel--the -Dankali and ancient Somal--was evaded at a remote period, and the -intractable Moslems were propitiated with rich presents, when they thought -proper to visit the Christian court. The Abyssinians supplied the Adel -with slaves, the latter returned the value in rock-salt, commercial -intercourse united their interests, and from war resulted injury to both -people. Nevertheless the fanatic lowlanders, propense to pillage and -proselytizing, burned the Christian churches, massacred the infidels, and -tortured the priests, until they provoked a blood feud of uncommon -asperity. - -In the 14th century (A.D. 1312-1342) Amda Sion, Emperor of AEthiopia, -taunted by Amano, King of Hadiyah, as a monarch fit only to take care of -women, overran and plundered the Lowlands from Tegulet to the Red Sea. The -Amharas were commanded to spare nothing that drew the breath of life: to -fulfil a prophecy which foretold the fall of El Islam, they perpetrated -every kind of enormity. - -Peace followed the death of Amda Sion. In the reign of Zara Yakub [10] -(A.D. 1434-1468), the flame of war was again fanned in Hadiyah by a Zayla -princess who was slighted by the AEthiopian monarch on account of the -length of her fore-teeth: the hostilities which ensued were not, however, -of an important nature. Boeda Mariana, the next occupant of the throne, -passed his life in a constant struggle for supremacy over the Adel: on his -death-bed he caused himself to be so placed that his face looked towards -those lowlands, upon whose subjugation the energies of ten years had been -vainly expended. - -At the close of the 15th century, Mahfuz, a bigoted Moslem, inflicted a -deadly blow upon Abyssinia. Vowing that he would annually spend the forty -days of Lent amongst his infidel neighbours, when, weakened by rigorous -fasts, they were less capable of bearing arms, for thirty successive years -he burned churches and monasteries, slew without mercy every male that -fell in his way, and driving off the women and children, he sold some to -strange slavers, and presented others to the Sherifs of Mecca. He bought -over Za Salasah, commander in chief of the Emperor's body guard, and -caused the assassination of Alexander (A.D. 1478-1495) at the ancient -capital Tegulet. Naud, the successor, obtained some transient advantages -over the Moslems. During the earlier reign of the next emperor, David III. -son of Naud [11], who being but eleven years old when called to the -throne, was placed under the guardianship of his mother the Iteghe Helena, -new combatants and new instruments of warfare appeared on both sides in -the field. - -After the conquest of Egypt and Arabia by Selim I. (A. D. 1516) [12] the -caravans of Abyssinian pilgrims travelling to Jerusalem were attacked, the -old were butchered and the young were swept into slavery. Many Arabian -merchants fled from Turkish violence and injustice, to the opposite coast -of Africa, whereupon the Ottomans took possession from Aden of Zayla, and -not only laid the Indian trade under heavy contributions by means of their -war-galleys, but threatened the total destruction of Abyssinia. They aided -and encouraged Mahfuz to continue his depredations, whilst the Sherif of -Meccah gave him command of Zayla, the key of the upper country, and -presented him with the green banner of a Crusader. - -On the other hand, the great Albuquerque at the same time (A.D. 1508-1515) -was viceroy of India, and to him the Iteghe Helena applied for aid. Her -ambassador arrived at Goa, "bearing a fragment of wood belonging to the -true cross on which Christ died," which relic had been sent as a token of -friendship to her brother Emanuel by the empress of AEthiopia. The overture -was followed by the arrival at Masawwah of an embassy from the king of -Portugal. Too proud, however, to await foreign aid, David at the age of -sixteen took the field in person against the Moslems. - -During the battle that ensued, Mahfuz, the Goliath of the Unbelievers, was -slain in single combat by Gabriel Andreas, a soldier of tried valour, who -had assumed the monastic life in consequence of having lost the tip of his -tongue for treasonable freedom of speech: the green standard was captured, -and 12,000 Moslems fell. David followed up his success by invading the -lowlands, and, in defiance, struck his spear through the door of the king -of Adel. - -Harar was a mere mass of Bedouin villages during the reign of Mohammed -Gragne, the "left-handed" Attila of Adel. [13] Supplied with Arab -mercenaries from Mocha, and by the Turks of Yemen with a body of -Janissaries and a train of artillery, he burst into Efat and Fatigar. In -A.D. 1528 he took possession of Shoa, overran Amhara, burned the churches -and carried away an immense booty. The next campaign enabled him to winter -at Begmeder: in the following year he hunted the Emperor David through -Tigre to the borders of Senaar, gave battle to the Christians on the banks -of the Nile, and with his own hand killed the monk Gabriel, then an old -man. Reinforced by Gideon and Judith, king and queen of the Samen Jews, -and aided by a violent famine which prostrated what had escaped the spear, -he perpetrated every manner of atrocity, captured and burned Axum, -destroyed the princes of the royal blood on the mountain of Amba Geshe -[14], and slew in A.D. 1540, David, third of his name and last emperor of -AEthiopia who displayed the magnificence of "King of Kings." - -Claudius, the successor to the tottering throne, sent as his ambassador to -Europe, one John Bermudez, a Portuguese, who had been detained in -Abyssinia, and promised, it is said, submission to the Pontiff of Rome, -and the cession of the third of his dominions in return for -reinforcements. By order of John III., Don Stephen and Don Christopher, -sons of Don Vasco de Gama, cruised up the Red Sea with a powerful -flotilla, and the younger brother, landing at Masawwah with 400 -musqueteers, slew Nur the governor and sent his head to Gondar, where the -Iteghe Sabel Wenghel received it as an omen of good fortune. Thence the -Portuguese general imprudently marched in the monsoon season, and was soon -confronted upon the plain of Ballut by Mohammed Gragne at the head of -10,000 spearmen and a host of cavalry. On the other side stood a rabble -rout of Abyssinians, and a little band of 350 Portuguese heroes headed by -the most chivalrous soldier of a chivalrous age. - -According to Father Jerome Lobo [15], who heard the events from an eye- -witness, a conference took place between the two captains. Mohammed, -encamped in a commanding position, sent a message to Don Christopher -informing him that the treacherous Abyssinians had imposed upon the king -of Portugal, and that in compassion of his opponent's youth, he would give -him and his men free passage and supplies to their own country. The -Christian presented the Moslem ambassador with a rich robe, and returned -this gallant answer, that "he and his fellow-soldiers were come with an -intention to drive Mohammed out of these countries which he had wrongfully -usurped; that his present design was, instead of returning back the way he -came, as Mohammed advised, to open himself a passage through the country -of his enemies; that Mohammed should rather think of determining whether -he would fight or yield up his ill-gotten territories than of prescribing -measures to him; that he put his whole confidence in the omnipotence of -God, and the justice of his cause; and that to show how full a sense he -had of Mohammed's kindness, he took the liberty of presenting him with a -looking-glass and a pair of pincers." - -The answer and the present so provoked the Adel Monarch that he arose from -table to attack the little troop of Portuguese, posted upon the declivity -of a hill near a wood. Above them stood the Abyssinians, who resolved to -remain quiet spectators of the battle, and to declare themselves on the -side favoured by victory. - -Mohammed began the assault with only ten horsemen, against whom an equal -number of Portuguese were detached: these fired with so much exactness -that nine of the Moors fell and the king was wounded in the leg by Peter -de Sa. In the melee which ensued, the Moslems, dismayed by their first -failure, were soon broken by the Portuguese muskets and artillery. -Mohammed preserved his life with difficulty, he however rallied his men, -and entrenched himself at a strong place called Membret (Mamrat), -intending to winter there and await succour. - -The Portuguese, more desirous of glory than wealth, pursued their enemies, -hoping to cut them entirely off: finding, however, the camp impregnable, -they entrenched themselves on a hill over against it. Their little host -diminished day by day, their friends at Masawwah could not reinforce them, -they knew not how to procure provisions, and could not depend upon their -Abyssinian allies. Yet memorious of their countrymen's great deeds, and -depending upon divine protection, they made no doubt of surmounting all -difficulties. - -Mohammed on his part was not idle. He solicited the assistance of the -Moslem princes, and by inflaming their religious zeal, obtained a -reinforcement of 2000 musqueteers from the Arabs, and a train of artillery -from the Turks of Yemen. Animated by these succours, he marched out of his -trenches to enter those of the Portuguese, who received him with the -utmost bravery, destroyed many of his men, and made frequent sallies, not, -however, without sustaining considerable losses. - -Don Christopher had already one arm broken and a knee shattered by a -musket shot. Valour was at length oppressed by superiority of numbers: the -enemy entered the camp, and put the Christians to the spear. The -Portuguese general escaped the slaughter with ten men, and retreated to a -wood, where they were discovered by a detachment of the enemy. [16] -Mohammed, overjoyed to see his most formidable enemy in his power, ordered -Don Christopher to take care of a wounded uncle and nephew, telling him -that he should answer for their lives, and upon their death, taxed him -with having hastened it. The Portuguese roundly replied that he was come -to destroy Moslems, not to save them. Enraged at this language, Mohammed -placed a stone upon his captive's head, and exposed him to the insults of -the soldiery, who inflicted upon him various tortures which he bore with -the resolution of a martyr. At length, when offered a return to India as -the price of apostacy, the hero's spirit took fire. He answered with the -highest indignation, that nothing could make him forsake his Heavenly -Master to follow an "imposter," and continued in the severest terms to -vilify the "false Prophet," till Mahommed struck off his head. [17] The -body was divided into quarters and sent to different places [18], but the -Catholics gathered their martyr's remains and interred them. Every Moor -who passed by threw a stone upon the grave, and raised in time such a heap -that Father Lobo found difficulty in removing it to exhume the relics. He -concludes with a pardonable superstition: "There is a tradition in the -country, that in the place where Don Christopher's head fell, a fountain -sprang up of wonderful virtue, which cured many diseases, otherwise past -remedy." - -Mohammed Gragne improved his victory by chasing the young Claudius over -Abyssinia, where nothing opposed the progress of his arms. At last the few -Portuguese survivors repaired to the Christian emperor, who was persuaded -to march an army against the King of Adel. Resolved to revenge their -general, the musqueteers demanded the post opposite Mohammed, and directed -all their efforts against the part where the Moslem Attila stood. His -fellow religionists still relate that when Gragne fell in action, his wife -Talwambara [19], the heroic daughter of Mahfuz, to prevent the destruction -and dispersion of the host of Islam, buried the corpse privately, and -caused a slave to personate the prince until a retreat to safe lands -enabled her to discover the stratagem to the nobles. [20] - -Father Lobo tells a different tale. According to him, Peter Leon, a -marksman of low stature, but passing valiant, who had been servant to Don -Christopher, singled the Adel king out of the crowd, and shot him in the -head as he was encouraging his men. Mohammed was followed by his enemy -till he fell down dead: the Portuguese then alighting from his horse, cut -off one of his ears and rejoined his fellow-countrymen. The Moslems were -defeated with great slaughter, and an Abyssinian chief finding Gragne's -corpse upon the ground, presented the head to the Negush or Emperor, -claiming the honor of having slain his country's deadliest foe. Having -witnessed in silence this impudence, Peter asked whether the king had but -one ear, and produced the other from his pocket to the confusion of the -Abyssinian. - -Thus perished, after fourteen years' uninterrupted fighting, the African -hero, who dashed to pieces the structure of 2500 years. Like the -"Kardillan" of the Holy Land, Mohammed Gragne is still the subject of many -a wild and grisly legend. And to the present day the people of Shoa retain -an inherited dread of the lowland Moslems. - -Mohammed was succeeded on the throne of Adel by the Amir Nur, son of -Majid, and, according to some, brother to the "Left-handed." He proposed -marriage to Talwambara, who accepted him on condition that he should lay -the head of the Emperor Claudius at her feet. In A.D. 1559, he sent a -message of defiance to the Negush, who, having saved Abyssinia almost by a -miracle, was rebuilding on Debra Work, the "Golden Mount," a celebrated -shrine which had been burned by the Moslems. Claudius, despising the -eclipses, evil prophecies, and portents which accompanied his enemy's -progress, accepted the challenge. On the 22nd March 1559, the armies were -upon the point of engaging, when the high priest of Debra Libanos, -hastening into the presence of the Negush, declared that in a vision, -Gabriel had ordered him to dissuade the Emperor of AEthiopia from -needlessly risking life. The superstitious Abyssinians fled, leaving -Claudius supported by a handful of Portuguese, who were soon slain around -him, and he fell covered with wounds. The Amir Nur cut off his head, and -laid it at the feet of Talwambara, who, in observance of her pledge, -became his wife. This Amazon suspended the trophy by its hair to the -branch of a tree opposite her abode, that her eyes might be gladdened by -the sight: after hanging two years, it was purchased by an Armenian -merchant, who interred it in the Sepulchre of St. Claudius at Antioch. The -name of the Christian hero who won every action save that in which he -perished, has been enrolled in the voluminous catalogue of Abyssinian -saints, where it occupies a conspicuous place as the destroyer of Mohammed -the Left-handed. - -The Amir Nur has also been canonized by his countrymen, who have buried -their favourite "Wali" under a little dome near the Jami Mosque at Harar. -Shortly after his decisive victory over the Christians, he surrounded the -city with its present wall,--a circumstance now invested with the garb of -Moslem fable. The warrior used to hold frequent conversations with El -Khizr: on one occasion, when sitting upon a rock, still called Gay -Humburti--Harar's Navel--he begged that some Sherif might be brought from -Meccah, to aid him in building a permanent city. By the use of the "Great -Name" the vagrant prophet instantly summoned from Arabia the Sherif Yunis, -his son Fakr el Din, and a descendant from the Ansar or Auxiliaries of the -Prophet: they settled at Harar, which throve by the blessing of their -presence. From this tradition we may gather that the city was restored, as -it was first founded and colonized, by hungry Arabs. - -The Sherifs continued to rule with some interruptions until but a few -generations ago, when the present family rose to power. According to -Bruce, they are Jabartis, who, having intermarried with Sayyid women, -claim a noble origin. They derive themselves from the Caliph Abubakr, or -from Akil, son of Abu Talib, and brother of Ali. The Ulema, although -lacking boldness to make the assertion, evidently believe them to be of -Galla or pagan extraction. - -The present city of Harar is about one mile long by half that breadth. An -irregular wall, lately repaired [21], but ignorant of cannon, is pierced -with five large gates [22], and supported by oval towers of artless -construction. The material of the houses and defences are rough stones, -the granites and sandstones of the hills, cemented, like the ancient Galla -cities, with clay. The only large building is the Jami or Cathedral, a -long barn of poverty-stricken appearance, with broken-down gates, and two -white-washed minarets of truncated conoid shape. They were built by -Turkish architects from Mocha and Hodaydah: one of them lately fell, and -has been replaced by an inferior effort of Harari art. There are a few -trees in the city, but it contains none of those gardens which give to -Eastern settlements that pleasant view of town and country combined. The -streets are narrow lanes, up hill and down dale, strewed with gigantic -rubbish-heaps, upon which repose packs of mangy or one-eyed dogs, and even -the best are encumbered with rocks and stones. The habitations are mostly -long, flat-roofed sheds, double storied, with doors composed of a single -plank, and holes for windows pierced high above the ground, and decorated -with miserable wood-work: the principal houses have separate apartments -for the women, and stand at the bottom of large court-yards closed by -gates of Holcus stalks. The poorest classes inhabit "Gambisa," the -thatched cottages of the hill-cultivators. The city abounds in mosques, -plain buildings without minarets, and in graveyards stuffed with tombs,-- -oblong troughs formed by long slabs planted edgeways in the ground. I need -scarcely say that Harar is proud of her learning, sanctity, and holy dead. -The principal saint buried in the city is Shaykh Umar Abadir El Bakri, -originally from Jeddah, and now the patron of Harar: he lies under a -little dome in the southern quarter of the city, near the Bisidimo Gate. - -The ancient capital of Hadiyah shares with Zebid in Yemen, the reputation -of being an Alma Mater, and inundates the surrounding districts with poor -scholars and crazy "Widads." Where knowledge leads to nothing, says -philosophic Volney, nothing is done to acquire it, and the mind remains in -a state of barbarism. There are no establishments for learning, no -endowments, as generally in the East, and apparently no encouragement to -students: books also are rare and costly. None but the religious sciences -are cultivated. The chief Ulema are the Kabir [23] Khalil, the Kabir -Yunis, and the Shaykh Jami: the two former scarcely ever quit their -houses, devoting all their time to study and tuition: the latter is a -Somali who takes an active part in politics. - -These professors teach Moslem literature through the medium of Harari, a -peculiar dialect confined within the walls. Like the Somali and other -tongues in this part of Eastern Africa, it appears to be partly Arabic in -etymology and grammar: the Semitic scion being grafted upon an indigenous -root: the frequent recurrence of the guttural _kh_ renders it harsh and -unpleasant, and it contains no literature except songs and tales, which -are written in the modern Naskhi character. I would willingly have studied -it deeply, but circumstances prevented:--the explorer too frequently must -rest satisfied with descrying from his Pisgah the Promised Land of -Knowledge, which another more fortunate is destined to conquer. At Zayla, -the Hajj sent to me an Abyssinian slave who was cunning in languages: but -he, to use the popular phrase, "showed his right ear with his left hand." -Inside Harar, we were so closely watched that it was found impossible to -put pen to paper. Escaped, however, to Wilensi, I hastily collected the -grammatical forms and a vocabulary, which will correct the popular -assertion that "the language is Arabic: it has an affinity with the -Amharic." [24] - -Harar has not only its own tongue, unintelligible to any save the -citizens; even its little population of about 8000 souls is a distinct -race. The Somal say of the city that it is a Paradise inhabited by asses: -certainly the exterior of the people is highly unprepossessing. Amongst -the men, I did not see a handsome face: their features are coarse and -debauched; many of them squint, others have lost an eye by small-pox, and -they are disfigured by scrofula and other diseases: the bad expression of -their countenances justifies the proverb, "Hard as the heart of Harar." -Generally the complexion is a yellowish brown, the beard short, stubby and -untractable as the hair, and the hands and wrists, feet and ankles, are -large and ill-made. The stature is moderate-sized, some of the elders show -the "pudding sides" and the pulpy stomachs of Banyans, whilst others are -lank and bony as Arabs or Jews. Their voices are loud and rude. They dress -is a mixture of Arab and Abyssinian. They shave the head, and clip the -mustachios and imperial close, like the Shafei of Yemen. Many are -bareheaded, some wear a cap, generally the embroidered Indian work, or the -common cotton Takiyah of Egypt: a few affect white turbans of the fine -Harar work, loosely twisted over the ears. The body-garment is the Tobe, -worn flowing as in the Somali country or girt with the dagger-strap round -the waist: the richer classes bind under it a Futah or loin-cloth, and the -dignitaries have wide Arab drawers of white calico. Coarse leathern -sandals, a rosary and a tooth-stick rendered perpetually necessary by the -habit of chewing tobacco, complete the costume: and arms being forbidden -in the streets, the citizens carry wands five or six feet long. - -The women, who, owing probably to the number of female slaves, are much -the more numerous, appear beautiful by contrast with their lords. They -have small heads, regular profiles, straight noses, large eyes, mouths -approaching the Caucasian type, and light yellow complexions. Dress, -however, here is a disguise to charms. A long, wide, cotton shirt, with -short arms as in the Arab's Aba, indigo-dyed or chocolate-coloured, and -ornamented with a triangle of scarlet before and behind--the base on the -shoulder and the apex at the waist--is girt round the middle with a sash -of white cotton crimson-edged. Women of the upper class, when leaving the -house, throw a blue sheet over the head, which, however, is rarely veiled. -The front and back hair parted in the centre is gathered into two large -bunches below the ears, and covered with dark blue muslin or network, -whose ends meet under the chin. This coiffure is bound round the head at -the junction of scalp and skin by a black satin ribbon which varies in -breadth according to the wearer's means: some adorn the gear with large -gilt pins, others twine in it a Taj or thin wreath of sweet-smelling -creeper. The virgins collect their locks, which are generally wavy not -wiry, and grow long as well as thick, into a knot tied _a la Diane_ behind -the head: a curtain of short close plaits escaping from the bunch, falls -upon the shoulders, not ungracefully. Silver ornaments are worn only by -persons of rank. The ear is decorated with Somali rings or red coral -beads, the neck with necklaces of the same material, and the fore-arms -with six or seven of the broad circles of buffalo and other dark horns -prepared in Western India. Finally, stars are tattooed upon the bosom, the -eyebrows are lengthened with dyes, the eyes fringed with Kohl, and the -hands and feet stained with henna. - -The female voice is harsh and screaming, especially when heard after the -delicate organs of the Somal. The fair sex is occupied at home spinning -cotton thread for weaving Tobes, sashes, and turbans; carrying their -progeny perched upon their backs, they bring water from the wells in large -gourds borne on the head; work in the gardens, and--the men considering, -like the Abyssinians, such work a disgrace--sit and sell in the long -street which here represents the Eastern bazar. Chewing tobacco enables -them to pass much of their time, and the rich diligently anoint themselves -with ghee, whilst the poorer classes use remnants of fat from the lamps. -Their freedom of manners renders a public flogging occasionally -indispensable. Before the operation begins, a few gourds full of cold -water are poured over their heads and shoulders, after which a single- -thonged whip is applied with vigour. [25] - -Both sexes are celebrated for laxity of morals. High and low indulge -freely in intoxicating drinks, beer, and mead. The Amir has established -strict patrols, who unmercifully bastinado those caught in the streets -after a certain hour. They are extremely bigoted, especially against -Christians, the effect of their Abyssinian wars, and are fond of -"Jihading" with the Gallas, over whom they boast many a victory. I have -seen a letter addressed by the late Amir to the Hajj Sharmarkay, in which -he boasts of having slain a thousand infidels, and, by way of bathos, begs -for a few pounds of English gunpowder. The Harari hold foreigners in -especial hate and contempt, and divide them into two orders, Arabs and -Somal. [26] The latter, though nearly one third of the population, or 2500 -souls, are, to use their own phrase, cheap as dust: their natural timidity -is increased by the show of pomp and power, whilst the word "prison" gives -them the horrors. - -The other inhabitants are about 3000 Bedouins, who "come and go." Up to -the city gates the country is peopled by the Gallas. This unruly race -requires to be propitiated by presents of cloth; as many as 600 Tobes are -annually distributed amongst them by the Amir. Lately, when the smallpox, -spreading from the city, destroyed many of their number, the relations of -the deceased demanded and received blood-money: they might easily capture -the place, but they preserve it for their own convenience. These Gallas -are tolerably brave, avoid matchlock balls by throwing themselves upon the -ground when they see the flash, ride well, use the spear skilfully, and -although of a proverbially bad breed, are favourably spoken of by the -citizens. The Somal find no difficulty in travelling amongst them. I -repeatedly heard at Zayla and at Harar that traders had visited the far -West, traversing for seven months a country of pagans wearing golden -bracelets [27], till they reached the Salt Sea, upon which Franks sail in -ships. [28] At Wilensi, one Mohammed, a Shaykhash, gave me his itinerary -of fifteen stages to the sources of the Abbay or Blue Nile: he confirmed -the vulgar Somali report that the Hawash and the Webbe Shebayli both take -rise in the same range of well wooded mountains which gives birth to the -river of Egypt. - -The government of Harar is the Amir. These petty princes have a habit of -killing and imprisoning all those who are suspected of aspiring to the -throne. [29] Ahmed's greatgrandfather died in jail, and his father -narrowly escaped the same fate. When the present Amir ascended the throne -he was ordered, it is said, by the Makad or chief of the Nole Gallas, to -release his prisoners, or to mount his horse and leave the city. Three of -his cousins, however, were, when I visited Harar, in confinement: one of -them since that time died, and has been buried in his fetters. The Somal -declare that the state-dungeon of Harar is beneath the palace, and that he -who once enters it, lives with unkempt beard and untrimmed nails until the -day when death sets him free. - -The Amir Ahmed's health is infirm. Some attribute his weakness to a fall -from a horse, others declare him to have been poisoned by one of his -wives. [30] I judged him consumptive. Shortly after my departure he was -upon the point of death, and he afterwards sent for a physician to Aden. -He has four wives. No. 1. is the daughter of the Gerad Hirsi; No. 2. a -Sayyid woman of Harar; No. 3. an emancipated slave girl; and No. 4. a -daughter of Gerad Abd el Majid, one of his nobles. He has two sons, who -will probably never ascend the throne; one is an infant, the other is a -boy now about five years old. - -[Illustration] - -The Amir Ahmed succeeded his father about three years ago. His rule is -severe if not just, and it has all the _prestige_ of secresy. As the -Amharas say, the "belly of the Master is not known:" even the Gerad -Mohammed, though summoned to council at all times, in sickness as in -health, dares not offer uncalled-for advice, and the queen dowager, the -Gisti Fatimah, was threatened with fetters if she persisted in -interference. Ahmed's principal occupations are spying his many stalwart -cousins, indulging in vain fears of the English, the Turks, and the Hajj -Sharmarkay, and amassing treasure by commerce and escheats. He judges -civil and religious causes in person, but he allows them with little -interference to be settled by the Kazi, Abd el Rahman bin Umar el Harari: -the latter, though a highly respectable person, is seldom troubled; rapid -decision being the general predilection. The punishments, when money forms -no part of them, are mostly according to Koranic code. The murderer is -placed in the market street, blindfolded, and bound hand and foot; the -nearest of kin to the deceased then strikes his neck with a sharp and -heavy butcher's knife, and the corpse is given over to the relations for -Moslem burial. If the blow prove ineffectual a pardon is generally -granted. When a citizen draws dagger upon another or commits any petty -offence, he is bastinadoed in a peculiar manner: two men ply their -horsewhips upon his back and breast, and the prince, in whose presence the -punishment is carried out, gives the order to stop. Theft is visited with -amputation of the hand. The prison is the award of state offenders: it is -terrible, because the captive is heavily ironed, lies in a filthy dungeon, -and receives no food but what he can obtain from his own family,--seldom -liberal under such circumstances,--buy or beg from his guards. Fines and -confiscations, as usual in the East, are favourite punishments with the -ruler. I met at Wilensi an old Harari, whose gardens and property had all -been escheated, because his son fled from justice, after slaying a man. -The Amir is said to have large hoards of silver, coffee, and ivory: my -attendant the Hammal was once admitted into the inner palace, where he saw -huge boxes of ancient fashion supposed to contain dollars. The only specie -current in Harar is a diminutive brass piece called Mahallak [31]--hand- -worked and almost as artless a medium as a modern Italian coin. It bears -on one side the words: - - [Arabic] - (Zaribat el Harar, the coinage of Harar.) - -On the reverse is the date, A.H. 1248. The Amir pitilessly punishes all -those who pass in the city any other coin. - -The Amir Ahmed is alive to the fact that some state should hedge in a -prince. Neither weapons nor rosaries are allowed in his presence; a -chamberlain's robe acts as spittoon; whenever anything is given to or -taken from him his hand must be kissed; even on horseback two attendants -fan him with the hems of their garments. Except when engaged on the -Haronic visits which he, like his father [32], pays to the streets and -byways at night, he is always surrounded by a strong body guard. He rides -to mosque escorted by a dozen horsemen, and a score of footmen with guns -and whips precede him: by his side walks an officer shading him with a -huge and heavily fringed red satin umbrella,--from India to Abyssinia the -sign of princely dignity. Even at his prayers two or three chosen -matchlockmen stand over him with lighted fusees. When he rides forth in -public, he is escorted by a party of fifty men: the running footmen crack -their whips and shout "Let! Let!" (Go! Go!) and the citizens avoid stripes -by retreating into the nearest house, or running into another street. - -The army of Harar is not imposing. There are between forty and fifty -matchlockmen of Arab origin, long settled in the place, and commanded by a -veteran Maghrebi. They receive for pay one dollar's worth of holcus per -annum, a quantity sufficient to afford five or six loaves a day: the -luxuries of life must be provided by the exercise of some peaceful craft. -Including slaves, the total of armed men may be two hundred: of these one -carries a Somali or Galla spear, another a dagger, and a third a sword, -which is generally the old German cavalry blade. Cannon of small calibre -is supposed to be concealed in the palace, but none probably knows their -use. The city may contain thirty horses, of which a dozen are royal -property: they are miserable ponies, but well trained to the rocks and -hills. The Galla Bedouins would oppose an invader with a strong force of -spearmen, the approaches to the city are difficult and dangerous, but it -is commanded from the north and west, and the walls would crumble at the -touch of a six-pounder. Three hundred Arabs and two gallopper guns would -take Harar in an hour. - -Harar is essentially a commercial town: its citizens live, like those of -Zayla, by systematically defrauding the Galla Bedouins, and the Amir has -made it a penal offence to buy by weight and scale. He receives, as -octroi, from eight to fifteen cubits of Cutch canvass for every donkey- -load passing the gates, consequently the beast is so burdened that it must -be supported by the drivers. Cultivators are taxed ten per cent., the -general and easy rate of this part of Africa, but they pay in kind, which -considerably increases the Government share. The greatest merchant may -bring to Harar 50_l._ worth of goods, and he who has 20_l._ of capital is -considered a wealthy man. The citizens seem to have a more than Asiatic -apathy, even in pursuit of gain. When we entered, a caravan was to set out -for Zayla on the morrow; after ten days, hardly one half of its number had -mustered. The four marches from the city eastward are rarely made under a -fortnight, and the average rate of their Kafilahs is not so high even as -that of the Somal. - -The principal exports from Harar are slaves, ivory, coffee, tobacco, Wars -(safflower or bastard saffron), Tobes and woven cottons, mules, holcus, -wheat, "Karanji," a kind of bread used by travellers, ghee, honey, gums -(principally mastic and myrrh), and finally sheep's fat and tallows of all -sorts. The imports are American sheeting, and other cottons, white and -dyed, muslins, red shawls, silks, brass, sheet copper, cutlery (generally -the cheap German), Birmingham trinkets, beads and coral, dates, rice, and -loaf sugar, gunpowder, paper, and the various other wants of a city in the -wild. - -Harar is still, as of old [33], the great "half way house" for slaves from -Zangaro, Gurague, and the Galla tribes, Alo and others [34]: Abyssinians -and Amharas, the most valued [35], have become rare since the King of Shoa -prohibited the exportation. Women vary in value from 100 to 400 Ashrafis, -boys from 9 to 150: the worst are kept for domestic purposes, the best are -driven and exported by the Western Arabs [36] or by the subjects of H. H. -the Imam of Muscat, in exchange for rice and dates. I need scarcely say -that commerce would thrive on the decline of slavery: whilst the Felateas -or man-razzias are allowed to continue, it is vain to expect industry in -the land. - -Ivory at Harar amongst the Kafirs is a royal monopoly, and the Amir -carries on the one-sided system of trade, common to African monarchs. -Elephants abound in Jarjar, the Erar forest, and in the Harirah and other -valleys, where they resort during the hot season, in cold descending to -the lower regions. The Gallas hunt the animals and receive for the spoil a -little cloth: the Amir sends his ivory to Berberah, and sells it by means -of a Wakil or agent. The smallest kind is called "Ruba Aj"(Quarter Ivory), -the better description "Nuss Aj"(Half Ivory), whilst" Aj," the best kind, -fetches from thirty-two to forty dollars per Farasilah of 27 Arab pounds. -[36] - -The coffee of Harar is too well known in the markets of Europe to require -description: it grows in the gardens about the town, in greater quantities -amongst the Western Gallas, and in perfection at Jarjar, a district of -about seven days' journey from Harar on the Efat road. It is said that the -Amir withholds this valuable article, fearing to glut the Berberah market: -he has also forbidden the Harash, or coffee cultivators, to travel lest -the art of tending the tree be lost. When I visited Harar, the price per -parcel of twenty-seven pounds was a quarter of a dollar, and the hire of a -camel carrying twelve parcels to Berberah was five dollars: the profit did -not repay labour and risk. - -The tobacco of Harar is of a light yellow color, with good flavour, and -might be advantageously mixed with Syrian and other growths. The Alo, or -Western Gallas, the principal cultivators, plant it with the holcus, and -reap it about five months afterwards. It is cocked for a fortnight, the -woody part is removed, and the leaf is packed in sacks for transportation -to Berberah. At Harar, men prefer it for chewing as well as smoking: women -generally use Surat tobacco. It is bought, like all similar articles, by -the eye, and about seventy pounds are to be had for a dollar. - -The Wars or Safflower is cultivated in considerable quantities around the -city: an abundance is grown in the lands of the Gallas. It is sown when -the heavy rains have ceased, and is gathered about two months afterwards. -This article, together with slaves, forms the staple commerce between -Berberah and Muscat. In Arabia, men dye with it their cotton shirts, women -and children use it to stain the skin a bright yellow; besides the purpose -of a cosmetic, it also serves as a preservative against cold. When Wars is -cheap at Harar, a pound may be bought for a quarter of a dollar. - -The Tobes and sashes of Harar are considered equal to the celebrated -cloths of Shoa: hand-woven, they as far surpass, in beauty and durability, -the vapid produce of European manufactories, as the perfect hand of man -excels the finest machinery. On the windward coast, one of these garments -is considered a handsome present for a chief. The Harari Tobe consists of -a double length of eleven cubits by two in breadth, with a border of -bright scarlet, and the average value of a good article, even in the city, -is eight dollars. They are made of the fine long-stapled cotton, which -grows plentifully upon these hills, and are soft as silk, whilst their -warmth admirably adapts them for winter wear. The thread is spun by women -with two wooden pins: the loom is worked by both sexes. - -Three caravans leave Harar every year for the Berberah market. The first -starts early in January, laden with coffee, Tobes, Wars, ghee, gums, and -other articles to be bartered for cottons, silks, shawls, and Surat -tobacco. The second sets out in February. The principal caravan, conveying -slaves, mules, and other valuable articles, enters Berberah a few days -before the close of the season: it numbers about 3000 souls, and is -commanded by one of the Amir's principal officers, who enjoys the title of -Ebi or leader. Any or all of these kafilahs might be stopped by spending -four or five hundred dollars amongst the Jibril Abokr tribe, or even by a -sloop of war at the emporium. "He who commands at Berberah, holds the -beard of Harar in his hand," is a saying which I heard even within the -city walls. - -The furniture of a house at Harar is simple,--a few skins, and in rare -cases a Persian rug, stools, coarse mats, and Somali pillows, wooden -spoons, and porringers shaped with a hatchet, finished with a knife, -stained red, and brightly polished. The gourd is a conspicuous article; -smoked inside and fitted with a cover of the same material, it serves as -cup, bottle, pipe, and water-skin: a coarse and heavy kind of pottery, of -black or brown clay, is used by some of the citizens. - -The inhabitants of Harar live well. The best meat, as in Abyssinia, is -beef: it rather resembled, however, in the dry season when I ate it, the -lean and stringy sirloins of Old England in Hogarth's days. A hundred and -twenty chickens, or sixty-six full-grown fowls, may be purchased for a -dollar, and the citizens do not, like the Somal, consider them carrion. -Goat's flesh is good, and the black-faced Berberah sheep, after the rains, -is, here as elsewhere, delicious. The staff of life is holcus. Fruit grows -almost wild, but it is not prized as an article of food; the plantains are -coarse and bad, grapes seldom come to maturity; although the brab -flourishes in every ravine, and the palm becomes a lofty tree, it has not -been taught to fructify, and the citizens do not know how to dress, -preserve, or pickle their limes and citrons. No vegetables but gourds are -known. From the cane, which thrives upon these hills, a little sugar is -made: the honey, of which, as the Abyssinians say, "the land stinks," is -the general sweetener. The condiment of East Africa, is red pepper. - - * * * * * - -To resume, dear L., the thread of our adventures at Harar. - -Immediately after arrival, we were called upon by the Arabs, a strange -mixture. One, the Haji Mukhtar, was a Maghrebi from Fez: an expatriation -of forty years had changed his hissing Arabic as little as his "rocky -face." This worthy had a coffee-garden assigned to him, as commander of -the Amir's body-guard: he introduced himself to us, however, as a -merchant, which led us to look upon him as a spy. Another, Haji Hasan, was -a thorough-bred Persian: he seemed to know everybody, and was on terms of -bosom friendship with half the world from Cairo to Calcutta, Moslem, -Christian and Pagan. Amongst the rest was a boy from Meccah, a Muscat man, -a native of Suez, and a citizen of Damascus: the others were Arabs from -Yemen. All were most civil to us at first; but, afterwards, when our -interviews with the Amir ceased, they took alarm, and prudently cut us. - -The Arabs were succeeded by the Somal, amongst whom the Hammal and Long -Guled found relatives, friends, and acquaintances, who readily recognised -them as government servants at Aden. These visitors at first came in fear -and trembling with visions of the Harar jail: they desired my men to -return the visit by night, and made frequent excuses for apparent want of -hospitality. Their apprehensions, however, soon vanished: presently they -began to prepare entertainments, and, as we were without money, they -willingly supplied us with certain comforts of life. Our three Habr Awal -enemies, seeing the tide of fortune settling in our favour, changed their -tactics: they threw the past upon their two Harari companions, and -proposed themselves as Abbans on our return to Berberah. This offer was -politely staved off; in the first place we were already provided with -protectors, and secondly these men belonged to the Ayyal Shirdon, a clan -most hostile to the Habr Gerhajis. They did not fail to do us all the harm -in their power, but again my good star triumphed. - -After a day's repose, we were summoned by the Treasurer, early in the -forenoon, to wait upon the Gerad Mohammed. Sword in hand, and followed by -the Hammal and Long Guled, I walked to the "palace," and entering a little -ground-floor-room on the right of and close to the audience-hall, found -the minister sitting upon a large dais covered with Persian carpets. He -was surrounded by six of his brother Gerads or councillors, two of them in -turbans, the rest with bare and shaven heads: their Tobes, as is customary -on such occasions of ceremony, were allowed to fall beneath the waist. The -lower part of the hovel was covered with dependents, amongst whom my Somal -took their seats: it seemed to be customs' time, for names were being -registered, and money changed hands. The Grandees were eating Kat, or as -it is here called "Jat." [37] One of the party prepared for the Prime -Minister the tenderest twigs of the tree, plucking off the points of even -the softest leaves. Another pounded the plant with a little water in a -wooden mortar: of this paste, called "El Madkuk," a bit was handed to each -person, who, rolling it into a ball, dropped it into his mouth. All at -times, as is the custom, drank cold water from a smoked gourd, and seemed -to dwell upon the sweet and pleasant draught. I could not but remark the -fine flavour of the plant after the coarser quality grown in Yemen. -Europeans perceive but little effect from it--friend S. and I once tried -in vain a strong infusion--the Arabs, however, unaccustomed to stimulants -and narcotics, declare that, like opium eaters, they cannot live without -the excitement. It seems to produce in them a manner of dreamy enjoyment, -which, exaggerated by time and distance, may have given rise to that -splendid myth the Lotos, and the Lotophagi. It is held by the Ulema here -as in Arabia, "Akl el Salikin," or the Food of the Pious, and literati -remark that it has the singular properties of enlivening the imagination, -clearing the ideas, cheering the heart, diminishing sleep, and taking the -place of food. The people of Harar eat it every day from 9 A.M. till near -noon, when they dine and afterwards indulge in something stronger,-- -millet-beer and mead. - -The Gerad, after polite inquiries, seated me by his right hand upon the -Dais, where I ate Kat and fingered my rosary, whilst he transacted the -business of the day. Then one of the elders took from a little recess in -the wall a large book, and uncovering it, began to recite a long Dua or -Blessing upon the Prophet: at the end of each period all present intoned -the response, "Allah bless our Lord Mohammed with his Progeny and his -Companions, one and all!" This exercise lasting half an hour afforded me -the opportunity,--much desired,--of making an impression. The reader, -misled by a marginal reference, happened to say, "angels, Men, and Genii:" -the Gerad took the book and found written, "Men, Angels, and Genii." -Opinions were divided as to the order of beings, when I explained that -human nature, which amongst Moslems is _not_ a little lower than the -angelic, ranked highest, because of it were created prophets, apostles, -and saints, whereas the other is but a "Wasitah" or connection between the -Creator and his creatures. My theology won general approbation and a few -kinder glances from the elders. - -Prayer concluded, a chamberlain whispered the Gerad, who arose, deposited -his black coral rosary, took up an inkstand, donned a white "Badan" or -sleeveless Arab cloak over his cotton shirt, shuffled off the Dais into -his slippers, and disappeared. Presently we were summoned to an interview -with the Amir: this time I was allowed to approach the outer door with -covered feet. Entering ceremoniously as before, I was motioned by the -Prince to sit near the Gerad, who occupied a Persian rug on the ground to -the right of the throne: my two attendants squatted upon the humbler mats -in front and at a greater distance. After sundry inquiries about the -changes that had taken place at Aden, the letter was suddenly produced by -the Amir, who looked upon it suspiciously and bade me explain its -contents. I was then asked by the Gerad whether it was my intention to buy -and sell at Harar: the reply was, "We are no buyers nor sellers [38]; we -have become your guests to pay our respects to the Amir--whom may Allah -preserve!--and that the friendship between the two powers may endure." -This appearing satisfactory, I added, in lively remembrance of the -proverbial delays of Africa, where two or three months may elapse before a -letter is answered or a verbal message delivered, that perhaps the Prince -would be pleased to dismiss us soon, as the air of Harar was too dry for -me, and my attendants were in danger of the small-pox, then raging in the -town. The Amir, who was chary of words, bent towards the Gerad, who -briefly ejaculated, "The reply will be vouchsafed:" with this -unsatisfactory answer the interview ended. - -Shortly after arrival, I sent my Salam to one of the Ulema, Shaykh Jami of -the Berteri Somal: he accepted the excuse of ill health, and at once came -to see me. This personage appeared in the form of a little black man aged -about forty, deeply pitted by small-pox, with a protruding brow, a tufty -beard and rather delicate features: his hands and feet were remarkably -small. Married to a descendant of the Sherif Yunis, he had acquired great -reputation as an Alim or Savan, a peace-policy-man, and an ardent Moslem. -Though an imperfect Arabic scholar, he proved remarkably well read in the -religious sciences, and even the Meccans had, it was said, paid him the -respect of kissing his hand during his pilgrimage. In his second -character, his success was not remarkable, the principal results being a -spear-thrust in the head, and being generally told to read his books and -leave men alone. Yet he is always doing good "lillah," that is to say, -gratis and for Allah's sake: his pugnacity and bluntness--the prerogatives -of the "peaceful"--gave him some authority over the Amir, and he has often -been employed on political missions amongst the different chiefs. Nor has -his ardour for propagandism been thoroughly gratified. He commenced his -travels with an intention of winning the crown of glory without delay, by -murdering the British Resident at Aden [39]: struck, however, with the -order and justice of our rule, he changed his intentions and offered El -Islam to the officer, who received it so urbanely, that the simple Eastern -repenting having intended to cut the Kafir's throat, began to pray -fervently for his conversion. Since that time he has made it a point of -duty to attempt every infidel: I never heard, however, that he succeeded -with a soul. - -The Shaykh's first visit did not end well. He informed me that the old -Usmanlis conquered Stamboul in the days of Umar. I imprudently objected to -the date, and he revenged himself for the injury done to his fame by the -favourite ecclesiastical process of privily damning me for a heretic, and -a worse than heathen. Moreover he had sent me a kind of ritual which I had -perused in an hour and returned to him: this prepossessed the Shaykh -strongly against me, lightly "skimming" books being a form of idleness as -yet unknown to the ponderous East. Our days at Harar were monotonous -enough. In the morning we looked to the mules, drove out the cats--as -great a nuisance here as at Aden--and ate for breakfast lumps of boiled -beef with peppered holcus-scones. We were kindly looked upon by one -Sultan, a sick and decrepid Eunuch, who having served five Amirs, was -allowed to remain in the palace. To appearance he was mad: he wore upon -his poll a motley scratch wig, half white and half black, like Day and -Night in masquerades. But his conduct was sane. At dawn he sent us bad -plantains, wheaten crusts, and cups of unpalatable coffee-tea [40], and, -assisted by a crone more decrepid than himself, prepared for me his water- -pipe, a gourd fitted with two reeds and a tile of baked clay by way of -bowl: now he "knagged" at the slave girls, who were slow to work, then -burst into a fury because some visitor ate Kat without offering it to him, -or crossed the royal threshold in sandal or slipper. The other inmates of -the house were Galla slave-girls, a great nuisance, especially one -Berille, an unlovely maid, whose shrill voice and shameless manners were a -sad scandal to pilgrims and pious Moslems. - -About 8 A.M. the Somal sent us gifts of citrons, plantains, sugar-cane, -limes, wheaten bread, and stewed fowls. At the same time the house became -full of visitors, Harari and others, most of them pretexting inquiries -after old Sultan's health. Noon was generally followed by a little -solitude, the people retiring to dinner and siesta: we were then again -provided with bread and beef from the Amir's kitchen. In the afternoon the -house again filled, and the visitors dispersed only for supper. Before -sunset we were careful to visit the mules tethered in the court-yard; -being half starved they often attempted to desert. [41] - -It was harvest home at Harar, a circumstance which worked us much annoy. -In the mornings the Amir, attended by forty or fifty guards, rode to a -hill north of the city, where he inspected his Galla reapers and -threshers, and these men were feasted every evening at our quarters with -flesh, beer, and mead. [42] The strong drinks caused many a wordy war, and -we made a point of exhorting the pagans, with poor success I own, to purer -lives. - -We spent our _soiree_ alternately bepreaching the Gallas, "chaffing" Mad -Said, who, despite his seventy years, was a hale old Bedouin, with a salt -and sullen repartee, and quarrelling with the slave-girls. Berille the -loud-lunged, or Aminah the pert, would insist upon extinguishing the fat- -fed lamp long ere bed-time, or would enter the room singing, laughing, -dancing, and clapping a measure with their palms, when, stoutly aided by -old Sultan, who shrieked like a hyaena on these occasions, we ejected her -in extreme indignation. All then was silence without: not so--alas!-- -within. Mad Said snored fearfully, and Abtidon chatted half the night with -some Bedouin friend, who had dropped in to supper. On our hard couches we -did not enjoy either the _noctes_ or the _coenoe deorum_. - -The even tenor of such days was varied by a perpetual reference to the -rosary, consulting soothsayers, and listening to reports and rumours -brought to us by the Somal in such profusion that we all sighed for a -discontinuance. The Gerad Mohammed, excited by the Habr Awal, was curious -in his inquiries concerning me: the astute Senior had heard of our leaving -the End of Time with the Gerad Adan, and his mind fell into the fancy that -we were transacting some business for the Hajj Sharmarkay, the popular -bugbear of Harar. Our fate was probably decided by the arrival of a youth -of the Ayyal Gedid clan, who reported that three brothers had landed in -the Somali country, that two of them were anxiously awaiting at Berberah -the return of the third from Harar, and that, though dressed like Moslems, -they were really Englishmen in government employ. Visions of cutting off -caravans began to assume a hard and palpable form: the Habr Awal ceased -intriguing, and the Gerad Mohammed resolved to adopt the _suaviter in -modo_ whilst dealing with his dangerous guest. - -Some days after his first visit, the Shaykh Jami, sending for the Hammal, -informed him of an intended trip from Harar: my follower suggested that we -might well escort him. The good Shaykh at once offered to apply for leave -from the Gerad Mohammed; not, however, finding the minister at home, he -asked us to meet him at the palace on the morrow, about the time of Kat- -eating. - -We had so often been disappointed in our hopes of a final "lay-public," -that on this occasion much was not expected. However, about 6 A.M., we -were all summoned, and entering the Gerad's levee-room were, as usual, -courteously received. I had distinguished his complaint,--chronic -bronchitis,--and resolving to make a final impression, related to him all -its symptoms, and promised, on reaching Aden, to send the different -remedies employed by ourselves. He clung to the hope of escaping his -sufferings, whilst the attendant courtiers looked on approvingly, and -begged me to lose no time. Presently the Gerad was sent for by the Amir, -and after a few minutes I followed him, on this occasion, alone. Ensued a -long conversation about the state of Aden, of Zayla, of Berberah, and of -Stamboul. The chief put a variety of questions about Arabia, and every -object there: the answer was that the necessity of commerce confined us to -the gloomy rock. He used some obliging expressions about desiring our -friendship, and having considerable respect for a people who built, he -understood, large ships. I took the opportunity of praising Harar in -cautious phrase, and especially of regretting that its coffee was not -better known amongst the Franks. The small wizen-faced man smiled, as -Moslems say, the smile of Umar [43]: seeing his brow relax for the first -time, I told him that, being now restored to health, we requested his -commands for Aden. He signified consent with a nod, and the Gerad, with -many compliments, gave me a letter addressed to the Political Resident, -and requested me to take charge of a mule as a present. I then arose, -recited a short prayer, the gist of which was that the Amir's days and -reign might be long in the land, and that the faces of his foes might be -blackened here and hereafter, bent over his hand and retired. Returning to -the Gerad's levee-hut, I saw by the countenances of my two attendants that -they were not a little anxious about the interview, and comforted them -with the whispered word "Achha"--"all right!" - -Presently appeared the Gerad, accompanied by two men, who brought my -servants' arms, and the revolver which I had sent to the prince. This was -a _contretemps_. It was clearly impossible to take back the present, -besides which, I suspected some finesse to discover my feelings towards -him: the other course would ensure delay. I told the Gerad that the weapon -was intended especially to preserve the Amir's life, and for further -effect, snapped caps in rapid succession to the infinite terror of the -august company. The minister returned to his master, and soon brought back -the information that after a day or two another mule should be given to -me. With suitable acknowledgments we arose, blessed the Gerad, bade adieu -to the assembly, and departed joyful, the Hammal in his glee speaking -broken English, even in the Amir's courtyard. - -Returning home, we found the good Shaykh Jami, to whom we communicated the -news with many thanks for his friendly aid. I did my best to smooth his -temper about Turkish history, and succeeded. Becoming communicative, he -informed me that the original object, of his visit was the offer of good -offices, he having been informed that, in the town was a man who brought -down the birds from heaven, and the citizens having been thrown into great -excitement by the probable intentions of such a personage. Whilst he sat -with us, Kabir Khalil, one of the principal Ulema, and one Haji Abdullah, -a Shaykh of distinguished fame who had been dreaming dreams in our favour, -sent their salams. This is one of the many occasions in which, during a -long residence in the East, I have had reason to be grateful to the -learned, whose influence over the people when unbiassed by bigotry is -decidedly for good. That evening there was great joy amongst the Somal, -who had been alarmed for the safety of my companions: they brought them -presents of Harari Tobes, and a feast of fowls, limes, and wheaten bread -for the stranger. - -On the 11th of January I was sent for by the Gerad and received the second -mule. At noon we were visited by the Shaykh Jami, who, after a long -discourse upon the subject of Sufiism [44], invited me to inspect his -books. When midday prayer was concluded we walked to his house, which -occupies the very centre of the city: in its courtyard is "Gay Humburti," -the historic rock upon which Saint Nur held converse with the Prophet -Khizr. The Shaykh, after seating us in a room about ten feet square, and -lined with scholars and dusty tomes, began reading out a treatise upon the -genealogies of the Grand Masters, and showed me in half a dozen tracts the -tenets of the different schools. The only valuable MS. in the place was a -fine old copy of the Koran; the Kamus and the Sihah were there [45], but -by no means remarkable for beauty or correctness. Books at Harar are -mostly antiques, copyists being exceedingly rare, and the square massive -character is more like Cufic with diacritical points, than the graceful -modern Naskhi. I could not, however, but admire the bindings: no Eastern -country save Persia surpasses them in strength and appearance. After some -desultory conversation the Shaykh ushered us into an inner room, or rather -a dark closet partitioned off from the study, and ranged us around the -usual dish of boiled beef, holcus bread, and red pepper. After returning -to the study we sat for a few minutes,--Easterns rarely remain long after -dinner,--and took leave, saying that we must call upon the Gerad Mohammed. - -Nothing worthy of mention occurred during our final visit to the minister. -He begged me not to forget his remedies when we reached Aden: I told him -that without further loss of time we would start on the morrow, Friday, -after prayers, and he simply ejaculated, "It is well, if Allah please!" -Scarcely had we returned home, when the clouds, which had been gathering -since noon, began to discharge heavy showers, and a few loud thunder-claps -to reverberate amongst the hills. We passed that evening surrounded by the -Somal, who charged us with letters and many messages to Berberah. Our -intention was to mount early on Friday morning. When we awoke, however, a -mule had strayed and was not brought back for some hours. Before noon -Shaykh Jami called upon us, informed us that he would travel on the most -auspicious day--Monday--and exhorted us to patience, deprecating departure -upon Friday, the Sabbath. Then he arose to take leave, blessed us at some -length, prayed that we might be borne upon the wings of safety, again -advised Monday, and promised at all events to meet us at Wilensi. - -I fear that the Shaykh's counsel was on this occasion likely to be -disregarded. We had been absent from our goods and chattels a whole -fortnight: the people of Harar are famously fickle; we knew not what the -morrow might bring forth from the Amir's mind--in fact, all these African -cities are prisons on a large scale, into which you enter by your own -will, and, as the significant proverb says, you leave by another's. -However, when the mosque prayers ended, a heavy shower and the stormy -aspect of the sky preached patience more effectually than did the divine: -we carefully tethered our mules, and unwillingly deferred our departure -till next morning. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] The Ashantees at customs' time run across the royal threshold to -escape being seized and sacrificed; possibly the trace of the pagan rite -is still preserved by Moslem Harar, where it is now held a mark of respect -and always exacted from the citizens. - -[2] I afterwards learned that when a man neglects a summons his door is -removed to the royal court-yard on the first day; on the second, it is -confiscated. The door is a valuable and venerable article in this part of -Africa. According to Bruce, Ptolemy Euergetes engraved it upon the Axum -Obelisk for the benefit of his newly conquered AEthiopian subjects, to whom -it had been unknown. - -[3] In Abyssinia, according to the Lord of Geesh, this is a mark of royal -familiarity and confidence. - -[4] About seven years ago the Hajj Sharmarkay of Zayla chose as his agent -at Harar, one of the Amir's officers, a certain Hajj Jamitay. When this -man died Sharmarkay demanded an account from his sons; at Berberah they -promised to give it, but returning to Harar they were persuaded, it is -believed, by the Gerad Mohammed, to forget their word. Upon this -Sharmarkay's friends and relations, incited by one Husayn, a Somali who -had lived many years at Harar in the Amir's favour, wrote an insulting -letter to the Gerad, beginning with, "No peace be upon thee, and no -blessings of Allah, thou butcher! son of a butcher &c. &c.!" and -concluding with a threat to pinion him in the market-place as a warning to -men. Husayn carried the letter, which at first excited general terror; -when, however, the attack did not take place, the Amir Abubakr imprisoned -the imprudent Somali till he died. Sharmarkay by way of reprisals -persuaded Alu, son of Sahlah Salaseh, king of Shoa, to seize about three -hundred Harari citizens living in his dominions and to keep them two years -in durance. - -The Amir Abubakr is said on his deathbed to have warned his son against -the Gerad. When Ahmad reported his father's decease to Zayla, the Hajj -Sharmarkay ordered a grand Maulid or Mass in honour of the departed. Since -that time, however, there has been little intercourse and no cordiality -between them. - -[5] Thus M. Isenberg (Preface to Ambaric Grammar, p. iv.) calls the city -Harrar or Ararge. - -[6] "Harar," is not an uncommon name in this part of Eastern Africa: -according to some, the city is so called from a kind of tree, according to -others, from the valley below it. - -[7] I say _about_: we were compelled to boil our thermometers at Wilensi, -not venturing upon such operation within the city. - -[8] The other six were Efat, Arabini, Duaro, Sharka, Bali and Darah. - -[9] A circumstantial account of the Jihad or Moslem crusades is, I am -told, given in the Fath el Habashah, unfortunately a rare work. The Amir -of Harar had but one volume, and the other is to be found at Mocha or -Hudaydah. - -[10] This prince built "Debra Berhan," the "Hill of glory," a church -dedicated to the Virgin Mary at Gondar. - -[11] A prince of many titles: he is generally called Wanag Suggad, "feared -amongst the lions," because he spent the latter years of his life in the -wild. - -[12] Yemen submitted to Sulayman Pasha in A.D. 1538. - -[13] "Gragne," or in the Somali dialect "Guray," means a left-handed man; -Father Lobo errs in translating it "the Lame." - -[14] This exploit has been erroneously attributed to Nur, the successor of -Mohammed. - -[15] This reverend Jesuit was commissioned in A.D. 1622, by the Count de -Vidigueira, Viceroy of the Indies, to discover where his relative Don -Christopher was buried, and to procure some of the relics. Assisted by the -son in law of the Abyssinian Emperor, Lobo marched with an army through -the Gallas, found the martyr's teeth and lower jaw, his arms and a picture -of the Holy Virgin which he always carried about him. The precious remains -were forwarded to Goa. - -I love the style of this old father, so unjustly depreciated by our -writers, and called ignorant peasant and liar by Bruce, because he claimed -for his fellow countrymen the honor of having discovered the Coy -Fountains. The Nemesis who never sleeps punished Bruce by the justest of -retributions. His pompous and inflated style, his uncommon arrogance, and -over-weening vanity, his affectation of pedantry, his many errors and -misrepresentations, aroused against him a spirit which embittered the last -years of his life. It is now the fashion to laud Bruce, and to pity his -misfortunes. I cannot but think that he deserved them. - -[16] Bruce, followed by most of our modern authors, relates a -circumstantial and romantic story of the betrayal of Don Christopher by -his mistress, a Turkish lady of uncommon beauty, who had been made -prisoner. - -The more truth-like pages of Father Lobo record no such silly scandal -against the memory of the "brave and holy Portuguese." Those who are well -read in the works of the earlier eastern travellers will remember their -horror of "handling heathens after that fashion." And amongst those who -fought for the faith an _affaire de coeur_ with a pretty pagan was held to -be a sin as deadly as heresy or magic. - -[17] Romantic writers relate that Mohammed decapitated the Christian with -his left hand. - -[18] Others assert, in direct contradiction to Father Lobo, that the body -was sent to different parts of Arabia, and the head to Constantinople. - -[19] Bruce, followed by later authorities, writes this name Del Wumbarea. - -[20] Talwambara, according to the Christians, after her husband's death, -and her army's defeat, threw herself into the wilds of Atbara, and -recovered her son Ali Gerad by releasing Prince Menas, the brother of the -Abyssinian emperor, who in David's reign had been carried prisoner to -Adel. - -The historian will admire these two widely different accounts of the left- -handed hero's death. Upon the whole he will prefer the Moslem's tradition -from the air of truth pervading it, and the various improbabilities which -appear in the more detailed story of the Christians. - -[21] Formerly the Waraba, creeping through the holes in the wall, rendered -the streets dangerous at night. They are now destroyed by opening the -gates in the evening, enticing in the animals by slaughtering cattle, and -closing the doors upon them, when they are safely speared. - -[22] The following are the names of the gates in Harari and Somali: - -_Eastward._ Argob Bari (Bar in Amharic is a gate, _e.g._ Ankobar, the gate -of Anko, a Galla Queen, and Argob is the name of a Galla clan living in -this quarter), by the Somal called Erar. - -_North._ Asum Bari (the gate of Axum), in Somali, Faldano or the Zayla -entrance. - -_West._ Asmadim Bari or Hamaraisa. - -_South._ Badro Bari or Bab Bida. - -_South East._ Sukutal Bari or Bisidimo. - -At all times these gates are carefully guarded; in the evening the keys -are taken to the Amir, after which no one can leave the city till dawn. - -[23] Kabir in Arabic means great, and is usually applied to the Almighty; -here it is a title given to the principal professors of religious science. - -[24] This is equivalent to saying that the language of the Basque -provinces is French with an affinity to English. - -[25] When ladies are bastinadoed in more modest Persia, their hands are -passed through a hole in a tent wall, and fastened for the infliction to a -Falakah or pole outside. - -[26] The hate dates from old times. Abd el Karim, uncle to the late Amir -Abubakr, sent for sixty or seventy Arab mercenaries under Haydar Assal the -Auliki, to save him against the Gallas. The matchlockmen failing in -ammunition, lost twenty of their number in battle and retired to the town, -where the Gallas, after capturing Abd el Karim, and his brother Abd el -Rahman, seized the throne, and, aided by the citizens, attempted to -massacre the strangers. These, however, defended themselves gallantly, and -would have crowned the son of Abd el Rahman, had he not in fear declined -the dignity; they then drew their pay, and marched with all the honors of -war to Zayla. - -Shortly before our arrival, the dozen of petty Arab pedlars at Harar, -treacherous intriguers, like all their dangerous race, had been plotting -against the Amir. One morning when they least expected it, their chief was -thrown into a prison which proved his grave, and the rest were informed -that any stranger found in the city should lose his head. After wandering -some months among the neighbouring villages, they were allowed to return -and live under surveillance. No one at Harar dared to speak of this event, -and we were cautioned not to indulge our curiosity. - -[27] This agrees with the Hon. R. Curzon's belief in Central African -"diggings." The traveller once saw an individual descending the Nile with -a store of nuggets, bracelets, and gold rings similar to those used as -money by the ancient Egyptians. - -[28] M. Krapf relates a tale current in Abyssinia; namely, that there is a -remnant of the slave trade between Guineh (the Guinea coast) and Shoa. -Connexion between the east and west formerly existed: in the time of John -the Second, the Portuguese on the river Zaire in Congo learned the -existence of the Abyssinian church. Travellers in Western Africa assert -that Fakihs or priests, when performing the pilgrimage pass from the -Fellatah country through Abyssinia to the coast of the Red Sea. And it has -lately been proved that a caravan line is open from the Zanzibar coast to -Benguela. - -[29] All male collaterals of the royal family, however, are not imprisoned -by law, as was formerly the case at Shoa. - -[30] This is a mere superstition; none but the most credulous can believe -that a man ever lives after an Eastern dose. - -[31] The name and coin are Abyssinian. According to Bruce, - - 20 Mahallaks are worth 1 Grush. - 12 Grush " " 1 Miskal. - 4 Miskal " " 1 Wakiyah (ounce). - -At Harar twenty-two plantains (the only small change) = one Mahallak, -twenty-two Mahallaks = one Ashrafi (now a nominal coin,) and three Ashrafi -= one dollar. - -Lieut. Cruttenden remarks, "The Ashrafi stamped at the Harar mint is a -coin peculiar to the place. It is of silver and the twenty-second part of -a dollar. The only specimen I have been able to procure bore the date of -910 of the Hagira, with the name of the Amir on one side, and, on its -reverse, 'La Ilaha ill 'Allah.'" This traveller adds in a note, "the value -of the Ashrafi changes with each successive ruler. In the reign of Emir -Abd el Shukoor, some 200 years ago, it was of gold." At present the -Ashrafi, as I have said above, is a fictitious medium used in accounts. - -[32] An old story is told of the Amir Abubakr, that during one of his -nocturnal excursions, he heard three of his subjects talking treason, and -coveting his food, his wife, and his throne. He sent for them next -morning, filled the first with good things, and bastinadoed him for not -eating more, flogged the second severely for being unable to describe the -difference between his own wife and the princess, and put the third to -death. - -[33] El Makrizi informs us that in his day Hadiyah supplied the East with -black Eunuchs, although the infamous trade was expressly forbidden by the -Emperor of Abyssinia. - -[33] The Arusi Gallas are generally driven direct from Ugadayn to -Berberah. - -[34] "If you want a brother (in arms)," says the Eastern proverb, "buy a -Nubian, if you would be rich, an Abyssinian, and if you require an ass, a -Sawahili (negro)." Formerly a small load of salt bought a boy in Southern -Abyssinia, many of them, however, died on their way to the coast. - -[35] The Firman lately issued by the Sultan and forwarded to the Pasha of -Jeddah for the Kaimakan and the Kazi of Mecca, has lately caused a kind of -revolution in Western Arabia. The Ulema and the inhabitants denounced the -rescript as opposed to the Koran, and forced the magistrate to take -sanctuary. The Kaimakan came to his assistance with Turkish troops, the -latter, however, were soon pressed back into their fort. At this time, the -Sherif Abd el Muttalib arrived at Meccah, from Taif, and almost -simultaneously Reshid Pasha came from Constantinople with orders to seize -him, send him to the capital, and appoint the Sherif Nazir to act until -the nomination of a successor, the state prisoner Mohammed bin Aun. - -The tumult redoubled. The people attributing the rescript to the English -and French Consuls of Jeddah, insisted upon pulling down their flags. The -Pasha took them under his protection, and on the 14th January, 1856, the -"Queen" steamer was despatched from Bombay, with orders to assist the -government and to suppress the contest. - -[36] This weight, as usual in the East, varies at every port. At Aden the -Farasilah is 27 lbs., at Zayla 20 lbs., and at Berberah 35 lbs. - -[37] See Chap. iii. El Makrizi, describing the kingdom of Zayla, uses the -Harari not the Arabic term; he remarks that it is unknown to Egypt and -Syria, and compares its leaf to that of the orange. - -[38] In conversational Arabic "we" is used without affectation for "I." - -[39] The Shaykh himself gave me this information. As a rule it is most -imprudent for Europeans holding high official positions in these barbarous -regions, to live as they do, unarmed and unattended. The appearance of -utter security may impose, where strong motives for assassination are -wanting. At the same time the practice has occasioned many losses which -singly, to use an Indian statesman's phrase, would have "dimmed a -victory." - -[40] In the best coffee countries, Harar and Yemen, the berry is reserved -for exportation. The Southern Arabs use for economy and health--the bean -being considered heating--the Kishr or follicle. This in Harar is a -woman's drink. The men considering the berry too dry and heating for their -arid atmosphere, toast the leaf on a girdle, pound it and prepare an -infusion which they declare to be most wholesome, but which certainly -suggests weak senna. The boiled coffee-leaf has been tried and approved of -in England; we omit, however, to toast it. - -[41] In Harar a horse or a mule is never lost, whereas an ass straying -from home is rarely seen again. - -[42] This is the Abyssinian "Tej," a word so strange to European organs, -that some authors write it "Zatsh." At Harar it is made of honey dissolved -in about fifteen parts of hot water, strained and fermented for seven days -with the bark of a tree called Kudidah; when the operation is to be -hurried, the vessel is placed near the fire. Ignorant Africa can ferment, -not distil, yet it must be owned she is skilful in her rude art. Every -traveller has praised the honey-wine of the Highlands, and some have not -scrupled to prefer it to champagne. It exhilarates, excites and acts as an -aphrodisiac; the consequence is, that at Harar all men, pagans and sages, -priests and rulers, drink it. - -[43] The Caliph Umar is said to have smiled once and wept once. The smile -was caused by the recollection of his having eaten his paste-gods in the -days of ignorance. The tear was shed in remembrance of having buried -alive, as was customary amongst the Pagan Arabs, his infant daughter, who, -whilst he placed her in the grave, with her little hands beat the dust off -his beard and garment. - -[44] The Eastern parent of Free-Masonry. - -[45] Two celebrated Arabic dictionaries. - - - - -CHAP. IX. - -A RIDE TO BERBERAH. - - -Long before dawn on Saturday, the 13th January, the mules were saddled, -bridled, and charged with our scanty luggage. After a hasty breakfast we -shook hands with old Sultan the Eunuch, mounted and pricked through the -desert streets. Suddenly my weakness and sickness left me--so potent a -drug is joy!--and, as we passed the gates loudly salaming to the warders, -who were crouching over the fire inside, a weight of care and anxiety fell -from me like a cloak of lead. - -Yet, dear L., I had time, on the top of my mule for musing upon how -melancholy a thing is success. Whilst failure inspirits a man, attainment -reads the sad prosy lesson that all our glories - - "Are shadows, not substantial things." - -Truly said the sayer, "disappointment is the salt of life"--a salutary -bitter which strengthens the mind for fresh exertion, and gives a double -value to the prize. - -This shade of melancholy soon passed away. The morning was beautiful. A -cloudless sky, then untarnished by sun, tinged with reflected blue the -mist-crowns of the distant peaks and the smoke wreaths hanging round the -sleeping villages, and the air was a cordial after the rank atmosphere of -the town. The dew hung in large diamonds from the coffee trees, the spur- -fowl crew blithely in the bushes by the way-side:--briefly, never did the -face of Nature appear to me so truly lovely. - -We hurried forwards, unwilling to lose time and fearing the sun of the -Erar valley. With arms cocked, a precaution against the possibility of -Galla spears in ambuscade, we crossed the river, entered the yawning chasm -and ascended the steep path. My companions were in the highest spirits, -nothing interfered with the general joy, but the villain Abtidon, who -loudly boasted in a road crowded with market people, that the mule which -he was riding had been given to us by the Amir as a Jizyah or tribute. The -Hammal, direfully wrath, threatened to shoot him upon the spot, and it was -not without difficulty that I calmed the storm. - -Passing Gafra we ascertained from the Midgans that the Gerad Adan had sent -for my books and stored them in his own cottage. We made in a direct line -for Kondura. At one P.M. we safely threaded the Galla's pass, and about an -hour afterwards we exclaimed "Alhamdulillah" at the sight of Sagharrah and -the distant Marar Prairie. Entering the village we discharged our fire- -arms: the women received us with the Masharrad or joy-cry, and as I passed -the enclosure the Geradah Khayrah performed the "Fola" by throwing over me -some handfuls of toasted grain. [1] The men gave cordial _poignees de -mains_, some danced with joy to see us return alive; they had heard of our -being imprisoned, bastinadoed, slaughtered; they swore that the Gerad was -raising an army to rescue or revenge us--in fact, had we been their -kinsmen more excitement could not have been displayed. Lastly, in true -humility, crept forward the End of Time, who, as he kissed my hand, was -upon the point of tears: he had been half-starved, despite his dignity as -Sharmarkay's Mercury, and had spent his weary nights and days reciting the -chapter Y.S. and fumbling the rosary for omens. The Gerad, he declared, -would have given him a sheep and one of his daughters to wife, -temporarily, but Sherwa had interfered, he had hindered the course of his -sire's generosity: "Cursed be he," exclaimed the End of Time, "who with -dirty feet defiles the pure water of the stream!" - -We entered the smoky cottage. The Gerad and his sons were at Wilensi -settling the weighty matter of a caravan which had been plundered by the -Usbayhan tribe--in their absence the good Khayrah and her daughters did -the duties of hospitality by cooking rice and a couple of fowls. A -pleasant evening was spent in recounting our perils as travellers will do, -and complimenting one another upon the power of our star. - -At eight the next morning we rode to Wilensi. As we approached it all the -wayfarers and villagers inquired Hibernically if we were the party that -had been put to death by the Amir of Harar. Loud congratulations and -shouts of joy awaited our arrival. The Kalendar was in a paroxysm of -delight: both Shehrazade and Deenarzade were affected with giggling and -what might be blushing. We reviewed our property and found that the One- -eyed had been a faithful steward, so faithful indeed, that he had well -nigh starved the two women. Presently appeared the Gerad and his sons -bringing with them my books; the former was at once invested with a gaudy -Abyssinian Tobe of many colours, in which he sallied forth from the -cottage the admired of all admirers. The pretty wife Sudiyah and the good -Khayrah were made happy by sundry gifts of huge Birmingham ear-rings, -brooches and bracelets, scissors, needles, and thread. The evening as -usual ended in a feast. - -"We halted a week at Wilensi to feed,--in truth my companions had been -faring lentenly at Harar,--and to lay in stock and strength for the long -desert march before us. A Somali was despatched to the city under orders -to load an ass with onions, tobacco, spices, wooden platters, and Karanji -[2], which our penniless condition had prevented our purchasing. I spent -the time collecting a vocabulary of the Harari tongue under the auspices -of Mad Said and All the poet, a Somali educated at the Alma Mater. He was -a small black man, long-headed and long-backed, with remarkably prominent -eyes, a bulging brow, nose pertly turned up, and lean jaws almost -unconscious of beard. He knew the Arabic, Somali, Galla, and Harari -languages, and his acuteness was such, that I found no difficulty in what -usually proves the hardest task,--extracting the grammatical forms. "A -poet, the son of a Poet," to use his own phrase, he evinced a Horatian -respect for the beverage which bards love, and his discourse, whenever it -strayed from the line of grammar, savoured of over reverence for the -goddess whom Pagans associated with Bacchus and Ceres. He was also a -patriot and a Tyrtaeus. No clan ever attacked his Girhis without smarting -under terrible sarcasms, and his sneers at the young warriors for want of -ardour in resisting Gudabirsi encroachments, were quoted as models of the -"withering." Stimulated by the present of a Tobe, he composed a song in -honor of the pilgrim: I will offer a literal translation of the exordium, -though sentient of the fact that modesty shrinks from such quotations. - - "Formerly, my sire and self held ourselves songsters: - Only to day, however, I really begin to sing. - At the order of Abdullah, Allah sent, my tongue is loosed, - The son of the Kuraysh by a thousand generations, - He hath visited Audal, and Sahil and Adari [3]; - A hundred of his ships float on the sea; - His intellect," &c. &c. &c. - -When not engaged with Ali the Poet I amused myself by consoling Mad Said, -who was deeply afflicted, his son having received an ugly stab in the -shoulder. Thinking, perhaps, that the Senior anticipated some evil results -from the wound, I attempted to remove the impression. "Alas, 0 Hajj!" -groaned the old man, "it is not that!--how can the boy be _my boy_, I who -have ever given instead of receiving stabs?" nor would he be comforted, on -account of the youth's progeniture. At other times we summoned the heads -of the clans and proceeded to write down their genealogies. This always -led to a scene beginning with piano, but rapidly rising to the strepitoso. -Each tribe and clan wished to rank first, none would be even second,--what -was to be done? When excitement was at its height, the paper and pencil -were torn out of my hand, stubby beards were pitilessly pulled, and -daggers half started from their sheaths. These quarrels were, however, -easily composed, and always passed off in storms of abuse, laughter, and -derision. - -With the end of the week's repose came Shaykh Jami, the Berteri, equipped -as a traveller with sword, praying-skin, and water-bottle. This bustling -little divine, whose hobby it was to make every man's business his own, -was accompanied by his brother, in nowise so prayerful a person, and by -four burly, black-looking Widads, of whose birth, learning, piety, and -virtues he spoke in terms eloquent. I gave them a supper of rice, ghee, -and dates in my hut, and with much difficulty excused myself on plea of -ill health from a Samrah or night's entertainment--the chaunting some -serious book from evening even to the small hours. The Shaykh informed me -that his peaceful errand on that occasion was to determine a claim of -blood-money amongst the neighbouring Bedouins. The case was rich in Somali -manners. One man gave medicine to another who happened to die about a -month afterwards: the father of the deceased at once charged the mediciner -with poisoning, and demanded the customary fine. Mad Said grumbled certain -disrespectful expressions about the propriety of divines confining -themselves to prayers and the Koran, whilst the Gerad Adan, after -listening to the Shaykh's violent denunciation of the Somali doctrine, -"Fire, but not shame!" [4] conducted his head-scratcher, and with sly -sarcasm declared that he had been Islamized afresh that day. - -On Sunday, the 21st of January, our messenger returned from Harar, -bringing with him supplies for the road: my vocabulary was finished, and -as nothing delayed us at Wilensi, I determined to set out the next day. -When the rumour went abroad every inhabitant of the village flocked to our -hut, with the view of seeing what he could beg or borrow: we were soon -obliged to close it, with peremptory orders that none be admitted but the -Shaykh Jami. The divine appeared in the afternoon accompanied by all the -incurables of the country side: after hearing the tale of the blood-money, -I determined that talismans were the best and safest of medicines in those -mountains. The Shaykh at first doubted their efficacy. But when my diploma -as a master Sufi was exhibited, a new light broke upon him and his -attendant Widads. "Verily he hath declared himself this day!" whispered -each to his neighbour, still sorely mystified. Shaykh Jami carefully -inspected the document, raised it reverently to his forehead, and muttered -some prayers: he then in humble phrase begged a copy, and required from me -"Ijazah" or permission to act as master. The former request was granted -without hesitation, about the latter I preferred to temporize: he then -owned himself my pupil, and received, as a well-merited acknowledgment of -his services, a pencil and a silk turban. - -The morning fixed for our departure came; no one, however, seemed ready to -move. The Hammal, who but the night before had been full of ardour and -activity, now hung back; we had no coffee, no water-bags, and Deenarzade -had gone to buy gourds in some distant village. This was truly African: -twenty-six days had not sufficed to do the work of a single watch! No -servants had been procured for us by the Gerad, although he had promised a -hundred whenever required. Long Guled had imprudently lent his dagger to -the smooth-tongued Yusuf Dera, who hearing of the departure, naturally -absconded. And, at the last moment, one Abdy Aman, who had engaged himself -at Harar as guide to Berberah for the sum of ten dollars, asked a score. - -A display of energy was clearly necessary. I sent the Gerad with -directions to bring the camels at once, and ordered the Hammal to pull -down the huts. Abdy Aman was told to go to Harar--or the other place--Long -Guled was promised another dagger at Berberah; a message was left -directing Deenarzade to follow, and the word was given to load. - -By dint of shouting and rough language, the caravan was ready at 9 A.M. -The Gerad Adan and his ragged tail leading, we skirted the eastern side of -Wilensi, and our heavily laden camels descended with pain the rough and -stony slope of the wide Kloof dividing it from the Marar Prairie. At 1 -P.M. the chief summoned us to halt: we pushed on, however, without -regarding him. Presently, Long Guled and the End of Time were missing; -contrary to express orders they had returned to seek the dagger. To ensure -discipline, on this occasion I must have blown out the long youth's -brains, which were, he declared, addled by the loss of his weapon: the -remedy appeared worse than the disease. - -Attended only by the Hammal, I entered with pleasure the Marar Prairie. In -vain the Gerad entreated us not to venture upon a place swarming with -lions; vainly he promised to kill sheep and oxen for a feast;--we took -abrupt leave of him, and drove away the camels. - -Journeying slowly over the skirt of the plain, when rejoined by the -truants, we met a party of travellers, who, as usual, stopped to inquire -the news. Their chief, mounted upon an old mule, proved to be Madar Farih, -a Somali well known at Aden. He consented to accompany us as far as the -halting place, expressed astonishment at our escaping Harar, and gave us -intelligence which my companions judged grave. The Gerad Hirsi of the -Berteri, amongst whom Madar had been living, was incensed with us for -leaving the direct road. Report informed him, moreover, that we had given -600 dollars and various valuables to the Gerad Adan,--Why then had he been -neglected? Madar sensibly advised us to push forward that night, and to -'ware the bush, whence Midgans might use their poisoned arrows. - -We alighted at the village formerly beneath Gurays, now shifted to a short -distance from those hills. Presently appeared Deenarzade, hung round with -gourds and swelling with hurt feelings: she was accompanied by Dahabo, -sister of the valiant Beuh, who, having for ever parted from her graceless -husband, the Gerad, was returning under our escort to the Gurgi of her -family. Then came Yusuf Dera with a smiling countenance and smooth -manners, bringing the stolen dagger and many excuses for the mistake; he -was accompanied by a knot of kinsmen deputed by the Gerad as usual for no -good purpose. That worthy had been informed that his Berteri rival offered -a hundred cows for our persons, dead or alive: he pathetically asked my -attendants "Do you love your pilgrim?" and suggested that if they did so, -they might as well send him a little more cloth, upon the receipt of which -he would escort us with fifty horsemen. - -My Somal lent a willing ear to a speech which smelt of falsehood a mile -off: they sat down to debate; the subject was important, and for three -mortal hours did that palaver endure. I proposed proceeding at once. They -declared that the camels could not walk, and that the cold of the prairie -was death to man. Pointing to a caravan of grain-carriers that awaited our -escort, I then spoke of starting next morning. Still they hesitated. At -length darkness came on, and knowing it to be a mere waste of time to -debate over night about dangers to be faced next day, I ate my dates and -drank my milk, and lay down to enjoy tranquil sleep in the deep silence of -the desert. - -The morning of the 23rd of January found my companions as usual in a state -of faint-heartedness. The Hammal was deputed to obtain permission for -fetching the Gerad and all the Gerad's men. This was positively refused. I -could not, however, object to sending sundry Tobes to the cunning idiot, -in order to back up a verbal request for the escort. Thereupon Yusuf Dera, -Madar Farih, and the other worthies took leave, promising to despatch the -troop before noon: I saw them depart with pleasure, feeling that we had -bade adieu to the Girhis. The greatest danger we had run was from the -Gerad Adan, a fact of which I was not aware till some time after my return -to Berberah: he had always been plotting an _avanie_ which, if attempted, -would have cost him dear, but at the same time would certainly have proved -fatal to us. - -Noon arrived, but no cavalry. My companions had promised that if -disappointed they would start before nightfall and march till morning. But -when the camels were sent for, one, as usual if delay was judged -advisable, had strayed: they went in search of him, so as to give time for -preparation to the caravan. I then had a sharp explanation with my men, -and told them in conclusion that it was my determination to cross the -Prairie alone, if necessary, on the morrow. - -That night heavy clouds rolled down from the Gurays Hills, and veiled the -sky with a deeper gloom. Presently came a thin streak of blue lightning -and a roar of thunder, which dispersed like flies the mob of gazers from -around my Gurgi; then rain streamed through our hut as though we had been -dwelling under a system of cullenders. Deenarzade declared herself too ill -to move; Shehrazade swore that she would not work: briefly, that night was -by no means pleasantly spent. - -At dawn, on the 24th, we started across the Marar Prairie with a caravan -of about twenty men and thirty women, driving camels, carrying grain, -asses, and a few sheep. The long straggling line gave a "wide berth" to -the doughty Hirsi and his Berteris, whose camp-fires were clearly visible -in the morning grey. The air was raw; piles of purple cloud settled upon -the hills, whence cold and damp gusts swept the plain; sometimes we had a -shower, at others a Scotch mist, which did not fail to penetrate our thin -raiment. My people trembled, and their teeth chattered as though they were -walking upon ice. In our slow course we passed herds of quagga and -gazelles, but the animals were wild, and both men and mules were unequal -to the task of stalking them. About midday we closed up, for our path -wound through the valley wooded with Acacia,--fittest place for an -ambuscade of archers. We dined in the saddle on huge lumps of sun-dried -beef, and bits of gum gathered from the trees. - -Having at length crossed the prairie without accident, the caravan people -shook our hands, congratulated one another, and declared that they owed -their lives to us. About an hour after sunset we arrived at Abtidon's -home, a large kraal at the foot of the Konti cone: fear of lions drove my -people into the enclosure, where we passed a night of scratching. I was -now haunted by the dread of a certain complaint for which sulphur is said -to be a specific. This is the pest of the inner parts of Somali-land; the -people declare it to arise from flies and fleas: the European would derive -it from the deficiency, or rather the impossibility, of ablutions. - -"Allah help the Goer, but the Return is Rolling:" this adage was ever upon -the End of Time's tongue, yet my fate was apparently an exception to the -general rule. On the 25th January, we were delayed by the weakness of the -camels, which had been half starved in the Girhi mountains. And as we were -about to enter the lands of the Habr Awal [5], then at blood feud with my -men, all Habr Gerhajis, probably a week would elapse before we could -provide ourselves with a fit and proper protector. Already I had been -delayed ten days after the appointed time, my comrades at Berberah would -be apprehensive of accidents, and although starting from Wilensi we had -resolved to reach the coast within the fortnight, a month's march was in -clear prospect. - -Whilst thus chewing the cud of bitter thought where thought was of scant -avail, suddenly appeared the valiant Beuh, sent to visit us by Dahabo his -gay sister. He informed us that a guide was in the neighbourhood, and the -news gave me an idea. I proposed that he should escort the women, camels, -and baggage under command of the Kalendar to Zayla, whilst we, mounting -our mules and carrying only our arms and provisions for four days, might -push through the lands of the Habr Awal. After some demur all consented. - -It was not without apprehension that I pocketed all my remaining -provisions, five biscuits, a few limes, and sundry lumps of sugar. Any -delay or accident to our mules would starve us; in the first place, we -were about to traverse a desert, and secondly where Habr Awal were, they -would not sell meat or milk to Habr Gerhajis. My attendants provided -themselves with a small provision of sun-dried beef, grain, and -sweetmeats: only one water-bottle, however, was found amongst the whole -party. We arose at dawn after a wet night on the 26th January, but we did -not start till 7 A.M., the reason being that all the party, the Kalendar, -Shehrazade and Deenarzade, claimed and would have his and her several and -distinct palaver. - -Having taken leave of our friends and property [6], we spurred our mules, -and guided by Beuh, rode through cloud and mist towards Koralay the -Saddle-back hill. After an hour's trot over rugged ground falling into the -Harawwah valley, we came to a Gudabirsi village, where my companions -halted to inquire the news, also to distend their stomachs with milk. -Thence we advanced slowly, as the broken path required, through thickets -of wild henna to the kraal occupied by Beuh's family. At a distance we -were descried by an old acquaintance, Fahi, who straightways began to -dance like a little Polyphemus, his shock-wig waving in the air: plentiful -potations of milk again delayed my companions, who were now laying in a -four days' stock. - -Remounting, we resumed our journey over a mass of rock and thicket, -watered our mules at holes in a Fiumara, and made our way to a village -belonging to the Ugaz or chief of the Gudabirsi tribe. He was a middle- -aged man of ordinary presence, and he did not neglect to hold out his hand -for a gift which we could not but refuse. Halting for about an hour, we -persuaded a guide, by the offer of five dollars and a pair of cloths, to -accompany us. "Dubayr"--the Donkey--who belonged to the Bahgobo clan of -the Habr Awal, was a "long Lankin," unable, like all these Bedouins, to -endure fatigue. He could not ride, the saddle cut him, and he found his -mule restive; lately married, he was incapacitated for walking, and he -suffered sadly from thirst. The Donkey little knew, when he promised to -show Berberah on the third day, what he had bound himself to perform: -after the second march he was induced, only by the promise of a large -present, and one continual talk of food, to proceed, and often he threw -his lengthy form upon the ground, groaning that his supreme hour was at -hand. In the land which we were to traverse every man's spear would be -against us. By way of precaution, we ordered our protector to choose -desert roads and carefully to avoid all kraals. At first, not -understanding our reasons, and ever hankering after milk, he could not -pass a thorn fence without eyeing it wistfully. On the next day, however, -he became more tractable, and before reaching Berberah he showed himself, -in consequence of some old blood feud, more anxious even than ourselves to -avoid villages. - -Remounting, under the guidance of the Donkey, we resumed our east-ward -course. He was communicative even for a Somali, and began by pointing out, -on the right of the road, the ruins of a stone-building, called, as -customary in these countries, a fort. Beyond it we came to a kraal, whence -all the inhabitants issued with shouts and cries for tobacco. Three -o'clock P.M. brought us to a broad Fiumara choked with the thickest and -most tangled vegetation: we were shown some curious old Galla wells, deep -holes about twenty feet in diameter, excavated in the rock; some were dry, -others overgrown with huge creepers, and one only supplied us with -tolerable water. The Gudabirsi tribe received them from the Girhi in lieu -of blood-money: beyond this watercourse, the ground belongs to the Rer -Yunis Jibril, a powerful clan of the Habr Awal, and the hills are thickly -studded with thorn-fence and kraal. - -Without returning the salutations of the Bedouins, who loudly summoned us -to stop and give them the news, we trotted forwards in search of a -deserted sheep-fold. At sunset we passed, upon an eminence on our left, -the ruins of an ancient settlement, called after its patron Saint, Ao -Barhe: and both sides of the mountain road were flanked by tracts of -prairie-land, beautifully purpling in the evening air. After a ride of -thirty-five miles, we arrived at a large fold, where, by removing the -inner thorn-fences, we found fresh grass for our starving beasts. The -night was raw and windy, and thick mists deepened into a drizzle, which -did not quench our thirst, but easily drenched the saddle cloths, our only -bedding. In one sense, however, the foul weather was propitious to us. Our -track might easily have been followed by some enterprising son of Yunis -Jibril; these tracts of thorny bush are favourite places for cattle -lifting; moreover the fire was kept blazing all night, yet our mules were -not stolen. - -We shook off our slumbers before dawn on the 27th. I remarked near our -resting-place, one of those detached heaps of rock, common enough in the -Somali country: at one extremity a huge block projects upwards, and -suggests the idea of a gigantic canine tooth. The Donkey declared that the -summit still bears traces of building, and related the legend connected -with Moga Medir. [7] There, in times of old, dwelt a Galla maiden whose -eye could distinguish a plundering party at the distance of five days' -march. The enemies of her tribe, after sustaining heavy losses, hit upon -the expedient of an attack, not _en chemise_, but with their heads muffled -in bundles of hay. When Moga, the maiden, informed her sire and clan that -a prairie was on its way towards the hill, they deemed her mad; the -manoeuvre succeeded, and the unhappy seer lost her life. The legend -interested me by its wide diffusion. The history of Zarka, the blue-eyed -witch of the Jadis tribe, who seized Yemamah by her gramarye, and our -Scotch tale of Birnam wood's march, are Asiatic and European facsimiles of -African "Moga's Tooth." - -At 7 A.M. we started through the mist, and trotted eastwards in search of -a well. The guide had deceived us: the day before he had promised water at -every half mile; he afterwards owned with groans that we should not drink -before nightfall. These people seem to lie involuntarily: the habit of -untruth with them becomes a second nature. They deceive without object for -deceit, and the only way of obtaining from them correct information is to -inquire, receive the answer, and determine it to be diametrically opposed -to fact. - -I will not trouble you, dear L., with descriptions of the uniform and -uninteresting scenery through which we rode,--horrid hills upon which -withered aloes brandished their spears, plains apparently rained upon by a -shower of stones, and rolling ground abounding only with thorns like the -"wait-a-bits" of Kafir land, created to tear man's skin or clothes. Our -toil was rendered doubly toilsome by the Eastern travellers' dread--the -demon of Thirst rode like Care behind us. For twenty-four hours we did not -taste water, the sun parched our brains, the mirage mocked us at every -turn, and the effect was a species of monomania. As I jogged along with -eyes closed against the fiery air, no image unconnected with the want -suggested itself. Water ever lay before me--water lying deep in the shady -well--water in streams bubbling icy from the rock--water in pellucid lakes -inviting me to plunge and revel in their treasures. Now an Indian cloud -was showering upon me fluid more precious than molten pearl, then an -invisible hand offered a bowl for which the mortal part would gladly have -bartered years of life. Then--drear contrast!--I opened my eyes to a heat- -reeking plain, and a sky of that eternal metallic blue so lovely to -painter and poet, so blank and deathlike to us, whose [Greek _kalon_] was -tempest, rain-storm, and the huge purple nimbus. I tried to talk--it was -in vain, to sing in vain, vainly to think; every idea was bound up in one -subject, water. [8] - -As the sun sank into the East we descended the wide Gogaysa valley. With -unspeakable delight we saw in the distance a patch of lively green: our -animals scented the blessing from afar, they raised their drooping ears, -and started with us at a canter, till, turning a corner, we suddenly -sighted sundry little wells. To spring from the saddle, to race with our -mules, who now feared not the crumbling sides of the pits, to throw -ourselves into the muddy pools, to drink a long slow draught, and to dash -the water over our burning faces, took less time to do than to recount. A -calmer inspection showed a necessity for caution;--the surface was alive -with tadpoles and insects: prudence, however, had little power at that -time, we drank, and drank, and then drank again. As our mules had fallen -with avidity upon the grass, I proposed to pass a few hours near the well. -My companions, however, pleading the old fear of lions, led the way to a -deserted kraal upon a neighbouring hill. We had marched about thirty miles -eastward, and had entered a safe country belonging to the Bahgoba, our -guide's clan. - -At sunrise on the 28th of January, the Donkey, whose limbs refused to -work, was lifted into the saddle, declaring that the white man must have -been sent from heaven, as a special curse upon the children of Ishak. We -started, after filling the water-bottle, down the Gogaysa valley. Our -mules were becoming foot-sore, and the saddles had already galled their -backs; we were therefore compelled to the additional mortification of -travelling at snail's pace over the dreary hills, and through the -uninteresting bush. - -About noon we entered Wady Danan, or "The Sour," a deep chasm in the -rocks; the centre is a winding sandy watercourse, here and there grassy -with tall rushes, and affording at every half mile a plentiful supply of -sweet water. The walls of the ravine are steep and rugged, and the thorny -jungle clustering at the sides gives a wild appearance to the scene. -Traces of animals, quagga and gazelle, every where abounded: not being -however, in "Dianic humour," and unwilling to apprise Bedouins of our -vicinity, I did not fire a shot. As we advanced large trees freshly barked -and more tender plants torn up by the roots, showed the late passage of a -herd of elephants: my mule, though the bravest of our beasts, was in a -state of terror all the way. The little grey honey-bird [9] tempted us to -wander with all his art: now he sat upon the nearest tree chirping his -invitation to a feast, then he preceded us with short jerking flights to -point out the path. My people, however, despite the fondness for honey -inherent in the Somali palate [10], would not follow him, deciding that -on, this occasion his motives for inviting us were not of the purest. - -Emerging from the valley, we urged on our animals over comparatively level -ground, in the fallacious hope of seeing the sea that night. The trees -became rarer as we advanced and the surface metallic. In spots the path -led over ironstone that resembled slag. In other places the soil was -ochre-coloured [11]: the cattle lick it, probably on account of the -aluminous matter with which it is mixed. Everywhere the surface was burnt -up by the sun, and withered from want of rain. Towards evening we entered -a broad slope called by the Somal Dihh Murodi, or Murodilay, the -Elephants' Valley. Crossing its breadth from west to east, we traversed -two Fiumaras, the nearer "Hamar," the further "Las Dorhhay," or the -Tamarisk waterholes. They were similar in appearance, the usual Wady about -100 yards wide, pearly sand lined with borders of leek green, pitted with -dry wells around which lay heaps of withered thorns and a herd of gazelles -tripping gracefully over the quartz carpet. - -After spanning the valley we began to ascend the lower slopes of a high -range, whose folds formed like a curtain the bold background of the view. -This is the landward face of the Ghauts, over which we were to pass before -sighting the sea. Masses of cold grey cloud rolled from the table-formed -summit, we were presently shrouded in mist, and as we advanced, rain began -to fall. The light of day vanishing, we again descended into a Fiumara -with a tortuous and rocky bed, the main drain of the landward mountain -side. My companions, now half-starved,--they had lived through three days -on a handful of dates and sweetmeats,--devoured with avidity the wild -Jujube berries that strewed the stones. The guide had preceded us: when we -came up with him, he was found seated upon a grassy bank on the edge of -the rugged torrent bed. We sprang in pleased astonishment from the saddle, -dire had been the anticipations that our mules,--one of them already -required driving with the spear,--would, after another night of -starvation, leave us to carry their loads upon our own hacks. The cause of -the phenomenon soon revealed itself. In the rock was a hole about two feet -wide, whence a crystal sheet welled over the Fiumara bank, forming a -paradise for frog and tadpole. This "Ga'angal" is considered by the Somal -a "fairies' well:" all, however, that the Donkey could inform me was, that -when the Nomads settle in the valley, the water sinks deep below the -earth--a knot which methinks might be unravelled without the interposition -of a god. The same authority declared it to be the work of the "old -ancient" Arabs. - -The mules fell hungrily upon the succulent grass, and we, with the most -frugal of suppers, prepared to pass the rainy night. Presently, however, -the doves and Katas [12], the only birds here requiring water, approached -in flights, and fearing to drink, fluttered around us with shrill cries. -They suggested to my companions the possibility of being visited in sleep -by more formidable beasts, and even man: after a short halt, an advance -was proposed; and this was an offer which, on principle, I never refused. -We remounted our mules, now refreshed and in good spirits, and began to -ascend the stony face of the Eastern hill through a thick mist, deepening -the darkness. As we reached the bleak summit, a heavy shower gave my -companions a pretext to stop: they readily found a deserted thorn fence, -in which we passed a wet night. That day we had travelled at least thirty- -five miles without seeing the face of man: the country was parched to a -cinder for want of water, and all the Nomads had migrated to the plains. - -The morning of the 29th January was unusually fine: the last night's rain -hung in masses of mist about the hill-sides, and the rapid evaporation -clothed the clear background with deep blue. We began the day by ascending -a steep goat-track: it led to a sandy Fiumara, overgrown with Jujubes and -other thorns, abounding in water, and showing in the rocky sides, caverns -fit for a race of Troglodytes. Pursuing the path over a stony valley lying -between parallel ranges of hill, we halted at about 10 A.M. in a large -patch of grass-land, the produce of the rain, which for some days past had -been fertilising the hill-tops. Whilst our beasts grazed greedily, we sat -under a bush, and saw far beneath us the low country which separates the -Ghauts from the sea. Through an avenue in the rolling nimbus, we could -trace the long courses of Fiumaras, and below, where mist did not obstruct -the sight, the tawny plains, cut with watercourses glistening white, shone -in their eternal summer. - -Shortly after 10 A.M., we resumed our march, and began the descent of the -Ghauts by a ravine to which the guide gave the name of 'Kadar.' No sandy -watercourse, the 'Pass' of this barbarous land, here facilitates the -travellers' advance: the rapid slope of the hill presents a succession of -blocks and boulders piled one upon the other in rugged steps, apparently -impossible to a laden camel. This ravine, the Splugen of Somaliland, led -us, after an hour's ride, to the Wady Duntu, a gigantic mountain-cleft -formed by the violent action of torrents. The chasm winds abruptly between -lofty walls of syenite and pink granite, glittering with flaky mica, and -streaked with dykes and veins of snowy quartz: the strata of the -sandstones that here and there projected into the bed were wonderfully -twisted around a central nucleus, as green boughs might be bent about a -tree. Above, the hill-tops towered in the air, here denuded of vegetable -soil by the heavy monsoon, there clothed from base to brow with gum trees, -whose verdure was delicious to behold. The channel was now sandy, then -flagged with limestone in slippery sheets, or horrid with rough boulders: -at times the path was clear and easy; at others, a precipice of twenty or -thirty feet, which must be a little cataract after rain, forced us to -fight our way through the obstinate thorns that defended some spur of -ragged hill. As the noontide heat, concentrated in this funnel, began to -affect man and beast, we found a granite block, under whose shady brow -clear water, oozing from the sand, formed a natural bath, and sat there -for a while to enjoy the spectacle and the atmosphere, perfumed, as in -part of Persia and Northern Arabia, by the aromatic shrubs of the desert. - -After a short half-hour, we remounted and pursued our way down the Duntu -chasm. As we advanced, the hills shrank in size, the bed became more -level, and the walls of rock, gradually widening out, sank into the plain. -Brisk and elastic above, the air, here soft, damp, and tepid, and the sun -burning with a more malignant heat, convinced us that we stood once more -below the Ghauts. For two hours we urged our mules in a south-east -direction down the broad and winding Fiumara, taking care to inspect every -well, but finding them all full of dry sand. Then turning eastwards, we -crossed a plain called by the Donkey "Battaladayti Taranay"--the Flats of -Taranay--an exact representation of the maritime regions about Zayla. -Herds of camels and flocks of milky sheep browsing amongst thorny Acacia -and the tufted Kulan, suggested pleasing visions to starving travellers, -and for the first time after three days of hard riding, we saw the face of -man. The shepherds, Mikahil of the Habr Awal tribe, all fled as we -approached: at last one was bold enough to stand and deliver the news. My -companions were refreshed by good reports: there had been few murders, and -the sea-board was tolerably clear of our doughty enemies, the Ayyal Ahmed. -We pricked over the undulating growth of parched grass, shaping our -course for Jebel Almis, to sailors the chief landmark of this coast, and -for a certain thin blue stripe on the far horizon, upon which we gazed -with gladdened eyes. - -Our road lay between low brown hills of lime and sandstone, the Sub-Ghauts -forming a scattered line between the maritime mountains and the sea. -Presently the path was choked by dense scrub of the Arman Acacia: its -yellow blossoms scented the air, but hardly made amends for the injuries -of a thorn nearly two inches long, and tipped with a wooden point sharp as -a needle. Emerging, towards evening, from this bush, we saw large herds of -camels, and called their guardians to come and meet us. For all reply they -ran like ostriches to the nearest rocks, tittering the cry of alarm, and -when we drew near each man implored us to harry his neighbour's cattle. -Throughout our wanderings in Somaliland this had never occurred: it -impressed me strongly with the disturbed state of the regions inhabited by -the Habr Awal. After some time we persuaded a Bedouin who, with frantic -gestures, was screaming and flogging his camels, to listen: reassured by -our oaths, he declared himself to be a Bahgoba, and promised to show us a -village of the Ayyal Gedid. The Hammal, who had married a daughter of this -clan, and had constituted his father-in-law my protector at Berberah, made -sure of a hospitable reception: "To-night we shall sleep under cover and -drink milk," quoth one hungry man to another, who straightways rejoined, -"And we shall eat mutton!" - -After dark we arrived at a kraal, we unsaddled our mules and sat down near -it, indulging in Epicurean anticipations. Opposite us, by the door of a -hut, was a group of men who observed our arrival, but did not advance or -salute us. Impatient, I fired a pistol, when a gruff voice asked why we -disturbed the camels that were being milked. "We have fallen upon the -Ayyal Shirdon"--our bitterest enemies--whispered the End of Time. The same -voice then demanded in angrier accents, "Of what tribe be ye?" We boldly -answered, "Of the Habr Gerhajis." Thereupon ensued a war of words. The -Ayyal Shirdon inquired what we wanted, where we had been, and how we -dared, seeing that peace had not been concluded between the tribes, to -enter their lands. We replied civilly as our disappointment would permit, -but apparently gained little by soft words. The inhospitable Bedouins -declared our arrival to be in the seventeenth house of Geomancy--an advent -probable as the Greek Kalends--and rudely insisted upon knowing what had -taken us to Harar. At last, a warrior, armed with two spears, came to meet -us, and bending down recognized the End of Time: after a few short -sentences he turned on his heel and retired. I then directed Long Guled to -approach the group, and say that a traveller was at their doors ready and -willing to give tobacco in exchange for a draught of milk. They refused -point-blank, and spoke of fighting: we at once made ready with our -weapons, and showing the plain, bade them come on and receive a "belly -full." During the lull which followed this obliging proposal we saddled -our mules and rode off, in the grimmest of humours, loudly cursing the -craven churls who knew not the value of a guest. - -We visited successively three villages of the Ayyal Gedid: the Hammal -failed to obtain even a drop of water from his connexions, and was taunted -accordingly. He explained their inhospitality by the fact that all the -warriors being at Berberah, the villages contained nothing but women, -children, servants, and flocks. The Donkey when strictly questioned -declared that no well nearer than Bulhar was to be found: as men and mules -were faint with thirst, I determined to push forward to water that night. -Many times the animals were stopped, a mute hint that they could go no -further: I spurred onwards, and the rest, as on such occasions they had -now learned to do, followed without a word. Our path lay across a plain -called Banka Hadla, intersected in many places by deep watercourses, and -thinly strewed with Kulan clumps. The moon arose, but cast a cloud-veiled -and uncertain light: our path, moreover, was not clear, as the guide, worn -out by fatigue, tottered on far in the rear. - -About midnight we heard--delightful sound!--the murmur of the distant sea. -Revived by the music, we pushed on more cheerily. At last the Donkey -preceded us, and about 3 A.M. we found, in a Fiumara, some holes which -supplied us with bitter water, truly delicious after fifteen hours of -thirst. Repeated draughts of the element, which the late rains had -rendered potable, relieved our pain, and hard by we found a place where -coarse stubbly grass saved our mules from starvation. Then rain coming on, -we coiled ourselves under the saddle cloths, and, reckless alike of Ayyal -Ahmed and Ayyal Shirdon, slept like the dead. - -At dawn on the 30th January, I arose and inspected the site of Bulhar. It -was then deserted, a huge heap of bleached bones being the only object -suggestive of a settlement. This, at different times, has been a thriving -place, owing to its roadstead, and the feuds of Berberah: it was generally -a village of Gurgis, with some stone-houses built by Arabs. The coast, -however, is open and havenless, and the Shimal wind, feared even at the -Great Port, here rages with resistless violence. Yet the place revives -when plundering parties render the plain unsafe: the timid merchants here -embark their goods and persons, whilst their camels are marched round the -bay. - -Mounting at 6 A.M. we started slowly along the sea coast, and frequently -halted on the bushy Fiumara-cut plain. About noon we bathed in the sea, -and sat on the sands for a while, my people praying for permission to pass -the kraals of their enemies, the Ayyal Ahmed, by night. This, their last -request, was graciously granted: to say sooth, rapid travelling was now -impossible; the spear failed to urge on one mule, and the Hammal was -obliged to flog before him another wretched animal. We then traversed an -alluvial plain, lately flooded, where slippery mud doubled the fatigue of -our cattle; and, at 3 P.M., again halted on a patch of grass below the -rocky spur of Dabasenis, a hill half way between Bulhar and Berberah. On -the summit I was shown an object that makes travellers shudder, a thorn- -tree, under which the Habr Gerhajis [13] and their friends of the Eesa -Musa sit, vulture-like, on the look-out for plunder and murder. Advancing -another mile, we came to some wells, where we were obliged to rest our -animals. Having there finished our last mouthful of food, we remounted, -and following the plain eastward, prepared for a long night-march. - -As the light of day waned we passed on the right hand a table-formed hill, -apparently a detached fragment of the sub-Ghauts or coast range. This spot -is celebrated in local legends as "Auliya Kumbo," the Mount of Saints, -where the forty-four Arab Santons sat in solemn conclave before dispersing -over the Somali country to preach El Islam. It lies about six hours of -hard walking from Berberah. - -At midnight we skirted Bulho Faranji, the Franks' Watering-place [14], a -strip of ground thickly covered with trees. Abounding in grass and water, -it has been the site of a village: when we passed it, however, all was -desert. By the moon's light we descried, as we silently skirted the sea, -the kraals and folds of our foe the Ayyal Ahmed, and at times we could -distinguish the lowing of their cattle: my companions chuckled hugely at -the success of their manoeuvre, and perhaps not without reason. At -Berberah we were afterwards informed that a shepherd in the bush had -witnessed and reported our having passed, when the Ayyal Ahmed cursed the -star that had enabled us to slip unhurt through their hands. - -Our mules could scarcely walk: after every bow-shot they rolled upon the -ground and were raised only by the whip. A last halt was called when -arrived within four miles of Berberah: the End of Time and Long Guled, -completely worn out, fell fast asleep upon the stones. Of all the party -the Hammal alone retained strength and spirits: the sturdy fellow talked, -sang, and shouted, and, whilst the others could scarcely sit their mules, -he danced his war-dance and brandished his spear. I was delighted with his -"pluck." - -Now a long dark line appears upon the sandy horizon--it grows more -distinct in the shades of night--the silhouettes of shipping appear -against sea and sky. A cry of joy bursts from every mouth: cheer, boys, -cheer, our toils here touch their end! - -The End of Time first listened to the small still voice of Caution. He -whispered anxiously to make no noise lest enemies might arise, that my -other attendants had protectors at Berberah, but that he, the hated and -feared, as the _locum tenens_ of Sharmarkay,--the great _bete noire_,-- -depended wholly upon my defence. The Donkey led us slowly and cautiously -round the southern quarter of the sleeping town, through bone heaps and -jackals tearing their unsavoury prey: at last he marched straight into the -quarter appropriated to the Ayyal Gedid our protectors. Anxiously I -inquired if my comrades had left Berberah, and heard with delight that -they awaited me there. It was then 2 A.M. and we had marched at least -forty miles. The Somal, when in fear of forays, drive laden camels over -this distance in about ten hours. - -I dismounted at the huts where my comrades were living. A glad welcome, a -dish of rice, and a glass of strong waters--pardon dear L., these details ---made amends for past privations and fatigue. The servants and the -wretched mules were duly provided for, and I fell asleep, conscious of -having performed a feat which, like a certain ride to York, will live in -local annals for many and many a year. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] It is an Arab as well as a Somali ceremony to throw a little Kaliyah -or Salul (toasted grain) over the honored traveller when he enters hut or -tent. - -[2] Bread made of holcus grain dried and broken into bits; it is thrown -into broth or hot water, and thus readily supplies the traveller with a -wholesome _panade_. - -[3] The Somal invariably call Berberah the "Sahil," (meaning in Arabic the -sea-shore,) as Zayla with them is "Audal," and Harar "Adari." - -[4] "Al Nar wa la al Ar," an Arabic maxim, somewhat more forcible than our -"death rather than dishonor." - -[5] This is the second great division of the Somal people, the father of -the tribe being Awal, the cadet of Ishak el Hazrami. - -The Habr Awal occupy the coast from Zayla and Siyaro to the lands -bordering upon the Berteri tribe. They own the rule of a Gerad, who -exercises merely a nominal authority. The late chief's name was "Bon," he -died about four years ago, but his children have not yet received the -turban. The royal race is the Ayyal Abdillah, a powerful clan extending -from the Dabasanis Hills to near Jigjiga, skirting the Marar Prairie. - -The Habr Awal are divided into a multitude of clans: of these I shall -specify only the principal, the subject of the maritime Somal being -already familiar to our countrymen. The Esa Musa inhabit part of the -mountains south of Berberah. The Mikahil tenant the lowlands on the coast -from Berberah to Siyaro. Two large clans, the Ayyal Yunis and the Ayyal -Ahmed, have established themselves in Berberah and at Bulhar. Besides -these are the Ayyal Abdillah Saad, the Ayyal Geraato, who live amongst the -Ayyal Yunis,--the Bahgobo and the Ayyal Hamed. - -[6] My property arrived safe at Aden after about two months. The mule left -under the Kalendar's charge never appeared, and the camels are, I believe, -still grazing among the Eesa. The fair Shehrazade, having amassed a little -fortune, lost no time in changing her condition, an example followed in -due time by Deenarzade. And the Kalendar, after a visit to Aden, returned -to electrify his Zayla friends with long and terrible tales of travel. - -[7] "Moga's eye-tooth." - -[8] As a rule, twelve hours without water in the desert during hot -weather, kill a man. I never suffered severely from thirst but on this -occasion; probably it was in consequence of being at the time but in weak -health. - -[9] I have never shot this feathered friend of man, although frequent -opportunities presented themselves. He appears to be the Cuculus Indicator -(le Coucou Indicateur) and the Om-Shlanvo of the Kafirs; the Somal call -him Maris. Described by Father Lobo and Bruce, he is treated as a myth by -Le Vaillant; M. Wiedman makes him cry "Shirt! Shirt! Shirt!" Dr. Sparrman -"Tcherr! Tcherr!" Mr. Delegorgue "Chir! Chir! Chir!" His note suggested to -me the shrill chirrup of a sparrow, and his appearance that of a -greenfinch. - -Buffon has repeated what a traveller had related, namely, that the honey- -bird is a little traitor who conducts men into ambuscades prepared by wild -beasts. The Lion-Slayer in S. Africa asserts it to be the belief of -Hottentots and the interior tribes, that the bird often lures the unwary -pursuer to danger, sometimes guiding him to the midday retreat of a -grizzly lion, or bringing him suddenly upon the den of the crouching -panther. M. Delegorgue observes that the feeble bird probably seeks aid in -removing carrion for the purpose of picking up flies and worms; he acquits -him of malice prepense, believing that where the prey is, there -carnivorous beasts may be met. - -The Somal, however, carry their superstition still farther. The honey-bird -is never trusted by them; he leads, they say, either to the lions' den or -the snakes' hiding-place, and often guides his victim into the jaws of the -Kaum or plundering party. - -[10] The Somal have several kinds of honey. The Donyale or wasp-honey, is -scanty and bad; it is found in trees and obtained by smoking and cutting -the branch. The Malab Shinni or bee-honey, is either white, red or brown; -the first is considered the most delicate in flavour. - -[11] The Somal call it Arrah As. - -[12] The sand-grouse of Egypt and Arabia, the rock-pigeon of Sindh and the -surrounding countries. - -[13] The Habr Gerhajis, or eldest branch of the sons of Ishak (generally -including the children of "Arab"), inhabit the Ghauts behind Berberah, -whence they extend for several days' march towards Ogadayn, the southern -region. This tribe is divided into a multitude of clans. The Ismail Arrah -supply the Sultan, a nominal chief like the Eesa Ugaz; they extend from -Makhar to the south of Gulays, number about 15,000 shields and are -subdivided into three septs. The Musa Arrah hold the land between Gulays -and the seats of the Mijjarthayn and Warsangeli tribes on the windward -coast. The Ishak Arrah count 5000 or 6000 shields, and inhabit the Gulays -Range. The other sons of Arrah (the fourth in descent from Ishak), namely, -Mikahil, Gambah, Daudan, and others, also became founders of small clans. -The Ayyal Daud, facetiously called "Idagallah" or earth-burrowers, and -sprung from the second son of Gerhajis, claim the country south of the -Habr Awal, reckon about 4000 shields, and are divided into 11 or 12 septs. - -As has been noticed, the Habr Gerhajis have a perpetual blood feud with -the Habr Awal, and, even at Aden, they have fought out their quarrels with -clubs and stones. Yet as cousins they willingly unite against a common -enemy, the Eesa for instance, and become the best of friends. - -[14] So called from the Mary Anne brig, here plundered in 1825. - - - - -CHAP. X. - -BERBERAH AND ITS ENVIRONS. - - -It is interesting to compare the earliest with the latest account of the -great emporium of Eastern Africa. - -Bartema, writing in the sixteenth century "of Barbara and the Island of -Ethiope," offers the following brief description:--"After that the -tempests were appeased, we gave wind to our sails, and in short time -arrived at an island named Barbara, the prince whereof is a Mahometan. [1] -The island is not great but fruitful and well peopled: it hath abundance -of flesh. The inhabitants are of colour inclining to black. All their -riches is in herds of cattle." - -Lieut. Cruttenden of the I. N., writing in 1848, thus describes the -place:--"The annual fair is one of the most interesting sights on the -coast, if only from the fact of many different and distant tribes being -drawn together for a short time, to be again scattered in all directions. -Before the towers of Berbera were built [2], the place from April to the -early part of October was utterly deserted, not even a fisherman being -found there; but no sooner did the season change, than the inland tribes -commenced moving down towards the coast, and preparing their huts for -their expected visitors. Small craft from the ports of Yemen, anxious to -have an opportunity of purchasing before vessels from the gulf could -arrive, hastened across, followed about a fortnight to three weeks later -by their larger brethren from Muscat, Soor, and Ras el Khyma, and the -valuably freighted Bagalas [3] from Bahrein, Bussorah, and Graen. Lastly, -the fat and wealthy Banian traders from Porebunder, Mandavie, and Bombay, -rolled across in their clumsy Kotias [3], and with a formidable row of -empty ghee jars slung over the quarters of their vessels, elbowed -themselves into a permanent position in the front tier of craft in the -harbour, and by their superior capital, cunning, and influence soon -distanced all competitors." - -"During the height of the fair, Berbera is a perfect Babel, in confusion -as in languages: no chief is acknowledged, and the customs of bygone days -are the laws of the place. Disputes between the inland tribes daily arise, -and are settled by the spear and dagger, the combatants retiring to the -beach at a short distance from the town, in order that they may not -disturb the trade. Long strings of camels are arriving and departing day -and night, escorted generally by women alone, until at a distance from the -town; and an occasional group of dusky and travel-worn children marks the -arrival of the slave Cafila from Hurrur and Efat." - -"At Berbera, the Gurague and Hurrur slave merchant meets his correspondent -from Bussorah, Bagdad, or Bunder Abbas; and the savage Gidrbeersi -(Gudabirsi), with his head tastefully ornamented with a scarlet sheepskin -in lieu of a wig, is seen peacefully bartering his ostrich feathers and -gums with the smooth-spoken Banian from Porebunder, who prudently living -on board his ark, and locking up his puggree [4], which would infallibly -be knocked off the instant he was seen wearing it, exhibits but a small -portion of his wares at a time, under a miserable mat spread on the -beach." - -"By the end of March the fair is nearly at a close, and craft of all -kinds, deeply laden, and sailing generally in parties of three and four, -commence their homeward journey. The Soori boats are generally the last to -leave, and by the first week in April, Berbera is again deserted, nothing -being left to mark the site of a town lately containing 20,000 -inhabitants, beyond bones of slaughtered camels and sheep, and the -framework of a few huts, which is carefully piled on the beach in -readiness for the ensuing year. Beasts of prey now take the opportunity to -approach the sea: lions are commonly seen at the town well during the hot -weather; and in April last year, but a week after the fair had ended, I -observed three ostriches quietly walking on the beach." [5] - -Of the origin of Berberah little is known. El Firuzabadi derives it, with -great probability, from two Himyar chiefs of Southern Arabia. [6] About -A.D. 522 the troops of Anushirwan expelled the Abyssinians from Yemen, and -re-established there a Himyari prince under vassalage of the Persian -Monarch. Tradition asserts the port to have been occupied in turns by the -Furs [7], the Arabs, the Turks, the Gallas, and the Somal. And its future -fortunes are likely to be as varied as the past. - -The present decadence of Berberah is caused by petty internal feuds. -Gerhajis the eldest son of Ishak el Hazrami, seized the mountain ranges of -Gulays and Wagar lying about forty miles behind the coast, whilst Awal, -the cadet, established himself and his descendants upon the lowlands from -Berberah to Zayla. Both these powerful tribes assert a claim to the -customs and profits of the port on the grounds that they jointly conquered -it from the Gallas. [8] The Habr Awal, however, being in possession, would -monopolize the right: a blood feud rages, and the commerce of the place -suffers from the dissensions of the owners. - -Moreover the Habr Awal tribe is not without internal feuds. Two kindred -septs, the Ayyal Yunis Nuh and the Ayyal Ahmed Nuh [9], established -themselves originally at Berberah. The former, though the more numerous, -admitted the latter for some years to a participation of profits, but when -Aden, occupied by the British, rendered the trade valuable, they drove out -the weaker sept, and declared themselves sole "Abbans" to strangers during -the fair. A war ensued. The sons of Yunis obtained aid of the Mijjarthayn -tribe. The sons of Ahmed called in the Habr Gerhajis, especially the Musa -Arrah clan, to which the Hajj Sharmarkay belongs, and, with his -assistance, defeated and drove out the Ayyal Yunis. These, flying from -Berberah, settled at the haven of Bulhar, and by their old connection with -the Indian and other foreign traders, succeeded in drawing off a -considerable amount of traffic. But the roadstead was insecure: many -vessels were lost, and in 1847 the Eesa Somal slaughtered the women and -children of the new-comers, compelling them to sue the Ayyal Ahmed for -peace. Though the feud thus ended, the fact of its having had existence -ensures bad blood: amongst these savages treaties are of no avail, and the -slightest provocation on either side becomes a signal for renewed -hostilities. - - * * * * * - -After this dry disquisition we will return, dear L., to my doings at -Berberah. - -Great fatigue is seldom followed by long sleep. Soon after sunrise I -awoke, hearing loud voices proceeding from a mass of black face and tawny -wig, that blocked up the doorway, pressing forward to see their new -stranger. The Berberah people had been informed by the Donkey of our -having ridden from the Girhi hills in five days: they swore that not only -the thing was impossible, but moreover that we had never sighted Harar. -Having undergone the usual catechising with credit, I left the thatched -hat in which my comrades were living, and proceeded to inspect my -attendants and cattle. The former smiled blandly: they had acquitted -themselves of their trust, they had outwitted the Ayyal Ahmed, who would -be furious thereat, they had filled themselves with dates, rice, and -sugared tea--another potent element of moral satisfaction--and they -trusted that a few days would show them their wives and families. The End -of Time's brow, however, betrayed an _arriere pensee_; once more his -cowardice crept forth, and he anxiously whispered that his existence -depended upon my protection. The poor mules were by no means so easily -restored. Their backs, cut to the bone by the saddles, stood up like those -of angry cats, their heads drooped sadly, and their hams showed red marks -of the spear-point. Directing them to be washed in the sea, dressed with -cold-water bandages, and copiously fed, I proceeded to inspect the -Berberah Plain. - -The "Mother of the Poor," as the Arabs call the place, in position -resembles Zayla. The town,--if such name can be given to what is now a -wretched clump of dirty mat-huts,--is situated on the northern edge of -alluvial ground, sloping almost imperceptibly from the base of the -Southern hills. The rapacity of these short-sighted savages has contracted -its dimensions to about one sixth of its former extent: for nearly a mile -around, the now desert land is strewed with bits of glass and broken -pottery. Their ignorance has chosen the worst position: _Mos Majorum_ is -the Somali code, where father built there son builds, and there shall -grandson build. To the S. and E. lies a saline sand-flat, partially -overflowed by high tides: here are the wells of bitter water, and the -filth and garbage make the spot truly offensive. Northwards the sea-strand -has become a huge cemetery, crowded with graves whose dimensions explain -the Somali legend that once there were giants in the land: tradition -assigns to it the name of Bunder Abbas. Westward, close up to the town, -runs the creek which forms the wealth of Berberah. A long strip of sand -and limestone--the general formation of the coast--defends its length from -the northern gales, the breadth is about three quarters of a mile, and the -depth varies from six to fifteen fathoms near the Ras or Spit at which -ships anchor before putting out to sea. - -Behind the town, and distant about seven miles, lie the Sub-Ghauts, a bold -background of lime and sandstone. Through a broad gap called Duss Malablay -[10] appear in fine weather the granite walls of Wagar and Gulays, whose -altitude by aneroid was found to be 5700 feet above the level of the sea. -[11] On the eastward the Berberah plain is bounded by the hills of Siyaro, -and westwards the heights of Dabasenis limit the prospect. [12] - -It was with astonishment that I reflected upon the impolicy of having -preferred Aden to this place. - -The Emporium of Eastern Africa has a salubrious climate [13], abundance of -sweet water--a luxury to be "fully appreciated only after a residence at -Aden" [14]--a mild monsoon, a fine open country, an excellent harbour, and -a soil highly productive. It is the meeting-place of commerce, has few -rivals, and with half the sums lavished in Arabia upon engineer follies of -stone and lime, the environs might at this time have been covered with -houses, gardens, and trees. - -The Eye of Yemen, to quote Carlyle, is a "mountain of misery towering -sheer up like a bleak Pisgah, with outlooks only into desolation, sand, -salt water, and despair." The camp is in a "Devil's Punchbowl," stiflingly -hot during nine months of the year, and subject to alternations of -sandstorm and Simum, "without either seed, water, or trees," as Ibn -Batutah described it 500 years ago, unproductive for want of rain,--not a -sparrow can exist there, nor will a crow thrive, [15]--and essentially -unhealthy. [16] Our loss in operatives is only equalled by our waste of -rupees; and the general wish of Western India is, that the extinct sea of -fire would, Vesuvius-like, once more convert this dismal cape into a -living crater. - -After a day's rest--physical not spiritual, for the Somal were as usual -disputing violently about the Abbanship [17]--I went with my comrades to -visit an interesting ruin near the town. On the way we were shown pits of -coarse sulphur and alum mixed with sand; in the low lands senna and -colocynth were growing wild. After walking a mile south-south-east, from -present Berberah to a rise in the plain, we found the remains of a small -building about eight yards square divided into two compartments. It is -apparently a Mosque: one portion, the sole of which is raised, shows -traces of the prayer niche; the other might have contained the tomb of -some saint now obsolete, or might have been a fort to protect a -neighbouring tank. The walls are of rubble masonry and mud, revetted with -a coating of cement hard as stone, and mixed with small round pebbles. -[18] Near it is a shallow reservoir of stone and lime, about five yards by -ten, proved by the aqueduct, part of which still remains, to be a tank of -supply. Removing the upper slabs, we found the interior lined with a -deposit of sulphate of lime and choked with fine drift sand; the breadth -is about fifteen inches and the depth nine. After following it fifty yards -toward the hills, we lost the trace; the loose stones had probably been -removed for graves, and the soil may have buried the firmer portion. - -Mounting our mules we then rode in a south-south-east direction towards -the Dubar Hills, The surface of the ground, apparently level, rises about -100 feet per mile. In most parts a soft sand overlying hard loam, like -work _en pise_, limestone and coralline; it shows evidences of inundation: -water-worn stones of a lime almost as compact as marble, pieces of quartz, -selenite, basalt, granite, and syenite in nodules are everywhere sprinkled -over the surface. [19] Here and there torrents from the hills had cut -channels five or six feet below the level, and a thicker vegetation -denoted the lines of bed. The growth of wild plants, scanty near the -coast, became more luxuriant as we approached the hills; the Arman Acacia -flourished, the Kulan tree grew in clumps, and the Tamarisk formed here -and there a dense thicket. Except a few shy antelope, [20] we saw no game. - -A ride of seven or eight miles led us to the dry bed of a watercourse -overgrown with bright green rushes, and known to the people as Dubar Wena, -or Great Dubar. This strip of ground, about half a mile long, collects the -drainage of the hills above it: numerous Las or Pits, in the centre of the -bed, four or five feet deep, abundantly supply the flocks and herds. -Although the surface of the ground, where dry, was white with impure -nitre, the water tasted tolerably sweet. Advancing half a mile over the -southern shoulder of a coarse and shelly mass of limestone, we found the -other rushy swamp, called Dubar Yirr or Little Dubar. A spring of warm and -bitter water flowed from the hill over the surface to a distance of 400 or -500 yards, where it was absorbed by the soil. The temperature of the -sources immediately under the hill was 106° Fahr., the thermometer -standing at 80° in the air, and the aneroid gave an altitude of 728 feet -above the sea. - -The rocks behind these springs were covered with ruins of mosques and -houses. We visited a little tower commanding the source; it was built in -steps, the hill being cut away to form the two lower rooms, and the second -story showed three compartments. The material was rubble and the form -resembled Galla buildings; we found, however, fine mortar mixed with -coarse gravel, bits of glass bottles and blue glazed pottery, articles now -unknown to this part of Africa. On the summit of the highest peak our -guides pointed out remains of another fort similar to the old Turkish -watchtowers at Aden. - -About three quarters of a mile from the Little Dubar, we found the head of -the Berberah Aqueduct. Thrown across a watercourse apparently of low -level, it is here more substantially built than near the beach, and -probably served as a force pipe until the water found a fall. We traced -the line to a distance of ten yards, where it disappeared beneath the -soil, and saw nothing resembling a supply-tank except an irregularly -shaped natural pool. [21] - -A few days afterwards, accompanied by Lieut. Herne, I rode out to inspect -the Biyu Gora or Night-running Water. After advancing about ten miles in a -south-east direction from Berberah, we entered rough and broken ground, -and suddenly came upon a Fiumara about 250 yards broad. The banks were -fringed with Brab and Tamarisk, the Daum palm and green rushes: a clear -sparkling and shallow stream bisected the sandy bed, and smaller branches -wandered over the surface. This river, the main drain of the Ghauts and -Sub-Ghauts, derives its name from the increased volume of the waters -during night: evaporation by day causes the absorption of about a hundred -yards. We found its temperature 73° Fahr. (in the air 78°), and our people -dug holes in the sand instead of drinking from the stream, a proof that -they feared leeches. [22] The taste of the water was bitter and nauseous. -[23] - -Following the course of the Biyu Gora through two low parallel ranges of -conglomerate, we entered a narrow gorge, in which lime and sandstone -abound. The dip of the strata is about 45° west, the strike north and -south. Water springs from under every stone, drops copiously from the -shelves of rock, oozes out of the sand, and bubbles up from the mould. The -temperature is exceedingly variable: in some places the water is icy cold, -in others, the thermometer shows 68° Fahr., in others, 101°--the maximum, -when we visited it, being 126°. The colours are equally diverse. Here, the -polished surface of the sandstone is covered with a hoar of salt and -nitre. [24] There, where the stream does not flow, are pools dyed -greenish-black or rust-red by iron sediment. The gorge's sides are a vivid -red: a peculiar creeper hangs from the rocks, and water trickles down its -metallic leaves. The upper cliffs are crowned with tufts of the -dragon's-blood tree. - -Leaving our mules with an attendant, we began to climb the rough and rocky -gorge which, as the breadth diminishes, becomes exceedingly picturesque. -In one part, the side of a limestone hill hundreds of feet in height, has -slipped into the chasm, half filling it with gigantic boulders: through -these the noisy stream whirls, now falling in small cascades, then gliding -over slabs of sheet rock: here it cuts grooved channels and deep basins -clean and sharp as artificial baths in the sandstone, there it flows -quietly down a bed of pure sparkling sand. The high hills above are of a -tawny yellow: the huge boulders, grisly white, bear upon their summits the -drift wood of the last year's inundation. During the monsoon, when a -furious torrent sweeps down from the Wagar Hills, this chasm must afford a -curiously wild spectacle. - -Returning from a toilsome climb, we found some of the Ayyal Ahmed building -near the spot where Biyu Gora is absorbed, the usual small stone tower. -The fact had excited attention at Berberah; the erection was intended to -store grain, but the suspicious savages, the Eesa Musa, and Mikahil, who -hold the land, saw in it an attempt to threaten their liberties. On our -way home we passed through some extensive cemeteries: the tombs were in -good preservation; there was nothing peculiar in their construction, yet -the Somal were positive that they belonged to a race preceding their own. -Near them were some ruins of kilns,--comparatively modern, for bits of -charcoal were mixed with broken pieces of pottery,--and the oblong tracery -of a dwelling-house divided into several compartments: its material was -the sun-dried brick of Central Asia, here a rarity. - -After visiting these ruins there was little to detain me at Berberah. The -town had become intolerable, the heat under a mat hut was extreme, the -wind and dust were almost as bad as Aden, and the dirt perhaps even worse. -As usual we had not a moment's privacy, Arabs as well as the Somal -assuming the right of walking in, sitting down, looking hard, chatting -with one another, and departing. Before the voyage, however, I was called -upon to compose a difficulty upon the subject of Abbanship. The Hammal had -naturally constituted his father-in-law, one Burhale Nuh, of the Ayyal -Gedid, protector to Lieut. Herne and myself. Burhale had proved himself a -rascal: he had been insolent as well as dishonest, and had thrown frequent -obstacles in his employer's way; yet custom does not permit the Abban to -be put away like a wife, and the Hammal's services entitled him to the -fullest consideration. On the other hand Jami Hasan, a chief and a doughty -man of the Ayyal Ahmed, had met me at Aden early in 1854, and had received -from me a ring in token of Abbanship. During my absence at Harar, he had -taken charge of Lieut. Stroyan. On the very morning of my arrival he came -to the hut, sat down spear in hand, produced the ring and claimed my -promise. In vain I objected that the token had been given when a previous -trip was intended, and that the Hammal must not be disappointed: Jami -replied that once an Abban always an Abban, that he hated the Hammal and -all his tribe, and that he would enter into no partnership with Burhale -Nuh:--to complicate matters, Lieut. Stroyan spoke highly of his courage -and conduct. Presently he insisted rudely upon removing his _protege_ to -another part of the town: this passed the limits of our patience, and -decided the case against him. - -For some days discord raged between the rivals. At last it was settled -that I should choose my own Abban in presence of a general council of the -Elders. The chiefs took their places upon the shore, each with his -followers forming a distinct semicircle, and all squatting with shield and -spear planted upright in the ground. When sent for, I entered the circle -sword in hand, and sat down awaiting their pleasure. After much murmuring -had subsided, Jami asked in a loud voice, "Who is thy protector?" The -reply was, "Burhale Nuh!" Knowing, however, how little laconism is prized -by an East-African audience, I did not fail to follow up this answer with -an Arabic speech of the dimensions of an average sermon, and then -shouldering my blade left the circle abruptly. The effect was success. Our -wild friends sat from afternoon till sunset: as we finished supper one of -them came in with the glad tidings of a "peace conference." Jami had asked -Burhale to swear that he intended no personal offence in taking away a -_protege_ pledged to himself: Burhale had sworn, and once more the olive -waved over the braves of Berberah. - -On the 5th February 1855, taking leave of my comrades, I went on board El -Kasab or the Reed--such was the ill-omened name of our cranky craft--to -the undisguised satisfaction of the Hammal, Long Guled, and the End of -Time, who could scarcely believe in their departure from Berberah with -sound skins. [25] Coasting with a light breeze, early after noon on the -next day we arrived at Siyaro, a noted watering-place for shipping, about -nineteen miles east of the emporium. The roadstead is open to the north, -but a bluff buttress of limestone rock defends it from the north-east -gales. Upon a barren strip of sand lies the material of the town; two -houses of stone and mud, one yet unfinished, the other completed about -thirty years ago by Farih Binni, a Mikahil chief. - -Some dozen Bedouin spearmen, Mikahil of a neighbouring kraal, squatted -like a line of crows upon the shore to receive us as we waded from the -vessel. They demanded money in too authoritative a tone before allowing us -to visit the wells, which form their principal wealth. Resolved not to -risk a quarrel so near Berberah, I was returning to moralise upon the fate -of Burckhardt--after a successful pilgrimage refused admittance to Aaron's -tomb at Sinai--when a Bedouin ran to tell us that we might wander where we -pleased. He excused himself and his companions by pleading necessity, and -his leanness lent conviction to the plea. - -The larger well lies close to the eastern wall of the dwelling-house: it -is about eighteen feet deep, one third sunk through ground, the other two -thirds through limestone, and at the bottom is a small supply of sweet -clear water, Near it I observed some ruined tanks, built with fine mortar -like that of the Berberah ruins. The other well lies about half a mile to -the westward of the former: it is also dug in the limestone rock. A few -yards to the north-east of the building is the Furzeh or custom-house, -whose pristine simplicity tempts me to describe it:--a square of ground -surrounded by a dwarf rubble enclosure, and provided with a proportional -mosque, a tabular block of coralline niched in the direction of Meccah. On -a little eminence of rock to the westward, rise ruined walls, said by my -companions to have been built by a Frank, who bought land from the Mikahil -and settled on this dismal strand. - -Taking leave of the Bedouins; whose hearts were gladdened by a few small -presents, we resumed our voyage eastwards along the coast. Next morning, -we passed two broken pyramids of dark rock called Dubada Gumbar Madu--the -Two Black Hills. After a tedious day's sail, twenty miles in twenty-four -hours, the Captain of El Kasab landed us in a creek west of Aynterad. A -few sheep-boats lay at anchor in this "back-bay," as usual when the sea is -heavy at the roadstead; and the crews informed us that a body of Bedouins -was marching to attack the village. Abdy Mohammed Diban, proprietor of the -Aynterad Fort, having constituted me his protector, and remained at -Berberah, I armed my men, and ordering the Captain of the "Reed" to bring -his vessel round at early dawn, walked hurriedly over the three miles that -separated us from the place. Arrived at the fort, we found that Abdy's -slaves knew nothing of the reported attack. They received me, however, -hospitably, and brought a supper of their only provision, vile dates and -dried meat. Unwilling to diminish the scanty store, the Hammal and I but -dipped our hands in the dish: Long Guled and the End of Time, however, -soon cleared the platters, while abusing roundly the unpalatable food. -After supper, a dispute arose between the Hammal and one of the Habr Tul -Jailah, the tribe to whom the land belongs. The Bedouin, not liking my -looks, proposed to put his spear into me. The Hammal objected that if the -measure were carried out, he would return the compliment in kind. Ensued a -long dispute, and the listeners laughed heartily at the utter indifference -with which I gave ear. When it concluded, amicably as may be expected, the -slaves spread a carpet upon a coarse Berberah couch, and having again -vented their hilarity in a roar of laughter, left me to sleep. - -We had eaten at least one sheep per diem, and mutton baked in the ship's -oven is delicious to the Somali mouth. Remained on board another dinner, a -circumstance which possibly influenced the weak mind of the Captain of the -"Reed." Awaking at dawn, I went out, expecting to find the vessel within -stone's throw: it was nowhere visible. About 8 A.M., it appeared in sight, -a mere speck upon the sea-horizon, and whilst it approached, I inspected -the settlement. - -Aynterad, an inconsiderable place lying east-north-east of, and about -forty miles from, Berberah, is a favourite roadstead principally on -account of its water, which rivals that of Siyaro. The anchorage is bad: -the Shimal or north wind sweeps long lines of heavy wave into the open -bay, and the bottom is a mass of rock and sand-reef. The fifty sunburnt -and windsoiled huts which compose the settlement, are built upon a bank of -sand overlying the normal limestone: at the time when I visited it, the -male population had emigrated _en masse_ to Berberah. It is principally -supported by the slave trade, the Arabs preferring to ship their purchases -at some distance from the chief emporium. [26] Lieut. Herne, when he -visited it, found a considerable amount of "black bullion" in the market. - -The fort of Aynterad, erected thirty years ago by Mohammed Diban, is a -stone and mud house square and flat-roofed, with high windows, an attempt -at crenelles, and, for some reason intelligible only to its own Vitruvius, -but a single bastion at the northern angle. There is no well, and the mass -of huts cluster close to the walls. The five guns here deposited by -Sharmarkay when expelled from Berberah, stand on the ground outside the -fort, which is scarcely calculated to bear heavy carronades: they are -unprovided with balls, but that is a trifle where pebbles abound. -Moreover, Abdy's slaves are well armed with matchlock and pistol, and the -Bedouin Tul Jailah [27] find the spear ineffectual against stone walls. -The garrison has frequently been blockaded by its troublesome neighbours, -whose prowess, however, never extended beyond preliminaries. - -To allay my impatience, that morning I was invited into several huts for -the purpose of drinking sour milk. A malicious joy filled my soul, as -about noon, the Machiavellian Captain of the "Reed" managed to cast -anchor, after driving his crazy craft through a sea which the violent -Shimal was flinging in hollow curves foam-fringed upon the strand. I stood -on the shore making signs for a canoe. My desires were disregarded, as -long as decency admitted. At last, about 1 P.M., I found myself upon the -quarter-deck. - -"Dawwir el farman,"--shift the yard!--I shouted with a voice of thunder. - -The answer was a general hubbub. "He surely will not sail in a sea like -this?" asked the trembling Captain of my companions. - -"He will!" sententiously quoth the Hammal, with a Burleigh nod. - -"It blows wind--" remonstrated the Rais. - -"And if it blew fire?" asked the Hammal with the air _goguenard_, meaning -that from the calamity of Frankish obstinacy there was no refuge. - -A kind of death-wail arose, during which, to hide untimely laughter, I -retreated to a large drawer, in the stern of the vessel, called a cabin. -There my ears could distinguish the loud entreaties of the crew vainly -urging my attendants to propose a day's delay. Then one of the garrison, -accompanied by the Captain who shook as with fever, resolved to act -forlorn hope, and bring a _feu d'enfer_ of phrases to bear upon the -Frank's hard brain. Scarcely, however, had the head of the sentence been -delivered, before he was playfully upraised by his bushy hair and a handle -somewhat more substantial, carried out of the cabin, and thrown, like a -bag of biscuit, on the deck. - -The case was hopeless. All strangers plunged into the sea,--the popular -way of landing in East Africa,--the anchor was weighed, the ton of sail -shaken out, and the "Reed" began to dip and rise in the yeasty sea -laboriously as an alderman dancing a polka. - -For the first time in my life I had the satisfaction of seeing the Somal -unable to eat--unable to eat mutton. In sea-sickness and needless terror, -the captain, crew, and passengers abandoned to us all the baked sheep, -which we three, not being believers in the Evil Eye, ate from head to -trotters with especial pleasure. That night the waves broke over us. The -End of Time occupied himself in roaring certain orisons, which are reputed -to calm stormy seas: he desisted only when Long Guled pointed out that a -wilder gust seemed to follow as in derision each more emphatic period. The -Captain, a noted reprobate, renowned on shore for his knowledge of erotic -verse and admiration of the fair sex, prayed with fervour: he was joined -by several of the crew, who apparently found the charm of novelty in the -edifying exercise. About midnight a Sultan el Bahr or Sea-king--a species -of whale--appeared close to our counter; and as these animals are infamous -for upsetting vessels in waggishness, the sight elicited a yell of terror -and a chorus of religious exclamations. - -On the morning of Friday, the 9th February 1855, we hove in sight of Jebel -Shamsan, the loftiest peak of the Aden Crater. And ere evening fell, I had -the pleasure of seeing the faces of friends and comrades once more. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] I cannot guess why Bartema decided "Barbara" to be an island, except -that he used "insula" in the sense of "peninsula." The town is at very -high tides flooded round, but the old traveller manifestly speaks of the -country. - -[2] These are the four martello towers erected, upon the spot where the -town of huts generally stands, by the Hajj Sharmarkay, who garrisoned them -with thirty Arab and Negro matchlockmen. They are now in ruins, having -been dismantled by orders from Aden. - -[3] The former is an Arab craft, the latter belongs to the Northern Coasts -of Western India. - -[4] A turban. - -[5] The wild animals have now almost entirely disappeared. As will -afterwards be shown, the fair since 1848 has diminished to one third its -former dimensions. - -[6] This subject has been fully discussed in Chap. IV. - -[7] The old Persians. - -[8] Especially the sea-board Habr Gerbajis clans,--the Musa Arrah, the Ali -Said, and the Saad Yunis--are interested in asserting their claims. - -[9] Yunis and Ahmed were brothers, children of Nuh, the ninth in descent -from Ishak el Hazrami. The former had four sons, Hosh Yunis, Gedid Yunis, -Mahmud Yunis, and Shirdon Yunis; their descendants are all known as the -Ayyal or progeny of Yunis. The Ayyal Ahmed Nuh hold the land immediately -behind the town, and towards the Ghauts, blend with the Eesa Musa. The -Mikahil claim the Eastern country from Siyaro to Illanti, a wooded valley -affording good water and bad anchorage to wind-bound vessels. - -[10] In the centre of the gap is a detached rock called Daga Malablay. - -[11] It was measured by Lt. Herne, who remarks of this range that "cold in -winter, as the presence of the pine-tree proves, and cooled in summer by -the Monsoon, abounding in game from a spur fowl to an elephant; this hill -would make an admirable Sanitarium." Unfortunately Gulays is tenanted by -the Habr Gerhajis, and Wagar by the Eesa Musa, treacherous races. - -[12] This part of Somali land is a sandy plain, thinly covered with thorns -and bounded by two ranges, the Ghauts and Sub-Ghauts. The latter or -maritime mountains begin at Tajurrah, and extend to Karam (long. 46° E.), -where they break into detached groups; the distance from the coast varies -from 6 to 15 miles, the height from 2000 to 3000 feet, and the surface is -barren, the rock being denuded of soil by rain. The Ghauts lie from 8 to -40 miles from the sea, they average from 4000 to 6000 feet, are thickly -covered with gum-arabic and frankincense trees, the wild fig and the -Somali pine, and form the seaward wall of the great table-land of the -interior. The Northern or maritime face is precipitous, the summit is -tabular and slopes gently southwards. The general direction is E. by N. -and W. by S., there are, however, some spurs at the three hills termed -"Ourat," which project towards the north. Each portion of the plain -between these ranges has some local name, such as the "Shimberali Valley" -extending westwards from the detached hill Dimoli, to Gauli, Dinanjir and -Gularkar. Intersected with Fiumaras which roll torrents during the -monsoon, they are covered with a scrub of thorns, wild fig, aloe, and -different kinds of Cactus. - -[13] The climate of Berberah is cool during the winter, and though the sun -is at all times burning, the atmosphere, as in Somali land generally, is -healthy. In the dry season the plain is subject to great heats, but lying -open to the north, the sea-breeze is strong and regular. In the monsoon -the air is cloudy, light showers frequently fall, and occasionally heavy -storms come up from the southern hills. - -[14] I quote Lieut. Cruttenden. The Berberah water has acquired a bad name -because the people confine themselves to digging holes three or four feet -deep in the sand, about half-a-mile from high-water mark. They are -reconciled to it by its beneficial effects, especially after and before a -journey. Good water, however, can be procured in any of the Fiumaras -intersecting the plain; when the Hajj Sharmarkay's towers commanded the -town wells, the people sank pits in low ground a few hundred yards -distant, and procured a purer beverage. The Banyans, who are particular -about their potations, drink the sweet produce of Siyaro, a roadstead -about nineteen miles eastward of Berberah. - -[15] The experiment was tried by an officer who brought from Bombay a -batch of sparrows and crows. The former died, scorbutic I presume; the -latter lingered through an unhappy life, and to judge from the absence of -young, refused to entail their miseries upon posterity. - -[16] The climate of Aden, it may be observed, has a reputation for -salubrity which it does not deserve. The returns of deaths prove it to be -healthy for the European soldier as London, and there are many who have -built their belief upon the sandy soil of statistics. But it is the -practice of every sensible medical man to hurry his patients out of Aden; -they die elsewhere,--some I believe recover,--and thus the deaths caused -by the crater are attributed statistically to Bombay or the Red Sea. - -Aden is for Asiatics a hot-bed of scurry and ulcer. Of the former disease -my own corps, I am informed, had in hospital at one time 200 cases above -the usual amount of sickness; this arises from the brackish water, the -want of vegetables, and lastly the cachexy induced by an utter absence of -change, diversion, and excitement. The ulcer is a disease endemic in -Southern Arabia; it is frequently fatal, especially to the poorer classes -of operatives, when worn out by privation, hardship, and fatigue. - -[17] The Abban is now the pest of Berberah. Before vessels have cast -anchor, or indeed have rounded the Spit, a crowd of Somal, eager as hotel- -touters, may be seen running along the strand. They swim off, and the -first who arrives on board inquires the name of the Abban; if there be -none he touches the captain or one of the crew and constitutes himself -protector. For merchandise sent forward, the man who conveys it becomes -answerable. - -The system of dues has become complicated. Formerly, the standard of value -at Berberah was two cubits of the blue cotton-stuff called Sauda; this is -now converted into four pice of specie. Dollars form the principal -currency; rupees are taken at a discount. Traders pay according to degree, -the lowest being one per cent., taken from Muscat and Suri merchants. The -shopkeeper provides food for his Abban, and presents him at the close of -the season with a Tobe, a pair of sandals, and half-a-dozen dollars. -Wealthy Banyans and Mehmans give food and raiment, and before departure -from 50 to 200 dollars. This class, however, derives large profits; they -will lend a few dollars to the Bedouin at the end of the Fair, on -condition of receiving cent. per cent., at the opening of the next season. -Travellers not transacting business must feed the protector, but cannot -properly be forced to pay him. Of course the Somal take every advantage of -Europeans. Mr. Angelo, a merchant from Zanzibar, resided two months at -Bulhar; his broker of the Ayyal Gedid tribe, and an Arab who accompanied -him, extracted, it is said, 3000 dollars. As a rule the Abban claims one -per cent. on sales and purchases, and two dollars per head of slaves. For -each bale of cloth, half-a-dollar in coin is taken; on gums and coffee the -duty is one pound in twenty-seven. Cowhides pay half-a-dollar each, sheep -and goat's skins four pice, and ghee about one per cent. - -Lieut. Herne calculates that the total money dues during the Fair-season -amount to 2000 dollars, and that, in the present reduced state of -Berberah, not more than 10,000_l._ worth of merchandize is sold. This -estimate the natives of the place declare to be considerably under the -mark. - -[18] The similarity between the Persian "Gach" and this cement, which is -found in many ruins about Berberah, has been remarked by other travellers. - -[19] The following note by Dr. Carter of Bombay will be interesting to -Indian geologists. - -"Of the collection of geological specimens and fossils from Berberah above -mentioned, Lieut. Burton states that the latter are found on the plain of -Berberah, and the former in the following order between the sea and the -summits of mountains (600 feet high), above it--that is, the ridge -immediate behind Berberah. - -"1. Country along the coast consists of a coralline limestone, (tertiary -formation,) with drifts of sand, &c. 2. Sub-Ghauts and lower ranges (say -2000 feet high), of sandstone capped with limestone, the former -preponderating. 3. Above the Ghauts a plateau of primitive rocks mixed -with sandstone, granite, syenite, mica schiste, quartz rock, micaceous -grit, &c. - -"The fawn-coloured fossils from his coralline limestone are evidently the -same as those of the tertiary formation along the south-east coast of -Arabia, and therefore the same as those of Cutch; and it is exceedingly -interesting to find that among the blue-coloured fossils which are -accompanied by specimens of the blue shale, composing the beds from which -they have been weathered out, are species of Terebratula Belemnites, -identical with those figured in Grant's Geology of Cutch; thus enabling us -to extend those beds of the Jurassic formation which exist in Cutch, and -along the south-eastern coast of Arabia, across to Africa." - -[20] These animals are tolerably tame in the morning, as day advances -their apprehension of man increases. - -[21] Lieut. Cruttenden in considering what nation could have constructed, -and at what period the commerce of Berberah warranted, so costly an -undertaking, is disposed to attribute it to the Persian conquerors of Aden -in the days of Anushirwan. He remarks that the trade carried on in the Red -Sea was then great, the ancient emporia of Hisn Ghorab and Aden prosperous -and wealthy, and Berberah doubtless exported, as it does now, ivory, gums, -and ostrich feathers. But though all the maritime Somali country abounds -in traditions of the Furs or ancient Persians, none of the buildings near -Berberah justify our assigning to them, in a country of monsoon rain and -high winds, an antiquity of 1300 years. - -The Somal assert that ten generations ago their ancestors drove out the -Gallas from Berberah, and attribute these works to the ancient Pagans. -That nation of savages, however, was never capable of constructing a -scientific aqueduct. I therefore prefer attributing these remains at -Berberah to the Ottomans, who, after the conquest of Aden by Sulayman -Pacha in A.D. 1538, held Yemen for about 100 years, and as auxiliaries of -the King of Adel, penetrated as far as Abyssinia. Traces of their -architecture are found at Zayla and Harar, and according to tradition, -they possessed at Berberah a settlement called, after its founder, Bunder -Abbas. - -[22] Here, as elsewhere in Somali land, the leech is of the horse-variety. -It might be worth while to attempt breeding a more useful species after -the manner recommended by Capt. R. Johnston, the Sub-Assistant Commissary -General in Sindh (10th April, 1845). In these streams leeches must always -be suspected; inadvertently swallowed, they fix upon the inner coat of the -stomach, and in Northern Africa have caused, it is said, some deaths among -the French soldiers. - -[23] Yet we observed frogs and a small species of fish. - -[24] Either this or the sulphate of magnesia, formed by the decomposition -of limestone, may account for the bitterness of the water. - -[25] They had been in some danger: a treacherous murder perpetrated a few -days before our arrival had caused all the Habr Gerbajis to fly from the -town and assemble 5000 men at Bulhar for battle and murder. This -proceeding irritated the Habr Awal, and certainly, but for our presence, -the strangers would have been scurvily treated by their "cousins." - -[26] Of all the slave-dealers on this coast, the Arabs are the most -unscrupulous. In 1855, one Mohammed of Muscat, a shipowner, who, moreover, -constantly visits Aden, bought within sight of our flag a free-born Arab -girl of the Yafai tribe, from the Akarib of Bir Hamid, and sold her at -Berberah to a compatriot. Such a crime merits severe punishment; even the -Abyssinians visit with hanging the Christian convicted of selling a fellow -religionist. The Arab slaver generally marries his properly as a ruse, and -arrived at Muscat or Bushire, divorces and sells them. Free Somali women -have not unfrequently met with this fate. - -[27] The Habr Tul Jailah (mother of the tribe of Jailah) descendants of -Ishak el Hazrami by a slave girl, inhabit the land eastward of Berberah. -Their principal settlements after Aynterad are the three small ports of -Karam, Unkor, and Hays. The former, according to Lieut. Cruttenden, is -"the most important from its possessing a tolerable harbour, and from its -being the nearest point from Aden, the course to which place is N. N. W., ---consequently the wind is fair, and the boats laden with sheep for the -Aden market pass but one night at sea, whilst those from Berberah are -generally three. What greatly enhances the value of Kurrum (Karam), -however, is its proximity to the country of the Dulbahanteh, who approach -within four days of Kurrum, and who therefore naturally have their chief -trade through that port. The Ahl Tusuf, a branch of the Habertel Jahleh, -at present hold possession of Kurrum, and between them and the tribes to -windward there exists a most bitter and irreconcileable feud, the -consequence of sundry murders perpetrated about five years since at -Kurrum, and which hitherto have not been avenged. The small ports of -Enterad, Unkor, Heis, and Rukudah are not worthy of mention, with the -exception of the first-named place, which has a trade with Aden in sheep." - - - - -POSTSCRIPT. - - -On Saturday, the 7th April 1855, the H. E. I. Company's Schooner "Mahi," -Lieut. King, I. N., commanding, entered the harbour of Berberah, where her -guns roared forth a parting salute to the "Somali Expedition." - -The Emporium of East Africa was at the time of my landing, in a state of -confusion. But a day before, the great Harar caravan, numbering 3000 -souls, and as many cattle, had entered for the purpose of laying in the -usual eight months' supplies, and purchase, barter, and exchange were -transacted in most hurried and unbusiness-like manner. All day, and during -the greater part of night, the town rang with the voices of buyer and -seller: to specify no other articles of traffic, 500 slaves of both sexes -were in the market. [1] Long lines of laden and unladen camels were to be -seen pacing the glaring yellow shore; rumours of plundering parties at -times brought swarms of spear-men, bounding and yelling like wild beasts, -from the town; already small parties of travellers had broken ground for -their return journey; and the foul heap of mat hovels, to which this -celebrated mart had been reduced, was steadily shrinking in dimensions. - -Our little party consisted of forty-two souls. At Aden I had applied -officially for some well-trained Somali policemen, but as an increase of -that establishment had been urged upon the home authorities, my request -was refused. We were fain to content ourselves with a dozen recruits of -various races, Egyptian, Nubian, Arab and Negro, whom we armed with sabres -and flint muskets. The other members of the expedition were our private -servants, and about a score of Somal under our rival protectors Jami Hasan -and Burhale Nuh. The Ras or Captain of the Kafilah was one Mahmud of the -Mijjarthayn, better known at Aden as El Balyuz or the Envoy: he had the -reputation of being a shrewd manager, thoroughly acquainted with the -habits and customs, as well as the geography, of Somaliland. - -Our camp was pitched near the site of the proposed Agency, upon a rocky -ridge within musket-shot of the southern extremity of the creek, and about -three quarters of a mile distant from the town. This position had been -selected for the benefit of the "Mahi's" guns. Political exigencies -required the "Mahi" to relieve the "Elphinstone," then blockading the -seaboard of our old Arab foe, the Fazli chief; she was unable to remain -upon the coast, and superintend our departure, a measure which I had -strongly urged. Our tents were pitched in one line: Lieut. Stroyan's was -on the extreme right, about a dozen paces distant was the "Rowtie" [2] -occupied by Lieut. Herne and myself, and at a similar distance on the left -of the camp was that in which Lieut. Speke slept. The baggage was placed -between the two latter, the camels were tethered in front upon a sandy bed -beneath the ridge our camping-ground, and in rear stood the horses and -mules. During day-time all were on the alert: at night two sentries were -posted, regularly relieved, and visited at times by the Ras and ourselves. - -I had little reason to complain of my reception at Berberah. The chiefs -appeared dissatisfied with the confinement of one Mohammed Sammattar, the -Abban who accompanied Lieut. Speke to the Eastern country: they listened, -however, with respectful attention to a letter in which the Political -Resident at Aden enjoined them to treat us with consideration and -hospitality. - -There had been petty disputes with Burhale Nuh, and the elders of the Eesa -Musa tribe, touching the hire of horse-keepers and camel-drivers: such -events, however, are not worthy to excite attention in Africa. My friend -at Harar, the Shaykh Jami, had repeatedly called upon us, ate bread and -salt, recommended us to his fellow countrymen, and used my intervention in -persuading avaricious ship-owners to transport, gratis, pauper pilgrims to -Arabia. The people, after seeing the deaths of a few elephants, gradually -lowered their loud boasts and brawling claims: they assisted us in digging -a well, offered their services as guides and camel-drivers, and in some -cases insisted upon encamping near us for protection. Briefly, we saw no -grounds of apprehension. During thirty years, not an Englishman of the -many that had visited it had been molested at Berberah, and apparently -there was as little to fear in it as within the fortifications of Aden. -[3] - -Under these favourable circumstances we might have set out at once towards -the interior. Our camels, fifty-six in number, had been purchased [4], and -the Ogadayn Caravan was desirous of our escort. But we wished to witness -the close of the Berberah fair, and we expected instruments and other -necessaries by the mid-April mail from Europe. [5] - -About 8 P.M., on the 9th April, a shower, accompanied by thunder and -lightning, came up from the southern hills, where rain had been falling -for some days, and gave notice that the Gugi or Somali monsoon had begun. -This was the signal for the Bedouins to migrate to the Plateau above the -hills. [6] Throughout the town the mats were stripped from their -frameworks of stick and pole [7], the camels were laden, and thousands of -travellers lined the roads. The next day Berberah was almost deserted -except by the pilgrims who intended to take ship, and by merchants, who, -fearful of plundering parties, awaited the first favourable hour for -setting sail. Our protectors, Jami and Burhale, receiving permission to -accompany their families and flocks, left us in charge of their sons and -relations. On the 15th April the last vessel sailed out of the creek, and -our little party remained in undisputed possession of the place. - -Three days afterwards, about noon, an Aynterad craft _en route_ from Aden -entered the solitary harbour freighted with about a dozen Somal desirous -of accompanying us towards Ogadayn, the southern region. She would have -sailed that evening; fortunately, however, I had ordered our people to -feast her commander and crew with rice and the irresistible dates. - -At sunset on the same day we were startled by a discharge of musketry -behind the tents: the cause proved to be three horsemen, over whose heads -our guard had fired in case they might be a foraging party. I reprimanded -our people sharply for this act of folly, ordering them in future to -reserve their fire, and when necessary to shoot into, not above, a crowd. -After this we proceeded to catechise the strangers, suspecting them to be -scouts, the usual forerunners of a Somali raid: the reply was so plausible -that even the Balyuz, with all his acuteness, was deceived. The Bedouins -had forged a report that their ancient enemy the Hajj Sharmarkay was -awaiting with four ships at the neighbouring port, Siyaro, the opportunity -of seizing Berberah whilst deserted, and of re-erecting his forts there -for the third time. Our visitors swore by the divorce-oath,--the most -solemn which the religious know,--that a vessel entering the creek at such -unusual season, they had been sent to ascertain whether it had been -freighted with materials for building, and concluded by laughingly asking -if we feared danger from the tribe of our own protectors. Believing them, -we posted as usual two sentries for the night, and retired to rest in our -wonted security. - -Between 2 and 3 A.M. of the 19th April I was suddenly aroused by the -Balyuz, who cried aloud that the enemy was upon us. [8] Hearing a rush of -men like a stormy wind, I sprang up, called for my sabre, and sent Lieut. -Herne to ascertain the force of the foray. Armed with a "Colt," he went to -the rear and left of the camp, the direction of danger, collected some of -the guard,--others having already disappeared,--and fired two shots into -the assailants. Then finding himself alone, he turned hastily towards the -tent; in so doing he was tripped up by the ropes, and as he arose, a -Somali appeared in the act of striking at him with a club. Lieut. Herne -fired, floored the man, and rejoining me, declared that the enemy was in -great force and the guard nowhere. Meanwhile, I had aroused Lieuts. -Stroyan and Speke, who were sleeping in the extreme right and left tents. -The former, it is presumed, arose to defend himself, but, as the sequel -shows, we never saw him alive. [9] Lieut. Speke, awakened by the report of -firearms, but supposing it the normal false alarm,--a warning to -plunderers,--he remained where he was: presently hearing clubs rattling -upon his tent, and feet shuffling around, he ran to my Rowtie, which we -prepared to defend as long as possible. - -The enemy swarmed like hornets with shouts and screams intending to -terrify, and proving that overwhelming odds were against us: it was by no -means easy to avoid in the shades of night the jobbing of javelins, and -the long heavy daggers thrown at our legs from under and through the -opening of the tent. We three remained together: Lieut. Herne knelt by my -right, on my left was Lieut. Speke guarding the entrance, I stood in the -centre, having nothing but a sabre. The revolvers were used by my -companions with deadly effect: unfortunately there was but one pair. When -the fire was exhausted, Lieut. Herne went to search for his powder-horn, -and that failing, to find some spears usually tied to the tent-pole. -Whilst thus engaged, he saw a man breaking into the rear of our Rowtie, -and came back to inform me of the circumstance. - -At this time, about five minutes after the beginning of the affray, the -tent had been almost beaten down, an Arab custom with which we were all -familiar, and had we been entangled in its folds, we should have been -speared with unpleasant facility. I gave the word for escape, and sallied -out, closely followed by Lieut. Herne, with Lieut. Speke in the rear. The -prospect was not agreeable. About twenty men were kneeling and crouching -at the tent entrance, whilst many dusk figures stood further off, or ran -about shouting the war-cry, or with shouts and blows drove away our -camels. Among the enemy were many of our friends and attendants: the coast -being open to them, they naturally ran away, firing a few useless shots -and receiving a modicum of flesh wounds. - -After breaking through the mob at the tent entrance, imagining that I saw -the form of Lieut. Stroyan lying upon the sand, I cut my way towards it -amongst a dozen Somal, whose war-clubs worked without mercy, whilst the -Balyuz, who was violently pushing me out of the fray, rendered the strokes -of my sabre uncertain. This individual was cool and collected: though -incapacitated by a sore right-thumb from using the spear, he did not shun -danger, and passed unhurt through the midst of the enemy: his efforts, -however, only illustrated the venerable adage, "defend me from my -friends." I turned to cut him down: he cried out in alarm; the well-known -voice caused an instant's hesitation: at that moment a spearman stepped -forward, left his javelin in my mouth, and retired before he could be -punished. Escaping as by a miracle, I sought some support: many of our -Somal and servants lurking in the darkness offered to advance, but "tailed -off" to a man as we approached the foe. Presently the Balyuz reappeared, -and led me towards the place where he believed my three comrades had taken -refuge. I followed him, sending the only man that showed presence of mind, -one Golab of the Yusuf tribe, to bring back the Aynterad craft from the -Spit into the centre of the harbour [10]. Again losing the Balyuz in the -darkness, I spent the interval before dawn wandering in search of my -comrades, and lying down when overpowered with faintness and pain: as the -day broke, with my remaining strength I reached the head of the creek, was -carried into the vessel, and persuaded the crew to arm themselves and -visit the scene of our disasters. - -Meanwhile, Lieut. Herne, who had closely followed me, fell back, using the -butt-end of his discharged sixshooter upon the hard heads around him: in -so doing he came upon a dozen men, who though they loudly vociferated, -"Kill the Franks who are killing the Somal!" allowed him to pass -uninjured. - -He then sought his comrades in the empty huts of the town, and at early -dawn was joined by the Balyuz, who was similarly employed. When day broke -he sent a Negro to stop the native craft, which was apparently sailing out -of the harbour, and in due time came on board. With the exception of -sundry stiff blows with the war-club, Lieut. Herne had the fortune to -escape unhurt. - -On the other hand, Lieut. Speke's escape was in every way wonderful. -Sallying from the tent he levelled his "Dean and Adams" close to an -assailant's breast. The pistol refused to revolve. A sharp blow of a war- -club upon the chest felled our comrade, who was in the rear and unseen. -When he fell, two or three men sprang upon him, pinioned his hands behind, -felt him for concealed weapons,--an operation to which he submitted in -some alarm,--and led him towards the rear, as he supposed to be -slaughtered. There, Lieut. Speke, who could scarcely breathe from the pain -of the blow, asked a captor to tie his hands before, instead of behind, -and begged a drop of water to relieve his excruciating thirst. The savage -defended him against a number of the Somal who came up threatening and -brandishing their spears, he brought a cloth for the wounded man to lie -upon, and lost no time in procuring a draught of water. - -Lieut. Speke remained upon the ground till dawn. During the interval he -witnessed the war-dance of the savages--a scene striking in the extreme. -The tallest and largest warriors marched in a ring round the tents and -booty, singing, with the deepest and most solemn tones, the song of -thanksgiving. At a little distance the grey uncertain light disclosed four -or five men, lying desperately hurt, whilst their kinsmen kneaded their -limbs, poured water upon their wounds, and placed lumps of dates in their -stiffening hands. [11] As day broke, the division of plunder caused angry -passions to rise. The dead and dying were abandoned. One party made a rush -upon the cattle, and with shouts and yells drove them off towards the -wild, some loaded themselves with goods, others fought over pieces of -cloth, which they tore with hand and dagger, whilst the disappointed, -vociferating with rage, struck at one another and brandished their spears. -More than once during these scenes, a panic seized them; they moved off in -a body to some distance; and there is little doubt that had our guard -struck one blow, we might still have won the day. - -Lieut. Speke's captor went to seek his own portion of the spoil, when a -Somal came up and asked in Hindostani, what business the Frank had in -their country, and added that he would kill him if a Christian, but spare -the life of a brother Moslem. The wounded man replied that he was going to -Zanzibar, that he was still a Nazarene, and therefore that the work had -better be done at once:--the savage laughed and passed on. He was -succeeded by a second, who, equally compassionate, whirled a sword round -his head, twice pretended to strike, but returned to the plunder without -doing damage. Presently came another manner of assailant. Lieut. Speke, -who had extricated his hands, caught the spear levelled at his breast, but -received at the same moment a blow from a club which, paralyzing his arm, -caused him to lose his hold. In defending his heart from a succession of -thrusts, he received severe wounds on the back of his hand, his right -shoulder, and his left thigh. Pausing a little, the wretch crossed to the -other side, and suddenly passed his spear clean through the right leg of -the wounded man: the latter "smelling death," then leapt up, and taking -advantage of his assailant's terror, rushed headlong towards the sea. -Looking behind, he avoided the javelin hurled at his back, and had the -good fortune to run, without further accident, the gauntlet of a score of -missiles. When pursuit was discontinued, he sat down faint from loss of -blood upon a sandhill. Recovering strength by a few minutes' rest, he -staggered on to the town, where some old women directed him to us. Then, -pursuing his way, he fell in with the party sent to seek him, and by their -aid reached the craft, having walked and run at least three miles, after -receiving eleven wounds, two of which had pierced his thighs. A touching -lesson how difficult it is to kill a man in sound health! [12] - -When the three survivors had reached the craft, Yusuf, the captain, armed -his men with muskets and spears, landed them near the camp, and -ascertained that the enemy, expecting a fresh attack, had fled, carrying -away our cloth, tobacco, swords, and other weapons. [13] The corpse of -Lieut. Stroyan was then brought on board. Our lamented comrade was already -stark and cold. A spear had traversed his heart, another had pierced his -abdomen, and a frightful gash, apparently of a sword, had opened the upper -part of his forehead: the body had been bruised with war-clubs, and the -thighs showed marks of violence after death. This was the severest -affliction that befell us. We had lived together like brothers: Lieut. -Stroyan was a universal favourite, and his sterling qualities of manly -courage, physical endurance, and steady perseverance had augured for him a -bright career, thus prematurely cut off. Truly melancholy to us was the -contrast between the evening when he sat with us full of life and spirits, -and the morning when we saw amongst us a livid corpse. - -We had hoped to preserve the remains of our friend for interment at Aden. -But so rapid were the effects of exposure, that we were compelled most -reluctantly, on the morning of the 20th April, to commit them to the deep, -Lieut. Herne reading the funeral service. - -Then with heavy hearts we set sail for the near Arabian shore, and, after -a tedious two days, carried to our friends the news of unexpected -disaster. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] The Fair-season of 1864-56 began on the 16th November, and may be said -to have broken up on the 15th April. - -The principal caravans which visit Berberah are from Harar the Western, -and Ogadayn, the Southern region: they collect the produce of the numerous -intermediate tribes of the Somal. The former has been described in the -preceding pages. The following remarks upon the subject of the Ogadayn -caravan are the result of Lieuts. Stroyan and Herne's observations at -Berberah. - -"Large caravans from Ogadayn descend to the coast at the beginning and the -end of the Fair-season. They bring slaves from the Arusa country, cattle -in great quantities, gums of sorts, clarified butter, ivory, ostrich -feathers, and rhinoceros horns to be made into handles for weapons. These -are bartered for coarse cotton cloth of three kinds, for English and -American sheeting in pieces of seventy-five, sixty-six, sixty-two, and -forty-eight yards, black and indigo-dyed calicos in lengths of sixteen -yards, nets or fillets worn by the married women, iron and steel in small -bars, lead and zinc, beads of various kinds, especially white porcelain -and speckled glass, dates and rice." - -The Ayyal Ahmed and Ayyal Yunis classes of the Habr Awal Somal have -constituted themselves Abbans or brokers to the Ogadayn Caravans, and the -rapacity of the patron has produced a due development of roguery in the -client. The principal trader of this coast is the Banyan from Aden find -Cutch, facetiously termed by the Somal their "Milch-cows." The African -cheats by mismeasuring the bad cotton cloth, and the Indian by falsely -weighing the coffee, ivory, ostrich feathers and other valuable articles -which he receives in return. Dollars and even rupees are now preferred to -the double breadth of eight cubits which constitutes the well known -"Tobe." - -[2] A Sepoy's tent, pent-house shaped, supported by a single transverse -and two upright poles and open at one of the long ends. - -[3] Since returning I have been informed, however, by the celebrated -Abyssinian traveller M. Antoine d'Abbadie, that in no part of the wild -countries which he visited was his life so much perilled as at Berberah. - -[4] Lieut. Speke had landed at Karam harbour on the 24th of March, in -company with the Ras, in order to purchase camels. For the Ayyun or best -description he paid seven dollars and a half; the Gel Ad (white camels) -cost on an average four. In five days he had collected twenty-six, the -number required, and he then marched overland from Karam to Berberah. - -I had taken the precaution of detaching Lieut. Speke to Karam in lively -remembrance of my detention for want of carriage at Zayla, and in -consequence of a report raised by the Somal of Aden that a sufficient -number of camels was not procurable at Berberah. This proved false. -Lieuts. Stroyan and Herne found no difficulty whatever in purchasing -animals at the moderate price of five dollars and three quarters a head: -for the same sum they could have bought any reasonable number. Future -travellers, however, would do well not to rely solely upon Berberah for a -supply of this necessary, especially at seasons when the place is not -crowded with caravans. - -[5] The Elders of the Habr Awal, I have since been informed, falsely -asserted that they repeatedly urged us, with warnings of danger, to leave -Berberah at the end of the fair, but that we positively refused -compliance, for other reasons. The facts of the case are those stated in -the text. - -[6] They prefer travelling during the monsoon, on account of the abundance -of water. - -[7] The framework is allowed to remain for use next Fair-season. - -[8] The attacking party, it appears, was 350 strong; 12 of the Mikahil, 15 -of the Habr Gerhajis, and the rest Eesa Musa. One Ao Ali wore, it is said, -the ostrich feather for the murder of Lieut. Stroyan. - -[9] Mohammed, his Indian servant, stated that rising at my summons he had -rushed to his tent, armed himself with a revolver, and fired six times -upon his assassins. Unhappily, however, Mohammed did not see his master -fall, and as he was foremost amongst the fugitives, scant importance -attaches to his evidence. - -[10] At this season native craft quitting Berberah make for the Spit late -in the evening, cast anchor there, and set sail with the land breeze -before dawn. Our lives hung upon a thread. Had the vessel departed, as she -intended, the night before the attack, nothing could have saved us from -destruction. - -[11] The Somal place dates in the hands of the fallen to ascertain the -extent of injury: he who cannot eat that delicacy is justly decided to be -_in articulo_. - -[12] In less than a month after receiving such injuries, Lieut. Speke was -on his way to England: he has never felt the least inconvenience from the -wounds, which closed up like cuts in Indian-rubber. - -[13] They had despised the heavy sacks of grain, the books, broken boxes, -injured instruments, and a variety of articles which they did not -understand. We spent that day at Berberah, bringing off our property, and -firing guns to recall six servants who were missing. They did not appear, -having lost no time in starting for Karam and Aynterad, whence they made -their way in safety to Aden. On the evening of the 19th of April, unable -to remove the heavier effects, and anxious to return with the least -possible delay, I ordered them to be set on fire. - - - - -APPENDIX I. - - -DIARY AND OBSERVATIONS -MADE BY LIEUTENANT SPEKE, WHEN ATTEMPTING TO REACH THE WADY NOGAL. - - -DIARY. - - -On the 28th October, 1854, Lieutenant Speke arrived at Kurayat, a small -village near Las Kuray (Goree Bunder), in the country called by the Somal -"Makhar," or the eastern maritime region. During the period of three -months and a half he was enabled to make a short excursion above the -coast-mountains, visiting the Warsingali, the Dulbahanta, and the Habr -Gerhajis tribes, and penetrating into a region unknown to Europeans. The -bad conduct of his Abban, and the warlike state of the country, prevented -his reaching the "Wady Nogal," which, under more favourable circumstances -and with more ample leisure than our plans allowed him, he conceives to be -a work of little difficulty and no danger. He has brought back with him -ample notices of the region visited, and has been enabled to make a -valuable collection of the Fauna, which have been forwarded to the Curator -of the Royal As. Society's Museum, Calcutta. On the 15th February, 1855, -Lieutenant Speke revisited Kurayat, and there embarked for Aden. - -Before proceeding to Lieutenant Speke's Journal, it may be useful to give -a brief and general account of the region explored. - -The portion of the Somali country visited by Lieutenant Speke may be -divided into a Maritime Plain, a Range of Mountains, and an elevated -Plateau. - -The Maritime Plain, at the points visited by Lieutenant Speke, is a sandy -tract overlying limestone, level to the foot of the hills, and varying -from half a mile to two miles in breadth. Water is not everywhere -procurable. At the village of Las Kuray, there is an old and well built -well, about twelve feet deep, producing an abundant and excellent supply. -It appears that the people have no implements, and are too barbarous to be -capable of so simple an engineering operation as digging. The vegetation -presents the usual appearance of salsolaceous plants thinly scattered over -the surface, with here and there a stunted growth of Arman or Acacia. The -watershed is of course from south to north, and the rain from the hills is -carried off by a number of Fiumaras or freshets, with broad shallow beds, -denoting that much of the monsoon rain falling in the mountains is there -absorbed, and that little finds its way to the sea. At this season (the -dry weather) the plain is thinly inhabited; there are no villages except -on the sea-shore, and even these were found by the traveller almost -entirely deserted, mostly women occupying the houses, whilst the men were -absent, trading and tending cattle in the hills. The harbours are, -generally speaking, open and shallow road-steads, where ships find no -protection; there is, however, one place (Las Galwayta), where, it is -said, deep water extends to the shore. - -Meteorological observations show a moderate temperature, clear air, and a -regular north-easterly wind. It is probable that, unlike the Berberah -Plain, the monsoon rain here falls in considerable quantities. This land -belongs in part to the Warsingali. Westwards of Las Galwayta, which is the -frontier, the Habr Gerhajis lay claim to the coast. The two tribes, as -usual in that unhappy land, are on terms of "Dam" or blood-feud; yet they -intermarry. - -The animals observed were, the Waraba, a dark-coloured cynhyena, with a -tail partly white, a grey jackal, and three different kinds of antelopes. -Besides gulls, butcher birds, and a description of sparrow, no birds were -found on the Maritime Plain. - -The Range of Mountains is that long line which fringes the Somali coast -from Tajurrah to Ras Jerd Hafun (Cape Guardafui). In the portion visited -by Lieutenant Speke it is composed principally of limestones, some white, -others brownish, and full of fossil shells. The seaward face is a gradual -slope, yet as usual more abrupt than the landward side, especially in the -upper regions. Steep irregular ravines divide the several masses of hill. -The range was thinly covered with Acacia scrub in the lower folds. The -upper portion was thickly clad with acacia and other thorns, and upon the -summit, the Somali pine tree observed by me near Harar, and by Lieutenant -Herne at Gulays, first appeared. Rain had freshly fallen. - -The animal creation was represented by the leopard, hyena, rhinoceros, -Waraba, four kinds of antelopes, hares and rats, tailless and long-tailed. -It is poor in sea birds (specimens of those collected have been forwarded -to the As. Society's Museum), and but one description of snake was -observed. These hills belong partly to the Warsingali, and partly to the -Habr Gerhajis. The frontier is in some places denoted by piles of rough -stones. As usual, violations of territorial right form the rule, not the -exception, and trespass is sure to be followed by a "war." The meteorology -of these hills is peculiar. The temperature appears to be but little lower -than the plain: the wind was north-easterly; and both monsoons bring heavy -rains. - -At Yafir, on the summit of the hill, Lieutenant Speke's thermometer showed -an altitude of about 7500 feet. The people of the country do not know what -ice means. Water is very scarce in these hills, except during the monsoon: -it is found in springs which are far apart; and in the lower slopes -collected rain water is the sole resource. This scarcity renders the -habits of the people peculiarly filthy. - -After descending about 2000 feet from the crest of the mountains to the -southern fall, Lieutenant Speke entered upon the platform which forms the -country of the Eastern Somal. He is persuaded that the watershed of this -extensive tract is from N.W. to S.E., contrary to the opinion of -Lieutenant Cruttenden, who, from information derived from the Somal, -determined the slope to be due south. "Nogal" appears, according to -Lieutenant Speke, to be the name of a tract of land occupied by the -Warsingali, the Mijjarthayn, and the northern clan of the Dulbahantas, as -Bohodlay in Haud is inhabited by the southern. Nogal is a sterile table- -land, here and there thinly grown with thorns, perfectly useless for -agriculture, and, unless it possess some mineral wealth, valueless. The -soil is white and stony, whereas Haud or Ogadayn is a deep red, and is -described as having some extensive jungles. Between the two lies a large -watercourse, called "Tuk Der," or the Long River. It is dry during the -cold season, but during the rains forms a flood, tending towards the -Eastern Ocean. This probably is the line which in our maps is put down as -"Wady Nogal, a very fertile and beautiful valley." - -The surface of the plateau is about 4100 feet above the level of the sea: -it is a space of rolling ground, stony and white with broken limestone. -Water is found in pools, and in widely scattered springs: it is very -scarce, and in a district near and south of the hills Lieutenant Speke was -stopped by want of this necessary. The climate appeared to our traveller -delightful In some places the glass fell at 6 A.M. to 25°, yet at noon on -the same day the mercury rose to 76°. The wind was always N. E., sometimes -gentle, and occasionally blowing strongly but without dust. The rainy -monsoon must break here with violence, and the heat be fearful in the hot -season. The principal vegetation of this plateau was Acacia, scarce and -stunted; in some places under the hills and in the watercourses these -trees are numerous and well grown. On the other hand, extensive tracts -towards the south are almost barren. The natives speak of Malmal (myrrh) -and the Luban (incense) trees. The wild animals are principally antelopes; -there are also ostriches, onagers, Waraba, lions (reported to exist), -jackals, and vermin. The bustard and florikan appear here. The Nomads -possess large flocks of sheep, the camels, cows, and goats being chiefly -found at this season on the seaward side of the hills, where forage is -procurable. The horses were stunted tattoos, tolerably well-bred, but soft -for want of proper food. It is said that the country abounds in horses, -but Lieutenant Speke "doubts the fact." The eastern portion of the plateau -visited by our traveller belongs to the Warsingali, the western to the -Dulbahantas: the former tribe extends to the S. E., whilst the latter -possess the lands lying about the Tuk Der, the Nogal, and Haud. These two -tribes are at present on bad terms, owing to a murder which led to a -battle: the quarrel has been allowed to rest till lately, when it was -revived at a fitting opportunity. But there is no hostility between the -Southern Dulbahantas and the Warsingali, on the old principle that "an -enemy's enemy is a friend." - -On the 21st October, 1854, Lieutenant Speke, from the effects of a stiff -easterly wind and a heavy sea, made by mistake the harbour of Rakudah. -This place has been occupied by the Rer Dud, descendants of Sambur, son of -Ishak. It is said to consist of an small fort, and two or three huts of -matting, lately re-erected. About two years ago the settlement was laid -waste by the rightful owners of the soil, the Musa Abokr, a sub-family of -the Habr Tal Jailah. - -_22nd October_.--Without landing, Lieutenant Speke coasted along to Bunder -Hais, where he went on shore. Hais is a harbour belonging to the Musa -Abokr. It contains a "fort," a single-storied, flat-roofed, stone and mud -house, about 20 feet square, one of those artless constructions to which -only Somal could attach importance. There are neither muskets nor cannon -among the braves of Hais. The "town" consists of half a dozen mud huts, -mostly skeletons. The anchoring ground is shallow, but partly protected by -a spur of hill, and the sea abounds in fish. Four Buggaloes (native craft) -were anchored here, waiting for a cargo of Dumbah sheep and clarified -butter, the staple produce of the place. Hais exports to Aden, Mocha, and -other parts of Arabia; it also manufactures mats, with the leaves of the -Daum palm and other trees. Lieutenant Speke was well received by one Ali, -the Agil, or petty chief of the place: he presented two sheep to the -traveller. On the way from Bunder Jedid to Las Kuray, Lieutenant Speke -remarks that Las Galwayta would be a favourable site for a Somali -settlement. The water is deep even close to the shore, and there is an -easy ascent from it to the summit of the mountains. The consequence is -that it is coveted by the Warsingali, who are opposed by the present -proprietors, the Habr Gerhajis. The Sultan of the former family resists -any settlement for fear of dividing and weakening their force; it is too -far from their pastures, and they have not men enough for both purposes. - -_28th October_.--Lieutenant Speke landed at Kurayat, near Las Kuray, and -sent a messenger to summon the chief, Mohammed Ali, Gerad or Prince of the -Warsingali tribe. - -During a halt of twenty-one days, the traveller had an opportunity of -being initiated into the mysteries of Somali medicine and money hiding. -The people have but two cures for disease, one the actual cautery, the -other a purgative, by means of melted sheep's-tail, followed by such a -draught of camel's milk that the stomach, having escaped the danger of -bursting, is suddenly and completely relieved. It is here the custom of -the wealthy to bury their hoards, and to reveal the secret only when at -the point of death. Lieutenant Speke went to a place where it is said a -rich man had deposited a considerable sum, and described his "cache" as -being "on a path in a direct line between two trees as far as the arms can -reach with a stick." The hoarder died between forty and fifty years ago, -and his children have been prevented by the rocky nature of the ground, -and their forgetting to ask which was the right side of the tree, from -succeeding in anything beyond turning up the stones. - -Las Kuray is an open roadstead for native craft. The town is considered -one of the principal strongholds of the coast. There are three large and -six small "forts," similar in construction to those of Hais; all are -occupied by merchants, and are said to belong to the Sultan. The mass of -huts may be between twenty and thirty in number. They are matted -buildings, long and flat-roofed; half a dozen families inhabit the same -house, which is portioned off for such accommodation. Public buildings -there are none, and no wall protects the place. It is in the territory of -the Warsingali, and owns the rule of the Gerad or Prince, who sometimes -lives here, and at other times inhabits the Jungle. Las Kuray exports -gums, Dumbah sheep, and guano, the latter considered valuable, and sent to -Makalla in Arabia, to manure the date plantations. - -Four miles westward of Las Kuray is Kurayat, also called Little Kuray. It -resembles the other settlement, and is not worth description. Lieutenant -Speke here occupied a fort or stone house belong to his Abban; finding the -people very suspicious, he did not enter Las Kuray for prudential motives. -There the Sultan has no habitation; when he visited the place he lodged in -the house of a Nacoda or ship-captain. - -Lieutenant Speke was delayed at Kurayat by the pretext of want of cattle; -in reality to be plundered. The Sultan, who inhabits the Jungle, did not -make his appearance till repeatedly summoned. About the tenth day the old -man arrived on foot, attended by a dozen followers; he was carefully -placed in the centre of a double line bristling with spears, and marched -past to his own fort. Lieutenant Speke posted his servants with orders to -fire a salute of small firearms. The consequence was that the evening was -spent in prayers. - -During Lieutenant Speke's first visit to the Sultan, who received him -squatting on the ground outside the house in which he lodged, with his -guards about him, the dignitary showed great trepidation, but returned -salams with politeness. He is described as a fine-looking man, between -forty-eight and fifty years of age; he was dressed in an old and dirty -Tobe, had no turban, and appeared unarmed. He had consulted the claims of -"dignity" by keeping the traveller waiting ten days whilst he journeyed -twenty miles. Before showing himself he had privily held a Durbar at Las -Kuray; it was attended by the Agils of the tribe, by Mohammed Samattar -(Lieutenant Speke's Abban), and the people generally. Here the question -was debated whether the traveller was to be permitted to see the country. -The voice of the multitude was as usual _contra_, fearing to admit a wolf -into the fold. It was silenced however by the Sultan, who thought fit to -favour the English, and by the Abban, who settled the question, saying -that he, as the Sultan's subject, was answerable for all that might -happen, and that the chief might believe him or not;--"how could such -Jungle-folk know anything?" - -On the morning of the 8th November the Sultan returned Lieutenant Speke's -visit. The traveller took the occasion of "opening his desire to visit the -Warsingali country and the lands on the road to Berberah, keeping inland -about 200 miles, more or less according to circumstances, and passing -through the Dulbahantas." To this the Sultan replied, that "as far as his -dominions extended the traveller was perfectly at liberty to go where he -liked; but as for visiting the Dulbahantas, he could not hear of or -countenance it." Mahmud Ali, Gerad or Prince of the southern Dulbahantas, -was too far away for communication, and Mohammed Ali Gerad, the nearest -chief, had only ruled seven or eight years; his power therefore was not -great. Moreover, these two were at war; the former having captured, it is -said, 2000 horses, 400 camels, and a great number of goats and sheep, -besides wounding a man. During the visit, which lasted from 8 A.M. to 2 -P.M., the Sultan refused nothing but permission to cross the frontier, -fearing, he said, lest an accident should embroil him with our Government. -Lieutenant Speke gave them to understand that he visited their country, -not as a servant of the Company, but merely as a traveller wishing to see -sport. This of course raised a laugh; it was completely beyond their -comprehension. They assured him, however, that he had nothing to apprehend -in the Warsingali country, where the Sultan's order was like that of the -English. The Abban then dismissed the Sultan to Las Kuray, fearing the -appetites of his followers; and the guard, on departure, demanded a cloth -each by way of honorarium. This was duly refused, and they departed in -discontent. The people frequently alluded to two grand grievances. In the -first place they complained of an interference on the part of our -Government, in consequence of a quarrel which took place seven years ago -at Aden, between them and the Habr Tal Jailah tribe of Karam. The -Political Resident, it is said, seized three vessels belonging to the -Warsingali, who had captured one of the ships belonging to their enemies; -the former had command of the sea, but since that event they have been -reduced to a secondary rank. This grievance appears to be based on solid -grounds. Secondly, they complained of the corruption of their brethren by -intercourse with a civilised people, especially by visiting Aden: the -remedy for this evil lies in their own hands, but desire of gain would -doubtless defeat any moral sanitary measure which their Elders could -devise. They instanced the state of depravity into which the Somal about -Berberah had fallen, and prided themselves highly upon their respect for -the rights of _meum_ and _tuum_, so completely disregarded by the Western -States. But this virtue may arise from the severity of their -chastisements; mutilation of the hand being the usual award to theft. -Moreover Lieutenant Speke's Journal does not impress the reader highly -with their honesty. And lastly, I have found the Habr Awal at Berberah, on -the whole, a more respectable race than the Warsingali. - -Lieutenant Speke's delay at Kurayat was caused by want of carriage. He -justly remarks that "every one in this country appeals to precedent"; the -traveller, therefore, should carefully ascertain the price of everything, -and adhere to it, as those who follow him twenty years afterwards will be -charged the same. One of the principal obstacles to Lieutenant Speke's -progress was the large sum given to the natives by an officer who visited -this coast some years ago. Future travellers should send before them a -trusty Warsingali to the Sultan, with a letter specifying the necessary -arrangements, a measure which would save trouble and annoyance to both -parties. - -On the 10th of November the Sultan came early to Lieutenant Speke's house. -He received a present of cloth worth about forty rupees. After comparing -his forearm with every other man's and ascertaining the mean, he measured -and re-measured each piece, an operation which lasted several hours. A -flint gun was presented to him, evidently the first he had ever handled; -he could scarcely bring it up to his shoulder, and persisted in shutting -the wrong eye. Then he began as usual to beg for more cloth, powder, and -lead. By his assistance Lieutenant Speke bought eight camels, inferior -animals, at rather a high price, from 10 to 16-1/2 cloths (equivalent to -dollars) per head. It is the custom for the Sultan, or in his absence, for -an Agil to receive a tithe of the price; and it is his part to see that -the traveller is not overcharged. He appears to have discharged his duty -very inefficiently, a dollar a day being charged for the hire of a single -donkey. Lieutenant Speke regrets that he did not bring dollars or rupees, -cloth on the coast being now at a discount. - -After the usual troubles and vexations of a first move in Africa, on the -16th of November, 1854, Lieutenant Speke marched about three miles along -the coast, and pitched at a well close to Las Kuray. He was obliged to -leave about a quarter of his baggage behind, finding it impossible with -his means to hire donkeys, the best conveyance across the mountains, where -camels must be very lightly laden. The Sultan could not change, he said, -the route settled by a former Sahib. He appears, though famed for honesty -and justice, to have taken a partial view of Lieutenant Speke's property. -When the traveller complained of his Abban, the reply was, "This is the -custom of the country, I can see no fault; all you bring is the Abban's, -and he can do what he likes with it." - -The next day was passed unpleasantly enough in the open air, to force a -march, and the Sultan and his party stuck to the date-bag, demanding to be -fed as servants till rations were served out to them. - -_18th November_.--About 2 A.M. the camels (eleven in number) were lightly -loaded, portions of the luggage being sent back to Kurayat till more -carriage could be procured. The caravan crossed the plain southwards, and -after about two miles' march entered a deep stony watercourse winding -through the barren hills. After five miles' progress over rough ground, -Lieutenant Speke unloaded under a tree early in the afternoon near some -pools of sweet rain water collected in natural basins of limestone dotting -the watercourse. The place is called Iskodubuk; the name of the -watercourse is Duktura. The Sultan and the Abban were both left behind to -escort the baggage from Las Kuray to Kurayat. They promised to rejoin -Lieutenant Speke before nightfall; the former appeared after five, the -latter after ten, days. The Sultan sent his son Abdallah, a youth of about -fifteen years old, who proved so troublesome that Lieutenant Speke was -forced repeatedly to dismiss him: still the lad would not leave the -caravan till it reached the Dulbahanta frontier. And the Abban delayed a -Negro servant, Lieutenant Speke's gun-bearer, trying by many offers and -promises to seduce him from service. - -_19th November_.--At dawn the camels were brought in; they had been -feeding at large all night, which proves the safety of the country. After -three hours' work at loading, the caravan started up the watercourse. The -road was rugged; at times the watercourse was blocked up with boulders, -which compelled the travellers temporarily to leave it. With a little -cutting away of projecting rocks, which are of soft stone, the road might -be made tolerably easy. Scattered and stunted Acacias, fringed with fresh -green foliage, relieved the eye; all else was barren rock. After marching -about two miles the traveller was obliged to halt by the Sultan; a -messenger arrived with the order. The halting-place is called Damalay. It -is in the bed of the watercourse, stagnating rain, foul-looking but sweet, -lying close by. As in all other parts of this Fiumara, the bed was dotted -with a bright green tree, sometimes four feet high, resembling a willow. -Lieutenant Speke spread his mat in the shade, and spent the rest of the -day at his diary and in conversation with the natives. - -The next day was also spent at Damalay. The interpreter, Mohammed Ahmed, a -Somali of the Warsingali tribe, and all the people, refused positively to -advance. Lieutenant Speke started on foot to Las Kuray in search of the -Abban: he was followed at some distance by the Somal, and the whole party -returned on hearing a report that the chief and the Abban were on the way. -The traveller seems on this occasion to have formed a very low estimate of -the people. He stopped their food until they promised to start the next -day. - -_21st November_.--The caravan marched at gun-fire, and, after a mile, left -the watercourse, and ascended by a rough camel-path a buttress of hill -leading to the ridge of the mountains. The ascent was not steep, but the -camels were so bad that they could scarcely be induced to advance. The -country was of a more pleasant aspect, a shower of rain having lately -fallen. At this height the trees grow thicker and finer, the stones are -hidden by grass and heather, and the air becomes somewhat cooler. After a -six miles' march Lieutenant Speke encamped at a place called Adhai. Sweet -water was found within a mile's walk;--the first spring from which our -traveller drank. Here he pitched a tent. - -At Adhai Lieutenant Speke was detained nine days by the non-appearance of -his "Protector" and the refusal of his followers to march without him. The -camels were sent back with the greatest difficulty to fetch the portion of -the baggage left behind. On the 24th Lieutenant Speke sent his Hindostani -servant to Las Kuray, with orders to bring up the baggage. "Imam" started -alone and on foot, not being permitted to ride a pony hired by the -traveller: he reported that there is a much better road for laden camels -from the coast to the crest of the hills. Though unprotected, he met with -no difficulty, and returned two days afterwards, having seen the baggage -_en route_. During Lieutenant Speke's detention, the Somal battened on his -provisions, seeing that his two servants were absent, and that no one -guarded the bags. Half the rice had been changed at Las Kuray for an -inferior description. The camel drivers refused their rations because all -their friends (thirty in number) were not fed. The Sultan's son taught -them to win the day by emptying and hiding the water-skins, by threatening -to kill the servants if they fetched water, and by refusing to do work. -During the discussion, which appears to have been lively, the eldest of -the Sultan's four sons, Mohammed Aul, appeared from Las Kuray. He seems to -have taken a friendly part, stopped the discussion, and sent away the -young prince as a nuisance. Unfortunately, however, the latter reappeared -immediately that the date bags were opened, and Mohammed Aul stayed only -two days in Lieutenant Speke's neighbourhood. On the 28th November the -Abban appeared. The Sultan then forced upon Lieutenant Speke his brother -Hasan as a second Abban, although this proceeding is contrary to the -custom of the country. The new burden, however, after vain attempts at -extortion, soon disappeared, carrying away with him a gun. - -For tanning water-skins the Somal here always use, when they can procure -it, a rugged bark with a smooth epidermis of a reddish tinge, a pleasant -aromatic odour, and a strong astringent flavour. They call it Mohur: -powdered and sprinkled dry on a wound, it acts as a styptic. Here was -observed an aloe-formed plant, with a strong and woody thorn on the top. -It is called Haskul or Hig; the fibres are beaten out with sticks or -stones, rotted in water, and then made into cord. In other parts the young -bark of the acacia is used; it is first charred on one side, then reduced -to fibre by mastication, and lastly twisted into the semblance of a rope. - -From a little manuscript belonging to the Abban, Lieutenant Speke learned -that about 440 years ago (A.D. 1413), one Darud bin Ismail, unable to live -with his elder brother at Mecca, fled with a few followers to these -shores. In those days the land was ruled, they say, by a Christian chief -called Kin, whose Wazir, Wharrah, was the terror of all men. Darud -collected around him, probably by proselytising, a strong party: he -gradually increased his power, and ended by expelling the owners of the -country, who fled to the N.W. as far as Abyssinia. Darud, by an Asyri -damsel, had a son called Kabl Ullah, whose son Harti had, as progeny, -Warsingali, Dulbahanta, and Mijjarthayn. These three divided the country -into as many portions, which, though great territorial changes have taken -place, to this day bear their respective owners' names. - -Of this I have to observe, that universal tradition represents the Somal -to be a people of half-caste origin, African and Arabian; moreover, that -they expelled the Gallas from the coast, until the latter took refuge in -the hills of Harar. The Gallas are a people partly Moslem, partly -Christian, and partly Pagan; this may account for the tradition above -recorded. Most Somal, however, declare "Darud" to be a man of ignoble -origin, and do not derive him from the Holy City. Some declare he was -driven from Arabia for theft. Of course each tribe exaggerates its own -nobility with as reckless a defiance of truth as their neighbours -depreciate it. But I have made a rule always to doubt what semi-barbarians -write. Writing is the great source of historical confusion, because -falsehoods accumulate in books, persons are confounded, and fictions -assume, as in the mythologic genealogies of India, Persia, Greece, and -Rome, a regular and systematic form. On the other hand, oral tradition is -more trustworthy; witness the annals and genealogies preserved in verse by -the Bhats of Cutch, the Arab Nassab, and the Bards of Belochistan. - -_30th November_.--The Sultan took leave of Lieutenant Speke, and the -latter prepared to march in company with the Abban, the interpreter, the -Sultan's two sons, and a large party. By throwing the tent down and -sitting in the sun he managed to effect a move. In the evening the camels -started from Adhai up a gradual ascent along a strong path. The way was -covered with bush, jungle, and trees. The frankincense, it is said, -abounded; gum trees of various kinds were found; and the traveller -remarked a single stunted sycamore growing out of a rock. I found the tree -in all the upper regions of the Somali country, and abundant in the Harar -Hills. After two miles' march the caravan halted at Habal Ishawalay, on -the northern side of the mountains, within three miles of the crest. The -halting-ground was tolerably level, and not distant from the waters of -Adhai, the only spring in the vicinity. The travellers slept in a deserted -Kraal, surrounded by a stout fence of Acacia thorns heaped up to keep out -the leopards and hyenas. During the heat Lieutenant Speke sat under a -tree. Here he remained three days; the first in order to bring up part of -his baggage which had been left behind; the second to send on a portion to -the next halting-place; and the third in consequence of the Abban's -resolution to procure Ghee or clarified butter. The Sultan could not -resist the opportunity of extorting something by a final visit--for a -goat, killed and eaten by the camel-drivers contrary to Lieutenant Speke's -orders, a dollar was demanded. - -_4th December_, 1854.--About dawn the caravan was loaded, and then -proceeded along a tolerably level pathway through a thick growth of thorn -trees towards a bluff hill. The steep was reached about 9 A.M., and the -camels toiled up the ascent by a stony way, dropping their loads for want -of ropes, and stumbling on their road. The summit, about 500 yards -distant, was reached in an hour. At Yafir, on the crest of the mountains, -the caravan halted two hours for refreshment. Lieutenant Speke describes -the spot in the enthusiastic language of all travellers who have visited -the Seaward Range of the Somali Hills. It appears, however, that it is -destitute of water. About noon the camels were again loaded, and the -caravan proceeded across the mountains by a winding road over level ground -for four miles. This point commanded an extensive view of the Southern -Plateau. In that direction the mountains drop in steps or terraces, and -are almost bare; as in other parts rough and flat topped piles of stones, -reminding the traveller of the Tartar Cairns, were observed. I remarked -the same in the Northern Somali country; and in both places the people -gave a similar account of them, namely, that they are the work of an -earlier race, probably the Gallas. Some of them are certainly tombs, for -human bones are turned up; in others empty chambers are discovered; and in -a few are found earthern and large copper pots. Lieutenant Speke on one -occasion saw an excavated mound propped up inside by pieces of timber, and -apparently built without inlet. It was opened about six years ago by a -Warsingali, in order to bury his wife, when a bar of metal (afterwards -proved by an Arab to be gold) and a gold ring, similar to what is worn by -women in the nose, were discovered. In other places the natives find, it -is said, women's bracelets, beads, and similar articles still used by the -Gallas. - -After nightfall the caravan arrived at Mukur, a halting-place in the -southern declivity of the hills. Here Lieutenant Speke remarked that the -large watercourse in which he halted becomes a torrent during the rains, -carrying off the drainage towards the eastern coast. He had marched that -day seventeen miles, when the party made a Kraal with a few bushes. Water -was found within a mile in a rocky basin; it was fetid and full of -animalculae. Here appeared an old woman driving sheep and goats into Las -Kuray, a circumstance which shows that the country is by no means -dangerous. - -After one day's halt at Mukur to refresh the camels, on the 6th December -Lieutenant Speke started at about 10 A.M. across the last spur of the -hills, and presently entered a depression dividing the hills from the -Plateau. Here the country was stony and white-coloured, with watercourses -full of rounded stones. The Jujube and Acacias were here observed to be on -a large scale, especially in the lowest ground. After five miles the -traveller halted at a shallow watercourse, and at about half a mile -distant found sweet but dirty water in a deep hole in the rock. The name -of this station was Karrah. - -_8th December_.--Early in the morning the caravan moved on to Rhat, a -distance of eight miles: it arrived at about noon. The road lay through -the depression at the foot of the hills. In the patches of heather -Florikan was found. The Jujube-tree was very large. In the rains this -country is a grassy belt, running from west to east, along a deep and -narrow watercourse, called Rhat Tug, or the Fiumara of Rhat, which flows -eastward towards the ocean. At this season, having been "eaten up," the -land was almost entirely deserted; the Kraals lay desolate, the herdsmen -had driven off their cows to the hills, and the horses had been sent -towards the Mijjarthayn country. A few camels and donkeys were seen: -considering that their breeding is left to chance, the blood is not -contemptible. The sheep and goats are small, and their coats, as usual in -these hot countries, remain short. Lieutenant Speke was informed that, -owing to want of rain, and it being the breeding season, the inland and -Nomad Warsingali live entirely on flesh, one meal serving for three days. -This was a sad change of affairs from what took place six weeks before the -traveller's arrival, when there had been a fall of rain, and the people -spent their time revelling on milk, and sleeping all day under the shade -of the trees--the Somali idea of perfect happiness. - -On the 9th December Lieutenant Speke, halting at Rhat, visited one of -"Kin's" cities, now ruined by time, and changed by the Somal having -converted it into a cemetery. The remains were of stone and mud, as usual -in this part of the world. The houses are built in an economical manner; -one straight wall, nearly 30 feet long, runs down the centre, and is -supported by a number of lateral chambers facing opposite ways, _e. g._ - -[2 Illustrations] - -This appears to compose the village, and suggests a convent or a -monastery. To the west, and about fifty yards distant, are ruins of stone -and good white mortar, probably procured by burning the limestone rock. -The annexed ground plan will give an idea of these interesting remains, -which are said to be those of a Christian house of worship. In some parts -the walls are still 10 feet high, and they show an extent of civilisation -now completely beyond the Warsingali. It may be remarked of them that the -direction of the niche, as well as the disposition of the building, would -denote a Moslem mosque. At the same time it must be remembered that the -churches of the Eastern Christians are almost always made to front -Jerusalem, and the Gallas being a Moslem and Christian race, the sects -would borrow their architecture from each other. The people assert these -ruins to be those of Nazarenes. Yet in the Jid Ali valley of the -Dulbahantas Lieutenant Speke found similar remains, which the natives -declared to be one of their forefathers' mosques; the plan and the -direction were the same as those now described. Nothing, however, is -easier than to convert St. Sophia into the Aya Sufiyyah mosque. Moreover, -at Jid Ali, the traveller found it still the custom of the people to erect -a Mala, or cross of stone or wood covered with plaster, at the head and -foot of every tomb. - -[Illustration] - -The Dulbahantas, when asked about these crosses, said it was their custom, -derived from sire and grandsire. This again would argue that a Christian -people once inhabited these now benighted lands. - -North of the building now described is a cemetery, in which the Somal -still bury their dead. Here Lieutenant Speke also observed crosses, but he -was prevented by the superstition of the people from examining them. - -On an eminence S.W. of, and about seventy yards from the main building, -are the isolated remains of another erection, said by the people to be a -fort. The foundation is level with the ground, and shows two compartments -opening into each other. - -[Illustration] - -Rhat was the most southerly point reached by Lieutenant Speke. He places -it about thirty miles distant from the coast, and at the entrance of the -Great Plateau. Here he was obliged to turn westward, because at that -season of the year the country to the southward is desolate for want of -rain--a warning to future visitors. During the monsoon this part of the -land is preferred by the people: grass grows, and there would be no -obstacle to travellers. - -Before quitting Rhat, the Abban and the interpreter went to the length of -ordering Lieutenant Speke not to fire a gun. This detained him a whole -day. - -_11th December_.--Early in the morning, Lieutenant Speke started in a -westerly direction, still within sight of the mountains, where not -obstructed by the inequalities of the ground. The line taken was over an -elevated flat, in places covered with the roots of parched up grass; here -it was barren, and there appeared a few Acacias. The view to the south was -shortened by rolling ground: hollow basins, sometimes fifteen miles broad, -succeed each other; each sends forth from its centre a watercourse to -drain off the water eastward. The face of the country, however, is very -irregular, and consequently description is imperfect. This day ostriches -and antelopes were observed in considerable numbers. After marching ten -miles the caravan halted at Barham, where they found a spring of clear and -brackish water from the limestone rock, and flowing about 600 yards down a -deep rocky channel, in parts lined with fine Acacias. A Kraal was found -here, and the traveller passed a comfortable night. - -_12th December_.--About 9 A.M. the caravan started, and threaded a valley, -which, if blessed with a fair supply of water, would be very fertile. -Whilst everything else is burned up by the sun on the high ground, a -nutritious weed, called Buskallay, fattens the sheep and goats. Wherever, -therefore, a spring is found, men flock to the place and fence themselves -in a Kraal. About half-way the travellers reached Darud bin Ismail's tomb, -a parallelogram of loose stones about one foot high, of a battered and -ignoble appearance; at one extremity stood a large sloping stone, with a -little mortar still clinging to it. No outer fence surrounded the tomb, -which might easily be passed by unnoticed: no honors were paid to the -memory of the first founder of the tribe, and the Somal did not even -recite a Fatihah over his dust. After marching about twelve miles, the -caravan encamped at Labbahdilay, in the bed of a little watercourse which -runs into the Yubbay Tug. Here they found a small pool of bad rain water. -They made a rude fence to keep out the wild beasts, and in it passed the -night. - -_13th December_.--The Somal showed superior activity in marching three -successive days; the reason appears to be that the Abban was progressing -towards his home. At sunrise the camels were loaded, and at 8 A.M. the -caravan started up a valley along the left bank of a watercourse called -the Yubbay Tug. This was out of the line, but the depth of the -perpendicular sides prevented any attempt at crossing it. The people of -the country have made a peculiar use of this feature of ground. During the -last war, ten or eleven years ago, between the Warsingali and the -Dulbahantas, the latter sent a large foraging party over the frontier. The -Warsingali stationed a strong force at the head of the watercourse to -prevent its being turned, and exposed their flocks and herds on the -eastern bank to tantalise the hungry enemy. The Dulbahantas, unable to -cross the chasm, and unwilling, like all Somali heroes even in their -wrath, to come to blows with the foe, retired in huge disgust. After -marching five miles, the caravan halted, the Abban declaring that he and -the Sultan's younger son must go forward to feel the way; in other words, -to visit his home. His pretext was a good one. In countries where postal -arrangements do not exist, intelligence flies quicker than on the wings of -paper. Many evil rumours had preceded Lieutenant Speke, and the inland -tribe professed, it was reported, to despise a people who can only -threaten the coast. The Dulbahantas had been quarrelling amongst -themselves for the last thirteen years, and were now determined to settle -the dispute by a battle. Formerly they were all under one head; but one -Ali Harram, an Akil or minor chief, determined to make his son, Mohammed -Ali, Gerad or Prince of the clans inhabiting the northern provinces. After -five years' intrigue the son was proclaimed, and carried on the wars -caused by his father, declaring an intention to fight to the last. He has, -however, been successfully opposed by Mahmud Ali, the rightful chief of -the Dulbahanta family; the southern clans of Haud and beyond the Nogal -being more numerous and more powerful than the northern divisions. No -merchant, Arab or other, thinks of penetrating into this country, -principally on account of the expense. Lieutenant Speke is of opinion that -his cloth and rice would easily have stopped the war for a time: the -Dulbahantas threatened and blustered, but allowed themselves easily to be -pacified. - -It is illustrative of the customs of this people that, when the -Dulbahantas had their hands engaged, and left their rear unprotected, -under the impression that no enemies were behind, the Warsingali instantly -remembered that one of their number had been murdered by the other race -many years ago. The blood-money had been paid, and peace had been -concluded, but the opportunity was too tempting to be resisted. - -The Yubbay Tug watercourse begins abruptly, being as broad and deep at the -head as it is in the trunk. When Lieutenant Speke visited it, it was dry; -there was but a thin growth of trees in it, showing that water does not -long remain there. Immediately north of it lies a woody belt, running up -to the foot of the mountains, and there bifurcating along the base. -Southwards, the Yubbay is said to extend to a considerable distance, but -Somali ideas of distance are peculiar, and absorption is a powerful agent -in these latitudes. - -Till the 21st December Lieutenant Speke was delayed at the Yubbay Tug. His -ropes had been stolen by discharged camel-men, and he was unable to -replace them. - -On the 15th December one of the Midgan or Serviles was tried for stealing -venison from one of his fellows. The Sultan, before his departure, had -commissioned three of Lieutenant Speke's attendants to act as judges in -case of such emergency: on this occasion the interpreter was on the -Woolsack, and he sensibly fined the criminal two sheep to be eaten on the -road. From inquiries, I have no doubt that these Midgan are actually -reduced by famine at times to live on a food which human nature abhors. In -the northern part of the Somali country I never heard of cannibalism, -although the Servile tribes will eat birds and other articles of food -disdained by Somal of gentle blood. Lieutenant Speke complains of the -scarcity and the quality of the water, "which resembles the mixture -commonly known as black draught." Yet it appears not to injure health; and -the only disease found endemic is an ophthalmia, said to return -periodically every three years. The animals have learned to use sparingly -what elsewhere is a daily necessary; camels are watered twice a month, -sheep thrice, and horses every two or three days. No wild beasts or birds, -except the rock pigeon and duck, ever drink except when rain falls. - -The pickaxe and spade belonging to the traveller were greatly desired; in -one place water was found, but more generally the people preferred digging -for honey in the rocks. Of the inhabitants we find it recorded that, like -all Nomads, they are idle to the last degree, contenting themselves with -tanned skins for dress and miserable huts for lodging. Changing ground for -the flocks and herds is a work of little trouble; one camel and a donkey -carry all the goods and chattels, including water, wife, and baby. Milk in -all stages (but never polluted by fire), wild honey, and flesh, are their -only diet; some old men have never tasted grain. Armed with spear and -shield, they are in perpetual dread of an attack. It is not strange that -under such circumstances the population should be thin and scattered; they -talk of thousands going to war, but the wary traveller suspects gross -exaggeration. They preserve the abominable Galla practice of murdering -pregnant women in hopes of mutilating a male foetus. - -On the 20th December Lieutenant Speke was informed by the Sultan's son -that the Dulbahantas would not permit him to enter their country. As a -favour, however, they would allow him to pass towards the home of the -Abban, who, having married a Dulbahanta girl was naturalised amongst them. - -_21st December_.--Early in the morning Lieutenant Speke, accompanied by -the interpreter, the Sultan's son, one servant, and two or three men to -lead a pair of camels, started eastward. The rest of the animals (nine in -number) were left behind in charge of Imam, a Hindostani boy, and six or -seven men under him, The reason for this step was that Husayn Haji, an -Agil of the Dulbahantas and a connection of the Abban, demanded, as sole -condition for permitting Lieutenant Speke to visit "Jid Ali," that the -traveller should give up all his property. Before leaving the valley, he -observed a hillock glistening white: it appears from its salt, bitter -taste, to have been some kind of nitrate efflorescing from the ground. The -caravan marched about a mile across the deep valley of Yubbay Tug, and -ascended its right side by a beaten track: they then emerged from a thin -jungle in the lower grounds to the stony hills which compose the country. -Here the line pursued was apparently parallel to the mountains bordering -upon the sea: between the two ridges was a depression, in which lay a -small watercourse. The road ran along bleak undulating ground, with belts -of Acacia in the hollows: here and there appeared a sycamore tree. On the -road two springs were observed, both of bitter water, one deep below the -surface, the other close to the ground; patches of green grass grew around -them. Having entered the Dulbahanta frontier, the caravan unloaded in the -evening, after a march of thirteen miles, at a depression called Ali. No -water was found there. - -_22nd December_.--Early in the morning the traveller started westward, -from Ali, wishing that night to make Jid Ali, about eighteen miles -distant. After marching thirteen miles over the same monotonous country as -before, Lieutenant Speke was stopped by Husayn Haji, the Agil, who -declared that Guled Ali, another Agil, was opposed to his progress. After -a long conversation, Lieutenant Speke reasoned him into compliance; but -that night they were obliged to halt at Birhamir, within five miles of Jid -Ali. The traveller was offered as many horses as he wanted, and a free -passage to Berberah, if he would take part in the battle preparing between -the two rival clans of Dulbahantas: he refused, on plea of having other -engagements. But whenever the question of penetrating the country was -started, there came the same dry answer: "No beggar had even attempted to -visit them--what, then, did the Englishman want?" The Abban's mother came -out from her hut, which was by the wayside, and with many terrors -endeavoured to stop the traveller. - -_23rd December_.--Next morning the Abban appeared, and, by his sorrowful -surprise at seeing Lieutenant Speke across the frontier, showed that he -only had made the difficulty. The caravan started early, and, travelling -five miles over stony ground, reached the Jid Ali valley. This is a long -belt of fertile soil, running perpendicular to the seaward range; it -begins opposite Bunder Jedid, at a gap in the mountains through which the -sea is, they say, visible. In breadth, at the part first visited by -Lieutenant Speke, it is about two miles: it runs southward, and during -rain probably extends to about twenty miles inland. Near the head of the -valley is a spring of bitter water, absorbed by the soil after a quarter -of a mile's course: in the monsoon, however, a considerable torrent must -flow down this depression. Ducks and snipe are found here. The valley -shows, even at this season, extensive patches of grass, large acacia -trees, bushes, and many different kinds of thorns: it is the most wooded -lowland seen by Lieutenant Speke. Already the Nomads are here changing -their habits; two small enclosures have been cultivated by an old -Dulbahanta, who had studied agriculture during a pilgrimage to Meccah. The -Jowari grows luxuriantly, with stalks 8 and 9 feet high, and this first -effort had well rewarded the enterpriser. Lieutenant Speke lent the slave -Farhan, to show the art of digging; for this he received the present of a -goat. I may here remark that everywhere in the Somali country the people -are prepared to cultivate grain, and only want some one to take the -initiative. As yet they have nothing but their hands to dig with. A few -scattered huts were observed near Jid Ali, the grass not being yet -sufficiently abundant to support collected herds. - -Lieutenant Speke was delayed nineteen days at Jid Ali by various pretexts. -The roads were reported closed. The cloth and provisions were exhausted. -Five horses must be bought from the Abban for thirty dollars a head (they -were worth one fourth that sum), as presents. The first European that -visited the Western Country had stopped rain for six months, and the Somal -feared for the next monsoon. All the people would flock in, demanding at -least what the Warsingali had received; otherwise they threatened the -traveller's life. On the 26th of December Lieutenant Speke moved three -miles up the valley to some distance from water, the crowd being -troublesome, and preventing his servants eating. On the 31st of December -all the baggage was brought up from near Abi: one of the camels, being -upon the point of death, was killed and devoured. It was impossible to -keep the Abban from his home, which was distant about four miles: numerous -messages were sent in vain, but Lieutenant Speke drew him from his hut by -"sitting in Dhurna," or dunning him into compliance. At last arose a -violent altercation. All the Warsingali and Dulbahanta servants were taken -away, water was stopped, the cattle were cast loose, and the traveller was -told to arm and defend himself and his two men:--they would all be slain -that night and the Abban would abandon them to the consequences of their -obstinacy. They were not killed, however, and about an hour afterwards the -Somal reappeared, declaring that they had no intention of deserting. - -_11th January_, 1855.--About 10 A.M. the caravan started without the Abban -across the head of the Jid Ali valley. The land was flat, abounding in -Acacia, and showing signs of sun parched grass cropped close by the -cattle. After a five miles' march the travellers came to a place called -Biyu Hablay; they unloaded under a tree and made a Kraal. Water was -distant. Around were some courses, ending abruptly in the soft absorbing -ground. Here the traveller was met by two Dulbahantas, who demanded his -right to enter their lands, and insinuated that a force was gathering to -oppose him. They went away, however, after a short time, threatening with -smiles to come again. Lieutenant Speke was also informed that the Southern -Dulbahanta tribes had been defeated with loss by the northern clans, and -that his journey would be interrupted by them. Here the traveller remarked -how willing are the Somal to study: as usual in this country, any man who -reads the Koran and can write out a verset upon a board is an object of -envy. The people are fanatic. They rebuked the interpreter for not praying -regularly, for eating from a Christian's cooking pot, and for cutting -deer's throats low down (to serve as specimens); they also did not approve -of the traveller's throwing date stones into the fire. As usual, they are -fearful boasters. Their ancestors turned Christians out of the country. -They despise guns. They consider the Frank formidable only behind walls: -they are ready to fight it out in the plain, and they would gallop around -cannon so that not a shot would tell. Vain words to conceal the hearts of -hares! Lieutenant Speke justly remarks that, on account of the rough way -in which they are brought up, the Somal would become excellent policemen; -they should, however, be separated from their own people, and doubtless -the second generation might be trained into courage. - -At Biyu Hablay Lieutenant Speke, finding time as well as means deficient, -dropped all idea of marching to Berberah. He wished to attempt a north- -western route to Hais, but the Rer Hamaturwa (a clan of the Habr Gerhajis -who occupy the mountain) positively refused passage. Permission was -accorded by that clan to march due north upon Bunder Jedid, where, -however, the traveller feared that no vessel might be found. As a last -resource he determined to turn to the north-east, and, by a new road -through the Habr Gerhajis, to make Las Kuray. - -_18th January_.--The Abban again returned from his home, and accompanied -Lieutenant Speke on his first march to the north-east. Early in the -morning the caravan started over the ground before described: on this -occasion, however, it traversed the belt of jungle at the foot of the -mountains. After a march of six miles they halted at "Mirhiddo," under a -tree on elevated ground, in a mere desert, no water being nearer than the -spring of Jid Ali. The Abban took the opportunity of Lieutenant Speke -going out specimen-hunting to return home, contrary to orders, and he did -not reappear till the traveller walked back and induced him to march. Here -a second camel, being "in articulo," was cut up and greedily devoured. - -_21st January_.--The Abban appeared in the morning, and the caravan -started about noon, over the stony ground at the foot of the hills. After -a mile's march, the "Protector" again disappeared, in open defiance of -orders. That day's work was about ten miles. The caravan halted, late at -night, in the bed of a watercourse, called Hanfallal. Lieutenant Speke -visited the spring, which is of extraordinary sweetness for the Warsingali -country: it flows from a cleft in the rock broad enough to admit a man's -body, and about 60 feet deep. - -_23rd January_.--Lieutenant Speke was about to set out under the guidance -of Awado, the Abban's mother, when her graceless son reappeared. At noon -the caravan travelled along a rough road, over the lower spurs of the -mountains: they went five miles, and it was evening when they unloaded in -a watercourse a little distance up the hills, at a place called Dallmalay. -The bed was about 150 yards broad, full of jungle, and showed signs of a -strong deep stream during the monsoon. The travellers made up a Kraal, but -found no water there. - -_24th January_.--Early in the morning the caravan started, and ascended by -a path over the hills. The way was bare of verdure, but easy: here a camel -unable to walk, though unloaded, was left behind. One of Lieutenant -Speke's discharged camel-men, a Warsingali, being refused passage by the -Habr Gerhajis, on account of some previous quarrel, found a stray camel, -and carried it off to his home amongst the Dulbahantas. He afterwards -appeared at Las Kuray, having taken the road by which the travellers -entered the country. Having marched eleven miles, the caravan arrived in -the evening at Gobamiray, a flat on the crest of the mountains. Here again -thick jungle appeared, and the traveller stood over more on the seaward -side. Water was distant. - -On arriving, the camels were seized by the Urus Sugay, a clan of the Habr -Gerhajis. The poor wretches pretended to show fight, and asked if they -were considered a nation of women, that their country was to be entered -without permission. Next morning they volunteered to act as escort. - -_25th January_.--Loading was forbidden by the valiant sons of Habr -Gerhajis; but as they were few in number, and the Warsingali clan was -near, it went on without interruption. This day, like the latter, was -cloudy; heavy showers fell for some hours, and the grass was springing up. -Rain had lasted for some time, and had not improved the road. This fall is -called by the people "Dairti:" it is confined to the hills, whereas the -Gugi or monsoon is general over the plateau. - -About noon the caravan marched, late, because the Abban's two horses had -strayed. These animals belonged to a relation of the "Protector," who -called them his own, and wished as a civility to sell the garrons at the -highest possible price to his client. The caravan marched down a tortuous -and difficult road, descending about four miles. It unloaded as evening -drew near, and the travellers found at Gambagahh a good dormitory, a cave -which kept out the rain. Water was standing close by in a pool. The whole -way was a thick jungle of bush and thorn. - -_26th January_.--The Somal insisted upon halting to eat, and the caravan -did not start before noon. The road was tolerable and the descent oblique. -The jungle was thick and the clouds thicker; rain fell heavily as usual in -the afternoon. Five cloths were given to the Habr Gerhajis as a bribe for -passage. After a march of six miles the caravan halted at a place called -Minan. Here they again found a cave which protected them from the rain. -Water was abundant in the hollows of the rock. - -_27th January_.--Early in the morning the caravan set out, and descended -the hill obliquely by a tolerable road. They passed a number of thorn -trees, bearing a gum called Falafala or Luban Meyti, a kind of -frankincense: it is thrown upon the fire, and the women are in the habit -of standing over it. After travelling six miles the travellers unloaded at -Hundurgal, on the bank of a watercourse leading to Las Galwayta: some -pools of rain-water were observed in the rocky hollows of the bed. - -_28th January_.--At about 9 A.M. the caravan crossed one of the lower -ridges of the mountains by a tolerable road. Lieutenant Speke had preceded -his camels, and was sitting down to rest, when he was startled by hearing -the rapid discharge of a revolver. His valiant Abban, either in real or in -pretended terror of the Habr Gerhajis had fired the pistol as a warning. -It had the effect of collecting a number of Bedouins to stare at the -travellers, and cogitate on what they could obtain: they offered, however, -no opposition. - -At midday the caravan reached a broad and deep Fiumara, which contained a -spring of good sweet water flowing towards the sea. Here they halted for -refreshment. Again advancing, they traversed another ridge, and, after a -march of twelve miles, arrived in the evening at another little -watercourse on the Maritime Plain. That day was clear and warm, the rain -being confined to the upper ranges. The name of the halting-place was -Farjeh. - -_29th January_.--The caravan marched over the plain into Kurayat, or -Little Las Kuray, where Lieutenant Speke, after a detention of upwards of -a fortnight, took boat, and after five days' sail arrived at Aden, where I -was expecting him. He was charged forty dollars--five times the proper -sum--for a place in a loaded Buggalow: from Aden to Bombay thirty-five -dollars is the hire of the whole cabin. This was the last act of the -Abban, who is now by the just orders of the acting Political Resident, -Aden, expiating his divers offences in the Station Jail. - - -CONCLUSION. - -Lieutenant Speke has passed through three large tribes, the Warsingali, -the Dulbahanta, and the Habr Gerhajis. - -The Warsingali have a Sultan or Chief, whose orders are obeyed after a -fashion by all the clans save one, the Bihidur. He cannot demand the -attendance of a subject even to protect the country, and has no power to -raise recruits; consequently increase of territory is never contemplated -in this part of the Somali country. In case of murder, theft, or dispute -between different tribes, the aggrieved consult the Sultan, who, -assembling the elders, deputes them to feel the inclinations of the -"public." The people prefer revenging themselves by violence, as every man -thereby hopes to gain something. The war ends when the enemy has more -spears than cattle left--most frequently, however, by mutual consent, when -both are tired of riding the country. Expeditions seldom meet one another, -this retiring as that advances, and he is deemed a brave who can lift a -few head of cattle and return home in safety. The commissariat department -is rudely organised: at the trysting-place, generally some water, the -people assemble on a day fixed by the Sultan, and slaughter sheep: each -person provides himself by hanging some dried meat upon his pony. It is -said that on many occasions men have passed upwards of a week with no -other sustenance than water. This extensive branch of the Somal is divided -into eighteen principal clans, viz.: - -1. Rer Gerad (the royal family). -2. Rer Fatih. -3. Rer Abdullah. -4. Rer Bihidur. -5. Bohogay Salabay. -6. Adan Yakub. -7. Gerad Umar. -8. Gerad Yusuf. -9. Gerad Liban. -10. Nuh Umar. -11. Adan Said. -12. Rer Haji. -13. Dubbays. -14. Warlabah. -15. Bayabarhay. -16. Rer Yasif. -17. Hindudub. -18. Rer Garwayna. - -The Northern Dulbahantas are suffering greatly from intestine war. They -are even less tractable than the Warsingali. Their Sultan is a ruler only -in name; no one respects his person or consults him in matters of -importance: their Gerad was in the vicinity of the traveller; but evasive -answers were returned (probably in consequence of the Abban's -machinations) to every inquiry. The elders and men of substance settle -local matters, and all have a voice in everything that concerns the -general weal: such for instance as the transit of a traveller. Lieutenant -Speke saw two tribes, the Mahmud Gerad and Rer Ali Nalay. The latter is -subdivided into six septs. - -The Habr Gerhajis, here scattered and cut up, have little power. Their -royal family resides near Berberah, but no one as yet wears the turban; -and even when investiture takes place, a ruler's authority will not extend -to Makhar. Three clans of this tribe inhabit this part of the Somali -country, viz., Bah Gummaron, Rer Hamturwa, and Urus Sugay. - -I venture to submit a few remarks upon the subject of the preceding diary. - -It is evident from the perusal of these pages that though the traveller -suffered from the system of black-mail to which the inhospitable Somal of -Makhar subject all strangers, though he was delayed, persecuted by his -"protector," and threatened with war, danger, and destruction, his life -was never in real peril. Some allowance must also be made for the people -of the country. Lieutenant Speke was of course recognised as a servant of -Government; and savages cannot believe that a man wastes his rice and -cloth to collect dead beasts and to ascertain the direction of streams. He -was known to be a Christian; he is ignorant of the Moslem faith; and, most -fatal to his enterprise, he was limited in time. Not knowing either the -Arabic or the Somali tongue, he was forced to communicate with the people -through the medium of his dishonest interpreter and Abban. - -I have permitted myself to comment upon the system of interference pursued -by the former authorities of Aden towards the inhabitants of the Somali -coast. A partial intermeddling with the quarrels of these people is -unwise. We have the whole line completely in our power. An armed cruiser, -by a complete blockade, would compel the inhabitants to comply with any -requisitions. But either our intervention should be complete,--either we -should constitute ourselves sole judges of all disputes, or we should -sedulously turn a deaf ear to their complaints. The former I not only -understand to be deprecated by our rulers, but I also hold it to be -imprudent. Nothing is more dangerous than to influence in any way the -savage balance of power between these tribes: by throwing our weight on -one side we may do them incalculable mischief. The Somal, like the Arab -Bedouins, live in a highly artificial though an apparently artless state -of political relations; and the imperfect attempt of strangers to -interfere would be turned to the worst account by the designing adventurer -and the turbulent spirit who expects to rise by means of anarchy and -confusion. Hitherto our partial intervention between the Habr Awal of -Berberah and the Habr Gerhajis of Zayla has been fraught with evils to -them, and consequently to us. - -But it is a rapidly prevailing custom for merchants and travellers to -engage an Abban or Protector, not on the African coast, as was formerly -case, but at Aden. It is clearly advantageous to encourage this practice, -since it gives us a right in case of fraud or violence to punish the Abban -as he deserves. - -Lastly, we cannot expect great things without some establishment at -Berberah. Were a British agent settled there, he could easily select the -most influential and respectable men, to be provided with a certificate -entitling them to the honor and emolument of protecting strangers. Nothing -would tend more surely than this measure to open up the new country to -commerce and civilisation. And it must not be inferred, from a perusal of -the foregoing pages, that the land is valueless. Lieutenant Speke saw but -a small portion of it, and that, too, during the dead season. Its exports -speak for themselves: guano, valuable gums, hides, peltries, mats, -clarified butter, honey, and Dumbah sheep. From the ruins and the -traditions of the country, it is clear that a more civilised race once -held these now savage shores, and the disposition of the people does not -discourage the hope entertained by every Englishman--that of raising his -fellow man in the scale of civilisation. - -Camp, Aden, March, 1855. - - - - -METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS - -_Made by Lieutenant Speke, during his Experimental Tour in Eastern Africa, -portions of Warsingali, Dulbahanta, &c._ - - - Date. | 6 A.M. | Noon. | 3 P.M. | Meteorological Notices. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 1854. -Oct. 29. 70° 87° *112° Wind from the N. E. strong. (*Exposed - " 30. 70 87 85 Ditto. to sun.) - " 31. 68 88 85 Ditto. -Nov. 1. 67 88 82 Ditto. (These observations from - " 2. 62 86 85 Ditto. the 29th Oct. to the 7th - " 3. 59 86 " Nov., were taken in the - " 4. 65 86 84 Ditto. tent.) - " 5. 65 88 -- Ditto. - " 6. 63 88 86 Ditto. - " 7. 74 90 88 Cloudy in the morning. - " 8. 66 83 88 Wind strong from the N. E. (In open - " 9. 64 84 82 Ditto. air, but not exposed - " 10. 69 84 82 Ditto. to the sun.) - " 11. 70 84 82 Ditto. - " 12. 68 83 82 - " 13. 64 85 82 - " 14. 77 82 82 - " 15. 70 83 83 - " 16. 72 83 82 - " 17. 62 110 104 In open air exposed to sun. - " 18. 62 95 96 - " 19. 62 102 95 All these observations were taken - " 20. -- 98 103 during the N. E. monsoon, when the - " 21. " " " wind comes from that quarter. It - " 22. 59 74 77 generally makes its appearance - " 23. 56 81 75 about half-past 9 A.M. - " 24. 59 78 82 - " 25. 58 78 79 - " 26. 60 74 75 - " 27. 59 82 77 - " 28. 59 82 72 - " 29. 59 -- 80 - " 30. 61 82 80 - Dec. 1. 52 78 86 - " 2. 50 86 89 - " 3. " " " - " 4. -- 69 " - " 5. 54 84 84 - " 6. -- 97 98 - " 7. 52 -- 89 - " 8. 52 95 100 - " 9. 38 90 94 - " 10. 42 92 91 - " 11. 42 " " - " 12. 45 73 " - " 13. 40 81 82 - " 14. 25 76 82 - " 15. 33 80 82 - " 16. 47 91 89 - " 17. 36 84 90 - " 18. 34 82 84 - " 19. 54 78 84 - " 20. 52 77 83 - " 31. -- 89 88 - - 1855. -Jan. 1. 40 98 98 In open air exposed to the sun. - " 2. 43 84 88 All these observations were taken - " 3. 34 84 86 during the N. E. monsoon, when - " 4. 32 86 84 the wind comes from that quarter; - " 5. 28 96 87 generally making its appearance at - " 6. 34 92 94 about half-past 9 A.M. - " 7. 39 91 80 - " 8. 39 95 " - " 9. 40 81 " - " 10. 55 -- 72 - " 11. 50 91 90 - " 12. 53 87 90 - " 13. 51 94 94 - " 14. 39 84 95 - " 16. 40 81 87 - " 17. 46 78 81 - " 18. 42 86 88 - " 19. 44 82 83 - " 20. 40 " " - " 21. 38 87 93 - " 22. 50 91 84 - " 23. 52 86 98 - " 24. 52 -- 62 On the north or sea face of the - " 25. 51 79 66 Warsangali Hills, during 24th, - " 26. 58 65 63 25th, and 26th, had rain and heavy - " 27. 58 " " clouds daring the day: blowing - " 30. 72 82 82 off towards the evening. - " 31. 71 88 93 From the 27th to the 7th the -Feb. 1. 67 96 80 observations were taken at the sea. - " 2. 74 89 80 - " 3. 68 87 88 - " 4. 68 89 " - " 5. 68 84 83 - " 6. 72 88 " On the 7th observations were taken - " 7. 68 83 " in tent. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - | Govern. | | - | Therm. ! Therm. | Feet. - | boiled. | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 1854 -Nov. 1st. At Las Guray 212° 88° 0000 - 22nd. At Adhai 204.25 81 4577 - 30th. At Habal Ishawalay 203 58 5052 -Dec. 4th. At Yafir, top of range 200.25 69 6704 - 5th. At Mukur, on plateau 205.5 67 3660 - 7th. At Rhat Tug, on plateau 206.5 62 3077 - 15th. At Yubbay Tug, on plateau 204 62 4498 - Government boiling therm. broke - here. - Common therm. out of bazar boiled - at sea level 209° - Thermometer 76 - 1855 Com. ther. -Jan. 1st. At Jid Alli, on plateau 202° 62 3884 - 12th. At Biyu Hablay 201. 62 4 449 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - -APPENDIX II. - -GRAMMATICAL OUTLINE AND VOCABULARY - -HARARI LANGUAGE. - - -[Editor's note: This appendix was omitted because of the large number of -Arabic characters it contains, which makes it impossible to reproduce -accurately following PG standards.] - - - - -APPENDIX III - -METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS IN THE COLD SEASON OF 1854-5, - -BY -LIEUTENANTS HERNE, STROYAN, AND BURTON. - - -[Editor's note: This appendix contains tables of numbers that are too wide -to be reproduced accurately following PG standards.] - - - - -APPENDIX IV. - -It has been found necessary to omit this Appendix. - - -[Editor's note: This appendix, written in Latin by Burton, contained -descriptions of sexual customs among certain tribes. It was removed by the -publisher of the book, who apparently considered it to be too _risque_ for -the Victorian public.] - - - - -APPENDIX V. - -A CONDENSED ACCOUNT OF AN ATTEMPT TO REACH HARAR FROM ANKOBAR. - - -The author is Lieutenant, now Commander, WILLIAM BARKER of the Indian -Navy, one of the travellers who accompanied Sir William Cornwallis, then -Captain, Harris on his mission to the court of Shoa. His services being -required by the Bombay Government, he was directed by Captain Harris, on -October 14th, 1841, to repair to the coast via Harar, by a road "hitherto -untrodden by Europeans." These pages will reward perusal as a narrative of -adventure, especially as they admirably show what obstacles the suspicious -characters and the vain terrors of the Bedouins have thrown in the way of -energy and enterprise. - - -"Aden, February 28, 1842. - -"Shortly after I had closed my last communication to Captain Harris of the -Bombay Engineers on special duty at the Court of Shoa (14. Jan. 1842), a -report arrived at Allio Amba that Demetrius, an Albanian who had been for -ten years resident in the Kingdom of Shoa, and who had left it for -Tajoorah, accompanied by "Johannes," another Albanian, by three Arabs, -formerly servants of the Embassy, and by several slaves, had been murdered -by the Bedoos (Bedouins) near Murroo. This caused a panic among my -servants. I allayed it with difficulty, but my interpreter declared his -final intention of deserting me, as the Hurruri caravan had threatened to -kill him if he persisted in accompanying me. Before proceeding farther it -may be as well to mention that I had with me four servants, one a mere -lad, six mules and nine asses to carry my luggage and provisions. - -"I had now made every arrangement, having, as the Wallasena Mahomed Abugas -suggested, purchased a fine horse and a Tobe for my protector and guide, -Datah Mahomed of the clan Seedy Habroo, a subtribe of the Debeneh. It was -too late to recede: accordingly at an early hour on Saturday, the 15th -January, 1842, I commenced packing, and about 8 A.M. took my departure -from the village of Allio Amba. I had spent there a weary three months, -and left it with that mixture of pleasure and regret felt only by those -who traverse unknown and inhospitable regions. I had made many friends, -who accompanied me for some distance on the road, and took leave of me -with a deep feeling which assured me of their sympathy. Many endeavoured -to dissuade me from the journey, but my lot was cast. - -"About five miles from Allio, I met the nephew of the Wallasena, who -accompanied me to Farri, furnished me with a house there, and ordered my -mules and asses to be taken care of. Shortly after my arrival the guide, -an old man, made his appearance and seemed much pleased by my punctuality. - -"At noon, on Sunday the 16th, the Wallasena arrived, and sent over his -compliments, with a present of five loaves of bread. I called upon him in -the evening, and reminded him of the letter he had promised me; he ordered -it to be prepared, taking for copy the letter which the king (Sahala -Salassah of Shoa) had given to me. - -"My guide having again promised to forward me in safety, the Wallasena -presented him with a spear, a shield, and a Tobe, together with the horse -and the cloth which I had purchased for him. About noon on Monday the -17th, we quitted Farri with a slave-caravan bound for Tajoorah. I was -acquainted with many of these people, the Wallasena also recommended me -strongly to the care of Mahomed ibn Buraitoo and Dorranu ibn Kamil. We -proceeded to Datharal, the Wallasena and his nephew having escorted me as -far as Denehmelli, where they took leave. I found the Caffilah to consist -of fifteen Tajoorians, and about fifty camels laden with provisions for -the road, fifty male and about twenty female slaves, mostly children from -eight to ten years of age. My guide had with him five camels laden with -grain, two men and two women. - -"The Ras el Caffilah (chief of the caravan) was one Ibrahim ibn Boorantoo, -who it appears had been chief of the embassy caravan, although Essakh -(Ishak) gave out that he was. It is certain that this man always gave -orders for pitching the camp and for loading; but we being unaware of the -fact that he was Ras el Caffilah, he had not received presents on the -arrival of the Embassy at Shoa. Whilst unloading the camels, the following -conversation took place. 'Ya Kabtan!' (0 Captain) said he addressing me -with a sneer, 'where are you going to?--do you think the Bedoos will let -you pass through their country? We shall see! Now I will tell you!--you -Feringis have treated me very ill!--you loaded Essakh and others with -presents, but never gave me anything. I have, as it were, a knife in my -stomach which is continually cutting me--this knife you have placed there! -But, inshallah! it is now my turn! I will be equal with you!--you think of -going to Hurrur--we shall see!' I replied, 'You know me not! It is true I -was ignorant that you were Ras el Caffilah on our way to Shoa. You say you -have a knife cutting your inside--I can remove that knife! Those who treat -me well, now that I am returning to my country, shall be rewarded; for, -the Lord be praised! there I have the means of repaying my friends, but in -Shoa I am a beggar. Those that treat me ill shall also receive their -reward.' - -"My mules, being frightened at the sight of the camels, were exceedingly -restive; one of them strayed and was brought back by Deeni ibn Hamed, a -young man who was indebted to me for some medicines and a trifling present -which he had received from the embassy. Ibrahim, the Ras el Caffilah, -seeing him lead it back, called out, 'So you also have become servant to -the Kafir (infidel)!' At the same time Datah Mahomed, the guide, addressed -to me some remark which he asked Ibrahim to explain; the latter replied in -a sarcastic manner in Arabic, a language with which I am unacquainted. [1] -This determined hostility on the part of the Ras el Caffilah was -particularly distressing to me, as I feared he would do me much mischief. -I therefore determined to gain him over to my interests, and accordingly, -taking Deeni on one side, I promised him a handsome present if he would -take an opportunity of explaining to Ibrahim that he should be well -rewarded if he behaved properly, and at the same time that if he acted -badly, that a line or two sent to Aden would do him harm. I also begged -him to act as my interpreter as long as we were together, and he -cheerfully agreed to do so. - -"We were on the point of resuming our journey on Tuesday the 18th, when it -was found that the mule of the el Caffilah had strayed. After his conduct -on the preceding evening, he was ashamed to come to me, but he deputed one -of the caravan people to request the loan of one of my mules to go in -quest of his. I gave him one readily. We were detained that day as the -missing animal was not brought back till late. Notwithstanding my -civility, I observed him in close conversation with Datah Mahomed, about -the rich presents which the Feringis had given to Essakh and others, and I -frequently observed him pointing to my luggage in an expressive manner. -Towards evening the guide came to me and said, 'My son! I am an old man, -my teeth are bad, I cannot eat this parched grain--I see you eat bread. -Now we are friends, you must give me some of it!' I replied that several -times after preparing for the journey, I had been disappointed and at last -started on a short notice--that I was but scantily supplied with -provisions, and had a long journey before me: notwithstanding which I was -perfectly willing that he should share with me what I had as long as it -lasted, and that as he was a great chief, I expected that he would furnish -me with a fresh supply on arriving at his country. He then said, 'it is -well! but why did you not buy me a mule instead of a horse?' My reply was -that I had supposed that the latter would be more acceptable to him. I -divided the night into three watches: my servants kept the first and -middle, and I myself the morning. - -"We quitted Dattenab, the frontier station, at about 7 o'clock A.M., on -Wednesday the 19th. The country at this season presented a more lively -appearance than when we travelled over it before, grass being abundant: on -the trees by the roadside was much gum Acacia, which the Caffilah people -collected as they passed. I was pleased to remark that Ibrahim was the -only person ill-disposed towards me, the rest of the travellers were civil -and respectful. At noon we halted under some trees by the wayside. -Presently we were accosted by six Bedoos of the Woemah tribe who were -travelling from Keelulho to Shoa: they informed us that Demetrius had been -plundered and stripped by the Takyle tribe, that one Arab and three male -slaves had been slain, and that another Arab had fled on horseback to the -Etoh (Ittu) Gallas, whence nothing more had been heard of him: the rest of -the party were living under the protection of Shaykh Omar Buttoo of the -Takyle. The Bedoos added that plunderers were lying in wait on the banks -of the river Howash for the white people that were about to leave Shoa. -The Ras el Caffilah communicated to me this intelligence, and concluded by -saying: 'Now, if you wish to return, I will take you back, but if you say -forward, let us proceed!' I answered, 'Let us proceed!' I must own that -the intelligence pleased me not; two of my servants were for returning, -but they were persuaded to go on to the next station, where we would be -guided by circumstances. About 2 o'clock P.M. we again proceeded, after a -long "Cullam" or talk, which ended in Datah Mahomed sending for assistance -to a neighbouring tribe. During a conversation with the Ras el Caffilah, I -found out that the Bedoos were lying in wait, not for the white people, -but for our caravan. It came out that these Bedouins had had the worst of -a quarrel with the last Caffilah from Tajoorah: they then threatened to -attack it in force on its return. The Ras el Caffilah was assured that as -long as we journeyed together, I should consider his enemies my enemies, -and that being well supplied with firearms, I would assist him on all -occasions. This offer pleased him, and we became more friendly. We passed -several deserted villages of the Bedoos, who had retired for want of water -towards the Wadys, and about 7 o'clock P.M. halted at the lake Leadoo. - -"On the morning of Thursday the 20th, Datah Mahomed came to me and -delivered himself though Deeni as follows: 'My son! our father the -Wallasena entrusted you to my care, we feasted together in Gouchoo--you -are to me as the son of my house! Yesterday I heard that the Bedoos were -waiting to kill, but fear not, for I have sent to the Seedy Habroo for -some soldiers, who will be here soon. Now these soldiers are sent for on -your account; they will want much cloth, but you are a sensible person, -and will of course pay them well. They will accompany us beyond the -Howash!' I replied,' It is true, the Wallasena entrusted me to your care. -He also told me that you were a great chief, and could forward me on my -journey. I therefore did not prepare a large supply of cloth--a long -journey is before me--what can be spared shall be freely given, but you -must tell the soldiers that I have but little. You are now my father!' - -"Scarcely had I ceased when the soldiers, fine stout-looking savages, -armed with spear, shield, and crease, mustering about twenty-five, made -their appearance. It was then 10 A.M. The word was given to load the -camels, and we soon moved forward. I found my worthy protector exceedingly -good-natured and civil, dragging on my asses and leading my mules. Near -the Howash we passed several villages, in which I could not but remark the -great proportion of children. At about 3 P.M. we forded the river, which -was waist-deep, and on the banks of which were at least 3000 head of -horned cattle. Seeing no signs of the expected enemy, we journeyed on till -5 P.M., when we halted at the south-eastern extremity of the Howash Plain, -about one mile to the eastward of a small pool of water. - -"At daylight on Friday the 21st it was discovered that Datah Mahomed's -horse had disappeared. This was entirely his fault; my servants had -brought it back when it strayed during the night, but he said, 'Let it -feed, it will not run away!' When I condoled with him on the loss of so -noble an animal, he replied, 'I know very well who has taken it: one of my -cousins asked me for it yesterday, and because I refused to give it he has -stolen it; never mind, Inshallah! I will steal some of his camels.' After -a 'Cullam' about what was to be given to our worthy protectors, it was -settled that I should contribute three cloths and the Caffilah ten; -receiving these, they departed much satisfied. Having filled our water- -skins, we resumed our march a little before noon. Several herds of -antelope and wild asses appeared on the way. At 7 P.M. we halted near -Hano. Prevented from lighting a fire for fear of the Galla, I was obliged -to content myself with some parched grain, of which I had prepared a large -supply. - -"At sunrise on the 22nd we resumed our journey, the weather becoming warm -and the grass scanty. At noon we halted near Shaykh Othman. I was glad to -find that Deeni had succeeded in converting the Ras el Caffilah from an -avowed enemy to a staunch friend, at least outwardly so; he has now become -as civil and obliging as he was before the contrary. There being no water -at this station, I desired my servant Adam not to make any bread, -contenting myself with the same fare as that of the preceding evening. -This displeasing Datah Mahomed, some misunderstanding arose, which, from -their ignorance of each other's language, might, but for the interference -of the Ras el Caffilah and Deeni, have led to serious results. An -explanation ensued, which ended in Datah Mahomed seizing me by the beard, -hugging and embracing me in a manner truly unpleasant. I then desired Adam -to make him some bread and coffee, and harmony was once more restored. -This little disturbance convinced me that if once left among these savages -without any interpreter, that I should be placed in a very dangerous -situation. The Ras el Caffilah also told me that unless he saw that the -road was clear for me to Hurrur, and that there was no danger to be -apprehended, that he could not think of leaving me, but should take me -with him to Tajoorah. He continued, 'You know not the Emir of Hurrur: when -he hears of your approach he will cause you to be waylaid by the Galla. -Why not come with me to Tajoorah? If you fear being in want of provisions -we have plenty, and you shall share all we have!' I was much surprised at -this change of conduct on the part of the Ras el Caffilah, and by way of -encouraging him to continue friendly, spared not to flatter him, saying it -was true I did not know him before, but now I saw he was a man of -excellent disposition. At three P.M. we again moved forward. Grass became -more abundant; in some places it was luxuriant and yet green. We halted at -eight P.M. The night was cold with a heavy dew, and there being no fuel, I -again contented myself with parched grain. - -"At daylight on the 23rd we resumed our march. Datah Mahomed asked for two -mules, that he and his friend might ride forward to prepare for my -reception at his village. I lent him the animals, but after a few minutes -he returned to say that I had given him the two worst, and he would not go -till I dismounted and gave him the mule which I was riding. About noon we -arrived at the lake Toor Erain Murroo, where the Bedouins were in great -numbers watering their flocks and herds, at least 3000 head of horned -cattle and sheep innumerable. Datah Mahomed, on my arrival, invited me to -be seated under the shade of a spreading tree, and having introduced me to -his people as his guest and the friend of the Wallasena, immediately -ordered some milk, which was brought in a huge bowl fresh and warm from -the cow; my servants were similarly provided. During the night Adam shot a -fox, which greatly astonished the Bedouins, and gave them even more dread -of our fire-arms. Hearing that Demetrius and his party, who had been -plundered of everything, were living at a village not far distant, I -offered to pay the Ras el Caffilah any expense he might be put to if he -would permit them to accompany our caravan to Tajoorah. He said that he -had no objection to their joining the Caffilah, but that he had been -informed their wish was to return to Shoa. I had a long conversation with -the Ras, who begged of me not to go to Hurrur; 'for,' he said, 'it is well -known that the Hurruri caravan remained behind solely on your account. You -will therefore enter the town, should you by good fortune arrive there at -all, under unfavourable circumstances. I am sure that the Emir [2], who -may receive you kindly, will eventually do you much mischief, besides -which these Bedouins will plunder you of all your property.' The other -people of the caravan, who are all my friends, also spoke in the same -strain. This being noted as a bad halting place, all kept watch with us -during the night. - -"The mules and camels having had their morning feed, we set out at about -10 A.M. on Monday the 24th for the village of Datah Mahomed, he having -invited the Caffilah's people and ourselves to partake of his hospitality -and be present at his marriage festivities. The place is situated about -half a mile to the E. N. E. of the lake; it consists of about sixty huts, -surrounded by a thorn fence with separate enclosures for the cattle. The -huts are formed of curved sticks, with their ends fastened in the ground, -covered with mats, in shape approaching to oval, about five feet high, -fifteen feet long, and eight broad. Arrived at the village, we found the -elders seated under the shade of a venerable Acacia feasting; six bullocks -were immediately slaughtered for the Caffilah and ourselves. At sunset a -camel was brought out in front of the building and killed--the Bedoos are -extremely fond of this meat. In the evening I had a long conversation with -Datah Mahomed, who said, 'My son! you have as yet given me nothing. The -Wallasena gave me everything. My horse has been stolen--I want a mule and -much cloth.' Deeni replied for me that the mules were presents from the -king (Sahala Salassah) to the Governor of Aden: this the old man would not -believe. I told him that I had given him the horse and Tobe, but he -exclaimed, 'No, no! my son; the Wallasena is our father; he told me that -he had given them to me, and also that you would give me great things when -you arrived at my village. My son! the Wallasena would not lie.' Datah was -then called away. - -"Early on the morning of Tuesday the 25th, Datah Mahomed invited me and -the elders of the Caffilah to his hut, where he supplied us liberally with -milk; clarified butter was then handed round, and the Tajoorians anointed -their bodies. After we had left his hut, he came to me, and in presence of -the Ras el Caffilah and Deeni said, 'You see I have treated you with great -honour, you must give me a mule and plenty of cloth, as all my people want -cloth. You have given me nothing as yet!' Seeing that I became rather -angry, and declared solemnly that I had given him the horse and Tobe, he -smiled and said, 'I know that, but I want a mule, my horse has been -stolen.'--I replied that I would see about it. He then asked for all my -blue cloth and my Arab 'Camblee' (blanket). My portmanteau being rather -the worse for wear--its upper leather was torn--he thrust in his fingers, -and said, with a most avaricious grin, 'What have you here?' I immediately -arose and exclaimed, 'You are not my father; the Wallasena told me you -would treat me kindly; this is not doing so.' He begged pardon and said, -'Do not be frightened, my son; I will take nothing from you but what you -give me freely. You think I am a bad man; people have been telling you ill -things about me. I am now an old man, and have given up such child's work -as plundering people.' It became, however, necessary to inquire of Datah -Mahomed what were his intentions with regard to myself. I found that I had -been deceived at Shoa; there it was asserted that he lived at Errur and -was brother to Bedar, one of the most powerful chiefs of the Adel, instead -of which it proved that he was not so highly connected, and that he -visited Errur only occasionally. Datah told me that his marriage feast -would last seven days, after which he would forward me to Doomi, where we -should find Bedar, who would send me either to Tajoorah or to Hurrur, as -he saw fit. - -"I now perceived that all hope of reaching Hurrur was at an end. Vexed and -disappointed at having suffered so much in vain, I was obliged to resign -the idea of going there for the following reasons: The Mission treasury -was at so low an ebb that I had left Shoa with only three German crowns, -and the prospect of meeting on the road Mahomed Ali in charge of the -second division of the Embassy and the presents, who could have supplied -me with money. The constant demands of Datah Mahomed for tobacco, for -cloth, in fact for everything he saw, would become ten times more annoying -were I left with him without an interpreter. The Tajoorians, also, one -all, begged me not to remain, saying, 'Think not of your property, but -only of your and your servants' lives. Come with us to Tajoorah; we will -travel quick, and you shall share our provisions.' At last I consented to -this new arrangement, and Datah Mahomed made no objection. This -individual, however, did not leave me till he had extorted from me my best -mule, all my Tobes (eight in number), and three others, which I borrowed -from the caravan people. He departed about midnight, saying that he would -take away his mule in the morning. - -"At 4 A.M. on the 26th I was disturbed by Datah Mahomed, who took away his -mule, and then asked for more cloth, which was resolutely refused. He then -begged for my 'Camblee,' which, as it was my only covering, I would not -part with, and checked him by desiring him to strip me if he wished it. He -then left me and returned in about an hour, with a particular friend who -had come a long way expressly to see me. I acknowledged the honour, and -deeply regretted that I had only words to pay for it, he himself having -received my last Tobe. 'However,' I continued, seeing the old man's brow -darken, 'I will endeavour to borrow one from the Caffilah people.' Deeni -brought me one, which was rejected as inferior. I then said, 'You see my -dress--that cloth is better than what I wear--but here; take my turban.' -This had the desired effect; the cloth was accepted. At length Datah -Mahomed delivered me over to the charge of the Ras el Caffilah in a very -impressive manner, and gave me his blessing. We resumed our journey at 2 -P.M., when I joined heartily with the caravan people in their 'Praise be -to God! we are at length clear of the Bedoos!' About 8 P.M. we halted at -Metta. - -"At half-past 4 A.M. on the 27th we started; all the people of the -Caffilah were warm in their congratulations that I had given up the Hurrur -route. At 9 A.M. we halted at Codaitoo: the country bears marks of having -been thickly inhabited during the rains, but at present, owing to the want -of water, not an individual was to be met with. At Murroo we filled our -water-skins, there being no water between that place and Doomi, distant -two days' journey. As the Ras el Caffilah had heard that the Bedoos were -as numerous as the hairs of his head at Doomi and Keelulhoo, he determined -to avoid both and proceed direct to Warrahambili, where water was -plentiful and Bedoos were few, owing to the scarcity of grass. This, he -said, was partly on my account and partly on his own, as he would be much -troubled by the Bedouins of Doomi, many of them being his kinsmen. We -continued our march from 3 P.M. till 9 P.M., when we halted at Boonderrah. - -"At 4 P.M., on January 28th, we moved forward through the Waddy -Boonderrah, which was dry at that season; grass, however, was still -abundant. From 11 A.M. till 4 P.M., we halted at Geera Dohiba. Then again -advancing we traversed, by a very rough road, a deep ravine, called the -"Place of Lions." The slaves are now beginning to be much knocked up, many -of them during the last march were obliged to be put upon camels. I forgot -to mention that one died the day we left Murroo. At 10 P.M. we halted at -Hagaioo Geera Dohiba: this was formerly the dwelling-place of Hagaioo, -chief of the Woemah (Dankali), but the Eesa Somali having made a -successful attack upon him, and swept off all his cattle, he deserted it. -During the night the barking of dogs betrayed the vicinity of a Bedoo -encampment, and caused us to keep a good look-out. Water being too scarce -to make bread, I contented myself with coffee and parched grain. - -"At daylight on the 29th we resumed our journey, and passed by an -encampment of the Eesa, About noon we reached Warrahambili. Thus far we -have done well, but the slaves are now so exhausted that a halt of two -days will be necessary to recruit their strength. In this Wady we found an -abundance of slightly brackish water, and a hot spring. - -"_Sunday, 30th January._--A Caffilah, travelling from Tajoorah to Shoa, -passed by. The people kindly offered to take my letters. Mahomed ibn -Boraitoo, one of the principal people in the Caffilah, presented me with a -fine sheep and a quantity of milk, which I was glad to accept. There had -been a long-standing quarrel between him and our Ras el Caffilah. When the -latter heard that I accepted the present he became very angry, and said to -my servant, Adam, 'Very well, your master chooses to take things from -other people; why did he not ask me if he wanted sheep? We shall see!' -Adam interrupted him by saying, 'Be not angry; my master did not ask for -the sheep, it was brought to him as a present; it has been slaughtered, -and I was just looking for you to distribute it among the people of the -Caffilah.' This appeased him; and Adam added, 'If my master hears your -words he will be angry, for he wishes to be friends with all people.' I -mention the above merely to show how very little excites these savages to -anger. The man who gave me the sheep, hearing that I wished to go to -Tajoorah, offered to take me there in four days. I told him I would first -consult the Ras el Caffilah, who declared it would not be safe for me to -proceed from this alone, but that from Dakwaylaka (three marches in -advance) he himself would accompany me in. The Ras then presented me with -a sheep. - -"We resumed our journey at 1 P.M., January 31st, passed several parties of -Eesa, and at 8 P.M. halted at Burroo Ruddah. - -"On February 1st we marched from 4 A.M. to 11 A.M., when we halted in the -Wady Fiahloo, dry at this season. Grass was abundant. At 3 P.M. we resumed -our journey. Crossing the plain of Amahdoo some men were observed to the -southward, marching towards the Caffilah; the alarm and the order to close -up were instantly given; our men threw aside their upper garments and -prepared for action, being fully persuaded that it was a party of Eesa -coming to attack them. However, on nearer approach we observed several -camels with them; two men were sent on to inquire who they were; they -proved to be a party of Somalis going to Ousak for grain. At 8 P.M. we -halted on the plain of Dakwaylaka. - -"At daylight on February the 2nd, the Ras el Caffilah, Deeni, and Mahomed -accompanied me in advance of the caravan to water our mules at Dakwaylaka. -Arriving there about 11 A.M. we found the Bedoos watering their cattle. -Mahomed unbridled his animal, which rushed towards the trough from which -the cattle were drinking; the fair maid who was at the well baling out the -water into the trough immediately set up the shrill cry of alarm, and we -were compelled to move about a mile up the Wady, when we came to a pool of -water black as ink. Thirsty as I was I could not touch the stuff. The -Caffilah arrived about half-past 1 P.M., by which time the cattle of the -Bedoos had all been driven off to grass, so that the well was at our -service. We encamped close to it. Ibrahim recommended that Adam Burroo of -the Assoubal tribe, a young Bedoo, and a relation of his should accompany -our party. I promised him ten dollars at Tajoorah. [3] At 3 P.M., having -completed my arrangements, and leaving one servant behind to bring up the -luggage, I quitted the Caffilah amidst the universal blessings of the -people. I was accompanied by Ibrahim, the Ras el Caffilah, Deeni ibn -Hamid, my interpreter, three of my servants, and the young Bedoo, all -mounted on mules. One baggage mule, fastened behind one of my servants' -animals, carried a little flour, parched grain, and coffee, coffee-pot, -frying-pan, and one suit of clothes for each. Advancing at a rapid pace, -about 5 P.M. we came up with a party consisting of Eesa, with their -camels. One of them instantly collected the camels, whilst the others -hurried towards us in a suspicious way. The Bedoo hastened to meet them, -and we were permitted, owing, I was told, to my firearms, the appearance -of which pleased them not, to proceed quietly. At 7 P.M., having arrived -at a place where grass was abundant, we turned off the road and halted. - -"At 1:30 A.M., on Thursday, 3rd February, as the moon rose we saddled our -mules and pushed forward at a rapid pace. At 4 A.M. we halted and had a -cup of coffee each, when we again mounted. As the day broke we came upon -an encampment of the Debeneh, who hearing the clatter of our mules' hoofs, -set up the cry of alarm. The Bedoo pacified them: they had supposed us to -be a party of Eesa. We continued our journey, and about 10 A.M. we halted -for breakfast, which consisted of coffee and parched grain. At noon we -again moved forward, and at 3 P.M., having arrived at a pool of water -called Murhabr in the Wady Dalabayah, we halted for about an hour to make -some bread. We then continued through the Wady, passed several Bedoo -encampments till a little after dark, when we descended into the plain of -Gurgudeli. Here observing several fires, the Bedoo crawled along to -reconnoitre, and returned to say they were Debeneh. We gave them a wide -berth, and about 8:30 P.M. halted. We were cautioned not to make a fire, -but I had a great desire for a cup of coffee after the fatigue of this -long march. Accordingly we made a small fire, concealing it with shields. - -"At 3 A.M. on Friday, the 4th February, we resumed our journey. After -about an hour and a half arriving at a good grazing ground, we halted to -feed the mules, and then watered them at Alooli. At 1 P.M. I found the sun -so oppressive that I was obliged to halt for two hours. We had struck off -to the right of the route pursued by the Embassy, and crossed, not the -Salt Lake, but the hills to the southward. The wind blowing very strong -considerably retarded our progress, so that we did not arrive at Dahfurri, -our halting-place, till sunset. Dahfurri is situated about four miles to -the southward of Mhow, the encampment of the Embassy near the Lake, and -about 300 yards to the eastward of the road. Here we found a large basin -of excellent water, which the Tajoorians informed me was a mere mass of -mud when we passed by to Shoa, but that the late rains had cleared away -all the impurities. After sunset a gale of wind blew. - -"At 1 A.M. on the 5th February, the wind having decreased we started. -Passing through the pass of the Rer Essa, the barking of dogs caused us -some little uneasiness, as it betrayed the vicinity of the Bedoo, whether -friend or foe we knew not. Ibrahim requested us to keep close order, and -to be silent. As day broke we descended into the plain of Warrah Lissun, -where we halted and ate the last of the grain. After half an hour's halt -we continued our journey. Ibrahim soon declared his inability to keep up -with us, so he recommended me to the care of the Bedoo and Deeni, saying -he would follow slowly. We arrived at Sagulloo about 11 A.M., and Ibrahim -about two hours afterwards. At 3 P.M. we resumed our march, and a little -before sunset arrived at Ambaboo. - -"The elders had a conference which lasted about a quarter of an hour, when -they came forward and welcomed me, directing men to look after my mules. I -was led to a house which had been cleaned for my reception. Ibrahim then -brought water and a bag of dates, and shortly afterwards some rice and -milk. Many villagers called to pay their respects, and remained but a -short time as I wanted repose: they would scarcely believe that I had -travelled in eighteen days from Shoa, including four day's halt. - -"Early on the morning of the 6th February I set out for Tajoorah, where I -was received with every demonstration of welcome by both rich and poor. -The Sultan gave me his house, and after I had drunk a cup of coffee with -him, considerately ordered away all the people who had flocked to see me, -as, he remarked, I must be tired after so rapid a journey. - -"It may not be amiss to mention here that the British character stands -very high at Tajoorah. The people assured me that since the British had -taken Aden they had enjoyed peace and security, and that from being -beggars they had become princes. As a proof of their sincerity they said -with pride, 'Look at our village, you saw it a year and a half ago, you -know what it was then, behold what is now!' I confessed that it had been -much improved." - -(From Tajoorah the traveller, after awarding his attendants, took boat for -Zayla, where he was hospitably received by the Hajj Sharmarkay's agent. -Suffering severely from fever, on Monday the 14th February he put to sea -again and visited Berberah, where he lived in Sharmarkay's house, and -finally he arrived at Aden on Friday the 25th February, 1842. He concludes -the narrative of his adventure as follows.) - -"It is due to myself that I should offer some explanation for the rough -manner in which this report is drawn up. On leaving Shoa the Caffilah -people marked with a jealous eye that I seemed to number the slaves and -camels, and Deeni reported to me that they had observed my making entries -in my note-book. Whenever the Bedoos on the road caught sight of a piece -of paper, they were loud in their demands for it. [4] Our marches were so -rapid that I was scarcely allowed time sufficient to prepare for the -fatigues of the ensuing day, and experience had taught me the necessity of -keeping a vigilant watch. [5] Aware that Government must be anxious for -information from the 'Mission,' I performed the journey in a shorter space -of time than any messenger, however highly paid, has yet done it, and for -several days lived on coffee and parched grain. Moreover, on arrival at -Aden, I was so weak from severe illness that I could write but at short -intervals. - -"It will not, I trust, be considered that the alteration in my route was -caused by trivial circumstances. It would have been absurd to have -remained with the Bedoos without an interpreter: there would have been -daily disputes and misunderstandings, and I had already sufficient insight -into the character of Datah Mahomed to perceive that his avarice was -insatiable. Supposing I had passed through his hands, there was the chief -of Bedar, who, besides expecting much more than I had given to Datah -Mahomed, would, it is almost certain, eventually have forwarded me to -Tajoorah. Finally, if I can believe the innumerable reports of the people, -both at Tajoorah and Zalaya, neither I myself nor my servants would ever -have passed through the kingdom of Hurrur. The jealousy of the prince -against foreigners is so great that, although he would not injure them -within the limits of his own dominions, he would cause them to waylaid and -murdered on the road." - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] Thus in the original. It may be a mistake, for Captain Barker is, I am -informed, a proficient in conversational Arabic. - -[2] This chief was the Emir Abubakr, father of Ahmed: the latter was -ruling when I entered Harar in 1855. - -[3] As the youth gave perfect satisfaction, he received, besides the ten -dollars, a Tobe and a European saddle, "to which he had taken a great -fancy." - -[4] In these wild countries every bit of paper written over is considered -to be a talisman or charm. - -[5] A sergeant, a corporal, and a Portuguese cook belonging to Captain -Harris's mission were treacherously slain near Tajoorah at night. The -murderers were Hamid Saborayto, and Mohammed Saborayto, two Dankalis of -the Ad All clan. In 1842 they seem to have tried a _ruse de guerre_ upon -M. Rochet, and received from him only too mild a chastisement. The -ruffians still live at Juddah (Jubbah ?) near Ambabo. - - - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of First Footsteps in East Africa, by -Richard F. 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Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - https://www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. diff --git a/old/old-2025-03-16/6886-8.zip b/old/old-2025-03-16/6886-8.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 1df1fa4..0000000 --- a/old/old-2025-03-16/6886-8.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/old-2025-03-16/6886.txt b/old/old-2025-03-16/6886.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 023ecd6..0000000 --- a/old/old-2025-03-16/6886.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,12838 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's First Footsteps in East Africa, by Richard F. Burton - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: First Footsteps in East Africa - or, an Exploration of Harar - -Author: Richard F. Burton - -Posting Date: February 13, 2012 [EBook #6886] -Release Date: November, 2004 -First Posted: February 7, 2003 -Last Updated: March 29, 2004 -Last Updated: February 12, 2012 - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FIRST FOOTSTEPS IN EAST AFRICA *** - - - - -Produced by Anne Soulard, Carlo Traverso and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team. This file was produced from -images generously made available by the Bibliotheque -nationale de France (BnF/Gallica) at http://gallica.bnf.fr.) - - - - - - - - - - - -[Illustration: HARAR FROM THE COFFE STREAM] - -FIRST FOOTSTEPS IN EAST AFRICA; OR, AN EXPLORATION OF HARAR. - -BY -RICHARD F. BURTON - - - - -TO -THE HONORABLE -JAMES GRANT LUMSDEN, -MEMBER OF COUNCIL, ETC. ETC. BOMBAY. - - -I have ventured, my dear Lumsden, to address you in, and inscribe to you, -these pages. Within your hospitable walls my project of African travel was -matured, in the fond hope of submitting, on return, to your friendly -criticism, the record of adventures in which you took so warm an interest. -Dis aliter visum! Still I would prove that my thoughts are with you, and -thus request you to accept with your wonted _bonhommie_ this feeble token -of a sincere good will. - - - - -PREFACE. - - -Averse to writing, as well as to reading, diffuse Prolegomena, the author -finds himself compelled to relate, at some length, the circumstances which -led to the subject of these pages. - -In May 1849, the late Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Malcolm, formerly -Superintendent of the Indian Navy, in conjunction with Mr. William John -Hamilton, then President of the Royal Geographical Society of Great -Britain, solicited the permission of the Court of Directors of the -Honorable East India Company to ascertain the productive resources of the -unknown Somali Country in East Africa. [1] The answer returned, was to the -following effect:-- - -"If a fit and proper person volunteer to travel in the Somali Country, he -goes as a private traveller, the Government giving no more protection to -him than they would to an individual totally unconnected with the service. -They will allow the officer who obtains permission to go, during his -absence on the expedition to retain all the pay and allowances he may be -enjoying when leave was granted: they will supply him with all the -instruments required, afford him a passage going and returning, and pay -the actual expenses of the journey." - -The project lay dormant until March 1850, when Sir Charles Malcolm and -Captain Smyth, President of the Royal Geographical Society of Great -Britain, waited upon the chairman of the Court of Directors of the -Honorable East India Company. He informed them that if they would draw up -a statement of what was required, and specify how it could be carried into -effect, the document should be forwarded to the Governor-General of India, -with a recommendation that, should no objection arise, either from expense -or other causes, a fit person should be permitted to explore the Somali -Country. - -Sir Charles Malcolm then offered the charge of the expedition to Dr. -Carter of Bombay, an officer favourably known to the Indian world by his -services on board the "Palinurus" brig whilst employed upon the maritime -survey of Eastern Arabia. Dr. Carter at once acceded to the terms proposed -by those from whom the project emanated; but his principal object being to -compare the geology and botany of the Somali Country with the results of -his Arabian travels, he volunteered to traverse only that part of Eastern -Africa which lies north of a line drawn from Berberah to Ras Hafun,--in -fact, the maritime mountains of the Somal. His health not permitting him -to be left on shore, he required a cruizer to convey him from place to -place, and to preserve his store of presents and provisions. By this means -he hoped to land at the most interesting points and to penetrate here and -there from sixty to eighty miles inland, across the region which he -undertook to explore. - -On the 17th of August, 1850, Sir Charles Malcolm wrote to Dr. Carter in -these terms:--"I have communicated with the President of the Royal -Geographical Society and others: the feeling is, that though much valuable -information could no doubt be gained by skirting the coast (as you -propose) both in geology and botany, yet that it does not fulfil the -primary and great object of the London Geographical Society, which was, -and still is, to have the interior explored." The Vice-Admiral, however, -proceeded to say that, under the circumstances of the case, Dr. Carter's -plans were approved of, and asked him to confer immediately with Commodore -Lushington; then Commander in Chief of the Indian Navy. - -In May, 1851, Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Malcolm died: geographers and -travellers lost in him an influential and an energetic friend. During the -ten years of his superintendence over the Indian Navy that service rose, -despite the incubus of profound peace, to the highest distinction. He -freely permitted the officers under his command to undertake the task of -geographical discovery, retaining their rank, pay, and batta, whilst the -actual expenses of their journeys were defrayed by contingent bills. All -papers and reports submitted to the local government were favourably -received, and the successful traveller looked forward to distinction and -advancement. - -During the decade which elapsed between 1828 and 1838, "officers of the -Indian Navy journeyed, as the phrase is, _with their lives in their -hands_, through the wildest districts of the East. Of these we name the -late Commander J. A. Young, Lieutenants Wellsted, Wyburd, Wood, and -Christopher, retired Commander Ormsby, the present Capt. H. B. Lynch C.B., -Commanders Felix Jones and W. C. Barker, Lieutenants Cruttenden and -Whitelock. Their researches extended from the banks of the Bosphorus to -the shores of India. Of the vast, the immeasurable value of such -services," to quote the words of the Quarterly Review (No. cxxix. Dec. -1839), "which able officers thus employed, are in the mean time rendering -to science, to commerce, to their country, and to the whole civilized -world, we need say nothing:--nothing we could say would be too much." - -"In five years, the admirable maps of that coral-bound gulf--the Red Sea-- -were complete: the terrors of the navigation had given place to the -confidence inspired by excellent surveys. In 1829 the Thetis of ten guns, -under Commander Robert Moresby, convoyed the first coal ship up the Red -Sea, of the coasts of which this skilful and enterprising seaman made a -cursory survey, from which emanated the subsequent trigonometrical -operations which form our present maps. Two ships were employed, the -'Benares' and 'Palinurus,' the former under Commander Elwon, the latter -under Commander Moresby. It remained, however, for the latter officer to -complete the work. Some idea may be formed of the perils these officers -and men went through, when we state the 'Benares' was forty-two times -aground. - -"Robert Moresby, the genius of the Red Sea, conducted also the survey of -the Maldive Islands and groups known as the Chagos Archipelago. He -narrowly escaped being a victim to the deleterious climate of his station, -and only left it when no longer capable of working. A host of young and -ardent officers,--Christopher, Young, Powell, Campbell, Jones, Barker, and -others,--ably seconded him: death was busy amongst them for months and so -paralyzed by disease were the living, that the anchors could scarcely be -raised for a retreat to the coast of India. Renovated by a three months' -stay, occasionally in port, where they were strengthened by additional -numbers, the undaunted remnants from time to time returned to their task; -and in 1837, gave to the world a knowledge of those singular groups which -heretofore--though within 150 miles of our coasts--had been a mystery -hidden within the dangers that environed them. The beautiful maps of the -Red Sea, drafted by the late Commodore Carless [2], then a lieutenant, -will ever remain permanent monuments of Indian Naval Science, and the -daring of its officers and men. Those of the Maldive and Chagos groups, -executed by Commander then Acting Lieutenant Felix Jones, were, we hear, -of such a high order, that they were deemed worthy of special inspection -by the Queen." - -"While these enlightening operations were in progress, there were others -of this profession, no less distinguished, employed on similar -discoveries. The coast of Mekran westward from Scinde, was little known, -but it soon found a place in the hydrographical offices of India, under -Captain, then Lieutenant, Stafford Haines, and his staff, who were engaged -on it. The journey to the Oxus, made by Lieut. Wood, Sir. A. Burnes's -companion in his Lahore and Afghan missions, is a page of history which -may not be opened to us again in our own times; while in Lieut. Carless's -drafts of the channels of the Indus, we trace those designs, that the -sword of Sir Charles Napier only was destined to reveal." - -"The ten years prior to that of 1839 were those of fitful repose, such as -generally precedes some great outbreak. The repose afforded ample leisure -for research, and the shores of the island of Socotra, with the south -coast of Arabia, were carefully delineated. Besides the excellent maps of -these regions, we are indebted to the survey for that unique work on Oman, -by the late Lieut. Wellsted of this service, and for valuable notices from -the pen of Lieut. Cruttenden. [3] - -"Besides the works we have enumerated, there were others of the same -nature, but on a smaller scale, in operation at the same period around our -own coasts. The Gulf of Cambay, and the dangerous sands known as the -Molucca Banks, were explored and faithfully mapped by Captain Richard -Ethersey, assisted by Lieutenant (now Commander) Fell. Bombay Harbour was -delineated again on a grand scale by Capt. R. Cogan, assisted by Lieut. -Peters, now both dead; and the ink of the Maldive charts had scarcely -dried, when the labours of those employed were demanded of the Indian -Government by Her Majesty's authorities at Ceylon, to undertake -trigonometrical surveys of that Island, and the dangerous and shallow -gulfs on either side of the neck of sand connecting it with India. They -were the present Captains F. F. Powell, and Richard Ethersey, in the -Schooner 'Royal Tiger' and 'Shannon,' assisted by Lieut. (now Commander) -Felix Jones, and the late Lieut. Wilmot Christopher, who fell in action -before Mooltan. The first of these officers had charge of one of the -tenders under Lieut. Powell, and the latter another under Lieut. Ethersey. -The maps of the Pamban Pass and the Straits of Manaar were by the hand of -Lieut. Felix Jones, who was the draftsman also on this survey: they speak -for themselves." [4] - -In 1838 Sir Charles Malcolm was succeeded by Sir Robert Oliver, an "old -officer of the old school"--a strict disciplinarian, a faithful and honest -servant of Government, but a violent, limited, and prejudiced man. He -wanted "sailors," individuals conversant with ropes and rigging, and -steeped in knowledge of shot and shakings, he loved the "rule of thumb," -he hated "literary razors," and he viewed science with the profoundest -contempt. About twenty surveys were ordered to be discontinued as an -inauguratory measure, causing the loss of many thousand pounds, -independent of such contingencies as the "Memnon." [5] Batta was withheld -from the few officers who obtained leave, and the life of weary labour on -board ship was systematically made monotonous and uncomfortable:--in local -phrase it was described as "many stripes and no stars." Few measures were -omitted to heighten the shock of contrast. No notice was taken of papers -forwarded to Government, and the man who attempted to distinguish himself -by higher views than quarter-deck duties, found himself marked out for the -angry Commodore's red-hot displeasure. No place was allowed for charts and -plans: valuable original surveys, of which no duplicates existed, lay -tossed amongst the brick and mortar with which the Marine Office was being -rebuilt. No instruments were provided for ships, even a barometer was not -supplied in one case, although duly indented for during five years. Whilst -Sir Charles Malcolm ruled the Bombay dockyards, the British name rose high -in the Indian, African, and Arabian seas. Each vessel had its presents-- -guns, pistols, and powder, Abbas, crimson cloth and shawls, watches, -telescopes, and similar articles--with a suitable stock of which every -officer visiting the interior on leave was supplied. An order from Sir -Robert Oliver withdrew presents as well as instruments: with them -disappeared the just idea of our faith and greatness as a nation -entertained by the maritime races, who formerly looked forward to the -arrival of our cruizers. Thus the Indian navy was crushed by neglect and -routine into a mere transport service, remarkable for little beyond -constant quarrels between sea-lieutenants and land-lieutenants, sailor- -officers and soldier-officers, their "passengers." And thus resulted that -dearth of enterprise--alluded to _ex cathedra_ by a late President of the -Royal Geographical Society of Great Britain--which now characterises -Western India erst so celebrated for ardour in adventure. - -To return to the subject of East African discovery. Commodore Lushington -and Dr. Carter met in order to concert some measures for forwarding the -plans of a Somali Expedition. It was resolved to associate three persons, -Drs. Carter and Stocks, and an officer of the Indian navy: a vessel was -also warned for service on the coast of Africa. This took place in the -beginning of 1851: presently Commodore Lushington resigned his command, -and the project fell to the ground. - -The author of these pages, after his return from El Hajaz to Bombay, -conceived the idea of reviving the Somali Expedition: he proposed to start -in the spring of 1854, and accompanied by two officers, to penetrate _via_ -Harar and Gananah to Zanzibar. His plans were favourably received by the -Right Hon. Lord Elphinstone, the enlightened governor of the colony, and -by the local authorities, amongst whom the name of James Grant Lumsden, -then Member of Council, will ever suggest the liveliest feelings of -gratitude and affection. But it being judged necessary to refer once more -for permission to the Court of Directors, an official letter bearing date -the 28th April 1854 was forwarded from Bombay with a warm recommendation. -Lieut. Herne of the 1st Bombay European Regiment of Fusileers, an officer -skilful in surveying, photography, and mechanics, together with the -writer, obtained leave, pending the reference, and a free passage to Aden -in Arabia. On the 23rd August a favourable reply was despatched by the -Court of Directors. - -Meanwhile the most painful of events had modified the original plan. The -third member of the Expedition, Assistant Surgeon J. Ellerton Stocks, -whose brilliant attainments as a botanist, whose long and enterprising -journeys, and whose eminently practical bent of mind had twice recommended -him for the honors and trials of African exploration, died suddenly in the -prime of life. Deeply did his friends lament him for many reasons: a -universal favourite, he left in the social circle a void never to be -filled up, and they mourned the more that Fate had not granted him the -time, as it had given him the will and the power, to trace a deeper and -more enduring mark upon the iron tablets of Fame. - -No longer hoping to carry out his first project, the writer determined to -make the geography and commerce of the Somali country his principal -objects. He therefore applied to the Bombay Government for the assistance -of Lieut. William Stroyan, I. N., an officer distinguished by his surveys -on the coast of Western India, in Sindh, and on the Panjab Rivers. It was -not without difficulty that such valuable services were spared for the -deadly purpose of penetrating into Eastern Africa. All obstacles, however, -were removed by their ceaseless and energetic efforts, who had fostered -the author's plans, and early in the autumn of 1854, Lieut. Stroyan -received leave to join the Expedition. At the same time, Lieut. J. H. -Speke, of the 46th Regiment Bengal N. I., who had spent many years -collecting the Fauna of Thibet and the Himalayan mountains, volunteered to -share the hardships of African exploration. - -In October 1854, the writer and his companions received at Aden in Arabia -the sanction of the Court of Directors. It was his intention to march in a -body, using Berberah as a base of operations, westwards to Harar, and -thence in a south-easterly direction towards Zanzibar. - -But the voice of society at Aden was loud against the expedition. The -rough manners, the fierce looks, and the insolent threats of the Somal-- -the effects of our too peaceful rule--had pre-possessed the timid colony -at the "Eye of Yemen" with an idea of extreme danger. The Anglo-Saxon -spirit suffers, it has been observed, from confinement within any but -wooden walls, and the European degenerates rapidly, as do his bull-dogs, -his game-cocks, and other pugnacious animals, in the hot, enervating, and -unhealthy climates of the East. The writer and his comrades were -represented to be men deliberately going to their death, and the Somal at -Aden were not slow in imitating the example of their rulers. The savages -had heard of the costly Shoa Mission, its 300 camels and 50 mules, and -they longed for another rehearsal of the drama: according to them a vast -outlay was absolutely necessary, every village must be feasted, every -chief propitiated with magnificent presents, and dollars must be dealt out -by handfuls. The Political Resident refused to countenance the scheme -proposed, and his objection necessitated a further change of plans. - -Accordingly, Lieut. Herne was directed to proceed, after the opening of -the annual fair-season, to Berberah, where no danger was apprehended. It -was judged that the residence of this officer upon the coast would produce -a friendly feeling on the part of the Somal, and, as indeed afterwards -proved to be the case, would facilitate the writer's egress from Harar, by -terrifying the ruler for the fate of his caravans. [6] Lieut. Herne, who -on the 1st of January 1855, was joined by Lieut. Stroyan, resided on the -African coast from November to April; he inquired into the commerce, the -caravan lines, and the state of the slave trade, visited the maritime -mountains, sketched all the places of interest, and made a variety of -meteorological and other observations as a prelude to extensive research. - -Lieut. Speke was directed to land at Bunder Guray, a small harbour in the -"Arz el Aman," or "Land of Safety," as the windward Somal style their -country. His aim was to trace the celebrated Wady Nogal, noting its -watershed and other peculiarities, to purchase horses and camels for the -future use of the Expedition, and to collect specimens of the reddish -earth which, according to the older African travellers, denotes the -presence of gold dust. [7] Lieut. Speke started on the 23rd October 1854, -and returned, after about three months, to Aden. He had failed, through -the rapacity and treachery of his guide, to reach the Wady Nogal. But he -had penetrated beyond the maritime chain of hills, and his journal -(condensed in the Appendix) proves that he had collected some novel and -important information. - -Meanwhile the author, assuming the disguise of an Arab merchant, prepared -to visit the forbidden city of Harar. He left Aden on the 29th of October -1854, arrived at the capital of the ancient Hadiyah Empire on the 3rd -January 1855, and on the 9th of the ensuing February returned in safety to -Arabia, with the view of purchasing stores and provisions for a second and -a longer journey. [8] What unforeseen circumstance cut short the career of -the proposed Expedition, the Postscript of the present volume will show. - -The following pages contain the writer's diary, kept daring his march to -and from Harar. It must be borne in mind that the region traversed on this -occasion was previously known only by the vague reports of native -travellers. All the Abyssinian discoverers had traversed the Dankali and -other northern tribes: the land of the Somal was still a _terra -incognita_. Harar, moreover, had never been visited, and few are the -cities of the world which in the present age, when men hurry about the -earth, have not opened their gates to European adventure. The ancient -metropolis of a once mighty race, the only permanent settlement in Eastern -Africa, the reported seat of Moslem learning, a walled city of stone -houses, possessing its independent chief, its peculiar population, its -unknown language, and its own coinage, the emporium of the coffee trade, -the head-quarters of slavery, the birth-place of the Kat plant, [9] and -the great manufactory of cotton-cloths, amply, it appeared, deserved the -trouble of exploration. That the writer was successful in his attempt, the -following pages will prove. Unfortunately it was found impossible to use -any instruments except a pocket compass, a watch, and a portable -thermometer more remarkable for convenience than correctness. But the way -was thus paved for scientific observation: shortly after the author's -departure from Harar, the Amir or chief wrote to the Acting Political -Resident at Aden, earnestly begging to be supplied with a "Frank -physician," and offering protection to any European who might be persuaded -to visit his dominions. - -The Appendix contains the following papers connected with the movements of -the expedition in the winter of 1854. - -1. The diary and observations made by Lieut. Speke, when attempting to -reach the Wady Nogal. - -2. A sketch of the grammar, and a vocabulary of the Harari tongue. This -dialect is little known to European linguists: the only notices of it -hitherto published are in Salt's Abyssinia, Appendix I. p. 6-10.; by Balbi -Atlas Ethnogr. Tab. xxxix. No. 297.; Kielmaier, Ausland, 1840, No. 76.; -and Dr. Beke (Philological Journal, April 25. 1845.) - -3. Meteorological observations in the cold season of 1854-55 by Lieuts. -Herne, Stroyan, and the Author. - -4. A brief description of certain peculiar customs, noticed in Nubia, by -Brown and Werne under the name of fibulation. - -5. The conclusion is a condensed account of an attempt to reach Harar from -Ankobar. [10] On the 14th October 1841, Major Sir William Cornwallis -Harris (then Captain in the Bombay Engineers), Chief of the Mission sent -from India to the King of Shoa, advised Lieut. W. Barker, I. N., whose -services were imperatively required by Sir Robert Oliver, to return from -Abyssinia _via_ Harar, "over a road hitherto untrodden by Europeans." As -His Majesty Sahalah Selassie had offered friendly letters to the Moslem -Amir, Capt. Harris had "no doubt of the success of the enterprise." -Although the adventurous explorer was prevented by the idle fears of the -Bedouin Somal and the rapacity of his guides from visiting the city, his -pages, as a narrative of travel, will amply reward perusal. They have been -introduced into this volume mainly with the view of putting the reader in -possession of all that has hitherto been written and not published, upon -the subject of Harar. [11] For the same reason the author has not -hesitated to enrich his pages with observations drawn from Lieutenants -Cruttenden and Rigby. The former printed in the Transactions of the Bombay -Geographical Society two excellent papers: one headed a "Report on the -Mijjertheyn Tribe of Somallies inhabiting the district forming the North -East Point of Africa;" secondly, a "Memoir on the Western or Edoor Tribes, -inhabiting the Somali coast of North East Africa; with the Southern -Branches of the family of Darood, resident on the banks of the Webbe -Shebayli, commonly called the River Webbe." Lieut. C. P. Rigby, 16th -Regiment Bombay N. I., published, also in the Transactions of the -Geographical Society of Bombay, an "Outline of the Somali Language, with -Vocabulary," which supplied a great lacuna in the dialects of Eastern -Africa. - -A perusal of the following pages will convince the reader that the -extensive country of the Somal is by no means destitute of capabilities. -Though partially desert, and thinly populated, it possesses valuable -articles of traffic, and its harbours export the produce of the Gurague, -Abyssinian, Galla, and other inland races. The natives of the country are -essentially commercial: they have lapsed into barbarism by reason of their -political condition--the rude equality of the Hottentots,--but they appear -to contain material for a moral regeneration. As subjects they offer a -favourable contrast to their kindred, the Arabs of El Yemen, a race -untameable as the wolf, and which, subjugated in turn by Abyssinian, -Persian, Egyptian, and Turk, has ever preserved an indomitable spirit of -freedom, and eventually succeeded in skaking off the yoke of foreign -dominion. For half a generation we have been masters of Aden, filling -Southern Arabia with our calicos and rupees--what is the present state of -affairs there? We are dared by the Bedouins to come forth from behind our -stone walls and fight like men in the plain,--British _proteges_ are -slaughtered within the range of our guns,--our allies' villages have been -burned in sight of Aden,--our deserters are welcomed and our fugitive -felons protected,--our supplies are cut off, and the garrison is reduced -to extreme distress, at the word of a half-naked bandit,--the miscreant -Bhagi who murdered Capt. Mylne in cold blood still roams the hills -unpunished,--gross insults are the sole acknowledgments of our peaceful -overtures,--the British flag has been fired upon without return, our -cruizers being ordered to act only on the defensive,--and our forbearance -to attack is universally asserted and believed to arise from mere -cowardice. Such is, and such will be, the character of the Arab! - -The Sublime Porte still preserves her possessions in the Tahamah, and the -regions conterminous to Yemen, by the stringent measures with which -Mohammed Ali of Egypt opened the robber-haunted Suez road. Whenever a Turk -or a traveller is murdered, a few squadrons of Irregular Cavalry are -ordered out; they are not too nice upon the subject of retaliation, and -rarely refuse to burn a village or two, or to lay waste the crops near the -scene of outrage. - -A civilized people, like ourselves, objects to such measures for many -reasons, of which none is more feeble than the fear of perpetuating a -blood feud with the Arabs. Our present relations with them are a "very -pretty quarrel," and moreover one which time must strengthen, cannot -efface. By a just, wholesome, and unsparing severity we may inspire the -Bedouin with fear instead of contempt: the veriest visionary would deride -the attempt to animate him with a higher sentiment. - -"Peace," observes a modern sage, "is the dream of the wise, war is the -history of man." To indulge in such dreams is but questionable wisdom. It -was not a "peace-policy" which gave the Portuguese a seaboard extending -from Cape Non to Macao. By no peace policy the Osmanlis of a past age -pushed their victorious arms from the deserts of Tartary to Aden, to -Delhi, to Algiers, and to the gates of Vienna. It was no peace policy -which made the Russians seat themselves upon the shores of the Black, the -Baltic, and the Caspian seas: gaining in the space of 150 years, and, -despite war, retaining, a territory greater than England and France -united. No peace policy enabled the French to absorb region after region -in Northern Africa, till the Mediterranean appears doomed to sink into a -Gallic lake. The English of a former generation were celebrated for -gaining ground in both hemispheres: their broad lands were not won by a -peace policy, which, however, in this our day, has on two distinct -occasions well nigh lost for them the "gem of the British Empire"--India. -The philanthropist and the political economist may fondly hope, by outcry -against "territorial aggrandizement," by advocating a compact frontier, by -abandoning colonies, and by cultivating "equilibrium," to retain our rank -amongst the great nations of the world. Never! The facts of history prove -nothing more conclusively than this: a race either progresses or -retrogrades, either increases or diminishes: the children of Time, like -their sire, cannot stand still. - -The occupation of the port of Berberah has been advised for many reasons. - -In the first place, Berberah is the true key of the Red Sea, the centre of -East African traffic, and the only safe place for shipping upon the -western Erythroean shore, from Suez to Guardafui. Backed by lands capable -of cultivation, and by hills covered with pine and other valuable trees, -enjoying a comparatively temperate climate, with a regular although thin -monsoon, this harbour has been coveted by many a foreign conqueror. -Circumstances have thrown it as it were into our arms, and, if we refuse -the chance, another and a rival nation will not be so blind. - -Secondly, we are bound to protect the lives of British subjects upon this -coast. In A.D. 1825 the crew of the "Mary Ann" brig was treacherously -murdered by the Somal. The consequence of a summary and exemplary -punishment [12] was that in August 1843, when the H.E.I.C.'s war-steamer -"Memnon" was stranded at Ras Assayr near Cape Guardafui, no outrage was -attempted by the barbarians, upon whose barren shores our seamen remained -for months labouring at the wreck. In A.D. 1855 the Somal, having -forgotten the old lesson, renewed their practices of pillaging and -murdering strangers. It is then evident that this people cannot be trusted -without supervision, and equally certain that vessels are ever liable to -be cast ashore in this part of the Red Sea. But a year ago the French -steam corvette, "Le Caiman," was lost within sight of Zayla; the Bedouin -Somal, principally Eesa, assembled a fanatic host, which was, however, -dispersed before blood had been drawn, by the exertion of the governor and -his guards. It remains for us, therefore, to provide against such -contingencies. Were one of the Peninsular and Oriental Company's vessels -cast by any accident upon this inhospitable shore, in the present state of -affairs the lives of the passengers, and the cargo, would be placed in -imminent peril. - -In advocating the establishment of an armed post at Berberah no stress is -laid upon the subject of slavery. To cut off that traffic the possession -of the great export harbour is by no means necessary. Whenever a British -cruizer shall receive positive and _bona fide_ orders to search native -craft, and to sell as prizes all that have slaves on board, the trade will -receive a death-blow. - -Certain measures have been taken during the last annual fair to punish the -outrage perpetrated by the Somal at Berberah in A.D. 1855. The writer on -his return to Aden proposed that the several clans implicated in the -offence should at once be expelled from British dominions. This -preliminary was carried out by the Acting Political Resident at Aden. -Moreover, it was judged advisable to blockade the Somali coast, from -Siyaro to Zayla, not concluded, until, in the first place, Lieut. -Stroyan's murderer, and the ruffian who attempted to spear Lieut. Speke in -cold blood, should be given up [13]; and secondly, that due compensation -for all losses should be made by the plunderers. The former condition was -approved by the Right Honorable the Governor-General of India, who, -however, objected, it is said, to the money-demand. [14] At present the -H.E. I.C.'s cruizers "Mahi," and "Elphinstone," are blockading the harbour -of Berberah, the Somal have offered 15,000 dollars' indemnity, and they -pretend, as usual, that the murderer has been slain by his tribe. - -To conclude. The writer has had the satisfaction of receiving from his -comrades assurances that they are willing to accompany him once more in -task of African Exploration. The plans of the Frank are now publicly known -to the Somali. Should the loss of life, however valuable, be an obstacle -to prosecuting them, he must fall in the esteem of the races around him. -On the contrary, should he, after duly chastising the offenders, carry out -the original plan, he will command the respect of the people, and wipe out -the memory of a temporary reverse. At no distant period the project will, -it is hoped, be revived. Nothing is required but permission to renew the -attempt--an indulgence which will not be refused by a Government raised by -energy, enterprise, and perseverance from the ranks of merchant society to -national wealth and imperial grandeur. - -14. St. James's Square, -10th February, 1856. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] It occupies the whole of the Eastern Horn, extending from the north of -Bab el Mandeb to several degrees south of Cape Guardafui. In the former -direction it is bounded by the Dankali and the Ittoo Gallas; in the latter -by the Sawahil or Negrotic regions; the Red Sea is its eastern limit, and -westward it stretches to within a few miles of Harar. - -[2] In A.D. 1838, Lieut. Carless surveyed the seaboard of the Somali -country, from Ras Hafun to Burnt Island; unfortunately his labours were -allowed by Sir Charles Malcolm's successor to lie five years in the -obscurity of MS. Meanwhile the steam frigate "Memnon," Capt. Powell -commanding, was lost at Ras Assayr; a Norie's chart, an antiquated -document, with an error of from fifteen to twenty miles, being the only -map of reference on board. Thus the Indian Government, by the dilatoriness -and prejudices of its Superintendent of Marine, sustained an unjustifiable -loss of at least 50,000_l._ - -[3] In A.D. 1836-38, Lieut. Cruttenden published descriptions of travel, -which will be alluded to in a subsequent part of this preface. - -[4] This "hasty sketch of the scientific labours of the Indian navy," is -extracted from an able anonymous pamphlet, unpromisingly headed -"Grievances and Present Condition of our Indian Officers." - -[5] In A.D. 1848, the late Mr. Joseph Hume called in the House of Commons -for a return of all Indian surveys carried on during the ten previous -years. The result proved that no less than a score had been suddenly -"broken up," by order of Sir Robert Oliver. - -[6] This plan was successfully adopted by Messrs. Antoine and Arnauld -d'Abbadie, when travelling in dangerous parts of Abyssinia and the -adjacent countries. - -[7] In A.D. 1660, Vermuyden found gold at Gambia always on naked and -barren hills embedded in a reddish earth. - -[8] The writer has not unfrequently been blamed by the critics of Indian -papers, for venturing into such dangerous lands with an outfit nearly -1500_l._ in value. In the Somali, as in other countries of Eastern Africa, -travellers must carry not only the means of purchasing passage, but also -the very necessaries of life. Money being unknown, such bulky articles as -cotton-cloth, tobacco, and beads are necessary to provide meat and milk, -and he who would eat bread must load his camels with grain. The Somal of -course exaggerate the cost of travelling; every chief, however, may demand -a small present, and every pauper, as will be seen in the following pages, -expects to be fed. - -[9] It is described at length in Chap. III. - -[10] The author hoped to insert Lieut. Berne's journal, kept at Berberah, -and the different places of note in its vicinity; as yet, however, the -paper has not been received. - -[11] Harar has frequently been described by hearsay; the following are the -principal authorities:-- - -Rochet (Second Voyage Dans le Pays des Adels, &c. Paris, 1846.), page 263. - -Sir. W. Cornwallis Harris (Highlands of AEthiopia, vol. i. ch. 43. et -passim). - -Cruttenden (Transactions of the Bombay Geological Society A.D. 1848). - -Barker (Report of the probable Position of Harar. Vol. xii. Royal -Geographical Society). - -M'Queen (Geographical Memoirs of Abyssinia, prefixed to Journals of Rev. -Messrs. Isenberg and Krapf). - -Christopher (Journal whilst commanding the H. C.'s brig "Tigris," on the -East Coast of Africa). - -Of these by far the most correct account is that of Lieut. Cruttenden. - -[12] In A.D. 1825, the Government of Bombay received intelligence that a -brig from the Mauritius had been seized, plundered, and broken up near -Berberah, and that part of her crew had been barbarously murdered by the -Somali. The "Elphinstone" sloop of war (Capt. Greer commanding) was sent -to blockade the coast; when her guns opened fire, the people fled with -their wives and children, and the spot where a horseman was killed by a -cannon ball is still shown on the plain near the town. Through the -intervention of El Hajj Sharmarkay, the survivors were recovered; the -Somal bound themselves to abstain from future attacks upon English -vessels, and also to refund by annual instalments the full amount of -plundered property. For the purpose of enforcing the latter stipulation it -was resolved that a vessel of war should remain upon the coast until the -whole was liquidated. When attempts at evasion occurred, the traffic was -stopped by sending all craft outside the guard-ship, and forbidding -intercourse with the shore. The "Coote" (Capt. Pepper commanding), the -"Palinurus" and the "Tigris," in turn with the "Elphinstone," maintained -the blockade through the trading seasons till 1833. About 6000_l._ were -recovered, and the people were strongly impressed with the fact that we -had both the will and the means to keep their plundering propensities -within bounds. - -[13] The writer advised that these men should be hung upon the spot where -the outrage was committed, that the bodies should be burned and the ashes -cast into the sea, lest by any means the murderers might become martyrs. -This precaution should invariably be adopted when Moslems assassinate -Infidels. - -[14] The reason of the objection is not apparent. A savage people is -imperfectly punished by a few deaths: the fine is the only true way to -produce a lasting impression upon their heads and hearts. Moreover, it is -the custom of India and the East generally, and is in reality the only -safeguard of a traveller's property. - - -[Illustration: Map to illustrate LIEUT. BURTON'S Route to HARAR _from a -Sketch by the late Lieut. W. Stroyan, Indian Navy._] - -[Illustration: BERBERAH] - - - - -CONTENTS. - - -PREFACE - -CHAPTER I. -Departure from Aden - -CHAP. II. -Life in Zayla - -CHAP. III. -Excursions near Zayla - -CHAP. IV. -The Somal, their Origin and Peculiarities - -CHAP. V. -From Zayla to the Hills - -CHAP. VI. -From the Zayla Hills to the Marar Prairie - -CHAP. VII. -From the Marar Prairie to Harar - -CHAP. VIII. -Ten Days at Harar - -CHAP. IX. -A Ride to Berberah - -CHAP. X. -Berberah and its Environs - -POSTSCRIPT - -APPENDICES - - - - -LIST OF PLATES. - - -Harar, from the Coffe Stream -Map of Berberah -Route to Harar -The Hammal -Costume of Harar -H. H. Ahmed Bin Abibakr, Amir of Harar - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -DEPARTURE FROM ADEN. - - -I doubt not there are many who ignore the fact that in Eastern Africa, -scarcely three hundred miles distant from Aden, there is a counterpart of -ill-famed Timbuctoo in the Far West. The more adventurous Abyssinian -travellers, Salt and Stuart, Krapf and Isenberg, Barker and Rochet,--not -to mention divers Roman Catholic Missioners,--attempted Harar, but -attempted it in vain. The bigoted ruler and barbarous people threatened -death to the Infidel who ventured within their walls; some negro Merlin -having, it is said, read Decline and Fall in the first footsteps of the -Frank. [1] Of all foreigners the English were, of course, the most hated -and dreaded; at Harar slavery still holds its head-quarters, and the old -Dragon well knows what to expect from the hand of St. George. Thus the -various travellers who appeared in beaver and black coats became persuaded -that the city was inaccessible, and Europeans ceased to trouble themselves -about Harar. - -It is, therefore, a point of honor with me, dear L., to utilise my title -of Haji by entering the city, visiting the ruler, and returning in safety, -after breaking the guardian spell. - -The most auspicious day in the Moslem year for beginning a journey is, -doubtless, the 6th of the month Safar [2], on which, quoth the Prophet, El -Islam emerged from obscurity. Yet even at Aden we could not avail -ourselves of this lucky time: our delays and difficulties were a fit -prelude for a journey amongst those "Blameless Ethiopians," with whom no -less a personage than august Jove can dine and depart. [3] - -On Sunday, the 29th October, 1854, our manifold impediments were -pronounced complete. Friend S. threw the slipper of blessing at my back, -and about 4 P.M. embarking from Maala Bunder, we shook out our "muslin," -and sailed down the fiery harbour. Passing the guard-boat, we delivered -our permit; before venturing into the open sea we repeated the Fatihah- -prayer in honor of the Shaykh Majid, inventor of the mariners' compass -[4], and evening saw us dancing on the bright clear tide, whose "magic -waves," however, murmured after another fashion the siren song which -charmed the senses of the old Arabian voyagers. [5] - -Suddenly every trace of civilisation fell from my companions as if it had -been a garment. At Aden, shaven and beturbaned, Arab fashion, now they -threw off all dress save the loin cloth, and appeared in their dark -morocco. Mohammed filled his mouth with a mixture of coarse Surat tobacco -and ashes,--the latter article intended, like the Anglo-Indian soldier's -chili in his arrack, to "make it bite." Guled uncovered his head, a member -which in Africa is certainly made to go bare, and buttered himself with an -unguent redolent of sheep's tail; and Ismail, the rais or captain of our -"foyst," [6] the Sahalah, applied himself to puffing his nicotiana out of -a goat's shank-bone. Our crew, consisting of seventy-one men and boys, -prepared, as evening fell, a mess of Jowari grain [7] and grease, the -recipe of which I spare you, and it was despatched in a style that would -have done credit to Kafirs as regards gobbling, bolting, smearing lips, -licking fingers, and using ankles as napkins. Then with a light easterly -breeze and the ominous cliffs of Little Aden still in sight, we spread our -mats on deck and prepared to sleep under the moon. [8] - -My companions, however, felt, without perhaps comprehending, the joviality -arising from a return to Nature. Every man was forthwith nicknamed, and -pitiless was the raillery upon the venerable subjects of long and short, -fat and thin. One sang a war-song, another a love-song, a third some song -of the sea, whilst the fourth, an Eesa youth, with the villanous -expression of face common to his tribe, gave us a rain measure, such as -men chaunt during wet weather. All these effusions were _naive_ and -amusing: none, however, could bear English translation without an amount -of omission which would change their nature. Each effort of minstrelsy was -accompanied by roars of laughter, and led to much manual pleasantry. All -swore that they had never spent, intellectually speaking, a more charming -_soiree_, and pitied me for being unable to enter thoroughly into the -spirit of the dialogue. Truly it is not only the polished European, as was -said of a certain travelling notability, that lapses with facility into -pristine barbarism. - -I will now introduce you to my companions. The managing man is one -Mohammed Mahmud [9], generally called El Hammal or the porter: he is a -Havildar or sergeant in the Aden police, and was entertained for me by -Lieut. Dansey, an officer who unfortunately was not "confirmed" in a -political appointment at Aden. The Hammal is a bull-necked, round-headed -fellow of lymphatic temperament, with a lamp-black skin, regular features, -and a pulpy figure,--two rarities amongst his countrymen, who compare him -to a Banyan. An orphan in early youth, and becoming, to use his own -phrase, sick of milk, he ran away from his tribe, the Habr Gerhajis, and -engaged himself as a coaltrimmer with the slaves on board an Indian war- -steamer. After rising in rank to the command of the crew, he became -servant and interpreter to travellers, visited distant lands--Egypt and -Calcutta--and finally settled as a Feringhee policeman. He cannot read or -write, but he has all the knowledge to be acquired by fifteen or twenty -years, hard "knocking about:" he can make a long speech, and, although he -never prays, a longer prayer; he is an excellent mimic, and delights his -auditors by imitations and descriptions of Indian ceremony, Egyptian -dancing, Arab vehemence, Persian abuse, European vivacity, and Turkish -insolence. With prodigious inventiveness, and a habit of perpetual -intrigue, acquired in his travels, he might be called a "knowing" man, but -for the truly Somali weakness of showing in his countenance all that -passes through his mind. This people can hide nothing: the blank eye, the -contracting brow, the opening nostril and the tremulous lip, betray, -despite themselves, their innermost thoughts. - -The second servant, whom I bring before you is Guled, another policeman at -Aden. He is a youth of good family, belonging to the Ismail Arrah, the -royal clan of the great Habr Gerhajis tribe. His father was a man of -property, and his brethren near Berberah, are wealthy Bedouins: yet he ran -away from his native country when seven or eight years old, and became a -servant in the house of a butter merchant at Mocha. Thence he went to -Aden, where he began with private service, and ended his career in the -police. He is one of those long, live skeletons, common amongst the Somal: -his shoulders are parallel with his ears, his ribs are straight as a -mummy's, his face has not an ounce of flesh upon it, and his features -suggest the idea of some lank bird: we call him Long Guled, to which he -replies with the Yemen saying "Length is Honor, even in Wood." He is brave -enough, because he rushes into danger without reflection; his great -defects are weakness of body and nervousness of temperament, leading in -times of peril to the trembling of hands, the dropping of caps, and the -mismanagement of bullets: besides which, he cannot bear hunger, thirst, or -cold. - -The third is one Abdy Abokr, also of the Habr Gerhajis, a personage whom, -from, his smattering of learning and his prodigious rascality, we call the -Mulla "End of Time." [10] He is a man about forty, very old-looking for -his age, with small, deep-set cunning eyes, placed close together, a hook -nose, a thin beard, a bulging brow, scattered teeth, [11] and a short -scant figure, remarkable only for length of back. His gait is stealthy, -like a cat's, and he has a villanous grin. This worthy never prays, and -can neither read nor write; but he knows a chapter or two of the Koran, -recites audibly a long Ratib or task, morning and evening [12], whence, -together with his store of hashed Hadis (tradition), he derives the title -of Widad or hedge-priest. His tongue, primed with the satirical sayings of -Abn Zayd el Helali, and Humayd ibn Mansur [13], is the terror of men upon -whom repartee imposes. His father was a wealthy shipowner in his day; but, -cursed with Abdy and another son, the old man has lost all his property, -his children have deserted him, and he now depends entirely upon the -charity of the Zayla chief. The "End of Time" has squandered considerable -sums in travelling far and wide from Harar to Cutch, he has managed -everywhere to perpetrate some peculiar villany. He is a pleasant -companion, and piques himself upon that power of quotation which in the -East makes a polite man. If we be disposed to hurry, he insinuates that -"Patience is of Heaven, Haste of Hell." When roughly addressed, he -remarks,-- - - "There are cures for the hurts of lead and steel, - But the wounds of the tongue--they never heal!" - -If a grain of rice adhere to our beards, he says, smilingly, "the gazelle -is in the garden;" to which we reply "we will hunt her with the five." -[14] Despite these merits, I hesitated to engage him, till assured by the -governor of Zayla that he was to be looked upon as a son, and, moreover, -that he would bear with him one of those state secrets to an influential -chief which in this country are never committed to paper. I found him an -admirable buffoon, skilful in filling pipes and smoking them; _au reste_, -an individual of "many words and little work," infinite intrigue, -cowardice, cupidity, and endowed with a truly evil tongue. - -The morning sun rose hot upon us, showing Mayyum and Zubah, the giant -staples of the "Gate under the Pleiades." [15] Shortly afterwards, we came -in sight of the Barr el Ajam (barbarian land), as the Somal call their -country [16], a low glaring flat of yellow sand, desert and heat-reeking, -tenanted by the Eesa, and a meet habitat for savages. Such to us, at -least, appeared the land of Adel. [17] At midday we descried the Ras el -Bir,--Headland of the Well,--the promontory which terminates the bold -Tajurrah range, under which lie the sleeping waters of the Maiden's Sea. -[18] During the day we rigged out an awning, and sat in the shade smoking -and chatting merrily, for the weather was not much hotter than on English -summer seas. Some of the crew tried praying; but prostrations are not -easily made on board ship, and El Islam, as Umar shrewdly suspected, was -not made for a seafaring race. At length the big red sun sank slowly -behind the curtain of sky-blue rock, where lies the not yet "combusted" -village of Tajurrah. [19] We lay down to rest with the light of day, and -had the satisfaction of closing our eyes upon a fair though captious -breeze. - -On the morning of the 31st October, we entered the Zayla Creek, which -gives so much trouble to native craft. We passed, on the right, the low -island of Masha, belonging to the "City of the Slave Merchant,"-- -Tajurrah,--and on the left two similar patches of seagirt sand, called -Aybat and Saad el Din. These places supply Zayla, in the Kharif or hot -season [20], with thousands of gulls' eggs,--a great luxury. At noon we -sighted our destination. Zayla is the normal African port,--a strip of -sulphur-yellow sand, with a deep blue dome above, and a foreground of the -darkest indigo. The buildings, raised by refraction, rose high, and -apparently from the bosom of the deep. After hearing the worst accounts of -it, I was pleasantly disappointed by the spectacle of white-washed houses -and minarets, peering above a long low line of brown wall, flanked with -round towers. - -As we slowly threaded the intricate coral reefs of the port, a bark came -scudding up to us; it tacked, and the crew proceeded to give news in -roaring tones. Friendship between the Amir of Harar and the governor of -Zayla had been broken; the road through the Eesa Somal had been closed by -the murder of Masud, a favourite slave and adopted son of Sharmarkay; all -strangers had been expelled the city for some misconduct by the Harar -chief; moreover, small-pox was raging there with such violence that the -Galla peasantry would allow neither ingress nor egress. [21] I had the -pleasure of reflecting for some time, dear L., upon the amount of -responsibility incurred by using the phrase "I will;" and the only -consolation that suggested itself was the stale assurance that - - "Things at the worst most surely mend." - -No craft larger than a canoe can ride near Zayla. After bumping once or -twice against the coral reefs, it was considered advisable for our good -ship, the Sahalat, to cast anchor. My companions caused me to dress, put -me with my pipe and other necessaries into a cock-boat, and, wading -through the water, shoved it to shore. Lastly, at Bab el Sahil, the -Seaward or Northern Gate, they proceeded to array themselves in the -bravery of clean Tobes and long daggers strapped round the waist; each man -also slung his targe to his left arm, and in his right hand grasped lance -and javelin. At the gate we were received by a tall black spearman with a -"Ho there! to the governor;" and a crowd of idlers gathered to inspect the -strangers. Marshalled by the warder, we traversed the dusty roads--streets -they could not be called--of the old Arab town, ran the gauntlet of a -gaping mob, and finally entering a mat door, found ourselves in the -presence of the governor. - -I had met Sharmarkay at Aden, where he received from the authorities -strong injunctions concerning my personal safety: the character of a -Moslem merchant, however, requiring us to appear strangers, an -introduction by our master of ceremonies, the Hammal, followed my -entrance. Sharmarkay was living in an apartment by no means splendid, -preferring an Arish or kind of cow-house,--as the Anglo-Indian Nabobs do -the bungalow - - "with mat half hung, - The walls of plaster and the floors of * * * *," - ---to all his substantial double-storied houses. The ground was wet and -comfortless; a part of the reed walls was lined with cots bearing -mattresses and silk-covered pillows, a cross between a divan and a couch: -the only ornaments were a few weapons, and a necklace of gaudy beads -suspended near the door. I was placed upon the principal seat: on the -right were the governor and the Hammal; whilst the lowest portion of the -room was occupied by Mohammed Sharmarkay, the son and heir. The rest of -the company squatted upon chairs, or rather stools, of peculiar -construction. Nothing could be duller than this _assemblee_: pipes and -coffee are here unknown; and there is nothing in the East to act -substitute for them. [22] - -The governor of Zayla, El Hajj Sharmarkay bin Ali Salih, is rather a -remarkable man. He is sixteenth, according to his own account, in descent -from Ishak el Hazrami [23], the saintly founder of the great Gerhajis and -Awal tribes. His enemies derive him from a less illustrious stock; and the -fairness of his complexion favours the report that his grandfather Salih -was an Abyssinian slave. Originally the Nacoda or captain of a native -craft, he has raised himself, chiefly by British influence, to the -chieftainship of his tribe. [24] As early as May, 1825, he received from -Captain Bagnold, then our resident at Mocha, a testimonial and a reward, -for a severe sword wound in the left arm, received whilst defending the -lives of English seamen. [25] He afterwards went to Bombay, where he was -treated with consideration; and about fifteen years ago he succeeded the -Sayyid Mohammed el Barr as governor of Zayla and its dependencies, under -the Ottoman Pasha in Western Arabia. - -The Hajj Sharmarkay in his youth was a man of Valour: he could not read or -write; but he carried in battle four spears [26], and his sword-cut was -recognisable. He is now a man about sixty years old, at least six feet two -inches in stature, large-limbed, and raw-boned: his leanness is hidden by -long wide robes. He shaves his head and upper lip Shafei-fashion, and his -beard is represented by a ragged tuft of red-stained hair on each side of -his chin. A visit to Aden and a doctor cost him one eye, and the other is -now white with age. His dress is that of an Arab, and he always carries -with him a broad-bladed, silver-hilted sword. Despite his years, he is a -strong, active, and energetic man, ever looking to the "main chance." With -one foot in the grave, he meditates nothing but the conquest of Harar and -Berberah, which, making him master of the seaboard, would soon extend his -power as in days of old even to Abyssinia. [27] To hear his projects, you -would fancy them the offspring of a brain in the prime of youth: in order -to carry them out he would even assist in suppressing the profitable -slave-trade. [28] - -After half an hour's visit I was led by the Hajj through the streets of -Zayla [29], to one of his substantial houses of coralline and mud -plastered over with glaring whitewash. The ground floor is a kind of -warehouse full of bales and boxes, scales and buyers. A flight of steep -steps leads into a long room with shutters to exclude the light, floored -with tamped earth, full of "evening flyers" [30], and destitute of -furniture. Parallel to it are three smaller apartments; and above is a -terraced roof, where they who fear not the dew and the land-breeze sleep. -[31] I found a room duly prepared; the ground was spread with mats, and -cushions against the walls denoted the Divan: for me was placed a Kursi or -cot, covered with fine Persian rugs and gaudy silk and satin pillows. The -Hajj installed us with ceremony, and insisted, despite my remonstrances, -upon occupying the floor whilst I sat on the raised seat. After ushering -in supper, he considerately remarked that travelling is fatiguing, and -left us to sleep. - -The well-known sounds of El Islam returned from memory. Again the -melodious chant of the Muezzin,--no evening bell can compare with it for -solemnity and beauty,--and in the neighbouring mosque, the loudly intoned -Amin and Allaho Akbar,--far superior to any organ,--rang in my ear. The -evening gun of camp was represented by the Nakkarah, or kettle-drum, -sounded about seven P.M. at the southern gate; and at ten a second -drumming warned the paterfamilias that it was time for home, and thieves, -and lovers,--that it was the hour for bastinado. Nightfall was ushered in -by the song, the dance, and the marriage festival,--here no permission is -required for "native music in the lines,"--and muffled figures flitted -mysteriously through the dark alleys. - - * * * * * - -After a peep through the open window, I fell asleep, feeling once more at -home. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] "A tradition exists," says Lieut. Cruttenden, "amongst the people of -Harar, that the prosperity of their city depends upon the exclusion of all -travellers not of the Moslem faith, and all Christians are specially -interdicted." These freaks of interdiction are common to African rulers, -who on occasions of war, famine or pestilence, struck with some -superstitious fear, close their gates to strangers. - -[2] The 6th of Safar in 1864 corresponds with our 28th October. The Hadis -is [Arabic] "when the 6th of Safar went forth, my faith from the cloud -came forth." - -[3] The Abyssinian law of detaining guests,--Pedro Covilhao the first -Portuguese envoy (A.D. 1499) lived and died a prisoner there,--appears to -have been the Christian modification of the old Ethiopic rite of -sacrificing strangers. - -[4] It would be wonderful if Orientals omitted to romance about the origin -of such an invention as the Dayrah or compass. Shaykh Majid is said to -have been a Syrian saint, to whom Allah gave the power of looking upon -earth, as though it were a ball in his hand. Most Moslems agree in -assigning this origin to the Dayrah, and the Fatihah in honor of the holy -man, is still repeated by the pious mariner. - -Easterns do not "box the compass" after our fashion: with them each point -has its own name, generally derived from some prominent star on the -horizon. Of these I subjoin a list as in use amongst the Somal, hoping -that it may be useful to Oriental students. The names in hyphens are those -given in a paper on the nautical instrument of the Arabs by Jas. Prinseps -(Journal of the As. Soc., December 1836). The learned secretary appears -not to have heard the legend of Shaykh Majid, for he alludes to the -"Majidi Kitab" or Oriental Ephemeris, without any explanation. - -North Jah [Arabic] East Matla [Arabic] -N. by E. Farjad [Arabic] E. by S. Jauza [Arabic] - (or [Arabic]) E.S.E. Tir [Arabic] -N.N.E. Naash [Arabic] S.E. by E. Iklil [Arabic] -N.E. by E. Nakab [Arabic] S.E. Akrab [Arabic] -N.E. Ayyuk [Arabic] S.E. by S. Himarayn [Arabic] -N.E. by E. Waki [Arabic] S.S.E. Suhayl [Arabic] -E.N.E. Sumak [Arabic] S. by E. Suntubar [Arabic] -E. by N. Surayya [Arabic] (or [Arabic]) - -The south is called El Kutb ([Arabic]) and the west El Maghib ([Arabic]). -The western points are named like the eastern. North-east, for instance is -Ayyuk el Matlai; north-west, Ayyuk el Maghibi. Finally, the Dayrah Jahi is -when the magnetic needle points due north. The Dayrah Farjadi (more common -in these regions), is when the bar is fixed under Farjad, to allow for -variation, which at Berberah is about 4 deg. 50' west. - -[5] The curious reader will find in the Herodotus of the Arabs, El -Masudi's "Meadows of gold and mines of gems," a strange tale of the blind -billows and the singing waves of Berberah and Jofuni (Cape Guardafui, the -classical Aromata). - -[6] "Foyst" and "buss," are the names applied by old travellers to the -half-decked vessels of these seas. - -[7] Holcus Sorghum, the common grain of Africa and Arabia: the Somali call -it Hirad; the people of Yemen, Taam. - -[8] The Somal being a people of less nervous temperament than the Arabs -and Indians, do not fear the moonlight. - -[9] The first name is that of the individual, as the Christian name with -us, the second is that of the father; in the Somali country, as in India, -they are not connected by the Arab "bin"--son of. - -[10] Abdy is an abbreviation of Abdullah; Abokr, a corruption of Abubekr. -The "End of Time" alludes to the prophesied corruption of the Moslem -priesthood in the last epoch of the world. - -[11] This peculiarity is not uncommon amongst the Somal; it is considered -by them a sign of warm temperament. - -[12] The Moslem should first recite the Farz prayers, or those ordered in -the Koran; secondly, the Sunnat or practice of the Prophet; and thirdly -the Nafilah or Supererogatory. The Ratib or self-imposed task is the last -of all; our Mulla placed it first, because he could chaunt it upon his -mule within hearing of the people. - -[13] Two modern poets and wits well known in Yemen. - -[14] That is to say, "we will remove it with the five fingers." These are -euphuisms to avoid speaking broadly and openly of that venerable feature, -the beard. - -[15] Bab el Mandeb is called as above by Humayd from its astronomical -position. Jebel Mayyum is in Africa, Jebel Zubah or Muayyin, celebrated as -the last resting-place of a great saint, Shaykh Said, is in Arabia. - -[16] Ajam properly means all nations not Arab. In Egypt and Central Asia -it is now confined to Persians. On the west of the Red Sea, it is -invariably used to denote the Somali country: thence Bruce draws the Greek -and Latin name of the coast, Azamia, and De Sacy derives the word "Ajan," -which in our maps is applied to the inner regions of the Eastern Horn. So -in Africa, El Sham, which properly means Damascus and Syria, is applied to -El Hejaz. - -[17] Adel, according to M. Krapf, derived its name from the Ad Ali, a -tribe of the Afar or Danakil nation, erroneously used by Arab synecdoche -for the whole race. Mr. Johnston (Travels in Southern Abyssinia, ch. 1.) -more correctly derives it from Adule, a city which, as proved by the -monument which bears its name, existed in the days of Ptolemy Euergetes -(B.C. 247-222), had its own dynasty, and boasted of a conqueror who -overcame the Troglodytes, Sabaeans, Homerites, &c., and pushed his -conquests as far as the frontier of Egypt. Mr. Johnston, however, -incorrectly translates Barr el Ajam "land of fire," and seems to confound -Avalites and Adulis. - -[18] Bahr el Banatin, the Bay of Tajurrah. - -[19] A certain German missionary, well known in this part of the world, -exasperated by the seizure of a few dollars and a claim to the _droit -d'aubaine_, advised the authorities of Aden to threaten the "combustion" -of Tajurrah. The measure would have been equally unjust and unwise. A -traveller, even a layman, is bound to put up peaceably with such trifles; -and to threaten "combustion" without being prepared to carry out the -threat is the readiest way to secure contempt. - -[20] The Kharif in most parts of the Oriental world corresponds with our -autumn. In Eastern Africa it invariably signifies the hot season preceding -the monsoon rains. - -[21] The circumstances of Masud's murder were truly African. The slave -caravans from Abyssinia to Tajurrah were usually escorted by the Rer -Guleni, a clan of the great Eesa tribe, and they monopolised the profits -of the road. Summoned to share their gains with their kinsmen generally, -they refused upon which the other clans rose about August, 1854, and cut -off the road. A large caravan was travelling down in two bodies, each of -nearly 300 slaves; the Eesa attacked the first division, carried off the -wives and female slaves, whom they sold for ten dollars a head, and -savagely mutilated upwards of 100 wretched boys. This event caused the -Tajurrah line to be permanently closed. The Rer Guleni in wrath, at once -murdered Masud, a peaceful traveller, because Inna Handun, his Abban or -protector, was of the party who had attacked their proteges: they came -upon him suddenly as he was purchasing some article, and stabbed him in -the back, before he could defend himself. - -[22] In Zayla there is not a single coffee-house. The settled Somal care -little for the Arab beverage, and the Bedouins' reasons for avoiding it -are not bad. "If we drink coffee once," say they, "we shall want it again, -and then where are we to get it?" The Abyssinian Christians, probably to -distinguish themselves from Moslems, object to coffee as well as to -tobacco. The Gallas, on the other hand, eat it: the powdered bean is mixed -with butter, and on forays a lump about the size of a billiard-ball is -preferred to a substantial meal. - -[23] The following genealogical table was given to me by Mohammed -Sharmarkay:-- - - 1. Ishak (ibn Ahmed ibn Abdillah). - 2. Gerhajis (his eldest son). - 3. Said (the eldest son; Daud being the second). - 4. Arrah, (also the eldest; Ili, _i.e._ Ali, being the second). - 5. Musa (the third son: the eldest was Ismail; then, in - succession, Ishak, Misa, Mikahil, Gambah, Dandan, &c.) - 6. Ibrahim. - 7. Fikih (_i.e._ Fakih.) - 8. Adan (_i.e._ Adam.) - 9. Mohammed. - 10. Hamid. - 11. Jibril (_i.e._ Jibrail). - 12. Ali. - 13. Awaz. - 14. Salih. - 15. Ali. - 16. Sharmarkay. - -The last is a peculiarly Somali name, meaning "one who sees no harm."-- -Shar-ma-arkay. - -[24] Not the hereditary chieftainship of the Habr Gerhajis, which belongs -to a particular clan. - -[25] The following is a copy of the document:-- - -"This Testimonial, together with an Honorary Dress, is presented by the -British Resident at Mocha to Nagoda Shurmakey Ally Sumaulley, in token of -esteem and regard for his humane and gallant conduct at the Port of -Burburra, on the coast of Africa, April 10. 1825, in saving the lives of -Captain William Lingard, chief officer of the Brig Mary Anne, when that -vessel was attacked and plundered by the natives. The said Nagoda is -therefore strongly recommended to the notice and good offices of Europeans -in general, but particularly so to all English gentlemen visiting these -seas." - -[26] Two spears being the usual number: the difficulty of three or four -would mainly consist in their management during action. - -[27] In July, 1855, the Hajj Sharmarkay was deposed by the Turkish Pasha -of Hodaydah, ostensibly for failing to keep some road open, or, according -to others, for assisting to plunder a caravan belonging to the Dankali -tribe. It was reported that he had been made a prisoner, and the Political -Resident at Aden saw the propriety of politely asking the Turkish -authorities to "be easy" upon the old man. In consequence of this -representation, he was afterwards allowed, on paying a fine of 3000 -dollars, to retire to Aden. - -I deeply regret that the Hajj should have lost his government. He has ever -clung to the English party, even in sore temptation. A few years ago, the -late M. Rochet (soi-disant d'Hericourt), French agent at Jeddah, paying -treble its value, bought from Mohammed Sharmarkay, in the absence of the -Hajj, a large stone house, in order to secure a footing at Zayla. The old -man broke off the bargain on his return, knowing how easily an Agency -becomes a Fort, and preferring a considerable loss to the presence of -dangerous friends. - -[28] During my residence at Zayla few slaves were imported, owing to the -main road having been closed. In former years the market was abundantly -stocked; the numbers annually shipped to Mocha, Hodaydah, Jeddah, and -Berberah, varied from 600 to 1000. The Hajj received as duty one gold -"Kirsh," or about three fourths of a dollar, per head. - -[29] Zayla, called Audal or Auzal by the Somal, is a town about the size -of Suez, built for 3000 or 4000 inhabitants, and containing a dozen large -whitewashed stone houses, and upwards of 200 Arish or thatched huts, each -surrounded by a fence of wattle and matting. The situation is a low and -level spit of sand, which high tides make almost an island. There is no -Harbour: a vessel of 250 tons cannot approach within a mile of the -landing-place; the open roadstead is exposed to the terrible north wind, -and when gales blow from the west and south, it is almost unapproachable. -Every ebb leaves a sandy flat, extending half a mile seaward from the -town; the reefy anchorage is difficult of entrance after sunset, and the -coralline bottom renders wading painful. - -The shape of this once celebrated town is a tolerably regular -parallelogram, of which the long sides run from east to west. The walls, -without guns or embrasures, are built, like the houses, of coralline -rubble and mud, in places dilapidated. There are five gates. The Bab el -Sahil and the Bab el Jadd (a new postern) open upon the sea from the -northern wall. At the Ashurbara, in the southern part of the enceinte, the -Bedouins encamp, and above it the governor holds his Durbar. The Bab Abd -el Kadir derives its name from a saint buried outside and eastward of the -city, and the Bab el Saghir is pierced in the western wall. - -The public edifices are six mosques, including the Jami, or cathedral, for -Friday prayer: these buildings have queer little crenelles on whitewashed -walls, and a kind of elevated summer-house to represent the minaret. Near -one of them are remains of a circular Turkish Munar, manifestly of modern -construction. There is no Mahkamah or Kazi's court; that dignitary -transacts business at his own house, and the Festival prayers are recited -near the Saint's Tomb outside the eastern gate. The northeast angle of the -town is occupied by a large graveyard with the usual deleterious -consequences. - -The climate of Zayla is cooler than that of Aden, and, the site being open -all around, it is not so unhealthy. Much spare room is enclosed by the -town walls: evaporation and Nature's scavengers act succedanea for -sewerage. - -Zayla commands the adjacent harbour of Tajurrah, and is by position the -northern port of Aussa (the ancient capital of Adel), of Harar, and of -southern Abyssinia: the feuds of the rulers have, however, transferred the -main trade to Berberah. It sends caravans northwards to the Dankali, and -south-westwards, through the Eesa and Gudabirsi tribes as far as Efat and -Gurague. It is visited by Cafilas from Abyssinia, and the different races -of Bedouins, extending from the hills to the seaboard. The exports are -valuable--slaves, ivory, hides, honey, antelope horns, clarified butter, -and gums: the coast abounds in sponge, coral, and small pearls, which Arab -divers collect in the fair season. In the harbour I found about twenty -native craft, large and small: of these, ten belonged to the governor. -They trade with Berberah, Arabia, and Western India, and are navigated by -"Rajput" or Hindu pilots. - -Provisions at Zayla are cheap; a family of six persons live well for about -30_l._ per annum. The general food is mutton: a large sheep costs one -dollar, a small one half the price; camels' meat, beef, and in winter kid, -abound. Fish is rare, and fowls are not commonly eaten. Holcus, when dear, -sells at forty pounds per dollar, at seventy pounds when cheap. It is -usually levigated with slab and roller, and made into sour cakes. Some, -however, prefer the Arab form "balilah," boiled and mixed with ghee. Wheat -and rice are imported: the price varies from forty to sixty pounds the -Riyal or dollar. Of the former grain the people make a sweet cake called -Sabaya, resembling the Fatirah of Egypt: a favourite dish also is -"harisah"--flesh, rice flour, and boiled wheat, all finely pounded and -mixed together. Milk is not procurable during the hot weather; after rain -every house is full of it; the Bedouins bring it in skins and sell it for -a nominal sum. - -Besides a large floating population, Zayla contains about 1500 souls. They -are comparatively a fine race of people, and suffer from little but fever -and an occasional ophthalmia. Their greatest hardship is the want of the -pure element: the Hissi or well, is about four miles distant from the -town, and all the pits within the walls supply brackish or bitter water, -fit only for external use. This is probably the reason why vegetables are -unknown, and why a horse, a mule, or even a dog, is not to be found in the -place. - -[30] "Fid-mer," or the evening flyer, is the Somali name for a bat. These -little animals are not disturbed in houses, because they keep off flies -and mosquitoes, the plagues of the Somali country. Flies abound in the -very jungles wherever cows have been, and settle in swarms upon the -traveller. Before the monsoon their bite is painful, especially that of -the small green species; and there is a red variety called "Diksi as," -whose venom, according to the people, causes them to vomit. The latter -abounds in Gulays and the hill ranges of the Berberah country: it is -innocuous during the cold season. The mosquito bites bring on, according -to the same authority, deadly fevers: the superstition probably arises -from the fact that mosquitoes and fevers become formidable about the same -time. - -[31] Such a building at Zayla would cost at most 500 dollars. At Aden, -2000 rupees, or nearly double the sum, would be paid for a matted shed, -which excludes neither sun, nor wind, nor rain. - - - - -CHAP. II. - -LIFE IN ZAYLA. - - -I will not weary you, dear L., with descriptions of twenty-six quiet, -similar, uninteresting days,--days of sleep, and pipes, and coffee,--spent -at Zayla, whilst a route was traced out, guides were propitiated, camels -were bought, mules sent for, and all the wearisome preliminaries of -African travel were gone through. But a _journee_ in the Somali country -may be a novelty to you: its events shall be succinctly depicted. - -With earliest dawn we arise, thankful to escape from mosquitoes and close -air. We repair to the terrace where devotions are supposed to be -performed, and busy ourselves in watching our neighbours. Two in -particular engage my attention: sisters by different mothers. The daughter -of an Indian woman is a young person of fast propensities,--her chocolate- -coloured skin, long hair, and parrot-like profile [1] are much admired by -the _elegants_ of Zayla; and she coquettes by combing, dancing, singing, -and slapping the slave-girls, whenever an adorer may be looking. We sober- -minded men, seeing her, quote the well-known lines-- - - "Without justice a king is a cloud without rain; - Without goodness a sage is a field without fruit; - Without manners a youth is a bridleless horse; - Without lore an old man is a waterless wady; - Without modesty woman is bread without salt." - -The other is a matron of Abyssinian descent, as her skin, scarcely darker -than a gipsy's, her long and bright blue fillet, and her gaudily fringed -dress, denote. She tattoos her face [2]: a livid line extends from her -front hair to the tip of her nose; between her eyebrows is an ornament -resembling a _fleur-de-lis_, and various beauty-spots adorn the corners of -her mouth and the flats of her countenance. She passes her day -superintending the slave-girls, and weaving mats [3], the worsted work of -this part of the world. We soon made acquaintance, as far as an exchange -of salams. I regret, however, to say that there was some scandal about my -charming neighbour; and that more than once she was detected making -signals to distant persons with her hands. [4] - -At 6 A.M. we descend to breakfast, which usually consists of sour grain -cakes and roast mutton--at this hour a fine trial of health and cleanly -living. A napkin is passed under my chin, as if I were a small child, and -a sound scolding is administered when appetite appears deficient. Visitors -are always asked to join us: we squat on the uncarpeted floor, round a -circular stool, eat hard, and never stop to drink. The appetite of Africa -astonishes us; we dispose of six ounces here for every one in Arabia,-- -probably the effect of sweet water, after the briny produce of the "Eye of -Yemen." We conclude this early breakfast with coffee and pipes, and -generally return, after it, to the work of sleep. - -Then, provided with some sanctified Arabic book, I prepare for the -reception of visitors. They come in by dozens,--no man having apparently -any business to occupy him,--doff their slippers at the door, enter -wrapped up in their Tobes or togas [5], and deposit their spears, point- -upwards, in the corner; those who have swords--the mark of respectability -in Eastern Africa--place them at their feet. They shake the full hand (I -was reproved for offering the fingers only); and when politely disposed, -the inferior wraps his fist in the hem of his garment. They have nothing -corresponding with the European idea of manners: they degrade all ceremony -by the epithet Shughl el banat, or "girls' work," and pique themselves -upon downrightness of manner,--a favourite mask, by the by, for savage -cunning to assume. But they are equally free from affectation, shyness, -and vulgarity; and, after all, no manners are preferable to bad manners. - -Sometimes we are visited at this hour by Mohammed Sharmarkay, eldest son -of the old governor. He is in age about thirty, a fine tall figure, -slender but well knit, beardless and of light complexion, with large eyes, -and a length of neck which a lady might covet. His only detracting feature -is a slight projection of the oral region, that unmistakable proof of -African blood. His movements have the grace of strength and suppleness: he -is a good jumper, runs well, throws the spear admirably, and is a -tolerable shot. Having received a liberal education at Mocha, he is held a -learned man by his fellow-countrymen. Like his father he despises -presents, looking higher; with some trouble I persuaded him to accept a -common map of Asia, and a revolver. His chief interest was concentrated in -books: he borrowed my Abu Kasim to copy [6], and was never tired of -talking about the religious sciences: he had weakened his eyes by hard -reading, and a couple of blisters were sufficient to win his gratitude. -Mohammed is now the eldest son [7]; he appears determined to keep up the -family name, having already married ten wives: the issue, however, two -infant sons, were murdered by the Eesa Bedouins. Whenever he meets his -father in the morning, he kisses his hand, and receives a salute upon the -forehead. He aspires to the government of Zayla, and looks forward more -reasonably than the Hajj to the day when the possession of Berberah will -pour gold into his coffers. He shows none of his father's "softness:" he -advocates the bastinado, and, to keep his people at a distance, he has -married an Arab wife, who allows no adult to enter the doors. The Somal, -Spaniard-like, remark, "He is one of ourselves, though a little richer;" -but when times change and luck returns, they are not unlikely to find -themselves mistaken. - -Amongst other visitors, we have the Amir el Bahr, or Port Captain, and the -Nakib el Askar (_Commandant de place_), Mohammed Umar el Hamumi. This is -one of those Hazramaut adventurers so common in all the countries -bordering upon Arabia: they are the Swiss of the East, a people equally -brave and hardy, frugal and faithful, as long as pay is regular. Feared by -the soft Indians and Africans for their hardness and determination, the -common proverb concerning them is, "If you meet a viper and a Hazrami, -spare the viper." Natives of a poor and rugged region, they wander far and -wide, preferring every country to their own; and it is generally said that -the sun rises not upon a land that does not contain a man from Hazramaut. -[8] This commander of an army of forty men [9] often read out to us from -the Kitab el Anwar (the Book of Lights) the tale of Abu Jahl, that Judas -of El Islam made ridiculous. Sometimes comes the Sayyid Mohammed el Barr, -a stout personage, formerly governor of Zayla, and still highly respected -by the people on acount of his pure pedigree. With him is the Fakih Adan, -a savan of ignoble origin. [10] When they appear the conversation becomes -intensely intellectual; sometimes we dispute religion, sometimes politics, -at others history and other humanities. Yet it is not easy to talk history -with a people who confound Miriam and Mary, or politics to those whose -only idea of a king is a robber on a large scale, or religion to men who -measure excellence by forbidden meats, or geography to those who represent -the earth in this guise. Yet, though few of our ideas are in common, there -are many words; the verbosity of these anti-Laconic oriental dialects [11] -renders at least half the subject intelligible to the most opposite -thinkers. When the society is wholly Somal, I write Arabic, copy some -useful book, or extract from it, as Bentley advised, what is fit to quote. -When Arabs are present, I usually read out a tale from "The Thousand and -One Nights," that wonderful work, so often translated, so much turned -over, and so little understood at home. The most familiar of books in -England, next to the Bible, it is one of the least known, the reason being -that about one fifth is utterly unfit for translation; and the most -sanguine orientalist would not dare to render literally more than three -quarters of the remainder. Consequently, the reader loses the contrast,-- -the very essence of the book,--between its brilliancy and dulness, its -moral putrefaction, and such pearls as - - "Cast the seed of good works on the least fit soil. - Good is never wasted, however it may be laid out." - -And in a page or two after such divine sentiment, the ladies of Bagdad sit -in the porter's lap, and indulge in a facetiousness which would have -killed Pietro Aretino before his time. - -[Illustration] - -Often I am visited by the Topchi-Bashi, or master of the ordnance,--half a -dozen honeycombed guns,--a wild fellow, Bashi Buzuk in the Hejaz and -commandant of artillery at Zayla. He shaves my head on Fridays, and on -other days tells me wild stories about his service in the Holy Land; how -Kurdi Usman slew his son-in-law, Ibn Rumi, and how Turkcheh Bilmez would -have murdered Mohammed Ali in his bed. [12] Sometimes the room is filled -with Arabs, Sayyids, merchants, and others settled in the place: I saw -nothing amongst them to justify the oft-quoted saw, "Koraysh pride and -Zayla's boastfulness." More generally the assembly is one of the Somal, -who talk in their own tongue, laugh, yell, stretch their legs, and lie -like cattle upon the floor, smoking the common Hukkah, which stands in the -centre, industriously cleaning their teeth with sticks, and eating snuff -like Swedes. Meanwhile, I occupy the Kursi or couch, sometimes muttering -from a book to excite respect, or reading aloud for general information, -or telling fortunes by palmistry, or drawing out a horoscope. - -It argues "peculiarity," I own, to enjoy such a life. In the first place, -there is no woman's society: El Islam seems purposely to have loosened the -ties between the sexes in order to strengthen the bonds which connect man -and man. [13] Secondly, your house is by no means your castle. You must -open your doors to your friend at all hours; if when inside it suit him to -sing, sing he will; and until you learn solitude in a crowd, or the art of -concentration, you are apt to become _ennuye_ and irritable. You must -abandon your prejudices, and for a time cast off all European -prepossessions in favour of Indian politeness, Persian polish, Arab -courtesy, or Turkish dignity. - - "They are as free as Nature e'er made man;" - -and he who objects to having his head shaved in public, to seeing his -friends combing their locks in his sitting-room, to having his property -unceremoniously handled, or to being addressed familiarly by a perfect -stranger, had better avoid Somaliland. - -You will doubtless, dear L., convict me, by my own sentiments, of being an -"amateur barbarian." You must, however, remember that I visited Africa -fresh from Aden, with its dull routine of meaningless parades and tiresome -courts martial, where society is broken by ridiculous distinctions of -staff-men and regimental-men, Madras-men and Bombay-men, "European" -officers, and "black" officers; where literature is confined to acquiring -the art of explaining yourself in the jargons of half-naked savages; where -the business of life is comprised in ignoble official squabbles, dislikes, -disapprobations, and "references to superior authority;" where social -intercourse is crushed by "gup," gossip, and the scandal of small colonial -circles; where--pleasant predicament for those who really love women's -society!--it is scarcely possible to address fair dame, preserving at the -same time her reputation and your own, and if seen with her twice, all -"camp" will swear it is an "affair;" where, briefly, the march of mind is -at a dead halt, and the march of matter is in double quick time to the -hospital or sick-quarters. Then the fatal struggle for Name, and the -painful necessity of doing the most with the smallest materials for a -reputation! In Europe there are a thousand grades of celebrity, from -statesmanship to taxidermy; all, therefore, co-exist without rivalry. -Whereas, in these small colonies, there is but one fame, and as that leads -directly to rupees and rank, no man willingly accords it to his neighbour. -And, finally, such semi-civilised life abounds in a weary ceremoniousness. -It is highly improper to smoke outside your bungalow. You shall pay your -visits at 11 A.M., when the glass stands at 120 deg. You shall be generally -shunned if you omit your waistcoat, no matter what the weather be. And if -you venture to object to these Median laws,--as I am now doing,--you -elicit a chorus of disapproval, and acquire some evil name. - -About 11 A.M., when the fresh water arrives from the Hissi or wells, the -Hajj sends us dinner, mutton stews, of exceeding greasiness, boiled rice, -maize cakes, sometimes fish, and generally curds or milk. We all sit round -a primitive form of the Round Table, and I doubt that King Arthur's -knights ever proved doughtier trenchermen than do my companions. We then -rise to pipes and coffee, after which, excluding visitors, my attendants -apply themselves to a siesta, I to my journal and studies. - -At 2 P.M. there is a loud clamour at the door: if it be not opened in -time, we are asked if we have a Nazarene inside. Enters a crowd of -visitors, anxious to pass the afternoon. We proceed with a copy of the -forenoon till the sun declines, when it is time to escape the flies, to -repair to the terrace for fresh air, or to dress for a walk. Generally our -direction is through the town eastwards, to a plain of dilapidated graves -and salt sand, peopled only by land-crabs. At the extremity near the sea -is a little mosque of wattle-work: we sit there under the shade, and play -a rude form of draughts, called Shantarah, or at Shahh, a modification of -the former. [14] More often, eschewing these effeminacies, we shoot at a -mark, throw the javelin, leap, or engage in some gymnastic exercise. The -favourite Somali weapons are the spear, dagger, and war-club; the bow and -poisoned arrows are peculiar to the servile class, who know - - "the dreadful art - To taint with deadly drugs the barbed dart;" - -and the people despise, at the same time that they fear firearms, -declaring them to be cowardly weapons [15] with which the poltroon can -slay the bravest. - -The Somali spear is a form of the Cape Assegai. A long, thin, pliant and -knotty shaft of the Dibi, Diktab, and Makari trees, is dried, polished, -and greased with rancid butter: it is generally of a dull yellow colour, -and sometimes bound, as in Arabia, with brass wire for ornament. Care is -applied to make the rod straight, or the missile flies crooked: it is -garnished with an iron button at the head, and a long thin tapering head -of coarse bad iron [16], made at Berberah and other places by the Tomal. -The length of the shaft may be four feet eight inches; the blade varies -from twenty to twenty-six inches, and the whole weapon is about seven feet -long. Some polish the entire spear-head, others only its socket or ferule; -commonly, however, it is all blackened by heating it to redness, and -rubbing it with cow's horn. In the towns, one of these weapons is carried; -on a journey and in battle two, as amongst the Tibboos,--a small javelin -for throwing and a large spear reserved for the thrust. Some warriors -especially amongst the Eesa, prefer a coarse heavy lance, which never -leaves the hand. The Somali spear is held in various ways: generally the -thumb and forefinger grasp the third nearest to the head, and the shaft -resting upon the palm is made to quiver. In action, the javelin is rarely -thrown at a greater distance than six or seven feet, and the heavier -weapon is used for "jobbing." Stripped to his waist, the thrower runs -forward with all the action of a Kafir, whilst the attacked bounds about -and crouches to receive it upon the round targe, which it cannot pierce. -He then returns the compliment, at the same time endeavouring to break the -weapon thrown at him by jumping and stamping upon it. The harmless -missiles being exhausted, both combatants draw their daggers, grapple with -the left hand, and with the right dig hard and swift at each other's necks -and shoulders. When matters come to this point, the duel is soon decided, -and the victor, howling his slogan, pushes away from his front the dying -enemy, and rushes off to find another opponent. A puerile weapon during -the day, when a steady man can easily avoid it, the spear is terrible in -night attacks or in the "bush," whence it can be hurled unseen. For -practice, we plant a pair of slippers upright in the ground, at the -distance of twelve yards, and a skilful spearman hits the mark once in -every three throws. - -The Somali dagger is an iron blade about eighteen inches long by two in -breadth, pointed and sharp at both edges. The handle is of buffalo or -other horn, with a double scoop to fit the grasp; and at the hilt is a -conical ornament of zinc. It is worn strapped round the waist by a thong -sewed to the sheath, and long enough to encircle the body twice: the point -is to the right, and the handle projects on the left. When in town, the -Somal wear their daggers under the Tobe: in battle, the strap is girt over -the cloth to prevent the latter being lost. They always stab from above: -this is as it should be, a thrust with a short weapon "underhand" may be -stopped, if the adversary have strength enough to hold the stabber's -forearm. The thrust is parried with the shield, and a wound is rarely -mortal except in the back: from the great length of the blade, the least -movement of the man attacked causes it to fall upon the shoulder-blade. - -The "Budd," or Somali club, resembles the Kafir "Tonga." It is a knobstick -about a cubit long, made of some hard wood: the head is rounded on the -inside, and the outside is cut to an edge. In quarrels, it is considered a -harmless weapon, and is often thrown at the opponent and wielded viciously -enough where the spear point would carefully be directed at the buckler. -The Gashan or shield is a round targe about eighteen inches in diameter; -some of the Bedouins make it much larger. Rhinoceros' skin being rare, the -usual material is common bull's hide, or, preferably, that of the Oryx, -called by the Arabs Waal, and by the Somal, Baid. These shields are -prettily cut, and are always protected when new with a covering of -canvass. The boss in the centre easily turns a spear, and the strongest -throw has very little effect even upon the thinnest portion. When not -used, the Gashan is slung upon the left forearm: during battle, the -handle, which is in the middle, is grasped by the left hand, and held out -at a distance from the body. - -We are sometimes joined in our exercises by the Arab mercenaries, who are -far more skilful than the Somal. The latter are unacquainted with the -sword, and cannot defend themselves against it with the targe; they know -little of dagger practice, and were beaten at their own weapon, the -javelin, by the children of Bir Hamid. Though unable to jump for the -honour of the turban, I soon acquired the reputation of being the -strongest man in Zayla: this is perhaps the easiest way of winning respect -from a barbarous people, who honour body, and degrade mind to mere -cunning. - -When tired of exercise we proceed round the walls to the Ashurbara or -Southern Gate. Here boys play at "hockey" with sticks and stones -energetically as in England: they are fine manly specimens of the race, -but noisy and impudent, like all young savages. At two years of age they -hold out the right hand for sweetmeats, and if refused become insolent. -The citizens amuse themselves with the ball [17], at which they play -roughly as Scotch linkers: they are divided into two parties, bachelors -and married men; accidents often occur, and no player wears any but the -scantiest clothing, otherwise he would retire from the conflict in rags. -The victors sing and dance about the town for hours, brandishing their -spears, shouting their slogans, boasting of ideal victories,--the -Abyssinian Donfatu, or war-vaunt,--and advancing in death-triumph with -frantic gestures: a battle won would be celebrated with less circumstance -in Europe. This is the effect of no occupation--the _primum mobile_ of the -Indian prince's kite-flying and all the puerilities of the pompous East. - -We usually find an encampment of Bedouins outside the gate. Their tents -are worse than any gipsy's, low, smoky, and of the rudest construction. -These people are a spectacle of savageness. Their huge heads of shock -hair, dyed red and dripping with butter, are garnished with a Firin, or -long three-pronged comb, a stick, which acts as scratcher when the owner -does not wish to grease his fingers, and sometimes with the ominous -ostrich feather, showing that the wearer has "killed his man:" a soiled -and ragged cotton cloth covers their shoulders, and a similar article is -wrapped round their loins.[18] All wear coarse sandals, and appear in the -bravery of targe, spear, and dagger. Some of the women would be pretty did -they not resemble the men in their scowling, Satanic expression of -countenance: they are decidedly _en deshabille,_ but a black skin always -appears a garb. The cantonment is surrounded by asses, camels, and a troop -of naked Flibertigibbets, who dance and jump in astonishment whenever they -see me: "The white man! the white man!" they shriek; "run away, run away, -or we shall be eaten!" [19] On one occasion, however, my _amour propre_ -was decidedly flattered by the attentions of a small black girl, -apparently four or five years old, who followed me through the streets -ejaculating "Wa Wanaksan!"--"0 fine!" The Bedouins, despite their fierce -scowls, appear good-natured; the women flock out of the huts to stare and -laugh, the men to look and wonder. I happened once to remark, "Lo, we come -forth to look at them and they look at us; we gaze at their complexion and -they gaze at ours!" A Bedouin who understood Arabic translated this speech -to the others, and it excited great merriment. In the mining counties of -civilised England, where the "genial brickbat" is thrown at the passing -stranger, or in enlightened Scotland, where hair a few inches too long or -a pair of mustachios justifies "mobbing," it would have been impossible -for me to have mingled as I did with these wild people. - -We must return before sunset, when the gates are locked and the keys are -carried to the Hajj, a vain precaution, when a donkey could clear half a -dozen places in the town wall. The call to evening prayer sounds as we -enter: none of my companions pray [20], but all when asked reply in the -phrase which an Englishman hates, "Inshallah Bukra"--"if Allah please, to- -morrow!"--and they have the decency not to appear in public at the hours -of devotion. The Somal, like most Africans, are of a somewhat irreverent -turn of mind. [21] When reproached with gambling, and asked why they -persist in the forbidden pleasure, they simply answer "Because we like." -One night, encamped amongst the Eesa, I was disturbed by a female voice -indulging in the loudest lamentations: an elderly lady, it appears, was -suffering from tooth-ache, and the refrain of her groans was, "O Allah, -may thy teeth ache like mine! O Allah, may thy gums be sore as mine are!" -A well-known and characteristic tale is told of the Gerad Hirsi, now chief -of the Berteri tribe. Once meeting a party of unarmed pilgrims, he asked -them why they had left their weapons at home: they replied in the usual -phrase, "Nahnu mutawakkilin"--"we are trusters (in Allah)." That evening, -having feasted them hospitably, the chief returned hurriedly to the hut, -declaring that his soothsayer ordered him at once to sacrifice a pilgrim, -and begging the horror-struck auditors to choose the victim. They cast -lots and gave over one of their number: the Gerad placed him in another -hut, dyed his dagger with sheep's blood, and returned to say that he must -have a second life. The unhappy pilgrims rose _en masse_, and fled so -wildly that the chief, with all the cavalry of the desert, found -difficulty in recovering them. He dismissed them with liberal presents, -and not a few jibes about their trustfulness. The wilder Bedouins will -inquire where Allah is to be found: when asked the object of the question, -they reply, "If the Eesa could but catch him they would spear him upon the -spot,--who but he lays waste their homes and kills their cattle and -wives?" Yet, conjoined to this truly savage incapability of conceiving the -idea of a Supreme Being, they believe in the most ridiculous -exaggerations: many will not affront a common pilgrim, for fear of being -killed by a glance or a word. - -Our supper, also provided by the hospitable Hajj, is the counterpart of -the midday dinner. After it we repair to the roof, to enjoy the prospect -of the far Tajurrah hills and the white moonbeams sleeping upon the nearer -sea. The evening star hangs like a diamond upon the still horizon: around -the moon a pink zone of light mist, shading off into turquoise blue, and a -delicate green like chrysopraz, invests the heavens with a peculiar charm. -The scene is truly suggestive: behind us, purpling in the night-air and -silvered by the radiance from above, lie the wolds and mountains tenanted -by the fiercest of savages; their shadowy mysterious forms exciting vague -alarms in the traveller's breast. Sweet as the harp of David, the night- -breeze and the music of the water come up from the sea; but the ripple and -the rustling sound alternate with the hyena's laugh, the jackal's cry, and -the wild dog's lengthened howl. - -Or, the weather becoming cold, we remain below, and Mohammed Umar returns -to read out more "Book of Lights," or some pathetic ode. I will quote in -free translation the following production of the celebrated poet Abd el -Rahman el Burai, as a perfect specimen of melancholy Arab imagery: - - "No exile is the banished to the latter end of earth, - The exile is the banished to the coffin and the tomb - - "He hath claims on the dwellers in the places of their birth - Who wandereth the world, for he lacketh him a home. - - "Then, blamer, blame me not, were my heart within thy breast, - The sigh would take the place of thy laughter and thy scorn. - - "Let me weep for the sin that debars my soul of rest, - The tear may yet avail,--all in vain I may not mourn! [22] - - "Woe! woe to thee, Flesh!--with a purer spirit now - The death-day were a hope, and the judgment-hour a joy! - - "One morn I woke in pain, with a pallor on my brow, - As though the dreaded Angel were descending to destroy: - - "They brought to me a leech, saying, 'Heal him lest he die!' - On that day, by Allah, were his drugs a poor deceit! - - "They stripped me and bathed me, and closed the glazing eye, - And dispersed unto prayers, and to haggle for my sheet. - - "The prayers without a bow [23] they prayed over me that day, - Brought nigh to me the bier, and disposed me within. - - "Four bare upon their shoulders this tenement of clay, - Friend and kinsmen in procession bore the dust of friend and kin. - - "They threw upon me mould of the tomb and went their way-- - A guest, 'twould seem, had flitted from the dwellings of the tribe! - - "My gold and my treasures each a share they bore away, - Without thanks, without praise, with a jest and with a jibe. - - "My gold and my treasures each his share they bore away, - On me they left the weight!--with me they left the sin! - - "That night within the grave without hoard or child I lay, - No spouse, no friend were there, no comrade and no kin. - - "The wife of my youth, soon another husband found-- - A stranger sat at home on the hearthstone of my sire. - - "My son became a slave, though not purchased nor bound, - The hireling of a stranger, who begrudged him his hire. - - "Such, alas, is human life! such the horror of his death! - Man grows like a grass, like a god he sees no end. - - "Be wise, then, ere too late, brother! praise with every breath - The hand that can chastise, the arm that can defend: - - "And bless thou the Prophet, the averter of our ills, - While the lightning flasheth bright o'er the ocean and the hills." - -At this hour my companions become imaginative and superstitious. One -Salimayn, a black slave from the Sawahil [24], now secretary to the Hajj, -reads our fortunes in the rosary. The "fal" [25], as it is called, acts a -prominent part in Somali life. Some men are celebrated for accuracy of -prediction; and in times of danger, when the human mind is ever open to -the "fooleries of faith," perpetual reference is made to their art. The -worldly wise Salimayn, I observed, never sent away a questioner with an -ill-omened reply, but he also regularly insisted upon the efficacy of -sacrifice and almsgiving, which, as they would assuredly be neglected, -afforded him an excuse in case of accident. Then we had a recital of the -tales common to Africa, and perhaps to all the world. In modern France, as -in ancient Italy, "versipelles" become wolves and hide themselves in the -woods: in Persia they change themselves into bears, and in Bornou and Shoa -assume the shapes of lions, hyenas, and leopards. [26] The origin of this -metamorphic superstition is easily traceable, like man's fetisism or -demonology, to his fears: a Bedouin, for instance, becomes dreadful by the -reputation of sorcery: bears and hyenas are equally terrible; and the two -objects of horror are easily connected. Curious to say, individuals having -this power were pointed out to me, and people pretended to discover it in -their countenances: at Zayla I was shown a Bedouin, by name Farih Badaun, -who notably became a hyena at times, for the purpose of tasting human -blood. [27] About forty years ago, three brothers, Kayna, Fardayna, and -Sollan, were killed on Gulays near Berberah for the crime of -metamorphosis. The charge is usually substantiated either by the bestial -tail remaining appended to a part of the human shape which the owner has -forgotten to rub against the magic tree, or by some peculiar wound which -the beast received and the man retained. Kindred to this superstition is -the belief that many of the Bedouins have learned the languages of birds -and beasts. Another widely diffused fancy is that of the Aksar [28], which -in this pastoral land becomes a kind of wood: wonderful tales are told of -battered milk-pails which, by means of some peg accidentally cut in the -jungle, have been found full of silver, or have acquired the qualities of -cornucopiae. It is supposed that a red heifer always breaks her fast upon -the wonderful plant, consequently much time and trouble have been expended -by the Somal in watching the morning proceedings of red heifers. At other -times we hear fearful tales of old women who, like the Jigar Khwar of -Persia, feed upon man's liver: they are fond of destroying young children; -even adults are not ashamed of defending themselves with talismans. In -this country the crone is called Bidaa or Kumayyo, words signifying a -witch: the worst is she that destroys her own progeny. No wound is visible -in this vampyre's victim: generally he names his witch, and his friends -beat her to death unless she heal him: many are thus martyred; and in -Somali land scant notice is taken of such a peccadillo as murdering an old -woman. The sex indeed has by no means a good name: here, as elsewhere, -those who degrade it are the first to abuse it for degradation. At Zayla -almost all quarrels are connected with women; the old bewitch in one way, -the young in another, and both are equally maligned. "Wit in a woman," -exclaims one man, "is a habit of running away in a dromedary." "Allah," -declares another, "made woman of a crooked bone; he who would straighten -her, breaketh her." Perhaps, however, by these generalisms of abuse the -sex gains: they prevent personal and individual details; and no society of -French gentlemen avoids mentioning in public the name of a woman more -scrupulously than do the misogynist Moslems. - -After a conversazione of two hours my visitors depart, and we lose no -time--for we must rise at cockcrow--in spreading our mats round the common -room. You would admire the Somali pillow [29], a dwarf pedestal of carved -wood, with a curve upon which the greasy poll and its elaborate _frisure_ -repose. Like the Abyssinian article, it resembles the head-rest of ancient -Egypt in all points, except that it is not worked with Typhons and other -horrors to drive away dreadful dreams. Sometimes the sound of the -kettledrum, the song, and the clapping of hands, summon us at a later hour -than usual to a dance. The performance is complicated, and, as usual with -the trivialities easily learned in early youth, it is uncommonly difficult -to a stranger. Each dance has its own song and measure, and, contrary to -the custom of El Islam, the sexes perform together. They begin by clapping -the hands and stamping where they stand; to this succeed advancing, -retiring, wheeling about, jumping about, and the other peculiarities of -the Jim Crow school. The principal measures are those of Ugadayn and -Batar; these again are divided and subdivided;--I fancy that the -description of Dileho, Jibwhayn, and Hobala would be as entertaining and -instructive to you, dear L., as Polka, Gavotte, and Mazurka would be to a -Somali. - -On Friday--our Sunday--a drunken crier goes about the town, threatening -the bastinado to all who neglect their five prayers. At half-past eleven a -kettledrum sounds a summons to the Jami or Cathedral. It is an old barn -rudely plastered with whitewash; posts or columns of artless masonry -support the low roof, and the smallness of the windows, or rather air- -holes, renders its dreary length unpleasantly hot. There is no pulpit; the -only ornament is a rude representation of the Meccan Mosque, nailed like a -pothouse print to the wall; and the sole articles of furniture are ragged -mats and old boxes, containing tattered chapters of the Koran in greasy -bindings. I enter with a servant carrying a prayer carpet, encounter the -stare of 300 pair of eyes, belonging to parallel rows of squatters, recite -the customary two-bow prayer in honor of the mosque, placing sword and -rosary before me, and then, taking up a Koran, read the Cow Chapter (No. -18.) loud and twangingly. At the Zohr or mid-day hour, the Muezzin inside -the mosque, standing before the Khatib or preacher, repeats the call to -prayer, which the congregation, sitting upon their shins and feet, intone -after him. This ended, all present stand up, and recite every man for -himself, a two-bow prayer of Sunnat or Example, concluding with the -blessing on the Prophet and the Salam over each shoulder to all brother -Believers. The Khatib then ascends his hole in the wall, which serves for -pulpit, and thence addresses us with "The peace be upon you, and the mercy -of Allah, and his benediction;" to which we respond through the Muezzin, -"And upon you be peace, and Allah's mercy!" After sundry other religious -formulas and their replies, concluding with a second call to prayer, our -preacher rises, and in the voice with which Sir Hudibras was wont - - "To blaspheme custard through the nose," - -preaches El Waaz [30], or the advice-sermon. He sits down for a few -minutes, and then, rising again, recites El Naat, or the Praise of the -Prophet and his Companions. These are the two heads into which the Moslem -discourse is divided; unfortunately, however, there is no application. Our -preacher, who is also Kazi or Judge, makes several blunders in his Arabic, -and he reads his sermons, a thing never done in El Islam, except by the -_modice docti_. The discourse over, our clerk, who is, if possible, worse -than the curate, repeats the form of call termed El Ikamah; then entering -the Mihrab or niche, he recites the two-bow Friday litany, with, and in -front of, the congregation. I remarked no peculiarity in the style of -praying, except that all followed the practice of the Shafeis in El -Yemen,--raising the hands for a moment, instead of letting them depend -along the thighs, between the Rukaat or bow and the Sujdah or prostration. -This public prayer concluded, many people leave the mosque; a few remain -for more prolonged devotions. - -There is a queer kind of family likeness between this scene and that of a -village church, in some quiet nook of rural England. Old Sharmarkay, the -squire, attended by his son, takes his place close to the pulpit; and -although the _Honoratiores_ have no padded and cushioned pews, they -comport themselves very much as if they had. Recognitions of the most -distant description are allowed before the service commences: looking -around is strictly forbidden during prayers; but all do not regard the -prohibition, especially when a new moustache enters. Leaving the church, -men shake hands, stand for a moment to exchange friendly gossip, or -address a few words to the preacher, and then walk home to dinner. There -are many salient points of difference. No bonnets appear in public: the -squire, after prayers, gives alms to the poor, and departs escorted by two -dozen matchlock-men, who perseveringly fire their shotted guns. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] This style of profile--highly oval, with the chin and brow receding-- -is very conspicuous in Eastern Africa, where the face, slightly -prognathous, projects below the nose. - -[2] Gall-nuts form the base of the tattooing dye. It is worked in with a -needle, when it becomes permanent: applied with a pen, it requires to be -renewed about once a fortnight. - -[3] Mats are the staple manufacture in Eastern, as in many parts of -Western, Africa. The material is sometimes Daum or other palm: there are, -however, many plants in more common use; they are made of every variety in -shape and colour, and are dyed red, black, and yellow,--madder from -Tajurrah and alum being the matter principally used. - -[4] When woman addresses woman she always uses her voice. - -[5] The Tobe, or Abyssinian "Quarry," is the general garment of Africa -from Zayla to Bornou. In the Somali country it is a cotton sheet eight -cubits long, and two breadths sewn together. An article of various uses, -like the Highland plaid, it is worn in many ways; sometimes the right arm -is bared; in cold weather the whole person is muffled up, and in summer it -is allowed to full below the waist. Generally it is passed behind the -back, rests upon the left shoulder, is carried forward over the breast, -surrounds the body, and ends hanging on the left shoulder, where it -displays a gaudy silk fringe of red and yellow. This is the man's Tobe. -The woman's dress is of similar material, but differently worn: the edges -are knotted generally over the right, sometimes over the left shoulder; it -is girdled round the waist, below which hangs a lappet, which in cold -weather can be brought like a hood over the head. Though highly becoming, -and picturesque as the Roman toga, the Somali Tobe is by no means the most -decorous of dresses: women in the towns often prefer the Arab costume,--a -short-sleeved robe extending to the knee, and a Futah or loin-cloth -underneath. - -As regards the word Tobe, it signifies, in Arabic, a garment generally: -the Somal call it "Maro," and the half Tobe a "Shukkah." - -[6] Abu Kasim of Gaza, a well known commentator upon Abu Shujaa of -Isfahan, who wrote a text-book of the Shafei school. - -[7] The Hajj had seven sons, three of whom died in infancy. Ali and -Mahmud, the latter a fine young man, fell victims to small pox: Mohammed -is now the eldest, and the youngest is a child called Ahmed, left for -education at Mocha. The Hajj has also two daughters, married to Bedouin -Somal. - -[8] It is related that a Hazrami, flying from his fellow-countrymen, -reached a town upon the confines of China. He was about to take refuge in -a mosque, but entering, he stumbled over the threshold. "Ya Amud el Din"-- -"0 Pillar of the Faith!" exclaimed a voice from the darkness, calling upon -the patron saint of Hazramaut to save a Moslem from falling. "May the -Pillar of the Faith break thy head," exclaimed the unpatriotic traveller, -at once rising to resume his vain peregrinations. - -[9] Mercenaries from Mocha, Hazramaut, and Bir Hamid near Aden: they are -armed with matchlock, sword, and dagger; and each receives from the -governor a monthly stipend of two dollars and a half. - -[10] The system of caste, which prevails in El Yemen, though not in the -northern parts of Arabia, is general throughout the Somali country. The -principal families of outcasts are the following. - -The Yebir correspond with the Dushan of Southern Arabia: the males are -usually jesters to the chiefs, and both sexes take certain parts at -festivals, marriages, and circumcisions. The number is said to be small, -amounting to about 100 families in the northern Somali country. - -The Tomal or Handad, the blacksmiths, originally of Aydur race, have -become vile by intermarriage with serviles. They must now wed maidens of -their own class, and live apart from the community: their magical -practices are feared by the people,--the connection of wits and witchcraft -is obvious,--and all private quarrels are traced to them. It has been -observed that the blacksmith has ever been looked upon with awe by -barbarians on the same principle that made Vulcan a deity. In Abyssinia -all artisans are Budah, sorcerers, especially the blacksmith, and he is a -social outcast as among the Somal; even in El Hejaz, a land, unlike Yemen, -opposed to distinctions amongst Moslems, the Khalawiyah, who work in -metal, are considered vile. Throughout the rest of El Islam the blacksmith -is respected as treading in the path of David, the father of the craft. - -The word "Tomal," opposed to Somal, is indigenous. "Handad "is palpably a -corruption of the Arabic "Haddad," ironworker. - -The Midgan, "one-hand," corresponds with the Khadim of Yemen: he is called -Kami or "archer" by the Arabs. There are three distinct tribes of this -people, who are numerous in the Somali country: the best genealogists -cannot trace their origin, though some are silly enough to derive them, -like the Akhdam, from Shimr. All, however, agree in expelling the Midgan -from the gentle blood of Somali land, and his position has been compared -to that of Freedman amongst the Romans. These people take service under -the different chiefs, who sometimes entertain great numbers to aid in -forays and frays; they do not, however, confine themselves to one craft. -Many Midgans employ themselves in hunting and agriculture. Instead of -spear and shield, they carry bows and a quiver full of diminutive arrows, -barbed and poisoned with the Waba,--a weapon used from Faizoghli to the -Cape of Good Hope. Like the Veddah of Ceylon, the Midgan is a poor shot, -and scarcely strong enough to draw his stiff bow. He is accused of -maliciousness; and the twanging of his string will put to flight a whole -village. The poison is greatly feared: it causes, say the people, the hair -and nails to drop off, and kills a man in half an hour. The only treatment -known is instant excision of the part; and this is done the more -frequently, because here, as in other parts of Africa, such _stigmates_ -are deemed ornamental. - -In appearance the Midgan is dark and somewhat stunted; he is known to the -people by peculiarities of countenance and accent. - -[11] The reason why Europeans fail to explain their thoughts to Orientals -generally is that they transfer the Laconism of Western to Eastern -tongues. We for instance say, "Fetch the book I gave you last night." This -in Hindostani, to choose a well-known tongue, must be smothered with words -thus: "What book was by me given to you yesterday by night, that book -bringing to me, come!" - -[12] I have alluded to these subjects in a previous work upon the subject -of Meccah and El Medinah. - -[13] This is one of the stock complaints against the Moslem scheme. Yet is -it not practically the case with ourselves? In European society, the best -are generally those who prefer the companionship of their own sex; the -"ladies' man" and the woman who avoids women are rarely choice specimens. - -[14] The Shantarah board is thus made, with twenty-five points technically -called houses. [Illustration] The players have twelve counters a piece, -and each places two at a time upon any of the unoccupied angles, till all -except the centre are filled up. The player who did not begin the game -must now move a man; his object is to inclose one of his adversary's -between two of his own, in which case he removes it, and is entitled to -continue moving till he can no longer take. It is a game of some skill, -and perpetual practice enables the Somal to play it as the Persians do -backgammon, with great art and little reflection. The game is called -Kurkabod when, as in our draughts, the piece passing over one of the -adversary's takes it. - -Shahh is another favourite game. The board is made thus, [Illustration] -and the pieces as at Shantarah are twelve in number. The object is to -place three men in line,--as the German Muhle and the Afghan "Kitar,"-- -when any one of the adversary's pieces may be removed. - -Children usually prefer the game called indifferently Togantog and -Saddikiya. A double line of five or six holes is made in the ground, four -counters are placed in each, and when in the course of play four men meet -in the same hole, one of the adversary's is removed. It resembles the -Bornou game, played with beans and holes in the sand. Citizens and the -more civilised are fond of "Bakkis," which, as its name denotes, is a -corruption of the well-known Indian Pachisi. None but the travelled know -chess, and the Damal (draughts) and Tavola (backgammon) of the Turks. - -[15] The same objection against "villanous saltpetre" was made by -ourselves in times of old: the French knights called gunpowder the Grave -of Honor. This is natural enough, the bravest weapon being generally the -shortest--that which places a man hand to hand with his opponent. Some of -the Kafir tribes have discontinued throwing the Assegai, and enter battle -wielding it as a pike. Usually, also, the shorter the weapon is, the more -fatal are the conflicts in which it is employed. The old French "Briquet," -the Afghan "Charay," and the Goorka "Kukkri," exemplify this fact in the -history of arms. - -[16] In the latter point it differs from the Assegai, which is worked by -the Kafirs to the finest temper. - -[17] It is called by the Arabs Kubabah, by the Somal Goasa. Johnston -(Travels in Southern Abyssinia, chap. 8.) has described the game; he errs, -however, in supposing it peculiar to the Dankali tribes. - -[18] This is in fact the pilgrim dress of El Islam; its wide diffusion to -the eastward, as well as west of the Red Sea, proves its antiquity as a -popular dress. - -[19] I often regretted having neglected the precaution of a bottle of -walnut juice,--a white colour is decidedly too conspicuous in this part of -the East. - -[20] The strict rule of the Moslem faith is this: if a man neglect to -pray, he is solemnly warned to repent. Should he simply refuse, without, -however, disbelieving in prayer, he is to be put to death, and receive -Moslem burial; in the other contingency, he is not bathed, prayed for, or -interred in holy ground. This severe order, however, lies in general -abeyance. - -[21] "Tuarick grandiloquence," says Richardson (vol. i. p. 207.), "savours -of blasphemy, e.g. the lands, rocks, and mountains of Ghat do not belong -to God but to the Azghar." Equally irreverent are the Kafirs of the Cape. -They have proved themselves good men in wit as well as war; yet, like the -old Greenlanders and some of the Burmese tribes, they are apparently -unable to believe in the existence of the Supreme. A favourite question to -the missionaries was this, "Is your God white or black?" If the European, -startled by the question, hesitated for a moment, they would leave him -with open signs of disgust at having been made the victims of a hoax. - -The assertion generally passes current that the idea of an Omnipotent -Being is familiar to all people, even the most barbarous. My limited -experience argues the contrary. Savages begin with fetisism and demon- -worship, they proceed to physiolatry (the religion of the Vedas) and -Sabaeism: the deity is the last and highest pinnacle of the spiritual -temple, not placed there except by a comparatively civilised race of high -development, which leads them to study and speculate upon cosmical and -psychical themes. This progression is admirably wrought out in Professor -Max Muller's "Rig Veda Sanhita." - -[22] The Moslem corpse is partly sentient in the tomb, reminding the -reader of Tennyson: - - "I thought the dead had peace, but it is not so; - To have no peace in the grave, is that not sad?" - -[23] The prayers for the dead have no Rukaat or bow as in other orisons. - -[24] The general Moslem name for the African coast from the Somali -seaboard southwards to the Mozambique, inhabited by negrotic races. - -[25] The Moslem rosary consists of ninety-nine beads divided into sets of -thirty-three each by some peculiar sign, as a bit of red coral. -[Illustration] The consulter, beginning at a chance place, counts up to -the mark: if the number of beads be odd, he sets down a single dot, if -even, two. This is done four times, when a figure is produced as in the -margin. Of these there are sixteen, each having its peculiar name and -properties. The art is merely Geomancy in its rudest shape; a mode of -vaticination which, from its wide diffusion, must be of high antiquity. -The Arabs call it El Baml, and ascribe its present form to the Imam Jaafar -el Sadik; amongst them it is a ponderous study, connected as usual with -astrology. Napoleon's "Book of Fate" is a specimen of the old Eastern -superstition presented to Europe in a modern and simple form. - -[26] In this country, as in Western and Southern Africa, the leopard, not -the wolf, is the shepherd's scourge. - -[27] Popular superstition in Abyssinia attributes the same power to the -Felashas or Jews. - -[28] Our Elixir, a corruption of the Arabic El Iksir. - -[29] In the Somali tongue its name is Barki: they make a stool of similar -shape, and call it Barjimo. - -[30] Specimens of these discourses have been given by Mr. Lane, Mod. -Egypt, chap. 3. It is useless to offer others, as all bear the closest -resemblance. - - - - -CHAP. III. - -EXCURSIONS NEAR ZAYLA. - - -We determined on the 9th of November to visit the island of Saad el Din, -the larger of the two patches of ground which lie about two miles north of -the town. Reaching our destination, after an hour's lively sail, we passed -through a thick belt of underwood tenanted by swarms of midges, with a -damp chill air crying fever, and a fetor of decayed vegetation smelling -death. To this succeeded a barren flat of silt and sand, white with salt -and ragged with salsolaceous stubble, reeking with heat, and covered with -old vegetation. Here, says local tradition, was the ancient site of Zayla -[1], built by Arabs from Yemen. The legend runs that when Saad el Din was -besieged and slain by David, King of Ethiopia, the wells dried up and the -island sank. Something doubtless occurred which rendered a removal -advisable: the sons of the Moslem hero fled to Ahmed bin El Ashraf, Prince -of Senaa, offering their allegiance if he would build fortifications for -them and aid them against the Christians of Abyssinia. The consequence was -a walled circuit upon the present site of Zayla: of its old locality -almost may be said "periere ruinae." - -During my stay with Sharmarkay I made many inquiries about historical -works, and the Kazi; Mohammed Khatib, a Harar man of the Hawiyah tribe, -was at last persuaded to send his Daftar, or office papers, for my -inspection. They formed a kind of parish register of births, deaths, -marriages, divorces, and manumissions. From them it appeared that in A.H. -1081 (A.D. 1670-71) the Shanabila Sayyids were Kazis of Zayla and retained -the office for 138 years. It passed two generations ago into the hands of -Mohammed Musa, a Hawiyah, and the present Kazi is his nephew. - -The origin of Zayla, or, as it is locally called, "Audal," is lost in the -fogs of Phoenician fable. The Avalites [2] of the Periplus and Pliny, it -was in earliest ages dependent upon the kingdom of Axum. [3] About the -seventh century, when the Southern Arabs penetrated into the heart of -Abyssinia [4], it became the great factory of the eastern coast, and rose -to its height of splendour. Taki el Din Makrizi [5] includes under the -name of Zayla, a territory of forty-three days' march by forty, and -divides it into seven great provinces, speaking about fifty languages, and -ruled by Amirs, subject to the Hati (Hatze) of Abyssinia. - -In the fourteenth century it became celebrated by its wars with the kings -of Abyssinia: sustaining severe defeats the Moslems retired upon their -harbour, which, after an obstinate defence fell into the hands of the -Christians. The land was laid waste, the mosques were converted into -churches, and the Abyssinians returned to their mountains laden with -booty. About A.D. 1400, Saad el Din, the heroic prince of Zayla, was -besieged in his city by the Hatze David the Second: slain by a spear- -thrust, he left his people powerless in the hands of their enemies, till -his sons, Sabr el Din, Ali, Mansur, and Jemal el Din retrieved the cause -of El Islam. - -Ibn Batuta, a voyager of the fourteenth century, thus describes the place: -"I then went from Aden by sea, and after four days came to the city of -Zayla. This is a settlement, of the Berbers [6], a people of Sudan, of the -Shafia sect. Their country is a desert of two months' extent; the first -part is termed Zayla, the last Makdashu. The greatest number of the -inhabitants, however, are of the Rafizah sect. [7] Their food is mostly -camels' flesh and fish. [8] The stench of the country is extreme, as is -also its filth, from the stink of the fish and the blood of camels which -are slaughtered in its streets." - -About A.D. 1500 the Turks conquered Yemen, and the lawless Janissaries, -"who lived upon the very bowels of commerce" [9], drove the peaceable Arab -merchants to the opposite shore. The trade of India, flying from the same -enemy, took refuge in Adel, amongst its partners. [10] The Turks of -Arabia, though they were blind to the cause, were sensible of the great -influx of wealth into the opposite kingdoms. They took possession, -therefore, of Zayla, which they made a den of thieves, established there -what they called a custom-house [11], and, by means of that post and -galleys cruising in the narrow straits of Bab el Mandeb, they laid the -Indian trade to Adel under heavy contributions that might indemnify them -for the great desertion their violence and injustice had occasioned in -Arabia. - -This step threatened the very existence both of Adel and Abyssinia; and -considering the vigorous government of the one, and the weak politics and -prejudices of the other, it is more than probable that the Turks would -have subdued both, had they not in India, their chief object, met the -Portuguese, strongly established. - -Bartema, travelling in A.D. 1503, treats in his 15th chapter of "Zeila in -AEthiopia and the great fruitlessness thereof, and of certain strange -beasts seen there." - -"In this city is great frequentation of merchandise, as in a most famous -mart. There is marvellous abundance of gold and iron, and an innumerable -number of black slaves sold for small prices; these are taken in War by -the Mahomedans out of AEthiopia, of the kingdom of Presbyter Johannes, or -Preciosus Johannes, which some also call the king of Jacobins or Abyssins, -being a Christian; and are carried away from thence into Persia, Arabia -Felix, Babylonia of Nilus or Alcair, and Meccah. In this city justice and -good laws are observed. [12] ... It hath an innumerable multitude of -merchants; the walls are greatly decayed, and the haven rude and -despicable. The King or Sultan of the city is a Mahomedan, and -entertaineth in wages a great multitude of footmen and horsemen. They are -greatly given to war, and wear only one loose single vesture: they are of -dark ash colour, inclining to black." - -In July 1516 Zayla was taken, and the town burned by a Portuguese -armament, under Lopez Suarez Alberguiera. When the Turks were compelled -to retire from Southern Arabia, it became subject to the Prince of Senaa, -who gave it in perpetuity to the family of a Senaani merchant. - -The kingdom of Yemen falling into decay, Zayla passed under the authority -of the Sherif of Mocha, who, though receiving no part of the revenue, had -yet the power of displacing the Governor. By him it was farmed out to the -Hajj Sharmarkay, who paid annually to Sayyid Mohammed el Barr, at Mocha, -the sum of 750 crowns, and reserved all that he could collect above that -sum for himself. In A.D. 1848 Zayla was taken from the family El Barr, and -farmed out to Sharmarkay by the Turkish Governor of Mocha and Hodaydah. - -The extant remains at Saad el Din are principally those of water-courses, -rude lines of coralline, stretching across the plain towards wells, now -lost [13], and diminutive tanks, made apparently to collect rain water. -One of these latter is a work of some art--a long sunken vault, with a -pointed arch projecting a few feet above the surface of the ground; -outside it is of rough stone, the interior is carefully coated with fine -lime, and from the roof long stalactites depend. Near it is a cemetery: -the graves are, for the most part, provided with large slabs of close -black basalt, planted in the ground edgeways, and in the shape of a small -oblong. The material was most probably brought from the mountains near -Tajurrah: at another part of the island I found it in the shape of a -gigantic mill-stone, half imbedded in the loose sand. Near the cemetery we -observed a mound of rough stones surrounding an upright pole; this is the -tomb of Shaykh Saad el Din, formerly the hero, now the favourite patron -saint of Zayla,--still popularly venerated, as was proved by the remains -of votive banquets, broken bones, dried garbage, and stones blackened by -the fire. - -After wandering through the island, which contained not a human being save -a party of Somal boatmen, cutting firewood for Aden, and having massacred -a number of large fishing hawks and small sea-birds, to astonish the -natives, our companions, we returned to the landing-place. Here an awning -had been spread; the goat destined for our dinner--I have long since -conquered all dislike, dear L., to seeing dinner perambulating--had been -boiled and disposed in hunches upon small mountains of rice, and jars of -sweet water stood in the air to cool. After feeding, regardless of -Quartana and her weird sisterhood, we all lay down for siesta in the light -sea-breeze. Our slumbers were heavy, as the Zayla people say is ever the -case at Saad el Din, and the sun had declined low ere we awoke. The tide -was out, and we waded a quarter of a mile to the boat, amongst giant crabs -who showed grisly claws, sharp coralline, and sea-weed so thick as to -become almost a mat. You must believe me when I tell you that in the -shallower parts the sun was painfully hot, even to my well tried feet. We -picked up a few specimens of fine sponge, and coral, white and red, which, -if collected, might be valuable to Zayla, and, our pic-nic concluded, we -returned home. - -On the 14th November we left the town to meet a caravan of the Danakil -[14], and to visit the tomb of the great saint Abu Zarbay. The former -approached in a straggling line of asses, and about fifty camels laiden -with cows' hides, ivories and one Abyssinian slave-girl. The men were wild -as ourang-outangs, and the women fit only to flog cattle: their animals -were small, meagre-looking, and loosely made; the asses of the Bedouins, -however, are far superior to those of Zayla, and the camels are, -comparatively speaking, well bred. [15] In a few minutes the beasts were -unloaded, the Gurgis or wigwams pitched, and all was prepared for repose. -A caravan so extensive being an unusual event,--small parties carrying -only grain come in once or twice a week,--the citizens abandoned even -their favourite game of ball, with an eye to speculation. We stood at -"Government House," over the Ashurbara Gate, to see the Bedouins, and we -quizzed (as Town men might denounce a tie or scoff at a boot) the huge -round shields and the uncouth spears of these provincials. Presently they -entered the streets, where we witnessed their frantic dance in presence of -the Hajj and other authorities. This is the wild men's way of expressing -their satisfaction that Fate has enabled them to convoy the caravan -through all the dangers of the desert. - -The Shaykh Ibrahim Abu Zarbay [16] lies under a whitewashed dome close to -the Ashurbara Gate of Zayla: an inscription cut in wood over the doorway -informs us that the building dates from A.H. 1155=AD. 1741-2. It is now -dilapidated, the lintel is falling in, the walls are decaying, and the -cupola, which is rudely built, with primitive gradients,--each step -supported as in Cashmere and other parts of India, by wooden beams,-- -threatens the heads of the pious. The building is divided into two -compartments, forming a Mosque and a Mazar or place of pious visitation: -in the latter are five tombs, the two largest covered with common chintz -stuff of glaring colours. Ibrahim was one of the forty-four Hazrami saints -who landed at Berberah, sat in solemn conclave upon Auliya Kumbo or Holy -Hill, and thence dispersed far and wide for the purpose of propagandism. -He travelled to Harar about A.D. 1430 [17], converted many to El Islam, -and left there an honored memory. His name is immortalised in El Yemen by -the introduction of El Kat. [17] - -Tired of the town, I persuaded the Hajj to send me with an escort to the -Hissi or well. At daybreak I set out with four Arab matchlock-men, and -taking a direction nearly due west, waded and walked over an alluvial -plain flooded by every high tide. On our way we passed lines of donkeys -and camels carrying water-skins from the town; they were under guard like -ourselves, and the sturdy dames that drove them indulged in many a loud -joke at our expense. After walking about four miles we arrived at what is -called the Takhushshah--the sandy bed of a torrent nearly a mile broad -[19], covered with a thin coat of caked mud: in the centre is a line of -pits from three to four feet deep, with turbid water at the bottom. Around -them were several frame-works of four upright sticks connected by -horizontal bars, and on these were stretched goats'-skins, forming the -cattle-trough of the Somali country. About the wells stood troops of -camels, whose Eesa proprietors scowled fiercely at us, and stalked over -the plain with their long, heavy spears: for protection against these -people, the citizens have erected a kind of round tower, with a ladder for -a staircase. Near it are some large tamarisks and the wild henna of the -Somali country, which supplies a sweet-smelling flower, but is valueless -as a dye. A thick hedge of thorn-trees surrounds the only cultivated -ground near Zayla: as Ibn Said declared in old times, "the people have no -gardens, and know nothing of fruits." The variety and the luxuriance of -growth, however, prove that industry is the sole desideratum. I remarked -the castor-plant,--no one knows its name or nature [20],--the Rayhan or -Basil, the Kadi, a species of aloe, whose strongly scented flowers the -Arabs of Yemen are fond of wearing in their turbans. [21] Of vegetables, -there were cucumbers, egg-plants, and the edible hibiscus; the only fruit -was a small kind of water-melon. - -After enjoying a walk through the garden and a bath at the well, I -started, gun in hand, towards the jungly plain that stretches towards the -sea. It abounds in hares, and in a large description of spur-fowl [22]; -the beautiful little sand antelope, scarcely bigger than an English rabbit -[23], bounded over the bushes, its thin legs being scarcely perceptible -during the spring. I was afraid to fire with ball, the place being full of -Bedouins' huts, herds, and dogs, and the vicinity of man made the animals -too wild for small shot. In revenge, I did considerable havoc amongst the -spur-fowl, who proved equally good for sport and the pot, besides knocking -over a number of old crows, whose gall the Arab soldiers wanted for -collyrium. [24] Beyond us lay Warabalay or Hyaenas' hill [25]: we did not -visit it, as all its tenants had been driven away by the migration of the -Nomads. - -Returning, we breakfasted in the garden, and rain coming on, we walked out -to enjoy the Oriental luxury of a wetting. Ali Iskandar, an old Arab -mercenary, afforded us infinite amusement: a little opium made him half -crazy, when his sarcastic pleasantries never ceased. We then brought out -the guns, and being joined by the other escort, proceeded to a trial of -skill. The Arabs planted a bone about 200 paces from us,--a long distance -for a people who seldom fire beyond fifty yards;--moreover, the wind blew -the flash strongly in their faces. Some shot two or three dozen times wide -of the mark and were derided accordingly: one man hit the bone; he at once -stopped practice, as the wise in such matters will do, and shook hands -with all the party. He afterwards showed that his success on this occasion -had been accidental; but he was a staunch old sportsman, remarkable, as -the Arab Bedouins generally are, for his skill and perseverance in -stalking. Having no rifle, I remained a spectator. My revolvers excited -abundant attention, though none would be persuaded to touch them. The -largest, which fitted with a stock became an excellent carbine, was at -once named Abu Sittah (the Father of Six) and the Shaytan or Devil: the -pocket pistol became the Malunah or Accursed, and the distance to which it -carried ball made every man wonder. The Arabs had antiquated matchlocks, -mostly worn away to paper thinness at the mouth: as usual they fired with -the right elbow raised to the level of the ear, and the left hand grasping -the barrel, where with us the breech would be. Hassan Turki had one of -those fine old Shishkhanah rifles formerly made at Damascus and Senaa: it -carried a two-ounce ball with perfect correctness, but was so badly -mounted in its block-butt, shaped like a Dutch cheese, that it always -required a rest. - -On our return home we met a party of Eesa girls, who derided my colour and -doubted the fact of my being a Moslem. The Arabs declared me to be a -Shaykh of Shaykhs, and translated to the prettiest of the party an -impromptu proposal of marriage. She showed but little coyness, and stated -her price to be an Audulli or necklace [26], a couple of Tobes,--she asked -one too many--a few handfuls of beads, [27] and a small present for her -papa. She promised, naively enough, to call next day and inspect the -goods: the publicity of the town did not deter her, but the shamefacedness -of my two companions prevented our meeting again. Arrived at Zayla after a -sunny walk, the Arab escort loaded their guns, formed a line for me to -pass along, fired a salute, and entered to coffee and sweetmeats. - -On the 24th of November I had an opportunity of seeing what a timid people -are these Somal of the towns, who, as has been well remarked, are, like -the settled Arabs, the worst specimens of their race. Three Eesa Bedouins -appeared before the southern gate, slaughtered a cow, buried its head, and -sent for permission to visit one of their number who had been imprisoned -by the Hajj for the murder of his son Masud. The place was at once thrown -into confusion, the gates were locked, and the walls manned with Arab -matchlock men: my three followers armed themselves, and I was summoned to -the fray. Some declared that the Bedouins were "doing" [28] the town; -others that they were the van of a giant host coming to ravish, sack, and -slay: it turned out that these Bedouins had preceded their comrades, who -were bringing in, as the price of blood [29], an Abyssinian slave, seven -camels, seven cows, a white mule, and a small black mare. The prisoner was -visited by his brother, who volunteered to share his confinement, and the -meeting was described as most pathetic: partly from mental organisation -and partly from the peculiarities of society, the only real tie -acknowledged by these people is that which connects male kinsmen. The -Hajj, after speaking big, had the weakness to let the murderer depart -alive: this measure, like peace-policy in general, is the best and surest -way to encourage bloodshed and mutilation. But a few months before, an -Eesa Bedouin enticed out of the gates a boy about fifteen, and slaughtered -him for the sake of wearing the feather. His relations were directed to -receive the Diyat or blood fine, and the wretch was allowed to depart -unhurt--a silly clemency! - -You must not suppose, dear L., that I yielded myself willingly to the -weary necessity of a month at Zayla. But how explain to you the obstacles -thrown in our way by African indolence, petty intrigue, and interminable -suspicion? Four months before leaving Aden I had taken the precaution of -meeting the Hajj, requesting him to select for us an Abban [30], or -protector, and to provide camels and mules; two months before starting I -had advanced to him the money required in a country where nothing can be -done without a whole or partial prepayment. The protector was to be -procured anywhere, the cattle at Tajurrah, scarcely a day's sail from -Zayla: when I arrived nothing was forthcoming. I at once begged the -governor to exert himself: he politely promised to start a messenger that -hour, and he delayed doing so for ten days. An easterly wind set in and -gave the crew an excuse for wasting another fortnight. [31] Travellers are -an irritable genus: I stormed and fretted at the delays to show -earnestness of purpose. All the effect was a paroxysm of talking. The Hajj -and his son treated me, like a spoilt child, to a double allowance of food -and milk: they warned me that the small-pox was depopulating Harar, that -the road swarmed with brigands, and that the Amir or prince was certain -destruction,--I contented myself with determining that both were true -Oriental hyperbolists, and fell into more frequent fits of passion. The -old man could not comprehend my secret. "If the English," he privately -remarked, "wish to take Harar, let them send me 500 soldiers; if not, I -can give all information concerning it." When convinced of my -determination to travel, he applied his mind to calculating the benefit -which might be derived from the event, and, as the following pages will -show, he was not without success. - -Towards the end of November, four camels were procured, an Abban was -engaged, we hired two women cooks and a fourth servant; my baggage was -reformed, the cloth and tobacco being sewn up in matting, and made to fit -the camels' sides [32]; sandals were cut out for walking, letters were -written, messages of dreary length,--too important to be set down in black -and white,--were solemnly entrusted to us, palavers were held, and affairs -began to wear the semblance of departure. The Hajj strongly recommended us -to one of the principal families of the Gudabirsi tribe, who would pass us -on to their brother-in-law Adan, the Gerad or prince of the Girhi; and he, -in due time, to his kinsman the Amir of Harar. The chain was commenced by -placing us under the protection of one Raghe, a petty Eesa chief of the -Mummasan clan. By the good aid of the Hajj and our sweetmeats, he was -persuaded, for the moderate consideration of ten Tobes [33], to accompany -us to the frontier of his clan, distant about fifty miles, to introduce us -to the Gudabirsi, and to provide us with three men as servants, and a -suitable escort, a score or so, in dangerous places. He began, with us in -an extravagant manner, declaring that nothing but "name" induced him to -undertake the perilous task; that he had left his flocks and herds at a -season of uncommon risk, and that all his relations must receive a certain -honorarium. But having paid at least three pounds for a few days of his -society, we declined such liberality, and my companions, I believe, -declared that it would be "next time:"--on all such occasions I make a -point of leaving the room, since for one thing given at least five are -promised on oath. Raghe warned us seriously to prepare for dangers and -disasters, and this seemed to be the general opinion of Zayla, whose timid -citizens determined that we were tired of our lives. The cold had driven -the Nomads from the hills to the warm maritime Plains [34], we should -therefore traverse a populous region; and, as the End of Time aptly -observed, "Man eats you up, the Desert does not." Moreover this year the -Ayyal Nuh Ismail, a clan of the Habr Awal tribe, is "out," and has been -successful against the Eesa, who generally are the better men. They sweep -the country in Kaum or Commandos [35], numbering from twenty to two -hundred troopers, armed with assegai, dagger, and shield, and carrying a -water skin and dried meat for a three days' ride, sufficient to scour the -length of the low land. The honest fellows are not so anxious to plunder -as to ennoble themselves by taking life: every man hangs to his saddle bow -an ostrich [36] feather,--emblem of truth,--and the moment his javelin has -drawn blood, he sticks it into his tufty pole with as much satisfaction as -we feel when attaching a medal to our shell-jackets. It is by no means -necessary to slay the foe in fair combat: Spartan-like, treachery is -preferred to stand-up fighting; and you may measure their ideas of honor, -by the fact that women are murdered in cold blood, as by the Amazulus, -with the hope that the unborn child may prove a male. The hero carries -home the trophy of his prowess [37], and his wife, springing from her -tent, utters a long shrill scream of joy, a preliminary to boasting of her -man's valour, and bitterly taunting the other possessors of _noirs -faineants_: the derided ladies abuse their lords with peculiar virulence, -and the lords fall into paroxysms of envy, hatred, and malice. During my -short stay at Zayla six or seven murders were committed close to the -walls: the Abban brought news, a few hours before our departure, that two -Eesas had been slaughtered by the Habr Awal. The Eesa and Dankali also -have a blood feud, which causes perpetual loss of life. But a short time -ago six men of these two tribes were travelling together, when suddenly -the last but one received from the hindermost a deadly spear thrust in the -back. The wounded man had the presence of mind to plunge his dagger in the -side of the wayfarer who preceded him, thus dying, as the people say, in -company. One of these events throws the country into confusion, for the -_vendetta_ is rancorous and bloody, as in ancient Germany or in modern -Corsica. Our Abban enlarged upon the unpleasant necessity of travelling -all night towards the hills, and lying _perdu_ during the day. The most -dangerous times are dawn and evening tide: the troopers spare their horses -during the heat, and themselves during the dew-fall. Whenever, in the -desert,--where, says the proverb, all men are enemies--you sight a fellow -creature from afar, you wave the right arm violently up and down, -shouting "War Joga! War Joga!"--stand still! stand still! If they halt, -you send a parliamentary to within speaking distance. Should they advance -[38], you fire, taking especial care not to miss; when two saddles are -emptied, the rest are sure to decamp. - -I had given the Abban orders to be in readiness,--my patience being -thoroughly exhausted,--on Sunday, the 26th of November, and determined to -walk the whole way, rather than waste another day waiting for cattle. As -the case had become hopeless, a vessel was descried standing straight from -Tajurrah, and, suddenly as could happen in the Arabian Nights, four fine -mules, saddled and bridled, Abyssinian fashion, appeared at the door. [39] - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] Brace describes Zayla as "a small island, on the very coast of Adel." -To reconcile discrepancy, he adopts the usual clumsy expedient of -supposing two cities of the same name, one situated seven degrees south of -the other. Salt corrects the error, but does not seem to have heard of old -Zayla's insular position. - -[2] The inhabitants were termed Avalitae, and the Bay "Sinus Avaliticus." -Some modern travellers have confounded it with Adule or Adulis, the port -of Axum, founded by fugitive Egyptian slaves. The latter, however, lies -further north: D'Anville places it at Arkiko, Salt at Zula (or Azule), -near the head of Annesley Bay. - -[3] The Arabs were probably the earliest colonists of this coast. Even the -Sawahil people retain a tradition that their forefathers originated in the -south of Arabia. - -[4] To the present day the district of Gozi is peopled by Mohammedans -called Arablet, "whose progenitors," according to Harris, "are said by -tradition to have been left there prior to the reign of Nagasi, first King -of Shoa. Hossain, Wahabit, and Abdool Kurreem, generals probably detached -from the victorious army of Graan (Mohammed Gragne), are represented to -have come from Mecca, and to have taken possession of the country,--the -legend assigning to the first of these warriors as his capital, the -populous village of Medina, which is conspicuous on a cone among the -mountains, shortly after entering the valley of Robi." - -[5] Historia Regum Islamiticorum in Abyssinia, Lugd. Bat. 1790. - -[6] The affinity between the Somal and the Berbers of Northern Africa, -and their descent from Canaan, son of Ham, has been learnedly advanced -and refuted by several Moslem authors. The theory appears to have arisen -from a mistake; Berberah, the great emporium of the Somali country, -being confounded with the Berbers of Nubia. - -[7] Probably Zaidi from Yemen. At present the people of Zayla are all -orthodox Sunnites. - -[8] Fish, as will be seen in these pages, is no longer a favourite article -of diet. - -[9] Bruce, book 8. - -[10] Hence the origin of the trade between Africa and Cutch, which -continues uninterrupted to the present time. Adel, Arabia, and India, as -Bruce remarks, were three partners in one trade, who mutually exported -their produce to Europe, Asia, and Africa, at that time the whole known -world. - -[11] The Turks, under a show of protecting commerce, established these -posts in their different ports. But they soon made it appear that the end -proposed was only to ascertain who were the subjects from whom they could -levy the most enormous extortions. Jeddah, Zebid, and Mocha, the places of -consequence nearest to Abyssinia on the Arabian coast, Suakin, a seaport -town on the very barriers of Abyssinia, in the immediate way of their -caravan to Cairo on the African side, were each under the command of a -Turkish Pasha and garrisoned by Turkish troops sent thither from -Constantinople by the emperors Selim and Sulayman. - -[12] Bartema's account of its productions is as follows: "The soil beareth -wheat and hath abundance of flesh and divers other commodious things. It -hath also oil, not of olives, but of some other thing, I know not what. -There is also plenty of honey and wax; there are likewise certain sheep -having their tails of the weight of sixteen pounds, and exceeding fat; the -head and neck are black, and all the rest white. There are also sheep -altogether white, and having tails of a cubit long, and hanging down like -a great cluster of grapes, and have also great laps of skin hanging down -from their throats, as have bulls and oxen, hanging down almost to the -ground. There are also certain kind with horns like unto harts' horns; -these are wild, and when they be taken are given to the Sultan of that -city as a kingly present. I saw there also certain kind having only one -horn in the midst of the forehead, as hath the unicorn, and about a span -of length, but the horn bendeth backward: they are of bright shining red -colour. But they that have harts' horns are inclining to black colour. -Living is there good and cheap." - -[13] The people have a tradition that a well of sweet water exists unseen -in some part of the island. When Saad el Din was besieged in Zayla by the -Hatze David, the host of El Islam suffered severely for the want of the -fresh element. - -[14] The singular is Dankali, the plural Danakil: both words are Arabic, -the vernacular name being "Afar" or "Afer," the Somali "Afarnimun." The -word is pronounced like the Latin "Afer," an African. - -[15] Occasionally at Zayla--where all animals are expensive--Dankali -camels may be bought: though small, they resist hardship and fatigue -better than the other kinds. A fair price would be about ten dollars. The -Somal divide their animals into two kinds, Gel Ad and Ayyun. The former is -of white colour, loose and weak, but valuable, I was told by Lieut. Speke, -in districts where little water is found: the Ayyun is darker and -stronger; its price averages about a quarter more than the Gel Ad. - -To the Arabian traveller nothing can be more annoying than these Somali -camels. They must be fed four hours during the day, otherwise they cannot -march. They die from change of food or sudden removal to another country. -Their backs are ever being galled, and, with all precautions, a month's -march lays them up for three times that period. They are never used for -riding, except in cases of sickness or accidents. - -The Somali ass is generally speaking a miserable animal. Lieut. Speke, -however, reports that on the windward coast it is not to be despised. At -Harar I found a tolerable breed, superior in appearance but inferior in -size to the thoroughbred little animals at Aden. They are never ridden; -their principal duty is that of carrying water-skins to and from the -walls. - -[16] He is generally called Abu Zerbin, more rarely Abu Zarbayn, and Abu -Zarbay. I have preferred the latter orthography upon the authority of the -Shaykh Jami, most learned of the Somal. - -[17] In the same year (A.D. 1429-30) the Shaykh el Shazili, buried under a -dome at Mocha, introduced coffee into Arabia. - -[18] The following is an extract from the Pharmaceutical Journal, vol. -xii. No. v. Nov. 1. 1852. Notes upon the drugs observed at Aden Arabia, by -James Vaughan, Esq., M.R.C.S.E., Assist. Surg., B.A., Civil and Port. -Surg., Aden, Arabia. - -"Kat [Arabic], the name of a drug which is brought into Aden from the -interior, and largely used, especially by the Arabs, as a pleasurable -excitant. It is generally imported in small camel-loads, consisting of a -number of parcels, each containing about forty slender twigs with the -leaves attached, and carefully wrapped so as to prevent as much as -possible exposure to the atmosphere. The leaves form the edible part, and -these, when chewed, are said to produce great hilarity of spirits, and an -agreeable state of wakefulness. Some estimate may be formed of the strong -predilection which the Arabs have for this drug from the quantity used in -Aden alone, which averages about 280 camel-loads annually. The market -price is one and a quarter rupees per parcel, and the exclusive privilege -of selling it is farmed by the government for 1500 rupees per year. -Forskal found the plant growing on the mountains of Yemen, and has -enumerated it as a new genus in the class Pentandria, under the name of -Catha. He notices two species, and distinguishes them as _Catha edulis_ -and _Catha spinosa_. According to his account it is cultivated on the same -ground as coffee, and is planted from cuttings. Besides the effects above -stated, the Arabs, he tells us, believe the land where it grows to be -secure from the inroads of plague; and that a twig of the Kat carried in -the bosom is a certain safeguard against infection. The learned botanist -observes, with respect to these supposed virtues, 'Gustus foliorum tamen -virtutem tantam indicare non videtur.' Like coffee, Kat, from its -acknowledged stimulating effects, has been a fertile theme for the -exercise of Mahomedan casuistry, and names of renown are ranged on both -sides of the question, whether the use of Kat does or does not contravene -the injunction of the Koran, Thou shalt not drink wine or anything -intoxicating. The succeeding notes, borrowed chiefly from De Sacy's -researches, may be deemed worthy of insertion here. - -"Sheikh Abdool Kader Ansari Jezeri, a learned Mahomedan author, in his -treatise on the use of coffee, quotes the following from the writings of -Fakr ood Deen Mekki:--'It is said that the first who introduced coffee was -the illustrious saint Aboo Abdallah Mahomed Dhabhani ibn Said; but we have -learned by the testimony of many persons that the use of coffee in Yemen, -its origin, and first introduction into that country are due to the -learned All Shadeli ibn Omar, one of the disciples of the learned doctor -Nasr ood Deen, who is regarded as one of the chiefs among the order -Shadeli, and whose worth attests the high degree of spirituality to which -they had attained. Previous to that time they made coffee of the vegetable -substance called Cafta, which is the same as the leaf known under the name -of Kat, and not of Boon (the coffee berry) nor any preparation of Boon. -The use of this beverage extended in course of time as far as Aden, but in -the days of Mahomed Dhabhani the vegetable substance from which it was -prepared disappeared from Aden. Then it was that the Sheik advised those -who had become his disciples to try the drink made from the Boon, which -was found to produce the same effect as the Kat, inducing sleeplessness, -and that it was attended with less expense and trouble. The use of coffee -has been kept up from that time to the present.' - -"D'Herbelot states that the beverage called Calmat al Catiat or Caftah, -was prohibited in Yemen in consequence of its effects upon the brain. On -the other hand a synod of learned Mussulmans is said to have decreed that -as beverages of Kat and Cafta do not impair the health or impede the -observance of religious duties, but only increase hilarity and good- -humour, it was lawful to use them, as also the drink made from the boon or -coffee-berry. I am not aware that Kat is used in Aden in any other way -than for mastication. From what I have heard, however, I believe that a -decoction resembling tea is made from the leaf by the Arabs in the -interior; and one who is well acquainted with our familiar beverage -assures me that the effects are not unlike those produced by strong green -tea, with this advantage in favour of Kat, that the excitement is always -of a pleasing and agreeable kind. [Note: "Mr. Vaughan has transmitted two -specimens called Tubbare Kat and Muktaree Kat, from the districts in which -they are produced: the latter fetches the lower price. Catha edulis -_Forsk._, Nat. Ord. Celastraceae, is figured in Dr. Lindley's Vegetable -Kingdom, p. 588. (London, 1846). But there is a still more complete -representation of the plant under the name of Catha Forskalii _Richard_, -in a work published under the auspices of the French government, entitled, -'Voyage en Abyssinie execute pendant les annees 1839-43, par une -commission scientifique composee de MM. Theophile Lefebvre, Lieut. du -Vaisseau, A. Petit et Martin-Dillon, docteurs medecins, naturalistes du -Museum, Vignaud dessinateur.' The botanical portion of this work, by M. -Achille Richard, is regarded either as a distinct publication under the -title of Tentamen Florae Abyssinicae, or as a part of the Voyage en -Abyssinie. M. Richard enters into some of the particulars relative to the -synonyms of the plant, from which it appears that Vahl referred Forskal's -genus Catha to the Linnaean genus Celastrus, changing the name of Catha -edulis to Celastrus edulis. Hochstetter applied the name of Celastrus -edulis to an Abyssinian species (Celastrus obscurus _Richard_), which he -imagined identical with Forskal's Catha edulis, while of the real Catha -edulis _Forsk._, he formed a new genus and species, under the name of -Trigonotheca serrata _Hochs_. Nat. Ord. Hippocrateaceae. I quote the -following references from the Tentamen Florae Abyssinicae, vol. i. p. 134.: -'Catha Forskalii _Nob._ Catha No. 4. Forsk. loc. cit, (Flor. AEgypt. Arab. -p. 63.) Trigonotheca serrata _Hochs._ in pl. Schimp. Abyss. sect. ii, No. -649. Celastrus edulis _Vahl, Ecl._ 1. 21.' Although In the Flora -AEgyptiaco-Arabica of Forskal no specific name is applied to the Catha at -p. 63, it is enumerated as Catha edulis at p. 107. The reference to -Celastrus edulis is not contained in the Eclogae Americanae of Vahl, but in -the author's Symbolae Botanicae (Hanulae, 1790, fol.) pars i. p. 21. (Daniel -Hanbury signed.)] - -[19] This is probably the "River of Zayla," alluded to by Ibn Said and -others. Like all similar features in the low country, it is a mere surface -drain. - -[20] In the upper country I found a large variety growing wild in the -Fiumaras. The Bedouins named it Buamado, but ignored its virtues. - -[21] This ornament is called Musbgur. - -[22] A large brown bird with black legs, not unlike the domestic fowl. The -Arabs call it Dijajat el Barr, (the wild hen): the Somal "digarin," a word -also applied to the Guinea fowl, which it resembles in its short strong -fight and habit of running. Owing to the Bedouin prejudice against eating -birds, it is found in large coveys all over the country. - -[23] It has been described by Salt and others. The Somal call it Sagaro, -the Arabs Ghezalah: it is found throughout the land generally in pairs, -and is fond of ravines under the hills, beds of torrents, and patches of -desert vegetation. It is easily killed by a single pellet of shot striking -the neck. The Somal catch it by a loop of strong twine hung round a gap in -a circuit of thorn hedge, or they run it down on foot, an operation -requiring half a day on account of its fleetness, which enables it to -escape the jackal and wild dog. When caught it utters piercing cries. Some -Bedouins do not eat the flesh: generally, however, it is considered a -delicacy, and the skulls and bones of these little animals lie strewed -around the kraals. - -[24] The Somal hold the destruction of the "Tuka" next in religious merit -to that of the snake. They have a tradition that the crow, originally -white, became black for his sins. When the Prophet and Abubekr were -concealed in the cave, the pigeon hid there from their pursuers: the crow, -on the contrary, sat screaming "ghar! ghar!" (the cave! the cave!) upon -which Mohammed ordered him into eternal mourning, and ever to repeat the -traitorous words. - -There are several species of crows in this part of Africa. Besides the -large-beaked bird of the Harar Hills, I found the common European variety, -with, however, the breast feathers white tipped in small semicircles as -far as the abdomen. The little "king-crow" of India is common: its bright -red eye and purplish plume render it a conspicuous object as it perches -upon the tall camel's back or clings to waving plants. - -[25] The Waraba or Durwa is, according to Mr. Blyth, the distinguished -naturalist, now Curator of the Asiatic Society's Museum at Calcutta, the -Canis pictus seu venaticus (Lycaon pictus or Wilde Honde of the Cape -Boers). It seems to be the Chien Sauvage or Cynhyene (Cynhyaena venatica) -of the French traveller M. Delegorgue, who in his "Voyage dans l'Afrique -Australe," minutely and diffusely describes it. Mr. Gordon Cumming -supposes it to form the connecting link between the wolf and the hyaena. -This animal swarms throughout the Somali country, prowls about the camps -all night, dogs travellers, and devours every thing he can find, at times -pulling down children and camels, and when violently pressed by hunger, -men. The Somal declare the Waraba to be a hermaphrodite; so the ancients -supposed the hyaena to be of both sexes, an error arising from the peculiar -appearance of an orifice situated near two glands which secrete an -unctuous fluid. - -[26] Men wear for ornament round the neck a bright red leather thong, upon -which are strung in front two square bits of true or imitation amber or -honey stone: this "Mekkawi," however, is seldom seen amongst the Bedouins. -The Audulli or woman's necklace is a more elaborate affair of amber, glass -beads, generally coloured, and coral: every matron who can afford it, -possesses at least one of these ornaments. Both sexes carry round the -necks or hang above the right elbow, a talisman against danger and -disease, either in a silver box or more generally sewn up in a small case -of red morocco. The Bedouins are fond of attaching a tooth-stick to the -neck thong. - -[27] Beads are useful in the Somali country as presents, and to pay for -trifling purchases: like tobacco they serve for small change. The kind -preferred by women and children is the "binnur," large and small white -porcelain: the others are the red, white, green, and spotted twisted -beads, round and oblong. Before entering a district the traveller should -ascertain what may be the especial variety. Some kind are greedily sought -for in one place, and in another rejected with disdain. - -[28] The Somali word "Fal" properly means "to do;" "to bewitch," is its -secondary sense. - -[29] The price of blood in the Somali country is the highest sanctioned by -El Islam. It must be remembered that amongst the pagan Arabs, the Korayah -"diyat," was twenty she-camels. Abd el Muttaleb, grandfather of Mohammed, -sacrificed 100 animals to ransom the life of his son, forfeited by a rash -vow, and from that time the greater became the legal number. The Somal -usually demand 100 she-camels, or 300 sheep and a few cows; here, as in -Arabia, the sum is made up by all the near relations of the slayer; 30 of -the animals may be aged, and 30 under age, but the rest must be sound and -good. Many tribes take less,--from strangers 100 sheep, a cow, and a -camel;--but after the equivalent is paid, the murderer or one of his clan, -contrary to the spirit of El Islam, is generally killed by the kindred or -tribe of the slain. When blood is shed in the same tribe, the full -reparation, if accepted by the relatives, is always exacted; this serves -the purpose of preventing fratricidal strife, for in such a nation of -murderers, only the Diyat prevents the taking of life. - -Blood money, however, is seldom accepted unless the murdered man has been -slain with a lawful weapon. Those who kill with the Dankaleh, a poisonous -juice rubbed upon meat, are always put to death by the members of their -own tribe. - -[30] The Abban or protector of the Somali country is the Mogasa of the -Gallas, the Akh of El Hejaz, the Ghafir of the Sinaitic Peninsula, and the -Rabia of Eastern Arabia. It must be observed, however, that the word -denotes the protege as well as the protector; In the latter sense it is -the polite address to a Somali, as Ya Abbaneh, O Protectress, would be to -his wife. - -The Abban acts at once as broker, escort, agent, and interpreter, and the -institution may be considered the earliest form of transit dues. In all -sales he receives a certain percentage, his food and lodging are provided -at the expense of his employer, and he not unfrequently exacts small -presents from his kindred. In return he is bound to arrange all -differences, and even to fight the battles of his client against his -fellow-countrymen. Should the Abban be slain, his tribe is bound to take -up the cause and to make good the losses of their protege. El Taabanah, -the office, being one of "name," the eastern synonym for our honour, as -well as of lucre, causes frequent quarrels, which become exceedingly -rancorous. - -According to the laws of the country, the Abban is master of the life and -property of his client. The traveller's success will depend mainly upon -his selection: if inferior in rank, the protector can neither forward nor -defend him; if timid, he will impede advance; and if avaricious, he will, -by means of his relatives, effectually stop the journey by absorbing the -means of prosecuting it. The best precaution against disappointment would -be the registering Abbans at Aden; every donkey-boy will offer himself as -a protector, but only the chiefs of tribes should be provided with -certificates. During my last visit to Africa, I proposed that English -officers visiting the country should be provided with servants not -protectors, the former, however, to be paid like the latter; all the -people recognised the propriety of the step. - -In the following pages occur manifold details concerning the complicated -subject, El Taabanah. - -[31] Future travellers would do well either to send before them a trusty -servant with orders to buy cattle; or, what would be better, though a -little more expensive, to take with them from Aden all the animals -required. - -[32] The Somal use as camel saddles the mats which compose their huts; -these lying loose upon the animal's back, cause, by slipping backwards and -forwards, the loss of many a precious hour, and in wet weather become half -a load. The more civilised make up of canvass or "gunny bags" stuffed with -hay and provided with cross bars, a rude packsaddle, which is admirably -calculated to gall the animal's back. Future travellers would do well to -purchase camel-saddles at Aden, where they are cheap and well made. - -[33] He received four cloths of Cutch canvass, and six others of coarse -American sheeting. At Zayla these articles are double the Aden value, -which would be about thirteen rupees or twenty-six shillings; in the bush -the price is quadrupled. Before leaving us the Abban received at least -double the original hire. Besides small presents of cloth, dates, tobacco -and rice to his friends, he had six cubits of Sauda Wilayati or English -indigo-dyed calico for women's fillets, and two of Sauda Kashshi, a Cutch -imitation, a Shukkah or half Tobe for his daughter, and a sheep for -himself, together with a large bundle of tobacco. - -[34] When the pastures are exhausted and the monsoon sets in, the Bedouins -return to their cool mountains; like the Iliyat of Persia, they have their -regular Kishlakh and Yaylakh. - -[35] "Kaum" is the Arabic, "All" the Somali, term for these raids. - -[36] Amongst the old Egyptians the ostrich feather was the symbol of -truth. The Somal call it "Bal," the Arabs "Rish;" it is universally used -here as the sign and symbol of victory. Generally the white feather only -is stuck in the hair; the Eesa are not particular in using black when they -can procure no other. All the clans wear it in the back hair, but each has -its own rules; some make it a standard decoration, others discard it after -the first few days. The learned have an aversion to the custom, -stigmatising it as pagan and idolatrous; the vulgar look upon it as the -highest mark of honor. - -[37] This is an ancient practice in Asia as well as in Africa. The -Egyptian temples show heaps of trophies placed before the monarchs as eyes -or heads were presented in Persia. Thus in 1 Sam. xviii. 25., David brings -the spoils of 200 Philistines, and shows them in full tale to the king, -that he might be the king's son-in-law. Any work upon the subject of -Abyssinia (Bruce, book 7. chap, 8.), or the late Afghan war, will prove -that the custom of mutilation, opposed as it is both to Christianity and -El Islam, is still practised in the case of hated enemies and infidels; -and De Bey remarks of the Cape Kafirs, "victores caesis excidunt [Greek: -_tu aidoui_], quae exsiccata regi afferunt." - -[38] When attacking cattle, the plundering party endeavour with shoots and -noise to disperse the herds, whilst the assailants huddle them together, -and attempt to face the danger in parties. - -[39] For the cheapest I paid twenty-three, for the dearest twenty-six -dollars, besides a Riyal upon each, under the names of custom dues and -carriage. The Hajj had doubtless exaggerated the price, but all were good -animals, and the traveller has no right to complain, except when he pays -dear for a bad article. - - - - -CHAP. IV. - -THE SOMAL, THEIR ORIGIN AND PECULIARITIES. - - -Before leaving Zayla, I must not neglect a short description of its -inhabitants, and the remarkable Somal races around it. - -Eastern Africa, like Arabia, presents a population composed of three -markedly distinct races. - -1. The Aborigines or Hamites, such as the Negro Sawahili, the Bushmen, -Hottentots, and other races, having such physiological peculiarities as -the steatopyge, the tablier, and other developments described, in 1815, by -the great Cuvier. - -2. The almost pure Caucasian of the northern regions, west of Egypt: their -immigration comes within the range of comparatively modern history. - -3. The half-castes in Eastern Africa are represented principally by the -Abyssinians, Gallas, Somals, and Kafirs. The first-named people derive -their descent from Menelek, son of Solomon by the Queen of Sheba: it is -evident from their features and figures,--too well known to require -description,--that they are descended from Semitic as well as Hamitic -progenitors. [1] About the origin of the Gallas there is a diversity of -opinion. [2] Some declare them to be Meccan Arabs, who settled on the -western coast of the Red Sea at a remote epoch: according to the -Abyssinians, however, and there is little to find fault with in their -theory, the Gallas are descended from a princess of their nation, who was -given in marriage to a slave from the country south of Gurague. She bare -seven sons, who became mighty robbers and founders of tribes: their -progenitors obtained the name of Gallas, after the river Gala, in Gurague, -where they gained a decisive victory over their kinsmen the Abyssins. [3] A -variety of ethnologic and physiological reasons,--into which space and -subject prevent my entering,--argue the Kafirs of the Cape to be a -northern people, pushed southwards by some, to us, as yet, unknown cause. -The origin of the Somal is a matter of modern history. - -"Barbarah" (Berberah) [4], according to the Kamus, is "a well known town -in El Maghrib, and a race located between El Zanj--Zanzibar and the -Negrotic coast--and El Habash [5]: they are descended from the Himyar -chiefs Sanhaj ([Arabic]) and Sumamah ([Arabic]), and they arrived at the -epoch of the conquest of Africa by the king Afrikus (Scipio Africanus?)." -A few details upon the subject of mutilation and excision prove these to -have been the progenitors of the Somal [6], who are nothing but a slice of -the great Galla nation Islamised and Semiticised by repeated immigrations -from Arabia. In the Kamus we also read that Samal ([Arabic]) is the name -of the father of a tribe, so called because he _thrust out_ ([Arabic], -_samala_) his brother's eye. [7] The Shaykh Jami, a celebrated -genealogist, informed me that in A.H. 666 = A.D. 1266-7, the Sayyid Yusuf -el Baghdadi visited the port of Siyaro near Berberah, then occupied by an -infidel magician, who passed through mountains by the power of his -gramarye: the saint summoned to his aid Mohammed bin Tunis el Siddiki, of -Bayt el Fakih in Arabia, and by their united prayers a hill closed upon -the pagan. Deformed by fable, the foundation of the tale is fact: the -numerous descendants of the holy men still pay an annual fine, by way of -blood-money to the family of the infidel chief. The last and most -important Arab immigration took place about fifteen generations or 450 -years ago, when the Sherif Ishak bin Ahmed [8] left his native country -Hazramaut, and, with forty-four saints, before mentioned, landed on -Makhar,--the windward coast extending from Karam Harbour to Cape -Guardafui. At the town of Met, near Burnt Island, where his tomb still -exists, he became the father of all the gentle blood and the only certain -descent in the Somali country: by Magaden, a free woman, he had Gerhajis, -Awal, and Arab; and by a slave or slaves, Jailah, Sambur, and Rambad. -Hence the great clans, Habr Gerhajis and Awal, who prefer the matronymic-- -Habr signifying a mother,--since, according to their dictum, no man knows -who may be his sire. [9] These increased and multiplied by connection and -affiliation to such an extent that about 300 years ago they drove their -progenitors, the Galla, from Berberah, and gradually encroached upon them, -till they intrenched themselves in the Highlands of Harar. - -The old and pagan genealogies still known to the Somal, are Dirr, Aydur, -Darud, and, according to some, Hawiyah. Dirr and Aydur, of whom nothing is -certainly known but the name [10], are the progenitors of the northern -Somal, the Eesa, Gudabirsi, Ishak, and Bursuk tribes. Darud Jabarti [11] -bin Ismail bin Akil (or Ukayl) is supposed by his descendants to have been -a noble Arab from El Hejaz, who, obliged to flee his country, was wrecked -on the north-east coast of Africa, where he married a daughter of the -Hawiyah tribe: rival races declare him to have been a Galla slave, who, -stealing the Prophet's slippers [12], was dismissed with the words, Inna- -_tarad_-na-hu (verily we have rejected him): hence his name Tarud -([Arabic]) or Darud, the Rejected. [13] The etymological part of the story -is, doubtless, fabulous; it expresses, however, the popular belief that -the founder of the eastward or windward tribes, now extending over the -seaboard from Bunder Jedid to Ras Hafun, and southward from the sea to the -Webbes [14], was a man of ignoble origin. The children of Darud are now -divided into two great bodies: "Harti" is the family name of the -Dulbahanta, Ogadayn, Warsangali and Mijjarthayn, who call themselves sons -of Harti bin Kombo bin Kabl Ullah bin Darud: the other Darud tribes not -included under that appellation are the Girhi, Berteri, Marayhan, and -Bahabr Ali. The Hawiyah are doubtless of ancient and pagan origin; they -call all Somal except themselves Hashiyah, and thus claim to be equivalent -to the rest of the nation. Some attempt, as usual, to establish a holy -origin, deriving themselves like the Shaykhash from the Caliph Abubekr: -the antiquity, and consequently the Pagan origin of the Hawiyah are proved -by its present widely scattered state; it is a powerful tribe in the -Mijjarthayn country, and yet is found in the hills of Harar. - -The Somal, therefore, by their own traditions, as well as their strongly -marked physical peculiarities, their customs, and their geographical -position, may be determined to be a half-caste tribe, an offshoot of the -great Galla race, approximated, like the originally Negro-Egyptian, to the -Caucasian type by a steady influx of pure Asiatic blood. - -In personal appearance the race is not unprepossessing. The crinal hair is -hard and wiry, growing, like that of a half-caste West Indian, in stiff -ringlets which sprout in tufts from the scalp, and, attaining a moderate -length, which they rarely surpass, hang down. A few elders, savans, and -the wealthy, who can afford the luxury of a turban, shave the head. More -generally, each filament is duly picked out with the comb or a wooden -scratcher like a knitting-needle, and the mass made to resemble a child's -"pudding," an old bob-wig, a mop, a counsellor's peruke, or an old- -fashioned coachman's wig,--there are a hundred ways of dressing the head. -The Bedouins, true specimens of the "greasy African race," wear locks -dripping with rancid butter, and accuse their citizen brethren of being -more like birds than men. The colouring matter of the hair, naturally a -bluish-black, is removed by a mixture of quicklime and water, or in the -desert by a _lessive_ of ashes [15]: this makes it a dull yellowish-white, -which is converted into red permanently by henna, temporarily by ochreish -earth kneaded with water. The ridiculous Somali peruke of crimsoned -sheepskin,--almost as barbarous an article as the Welsh,--is apparently a -foreign invention: I rarely saw one in the low country, although the hill -tribes about Harar sometimes wear a black or white "scratch-wig." The head -is rather long than round, and generally of the amiable variety, it is -gracefully put on the shoulders, belongs equally to Africa and Arabia, and -would be exceedingly weak but for the beauty of the brow. As far as the -mouth, the face, with the exception of high cheek-bones, is good; the -contour of the forehead ennobles it; the eyes are large and well-formed, -and the upper features are frequently handsome and expressive. The jaw, -however, is almost invariably prognathous and African; the broad, turned- -out lips betray approximation to the Negro; and the chin projects to the -detriment of the facial angle. The beard is represented by a few tufts; it -is rare to see anything equal to even the Arab development: the long and -ample eyebrows admired by the people are uncommon, and the mustachios are -short and thin, often twisted outwards in two dwarf curls. The mouth is -coarse as well as thick-lipped; the teeth rarely project as in the Negro, -but they are not good; the habit of perpetually chewing coarse Surat -tobacco stains them [16], the gums become black and mottled, and the use -of ashes with the quid discolours the lips. The skin, amongst the tribes -inhabiting the hot regions, is smooth, black, and glossy; as the altitude -increases it becomes lighter, and about Harar it is generally of a _cafe -au lait_ colour. The Bedouins are fond of raising beauty marks in the -shape of ghastly seams, and the thickness of the epidermis favours the -size of these _stigmates_. The male figure is tall and somewhat ungainly. -In only one instance I observed an approach to the steatopyge, making the -shape to resemble the letter S; but the shoulders are high, the trunk is -straight, the thighs fall off, the shin bones bow slightly forwards, and -the feet, like the hands, are coarse, large, and flat. Yet with their -hair, of a light straw colour, decked with the light waving feather, and -their coal-black complexions set off by that most graceful of garments the -clean white Tobe [17], the contrasts are decidedly effective. - -In mind the Somal are peculiar as in body. They are a people of most -susceptible character, and withal uncommonly hard to please. They dislike -the Arabs, fear and abhor the Turks, have a horror of Franks, and despise -all other Asiatics who with them come under the general name of Hindi -(Indians). The latter are abused on all occasions for cowardice, and a -want of generosity, which has given rise to the following piquant epigram: - - "Ask not from the Hindi thy want: - Impossible that the Hindi can be generous! - Had there been one liberal man in El Hind, - Allah had raised up a prophet in El Hind!" - -They have all the levity and instability of the Negro character; light- -minded as the Abyssinians,--described by Gobat as constant in nothing but -inconstancy,--soft, merry, and affectionate souls, they pass without any -apparent transition into a state of fury, when they are capable of -terrible atrocities. At Aden they appear happier than in their native -country. There I have often seen a man clapping his hands and dancing, -childlike, alone to relieve the exuberance of his spirits: here they -become, as the Mongols and other pastoral people, a melancholy race, who -will sit for hours upon a bank gazing at the moon, or croning some old -ditty under the trees. This state is doubtless increased by the perpetual -presence of danger and the uncertainty of life, which make them think of -other things but dancing and singing. Much learning seems to make them -mad; like the half-crazy Fakihs of the Sahara in Northern Africa, the -Widad, or priest, is generally unfitted for the affairs of this world, and -the Hafiz or Koran-reciter, is almost idiotic. As regards courage, they -are no exception to the generality of savage races. They have none of the -recklessness standing in lieu of creed which characterises the civilised -man. In their great battles a score is considered a heavy loss; usually -they will run after the fall of half a dozen: amongst a Kraal full of -braves who boast a hundred murders, not a single maimed or wounded man -will be seen, whereas in an Arabian camp half the male population will -bear the marks of lead and steel. The bravest will shirk fighting if he -has forgotten his shield: the sight of a lion and the sound of a gun -elicit screams of terror, and their Kaum or forays much resemble the style -of tactics rendered obsolete by the Great Turenne, when the tactician's -chief aim was not to fall in with his enemy. Yet they are by no means -deficient in the wily valour of wild men: two or three will murder a -sleeper bravely enough; and when the passions of rival tribes, between -whom there has been a blood feud for ages, are violently excited, they -will use with asperity the dagger and spear. Their massacres are fearful. -In February, 1847, a small sept, the Ayyal Tunis, being expelled from -Berberah, settled at the roadstead of Bulhar, where a few merchants, -principally Indian and Arab, joined them. The men were in the habit of -leaving their women and children, sick and aged, at the encampment inland, -whilst, descending to the beach, they carried on their trade. One day, as -they were thus employed, unsuspicious of danger, a foraging party of about -2500 Eesas attacked the camp: men, women, and children were -indiscriminately put to the spear, and the plunderers returned to their -villages in safety, laden with an immense amount of booty. At present, a -man armed with a revolver would be a terror to the country; the day, -however, will come when the matchlock will supersede the assegai, and then -the harmless spearman in his strong mountains will become, like the Arab, -a formidable foe. Travelling among the Bedouins, I found them kind and -hospitable. A pinch of snuff or a handful of tobacco sufficed to win every -heart, and a few yards of coarse cotton cloth supplied all our wants, I -was petted like a child, forced to drink milk and to eat mutton; girls -were offered to me in marriage; the people begged me to settle amongst -them, to head their predatory expeditions, free them from lions, and kill -their elephants; and often a man has exclaimed in pitying accents, "What -hath brought thee, delicate as thou art, to sit with us on the cowhide in -this cold under a tree?" Of course they were beggars, princes and paupers, -lairds and loons, being all equally unfortunate; the Arabs have named the -country Bilad Wa Issi,--the "Land of Give me Something;"--but their wants -were easily satisfied, and the open hand always made a friend. - -The Somal hold mainly to the Shafei school of El Islam: their principal -peculiarity is that of not reciting prayers over the dead even in the -towns. The marriage ceremony is simple: the price of the bride and the -feast being duly arranged, the formula is recited by some priest or -pilgrim. I have often been requested to officiate on these occasions, and -the End of Time has done it by irreverently reciting the Fatihah over the -happy pair. [18] The Somal, as usual amongst the heterogeneous mass -amalgamated by El Islam, have a diversity of superstitions attesting their -Pagan origin. Such for instance are their oaths by stones, their reverence -of cairns and holy trees, and their ordeals of fire and water, the Bolungo -of Western Africa. A man accused of murder or theft walks down a trench -full of live charcoal and about a spear's length, or he draws out of the -flames a smith's anvil heated to redness: some prefer picking four or five -cowries from a large pot full of boiling water. The member used is at once -rolled up in the intestines of a sheep and not inspected for a whole day. -They have traditionary seers called Tawuli, like the Greegree-men of -Western Africa, who, by inspecting the fat and bones of slaughtered -cattle, "do medicine," predict rains, battles, and diseases of animals. -This class is of both sexes: they never pray or bathe, and are therefore -considered always impure; thus, being feared, they are greatly respected -by the vulgar. Their predictions are delivered in a rude rhyme, often put -for importance into the mouth of some deceased seer. During the three -months called Rajalo [19] the Koran is not read over graves, and no -marriage ever takes place. The reason of this peculiarity is stated to be -imitation of their ancestor Ishak, who happened not to contract a -matrimonial alliance at such epoch: it is, however, a manifest remnant of -the Pagan's auspicious and inauspicious months. Thus they sacrifice she- -camels in the month Sabuh, and keep holy with feasts and bonfires the -Dubshid or New Year's Day. [20] At certain unlucky periods when the moon -is in ill-omened Asterisms those who die are placed in bundles of matting -upon a tree, the idea being that if buried a loss would result to the -tribe. [21] - -Though superstitious, the Somal are not bigoted like the Arabs, with the -exception of those who, wishing to become learned, visit Yemen or El -Hejaz, and catch the complaint. Nominal Mohammedans, El Islam hangs so -lightly upon them, that apparently they care little for making it binding -upon others. - -The Somali language is no longer unknown to Europe. It is strange that a -dialect which has no written character should so abound in poetry and -eloquence. There are thousands of songs, some local, others general, upon -all conceivable subjects, such as camel loading, drawing water, and -elephant hunting; every man of education knows a variety of them. The -rhyme is imperfect, being generally formed by the syllable "ay" -(pronounced as in our word "hay"), which gives the verse a monotonous -regularity; but, assisted by a tolerably regular alliteration and cadence, -it can never be mistaken for prose, even without the song which invariably -accompanies it. The country teems with "poets, poetasters, poetitos, and -poetaccios:" every man has his recognised position in literature as -accurately defined as though he had been reviewed in a century of -magazines,--the fine ear of this people [22] causing them to take the -greatest pleasure in harmonious sounds and poetical expressions, whereas a -false quantity or a prosaic phrase excite their violent indignation. Many -of these compositions are so idiomatic that Arabs settled for years -amongst the Somal cannot understand them, though perfectly acquainted with -the conversational style. Every chief in the country must have a panegyric -to be sung by his clan, and the great patronise light literature by -keeping a poet. The amatory is of course the favourite theme: sometimes it -appears in dialogue, the rudest form, we are told, of the Drama. The -subjects are frequently pastoral: the lover for instance invites his -mistress to walk with him towards the well in Lahelo, the Arcadia of the -land; he compares her legs to the tall straight Libi tree, and imprecates -the direst curses on her head if she refuse to drink with him the milk of -his favourite camel. There are a few celebrated ethical compositions, in -which the father lavishes upon his son all the treasures of Somali good -advice, long as the somniferous sermons of Mentor to the insipid son of -Ulysses. Sometimes a black Tyrtaeus breaks into a wild lament for the loss -of warriors or territory; he taunts the clan with cowardice, reminds them -of their slain kindred, better men than themselves, whose spirits cannot -rest unavenged in their gory graves, and urges a furious onslaught upon -the exulting victor. - -And now, dear L., I will attempt to gratify your just curiosity concerning -_the_ sex in Eastern Africa. - -The Somali matron is distinguished--externally--from the maiden by a -fillet of blue network or indigo-dyed cotton, which, covering the head and -containing the hair, hangs down to the neck. Virgins wear their locks -long, parted in the middle, and plaited in a multitude of hard thin -pigtails: on certain festivals they twine flowers and plaster the head -like Kafir women with a red ochre,--the _coiffure_ has the merit of -originality. With massive rounded features, large flat craniums, long big -eyes, broad brows, heavy chins, rich brown complexions, and round faces, -they greatly resemble the stony beauties of Egypt--the models of the land -ere Persia, Greece, and Rome reformed the profile and bleached the skin. -They are of the Venus Kallipyga order of beauty: the feature is scarcely -ever seen amongst young girls, but after the first child it becomes -remarkable to a stranger. The Arabs have not failed to make it a matter of -jibe. - - "'Tis a wonderful fact that your hips swell - Like boiled rice or a skin blown out," - -sings a satirical Yemeni: the Somal retort by comparing the lank haunches -of their neighbours to those of tadpoles or young frogs. One of their -peculiar charms is a soft, low, and plaintive voice, derived from their -African progenitors. Always an excellent thing in woman, here it has an -undefinable charm. I have often lain awake for hours listening to the -conversation of the Bedouin girls, whose accents sounded in my ears rather -like music than mere utterance. - -In muscular strength and endurance the women of the Somal are far superior -to their lords: at home they are engaged all day in domestic affairs, and -tending the cattle; on journeys their manifold duties are to load and -drive the camels, to look after the ropes, and, if necessary, to make -them; to pitch the hut, to bring water and firewood, and to cook. Both -sexes are equally temperate from necessity; the mead and the millet-beer, -so common among the Abyssinians and the Danakil, are entirely unknown to -the Somal of the plains. As regards their morals, I regret to say that the -traveller does not find them in the golden state which Teetotal doctrines -lead him to expect. After much wandering, we are almost tempted to believe -the bad doctrine that morality is a matter of geography; that nations and -races have, like individuals, a pet vice, and that by restraining one you -only exasperate another. As a general rule Somali women prefer -_amourettes_ with strangers, following the well-known Arab proverb, "The -new comer filleth the eye." In cases of scandal, the woman's tribe -revenges its honour upon the man. Should a wife disappear with a fellow- -clansman, and her husband accord divorce, no penal measures are taken, but -she suffers in reputation, and her female friends do not spare her. -Generally, the Somali women are of cold temperament, the result of -artificial as well as natural causes: like the Kafirs, they are very -prolific, but peculiarly bad mothers, neither loved nor respected by their -children. The fair sex lasts longer in Eastern Africa than in India and -Arabia: at thirty, however, charms are on the wane, and when old age comes -on they are no exceptions to the hideous decrepitude of the East. - -The Somal, when they can afford it, marry between the ages of fifteen and -twenty. Connections between tribes are common, and entitle the stranger to -immunity from the blood-feud: men of family refuse, however, to ally -themselves with the servile castes. Contrary to the Arab custom, none of -these people will marry cousins; at the same time a man will give his -daughter to his uncle, and take to wife, like the Jews and Gallas, a -brother's relict. Some clans, the Habr Yunis for instance, refuse maidens -of the same or even of a consanguineous family. This is probably a -political device to preserve nationality and provide against a common -enemy. The bride, as usual in the East, is rarely consulted, but frequent -_tete a tetes_ at the well and in the bush when tending cattle effectually -obviate this inconvenience: her relatives settle the marriage portion, -which varies from a cloth and a bead necklace to fifty sheep or thirty -dollars, and dowries are unknown. In the towns marriage ceremonies are -celebrated with feasting and music. On first entering the nuptial hut, the -bridegroom draws forth his horsewhip and inflicts memorable chastisement -upon the fair person of his bride, with the view of taming any lurking -propensity to shrewishness. [23] This is carrying out with a will the Arab -proverb, - - "The slave girl from her capture, the wife from her wedding." - -During the space of a week the spouse remains with his espoused, scarcely -ever venturing out of the hut; his friends avoid him, and no lesser event -than a plundering party or dollars to gain, would justify any intrusion. -If the correctness of the wife be doubted, the husband on the morning -after marriage digs a hole before his door and veils it with matting, or -he rends the skirt of his Tobe, or he tears open some new hut-covering: -this disgraces the woman's family. Polygamy is indispensable in a country -where children are the principal wealth. [24] The chiefs, arrived at -manhood, immediately marry four wives: they divorce the old and -unfruitful, and, as amongst the Kafirs, allow themselves an unlimited -number in peculiar cases, especially when many of the sons have fallen. -Daughters, as usual in Oriental countries, do not "count" as part of the -family: they are, however, utilised by the father, who disposes of them to -those who can increase his wealth and importance. Divorce is exceedingly -common, for the men are liable to sudden fits of disgust. There is little -ceremony in contracting marriage with any but maidens. I have heard a man -propose after half an hour's acquaintance, and the fair one's reply was -generally the question direct concerning "settlements." Old men frequently -marry young girls, but then the portion is high and the _menage a trois_ -common. - -The Somal know none of the exaggerated and chivalrous ideas by which -passion becomes refined affection amongst the Arab Bedouins and the sons -of civilisation, nor did I ever hear of an African abandoning the spear -and the sex to become a Darwaysh. Their "Hudhudu," however, reminds the -traveller of the Abyssinian "eye-love," the Afghan's "Namzad-bazi," and -the Semite's "Ishkuzri," which for want of a better expression we -translate "Platonic love." [25] This meeting of the sexes, however, is -allowed in Africa by male relatives; in Arabia and Central Asia it -provokes their direst indignation. Curious to say, throughout the Somali -country, kissing is entirely unknown. - -Children are carried on their mothers' backs or laid sprawling upon the -ground for the first two years [26]: they are circumcised at the age of -seven or eight, provided with a small spear, and allowed to run about -naked till the age of puberty. They learn by conversation, not books, eat -as much as they can beg, borrow and steal, and grow up healthy, strong, -and well proportioned according to their race. - -As in El Islam generally, so here, a man cannot make a will. The property -of the deceased is divided amongst his children,--the daughters receiving -a small portion, if any of it. When a man dies without issue, his goods -and chattels are seized upon by his nearest male relatives; one of them -generally marries the widow, or she is sent back to her family. Relicts, -as a rule, receive no legacies. - -You will have remarked, dear L., that the people of Zayla are by no means -industrious. They depend for support upon the Desert: the Bedouin becomes -the Nazil or guest of the townsman, and he is bound to receive a little -tobacco, a few beads, a bit of coarse cotton cloth, or, on great -occasions, a penny looking-glass and a cheap German razor, in return for -his slaves, ivories, hides, gums, milk, and grain. Any violation of the -tie is severely punished by the Governor, and it can be dissolved only by -the formula of triple divorce: of course the wild men are hopelessly -cheated [27], and their citizen brethren live in plenty and indolence. -After the early breakfast, the male portion of the community leave their -houses on business, that is to say, to chat, visit, and _flaner_ about the -streets and mosques. [28] They return to dinner and the siesta, after -which they issue forth again, and do not come home till night. Friday is -always an idle day, festivals are frequent, and there is no work during -weddings and mournings. The women begin after dawn to plait mats and -superintend the slaves, who are sprinkling the house with water, grinding -grain for breakfast, cooking, and breaking up firewood: to judge, however, -from the amount of chatting and laughter, there appears to be far less -work than play. - -In these small places it is easy to observe the mechanism of a government -which, _en grand_, becomes that of Delhi, Teheran, and Constantinople. The -Governor farms the place from the Porte: he may do what he pleases as long -as he pays his rent with punctuality and provides presents and _douceurs_ -for the Pasha of Mocha. He punishes the petty offences of theft, quarrels, -and arson by fines, the bastinado, the stocks, or confinement in an Arish -or thatch-hut: the latter is a severe penalty, as the prisoner must -provide himself with food. In cases of murder, he either refers to Mocha -or he carries out the Kisas--lex talionis--by delivering the slayer to the -relatives of the slain. The Kazi has the administration of the Shariat or -religious law: he cannot, however, pronounce sentence without the -Governor's permission; and generally his powers are confined to questions -of divorce, alimony, manumission, the wound-mulct, and similar cases which -come within Koranic jurisdiction. Thus the religious code is ancillary and -often opposed to "El Jabr,"--"the tyranny,"--the popular designation of -what we call Civil Law. [29] Yet is El Jabr, despite its name, generally -preferred by the worldly wise. The Governor contents himself with a -moderate bribe, the Kazi is insatiable: the former may possibly allow you -to escape unplundered, the latter assuredly will not. This I believe to be -the history of religious jurisdiction in most parts of the world. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] Eusebius declares that the Abyssinians migrated from Asia to Africa -whilst the Hebrews were in Egypt (circ. A. M. 2345); and Syncellus places -the event about the age of the Judges. - -[2] Moslems, ever fond of philological fable, thus derive the word Galla. -When Ullabu, the chief, was summoned by Mohammed to Islamise, the -messenger returned to report that "he said _no_,"--Kal la pronounced Gal -la,--which impious refusal, said the Prophet, should from that time become -the name of the race. - -[3] Others have derived them from Metcha, Karaiyo, and Tulema, three sons -of an AEthiopian Emperor by a female slave. They have, according to some -travellers, a prophecy that one day they will march to the east and north, -and conquer the inheritance of their Jewish ancestors. Mr. Johnston -asserts that the word Galla is "merely another form of _Calla_, which in -the ancient Persian, Sanscrit, Celtic, and their modern derivative -languages, under modified, but not changed terms, is expressive of -blackness." The Gallas, however, are not a black people. - -[4] The Aden stone has been supposed to name the "Berbers," who must have -been Gallas from the vicinity of Berberah. A certain amount of doubt still -hangs on the interpretation: the Rev. Mr. Forster and Dr. Bird being the -principal contrasts. - - _Rev. Mr. Forster._ _Dr. Bird_ - - "We assailed with cries of "He, the Syrian philosopher - hatred and rage the Abyssinians in Abadan, Bishop of - and Berbers. Cape Aden, who inscribed this - in the desert, blesses the - "We rode forth wrathfully institution of the faith." - against this refuse of mankind." - -[5] This word is generally translated Abyssinia; oriental geographers, -however, use it in a more extended sense. The Turks have held possessions -in "Habash," in Abyssinia never. - -[6] The same words are repeated in the Infak el Maysur fl Tarikh bilad el -Takrur (Appendix to Denham and Clapperton's Travels, No. xii.), again -confounding the Berbers and the Somal. Afrikus, according to that author, -was a king of Yemen who expelled the Berbers from Syria! - -[7] The learned Somal invariably spell their national name with an initial -Sin, and disregard the derivation from Saumal ([Arabic]), which would -allude to the hardihood of the wild people. An intelligent modern -traveller derives "Somali" from the Abyssinian "Soumahe" or heathens, and -asserts that it corresponds with the Arabic word Kafir or unbeliever, the -name by which Edrisi, the Arabian geographer, knew and described the -inhabitants of the Affah (Afar) coast, to the east of the Straits of Bab -el Mandeb. Such derivation is, however, unadvisable. - -[8] According to others he was the son of Abdullah. The written -genealogies of the Somal were, it is said, stolen by the Sherifs of Yemen, -who feared to leave with the wild people documents that prove the nobility -of their descent. - -[9] The salient doubt suggested by this genealogy is the barbarous nature -of the names. A noble Arab would not call his children Gerhajis, Awal, and -Rambad. - -[10] Lieut. Cruttenden applies the term Edoor (Aydur) to the descendants -of Ishak, the children of Gerhajis, Awal, and Jailah. His informants and -mine differ, therefore, _toto coelo_. According to some, Dirr was the -father of Aydur; others make Dirr (it has been written Tir and Durr) to -have been the name of the Galla family into which Shaykh Ishak married. - -[11] Some travellers make Jabarti or Ghiberti to signify "slaves" from the -Abyssinian Guebra; others "Strong in the Faith" (El Islam). Bruce applies -it to the Moslems of Abyssinia: it is still used, though rarely, by the -Somal, who in these times generally designate by it the Sawahili or Negro -Moslems. - -[12] The same scandalous story is told of the venerable patron saint of -Aden, the Sherif Haydrus. - -[13] Darud bin Ismail's tomb is near the Yubbay Tug in the windward -mountains; an account of it will be found in Lieut. Speke's diary. - -[14] The two rivers Shebayli and Juba. - -[15] Curious to any this mixture does not destroy the hair; it would soon -render a European bald. Some of the Somal have applied it to their beards; -the result has been the breaking and falling off of the filaments. - -[16] Few Somal except the citizens smoke, on account of the expense, all, -however, use the Takhzinah or quid. - -[17] The best description of the dress is that of Fenelon: "Leurs habits -sont aises a faire, car en ce doux climat on ne porte qu'une piece -d'etoffe fine et legere, qui n'est point taillee, et que chacun met a -longs plis autour de son corps pour la modestie; lui donnant la forme -qu'il veut." - -[18] Equivalent to reading out the Church Catechism at an English wedding. - -[19] Certain months of the lunar year. In 1854, the third Rajalo, -corresponding with Rabia the Second, began on the 21st of December. - -[20] The word literally means, "lighting of fire." It corresponds with the -Nayruz of Yemen, a palpable derivation, as the word itself proves, from -the old Guebre conquerors. In Arabia New Year's Day is called Ras el -Sanah, and is not celebrated by any peculiar solemnities. The ancient -religion of the Afar coast was Sabaeism, probably derived from the Berbers -or shepherds,--according to Bruce the first faith of the East, and the -only religion of Eastern Africa. The Somal still retain a tradition that -the "Furs," or ancient Guebres, once ruled the land. - -[21] Their names also are generally derived from their Pagan ancestors: a -list of the most common may be interesting to ethnologists. Men are called -Rirash, Igah, Beuh, Fahi, Samattar, Farih, Madar, Raghe, Dubayr, Irik, -Diddar, Awalah, and Alyan. Women's names are Aybla, Ayyo, Aurala, Ambar, -Zahabo, Ashkaro, Alka, Asoba, Gelo, Gobe, Mayran and Samaweda. - -[22] It is proved by the facility with which they pick up languages, -Western us well as Eastern, by mere ear and memory. - -[23] So the old Muscovites, we are told, always began married life with a -sound flogging. - -[24] I would not advise polygamy amongst highly civilised races, where the -sexes are nearly equal, and where reproduction becomes a minor duty. -Monogamy is the growth of civilisation: a plurality of wives is the -natural condition of man in thinly populated countries, where he who has -the largest family is the greatest benefactor of his kind. - -[25] The old French term "la petite oie" explains it better. Some trace of -the custom may be found in the Kafir's Slambuka or Schlabonka, for a -description of which I must refer to the traveller Delegorgue. - -[26] The Somal ignore the Kafir custom during lactation. - -[27] The citizens have learned the Asiatic art of bargaining under a -cloth. Both parties sit opposite each other, holding hands: if the little -finger for instance be clasped, it means 6, 60, or 600 dollars, according -to the value of the article for sale; if the ring finger, 7, 70, or 700, -and so on. - -[28] So, according to M. Krapf, the Suaheli of Eastern Africa wastes his -morning hours in running from house to house, to his friends or superiors, -_ku amkia_ (as he calls it), to make his morning salutations. A worse than -Asiatic idleness is the curse of this part of the world. - -[29] Diwan el Jabr, for instance, is a civil court, opposed to the -Mahkamah or the Kazi's tribunal. - - - - -CHAP. V. - -FROM ZAYLA TO THE HILLS. - - -Two routes connect Zayla with Harar; the south-western or direct line -numbers ten long or twenty short stages [1]: the first eight through the -Eesa country, and the last two among the Nole Gallas, who own the rule of -"Waday," a Makad or chief of Christian persuasion. The Hajj objected to -this way, on account of his recent blood-feud with the Rer Guleni. He -preferred for me the more winding road which passes south, along the -coast, through the Eesa Bedouins dependent upon Zayla, to the nearest -hills, and thence strikes south-westwards among the Gudabirsi and Girhi -Somal, who extend within sight of Harar. I cannot but suspect that in -selecting this route the good Sharmarkay served another purpose besides my -safety. Petty feuds between the chiefs had long "closed the path," and -perhaps the Somal were not unwilling that British cloth and tobacco should -re-open it. - -Early in the morning of the 27th of November, 1854, the mules and all the -paraphernalia of travel stood ready at the door. The five camels were -forced to kneel, growling angrily the while, by repeated jerks at the -halter: their forelegs were duly tied or stood upon till they had shifted -themselves into a comfortable position, and their noses were held down by -the bystanders whenever, grasshopper-like, they attempted to spring up. -Whilst spreading the saddle-mats, our women, to charm away remembrance of -chafed hump and bruised sides, sang with vigor the "Song of Travel": - - "0 caravan-men, we deceive ye not, we have laden the camels! - Old women on the journey are kenned by their sleeping I - (0 camel) can'st sniff the cock-boat and the sea? - Allah guard thee from the Mikahil and their Midgans!" [2] - -As they arose from squat it was always necessary to adjust their little -mountains of small packages by violently "heaving up" one side,--an -operation never failing to elicit a vicious grunt, a curve of the neck, -and an attempt to bite. One camel was especially savage; it is said that -on his return to Zayla, he broke a Bedouin girl's neck. Another, a -diminutive but hardy little brute of Dankali breed, conducted himself so -uproariously that he at once obtained the name of El Harami, or the -Ruffian. - -About 3 P.M., accompanied by the Hajj, his amiable son Mohammed, and a -party of Arab matchlockmen, who escorted me as a token of especial -respect, I issued from the Ashurbara Gate, through the usual staring -crowds, and took the way of the wilderness. After half a mile's march, we -exchanged affectionate adieus, received much prudent advice about keeping -watch and ward at night, recited the Fatihah with upraised palms, and with -many promises to write frequently and to meet soon, shook hands and -parted. The soldiers gave me a last volley, to which I replied with the -"Father of Six." - -You see, dear L., how travelling maketh man _banal_. It is the natural -consequence of being forced to find, in every corner where Fate drops you -for a month, a "friend of the soul," and a "moon-faced beauty." With -Orientals generally, you _must_ be on extreme terms, as in Hibernia, -either an angel of light or, that failing, a goblin damned. In East Africa -especially, English phlegm, shyness, or pride, will bar every heart and -raise every hand against you [3], whereas what M. Rochet calls "a certain -_rondeur_ of manner" is a specific for winning affection. You should walk -up to your man, clasp his fist, pat his back, speak some unintelligible -words to him,--if, as is the plan of prudence, you ignore the language,-- -laugh a loud guffaw, sit by his side, and begin pipes and coffee. He then -proceeds to utilise you, to beg in one country for your interest, and in -another for your tobacco. You gently but decidedly thrust that subject out -of the way, and choose what is most interesting to yourself. As might be -expected, he will at times revert to his own concerns; your superior -obstinacy will oppose effectual passive resistance to all such efforts; by -degrees the episodes diminish in frequency and duration; at last they -cease altogether. The man is now your own. - -You will bear in mind, if you please, that I am a Moslem merchant, a -character not to be confounded with the notable individuals seen on -'Change. Mercator in the East is a compound of tradesman, divine, and T. -G. Usually of gentle birth, he is everywhere welcomed and respected; and -he bears in his mind and manner that, if Allah please, he may become prime -minister a month after he has sold you a yard of cloth. Commerce appears -to be an accident, not an essential, with him; yet he is by no means -deficient in acumen. He is a grave and reverend signior, with rosary in -hand and Koran on lip, is generally a pilgrim, talks at dreary length -about Holy Places, writes a pretty hand, has read and can recite much -poetry, is master of his religion, demeans himself with respectability, is -perfect in all points of ceremony and politeness, and feels equally at -home whether sultan or slave sit upon his counter. He has a wife and -children in his own country, where he intends to spend the remnant of his -days; but "the world is uncertain"--"Fate descends, and man's eye seeth it -not"--"the earth is a charnel house"; briefly, his many wise old saws give -him a kind of theoretical consciousness that his bones may moulder in -other places but his father-land. - -To describe my little caravan. Foremost struts Raghe, our Eesa guide, in -all the bravery of Abbanship. He is bareheaded and clothed in Tobe and -slippers: a long, heavy, horn-hilted dagger is strapped round his waist, -outside his dress; in his right hand he grasps a ponderous wire-bound -spear, which he uses as a staff, and the left forearm supports a round -targe of battered hide. Being a man of education, he bears on one shoulder -a Musalla or prayer carpet of tanned leather, the article used throughout -the Somali country; slung over the other is a Wesi or wicker bottle -containing water for religious ablution. He is accompanied by some men who -carry a little stock of town goods and drive a camel colt, which by the by -they manage to lose before midnight. - -My other attendants must now be introduced to you, as they are to be for -the next two months companions of our journey. - -First in the list are the fair Samaweda Yusuf, and Aybla Farih [4], buxom -dames about thirty years old, who presently secured the classical -nicknames of Shehrazade, and Deenarzade. They look each like three average -women rolled into one, and emphatically belong to that race for which the -article of feminine attire called, I believe, a "bussle" would be quite -superfluous. Wonderful, truly, is their endurance of fatigue! During the -march they carry pipe and tobacco, lead and flog the camels, adjust the -burdens, and will never be induced to ride, in sickness or in health. At -the halt they unload the cattle, dispose the parcels in a semicircle, -pitch over them the Gurgi or mat tent, cook our food, boil tea and coffee, -and make themselves generally useful. They bivouack outside our abode, -modesty not permitting the sexes to mingle, and in the severest cold wear -no clothing but a head fillet and an old Tobe. They have curious soft -voices, which contrast agreeably with the harsh organs of the males. At -first they were ashamed to see me; but that feeling soon wore off, and -presently they enlivened the way with pleasantries far more naive than -refined. To relieve their greatest fatigue, nothing seems necessary but -the "Jogsi:" [5] they lie at full length, prone, stand upon each other's -backs trampling and kneading with the toes, and rise like giants much -refreshed. Always attendant upon these dames is Yusuf, a Zayla lad who, -being one-eyed, was pitilessly named by my companions the "Kalendar;" he -prays frequently, is strict in his morals, and has conceived, like Mrs. -Brownrigg, so exalted an idea of discipline, that, but for our influence, -he certainly would have beaten the two female 'prentices to death. They -hate him therefore, and he knows it. - -Immediately behind Raghe and his party walk Shehrazade and Deenarzade, the -former leading the head camel, the latter using my chibouque stick as a -staff. She has been at Aden, and sorely suspects me; her little black eyes -never meet mine; and frequently, with affected confusion, she turns her -sable cheek the clean contrary way. Strung together by their tails, and -soundly beaten when disposed to lag, the five camels pace steadily along -under their burdens,--bales of Wilayati or American sheeting, Duwwarah or -Cutch canvass, with indigo-dyed stuff slung along the animals' sides, and -neatly sewn up in a case of matting to keep off dust and rain,--a cow's -hide, which serves as a couch, covering the whole. They carry a load of -"Mushakkar" (bad Mocha dates) for the Somal, with a parcel of better -quality for ourselves, and a half hundredweight of coarse Surat tobacco -[6]; besides which we have a box of beads, and another of trinkets, -mosaic-gold earrings, necklaces, watches, and similar nick-nacks. Our -private provisions are represented by about 300 lbs. of rice,--here the -traveller's staff of life,--a large pot full of "Kawurmeh" [7], dates, -salt [8], clarified butter, tea, coffee, sugar, a box of biscuits in case -of famine, "Halwa" or Arab sweetmeats to be used when driving hard -bargains, and a little turmeric for seasoning. A simple _batterie de -cuisine_, and sundry skins full of potable water [9], dangle from chance -rope-ends; and last, but not the least important, is a heavy box [10] of -ammunition sufficient for a three months' sporting tour. [11] In the rear -of the caravan trudges a Bedouin woman driving a donkey,--the proper -"tail" in these regions, where camels start if followed by a horse or -mule. An ill-fated sheep, a parting present from the Hajj, races and -frisks about the Cafilah. It became so tame that the Somal received an -order not to "cut" it; one day, however, I found myself dining, and that -pet lamb was the _menu_. - -By the side of the camels ride my three attendants, the pink of Somali -fashion. Their frizzled wigs are radiant with grease; their Tobes are -splendidly white, with borders dazzlingly red; their new shields are -covered with canvass cloth; and their two spears, poised over the right -shoulder, are freshly scraped, oiled, blackened, and polished. They have -added my spare rifle, and guns to the camel-load; such weapons are well -enough at Aden, in Somali-land men would deride the outlandish tool! I -told them that in my country women use bows and arrows, moreover that -lancers are generally considered a corps of non-combatants; in vain! they -adhered as strongly--so mighty a thing is prejudice--to their partiality -for bows, arrows, and lances. Their horsemanship is peculiar, they balance -themselves upon little Abyssinian saddles, extending the leg and raising -the heel in the Louis Quinze style of equitation, and the stirrup is an -iron ring admitting only the big toe. I follow them mounting a fine white -mule, which, with its gaudily _galonne_ Arab pad and wrapper cloth, has a -certain dignity of look; a double-barrelled gun lies across my lap; and a -rude pair of holsters, the work of Hasan Turki, contains my Colt's six- -shooters. - -Marching in this order, which was to serve as a model, we travelled due -south along the coast, over a hard, stoneless, and alluvial plain, here -dry, there muddy (where the tide reaches), across boggy creeks, broad -water-courses, and warty flats of black mould powdered with nitrous salt, -and bristling with the salsolaceous vegetation familiar to the Arab -voyager. Such is the general formation of the plain between the mountains -and the sea, whose breadth, in a direct line, may measure from forty-five -to forty-eight miles. Near the first zone of hills, or sub-Ghauts, it -produces a thicker vegetation; thorns and acacias of different kinds -appear in clumps; and ground broken with ridges and ravines announces the -junction. After the monsoon this plain is covered with rich grass. At -other seasons it affords but a scanty supply of an "aqueous matter" -resembling bilgewater. The land belongs to the Mummasan clan of the Eesa: -how these "Kurrah-jog" or "sun-dwellers," as the Bedouins are called by -the burgher Somal, can exist here in summer, is a mystery. My arms were -peeled even in the month of December; and my companions, panting with the -heat, like the Atlantes of Herodotus, poured forth reproaches upon the -rising sun. The townspeople, when forced to hurry across it in the hotter -season, cover themselves during the day with Tobes wetted every half hour -in sea water; yet they are sometimes killed by the fatal thirst which the -Simum engenders. Even the Bedouins are now longing for rain; a few weeks' -drought destroys half their herds. - -Early in the afternoon our Abban and a woman halted for a few minutes, -performed their ablutions, and prayed with a certain display: satisfied -apparently, with the result, they never repeated the exercise. About -sunset we passed, on the right, clumps of trees overgrowing a water called -"Warabod", the Hyena's Well; this is the first Marhalah or halting-place -usually made by travellers to the interior. Hence there is a direct path -leading south-south-west, by six short marches, to the hills. Our Abban, -however, was determined that we should not so easily escape his kraal. -Half an hour afterwards we passed by the second station, "Hangagarri", a -well near the sea: frequent lights twinkling through the darkening air -informed us that we were in the midst of the Eesa. At 8 P.M. we reached -"Gagab", the third Marhalah, where the camels, casting themselves upon the -ground, imperatively demanded a halt. Raghe was urgent for an advance, -declaring that already he could sight the watchfires of his Rer or tribe -[12]; but the animals carried the point against him. They were presently -unloaded and turned out to graze, and the lariats of the mules, who are -addicted to running away, were fastened to stones for want of pegs [13]. -Then, lighting a fire, we sat down to a homely supper of dates. - -The air was fresh and clear; and the night breeze was delicious after the -steamy breath of day. The weary confinement of walls made the splendid -expanse a luxury to the sight, whilst the tumbling of the surf upon the -near shore, and the music of the jackal, predisposed to sweet sleep. We -now felt that at length the die was cast. Placing my pistols by my side, -with my rifle butt for a pillow, and its barrel as a bed-fellow, I sought -repose with none of that apprehension which even the most stout-hearted -traveller knows before the start. It is the difference between fancy and -reality, between anxiety and certainty: to men gifted with any imaginative -powers the anticipation must ever be worse than the event. Thus it -happens, that he who feels a thrill of fear before engaging in a peril, -exchanges it for a throb of exultation when he finds himself hand to hand -with the danger. - -The "End of Time" volunteered to keep watch that night. When the early -dawn glimmered he aroused us, and blew up the smouldering fire, whilst our -women proceeded to load the camels. We pursued our way over hard alluvial -soil to sand, and thence passed into a growth of stiff yellow grass not -unlike a stubble in English September. Day broke upon a Somali Arcadia, -whose sole flaws were salt water and Simum. Whistling shepherds [14] -carried in their arms the younglings of the herds, or, spear in hand, -drove to pasture long regular lines of camels, that waved their vulture- -like heads, and arched their necks to bite in play their neighbours' -faces, humps, and hind thighs. They were led by a patriarch, to whose -throat hung a Kor or wooden bell, the preventive for straggling; and most -of them were followed (for winter is the breeding season) by colts in -every stage of infancy. [15] Patches of sheep, with snowy skins and jetty -faces, flocked the yellow plain; and herds of goats resembling deer were -driven by hide-clad children to the bush. Women, in similar attire, -accompanied them, some chewing the inner bark of trees, others spinning -yarns of a white creeper called Sagsug for ropes and tent-mats. The boys -carried shepherds' crooks [16], and bore their watering pails [17], -foolscap fashion, upon their heads. Sometimes they led the ram, around -whose neck a cord of white leather was bound for luck; at other times they -frisked with the dog, an animal by no means contemptible in the eyes of -the Bedouins. [18] As they advanced, the graceful little sand antelope -bounded away over the bushes; and above them, soaring high in the -cloudless skies, were flights of vultures and huge percnopters, unerring -indicators of man's habitation in Somali-land. [19] - -A net-work of paths showed that we were approaching a populous place; and -presently men swarmed forth from their hive-shaped tents, testifying their -satisfaction at our arrival, the hostile Habr Awal having threatened to -"eat them up." We rode cautiously, as is customary, amongst the yeaning -she-camels, who are injured by a sudden start, and about 8 A.M. arrived at -our guide's kraal, the fourth station, called "Gudingaras," or the low -place where the Garas tree grows. The encampment lay south-east (165 deg.) of, -and about twenty miles from, Zayla. - -Raghe disappeared, and the Bedouins flocked out to gaze upon us as we -approached the kraal. Meanwhile Shehrazade and Deenarzade fetched tent- -sticks from the village, disposed our luggage so as to form a wall, rigged -out a wigwam, spread our beds in the shade, and called aloud for sweet and -sour milk. I heard frequently muttered by the red-headed spearmen, the -ominous term "Faranj" [20]; and although there was no danger, it was -deemed advisable to make an impression without delay. Presently they began -to deride our weapons: the Hammal requested them to put up one of their -shields as a mark; they laughed aloud but shirked compliance. At last a -large brown, bare-necked vulture settled on the ground at twenty paces' -distance. The Somal hate the "Gurgur", because he kills the dying and -devours the dead on the battle-field: a bullet put through the bird's body -caused a cry of wonder, and some ran after the lead as it span whistling -over the ridge. Then loading with swan-shot, which these Bedouins had -never seen, I knocked over a second vulture flying. Fresh screams followed -the marvellous feat; the women exclaimed "Lo! he bringeth down the birds -from heaven;" and one old man, putting his forefinger in his mouth, -praised Allah and prayed to be defended from such a calamity. The effect -was such that I determined always to carry a barrel loaded with shot as the -best answer for all who might object to "Faranj." - -We spent our day in the hut after the normal manner, with a crowd of -woolly-headed Bedouins squatting perseveringly opposite our quarters, -spear in hand, with eyes fixed upon every gesture. Before noon the door- -mat was let down,--a precaution also adopted whenever box or package was -opened,--we drank milk and ate rice with "a kitchen" of Kawurmah. About -midday the crowd retired to sleep; my companions followed their example, -and I took the opportunity of sketching and jotting down notes. [21] Early -in the afternoon the Bedouins returned, and resumed their mute form of -pleading for tobacco: each man, as he received a handful, rose slowly from -his hams and went his way. The senior who disliked the gun was importunate -for a charm to cure his sick camel: having obtained it, he blessed us in a -set speech, which lasted at least half an hour, and concluded with -spitting upon the whole party for good luck. [22] It is always well to -encourage these Nestors; they are regarded with the greatest reverence by -the tribes, who believe that - - "old experience doth attain - To something like prophetic strain;" - -and they can either do great good or cause much petty annoyance. - -In the evening I took my gun, and, accompanied by the End of Time, went -out to search for venison: the plain, however, was full of men and cattle, -and its hidden denizens had migrated. During our walk we visited the tomb -of an Eesa brave. It was about ten feet long, heaped up with granite -pebbles, bits of black basalt, and stones of calcareous lime: two upright -slabs denoted the position of the head and feet, and upon these hung the -deceased's milk-pails, much the worse for sun and wind. Round the grave -was a thin fence of thorns: opposite the single narrow entrance, were -three blocks of stone planted in line, and showing the number of enemies -slain by the brave. [23] Beyond these trophies, a thorn roofing, supported -by four bare poles, served to shade the relatives, when they meet to sit, -feast, weep, and pray. - -The Bedouin funerals and tombs are equally simple. They have no favourite -cemeteries as in Sindh and other Moslem and pastoral lands: men are buried -where they die, and the rarity of the graves scattered about the country -excited my astonishment. The corpse is soon interred. These people, like -most barbarians, have a horror of death and all that reminds them of it: -on several occasions I have been begged to throw away a hut-stick, that -had been used to dig a grave. The bier is a rude framework of poles bound -with ropes of hide. Some tie up the body and plant it in a sitting -posture, to save themselves the trouble of excavating deep: this perhaps -may account for the circular tombs seen in many parts of the country. -Usually the corpse is thrust into a long hole, covered with wood and -matting, and heaped over with earth and thorns, half-protected by an oval -mass of loose stones, and abandoned to the jackals and hyenas. - -We halted a day at Gudingaras, wishing to see the migration of a tribe. -Before dawn, on the 30th November, the Somali Stentor proclaimed from the -ridge-top, "Fetch your camels!--Load your goods!--We march!" About 8 A.M. -we started in the rear. The spectacle was novel to me. Some 150 spearmen, -assisted by their families, were driving before them divisions which, in -total, might amount to 200 cows, 7000 camels, and 11,000 or 12,000 sheep -and goats. Only three wore the Bal or feather, which denotes the brave; -several, however, had the other decoration--an ivory armlet. [24] Assisted -by the boys, whose heads were shaved in a cristated fashion truly -ridiculous, and large pariah dogs with bushy tails, they drove the beasts -and carried the colts, belaboured runaway calves, and held up the hind -legs of struggling sheep. The sick, of whom there were many,--dysentery -being at the time prevalent,--were carried upon camels with their legs -protruding in front from under the hide-cover. Many of the dromedaries -showed the Habr Awal brand [25]: laden with hutting materials and domestic -furniture, they were led by the maidens: the matrons, followed, bearing -their progeny upon their backs, bundled in the shoulder-lappets of cloth -or hide. The smaller girls, who, in addition to the boys' crest, wore a -circlet of curly hair round the head, carried the weakling lambs and kids, -or aided their mammas in transporting the baby. Apparently in great fear -of the "All" or Commando, the Bedouins anxiously inquired if I had my -"fire" with me [26], and begged us to take the post of honour--the van. As -our little party pricked forward, the camels started in alarm, and we were -surprised to find that this tribe did not know the difference between -horses and mules. Whenever the boys lost time in sport or quarrel, they -were threatened by their fathers with the jaws of that ogre, the white -stranger; and the women exclaimed, as they saw us approach, "Here comes -the old man who knows knowledge!" [27] - -Having skirted the sea for two hours, I rode off with the End of Time to -inspect the Dihh Silil [28], a fiumara which runs from the western hills -north-eastwards to the sea. Its course is marked by a long line of -graceful tamarisks, whose vivid green looked doubly bright set off by -tawny stubble and amethyst-blue sky. These freshets are the Edens of Adel. -The banks are charmingly wooded with acacias of many varieties, some -thorned like the fabled Zakkum, others parachute-shaped, and planted in -impenetrable thickets: huge white creepers, snake-shaped, enclasp giant -trees, or connect with their cordage the higher boughs, or depend like -cables from the lower branches to the ground. Luxuriant parasites abound: -here they form domes of flashing green, there they surround with verdure -decayed trunks, and not unfrequently cluster into sylvan bowers, under -which--grateful sight!--appears succulent grass. From the thinner thorns -the bell-shaped nests of the Loxia depend, waving in the breeze, and the -wood resounds with the cries of bright-winged choristers. The torrent-beds -are of the clearest and finest white sand, glittering with gold-coloured -mica, and varied with nodules of clear and milky quartz, red porphyry, and -granites of many hues. Sometimes the centre is occupied by an islet of -torn trees and stones rolled in heaps, supporting a clump of thick jujube -or tall acacia, whilst the lower parts of the beds are overgrown with long -lines of lively green colocynth. [29] Here are usually the wells, -surrounded by heaps of thorns, from which the leaves have been browsed -off, and dwarf sticks that support the water-hide. When the flocks and -herds are absent, troops of gazelles may be seen daintily pacing the -yielding surface; snake trails streak the sand, and at night the fiercer -kind of animals, lions, leopards, and elephants, take their turn. In -Somali-land the well is no place of social meeting; no man lingers to chat -near it, no woman visits it, and the traveller fears to pitch hut where -torrents descend, and where enemies, human and bestial, meet. - -We sat under a tree watching the tribe defile across the water-course: -then remounting, after a ride of two miles, we reached a ground called -Kuranyali [30], upon which the wigwams of the Nomads were already rising. -The parched and treeless stubble lies about eight miles from and 145 deg. S.E. -of Gudingaras; both places are supplied by Angagarri, a well near the sea, -which is so distant that cattle, to return before nightfall, must start -early in the morning. - -My attendants had pitched the Gurgi or hut: the Hammal and Long Guled -were, however, sulky on account of my absence, and the Kalendar appeared -disposed to be mutinous. The End of Time, who never lost an opportunity to -make mischief, whispered in my ear, "Despise thy wife, thy son, and thy -servant, or they despise thee!" The old saw was not wanted, however, to -procure for them a sound scolding. Nothing is worse for the Eastern -traveller than the habit of "sending to Coventry:"--it does away with all -manner of discipline. - -We halted that day at Kuranyali, preparing water and milk for two long -marches over the desert to the hills. Being near the shore, the air was -cloudy, although men prayed for a shower in vain: about midday the -pleasant seabreeze fanned our cheeks, and the plain was thronged with tall -pillars of white sand. [31] - -The heat forbade egress, and our Wigwam was crowded with hungry visitors. -Raghe, urged thereto by his tribe, became importunate, now for tobacco, -then for rice, now for dates, then for provisions in general. No wonder -that the Prophet made his Paradise for the Poor a mere place of eating and -drinking. The half-famished Bedouins, Somal or Arab, think of nothing -beyond the stomach,--their dreams know no higher vision of bliss than mere -repletion. A single article of diet, milk or flesh, palling upon man's -palate, they will greedily suck the stones of eaten dates: yet, Abyssinian -like, they are squeamish and fastidious as regards food. They despise the -excellent fish with which Nature has so plentifully stocked their seas. -[32] "Speak not to me with that mouth which eateth fish!" is a favourite -insult amongst the Bedouins. If you touch a bird or a fowl of any -description, you will be despised even by the starving beggar. You must -not eat marrow or the flesh about the sheep's thigh-bone, especially when -travelling, and the kidneys are called a woman's dish. None but the -Northern Somal will touch the hares which abound in the country, and many -refuse the sand antelope and other kinds of game, not asserting that the -meat is unlawful, but simply alleging a disgust. Those who chew coffee -berries are careful not to place an even number in their mouths, and -camel's milk is never heated, for fear of bewitching the animal. [33] The -Somali, however, differs in one point from his kinsman the Arab: the -latter prides himself upon his temperance; the former, like the North -American Indian, measures manhood by appetite. A "Son of the Somal" is -taught, as soon as his teeth are cut, to devour two pounds of the toughest -mutton, and ask for more: if his powers of deglutition fail, he is derided -as degenerate. - -On the next day (Friday, 1st Dec.) we informed the Abban that we intended -starting early in the afternoon, and therefore warned him to hold himself -and his escort, together with the water and milk necessary for our march, -in readiness. He promised compliance and disappeared. About 3 P.M. the -Bedouins, armed as usual with spear and shield, began to gather round the -hut, and--nothing in this country can be done without that terrible -"palaver!"--the speechifying presently commenced. Raghe, in a lengthy -harangue hoped that the tribe would afford us all the necessary supplies -and assist us in the arduous undertaking. His words elicited no hear! -hear!--there was an evident unwillingness on the part of the wild men to -let us, or rather our cloth and tobacco, depart. One remarked, with surly -emphasis, that he had "seen no good and eaten no Bori [34] from that -caravan, why should he aid it?" When we asked the applauding hearers what -they had done for us, they rejoined by inquiring whose the land was? -Another, smitten by the fair Shehrazade's bulky charms, had proposed -matrimony, and offered as dowry a milch camel: she "temporised," not -daring to return a positive refusal, and the suitor betrayed a certain -Hibernian _velleite_ to consider consent an unimportant part of the -ceremony. The mules had been sent to the well, with orders to return -before noon: at 4 P.M. they were not visible. I then left the hut, and, -sitting on a cow's-hide in the sun, ordered my men to begin loading, -despite the remonstrances of the Abban and the interference of about fifty -Bedouins. As we persisted, they waxed surlier, and declared that all which -was ours became theirs, to whom the land belonged: we did not deny the -claim, but simply threatened sorcery-death, by wild beasts and foraging -parties, to their "camels, children, and women." This brought them to -their senses, the usual effect of such threats; and presently arose the -senior who had spat upon us for luck's sake. With his toothless jaws he -mumbled a vehement speech, and warned the tribe that it was not good to -detain such strangers: they lent ready ears to the words of Nestor, -saying, "Let us obey him, he is near his end!" The mules arrived, but when -I looked for the escort, none was forthcoming. At Zayla it was agreed that -twenty men should protect us across the desert, which is the very passage -of plunder; now, however, five or six paupers offered to accompany us for -a few miles. We politely declined troubling them, but insisted upon the -attendance of our Abban and three of his kindred: as some of the Bedouins -still opposed us, our aged friend once more arose, and by copious abuse -finally silenced them. We took leave of him with many thanks and handfuls -of tobacco, in return for which he blessed us with fervour. Then, mounting -our mules, we set out, followed for at least a mile by a long tail of -howling boys, who, ignorant of clothing, except a string of white beads -round the neck, but armed with dwarf spears, bows, and arrows, showed all -the impudence of baboons. They derided the End of Time's equitation till I -feared a scene;--sailor-like, he prided himself upon graceful -horsemanship, and the imps were touching his tenderest point. - -Hitherto, for the Abban's convenience, we had skirted the sea, far out of -the direct road: now we were to strike south-westwards into the interior. -At 6 P. M. we started across a "Goban" [35] which eternal summer gilds -with a dull ochreish yellow, towards a thin blue strip of hill on the far -horizon. The Somal have no superstitious dread of night and its horrors, -like Arabs and Abyssinians: our Abban, however, showed a wholesome mundane -fear of plundering parties, scorpions, and snakes. [36] I had been careful -to fasten round my ankles the twists of black wool called by the Arabs -Zaal [37], and universally used in Yemen; a stock of garlic and opium, -here held to be specifics, fortified the courage of the party, whose fears -were not wholly ideal, for, in the course of the night, Shehrazade nearly -trod upon a viper. - -At first the plain was a network of holes, the habitations of the Jir Ad -[38], a field rat with ruddy back and white belly, the Mullah or Parson, a -smooth-skinned lizard, and the Dabagalla, a ground squirrel with a -brilliant and glossy coat. As it became dark arose a cheerful moon, -exciting the howlings of the hyenas, the barkings of their attendant -jackals [39], and the chattered oaths of the Hidinhitu bird. [40] Dotted -here and there over the misty landscape, appeared dark clumps of a tree -called "Kullan," a thorn with an edible berry not unlike the jujube, and -banks of silvery mist veiled the far horizon from the sight. - -We marched rapidly and in silence, stopping every quarter of an hour to -raise the camels' loads as they slipped on one side. I had now an -opportunity of seeing how feeble a race is the Somal. My companions on the -line of march wondered at my being able to carry a gun; they could -scarcely support, even whilst riding, the weight of their spears, and -preferred sitting upon them to spare their shoulders. At times they were -obliged to walk because the saddles cut them, then they remounted because -their legs were tired; briefly, an English boy of fourteen would have -shown more bottom than the sturdiest. This cannot arise from poor diet, -for the citizens, who live generously, are yet weaker than the Bedouins; -it is a peculiarity of race. When fatigued they become reckless and -impatient of thirst: on this occasion, though want of water stared us in -the face, one skin of the three was allowed to fall upon the road and -burst, and the second's contents were drunk before we halted. - -At 11 P.M., after marching twelve miles in direct line, we bivouacked upon -the plain. The night breeze from the hills had set in, and my attendants -chattered with cold: Long Guled in particular became stiff as a mummy. -Raghe was clamorous against a fire, which might betray our whereabouts in -the "Bush Inn." But after such a march the pipe was a necessity, and the -point was carried against him. - -After a sound sleep under the moon, we rose at 5 A.M. and loaded the -camels. It was a raw morning. A large nimbus rising from the east obscured -the sun, the line of blue sea was raised like a ridge by refraction, and -the hills, towards which we were journeying, now showed distinct falls and -folds. Troops of Dera or gazelles, herding like goats, stood, stared at -us, turned their white tails, faced away, broke into a long trot, and -bounded over the plain as we approached. A few ostriches appeared, but -they were too shy even for bullet. [41] At 8 P.M. we crossed one of the -numerous drains which intersect this desert--"Biya Hablod," or the Girls' -Water, a fiumara running from south-west to east and north-east. Although -dry, it abounded in the Marer, a tree bearing yellowish red berries full -of viscous juice like green gum,--edible but not nice,--and the brighter -vegetation showed that water was near the surface. About two hours -afterwards, as the sun became oppressive, we unloaded in a water-course, -called by my companions Adad or the Acacia Gum [42]: the distance was -about twenty-five miles, and the direction S. W. 225 deg. of Kuranyali. - -We spread our couches of cowhide in the midst of a green mass of tamarisk -under a tall Kud tree, a bright-leaved thorn, with balls of golden gum -clinging to its boughs, dry berries scattered in its shade, and armies of -ants marching to and from its trunk. All slept upon the soft white sand, -with arms under their hands, for our spoor across the desert was now -unmistakeable. At midday rice was boiled for us by the indefatigable -women, and at 3 P.M. we resumed our march towards the hills, which had -exchanged their shadowy blue for a coat of pronounced brown. Journeying -onwards, we reached the Barragid fiumara, and presently exchanged the -plain for rolling ground covered with the remains of an extinct race, and -probably alluded to by El Makrizi when he records that the Moslems of Adel -had erected, throughout the country, a vast number of mosques and -oratories for Friday and festival prayers. Places of worship appeared in -the shape of parallelograms, unhewed stones piled upon the ground, with a -semicircular niche in the direction of Meccah. The tombs, different from -the heaped form now in fashion, closely resembled the older erections in -the island of Saad El Din, near Zayla--oblong slabs planted deep in the -soil. We also observed frequent hollow rings of rough blocks, circles -measuring about a cubit in diameter: I had not time to excavate them, and -the End of Time could only inform me that they belonged to the "Awwalin," -or olden inhabitants. - -At 7 P.M., as evening was closing in, we came upon the fresh trail of a -large Habr Awal cavalcade. The celebrated footprint seen by Robinson -Crusoe affected him not more powerfully than did this "daaseh" my -companions. The voice of song suddenly became mute. The women drove the -camels hurriedly, and all huddled together, except Raghe, who kept well to -the front ready for a run. Whistling with anger, I asked my attendants -what had slain them: the End of Time, in a hollow voice, replied, "Verily, -0 pilgrim, whoso seeth the track, seeth the foe!" and he quoted in tones -of terror those dreary lines-- - - "Man is but a handful of dust, - And life is a violent storm." - -We certainly were a small party to contend against 200 horsemen,--nine men -and two women: moreover all except the Hammal and Long Guled would -infallibly have fled at the first charge. - -Presently we sighted the trails of sheep and goats, showing the proximity -of a village: their freshness was ascertained by my companions after an -eager scrutiny in the moon's bright beams. About half an hour afterwards, -rough ravines with sharp and thorny descents warned us that we had -exchanged the dangerous plain for a place of safety where horsemen rarely -venture. Raghe, not admiring the "open," hurried us onward, in hope of -reaching some kraal. At 8 P.M., however, seeing the poor women lamed with -thorns, and the camels casting themselves upon the ground, I resolved to -halt. Despite all objections, we lighted a fire, finished our store of bad -milk--the water had long ago been exhausted--and lay down in the cold, -clear air, covering ourselves with hides and holding our weapons. - -At 6 A.M. we resumed our ride over rough stony ground, the thorns tearing -our feet and naked legs, and the camels slipping over the rounded waste of -drift pebbles. The Bedouins, with ears applied to the earth, listened for -a village, but heard none. Suddenly we saw two strangers, and presently we -came upon an Eesa kraal. It was situated in a deep ravine, called Damal, -backed by a broad and hollow Fiumara at the foot of the hills, running -from west to east, and surrounded by lofty trees, upon which brown kites, -black vultures, and percnopters like flakes of snow were mewing. We had -marched over a winding path about eleven miles from, and in a south-west -direction (205 deg.) of, Adad. Painful thoughts suggested themselves: in -consequence of wandering southwards, only six had been taken off thirty -stages by the labours of seven days. - -As usual in Eastern Africa, we did not enter the kraal uninvited, but -unloosed and pitched the wigwam under a tree outside. Presently the elders -appeared bringing, with soft speeches, sweet water, new milk, fat sheep -and goats, for which they demanded a Tobe of Cutch canvass. We passed with -them a quiet luxurious day of coffee and pipes, fresh cream and roasted -mutton: after the plain-heats we enjoyed the cool breeze of the hills, the -cloudy sky, and the verdure of the glades, made doubly green by comparison -with the parched stubbles below. - -The Eesa, here mixed with the Gudabirsi, have little power: we found them -poor and proportionally importunate. The men, wild-looking as open mouths, -staring eyes, and tangled hair could make them, gazed with extreme -eagerness upon my scarlet blanket: for very shame they did not beg it, but -the inviting texture was pulled and fingered by the greasy multitude. We -closed the hut whenever a valuable was produced, but eager eyes peeped -through every cranny, till the End of Time ejaculated "Praised be Allah!" -[43] and quoted the Arab saying, "Show not the Somal thy door, and if he -find it, block it up!" The women and children were clad in chocolate- -coloured hides, fringed at the tops: to gratify them I shot a few hawks, -and was rewarded with loud exclamations,--"Allah preserve thy hand!"--"May -thy skill never fail thee before the foe!" A crone seeing me smoke, -inquired if the fire did not burn: I handed my pipe, which nearly choked -her, and she ran away from a steaming kettle, thinking it a weapon. As my -companions observed, there was not a "Miskal of sense in a Maund of -heads:" yet the people looked upon my sun-burnt skin with a favour they -denied to the "lime-white face." - -I was anxious to proceed in the afternoon, but Raghe had arrived at the -frontier of his tribe: he had blood to settle amongst the Gudabirsi, and -without a protector he could not enter their lands. At night we slept -armed on account of the lions that infest the hills, and our huts were -surrounded with a thorn fence--a precaution here first adopted, and never -afterwards neglected. Early on the morning of the 4th of December heavy -clouds rolled down from the mountains, and a Scotch mist deepened into a -shower: our new Abban had not arrived, and the hut-mats, saturated with -rain, had become too heavy for the camels to carry. - -In the forenoon the Eesa kraal, loading their Asses [44], set out towards -the plain. This migration presented no new features, except that several -sick and decrepid were barbarously left behind, for lions and hyaenas to -devour. [45] To deceive "warhawks" who might be on the lookout, the -migrators set fire to logs of wood and masses of sheep's earth, which, -even in rain, will smoke and smoulder for weeks. - -About midday arrived the two Gudabirsi who intended escorting us to the -village of our Abbans. The elder, Rirash, was a black-skinned, wild- -looking fellow, with a shock head of hair and a deep scowl which belied -his good temper and warm heart: the other was a dun-faced youth betrothed -to Raghe's daughter. They both belonged to the Mahadasan clan, and -commenced operations by an obstinate attempt to lead us far out of our way -eastwards. The pretext was the defenceless state of their flocks and -herds, the real reason an itching for cloth and tobacco. We resisted -manfully this time, nerved by the memory of wasted days, and, despite -their declarations of Absi [46], we determined upon making westward for -the hills. - -At 2 P.M. the caravan started along the Fiumara course in rear of the -deserted kraal, and after an hour's ascent Rirash informed us that a well -was near. The Hammal and I, taking two water skins, urged our mules over -stones and thorny ground: presently we arrived at a rocky ravine, where, -surrounded by brambles, rude walls, and tough frame works, lay the wells-- -three or four holes sunk ten feet deep in the limestone. Whilst we bathed -in the sulphureous spring, which at once discolored my silver ring, -Rirash, baling up the water in his shield, filled the bags and bound them -to the saddles. In haste we rejoined the caravan, which we found about -sunset, halted by the vain fears of the guides. The ridge upon which they -stood was a mass of old mosques and groves, showing that in former days a -thick population tenanted these hills: from the summit appeared distant -herds of kine and white flocks scattered like patches of mountain quartz. -Riding in advance, we traversed the stony ridge, fell into another ravine, -and soon saw signs of human life. A shepherd descried us from afar and ran -away reckless of property; causing the End of Time to roll his head with -dignity, and to ejaculate, "Of a truth said the Prophet of Allah, 'fear is -divided.'" Presently we fell in with a village, from which the people -rushed out, some exclaiming, "Lo! let us look at the kings!" others, -"Come, see the white man, he is governor of Zayla!" I objected to such -dignity, principally on account of its price: my companions, however, were -inexorable; they would be Salatin--kings--and my colour was against claims -to low degree. This fairness, and the Arab dress, made me at different -times the ruler of Aden, the chief of Zayla, the Hajj's son, a boy, an old -woman, a man painted white, a warrior in silver armour, a merchant, a -pilgrim, a hedgepriest, Ahmed the Indian, a Turk, an Egyptian, a -Frenchman, a Banyan, a sherif, and lastly a Calamity sent down from heaven -to weary out the lives of the Somal: every kraal had some conjecture of -its own, and each fresh theory was received by my companions with roars of -laughter. - -As the Gudabirsi pursued us with shouts for tobacco and cries of wonder, I -dispersed them with a gun-shot: the women and children fled precipitately -from the horrid sound, and the men, covering their heads with their -shields, threw themselves face foremost upon the ground. Pursuing the -Fiumara course, we passed a number of kraals, whose inhabitants were -equally vociferous: out of one came a Zayla man, who informed us that the -Gudabirsi Abbans, to whom we bore Sharmarkay's letter of introduction, -were encamped within three days' march. It was reported, however, that a -quarrel had broken out between them and the Gerad Adan, their brother-in- -law; no pleasant news!--in Africa, under such circumstances, it is -customary for friends to detain, and for foes to oppose, the traveller. We -rode stoutly on, till the air darkened and the moon tipped the distant -hill peaks with a dim mysterious light. I then called a halt: we unloaded -on the banks of the Darkaynlay fiumara, so called from a tree which -contains a fiery milk, fenced ourselves in,--taking care to avoid being -trampled upon by startled camels during our sleep, by securing them in a -separate but neighbouring inclosure,--spread our couches, ate our frugal -suppers, and lost no time in falling asleep. We had travelled five hours -that day, but the path was winding, and our progress in a straight line -was at most eight miles. - -And now, dear L., being about to quit the land of the Eesa, I will sketch -the tribe. - -The Eesa, probably the most powerful branch of the Somali nation, extends -northwards to the Wayma family of the Dankali; southwards to the -Gudabirsi, and midway between Zayla and Berberah; eastwards it is bounded -by the sea, and westwards by the Gallas around Harar. It derives itself -from Dirr and Aydur, without, however, knowing aught beyond the ancestral -names, and is twitted with paganism by its enemies. This tribe, said to -number 100,000 shields, is divided into numerous clans [47]: these again -split up into minor septs [48] which plunder, and sometimes murder, one -another in time of peace. - -A fierce and turbulent race of republicans, the Eesa own nominal -allegiance to a Ugaz or chief residing in the Hadagali hills. He is -generally called "Roblay"--Prince Rainy,--the name or rather title being -one of good omen, for a drought here, like a dinner in Europe, justifies -the change of a dynasty. Every kraal has its Oddai (shaikh or head man,) -after whose name the settlement, as in Sindh and other pastoral lands, is -called. He is obeyed only when his orders suit the taste of King Demos, is -always superior to his fellows in wealth of cattle, sometimes in talent -and eloquence, and in deliberations he is assisted by the Wail or Akill-- -the Peetzo-council of Southern Africa--Elders obeyed on account of their -age. Despite, however, this apparatus of rule, the Bedouins have lost none -of the characteristics recorded in the Periplus: they are still -"uncivilised and under no restraint." Every freeborn man holds himself -equal to his ruler, and allows no royalties or prerogatives to abridge his -birthright of liberty. [49] Yet I have observed, that with all their -passion for independence, the Somal, when subject to strict rule as at -Zayla and Harar, are both apt to discipline and subservient to command. - -In character, the Eesa are childish and docile, cunning, and deficient in -judgment, kind and fickle, good-humoured and irascible, warm-hearted, and -infamous for cruelty and treachery. Even the protector will slay his -protege, and citizens married to Eesa girls send their wives to buy goats -and sheep from, but will not trust themselves amongst, their connexions. -"Traitorous as an Eesa," is a proverb at Zayla, where the people tell you -that these Bedouins with the left hand offer a bowl of milk, and stab with -the right. "Conscience," I may observe, does not exist in Eastern Africa, -and "Repentance" expresses regret for missed opportunities of mortal -crime. Robbery constitutes an honorable man: murder--the more atrocious -the midnight crime the better--makes the hero. Honor consists in taking -human life: hyaena-like, the Bedouins cannot be trusted where blood may be -shed: Glory is the having done all manner of harm. Yet the Eesa have their -good points: they are not noted liars, and will rarely perjure themselves: -they look down upon petty pilfering without violence, and they are -generous and hospitable compared with the other Somal. Personally, I had -no reason to complain of them. They were importunate beggars, but a pinch -of snuff or a handful of tobacco always made us friends: they begged me to -settle amongst them, they offered me sundry wives and,--the Somali -Bedouin, unlike the Arab, readily affiliates strangers to his tribe--they -declared that after a few days' residence, I should become one of -themselves. - -In appearance, the Eesa are distinguished from other Somal by blackness, -ugliness of feature, and premature baldness of the temples; they also -shave, or rather scrape off with their daggers, the hair high up the nape -of the neck. The locks are dyed dun, frizzled, and greased; the Widads or -learned men remove them, and none but paupers leave them in their natural -state; the mustachios are clipped close, the straggling whisker is -carefully plucked, and the pile--erroneously considered impure--is removed -either by vellication, or by passing the limbs through the fire. The eyes -of the Bedouins, also, are less prominent than those of the citizens: the -brow projects in pent-house fashion, and the organ, exposed to bright -light, and accustomed to gaze at distant objects, acquires more -concentration and power. I have seen amongst them handsome profiles, and -some of the girls have fine figures with piquant if not pretty features. - -Flocks and herds form the true wealth of the Eesa. According to them, -sheep and goats are of silver, and the cow of gold: they compare camels to -the rock, and believe, like most Moslems, the horse to have been created -from the wind. Their diet depends upon the season. In hot weather, when -forage and milk dry up, the flocks are slaughtered, and supply excellent -mutton; during the monsoon men become fat, by drinking all day long the -produce of their cattle. In the latter article of diet, the Eesa are -delicate and curious: they prefer cow's milk, then the goat's, and lastly -the ewe's, which the Arab loves best: the first is drunk fresh, and the -two latter clotted, whilst the camel's is slightly soured. The townspeople -use camel's milk medicinally: according to the Bedouins, he who lives on -this beverage, and eats the meat for forty-four consecutive days, acquires -the animal's strength. It has perhaps less "body" than any other milk, and -is deliciously sweet shortly after foaling: presently it loses flavour, -and nothing can be more nauseous than the produce of an old camel. The -Somal have a name for cream--"Laben"--but they make no use of the article, -churning it with the rest of the milk. They have no buffaloes, shudder at -the Tartar idea of mare's-milk, like the Arabs hold the name Labban [50] a -disgrace, and make it a point of honor not to draw supplies from their -cattle during the day. - -The life led by these wild people is necessarily monotonous. They rest but -little--from 11 P.M. till dawn--and never sleep in the bush, for fear of -plundering parties, Few begin the day with prayer as Moslems should: for -the most part they apply themselves to counting and milking their cattle. -The animals, all of which have names [51], come when called to the pail, -and supply the family with a morning meal. Then the warriors, grasping -their spears, and sometimes the young women armed only with staves, drive -their herds to pasture: the matrons and children, spinning or rope-making, -tend the flocks, and the kraal is abandoned to the very young, the old, -and the sick. The herdsmen wander about, watching the cattle and tasting -nothing but the pure element or a pinch of coarse tobacco. Sometimes they -play at Shahh, Shantarah, and other games, of which they are passionately -fond: with a board formed of lines traced in the sand, and bits of dry -wood or camel's earth acting pieces, they spend hour after hour, every -looker-on vociferating his opinion, and catching at the men, till -apparently the two players are those least interested in the game. Or, to -drive off sleep, they sit whistling to their flocks, or they perform upon -the Forimo, a reed pipe generally made at Harar, which has a plaintive -sound uncommonly pleasing. [52] In the evening, the kraal again resounds -with lowing and bleating: the camel's milk is all drunk, the cow's and -goat's reserved for butter and ghee, which the women prepare; the numbers -are once more counted, and the animals are carefully penned up for the -night. This simple life is varied by an occasional birth and marriage, -dance and foray, disease and murder. Their maladies are few and simple -[53]; death generally comes by the spear, and the Bedouin is naturally -long-lived. I have seen Macrobians hale and strong, preserving their -powers and faculties in spite of eighty and ninety years. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] By this route the Mukattib or courier travels on foot from Zayla to -Harar in five days at the most. The Somal reckon their journeys by the -Gedi or march, the Arab "Hamleh," which varies from four to five hours. -They begin before dawn and halt at about 11 A.M., the time of the morning -meal. When a second march is made they load at 3 P.M. and advance till -dark; thus fifteen miles would be the average of fast travelling. In -places of danger they will cover twenty-six or twenty-seven miles of -ground without halting to eat or rest: nothing less, however, than regard -for "dear life" can engender such activity. Generally two or three hours' -work per diem is considered sufficient; and, where provisions abound, -halts are long and frequent. - -[2] The Mikahil is a clan of the Habr Awal tribe living near Berberah, and -celebrated for their bloodthirsty and butchering propensities. Many of the -Midgan or serviles (a term explained in Chap. II.) are domesticated -amongst them. - -[3] So the Abyssinian chief informed M. Krapf that he loved the French, -but could not endure us--simply the effect of manner. - -[4] The first is the name of the individual; the second is that of her -father. - -[5] This delicate operation is called by the Arabs Daasah (whence the -"Dosch ceremony" at Cairo). It is used over most parts of the Eastern -world as a remedy for sickness and fatigue, and is generally preferred to -Takbis or Dugmo, the common style of shampooing, which, say many Easterns, -loosens the skin. - -[6] The Somal, from habit, enjoy no other variety; they even showed -disgust at my Latakia. Tobacco is grown in some places by the Gudabirsi -and other tribes; bat it is rare and bad. Without this article it would be -impossible to progress in East Africa; every man asks for a handful, and -many will not return milk for what they expect to receive as a gift. Their -importunity reminds the traveller of the Galloway beggars some generations -ago:--"They are for the most part great chewers of tobacco, and are so -addicted to it, that they will ask for a piece thereof from a stranger as -he is riding on his way; and therefore let not a traveller want an ounce -or two of roll tobacco in his pocket, and for an inch or two thereof he -need not fear the want of a guide by day or night." - -[7] Flesh boiled in large slices, sun-dried, broken to pieces and fried in -ghee. - -[8] The Bahr Assal or Salt Lake, near Tajurrah, annually sends into the -interior thousands of little matted parcels containing this necessary. -Inland, the Bedouins will rub a piece upon the tongue before eating, or -pass about a lump, as the Dutch did with sugar in the last war; at Harar a -donkey-load is the price of a slave; and the Abyssinians say of a -_millionaire_ "he eateth salt." - -[9] The element found upon the maritime plain is salt or brackish. There -is nothing concerning which the African traveller should be so particular -as water; bitter with nitre, and full of organic matter, it causes all -those dysenteric diseases which have made research in this part of the -world a Upas tree to the discoverer. Pocket filters are invaluable. The -water of wells should be boiled and passed through charcoal; and even then -it might be mixed to a good purpose with a few drops of proof spirit. The -Somal generally carry their store in large wickerwork pails. I preferred -skins, as more portable and less likely to taint the water. - -[10] Here, as in Arabia, boxes should be avoided, the Bedouins always -believe them to contain treasures. Day after day I have been obliged to -display the contents to crowds of savages, who amused themselves by -lifting up the case with loud cries of "hoo! hoo!! hoo!!!" (the popular -exclamation of astonishment), and by speculating upon the probable amount -of dollars contained therein. - -[11] The following list of my expenses may perhaps be useful to future -travellers. It must be observed that, had the whole outfit been purchased -at Aden, a considerable saving would have resulted:-- - - Cos. Rs. - Passage money from Aden to Zayla............................ 33 - Presents at Zayla...........................................100 - Price of four mules with saddles and bridles................225 - Price of four camels........................................ 88 - Provisions (tobacco, rice, dates &c.) for three months......428 - Price of 150 Tobes..........................................357 - Nine pieces of indigo-dyed cotton........................... 16 - Minor expenses (cowhides for camels, mats for tents, - presents to Arabs, a box of beads, three handsome - Abyssinian Tobes bought for chiefs).....................166 - Expenses at Berberah, and passage back to Aden.............. 77 - ---- - Total Cos. Rs. 1490 = L149 - ==== - -[12] I shall frequently use Somali terms, not to display my scanty -knowledge of the dialect, but because they perchance may prove serviceable -to my successors. - -[13] The Somal always "side-line" their horses and mules with stout stiff -leathern thongs provided with loops and wooden buttons; we found them upon -the whole safer than lariats or tethers. - -[14] Arabs hate "El Sifr" or whistling, which they hold to be the chit- -chat of the Jinns. Some say that the musician's mouth is not to be -purified for forty days; others that Satan, touching a man's person, -causes him to produce the offensive sound. The Hejazis objected to -Burckhardt that he could not help talking to devils, and walking about the -room like an unquiet spirit. The Somali has no such prejudice. Like the -Kafir of the Cape, he passes his day whistling to his flocks and herds; -moreover, he makes signals by changing the note, and is skilful in -imitating the song of birds. - -[15] In this country camels foal either in the Gugi (monsoon), or during -the cold season immediately after the autumnal rains. - -[16] The shepherd's staff is a straight stick about six feet long, with a -crook at one end, and at the other a fork to act as a rake. - -[17] These utensils will be described in a future chapter. - -[18] The settled Somal have a holy horror of dogs, and, Wahhabi-like, -treat man's faithful slave most cruelly. The wild people are more humane; -they pay two ewes for a good colley, and demand a two-year-old sheep as -"diyat" or blood-money for the animal, if killed. - -[19] Vultures and percnopters lie upon the wing waiting for the garbage of -the kraals; consequently they are rare near the cow-villages, where -animals are not often killed. - -[20] They apply this term to all but themselves; an Indian trader who had -travelled to Harar, complained to me that he had always been called a -Frank by the Bedouins in consequence of his wearing Shalwar or drawers. - -[21] Generally it is not dangerous to write before these Bedouins, as they -only suspect account-keeping, and none but the educated recognise a -sketch. The traveller, however, must be on his guard: in the remotest -villages he will meet Somal who have returned to savage life after -visiting the Sea-board, Arabia, and possibly India or Egypt. - -[22] I have often observed this ceremony performed upon a new turban or -other article of attire; possibly it may be intended as a mark of -contempt, assumed to blind the evil eye. - -[23] Such is the general form of the Somali grave. Sometimes two stumps of -wood take the place of the upright stones at the head and foot, and around -one grave I counted twenty trophies. - -[24] Some braves wear above the right elbow an ivory armlet called Fol or -Aj: in the south this denotes the elephant-slayer. Other Eesa clans assert -their warriorhood by small disks of white stone, fashioned like rings, and -fitted upon the little finger of the left hand. Others bind a bit of red -cloth round the brow. - -[25] It is sufficient for a Bedouin to look at the general appearance of -an animal; he at once recognises the breed. Each clan, however, in this -part of Eastern Africa has its own mark. - -[26] They found no better word than "fire" to denote my gun. - -[27] "Oddai", an old man, corresponds with the Arab Shaykh in etymology. -The Somal, however, give the name to men of all ages after marriage. - -[28] The "Dihh" is the Arab "Wady",--a fiumara or freshet. "Webbe" (Obbay, -Abbai, &c.) is a large river; "Durdur", a running stream. - -[29] I saw these Dihhs only in the dry season; at times the torrent must -be violent, cutting ten or twelve feet deep into the plain. - -[30] The name is derived from Kuranyo, an ant: it means the "place of -ants," and is so called from the abundance of a tree which attracts them. - -[31] The Arabs call these pillars "Devils," the Somal "Sigo." - -[32] The Cape Kafirs have the same prejudice against fish, comparing its -flesh, to that of serpents. In some points their squeamishness resembles -that of the Somal: he, for instance, who tastes the Rhinoceros Simus is at -once dubbed "Om Fogazan" or outcast. - -[33] This superstition may have arisen from the peculiarity that the -camel's milk, however fresh, if placed upon the fire, breaks like some -cows' milk. - -[34] "Bori" in Southern Arabia popularly means a water-pipe: here it is -used for tobacco. - -[35] "Goban" is the low maritime plain lying below the "Bor" or Ghauts, -and opposed to Ogu, the table-land above. "Ban" is an elevated grassy -prairie, where few trees grow; "Dir," a small jungle, called Haija by the -Arabs; and Khain is a forest or thick bush. "Bor," is a mountain, rock, or -hill: a stony precipice is called "Jar," and the high clay banks of a -ravine "Gebi." - -[36] Snakes are rare in the cities, but abound in the wilds of Eastern -Africa, and are dangerous to night travellers, though seldom seen by day. -To kill a serpent is considered by the Bedouins almost as meritorious as -to slay an Infidel. The Somal have many names for the reptile tribe. The -Subhanyo, a kind of whipsnake, and a large yellow rock snake called Got, -are little feared. The Abesi (in Arabic el Hayyeh,--the Cobra) is so -venomous that it kills the camel; the Mas or Hanash, and a long black -snake called Jilbis, are considered equally dangerous. Serpents are in -Somali-land the subject of many superstitions. One horn of the Cerastes, -for instance, contains a deadly poison: the other, pounded and drawn -across the eye, makes man a seer and reveals to him the treasures of the -earth. There is a flying snake which hoards precious stones, and is -attended by a hundred guards: a Somali horseman once, it is said, carried -away a jewel; he was pursued by a reptile army, and although he escaped to -his tribe, the importunity of the former proprietors was so great that the -plunder was eventually restored to them. Centipedes are little feared; -their venom leads to inconveniences more ridiculous than dangerous. -Scorpions, especially the large yellow variety, are formidable in hot -weather: I can speak of the sting from experience. The first symptom is a -sensation of nausea, and the pain shoots up after a few minutes to the -groin, causing a swelling accompanied by burning and throbbing, which last -about twelve hours. The Somal bandage above the wound and wait patiently -till the effect subsides. - -[37] These are tightened in case of accident, and act as superior -ligatures. I should, however, advise every traveller in these regions to -provide himself with a pneumatic pump, and not to place his trust in Zaal, -garlic, or opium. - -[38] The grey rat is called by the Somal "Baradublay:" in Eastern Africa -it is a minor plague, after India and Arabia, where, neglecting to sleep -in boots, I have sometimes been lamed for a week by their venomous bites. - -[39] In this country the jackal attends not upon the lion, but the Waraba. -His morning cry is taken as an omen of good or evil according to the note. - -[40] Of this bird, a red and long-legged plover, the Somal tell the -following legend. Originally her diet was meat, and her society birds of -prey: one night, however, her companions having devoured all the -provisions whilst she slept, she swore never to fly with friends, never to -eat flesh, and never to rest during the hours of darkness. When she sees -anything in the dark she repeat her oaths, and, according to the Somal, -keeps careful watch all night. There is a larger variety of this bird, -which, purblind daring daytime, rises from under the traveller's feet with -loud cries. The Somal have superstitions similar to that above noticed -about several kinds of birds. When the cry of the "Galu" (so called from -his note Gal! Gal! come in! come in!) is heard over a kraal, the people -say, "Let us leave this place, the Galu hath spoken!" At night they listen -for the Fin, also an ill-omened bird: when a man declares "the Fin did not -sleep last night," it is considered advisable to shift ground. - -[41] Throughout this country ostriches are exceedingly wild: the Rev. Mr. -Erhardt, of the Mombas Mission, informs me that they are equally so -farther south. The Somal stalk them during the day with camels, and kill -them with poisoned arrows. It is said that about 3 P.M. the birds leave -their feeding places, and traverse long distances to roost: the people -assert that they are blind at night, and rise up under the pursuer's feet. - -[42] Several Acacias afford gums, which the Bedouins eat greedily to -strengthen themselves. The town's people declare that the food produces -nothing but flatulence. - -[43] "Subhan' Allah!" an exclamation of pettishness or displeasure. - -[44] The hills not abounding in camels, like the maritime regions, asses -become the principal means of transport. - -[45] This barbarous practice is generally carried out in cases of small- -pox where contagion is feared. - -[46] Fear--danger; it is a word which haunts the traveller in Somali-land. - -[47] The Somali Tol or Tul corresponds with the Arabic Kabilah, a tribe: -under it is the Kola or Jilib (Ar. Fakhizah), a clan. "Gob," is synonymous -with the Arabic Kabail, "men of family," opposed to "Gum," the caste-less. -In the following pages I shall speak of the Somali _nation_, the Eesa -tribe, the Rer Musa _clan_, and the Rer Galan _sept_, though by no means -sure that such verbal gradation is generally recognised. - -[48] The Eesa, for instance, are divided into-- - - 1. Rer Wardik (the royal clan). 6. Rer Hurroni. - 2. Rer Abdullah. 7. Rer Urwena. - 3. Rer Musa. 8. Rer Furlabah. - 4. Rer Mummasan. 9. Rer Gada. - 5. Rer Guleni. 10. Rer Ali Addah. - -These are again subdivided: the Rer Musa (numbering half the Eesa), split -up, for instance, into-- - - 1. Rer Galan. 4. Rer Dubbah. - 2. Rer Harlah. 5. Rer Kul. - 3. Rer Gadishah. 6. Rer Gedi. - -[49] Traces of this turbulent equality may be found amongst the slavish -Kafirs in general meetings of the tribe, on the occasion of harvest home, -when the chief who at other times destroys hundreds by a gesture, is -abused and treated with contempt by the youngest warrior. - -[50] "Milk-seller." - -[51] For instance, Anfarr, the "Spotted;" Tarren, "Wheat-flour;" &c. &c. - -[52] It is used by the northern people, the Abyssinians, Gallas, Adail, -Eesa and Gudabirsi; the southern Somal ignore it. - -[53] The most dangerous disease is small-pox, which history traces to -Eastern Abyssinia, where it still becomes at times a violent epidemic, -sweeping off its thousands. The patient, if a man of note, is placed upon -the sand, and fed with rice or millet bread till he recovers or dies. The -chicken-pox kills many infants; they are treated by bathing in the fresh -blood of a sheep, covered with the skin, and exposed to the sun. Smoke and -glare, dirt and flies, cold winds and naked extremities, cause ophthalmia, -especially in the hills; this disease rarely blinds any save the citizens, -and no remedy is known. Dysentery is cured by rice and sour milk, patients -also drink clarified cows' butter; and in bad cases the stomach is -cauterized, fire and disease, according to the Somal, never coexisting. -Haemorroids, when dry, are reduced by a stick used as a bougie and allowed -to remain in loco all night. Sometimes the part affected is cupped with a -horn and knife, or a leech performs excision. The diet is camels' or -goats' flesh and milk; clarified butter and Bussorab dates--rice and -mutton are carefully avoided. For a certain local disease, they use senna -or colocynth, anoint the body with sulphur boiled in ghee, and expose it -to the sun, or they leave the patient all night in the dew;--abstinence -and perspiration generally effect a cure. For the minor form, the -afflicted drink the melted fat of a sheep's tail. Consumption is a family -complaint, and therefore considered incurable; to use the Somali -expression, they address the patient with "Allah, have mercy upon thee!" -not with "Allah cure thee!" - -There are leeches who have secret simples for curing wounds. Generally the -blood is squeezed out, the place is washed with water, the lips are sewn -up and a dressing of astringent leaves is applied. They have splints for -fractures, and they can reduce dislocations. A medical friend at Aden -partially dislocated his knee, which half-a-dozen of the faculty insisted -upon treating as a sprain. Of all his tortures none was more severe than -that inflicted by my Somali visitors. They would look at him, distinguish -the complaint, ask him how long he had been invalided, and hearing the -reply--four months--would break into exclamations of wonder. "In our -country," they cried, "when a man falls, two pull his body and two his -legs, then they tie sticks round it, give him plenty of camel's milk, and -he is well in a month;" a speech which made friend S. groan in spirit. - -Firing and clarified butter are the farrier's panaceas. Camels are cured -by sheep's head broth, asses by chopping one ear, mules by cutting off the -tail, and horses by ghee or a drench of melted fat. - - - - -CHAP. VI. - -FROM THE ZAYLA HILLS TO THE MARAR PRAIRIE. - - -I have now, dear L., quitted the maritime plain or first zone, to enter -the Ghauts, that threshold of the Ethiopian highlands which, beginning at -Tajurrah, sweeps in semicircle round the bay of Zayla, and falls about -Berberah into the range of mountains which fringes the bold Somali coast. -This chain has been inhabited, within History's memory, by three distinct -races,--the Gallas, the ancient Moslems of Adel, and by the modern Somal. -As usual, however, in the East, it has no general vernacular name. [1] - -The aspect of these Ghauts is picturesque. The primitive base consists of -micaceous granite, with veins of porphyry and dykes of the purest white -quartz: above lie strata of sandstone and lime, here dun, there yellow, or -of a dull grey, often curiously contorted and washed clear of vegetable -soil by the heavy monsoon. On these heights, which are mostly conoid with -rounded tops, joined by ridges and saddlebacks, various kinds of Acacia -cast a pallid and sickly green, like the olive tree upon the hills of -Provence. They are barren in the cold season, and the Nomads migrate to -the plains: when the monsoon covers them with rich pastures, the people -revisit their deserted kraals. The Kloofs or ravines are the most -remarkable features of this country: in some places the sides rise -perpendicularly, like gigantic walls, the breadth varying from one hundred -yards to half a mile; in others cliffs and scaurs, sapped at their -foundations, encumber the bed, and not unfrequently a broad band of white -sand stretches between two fringes of emerald green, delightful to look -upon after the bare and ghastly basalt of Southern Arabia. The Jujube -grows to a height already betraying signs of African luxuriance: through -its foliage flit birds, gaudy-coloured as kingfishers, of vivid red, -yellow, and changing-green. I remarked a long-tailed jay called Gobiyan or -Fat [2], russet-hued ringdoves, the modest honey-bird, corn quails, -canary-coloured finches, sparrows gay as those of Surinam, humming-birds -with a plume of metallic lustre, and especially a white-eyed kind of -maina, called by the Somal, Shimbir Load or the cow-bird. The Armo-creeper -[3], with large fleshy leaves, pale green, red, or crimson, and clusters -of bright berries like purple grapes, forms a conspicuous ornament in the -valleys. There is a great variety of the Cactus tribe, some growing to the -height of thirty and thirty-five feet: of these one was particularly -pointed out to me. The vulgar Somal call it Guraato, the more learned -Shajarat el Zakkum: it is the mandrake of these regions, and the round -excrescences upon the summits of its fleshy arms are supposed to resemble -men's heads and faces. On Tuesday the 5th December we arose at 6 A.M., -after a night so dewy that our clothes were drenched, and we began to -ascend the Wady Darkaynlay, which winds from east to south. After an -hour's march appeared a small cairn of rough stones, called Siyaro, or -Mazar [4], to which each person, in token of honor, added his quotum. The -Abban opined that Auliya or holy men had sat there, but the End of Time -more sagaciously conjectured that it was the site of some Galla idol or -superstitious rite. Presently we came upon the hills of the White Ant [5], -a characteristic feature in this part of Africa. Here the land has the -appearance of a Turkish cemetery on a grand scale: there it seems like a -city in ruins: in some places the pillars are truncated into a resemblance -to bee-hives, in others they cluster together, suggesting the idea of a -portico; whilst many of them, veiled by trees, and overrun with gay -creepers, look like the remains of sylvan altars. Generally the hills are -conical, and vary in height from four to twelve feet: they are counted by -hundreds, and the Somal account for the number by declaring that the -insects abandon their home when dry, and commence building another. The -older erections are worn away, by wind and rain, to a thin tapering spire, -and are frequently hollowed and arched beneath by rats and ground -squirrels. The substance, fine yellow mud, glued by the secretions of the -ant, is hard to break: it is pierced, sieve-like, by a network of tiny -shafts. I saw these hills for the first time in the Wady Darkaynlay: in -the interior they are larger and longer than near the maritime regions. - -We travelled up the Fiumara in a southerly direction till 8 A.M., when the -guides led us away from the bed. They anticipated meeting Gudabirsis: -pallid with fear, they also trembled with cold and hunger. Anxious -consultations were held. One man, Ali--surnamed "Doso," because he did -nothing but eat, drink, and stand over the fire--determined to leave us: -as, however, he had received a Tobe for pay, we put a veto upon that -proceeding. After a march of two hours, over ground so winding that we had -not covered more than three miles, our guides halted under a tree, near a -deserted kraal, at a place called El Armo, the "Armo-creeper water," or -more facetiously Dabadalashay: from Damal it bore S. W. 190 deg. One of our -Bedouins, mounting a mule, rode forward to gather intelligence, and bring -back a skin full of water. I asked the End of Time what they expected to -hear: he replied with the proverb "News liveth!" The Somali Bedouins have -a passion for knowing how the world wags. In some of the more desert -regions the whole population of a village will follow the wanderer. No -traveller ever passes a kraal without planting spear in the ground, and -demanding answers to a lengthened string of queries: rather than miss -intelligence he will inquire of a woman. Thus it is that news flies -through the country. Among the wild Gudabirsi the Russian war was a topic -of interest, and at Harar I heard of a violent storm, which had damaged -the shipping in Bombay Harbour, but a few weeks after the event. - -The Bedouin returned with an empty skin but a full budget. I will offer -you, dear L., a specimen of the "palaver" [6] which is supposed to prove -the aphorism that all barbarians are orators. Demosthenes leisurely -dismounts, advances, stands for a moment cross-legged--the favourite -posture in this region--supporting each hand with a spear planted in the -ground: thence he slips to squat, looks around, ejects saliva, shifts his -quid to behind his ear, places his weapons before him, takes up a bit of -stick, and traces lines which he carefully smooths away--it being ill- -omened to mark the earth. The listeners sit gravely in a semicircle upon -their heels, with their spears, from whose bright heads flashes a ring of -troubled light, planted upright, and look stedfastly on his countenance -over the upper edges of their shields with eyes apparently planted, like -those of the Blemmyes, in their breasts. When the moment for delivery is -come, the head man inquires, "What is the news?" The informant would -communicate the important fact that he has been to the well: he proceeds -as follows, noting emphasis by raising his voice, at times about six -notes, and often violently striking at the ground in front. - -"It is good news, if Allah please!" - -"Wa Sidda!"--Even so! respond the listeners, intoning or rather groaning -the response. - -"I mounted mule this morning:" - -"Even so!" - -"I departed from ye riding." - -"Even so!" - -"_There_" (with a scream and pointing out the direction with a stick). - -"Even so!" - -"_There_ I went." - -"Even so!" - -"I threaded the wood." - -"Even so!" - -"I traversed the sands." - -"Even so!" - -"I feared nothing." - -"Even so!" - -"At last I came upon cattle tracks." - -"Hoo! hoo!! hoo!!!" (an ominous pause follows this exclamation of -astonishment.) - -"They were fresh." - -"Even so!" - -"So were the earths." - -"Even so!" - -"I distinguished the feet of women." - -"Even so!" - -"But there were no camels." - -"Even so!" - -"At last I saw sticks"-- - -"Even so!" - -"Stones"-- - -"Even so!" - -"Water"-- - -"Even so!" - -"A well!!!" - -Then follows the palaver, wherein, as occasionally happens further West, -he distinguishes himself who can rivet the attention of the audience for -at least an hour without saying anything in particular. The advantage of -_their_ circumlocution, however, is that by considering a subject in every -possible light and phase as regards its cause and effect, antecedents, -actualities, and consequences, they are prepared for any emergency which, -without the palaver, might come upon them unawares. - -Although the thermometer showed summer heat, the air was cloudy and raw -blasts poured down from the mountains. At half past 3 P.M. our camels were -lazily loaded, and we followed the course of the Fiumara, which runs to -the W. and S. W. After half an hour's progress, we arrived at the gully in -which are the wells, and the guides halted because they descried half-a- -dozen youths and boys bathing and washing their Tobes. All, cattle as well -as men, were sadly thirsty: many of us had been chewing pebbles during the -morning, yet, afraid of demands for tobacco, the Bedouins would have -pursued the march without water had I not forced them to halt. We found -three holes in the sand; one was dry, a second foul, and the third -contained a scanty supply of the pure element from twenty to twenty-five -feet below the surface. A youth stood in the water and filled a wicker- -pail, which he tossed to a companion perched against the side half way up: -the latter in his turn hove it to a third, who catching it at the brink, -threw the contents, by this time half wasted, into the skin cattle trough. -We halted about half an hour to refresh man and beast, and then resumed -our way up the Wady, quitting it where a short cut avoids the frequent -windings of the bed. This operation saved but little time; the ground was -stony, the rough ascents fatigued the camels, and our legs and feet were -lacerated by the spear-like thorns. Here, the ground was overgrown with -aloes [7], sometimes six feet high with pink and "pale Pomona green" -leaves, bending in the line of beauty towards the ground, graceful in form -as the capitals of Corinthian columns, and crowned with gay-coloured -bells, but barbarously supplied with woody thorns and strong serrated -edges. There the Hig, an aloetic plant with a point so hard and sharp that -horses cannot cross ground where it grows, stood in bunches like the -largest and stiffest of rushes. [8] Senna sprang spontaneously on the -banks, and the gigantic Ushr or Asclepias shed its bloom upon the stones -and pebbles of the bed. My attendants occupied themselves with gathering -the edible pod of an Acacia called Kura [9], whilst I observed the view. -Frequent ant-hills gave an appearance of habitation to a desert still -covered with the mosques and tombs of old Adel; and the shape of the -country had gradually changed, basins and broad slopes now replacing the -thickly crowded conoid peaks of the lower regions. - -As the sun sank towards the west, Long Guled complained bitterly of the -raw breeze from the hills. We passed many villages, distinguished by the -barking of dogs and the bleating of flocks, on their way to the field: the -unhappy Raghe, however, who had now become our _protege_, would neither -venture into a settlement, nor bivouac amongst the lions. He hurried us -forwards till we arrived at a hollow called Gud, "the Hole," which -supplied us with the protection of a deserted kraal, where our camels, -half-starved and knocked-up by an eight miles' march, were speedily -unloaded. Whilst pitching the tent, we were visited by some Gudabirsi, who -attempted to seize our Abban, alleging that he owed them a cow. We replied -doughtily, that he was under our sandals: as they continued to speak in a -high tone, a pistol was discharged over their heads, after which they -cringed like dogs. A blazing fire, a warm supper, dry beds, broad jests, -and funny stories, soon restored the flagging spirits of our party. -Towards night the moon dispersed the thick mists which, gathering into -clouds, threatened rain, and the cold sensibly diminished: there was -little dew, and we should have slept comfortably had not our hungry mules, -hobbled as they were, hopped about the kraal and fought till dawn. - -On the 6th December, we arose late to avoid the cold morning air, and at 7 -A.M. set out over rough ground, hoping to ascend the Ghauts that day. -After creeping about two miles, the camels, unable to proceed, threw -themselves upon the earth, and we unwillingly called a halt at Jiyaf, a -basin below the Dobo [10] fiumara. Here, white flocks dotting the hills, -and the scavengers of the air warned us that we were in the vicinity of -villages. Our wigwam was soon full of fair-faced Gudabirsi, mostly Loajira -[11] or cow-herd boys, who, according to the custom of their class, wore -their Tobes bound scarf-like round their necks. They begged us to visit -their village, and offered a heifer for each lion shot on Mount Libahlay: -unhappily we could not afford time. These youths were followed by men and -women bringing milk, sheep, and goats, for which, grass being rare, they -asked exorbitant prices,--eighteen cubits of Cutch canvass for a lamb, and -two of blue cotton for a bottle of ghee. Amongst them was the first really -pretty face seen by me in the Somali country. The head was well formed, -and gracefully placed upon a long thin neck and narrow shoulders; the -hair, brow, and nose were unexceptionable, there was an arch look in the -eyes of jet and pearl, and a suspicion of African protuberance about the -lips, which gave the countenance an exceeding _naivete_. Her skin was a -warm, rich nut-brown, an especial charm in these regions, and her -movements had that grace which suggests perfect symmetry of limb. The poor -girl's costume, a coif for the back hair, a cloth imperfectly covering the -bosom, and a petticoat of hides, made no great mystery of forms: equally -rude were her ornaments; an armlet and pewter earrings, the work of some -blacksmith, a necklace of white porcelain beads, and sundry talismans in -cases of tarnished and blackened leather. As a tribute to her prettiness I -gave her some cloth, tobacco, and a bit of salt, which was rapidly -becoming valuable; her husband stood by, and, although the preference was -marked, he displayed neither anger nor jealousy. She showed her gratitude -by bringing us milk, and by assisting us to start next morning. In the -evening we hired three fresh camels [12] to carry our goods up the ascent, -and killed some antelopes which, in a stew, were not contemptible. The End -of Time insisted upon firing a gun to frighten away the lions, who make -night hideous with their growls, but never put in an appearance. - -The morning cold greatly increased, and we did not start till 8 A.M. After -half an hour's march up the bed of a fiumara, leading apparently to a _cul -de sac_ of lofty rocks in the hills, we quitted it for a rude zig-zag -winding along its left side, amongst bushes, thorn trees, and huge rocks. -The walls of the opposite bank were strikingly perpendicular; in some -places stratified, in others solid and polished by the course of stream -and cascade. The principal material was a granite, so coarse, that the -composing mica, quartz, and felspar separated into detached pieces as -large as a man's thumb; micaceous grit, which glittered in the sunbeams, -and various sandstones, abounded. The road caused us some trouble; the -camels' loads were always slipping from their mats; I found it necessary -to dismount from my mule, and, sitting down, we were stung by the large -black ants which infest these hills. [13] - -About half way up, we passed two cairns, and added to them our mite like -good Somal. After two hours of hard work the summit of this primitive pass -was attained, and sixty minutes more saw us on the plateau above the -hills,--the second zone of East Africa. Behind us lay the plains, of which -we vainly sought a view: the broken ground at the foot of the mountains is -broad, and mists veiled the reeking expanse of the low country. [14] The -plateau in front of us was a wide extent of rolling ground, rising -slightly towards the west; its colour was brown with a threadbare coat of -verdure, and at the bottom of each rugged slope ran a stony water-course -trending from south-west to north-east. The mass of tangled aloes, ragged -thorn, and prim-looking poison trees, [15] must once have been populous; -tombs and houses of the early Moslems covered with ruins the hills and -ridges. - -About noon, we arrived at a spot called the Kafir's Grave. It is a square -enceinte of rude stones about one hundred yards each side; and legends say -that one Misr, a Galla chief, when dying, ordered the place to be filled -seven times with she-camels destined for his Ahan or funeral feast. This -is the fourth stage upon the direct road from Zayla to Harar: we had -wasted ten days, and the want of grass and water made us anxious about our -animals. The camels could scarcely walk, and my mule's spine rose high -beneath the Arab pad:--such are the effects of Jilal [16], the worst of -travelling seasons in Eastern Africa. - -At 1 P.M. we unloaded under a sycamore tree, called, after a Galla -chieftain [17], "Halimalah," and giving its name to the surrounding -valley. This ancient of the forest is more than half decayed, several huge -limbs lie stretched upon the ground, whence, for reverence, no one removes -them: upon the trunk, or rather trunks, for its bifurcates, are marks -deeply cut by a former race, and Time has hollowed in the larger stem an -arbour capable of containing half-a-dozen men. This holy tree was, -according to the Somal, a place of prayer for the infidel, and its ancient -honors are not departed. Here, probably to commemorate the westward -progress of the tribe, the Gudabirsi Ugaz or chief has the white canvass -turban bound about his brows, and hence rides forth to witness the -equestrian games in the Harawwah Valley. As everyone who passes by, visits -the Halimalah tree, foraging parties of the Northern Eesa and the Jibril -Abokr (a clan of the Habr Awal) frequently meet, and the traveller wends -his way in fear and trembling. - -The thermometer showed an altitude of 3,350 feet: under the tree's cool -shade, the climate reminded me of Southern Italy in winter. I found a -butter-cup, and heard a wood-pecker [18] tapping on the hollow trunk, a -reminiscence of English glades. The Abban and his men urged an advance in -the afternoon. But my health had suffered from the bad water of the coast, -and the camels were faint with fatigue: we therefore dismissed the hired -beasts, carried our property into a deserted kraal, and, lighting a fire, -prepared to "make all snug" for the night. The Bedouins, chattering with -cold, stood closer to the comfortable blaze than ever did pater familias -in England: they smoked their faces, toasted their hands, broiled their -backs with intense enjoyment, and waved their legs to and fro through the -flame to singe away the pile, which at this season grows long. The End of -Time, who was surly, compared them to demons, and quoted the Arab's -saying:--"Allah never bless smooth man, or hairy woman!" On the 8th of -December, at 8 A.M., we travelled slowly up the Halimalah Valley, whose -clayey surface glistened with mica and quartz pebbles from the hills. All -the trees are thorny except the Sycamore and the Asclepias. The Gub, or -Jujube, grows luxuriantly in thickets: its dried wood is used by women to -fumigate their hair [19]: the Kedi, a tree like the porcupine,--all -spikes,--supplies the Bedouins with hatchet-handles. I was shown the Abol -with its edible gum, and a kind of Acacia, here called Galol. Its bark -dyes cloth a dull red, and the thorn issues from a bulb which, when young -and soft, is eaten by the Somal, when old it becomes woody, and hard as a -nut. At 9 A.M. we crossed the Lesser Abbaso, a Fiumara with high banks of -stiff clay and filled with large rolled stones: issuing from it, we -traversed a thorny path over ascending ground between higher hills, and -covered with large boulders and step-like layers of grit. Here appeared -several Gudabirsi tombs, heaps of stones or pebbles, surrounded by a fence -of thorns, or an enceinte of loose blocks: in the latter, slabs are used -to make such houses as children would build in play, to denote the number -of establishments left by the deceased. The new grave is known by the -conical milk-pails surmounting the stick at the head of the corpse, upon -the neighbouring tree is thrown the mat which bore the dead man to his -last home, and hard by are the blackened stones upon which his funeral -feast was cooked. At 11 A.M. we reached the Greater Abbaso, a Fiumara -about 100 yards wide, fringed with lovely verdure and full of the antelope -called Gurnuk: its watershed was, as usual in this region, from west and -south-west to east and north-east. About noon we halted, having travelled -eight miles from the Holy Tree. - -At half past three reloading we followed the course of the Abbaso Valley, -the most beautiful spot we had yet seen. The presence of mankind, however, -was denoted by the cut branches of thorn encumbering the bed: we remarked -too, the tracks of lions pursued by hunters, and the frequent streaks of -serpents, sometimes five inches in diameter. Towards evening, our party -closed up in fear, thinking that they saw spears glancing through the -trees: I treated their alarm lightly, but the next day proved that it was -not wholly imaginary. At sunset we met a shepherd who swore upon the stone -[20] to bring us milk in exchange for tobacco, and presently, after a five -miles' march, we halted in a deserted kraal on the left bank of a Fiumara. -Clouds gathered black upon the hill tops, and a comfortless blast, -threatening rain, warned us not to delay pitching the Gurgi. A large fire -was lighted, and several guns were discharged to frighten away the lions -that infest this place. Twice during the night our camels started up and -rushed round their thorn ring in alarm. - - * * * * * - -Late in the morning of Saturday, the 9th December, I set out, accompanied -by Rirash and the End of Time, to visit some ruins a little way distant -from the direct road. After an hour's ride we turned away from the Abbaso -Fiumara and entered a basin among the hills distant about sixteen miles -from the Holy Tree. This is the site of Darbiyah Kola,--Kola's Fort,--so -called from its Galla queen. It is said that this city and its neighbour -Aububah fought like certain cats in Kilkenny till both were "eaten up:" -the Gudabirsi fix the event at the period when their forefathers still -inhabited Bulhar on the coast,--about 300 years ago. If the date be -correct, the substantial ruins have fought a stern fight with time. -Remnants of houses cumber the soil, and the carefully built wells are -filled with rubbish: the palace was pointed out to me with its walls of -stone and clay intersected by layers of woodwork. The mosque is a large -roofless building containing twelve square pillars of rude masonry, and -the Mihrab, or prayer niche, is denoted by a circular arch of tolerable -construction. But the voice of the Muezzin is hushed for ever, and -creepers now twine around the ruined fane. The scene was still and dreary -as the grave; for a mile and a half in length all was ruins--ruins--ruins. - -Leaving this dead city, we rode towards the south-west between two rugged -hills of which the loftiest summit is called Wanauli. As usual they are -rich in thorns: the tall "Wadi" affords a gum useful to cloth-dyers, and -the leaves of the lofty Wumba are considered, after the Daum-palm, the -best material for mats. On the ground appeared the blue flowers of the -"Man" or "Himbah," a shrub resembling a potatoe: it bears a gay yellow -apple full of brown seeds which is not eaten by the Somal. My companions -made me taste some of the Karir berries, which in color and flavor -resemble red currants: the leaves are used as a dressing to ulcers. -Topping the ridge we stood for a few minutes to observe the view before -us. Beneath our feet lay a long grassy plain-the sight must have gladdened -the hearts of our starving mules!--and for the first time in Africa horses -appeared grazing free amongst the bushes. A little further off lay the -Aylonda valley studded with graves, and dark with verdure. Beyond it -stretched the Wady Harawwah, a long gloomy hollow in the general level. -The background was a bold sweep of blue hill, the second gradient of the -Harar line, and on its summit closing the western horizon lay a golden -streak--the Marar Prairie. Already I felt at the end of my journey. About -noon, reaching a kraal, whence but that morning our Gudabirsi Abbans had -driven off their kine, we sat under a tree and with a pistol reported -arrival. Presently the elders came out and welcomed their old acquaintance -the End of Time as a distinguished guest. He eagerly inquired about the -reported quarrel between the Abbans and their brother-in-law the Gerad -Adan. When, assured that it was the offspring of Somali imagination, he -rolled his head, and with dignity remarked, "What man shutteth to us, that -Allah openeth!" We complimented each other gravely upon the purity of our -intentions,--amongst Moslems a condition of success,--and not despising -second causes, lost no time in sending a horseman for the Abbans. -Presently some warriors came out and inquired if we were of the Caravan -that was travelling last evening up a valley with laden camels. On our -answering in the affirmative, they laughingly declared that a commando of -twelve horsemen had followed us with the intention of a sham-attack. This -is favourite sport with the Bedouin. When however the traveller shows -fright, the feint is apt to turn out a fact. On one occasion a party of -Arab merchants, not understanding the "fun of the thing," shot two Somal: -the tribe had the justice to acquit the strangers, mulcting them, however, -a few yards of cloth for the families of the deceased. In reply I fired a -pistol unexpectedly over the heads of my new hosts, and improved the -occasion of their terror by deprecating any practical facetiousness in -future. - -We passed the day under a tree: the camels escorted by my two attendants, -and the women, did not arrive till sunset, having occupied about eight -hours in marching as many miles. Fearing lions, we pitched inside the -kraal, despite crying children, scolding wives, cattle rushing about, -barking dogs, flies and ticks, filth and confinement. - -I will now attempt a description of a village in Eastern Africa. - -The Rer or Kraal [21] is a line of scattered huts on plains where thorns -are rare, beast of prey scarce, and raids not expected. In the hills it is -surrounded by a strong fence to prevent cattle straying: this, where -danger induces caution, is doubled and trebled. Yet the lion will -sometimes break through it, and the leopard clears it, prey in mouth with -a bound. The abattis has usually four entrances which are choked up with -heaps of bushes at night. The interior space is partitioned off by dwarf -hedges into rings, which contain and separate the different species of -cattle. Sometimes there is an outer compartment adjoining the exterior -fence, set apart for the camels; usually they are placed in the centre of -the kraal. Horses being most valuable are side-lined and tethered close to -the owner's hut, and rude bowers of brush and fire wood protect the -weaklings of the flocks from the heat of the sun and the inclement night -breeze. - -At intervals around and inside the outer abattis are built the Gurgi or -wigwams--hemispheric huts like old bee-hives about five feet high by six -in diameter: they are even smaller in the warm regions, but they increase -in size as the elevation of the country renders climate less genial. The -material is a framework of "Digo," or sticks bent and hardened in the -fire: to build the hut, these are planted in the ground, tied together -with cords, and covered with mats of two different kinds: the Aus composed -of small bundles of grass neatly joined, is hard and smooth; the Kibid has -a long pile and is used as couch as well as roof. The single entrance in -front is provided with one of these articles which serves as a curtain; -hides are spread upon the top during the monsoon, and little heaps of -earth are sometimes raised outside to keep out wind and rain. - -The furniture is simple as the building. Three stones and a hole form the -fireplace, near which sleep the children, kids, and lambs: there being no -chimney, the interior is black with soot. The cow-skin couches are -suspended during the day, like arms and other articles which suffer from -rats and white ants, by loops of cord to the sides. The principal -ornaments are basket-work bottles, gaily adorned with beads, cowris, and -stained leather. Pottery being here unknown, the Bedouins twist the fibres -of a root into various shapes, and make them water-tight with the powdered -bark of another tree. [22] The Han is a large wicker-work bucket, mounted -in a framework of sticks, and used to contain water on journeys. The Guraf -(a word derived from the Arabic "Ghurfah") is a conical-shaped vessel, -used to bale out the contents of a well. The Del, or milk pail, is shaped -like two cones joined at the base by lateral thongs, the upper and smaller -half acting as cup and cover. And finally the Wesi, or water bottle, -contains the traveller's store for drinking and religious ablution. - -When the kraal is to be removed, the huts and furniture are placed upon -the camels, and the hedges and earth are sometimes set on fire, to purify -the place and deceive enemies, Throughout the country black circles of -cinders or thorn diversify the hill sides, and show an extensive -population. Travellers always seek deserted kraals for security of -encampment. As they swarm with vermin by night and flies by day [23], I -frequently made strong objections to these favourite localities: the -utmost conceded to me was a fresh enclosure added by a smaller hedge to -the outside abattis of the more populous cow-kraals. - -On the 10th December we halted: the bad water, the noon-day sun of 107 deg., -and the cold mornings--51 deg. being the average--had seriously affected my -health. All the population flocked to see me, darkening the hut with -nodding wigs and staring faces: and,--the Gudabirsi are polite knaves,-- -apologised for the intrusion. Men, women, and children appeared in crowds, -bringing milk and ghee, meat and water, several of the elders remembered -having seen me at Berberah [24], and the blear-eyed maidens, who were in -no wise shy, insisted upon admiring the white stranger. - -Feeling somewhat restored by repose, I started the next day, "with a tail -on" to inspect the ruins of Aububah. After a rough ride over stony ground -we arrived at a grassy hollow, near a line of hills, and dismounted to -visit the Shaykh Aububah's remains. He rests under a little conical dome -of brick, clay and wood, similar in construction to that of Zayla: it is -falling to pieces, and the adjoining mosque, long roofless, is overgrown -with trees, that rustle melancholy sounds in the light joyous breeze. -Creeping in by a dwarf door or rather hole, my Gudabirsi guides showed me -a bright object forming the key of the arch: as it shone they suspected -silver, and the End of Time whispered a sacrilegious plan for purloining -it. Inside the vault were three graves apparently empty, and upon the dark -sunken floor lay several rounded stones, resembling cannon balls, and used -as weights by the more civilised Somal. Thence we proceeded to the battle- -field, a broad sheet of sandstone, apparently dinted by the hoofs of mules -and horses: on this ground, which, according to my guides, was in olden -days soft and yielding, took place the great action between Aububah and -Darbiyah Kola. A second mosque was found with walls in tolerable repair, -but, like the rest of the place, roofless. Long Guled ascended the broken -staircase of a small square minaret, and delivered a most ignorant and -Bedouin-like Azan or call to prayer. Passing by the shells of houses, we -concluded our morning's work with a visit to the large graveyard. -Apparently it did not contain the bones of Moslems: long lines of stones -pointed westward, and one tomb was covered with a coating of hard mortar, -in whose sculptured edge my benighted friends detected magical -inscriptions. I heard of another city called Ahammed in the neighbouring -hills, but did not visit it. These are all remains of Galla settlements, -which the ignorance and exaggeration of the Somal fill with "writings" and -splendid edifices. - -Returning home we found that our Gudabirsi Bedouins had at length obeyed -the summons. The six sons of a noted chief, Ali Addah or White Ali, by -three different mothers, Beuh, Igah, Khayri, Nur, Ismail and Yunis, all -advanced towards me as I dismounted, gave the hand of friendship, and -welcomed me to their homes. With the exception of the first-named, a hard- -featured man at least forty years old, the brothers were good-looking -youths, with clear brown skins, regular features, and graceful figures. -They entered the Gurgi when invited, but refused to eat, saying, that they -came for honor not for food. The Hajj Sharmarkay's introductory letter was -read aloud to their extreme delight, and at their solicitation, I perused -it a second and a third time; then having dismissed with sundry small -presents, the two Abbans Raghe and Rirash, I wrote a flattering account of -them to the Hajj, and entrusted it to certain citizens who were returning -in caravan Zayla-wards, after a commercial tour in the interior. - -Before they departed, there was a feast after the Homeric fashion. A sheep -was "cut," disembowelled, dismembered, tossed into one of our huge -caldrons, and devoured within the hour: the almost live food [25] was -washed down with huge draughts of milk. The feasters resembled -Wordsworth's cows, "forty feeding like one:" in the left hand they held -the meat to their teeth, and cut off the slice in possession with long -daggers perilously close, were their noses longer and their mouths less -obtrusive. During the dinner I escaped from the place of flies, and -retired to a favourite tree. Here the End of Time, seeing me still in -pain, insisted upon trying a Somali medicine. He cut two pieces of dry -wood, scooped a hole in the shorter, and sharpened the longer, applied -point to socket, which he sprinkled with a little sand, placed his foot -upon the "female stick," and rubbed the other between his palms till smoke -and char appeared. He then cauterized my stomach vigorously in six -different places, quoting a tradition, "the End of Physic is Fire." - -On Tuesday the 12th December, I vainly requested the two sons of White -Ali, who had constituted themselves our guides, to mount their horses: -they feared to fatigue the valuable animals at a season when grass is rare -and dry. I was disappointed by seeing the boasted "Faras" [26] of the -Somal, in the shape of ponies hardly thirteen hands high. The head is -pretty, the eyes are well opened, and the ears are small; the form also is -good, but the original Arab breed has degenerated in the new climate. They -are soft, docile, and--like all other animals in this part of the world-- -timid: the habit of climbing rocks makes them sure-footed, and they show -the remains of blood when forced to fatigue. The Gudabirsi will seldom -sell these horses, the great safeguard against their conterminous tribes, -the Eesa and Girhi, who are all infantry: a village seldom contains more -than six or eight, and the lowest value would be ten cows or twenty Tobes. -[27] Careful of his beast when at rest, the Somali Bedouin in the saddle -is rough and cruel: whatever beauty the animal may possess in youth, -completely disappears before the fifth year, and few are without spavin, -or sprained back-sinews. In some parts of the country [28], "to ride -violently to your hut two or three times before finally dismounting, is -considered a great compliment, and the same ceremony is observed on -leaving. Springing into the saddle (if he has one), with the aid of his -spear, the Somali cavalier first endeavours to infuse a little spirit into -his half-starved hack, by persuading him to accomplish a few plunges and -capers: then, his heels raining a hurricane of blows against the animal's -ribs, and occasionally using his spear-point as a spur, away he gallops, -and after a short circuit, in which he endeavours to show himself to the -best advantage, returns to his starting point at full speed, when the -heavy Arab bit brings up the blown horse with a shock that half breaks his -jaw and fills his mouth with blood. The affection of the true Arab for his -horse is proverbial: the cruelty of the Somal to his, may, I think, be -considered equally so." The Bedouins practise horse-racing, and run for -bets, which are contested with ardor: on solemn occasions, they have rude -equestrian games, in which they display themselves and their animals. The -Gudabirsi, and indeed most of the Somal, sit loosely upon their horses. -Their saddle is a demi-pique, a high-backed wooden frame, like the -Egyptian fellah's: two light splinters leave a clear space for the spine, -and the tree is tightly bound with wet thongs: a sheepskin shabracque is -loosely spread over it, and the dwarf iron stirrup admits only the big -toe, as these people fear a stirrup which, if the horse fall, would -entangle the foot. Their bits are cruelly severe; a solid iron ring, as in -the Arab bridle, embracing the lower jaw, takes the place of a curb chain. -Some of the head-stalls, made at Berberah, are prettily made of cut -leather and bright steel ornaments like diminutive quoits. The whip is a -hard hide handle, plated with zinc, and armed with a single short broad -thong. - -With the two sons of White Ali and the End of Time, at 8 A.M., on the 12th -December, I rode forward, leaving the jaded camels in charge of my -companions and the women. We crossed the plain in a south-westerly -direction, and after traversing rolling ground, we came to a ridge, which -commanded an extensive view. Behind lay the Wanauli Hills, already purple -in the distance. On our left was a mass of cones, each dignified by its -own name; no one, it is said, can ascend them, which probably means that -it would be a fatiguing walk. Here are the visitation-places of three -celebrated saints, Amud, Sau and Shaykh Sharlagamadi, or the "Hidden from -Evil," To the north-west I was shown some blue peaks tenanted by the Eesa -Somal. In front, backed by the dark hills of Harar, lay the Harawwah -valley. The breadth is about fifteen miles: it runs from south-west to -north-east, between the Highlands of the Girhi and the rolling ground of -the Gudabirsi Somal, as far, it is said, as the Dankali country. Of old -this luxuriant waste belonged to the former tribe; about twelve years ago -it was taken from them by the Gudabirsi, who carried off at the same time -thirty cows, forty camels, and between three and four hundred sheep and -goats. - -Large herds tended by spearmen and grazing about the bush, warned us that -we were approaching the kraal in which the sons of White Ali were camped; -at half-past 10 A.M., after riding eight miles, we reached the place which -occupies the lower slope of the Northern Hills that enclose the Harawwah -valley. We spread our hides under a tree, and were soon surrounded by -Bedouins, who brought milk, sun-dried beef, ghee and honey in one of the -painted wooden bowls exported from Cutch. After breakfast, at which the -End of Time distinguished himself by dipping his meat into honey, we went -out gun in hand towards the bush. It swarmed with sand-antelope and -Gurnuk: the ground-squirrels haunted every ant-hill, hoopoos and spur- -fowls paced among the thickets, in the trees we heard the frequent cry of -the Gobiyan and the bird facetiously termed from its cry "Dobo-dogon- -guswen," and the bright-coloured hawk, the Abodi or Bakiyyah [29], lay on -wing high in the cloudless air. - -When tired of killing we returned to our cow-hides, and sat in -conversation with the Bedouins. They boasted of the skill with which they -used the shield, and seemed not to understand the efficiency of a sword- -parry: to illustrate the novel idea I gave a stick to the best man, -provided myself in the same way, and allowed him to cut at me. After -repeated failures he received a sounding blow upon the least bony portion -of his person: the crowd laughed long and loud, and the pretending -"knight-at-arms" retired in confusion. - -Darkness fell, but no caravan appeared: it had been delayed by a runaway -mule,--perhaps by the desire to restrain my vagrant propensities,--and did -not arrive till midnight. My hosts cleared a Gurgi for our reception, -brought us milk, and extended their hospitality to the full limits of even -savage complaisance. - -Expecting to march on the 13th December soon after dawn, I summoned Beuh -and his brethren to the hut, reminding him that the Hajj had promised me -an escort without delay to the village of the Gerad Adan. To my instances -they replied that, although they were most anxious to oblige, the arrival -of Mudeh the eldest son rendered a consultation necessary; and retiring to -the woods, sat in palaver from 8 A.M. to past noon. At last they came to a -resolution which could not be shaken. They would not trust one of their -number in the Gerad's country; a horseman, however, should carry a letter -inviting the Girhi chief to visit his brothers-in-law. I was assured that -Adan would not drink water before mounting to meet us: but, fear is -reciprocal, there was evidently bad blood between them, and already a -knowledge of Somali customs caused me to suspect the result of our -mission. However, a letter was written reminding the Gerad of "the word -spoken under the tree," and containing, in case of recusance, a threat to -cut off the salt well at which his cows are periodically driven to drink. -Then came the bargain for safe conduct. After much haggling, especially on -the part of the handsome Igah, they agreed to receive twenty Tobes, three -bundles of tobacco, and fourteen cubits of indigo-dyed cotton. In addition -to this I offered as a bribe one of my handsome Abyssinian shirts with a -fine silk fringe made at Aden, to be received by the man Beuh on the day -of entering the Gerad's village. - -I arose early in the next morning, having been promised by the Abbans -grand sport in the Harawwah Valley. The Somal had already divided the -elephants' spoils: they were to claim the hero's feather, I was to receive -two thirds of the ivory--nothing remained to be done but the killing. -After sundry pretences and prayers for delay, Beuh saddled his hack, the -Hammal mounted one mule, a stout-hearted Bedouin called Fahi took a -second, and we started to find the herds. The End of Time lagged in the -rear: the reflection that a mule cannot outrun an elephant, made him look -so ineffably miserable, that I sent him back to the kraal. "Dost thou -believe me to be a coward, 0 Pilgrim?" thereupon exclaimed the Mullah, -waxing bold in the very joy of his heart. "Of a truth I do!" was my reply. -Nothing abashed, he hammered his mule with heel, and departed ejaculating, -"What hath man but a single life? and he who throweth it away, what is he -but a fool?" Then we advanced with cocked guns, Beuh singing, Boanerges- -like, the Song of the Elephant. - -In the Somali country, as amongst the Kafirs, after murdering a man or -boy, the death of an elephant is considered _the_ act of heroism: most -tribes wear for it the hair-feather and the ivory bracelet. Some hunters, -like the Bushmen of the Cape [30], kill the Titan of the forests with -barbed darts carrying Waba-poison. The general way of hunting resembles -that of the Abyssinian Agageers described by Bruce. One man mounts a white -pony, and galloping before the elephant, induces him, as he readily does, ---firearms being unknown,--to charge and "chivy." The rider directs his -course along, and close to, some bush, where a comrade is concealed; and -the latter, as the animal passes at speed, cuts the back sinew of the hind -leg, where in the human subject the tendon Achilles would be, with a -sharp, broad and heavy knife. [31] This wound at first occasions little -inconvenience: presently the elephant, fancying, it is supposed, that a -thorn has stuck in his foot, stamps violently, and rubs the scratch till -the sinew is fairly divided. The animal, thus disabled, is left to perish -wretchedly of hunger and thirst: the tail, as amongst the Kafirs, is cut -off to serve as trophy, and the ivories are removed when loosened by -decomposition. In this part of Africa the elephant is never tamed. [32] - -For six hours we rode the breadth of the Harawwah Valley: it was covered -with wild vegetation, and surface-drains, that carry off the surplus of -the hills enclosing it. In some places the torrent beds had cut twenty -feet into the soil. The banks were fringed with milk-bush and Asclepias, -the Armo-creeper, a variety of thorns, and especially the yellow-berried -Jujube: here numberless birds followed bright-winged butterflies, and the -"Shaykhs of the Blind," as the people call the black fly, settled in -swarms upon our hands and faces as we rode by. The higher ground was -overgrown with a kind of cactus, which here becomes a tree, forming shady -avenues. Its quadrangular fleshy branches of emerald green, sometimes -forty feet high, support upon their summits large round bunches of a -bright crimson berry: when the plantation is close, domes of extreme -beauty appear scattered over the surface of the country. This "Hassadin" -abounds in burning milk, and the Somal look downwards when passing under -its branches: the elephant is said to love it, and in many places the -trees were torn to pieces by hungry trunks. The nearest approaches to game -were the last year's earths; likely places, however, shady trees and green -thorns near water, were by no means uncommon. When we reached the valley's -southern wall, Beuh informed us that we might ride all day, if we pleased, -with the same result. At Zayla I had been informed that elephants are -"thick as sand" in Harawwah: even the Gudabirsi, when at a distance, -declared that they fed there like sheep, and, after our failure, swore -that they killed thirty but last year. The animals were probably in the -high Harirah Valley, and would be driven downwards by the cold at a later -period: some future Gordon Cumming may therefore succeed where the Hajj -Abdullah notably failed. - -On the 15th December I persuaded the valiant Beuh, with his two brothers -and his bluff cousin Fahi, to cross the valley with us, After recovering a -mule which had strayed five miles back to the well, and composing sundry -quarrels between Shehrazade, whose swains had detained her from camel- -loading, and the Kalendar whose one eye flashed with indignation at her -conduct, we set out in a southerly direction. An hour's march brought us -to an open space surrounded by thin thorn forest: in the centre is an -ancient grave, about which are performed the equestrian games when the -turban of the Ugaz has been bound under the Holy Tree. Shepherds issued -from the bush to stare at us as we passed, and stretched forth the hand -for "Bori:" the maidens tripped forwards exclaiming, "Come, girls, let us -look at this prodigy!" and they never withheld an answer if civilly -addressed. Many of them were grown up, and not a few were old maids, the -result of the tribe's isolation; for here, as in Somaliland generally, the -union of cousins is abhorred. The ground of the valley is a stiff clay, -sprinkled with pebbles of primitive formation: the hills are mere rocks, -and the torrent banks with strata of small stones, showed a watermark -varying from ten to fifteen feet in height: in these Fiumaras we saw -frequent traces of the Edler-game, deer and hog. At 1 P.M. our camels and -mules were watered at wells in a broad wady called Jannah-Gaban or the -Little Garden; its course, I was told, lies northwards through the -Harawwah Valley to the Odla and Waruf, two depressions in the Wayma -country near Tajurrah. About half an hour afterwards we arrived at a -deserted sheepfold distant six miles from our last station. After -unloading we repaired to a neighbouring well, and found the water so hard -that it raised lumps like nettle stings in the bather's skin. The only -remedy for the evil is an unguent of oil or butter, a precaution which -should never be neglected by the African traveller. At first the sensation -of grease annoys, after a few days it is forgotten, and at last the "pat -of butter" is expected as pleasantly as the pipe or the cup of coffee. It -prevents the skin from chaps and sores, obviates the evil effects of heat, -cold, and wet, and neutralises the Proteus-like malaria poison. The Somal -never fail to anoint themselves when they can afford ghee, and the Bedouin -is at the summit of his bliss, when sitting in the blazing sun, or,--heat -acts upon these people as upon serpents,--with his back opposite a roaring -fire, he is being smeared, rubbed, and kneaded by a companion. - -My guides, fearing lions and hyenas, would pass the night inside a foul -sheepfold: I was not without difficulty persuaded to join them. At eight -next morning we set out through an uninteresting thorn-bush towards one of -those Tetes or isolated hills which form admirable bench-marks in the -Somali country. "Koralay," a terra corresponding with our Saddle-back, -exactly describes its shape: pommel and crupper, in the shape of two huge -granite boulders, were all complete, and between them was a depression for -a seat. As day advanced the temperature changed from 50 deg. to a maximum of -121 deg. After marching about five miles, we halted in a broad watercourse -called Gallajab, the "Plentiful Water": there we bathed, and dined on an -excellent camel which had broken its leg by falling from a bank. - -Resuming our march at 5 P.M., we travelled over ascending ground which -must be most fertile after rain: formerly it belonged to the Girhi, and -the Gudabirsi boasted loudly of their conquest. After an hour's march we -reached the base of Koralay, upon whose lower slopes appeared a pair of -the antelopes called Alakud [33]: they are tame, easily shot, and eagerly -eaten by the Bedouins. Another hour of slow travelling brought us to a -broad Fiumara with high banks of stiff clay thickly wooded and showing a -water-mark eighteen feet above the sand. The guides named these wells -Agjogsi, probably a generic term signifying that water is standing close -by. Crossing the Fiumara we ascended a hill, and found upon the summit a -large kraal alive with heads of kine. The inhabitants flocked out to stare -at us and the women uttered cries of wonder. I advanced towards the -prettiest, and fired my rifle by way of salute over her head. The people -delighted, exclaimed, Mod! Mod!--"Honor to thee!"--and we replied with -shouts of Kulliban--"May Heaven aid ye!" [34] At 5 P.M., after five miles' -march, the camels were unloaded in a deserted kraal whose high fence -denoted danger of wild beasts. The cowherds bade us beware of lions: but a -day before a girl had been dragged out of her hut, and Moslem burial could -be given to only one of her legs. A Bedouin named Uddao, whom we hired as -mule-keeper, was ordered to spend the night singing, and, as is customary -with Somali watchmen, to address and answer himself dialogue-wise with a -different voice, in order to persuade thieves that several men are on the -alert. He was a spectacle of wildness as he sat before the blazing fire,-- -his joy by day, his companion and protector in the shades, the only step -made by him in advance of his brethren the Cynocephali. - -We were detained four days at Agjogsi by the nonappearance of the Gerad -Adan: this delay gave me an opportunity of ascending to the summit of -Koralay the Saddleback, which lay about a mile north of our encampment. As -we threaded the rocks and hollows of the side we came upon dens strewed -with cows' bones, and proving by a fresh taint that the tenants had lately -quitted them. In this country the lion is seldom seen unless surprised -asleep in his lair of thicket: during my journey, although at times the -roaring was heard all night, I saw but one. The people have a superstition -that the king of beasts will not attack a single traveller, because such a -person, they say, slew the mother of all the lions: except in darkness or -during violent storms, which excite the fiercer carnivors, he is a timid -animal, much less feared by the people than the angry and agile leopard. -Unable to run with rapidity when pressed by hunger, he pursues a party of -travellers stealthily as a cat, and, arrived within distance, springs, -strikes down the hindermost, and carries him away to the bush. - -From the summit of Koralay, we had a fair view of the surrounding country. -At least forty kraals, many of them deserted, lay within the range of -sight. On all sides except the north-west and south-east was a mass of -sombre rock and granite hill: the course of the valleys between the -several ranges was denoted by a lively green, and the plains scattered in -patches over the landscape shone with dull yellow, the effect of clay and -stubble, whilst a light mist encased the prospect in a circlet of blue and -silver. Here the End of Time conceived the jocose idea of crowning me king -of the country. With loud cries of Buh! Buh! Buh! he showered leaves of a -gum tree and a little water from a prayer bottle over my head, and then -with all solemnity bound on the turban. [35] It is perhaps fortunate that -this facetiousness was not witnessed: a crowd of Bedouins assembled below -the hill, suspecting as usual some magical practices, and, had they known -the truth, our journey might have ended abruptly. Descending, I found -porcupines' quills in abundance [36], and shot a rock pigeon called Elal- -jog--the "Dweller at wells." At the foot a "Baune" or Hyrax Abyssinicus, -resembling the Coney of Palestine [37], was observed at its favourite -pastime of sunning itself upon the rocks. - -On the evening of the 20th December the mounted messenger returned, after -a six hours' hard ride, bringing back unopened the letter addressed by me -to the Gerad, and a private message from their sister to the sons of White -Ali, advising them not to advance. Ensued terrible palavers. It appeared -that the Gerad was upon the point of mounting horse, when his subjects -swore him to remain and settle a dispute with the Amir of Harar. Our -Abbans, however, withdrew their hired camels, positively refuse to -accompany us, and Beuh privily informed the End of Time that I had -acquired through the land the evil reputation of killing everything, from -an elephant to a bird in the air. One of the younger brethren, indeed, -declared that we were forerunners of good, and that if the Gerad harmed a -hair of our heads, he would slaughter every Girhi under the sun. We had, -however, learned properly to appreciate such vaunts, and the End of Time -drily answered that their sayings were honey but their doings myrrh. Being -a low-caste and a shameless tribe, they did not reply to our reproaches. -At last, a manoeuvre was successful: Beuh and his brethren, who squatted -like sulky children in different places, were dismissed with thanks,--we -proposed placing ourselves under the safeguard of Gerad Hirsi, the Berteri -chief. This would have thrown the protection-price, originally intended -for their brother-in-law, into the hands of a rival, and had the effect of -altering their resolve. Presently we were visited by two Widad or hedge- -priests, Ao Samattar and Ao Nur [38], both half-witted fellows, but active -and kindhearted. The former wore a dirty turban, the latter a Zebid cap, a -wicker-work calotte, composed of the palm leaf's mid-rib: they carried -dressed goatskins, as prayer carpets, over their right shoulders dangled -huge wooden ink bottles with Lauh or wooden tablets for writing talismans -[39], and from the left hung a greasy bag, containing a tattered copy of -the Koran and a small MS. of prayers. They read tolerably, but did not -understand Arabic, and I presented them with cheap Bombay lithographs of -the Holy Book. The number of these idlers increased as we approached -Harar, the Alma Mater of Somali land:--the people seldom listen to their -advice, but on this occasion Ao Samattar succeeded in persuading the -valiant Beuh that the danger was visionary. Soon afterwards rode up to our -kraal three cavaliers, who proved to be sons of Adam, the future Ugaz of -the Gudabirsi tribe: this chief had fully recognized the benefits of -reopening to commerce a highway closed by their petty feuds, and sent to -say that, in consequence of his esteem for the Hajj Sharmarkay, if the -sons of White Ali feared to escort us, he in person would do the deed. -Thereupon Beuh became a "Gesi" or hero, as the End of Time ironically -called him: he sent back his brethren with their horses and camels, and -valorously prepared to act as our escort. I tauntingly asked him what he -now thought of the danger. For all reply he repeated the words, with which -the Bedouins--who, like the Arabs, have a holy horror of towns--had been -dinning daily into my ears, "They will spoil that white skin of thine at -Harar!" - -At 3 P.M., on the 21st December, we started in a westerly direction -through a gap in the hills, and presently turned to the south-west, over -rapidly rising ground, thickly inhabited, and covered with flocks and -herds. About 5 P.M., after marching two miles, we raised our wigwam -outside a populous kraal, a sheep was provided by the hospitality of Ao -Samattar, and we sat deep into the night enjoying a genial blaze. - -Early the next morning we had hoped to advance: water, however, was -wanting, and a small caravan was slowly gathering;--these details delayed -us till 4 P.M. Our line lay westward, over rising ground, towards a -conspicuous conical hill called Konti. Nothing could be worse for camels -than the rough ridges at the foot of the mountain, full of thickets, cut -by deep Fiumaras, and abounding in dangerous watercourses: the burdens -slipped now backwards then forwards, sometimes the load was almost dragged -off by thorns, and at last we were obliged to leave one animal to follow -slowly in the rear. After creeping on two miles, we bivouacked in a -deserted cow-kraal,--_sub dio_, as it was warm under the hills. That -evening our party was increased by a Gudabirsi maiden in search of a -husband: she was surlily received by Shehrazade and Deenarzade, but we -insisted upon her being fed, and superintended the operation. Her style of -eating was peculiar; she licked up the rice from the hollow of her hand. -Next morning she was carried away in our absence, greatly against her -will, by some kinsmen who had followed her. - -And now, bidding adieu to the Gudabirsi, I will briefly sketch the tribe. - -The Gudabirsi, or Gudabursi, derive themselves from Dir and Aydur, thus -claiming affinity with the Eesa: others declare their tribe to be an -offshoot from the Bahgoba clan of the Habr Awal, originally settled near -Jebel Almis, and Bulhar, on the sea-shore. The Somal unhesitatingly -stigmatize them as a bastard and ignoble race: a noted genealogist once -informed me, that they were little better than Midgans or serviles. Their -ancestors' mother, it is said, could not name the father of her child: -some proposed to slay it, others advocated its preservation, saying, -"Perhaps we shall increase by it!" Hence the name of the tribe. [40] - -The Gudabirsi are such inveterate liars that I could fix for them no -number between 3000 and 10,000. They own the rough and rolling ground -diversified with thorny hill and grassy vale, above the first or seaward -range of mountains; and they have extended their lands by conquest towards -Harar, being now bounded in that direction by the Marar Prairie. As usual, -they are subdivided into a multitude of clans. [41] - -In appearance the Gudabirsi are decidedly superior to their limitrophes -the Eesa. I have seen handsome faces amongst the men as well as the women. -Some approach closely to the Caucasian type: one old man, with olive- -coloured skin, bald brow, and white hair curling round his temples, and -occiput, exactly resembled an Anglo-Indian veteran. Generally, however, -the prognathous mouth betrays an African origin, and chewing tobacco mixed -with ashes stains the teeth, blackens the gums, and mottles the lips. The -complexion is the Abyssinian _cafe au lait_, contrasting strongly with the -sooty skins of the coast; and the hair, plentifully anointed with rancid -butter, hangs from the head in lank corkscrews the colour of a Russian -pointer's coat. The figure is rather squat, but broad and well set. - -The Gudabirsi are as turbulent and unmanageable, though not so -bloodthirsty, as the Eesa. Their late chief, Ugaz Roblay of the Bait -Samattar sept, left children who could not hold their own: the turban was -at once claimed by a rival branch, the Rer Abdillah, and a civil war -ensued. The lovers of legitimacy will rejoice to hear that when I left the -country, Galla, son of the former Prince Rainy, was likely to come to his -own again. - -The stranger's life is comparatively safe amongst this tribe: as long as -he feeds and fees them, he may even walk about unarmed. They are, however, -liars even amongst the Somal, Bobadils amongst boasters, inveterate -thieves, and importunate beggars. The smooth-spoken fellows seldom betray -emotion except when cloth or tobacco is concerned; "dissimulation is as -natural to them as breathing," and I have called one of their chiefs "dog" -without exciting his indignation. - -The commerce of these wild regions is at present in a depressed state: -were the road safe, traffic with the coast would be considerable. The -profit on hides, for instance, at Aden, would be at least cent. per cent.: -the way, however, is dangerous, and detention is frequent, consequently -the gain will not remunerate for risk and loss of time. No operation can -be undertaken in a hurry, consequently demand cannot readily be supplied. -What Laing applies to Western, may be repeated of Eastern Africa: "the -endeavour to accelerate an undertaking is almost certain to occasion its -failure." Nowhere is patience more wanted, in order to perform perfect -work. The wealth of the Gudabirsi consists principally in cattle, -peltries, hides, gums, and ghee. The asses are dun-coloured, small, and -weak; the camels large, loose, and lazy; the cows are pretty animals, with -small humps, long horns, resembling the Damara cattle, and in the grazing -season with plump, well-rounded limbs; there is also a bigger breed, not -unlike that of Tuscany. The standard is the Tobe of coarse canvass; worth -about three shillings at Aden, here it doubles in value. The price of a -good camel varies from six to eight cloths; one Tobe buys a two-year-old -heifer, three, a cow between three and four years old. A ewe costs half a -cloth: the goat, although the flesh is according to the Somal nutritive, -whilst "mutton is disease," is a little cheaper than the sheep. Hides and -peltries are usually collected at and exported from Harar; on the coast -they are rubbed over with salt, and in this state carried to Aden. Cows' -skins fetch a quarter of a dollar, or about one shilling in cloth, and two -dollars are the extreme price for the Kurjah or score of goats' skins. The -people of the interior have a rude way of tanning [42]; they macerate the -hide, dress, and stain it of a deep calf-skin colour with the bark of a -tree called Jirmah, and lastly the leather is softened with the hand. The -principal gum is the Adad, or Acacia Arabica: foreign merchants purchase -it for about half a dollar per Farasilah of twenty pounds: cow's and -sheep's butter may fetch a dollar's worth of cloth for the measure of -thirty-two pounds. This great article of commerce is good and pure in the -country, whereas at Berberah, the Habr Awal adulterate it, previous to -exportation, with melted sheep's tails. - -The principal wants of the country which we have traversed are coarse -cotton cloth, Surat tobacco, beads, and indigo-dyed stuffs for women's -coifs. The people would also be grateful for any improvement in their -breed of horses, and when at Aden I thought of taking with me some old -Arab stallions as presents to chiefs. Fortunately the project fell to the -ground: a strange horse of unusual size or beauty, in these regions, would -be stolen at the end of the first march. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] Every hill and peak, ravine and valley, will be known by some striking -epithet: as Borad, the White Hill; Libahlay, the Lions' Mountain; and so -forth. - -[2] The Arabs call it Kakatua, and consider it a species of parrot. The -name Cacatoes, is given by the Cape Boers, according to Delegorgue, to the -Coliphymus Concolor. The Gobiyan resembles in shape and flight our magpie, -it has a crest and a brown coat with patches of white, and a noisy note -like a frog. It is very cunning and seldom affords a second shot. - -[3] The berries of the Armo are eaten by children, and its leaves, which -never dry up, by the people in times of famine; they must be boiled or the -acrid juice would excoriate the mouth. - -[4] Siyaro is the Somali corruption of the Arabic Ziyarat, which, -synonymous with Mazar, means a place of pious visitation. - -[5] The Somal call the insect Abor, and its hill Dundumo. - -[6] The corrupted Portuguese word used by African travellers; in the -Western regions it is called Kelder, and the Arabs term it "Kalam." - -[7] Three species of the Dar or Aloe grow everywhere in the higher regions -of the Somali country. The first is called Dar Main, the inside of its -peeled leaf is chewed when water cannot be procured. The Dar Murodi or -Elephant's aloe is larger and useless: the Dar Digwen or Long-eared -resembles that of Socotra. - -[8] The Hig is called "Salab" by the Arabs, who use its long tough fibre -for ropes. Patches of this plant situated on moist ground at the foot of -hills, are favourite places with sand antelope, spur-fowl and other game. - -[9] The Darnel or pod has a sweetish taste, not unlike that of a withered -pea; pounded and mixed with milk or ghee, it is relished by the Bedouins -when vegetable food is scarce. - -[10] Dobo in the Somali tongue signifies mud or clay. - -[11] The Loajira (from "Loh," a cow) is a neatherd; the "Geljira" is the -man who drives camels. - -[12] For these we paid twenty-four oubits of canvass, and two of blue -cotton; equivalent to about three shillings. - -[13] The natives call them Jana; they are about three-fourths of an inch -long, and armed with stings that prick like thorns and burn violently for -a few minutes. - -[14] Near Berberah, where the descents are more rapid, such panoramas are -common. - -[15] This is the celebrated Waba, which produces the Somali Wabayo, a -poison applied to darts and arrows. It is a round stiff evergreen, not -unlike a bay, seldom taller than twenty feet, affecting hill sides and -torrent banks, growing in clumps that look black by the side of the -Acacias; thornless, with a laurel-coloured leaf, which cattle will not -touch, unless forced by famine, pretty bunches of pinkish white flowers, -and edible berries black and ripening to red. The bark is thin, the wood -yellow, compact, exceedingly tough and hard, the root somewhat like -liquorice; the latter is prepared by trituration and other processes, and -the produce is a poison in substance and colour resembling pitch. - -Travellers have erroneously supposed the arrow poison of Eastern Africa to -be the sap of a Euphorbium. The following "observations accompanying a -substance procured near Aden, and used by the Somalis to poison their -arrows," by F. S. Arnott, Esq., M.D., will be read with interest. - -"In February 1853, Dr. Arnott had forwarded to him a watery extract -prepared from the root of a tree, described as 'Wabie,' a toxicodendron -from the Somali country on the Habr Gerhajis range of the Goolies -mountains. The tree grows to the height of twenty feet. The poison is -obtained by boiling the root in water, until it attains the consistency of -an inspissated juice. When cool the barb of the arrow is anointed with the -juice, which, is regarded as a virulent poison, and it renders a wound -tainted therewith incurable. Dr. Arnott was informed that death usually -took place within an hour; that the hairs and nails dropped off after -death, and it was believed that the application of heat assisted its -poisonous qualities. He could not, however ascertain the quantity made use -of by the Somalis, and doubted if the point of an arrow would convey a -sufficient quantity to produce such immediate effects. He had tested its -powers in some other experiments, besides the ones detailed, and although -it failed in several instances, yet he was led to the conclusion that it -was a very powerful narcotic irritant poison. He had not, however, -observed the local effect said to be produced upon the point of -insertion." - -"The following trials were described:-- - -"1. A little was inserted into the inside of the ear of a sickly sheep, -and death occurred in two hours. - -"2. A little was inserted into, the inside of the ear of a healthy sheep, -and death occurred in two hours, preceded by convulsions. - -"3. Five grains were given to a dog; vomiting took place after an hour, -and death in three or four hours. - -"4. One grain was swallowed by a fowl, but no effect produced. - -"5. Three grains were given to a sheep, but without producing any effect. - -"6. A small quantity was inserted into the ear and shoulder of a dog, but -no effect was produced. - -"7. Upon the same dog two days after, the same quantity was inserted into -the thigh; death occurred in less than two hours. - -"8. Seven grains were given to a sheep without any effect whatever. - -"9. To a dog five grains were administered, but it was rejected by -vomiting; this was again repeated on the following day, with the same -result. On the same day four grains were inserted into a wound upon the -same dog; it produced violent effects in ten, and death in thirty-five, -minutes. - -"10. To a sheep two grains in solution were given without any effect being -produced. The post-mortem appearances observed were, absence of all traces -of inflammation, collapse of the lungs, and distension of the cavities of -the heart." - -Further experiments of the Somali arrow poison by B. Haines, M. B., -assistant surgeon (from Transactions of the Medical and Physical Society -of Bombay. No. 2. new series 1853-1854.) - -"Having while at Ahmednuggur received from the secretary a small quantity -of Somali arrow poison, alluded to by Mr. Vaughan in his notes on articles -of the Materia Medica, and published in the last volume of the Society's -Transactions, and called 'Wabie,' the following experiments were made with -it:-- - -"September 17th. 1. A small healthy rabbit was taken, and the skin over -the hip being divided, a piece of the poisonous extract about the size of -a corn of wheat was inserted into the cellular tissue beneath: thirty -minutes afterwards, seems disinclined to move, breathing quicker, passed * -*: one hour, again passed * * * followed by * * *; has eaten a little: one -hour and a half, appears quite to have recovered from his uneasiness, and -has become as lively as before. (This rabbit was made use of three days -afterwards for the third experiment.) - -"2. A full-grown rabbit. Some of the poison being dissolved in water a -portion of the solution corresponding to about fifteen grains was injected -into an opening in the peritoneum, so large a quantity being used, in -consequence of the apparent absence of effect in the former case: five -minutes, he appears to be in pain, squeaking occasionally; slight -convulsive retractions of the head and neck begin to take place, passed a -small quantity of * *: ten minutes, the spasms are becoming more frequent, -but are neither violent nor prolonged, respiration scarcely perceptible; -he now fell on his side: twelve minutes, several severe general -convulsions came on, and at the end of another minute he was quite dead, -the pulsation being for the last minute quite imperceptible. The chest was -instantly opened, but there was no movement of the heart whatever. - -"September 20th. 3. The rabbit used for the first experiment was taken and -an attempt was made to inject a little filtered solution into the jugular -vein, which failed from the large size of the nozzle of the syringe; a -good deal of blood was lost. A portion of the solution corresponding to -about two grains and a half of the poison was then injected into a small -opening made in the pleura. Nine minutes afterwards: symptoms precisely -resembling those in number two began to appear. Fourteen minutes: -convulsions more violent; fell on his side. Sixteen minutes, died. - -"4. A portion of the poison, as much as could be applied, was smeared over -the square iron head of an arrow, and allowed to dry. The arrow was then -shot into the buttock of a goat with sufficient force to carry the head -out of sight; twenty minutes afterwards, no effect whatever having -followed, the arrow was extracted. The poison had become softened and was -wiped completely off two of the sides, and partly off the two other sides. -The animal appeared to suffer very little pain from the wound; he was kept -for a fortnight, and then died, but not apparently from any cause -connected with the wound. In fact he was previously diseased. -Unfortunately the seat of the wound was not then examined, but a few days -previously it appeared to have healed of itself. In the rabbit of the -former experiment, three days after the insertion of the poison in the -wound, the latter was closed with a dry coagulum and presented no marks of -inflammation around it. - -"5. Two good-sized village dogs being secured, to each after several -hours' fasting, were given about five grains enveloped in meat. The -smaller one chewed it a long time, and frothed much at the mouth. He -appeared to swallow very little of it, but the larger one ate the whole up -without difficulty. After more than two hours no effect whatever being -perceptible in either animal, they were shot to get rid of them. These -experiments, though not altogether complete, certainly establish the fact -that it is a poison of no very great activity. The quantity made use of in -the second experiment was too great to allow a fair deduction to be made -as to its properties. When a fourth to a sixth of the quantity was -employed in the third experiment the same effects followed, but with -rather less rapidity; death resulting in the one case in ten, in the other -in sixteen minutes, although the death in the latter case was perhaps -hastened by the loss of blood. The symptoms more resemble those produced -by nux vomica than by any other agent. No apparent drowsiness, spasms, -slight at first, beginning in the neck, increasing in intensity, extending -over the whole body, and finally stopping respiration and with it the -action of the heart. Experiments first and fourth show that a moderate -quantity, such as may be introduced on the point of an arrow, produced no -sensible effect either on a goat or a rabbit, and it could scarcely be -supposed that it would have more on a man than on the latter animal; and -the fifth experiment proves that a full dose taken into the stomach -produces no result within a reasonable time. - -"The extract appeared to have been very carelessly prepared. It contained -much earthy matter, and even small stones, and a large proportion of what -seemed to be oxidized extractive matter also was left undisturbed when it -was treated with water: probably it was not a good specimen. It seems, -however, to keep well, and shows no disposition to become mouldy." - -[16] The Somal divide their year into four seasons:-- - -1. Gugi (monsoon, from "Gug," rain) begins in April, is violent for forty- -four days and subsides in August. Many roads may be traversed at this -season, which are death in times of drought; the country becomes "Barwako -"(in Arabic Rakha, a place of plenty,) forage and water abound, the air is -temperate, and the light showers enliven the traveller. - -2. Haga is the hot season after the monsoon, and corresponding with our -autumn: the country suffers from the Fora, a violent dusty Simum, which is -allayed by a fall of rain called Karan. - -3. Dair, the beginning of the cold season, opens the sea to shipping. The -rain which then falls is called Dairti or Hais: it comes with a west- -south-west wind from the hills of Harar. - -4. Jilal is the dry season from December to April. The country then -becomes Abar (in Arabic Jahr,) a place of famine: the Nomads migrate to -the low plains, where pasture is procurable. Some reckon as a fifth season -Kalil, or the heats between Jilal and the monsoon. - -[17] According to Bruce this tree flourishes everywhere on the low hot -plains between, the Red Sea and the Abyssinian hills. The Gallas revere it -and plant it over sacerdotal graves. It suggests the Fetiss trees of -Western Africa, and the Hiero-Sykaminon of Egypt. - -[18] There are two species of this bird, both called by the Somal, -"Daudaulay" from their tapping. - -[19] The limbs are perfumed with the "Hedi," and "Karanli," products of -the Ugadayn or southern country. - -[20] This great oath suggests the litholatry of the Arabs, derived from -the Abyssinian and Galla Sabaeans; it is regarded by the Eesa and Gudabirsi -Bedouins as even more binding than the popular religious adjurations. When -a suspected person denies his guilt, the judge places a stone before him, -saying "Tabo!" (feel!); the liar will seldom dare to touch it. Sometimes a -Somali will take up a stone and say "Dagaha," (it is a stone,) he may then -generally be believed. - -[21] Kariyah is the Arabic word. - -[22] In the northern country the water-proofing matter is, according to -travellers, the juice of the Quolquol, a species of Euphorbium. - -[23] The flies are always most troublesome where cows have been; kraals of -goats and camels are comparatively free from the nuisance. - -[24] Some years ago a French lady landed at Berberah: her white face, -according to the End of Time, made every man hate his wife and every wife -hate herself. I know not who the fair dame was: her charms and black silk -dress, however, have made a lasting impression upon the Somali heart; from -the coast to Harar she is still remembered with rapture. - -[25] The Abyssinian Brindo of omophagean fame is not eaten by the Somal, -who always boil, broil, or sun-dry their flesh. They have, however, no -idea of keeping it, whereas the more civilised citizens of Harar hang -their meat till tender. - -[26] Whilst other animals have indigenous names, the horse throughout the -Somali country retains the Arab appellation "Faras." This proves that the -Somal, like their progenitors the Gallas, originally had no cavalry. The -Gudabirsi tribe has but lately mounted itself by making purchases of the -Habr Gerhajis and the Habr Awal herds. - -[27] The milch cow is here worth two Tobes, or about six shillings. - -[28] Particularly amongst the windward tribes visited by Lieut. -Cruttenden, from whom I borrow this description. - -[29] This beautiful bird, with a black and crimson plume, and wings lined -with silver, soars high and seldom descends except at night: its shyness -prevented my shooting a specimen. The Abodi devours small deer and birds: -the female lays a single egg in a large loose nest on the summit of a tall -tree, and she abandons her home when the hand of man has violated it. The -Somal have many superstitions connected with this hawk: if it touch a -child the latter dies, unless protected by the talismanic virtues of the -"Hajar Abodi," a stone found in the bird's body. As it frequently swoops -upon children carrying meat, the belief has doubtlessly frequently -fulfilled itself. - -[30] The Bushman creeps close to the beast and wounds it in the leg or -stomach with a diminutive dart covered with a couch of black poison: if a -drop of blood appear, death results from the almost unfelt wound. - -[31] So the Veddahs of Ceylon are said to have destroyed the elephant by -shooting a tiny arrow into the sole of the foot. The Kafirs attack it in -bodies armed with sharp and broad-head "Omkondo" or assegais: at last, one -finds the opportunity of cutting deep into the hind back sinew, and so -disables the animal. - -[32] The traveller Delegorgue asserts that the Boers induce the young -elephant to accompany them, by rubbing upon its trunk the hand wetted with -the perspiration of the huntsman's brow, and that the calf, deceived by -the similarity of smell, believes that it is with its dam. The fact is, -that the orphan elephant, like the bison, follows man because it fears to -be left alone. - -[33] An antelope, about five hands high with small horns, which inhabits -the high ranges of the mountains, generally in couples, resembles the musk -deer, and is by no means shy, seldom flying till close pressed; when -running it hops awkwardly upon the toes and never goes far. - -[34] These are solemn words used in the equestrian games of the Somal. - -[35] Sometimes milk is poured over the head, as gold and silver in the -Nuzzeranah of India. These ceremonies are usually performed by low-caste -men; the free-born object to act in them. - -[36] The Somal call it Hiddik or Anukub; the quills are used as head -scratchers, and are exported to Aden for sale. - -[37] I It appears to be the Ashkoko of the Amharas, identified by Bruce -with the Saphan of the Hebrews. This coney lives in chinks and holes of -rocks: it was never seen by me on the plains. The Arabs eat it, the Somal -generally do not. - -[38] The prefix appears to be a kind of title appropriated by saints and -divines. - -[39] These charms are washed off and drunk by the people: an economical -proceeding where paper is scarce. - -[40] "Birsan" in Somali, meaning to increase. - -[41] The Ayyal Yunis, the principal clan, contains four septs viz.:-- - - 1. Jibril Yunis. 3. Ali Yunis. - 2. Nur Yunis. 4. Adan Yunis. - -The other chief clans are-- - - 1. Mikahil Dera. 7. Basannah. - 2. Rer Ugaz. 8. Bahabr Hasan. - 3. Jibrain. 9. Abdillah Mikahil. - 4. Rer Mohammed Asa. 10. Hasan Mikahil. - 5. Musa Fin. 11. Eyah Mikahil - 6. Rer Abokr. 12. Hasan Waraba. - -[42] The best prayer-skins are made at Ogadayn; there they cost about -half-a-dollar each. - - - - -CHAP. VII. - -FROM THE MARAR PRAIRIE TO HARAR. - - -Early on the 23rd December assembled the Caravan, which we were destined -to escort across the Marar Prairie. Upon this neutral ground the Eesa, -Berteri, and Habr Awal meet to rob and plunder unhappy travellers. The -Somal shuddered at the sight of a wayfarer, who rushed into our encampment -_in cuerpo_, having barely run away with his life. Not that our caravan -carried much to lose,--a few hides and pots of clarified butter, to be -exchanged for the Holcus grain of the Girhi cultivators,--still the -smallest contributions are thankfully received by these plunderers. Our -material consisted of four or five half-starved camels, about fifty -donkeys with ears cropped as a mark, and their eternal accompaniments in -Somali land, old women. The latter seemed to be selected for age, -hideousness, and strength: all day they bore their babes smothered in -hides upon their backs, and they carried heavy burdens apparently without -fatigue. Amongst them was a Bedouin widow, known by her "Wer," a strip of -the inner bark of a tree tied round the greasy fillet. [1] We were -accompanied by three Widads, provided with all the instruments of their -craft, and uncommonly tiresome companions. They recited Koran _a tort et a -travers_: at every moment they proposed Fatihahs, the name of Allah was -perpetually upon their lips, and they discussed questions of divinity, -like Gil Blas and his friends, with a violence bordering upon frenzy. One -of them was celebrated for his skill in the "Fal," or Omens: he was -constantly consulted by my companions, and informed them that we had -nought to fear except from wild beasts. The prediction was a good hit: I -must own, however, that it was not communicated to me before fulfilment. - -At half past six A.M. we began our march over rough and rising ground, a -network of thorns and water-courses, and presently entered a stony gap -between two ranges of hills. On our right was a conical peak, bearing the -remains of buildings upon its summit. Here, said Abtidon, a wild Gudabirsi -hired to look after our mules, rests the venerable Shaykh Samawai. Of old, -a number of wells existed in the gaps between the hills: these have -disappeared with those who drank of them. - -Presently we entered the Barr or Prairie of Marar, one of the long strips -of plain which diversify the Somali country. Its breadth, bounded on the -east by the rolling ground over which we had passed, on the west by -Gurays, a range of cones offshooting from the highlands of Harar, is about -twenty-seven miles. The general course is north and south: in the former -direction, it belongs to the Eesa: in the latter may be seen the peaks of -Kadau and Madir, the property of the Habr Awal tribes; and along these -ranges it extends, I was told, towards Ogadayn. The surface of the plain -is gently rolling ground; the black earth, filled with the holes of small -beasts, would be most productive, and the outer coat is an expanse of -tall, waving, sunburnt grass, so unbroken, that from a distance it -resembles the nap of yellow velvet. In the frequent Wadys, which carry off -the surplus rain of the hills, scrub and thorn trees grow in dense -thickets, and the grass is temptingly green. Yet the land lies fallow: -water and fuel are scarce at a distance from the hills, and the wildest -Bedouins dare not front the danger of foraging parties, the fatal heats of -day, and the killing colds of night. On the edges of the plain, however, -are frequent vestiges of deserted kraals. - -About mid-day, we crossed a depression in the centre, where Acacias -supplied us with gum for luncheon, and sheltered flocks of antelope. I -endeavoured to shoot the white-tailed Sig, and the large dun Oryx; but the -_brouhaha_ of the Caravan prevented execution. Shortly afterwards we came -upon patches of holcus, which had grown wild, from seeds scattered by -travellers. This was the first sight of grain that gladdened my eyes since -I left Bombay: the grave of the First Murderer never knew a Triptolemus -[2], and Zayla is a barren flat of sand. My companions eagerly devoured -the pith of this African "sweet cane," despite its ill reputation for -causing fever. I followed their example, and found it almost as good as -bad sugar. The Bedouins loaded their spare asses with the bitter gourd, -called Ubbah; externally it resembles the water melon, and becomes, when -shaped, dried, and smoked, the wickerwork of the Somal, and the pottery of -more civilized people. - -Towards evening, as the setting sun sank slowly behind the distant western -hills, the colour of the Prairie changed from glaring yellow to a golden -hue, mantled with a purple flush inexpressibly lovely. The animals of the -waste began to appear. Shy lynxes [3] and jackals fattened by many sheep's -tails [4], warned my companions that fierce beasts were nigh, ominous -anecdotes were whispered, and I was told that a caravan had lately lost -nine asses by lions. As night came on, the Bedouin Kafilah, being lightly -loaded, preceded us, and our tired camels lagged far behind. We were -riding in rear to prevent straggling, when suddenly my mule, the -hindermost, pricked his ears uneasily, and attempted to turn his head. -Looking backwards, I distinguished the form of a large animal following us -with quick and stealthy strides. My companions would not fire, thinking it -was a man: at last a rifle-ball, pinging through the air--the moon was too -young for correct shooting--put to flight a huge lion. The terror excited -by this sort of an adventure was comical to look upon: the valiant Beuh, -who, according to himself, had made his _preuves_ in a score of foughten -fields, threw his arms in the air, wildly shouting Libah! Libah!!--the -lion! the lion!!--and nothing else was talked of that evening. - -The ghostly western hills seemed to recede as we advanced over the endless -rolling plain. Presently the ground became broken and stony, the mules -stumbled in deep holes, and the camels could scarcely crawl along. As we -advanced our Widads, who, poor devils! had been "roasted" by the women all -day on account of their poverty, began to recite the Koran with might, in -gratitude for having escaped many perils. Night deepening, our attention -was rivetted by a strange spectacle; a broad sheet of bright blaze, -reminding me of Hanno's fiery river, swept apparently down a hill, and, -according to my companions, threatened the whole prairie. These accidents -are common: a huntsman burns a tree for honey, or cooks his food in the -dry grass, the wind rises and the flames spread far and wide. On this -occasion no accident occurred; the hills, however, smoked like a Solfatara -for two days. - -About 9 P.M. we heard voices, and I was told to discharge my rifle lest -the kraal be closed to us; in due time we reached a long, low, dark line -of sixty or seventy huts, disposed in a circle, so as to form a fence, -with a few bushes--thorns being hereabouts rare--in the gaps between the -abodes. The people, a mixture of Girhi and Gudabirsi Bedouins, swarmed out -to gratify their curiosity, but we were in no humour for long -conversations. Our luggage was speedily disposed in a heap near the kraal, -the mules and camels were tethered for the night, then, supperless and -shivering with cold, we crept under our mats and fell asleep. That day we -had ridden nearly fifteen hours; our halting place lay about thirty miles -from, and 240 deg. south-west of, Koralay. - -After another delay, and a second vain message to the Gerad Adan, about -noon appeared that dignitary's sixth wife, sister to the valiant Beuh. Her -arrival disconcerted my companions, who were too proud to be protected by -a woman. "Dahabo," however, relieved their anxiety by informing us that -the Gerad had sent his eldest son Sherwa, as escort. This princess was a -gipsy-looking dame, coarsely dressed, about thirty years old, with a gay -leer, a jaunty demeanour, and the reputation of being "fast;" she showed -little shame-facedness when I saluted her, and received with noisy joy the -appropriate present of a new and handsome Tobe. About 4 P.M. returned our -second messenger, bearing with him a reproving message from the Gerad, for -not visiting him without delay; in token of sincerity, he forwarded his -baton, a knobstick about two feet long, painted in rings of Cutch colours, -red, black, and yellow alternately, and garnished on the summit with a -ball of similar material. - -At dawn on the 26th December, mounted upon a little pony, came Sherwa, -heir presumptive to the Gerad Adan's knobstick. His father had sent him to -us three days before, but he feared the Gudabirsi as much as the Gudabirsi -feared him, and he probably hung about our camp till certain that it was -safe to enter. We received him politely, and he in acknowledgment -positively declared that Beuh should not return before eating honey in his -cottage. Our Abban's heroism now became infectious. Even the End of Time, -whose hot valour had long since fallen below zero, was inspired by the -occasion, and recited, as usual with him in places and at times of extreme -safety, the Arabs' warrior lines-- - - "I have crossed the steed since my eyes saw light, - I have fronted death till he feared my sight, - And the cleaving of helm, and the riving of mail - Were the dreams of my youth,--are my manhood's delight." - -As we had finished loading, a mule's bridle was missed. Sherwa ordered -instant restitution to his father's stranger, on the ground that all the -property now belonged to the Gerad; and we, by no means idle, fiercely -threatened to bewitch the kraal. The article was presently found hard by, -on a hedge. This was the first and last case of theft which occurred to us -in the Somali country;--I have travelled through most civilised lands, and -have lost more. - -At 8 A.M. we marched towards the north-west, along the southern base of -the Gurays hills, and soon arrived at the skirt of the prairie, where a -well-trodden path warned us that we were about to quit the desert. After -advancing six miles in line we turned to the right, and recited a Fatihah -over the heap of rough stones, where, shadowed by venerable trees, lie the -remains of the great Shaykh Abd el Malik. A little beyond this spot, rises -suddenly from the plain a mass of castellated rock, the subject of many a -wild superstition. Caravans always encamp beneath it, as whoso sleeps upon -the summit loses his senses to evil spirits. At some future day Harar will -be destroyed, and "Jannah Siri" will become a flourishing town. We -ascended it, and found no life but hawks, coneys, an owl [5], and a -graceful species of black eagle [6]; there were many traces of buildings, -walls, ruined houses, and wells, whilst the sides and summit were tufted -with venerable sycamores. This act was an imprudence; the Bedouins at once -declared that we were "prospecting" for a fort, and the evil report -preceded us to Harar. - -After a mile's march from Jannah Siri, we crossed a ridge of rising -ground, and suddenly, as though by magic, the scene shifted. - -Before us lay a little Alp; the second step of the Ethiopian Highland. -Around were high and jagged hills, their sides black with the Saj [7] and -Somali pine [8], and their upper brows veiled with a thin growth of -cactus. Beneath was a deep valley, in the midst of which ran a serpentine -of shining waters, the gladdest spectacle we had yet witnessed: further in -front, masses of hill rose abruptly from shady valleys, encircled on the -far horizon by a straight blue line of ground, resembling a distant sea. -Behind us glared the desert: we had now reached the outskirts of -civilization, where man, abandoning his flocks and herds, settles, -cultivates, and attends to the comforts of life. - -The fields are either terraces upon the hill slopes or the sides of -valleys, divided by flowery hedges with lanes between, not unlike those of -rustic England; and on a nearer approach the daisy, the thistle, and the -sweet briar pleasantly affected my European eyes. The villages are no -longer moveable: the Kraal and wigwam are replaced by the Gambisa or bell- -shaped hut of Middle Africa [9], circular cottages of holcus wattle, -Covered with coarse dab and surmounted by a stiff, conical, thatch roof, -above which appears the central supporting post, crowned with a gourd or -ostrich egg. [10] Strong abbatis of thorns protects these settlements, -which stud the hills in all directions: near most of them are clumps of -tall trees, to the southern sides of which are hung, like birdcages, long -cylinders of matting, the hives of these regions. Yellow crops of holcus -rewarded the peasant's toil: in some places the long stems tied in bunches -below the ears as piled muskets, stood ready for the reaper; in others, -the barer ground showed that the task was done. The boys sat perched upon -reed platforms [11] in the trees, and with loud shouts drove away thieving -birds, whilst their fathers cut the crop with diminutive sickles, or -thrashed heaps of straw with rude flails [12], or winnowed grain by -tossing it with a flat wooden shovel against the wind. The women husked -the pineapple-formed heads in mortars composed of a hollowed trunk [13], -smeared the threshing floor with cow-dung and water to defend it from -insects, piled the holcus heads into neat yellow heaps, spanned and -crossed by streaks of various colours, brick-red and brownish-purple [14], -and stacked the Karbi or straw, which was surrounded like the grain with -thorn, as a defence against the wild hog. All seemed to consider it a -labour of love: the harvest-home song sounded pleasantly to our ears, and, -contrasting with the silent desert, the hum of man's habitation was a -music. - -Descending the steep slope, we reposed, after a seven miles' march, on the -banks of a bright rivulet, which bisects the Kobbo or valley: it runs, -according to my guides, from the north towards Ogadayn, and the direction -is significant,--about Harar I found neither hill nor stream trending from -east to west. The people of the Kutti [15] flocked out to gaze upon us: -they were unarmed, and did not, like the Bedouins, receive us with cries -of "Bori." During the halt, we bathed in the waters, upon whose banks were -a multitude of huge Mantidae, pink and tender green. Returning to the -camels, I shot a kind of crow, afterwards frequently seen. [16] It is -about three times the size of our English bird, of a bluish-black with a -snow-white poll, and a beak of unnatural proportions: the quantity of lead -which it carried off surprised me. A number of Widads assembled to greet -us, and some Habr Awal, who were returning with a caravan, gave us the -salam, and called my people cousins. "Verily," remarked the Hammal, -"amongst friends we cut one another's throats; amongst enemies we become -sons of uncles!" - -At 3 P.M. we pursued our way over rising ground, dotted with granite -blocks fantastically piled, and everywhere in sight of fields and villages -and flowing water. A furious wind was blowing, and the End of Time quoted -the Somali proverb, "heat hurts, but cold kills:" the camels were so -fatigued, and the air became so raw [17], that after an hour and a half's -march we planted our wigwams near a village distant about seven miles from -the Gurays Hills. Till late at night we were kept awake by the crazy -Widads: Ao Samattar had proposed the casuistical question, "Is it lawful -to pray upon a mountain when a plain is at hand?" Some took the _pro_, -others the _contra_, and the wordy battle raged with uncommon fury. - -On Wednesday morning at half past seven we started down hill towards -"Wilensi," a small table-mountain, at the foot of which we expected to -find the Gerad Adan awaiting us in one of his many houses, crossed a -fertile valley, and ascended another steep slope by a bad and stony road. -Passing the home of Sherwa, who vainly offered hospitality, we toiled -onwards, and after a mile and a half's march, which occupied at least two -hours, our wayworn beasts arrived at the Gerad's village. On inquiry, it -proved that the chief, who was engaged in selecting two horses and two -hundred cows, the price of blood claimed by the Amir of Harar, for the -murder of a citizen, had that day removed to Sagharrah, another -settlement. - -As we entered the long straggling village of Wilensi, our party was -divided by the Gerad's two wives. The Hammal, the Kalendar, Shehrazade, -and Deenarzade, remained with Beuh and his sister in her Gurgi, whilst -Long Guled, the End of Time, and I were conducted to the cottage of the -Gerad's prettiest wife, Sudiyah. She was a tall woman, with a light -complexion, handsomely dressed in a large Harar Tobe, with silver -earrings, and the kind of necklace called Jilbah or Kardas. [18] The -Geradah (princess) at once ordered our hides to be spread in a comfortable -part of the hut, and then supplied us with food--boiled beef, pumpkin, and -Jowari cakes. During the short time spent in that Gambisa, I had an -opportunity, dear L., of seeing the manners and customs of the settled -Somal. - -The interior of the cottage is simple. Entering the door, a single plank -with pins for hinges fitted into sockets above and below the lintel--in -fact, as artless a contrivance as ever seen in Spain or Corsica--you find -a space, divided by dwarf walls of wattle and dab into three compartments, -for the men, women, and cattle. The horses and cows, tethered at night on -the left of the door, fill the cottage with the wherewithal to pass many a -_nuit blanche_: the wives lie on the right, near a large fireplace of -stones and raised clay, and the males occupy the most comfortable part, -opposite to and farthest from the entrance. The thatched ceiling shines -jetty with smoke, which when intolerable is allowed to escape by a -diminutive window: this seldom happens, for smoke, like grease and dirt, -keeping man warm, is enjoyed by savages. Equally simply is the furniture: -the stem of a tree, with branches hacked into pegs, supports the shields, -the assegais are planted against the wall, and divers bits of wood, -projecting from the sides and the central roof-tree of the cottage, are -hung with clothes and other articles that attract white ants. Gourds -smoked inside, and coffee cups of coarse black Harar pottery, with deep -wooden platters, and prettily carved spoons of the same material, compose -the household supellex. The inmates are the Geradah and her baby, Siddik a -Galla serf, the slave girls and sundry Somal: thus we hear at all times -three languages [19] spoken within the walls. - -Long before dawn the goodwife rises, wakens her handmaidens, lights the -fire, and prepares for the Afur or morning meal. The quern is here unknown -[20]. A flat, smooth, oval slab, weighing about fifteen pounds, and a -stone roller six inches in diameter, worked with both hands, and the -weight of the body kneeling ungracefully upon it on "all fours," are used -to triturate the holcus grain. At times water must be sprinkled over the -meal, until a finely powdered paste is ready for the oven: thus several -hours' labour is required to prepare a few pounds of bread. About 6 A.M. -there appears a substantial breakfast of roast beef and mutton, with -scones of Jowari grain, the whole drenched in broth. Of the men few -perform any ablutions, but all use the tooth stick before sitting down to -eat. After the meal some squat in the sun, others transact business, and -drive their cattle to the bush till 11 A.M., the dinner hour. There is no -variety in the repasts, which are always flesh and holcus: these people -despise fowls, and consider vegetables food for cattle. During the day -there is no privacy; men, women, and children enter in crowds, and will -not be driven away by the Geradah, who inquires screamingly if they come -to stare at a baboon. My kettle especially excites their surprise; some -opine that it is an ostrich, others, a serpent: Sudiyah, however, soon -discovered its use, and begged irresistibly for the unique article. -Throughout the day her slave girls are busied in grinding, cooking, and -quarrelling with dissonant voices: the men have little occupation beyond -chewing tobacco, chatting, and having their wigs frizzled by a -professional coiffeur. In the evening the horses and cattle return home to -be milked and stabled: this operation concluded, all apply themselves to -supper with a will. They sleep but little, and sit deep into the night -trimming the fire, and conversing merrily over their cups of Farshu or -millet beer. [21] I tried this mixture several times, and found it -detestable: the taste is sour, and it flies directly to the head, in -consequence of being mixed with some poisonous bark. It is served up in -gourd bottles upon a basket of holcus heads, and strained through a -pledget of cotton, fixed across the narrow mouth, into cups of the same -primitive material: the drinkers sit around their liquor, and their -hilarity argues its intoxicating properties. In the morning they arise -with headaches and heavy eyes; but these symptoms, which we, an -industrious race, deprecate, are not disliked by the Somal--they promote -sleep and give something to occupy the vacant mind. I usually slumber -through the noise except when Ambar, a half-caste Somal, returning from a -trip to Harar, astounds us with his _contes bleus_, or wild Abtidon howls -forth some lay like this:-- - - I. - "'Tis joyesse all in Eesa's home! - The fatted oxen bleed, - And slave girls range the pails of milk, - And strain the golden mead. - - II. - "'Tis joyesse all in Eesa's home! - This day the Chieftain's pride - Shall join the song, the dance, the feast, - And bear away a bride. - - III. - "'He cometh not!' the father cried, - Smiting with spear the wall; - 'And yet he sent the ghostly man, - Yestre'en before the fall!' - - IV. - "'He cometh not!' the mother said, - A tear stood in her eye; - 'He cometh not, I dread, I dread, - And yet I know not why.' - - V. - "'He cometh not!' the maiden thought, - Yet in her glance was light, - Soft as the flash in summer's eve - Where sky and earth unite. - - VI. - "The virgins, deck'd with tress and flower, - Danced in the purple shade, - And not a soul, perchance, but wished - Herself the chosen maid. - - VII. - "The guests in groups sat gathering - Where sunbeams warmed the air, - Some laughed the feasters' laugh, and some - Wore the bent brow of care. - - VIII. - "'Tis he!--'tis he!"--all anxious peer, - Towards the distant lea; - A courser feebly nears the throng-- - Ah! 'tis his steed they see. - - IX. - "The grief cry bursts from every lip, - Fear sits on every brow, - There's blood upon the courser's flank!-- - Blood on the saddle bow! - - X. - "'Tis he!--'tis he!'--all arm and run - Towards the Marar Plain, - Where a dark horseman rides the waste - With dust-cloud for a train. - - XI. - "The horseman reins his foam-fleckt steed, - Leans on his broken spear, - Wipes his damp brow, and faint begins - To tell a tale of fear. - - XII. - "'Where is my son?'--'Go seek him there, - Far on the Marar Plain, - Where vultures and hyaenas hold - Their orgies o'er the slain. - - XIII. - "'We took our arms, we saddled horse, - We rode the East countrie, - And drove the flocks, and harried herds - Betwixt the hills and sea. - - XIV. - "'We drove the flock across the hill, - The herd across the wold-- - The poorest spearboy had returned - That day, a man of gold. - - XV. - "'Bat Awal's children mann'd the vale - Where sweet the Arman flowers, - Their archers from each bush and tree - Rained shafts in venomed showers. - - XVI. - "'Full fifty warriors bold and true - Fell as becomes the brave; - And whom the arrow spared, the spear - Reaped for the ravening grave. - - XVII. - "'Friend of my youth! shall I remain - When ye are gone before?' - He drew the wood from out his side, - And loosed the crimson gore. - - XVIII. - "Falling, he raised his broken spear, - Thrice wav'd it o'er his head, - Thrice raised the warrior's cry 'revenge!'-- - His soul was with the dead. - - XIX. - "Now, one by one, the wounded braves - Homeward were seen to wend, - Each holding on his saddle bow - A dead or dying friend. - - XX. - "Two galliards bore the Eesa's son, - The corpse was stark and bare-- - Low moaned the maid, the mother smote - Her breast in mute despair. - - XXI. - "The father bent him o'er the dead, - The wounds were all before; - Again his brow, in sorrow clad, - The garb of gladness wore. - - XXII. - "'Ho! sit ye down, nor mourn for me,' - Unto the guests he cried; - 'My son a warrior's life hath lived, - A warrior's death hath died. - - XXIII. - "'His wedding and his funeral feast - Are one, so Fate hath said; - Death bore him from the brides of earth - The brides of Heaven to wed.' - - XXIV. - "They drew their knives, they sat them down, - And fed as warriors feed; - The flesh of sheep and beeves they ate, - And quaffed the golden mead. - - XXV. - "And Eesa sat between the prayers - Until the fall of day, - When rose the guests and grasped their spears, - And each man went his way. - - XXVI. - "But in the morn arose the cry, - For mortal spirit flown; - The father's mighty heart had burst - With woe he might not own. - - XXVII. - "On the high crest of yonder hill, - They buried sire and son, - Grant, Allah! grant them Paradise-- - Gentles, my task is done!" - - * * * * * - -Immediately after our arrival at Wilensi we sent Yusuf Dera, the Gerad's -second son, to summon his father. I had to compose many disputes between -the Hammal and the End of Time: the latter was swelling with importance; -he was now accredited ambassador from the Hajj to the Girhi chief, -consequently he aimed at commanding the Caravan. We then made preparations -for departure, in case of the Gerad being unable to escort us. Shehrazade -and Deenarzade, hearing that the small-pox raged at Harar, and fearing for -their charms, begged hard to be left behind: the Kalendar was directed, -despite his manly objections, to remain in charge of these dainty dames. -The valiant Beuh was dressed in the grand Tobe promised to him; as no -consideration would induce him towards the city, he was dismissed with -small presents, and an old Girhi Bedouin, generally known as Said Wal, or -Mad Said, was chosen as our escort. Camels being unable to travel over -these rough mountain paths, our weary brutes were placed for rest and -pasture under the surveillance of Sherwa: and not wishing the trouble and -delay of hiring asses, the only transport in this country, certain -moreover that our goods were safer here than nearer Harar, we selected the -most necessary objects, and packed them in a pair of small leathern -saddlebags which could be carried by a single mule. - -All these dispositions duly made, at 10 A.M. on the 29th December we -mounted our animals, and, guided by Mad Said, trotted round the northern -side of the Wilensi table-mountain down a lane fenced with fragrant dog -roses. Then began the descent of a steep rocky hill, the wall of a woody -chasm, through whose gloomy depths the shrunken stream of a large Fiumara -wound like a thread of silver. The path would be safe to nought less -surefooted than a mule: we rode slowly over rolling stones, steps of -micaceous grit, and through thorny bush for about half an hour. In the -plain below appeared a village of the Gerad's Midgans, who came out to see -us pass, and followed the strangers to some distance. One happening to -say, "Of what use is his gun?--before he could fetch fire, I should put -this arrow through him!" I discharged a barrel over their heads, and -derided the convulsions of terror caused by the unexpected sound. - -Passing onwards we entered a continuation of the Wady Harirah. It is a -long valley choked with dense vegetation, through which meandered a line -of water brightly gilt by the sun's rays: my Somal remarked that were the -elephants now infesting it destroyed, rice, the favourite luxury, might be -grown upon its banks in abundance. Our road lay under clumps of shady -trees, over rocky watercourses, through avenues of tall cactus, and down -_tranchees_ worn by man eight and ten feet below stiff banks of rich red -clay. On every side appeared deep clefts, ravines, and earth cracks, all, -at this season, dry. The unarmed cultivators thronged from the frequent -settlements to stare, and my Somal, being no longer in their own country, -laid aside for guns their ridiculous spears. On the way passing Ao -Samattar's village, the worthy fellow made us halt whilst he went to fetch -a large bowl of sour milk. About noon the fresh western breeze obscured -the fierce sun with clouds, and we watered our mules in a mountain stream -which crossed our path thrice within as many hundred yards. After six -miles' ride reaching the valley's head, we began the descent of a rugged -pass by a rough and rocky path. The scenery around us was remarkable. The -hill sides were well wooded, and black with pine: their summits were bared -of earth by the heavy monsoon which spreads the valleys with rich soil; in -many places the beds of waterfalls shone like sheets of metal upon the -black rock; villages surrounded by fields and fences studded the country, -and the distance was a mass of purple peak and blue table in long -vanishing succession. Ascending the valley's opposite wall, we found the -remains of primaeval forests,--little glades which had escaped the axe,-- -they resounded with the cries of pintados and cynocephali. [22] Had the -yellow crops of Holcus been wheat, I might have fancied myself once more -riding in the pleasant neighbourhood of Tuscan Sienna. - -At 4 P.M., after accomplishing fifteen miles on rough ground, we sighted -Sagharrah, a snug high-fenced village of eight or nine huts nestling -against a hill side with trees above, and below a fertile grain-valley. -Presently Mad Said pointed out to us the Gerad Adan, who, attended by a -little party, was returning homewards: we fired our guns as a salute, he -however hurried on to receive us with due ceremony in his cottage. -Dismounting at the door we shook hands with him, were led through the idle -mob into a smoky closet contrived against the inside wall, and were -regaled with wheaten bread steeped in honey and rancid butter. The host -left us to eat, and soon afterwards returned:--I looked with attention at -a man upon whom so much then depended. - -Adan bin Kaushan was in appearance a strong wiry Bedouin,--before -obtaining from me a turban he wore his bushy hair dyed dun,--about forty- -five years old, at least six feet high, with decided features, a tricky -smile, and an uncertain eye. In character he proved to be one of those -cunning idiots so peculiarly difficult to deal with. Ambitious and wild -with greed of gain, he was withal so fickle that his head appeared ever -changing its contents; he could not sit quiet for half an hour, and this -physical restlessness was an outward sign of the uneasy inner man. Though -reputed brave, his treachery has won him a permanent ill fame. Some years -ago he betrothed a daughter to the eldest son of Gerad Hirsi of the -Berteri tribe, and then, contrary to Somali laws of honor, married her to -Mahommed Waiz of the Jibril Abokr. This led to a feud, in which the -disappointed suitor was slain. Adan was celebrated for polygamy even in -Eastern Africa: by means of his five sons and dozen daughters, he has -succeeded in making extensive connexions [23], and his sister, the Gisti -[24] Fatimah, was married to Abubakr, father of the present Amir. Yet the -Gerad would walk into a crocodile's mouth as willingly as within the walls -of Harar. His main reason for receiving us politely was an ephemeral fancy -for building a fort, to control the country's trade, and rival or overawe -the city. Still did he not neglect the main chance: whatever he saw he -asked for; and, after receiving a sword, a Koran, a turban, an Arab -waistcoat of gaudy satin, about seventy Tobes, and a similar proportion of -indigo-dyed stuff, he privily complained to me that the Hammal had given -him but twelve cloths. A list of his wants will best explain the man. He -begged me to bring him from Berberah a silver-hilted sword and some soap, -1000 dollars, two sets of silver bracelets, twenty guns with powder and -shot, snuff, a scarlet cloth coat embroidered with gold, some poison that -would not fail, and any other little article of luxury which might be -supposed to suit him. In return he was to present us with horses, mules, -slaves, ivory, and other valuables: he forgot, however, to do so before we -departed. - -The Gerad Adan was powerful, being the head of a tribe of cultivators, not -split up, like the Bedouins, into independent clans, and he thus exercises -a direct influence upon the conterminous races. [25] The Girhi or -"Giraffes" inhabiting these hills are, like most of the other settled -Somal, a derivation from Darud, and descended from Kombo. Despite the -unmerciful persecutions of the Gallas, they gradually migrated westwards -from Makhar, their original nest, now number 5000 shields, possess about -180 villages, and are accounted the power paramount. Though friendly with -the Habr Awal, the Girhi seldom descend, unless compelled by want of -pasture, into the plains. - -The other inhabitants of these hills are the Gallas and the Somali clans -of Berteri, Bursuk, Shaykhash, Hawiyah, Usbayhan, Marayhan, and Abaskul. - -The Gallas [26] about Harar are divided into four several clans, -separating as usual into a multitude of septs. The Alo extend westwards -from the city: the Nole inhabit the land to the east and north-east, about -two days' journey between the Eesa Somal, and Harar: on the south, are -situated the Babuli and the Jarsa at Wilensi, Sagharrah, and Kondura,-- -places described in these pages. - -The Berteri, who occupy the Gurays Range, south of, and limitrophe to, the -Gallas, and thence extend eastward to the Jigjiga hills, are estimated at -3000 shields. [27] Of Darud origin, they own allegiance to the Gerad -Hirsi, and were, when I visited the country, on bad terms with the Girhi. -The chief's family has, for several generations, been connected with the -Amirs of Harar, and the caravan's route to and from Berberah lying through -his country, makes him a useful friend and a dangerous foe. About the -Gerad Hirsi different reports were rife: some described him as cruel, -violent, and avaricious; others spoke of him as a godly and a prayerful -person: all, however, agreed that he _had_ sowed wild oats. In token of -repentance, he was fond of feeding Widads, and the Shaykh Jami of Harar -was a frequent guest at his kraal. - -The Bursuk number about 5000 shields, own no chief, and in 1854 were at -war with the Girhi, the Berteri, and especially the Gallas. In this -country, the feuds differ from those of the plains: the hill-men fight for -three days, as the End of Time phrased it, and make peace for three days. -The maritime clans are not so abrupt in their changes; moreover they claim -blood-money, a thing here unknown. - -The Shaykhash, or "Reverend" as the term means, are the only Somal of the -mountains not derived from Dir and Darud. Claiming descent from the Caliph -Abubakr, they assert that ten generations ago, one Ao Khutab bin Fakih -Umar crossed over from El Hejaz, and settled in Eastern Africa with his -six sons, Umar the greater, Umar the less, two Abdillahs, Ahmed, and -lastly Siddik. This priestly tribe is dispersed, like that of Levi, -amongst its brethren, and has spread from Efat to Ogadayn. Its principal -sub-families are, Ao Umar, the elder, and Bah Dumma, the junior, branch. - -The Hawiyah has been noticed in a previous chapter. Of the Usbayhan I saw -but few individuals: they informed me that their tribe numbered forty -villages, and about 1000 shields; that they had no chief of their own -race, but owned the rule of the Girhi and Berteri Gerads. Their principal -clans are the Rer Yusuf, Rer Said, Rer Abokr, and Yusuf Liyo. - -In the Eastern Horn of Africa, and at Ogadayn, the Marayhan is a powerful -tribe, here it is un-consequential, and affiliated to the Girhi. The -Abaskul also lies scattered over the Harar hills, and owns the Gerad Adan -as its chief. This tribe numbers fourteen villages, and between 400 and -500 shields, and is divided into the Rer Yusuf, the Jibrailah, and the -Warra Dig:--the latter clan is said to be of Galla extraction. - -On the morning after my arrival at Sagharrah I felt too ill to rise, and -was treated with unaffected kindness by all the establishment. The Gerad -sent to Harar for millet beer, Ao Samattar went to the gardens in search -of Kat, the sons Yusuf Dera and a dwarf [28] insisted upon firing me with -such ardour, that no refusal could avail: and Khayrah the wife, with her -daughters, two tall dark, smiling, and well-favoured girls of thirteen and -fifteen, sacrificed a sheep as my Fida, or Expiatory offering. Even the -Galla Christians, who flocked to see the stranger, wept for the evil fate -which had brought him so far from his fatherland, to die under a tree. -Nothing, indeed, would have been easier than such operation: all required -was the turning face to the wall, for four or five days. But to expire of -an ignoble colic!--the thing was not to be thought of, and a firm -resolution to live on sometimes, methinks, effects its object. - -On the 1st January, 1855, feeling stronger, I clothed myself in my Arab -best, and asked a palaver with the Gerad. We retired to a safe place -behind the village, where I read with pomposity the Hajj Sharmarkay's -letter. The chief appeared much pleased by our having preferred his -country to that of the Eesa: he at once opened the subject of the new -fort, and informed me that I was the builder, as his eldest daughter had -just dreamed that the stranger would settle in the land. Having discussed -the project to the Gerad's satisfaction, we brought out the guns and shot -a few birds for the benefit of the vulgar. Whilst engaged in this -occupation, appeared a party of five strangers, and three mules with -ornamented Morocco saddles, bridles, bells, and brass neck ornaments, -after the fashion of Harar. Two of these men, Haji Umar, and Nur Ambar, -were citizens: the others, Ali Hasan, Husayn Araleh, and Haji Mohammed, -were Somal of the Habr Awal tribe, high in the Amir's confidence. They had -been sent to settle with Adan the weighty matter of Blood-money. After -sitting with us almost half an hour, during which they exchanged grave -salutations with my attendants, inspected our asses with portentous -countenances, and asked me a few questions concerning my business in those -parts, they went privily to the Gerad, told him that the Arab was not one -who bought and sold, that he had no design but to spy out the wealth of -the land, and that the whole party should be sent prisoners in their hands -to Harar. The chief curtly replied that we were his friends, and bade -them, "throw far those words." Disappointed in their designs, they started -late in the afternoon, driving off their 200 cows, and falsely promising -to present our salams to the Amir. - -It became evident that some decided step must be taken. The Gerad -confessed fear of his Harari kinsman, and owned that he had lost all his -villages in the immediate neighbourhood of the city. I asked him point- -blank to escort us: he as frankly replied that it was impossible. The -request was lowered,--we begged him to accompany us as far as the -frontier: he professed inability to do so, but promised to send his eldest -son, Sherwa. - -Nothing then remained, dear L., but _payer d'audace_, and, throwing all -forethought to the dogs, to rely upon what has made many a small man -great, the good star. I addressed my companions in a set speech, advising -a mount without delay. They suggested a letter to the Amir, requesting -permission to enter his city: this device was rejected for two reasons. In -the first place, had a refusal been returned, our journey was cut short, -and our labours stultified. Secondly, the End of Time had whispered that -my two companions were plotting to prevent the letter reaching its -destination. He had charged his own sin upon their shoulders: the Hammal -and Long Guled were incapable of such treachery. But our hedge-priest was -thoroughly terrified; "a coward body after a'," his face brightened when -ordered to remain with the Gerad at Sagharrah, and though openly taunted -with poltroonery, he had not the decency to object. My companions were -then informed that hitherto our acts had been those of old women, not -soldiers, and that something savouring of manliness must be done before we -could return. They saw my determination to start alone, if necessary, and -to do them justice, they at once arose. This was the more courageous in -them, as alarmists had done their worst: but a day before, some travelling -Somali had advised them, as they valued dear life, not to accompany that -Turk to Harar. Once in the saddle, they shook off sad thoughts, declaring -that if they were slain, I should pay their blood-money, and if they -escaped, that their reward was in my hands. When in some danger, the -Hammal especially behaved with a sturdiness which produced the most -beneficial results. Yet they were true Easterns. Wearied by delay at -Harar, I employed myself in meditating flight; they drily declared that -after-wit serves no good purpose: whilst I considered the possibility of -escape, they looked only at the prospect of being dragged back with -pinioned arms by the Amir's guard. Such is generally the effect of the -vulgar Moslems' blind fatalism. - -I then wrote an English letter [29] from the Political Agent at Aden to -the Amir of Harar, proposing to deliver it in person, and throw off my -disguise. Two reasons influenced me in adopting this "neck or nothing" -plan. All the races amongst whom my travels lay, hold him nidering who -hides his origin in places of danger; and secondly, my white face had -converted me into a Turk, a nation more hated and suspected than any -Europeans, without our _prestige_. Before leaving Sagharrah, I entrusted -to the End of Time a few lines addressed to Lieut. Herne at Berberah, -directing him how to act in case of necessity. Our baggage was again -decimated: the greater part was left with Adan, and an ass carried only -what was absolutely necessary,--a change of clothes, a book or two, a few -biscuits, ammunition, and a little tobacco. My Girhi escort consisted of -Sherwa, the Bedouin Abtidon, and Mad Said mounted on the End of Time's -mule. - -At 10 A.M. on the 2nd January, all the villagers assembled, and recited -the Fatihah, consoling us with the information that we were dead men. By -the worst of foot-paths, we ascended the rough and stony hill behind -Sagharrah, through bush and burn and over ridges of rock. At the summit -was a village, where Sherwa halted, declaring that he dared not advance: a -swordsman, however, was sent on to guard us through the Galla Pass. After -an hour's ride, we reached the foot of a tall Table-mountain called -Kondura, where our road, a goat-path rough with rocks or fallen trees, and -here and there arched over with giant creepers, was reduced to a narrow -ledge, with a forest above and a forest below. I could not but admire the -beauty of this Valombrosa, which reminded me of scenes whilome enjoyed in -fair Touraine. High up on our left rose the perpendicular walls of the -misty hill, fringed with tufted pine, and on the right the shrub-clad -folds fell into a deep valley. The cool wind whistled and sunbeams like -golden shafts darted through tall shady trees-- - - Bearded with moss, and in garments green-- - -the ground was clothed with dank grass, and around the trunks grew -thistles, daisies, and blue flowers which at a distance might well pass -for violets. - -Presently we were summarily stopped by half a dozen Gallas attending upon -one Rabah, the Chief who owns the Pass. [30] This is the African style of -toll-taking: the "pike" appears in the form of a plump of spearmen, and -the gate is a pair of lances thrown across the road. Not without trouble, -for they feared to depart from the _mos majorum_, we persuaded them that -the ass carried no merchandise. Then rounding Kondura's northern flank, we -entered the Amir's territory: about thirty miles distant, and separated by -a series of blue valleys, lay a dark speck upon a tawny sheet of stubble-- -Harar. - -Having paused for a moment to savour success, we began the descent. The -ground was a slippery black soil--mist ever settles upon Kondura--and -frequent springs oozing from the rock formed beds of black mire. A few -huge Birbisa trees, the remnant of a forest still thick around the -mountain's neck, marked out the road: they were branchy from stem to -stern, and many had a girth of from twenty to twenty-five feet. [31] - -After an hour's ride amongst thistles, whose flowers of a bright redlike -worsted were not less than a child's head, we watered our mules at a rill -below the slope. Then remounting, we urged over hill and dale, where Galla -peasants were threshing and storing their grain with loud songs of joy; -they were easily distinguished by their African features, mere caricatures -of the Somal, whose type has been Arabized by repeated immigrations from -Yemen and Hadramaut. Late in the afternoon, having gained ten miles in a -straight direction, we passed through a hedge of plantains, defending the -windward side of Gafra, a village of Midgans who collect the Gerad Adan's -grain. They shouted delight on recognising their old friend, Mad Said, led -us to an empty Gambisa, swept and cleaned it, lighted a fire, turned our -mules into a field to graze, and went forth to seek food. Their hospitable -thoughts, however, were marred by the two citizens of Harar, who privately -threatened them with the Amir's wrath, if they dared to feed that Turk. - -As evening drew on, came a message from our enemies, the Habr Awal, who -offered, if we would wait till sunrise, to enter the city in our train. -The Gerad Adan had counselled me not to provoke these men; so, contrary to -the advice of my two companions, I returned a polite answer, purporting -that we would expect them till eight o'clock the next morning. - -At 7 P.M., on the 3rd January, we heard that the treacherous Habr Awal had -driven away their cows shortly after midnight. Seeing their hostile -intentions, I left my journal, sketches, and other books in charge of an -old Midgan, with directions that they should be forwarded to the Gerad -Adan, and determined to carry nothing but our arms and a few presents for -the Amir. We saddled our mules, mounted and rode hurriedly along the edge -of a picturesque chasm of tender pink granite, here and there obscured by -luxuriant vegetation. In the centre, fringed with bright banks a shallow -rill, called Doghlah, now brawls in tiny cascades, then whirls through -huge boulders towards the Erar River. Presently, descending by a ladder of -rock scarcely safe even for mules, we followed the course of the burn, and -emerging into the valley beneath, we pricked forwards rapidly, for day was -wearing on, and we did not wish the Habr Awal to precede us. - -About noon we crossed the Erar River. The bed is about one hundred yards -broad, and a thin sheet of clear, cool, and sweet water, covered with -crystal the greater part of the sand. According to my guides, its course, -like that of the hills, is southerly towards the Webbe of Ogadayn [32]: -none, however, could satisfy my curiosity concerning the course of the -only perennial stream which exists between Harar and the coast. - -In the lower valley, a mass of waving holcus, we met a multitude of Galla -peasants coming from the city market with new potlids and the empty gourds -which had contained their butter, ghee, and milk: all wondered aloud at -the Turk, concerning whom they had heard many horrors. As we commenced -another ascent appeared a Harar Grandee mounted upon a handsomely -caparisoned mule and attended by seven servants who carried gourds and -skins of grain. He was a pale-faced senior with a white beard, dressed in -a fine Tobe and a snowy turban with scarlet edges: he carried no shield, -but an Abyssinian broadsword was slung over his left shoulder. We -exchanged courteous salutations, and as I was thirsty he ordered a footman -to fill a cup with water. Half way up the hill appeared the 200 Girhi -cows, but those traitors, the Habr Awal, had hurried onwards. Upon the -summit was pointed out to me the village of Elaoda: in former times it was -a wealthy place belonging to the Gerad Adan. - -At 2 P.M. we fell into a narrow fenced lane and halted for a few minutes -near a spreading tree, under which sat women selling ghee and unspun -cotton. About two miles distant on the crest of a hill, stood the city,-- -the end of my present travel,--a long sombre line, strikingly contrasting -with the white-washed towns of the East. The spectacle, materially -speaking, was a disappointment: nothing conspicuous appeared but two grey -minarets of rude shape: many would have grudged exposing three lives to -win so paltry a prize. But of all that have attempted, none ever succeeded -in entering that pile of stones: the thorough-bred traveller, dear L., -will understand my exultation, although my two companions exchanged -glances of wonder. - -Spurring our mules we advanced at a long trot, when Mad Said stopped us to -recite a Fatihah in honor of Ao Umar Siyad and Ao Rahmah, two great saints -who repose under a clump of trees near the road. The soil on both sides of -the path is rich and red: masses of plantains, limes, and pomegranates -denote the gardens, which are defended by a bleached cow's skull, stuck -upon a short stick [33] and between them are plantations of coffee, -bastard saffron, and the graceful Kat. About half a mile eastward of the -town appears a burn called Jalah or the Coffee Water: the crowd crossing -it did not prevent my companions bathing, and whilst they donned clean -Tobes I retired to the wayside, and sketched the town. - -These operations over, we resumed our way up a rough _tranchee_ ridged -with stone and hedged with tall cactus. This ascends to an open plain. On -the right lie the holcus fields, which reach to the town wall: the left is -a heap of rude cemetery, and in front are the dark defences of Harar, with -groups of citizens loitering about the large gateway, and sitting in chat -near the ruined tomb of Ao Abdal. We arrived at 3 P.M., after riding about -five hours, which were required to accomplish twenty miles in a straight -direction. [34] - -Advancing to the gate, Mad Said accosted a warder, known by his long wand -of office, and sent our salams to the Amir, saying that we came from Aden, -and requested the honor of audience. Whilst he sped upon his errand, we -sat at the foot of a round bastion, and were scrutinised, derided, and -catechized by the curious of both sexes, especially by that conventionally -termed the fair. The three Habr Awal presently approached and scowlingly -inquired why we had not apprised them of our intention to enter the city. -It was now "war to the knife"--we did not deign a reply. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] It is worn for a year, during which modest women will not marry. Some -tribes confine the symbol to widowhood, others extend it to all male -relations; a strip of white cotton, or even a white fillet, instead of the -usual blue cloth, is used by the more civilized. - -[2] Cain is said to repose under Jebel Shamsan at Aden--an appropriate -sepulchre. - -[3] This beast, called by the Somal Jambel, closely resembles the Sindh -species. It is generally found in the plains and prairies. - -[4] In the Somali country, as in Kafirland, the Duwao or jackal is -peculiarly bold and fierce. Disdaining garbage, he carries off lambs and -kids, and fastens upon a favourite _friandise_, the sheep's tail; the -victim runs away in terror, and unless the jackal be driven off by dogs, -leaves a delicate piece of fat behind it. - -[5] The Somal call the owl "Shimbir libah"--the lion bird. - -[6] The plume was dark, chequered with white, but the bird was so wild -that no specimen could be procured. - -[7] The Arabs apply this term to tea. - -[8] The Dayyib of the Somal, and the Sinaubar of the Arabs; its line of -growth is hereabouts an altitude of 5000 feet. - -[9] Travellers in Central Africa describe exactly similar buildings, bell- -shaped huts, the materials of which are stakes, clay and reed, conical at -the top, and looking like well-thatched corn-stacks. - -[10] Amongst the Fellatahs of Western Africa, only the royal huts are -surmounted by the ostrich's egg. - -[11] These platforms are found even amongst the races inhabiting the -regions watered by the Niger. - -[12] Charred sticks about six feet long and curved at the handle. - -[13] Equally simple are the other implements. The plough, which in Eastern -Africa has passed the limits of Egypt, is still the crooked tree of all -primitive people, drawn by oxen; and the hoe is a wooden blade inserted -into a knobbed handle. - -[14] It is afterwards stored in deep dry holes, which are carefully -covered to keep out rats and insects; thus the grain is preserved -undamaged for three or four years. - -[15] This word is applied to the cultivated districts, the granaries of -Somali land. - -[16] "The huge raven with gibbous or inflated beak and white nape," writes -Mr. Blyth, "is the corvus crassirostris of Ruppell, and, together with a -nearly similar Cape species, is referred to the genus Corvultur of -Leason." - -[17] In these hills it is said sometimes to freeze; I never saw ice. - -[18] It is a string of little silver bells and other ornaments made by the -Arabs at Berberah. - -[19] Harari, Somali and Galla, besides Arabic, and other more civilized -dialects. - -[20] The Negroes of Senegal and the Hottentots use wooden mortars. At -Natal and amongst the Amazulu Kafirs, the work is done with slabs and -rollers like those described above. - -[21] In the Eastern World this well-known fermentation is generally called -"Buzab," whence the old German word "busen" and our "booze." The addition -of a dose of garlic converts it into an emetic. - -[22] The Somal will not kill these plundering brutes, like the Western -Africans believing them to be enchanted men. - -[23] Some years ago Adan plundered one of Sharmarkay's caravans; repenting -the action, he offered in marriage a daughter, who, however, died before -nuptials. - -[24] Gisti is a "princess" in Harari, equivalent to the Somali Geradah. - -[25] They are, however, divided into clans, of which the following are the -principal:-- - - 1. Bahawiyah, the race which supplies the Gerads. - 2. Abu Tunis (divided into ten septs). - 3. Rer Ibrahim (similarly divided). - 4. Jibril. - 5. Bakasiyya. - 6. Rer Muhmud. - 7. Musa Dar. - 8. Rer Auro. - 9. Rer Walembo. - 10. Rer Khalid. - -[26] I do not describe these people, the task having already been -performed by many abler pens than mine. - -[27] They are divided into the Bah Ambaro (the chief's family) and the -Shaykhashed. - -[28] The only specimen of stunted humanity seen by me in the Somali -country. He was about eighteen years old, and looked ten. - -[29] At first I thought of writing it in Arabic; but having no seal, a -_sine qua non_ in an Eastern letter, and reflecting upon the consequences -of detection or even suspicion, it appeared more politic to come boldly -forward as a European. - -[30] It belongs, I was informed, to two clans of Gallas, who year by year -in turn monopolise the profits. - -[31] Of this tree are made the substantial doors, the basins and the -porringers of Harar. - -[32] The Webbe Shebayli or Haines River. - -[33] This scarecrow is probably a talisman. In the Saharah, according to -Richardson, the skull of an ass averts the evil eye from gardens. - -[34] The following is a table of our stations, directions, and -distances:-- - - Miles -1. From Zayla to Gudingaras S.E. 165 deg. 19 -2. To Kuranyali 145 deg. 8 -3. To Adad 225 deg. 25 -4. To Damal 205 deg. 11 -5. To El Arno 190 deg. 11 -6. To Jiyaf 202 deg. 10 -7. To Halimalah (the Holy Tree about half way) 192 deg. 7 - -- 91 miles. -8. To Aububah 245 deg. 21 -9. To Koralay 165 deg. 25 -10. To Harar 260 deg. 65 - -- 111 miles. - --- - Total statute miles 202 - - -[Illustration: COSTUMES OF HARAR] - - - - -CHAP. VIII. - -TEN DAYS AT HARAR. - - -After waiting half an hour at the gate, we were told by the returned -warder to pass the threshold, and remounting guided our mules along the -main street, a narrow up-hill lane, with rocks cropping out from a surface -more irregular than a Perote pavement. Long Guled had given his animal -into the hands of our two Bedouins: they did not appear till after our -audience, when they informed us that the people at the entrance had -advised them to escape with the beasts, an evil fate having been prepared -for the proprietors. - -Arrived within a hundred yards of the gate of holcus-stalks, which opens -into the courtyard of this African St. James, our guide, a blear-eyed, -surly-faced, angry-voiced fellow, made signs--none of us understanding his -Harari--to dismount. We did so. He then began to trot, and roared out -apparently that we must do the same. [1] We looked at one another, the -Hammal swore that he would perish foully rather than obey, and--conceive, -dear L., the idea of a petticoated pilgrim venerable as to beard and -turban breaking into a long "double!"--I expressed much the same -sentiment. Leading our mules leisurely, in spite of the guide's wrath, we -entered the gate, strode down the yard, and were placed under a tree in -its left corner, close to a low building of rough stone, which the -clanking of frequent fetters argued to be a state-prison. - -This part of the court was crowded with Gallas, some lounging about, -others squatting in the shade under the palace walls. The chiefs were -known by their zinc armlets, composed of thin spiral circlets, closely -joined, and extending in mass from the wrist almost to the elbow: all -appeared to enjoy peculiar privileges,--they carried their long spears, -wore their sandals, and walked leisurely about the royal precincts. A -delay of half an hour, during which state-affairs were being transacted -within, gave me time to inspect a place of which so many and such -different accounts are current. The palace itself is, as Clapperton -describes the Fellatah Sultan's state-hall, a mere shed, a long, single- -storied, windowless barn of rough stone and reddish clay, with no other -insignia but a thin coat of whitewash over the door. This is the royal and -vizierial distinction at Harar, where no lesser man may stucco the walls -of his house. The courtyard was about eighty yards long by thirty in -breadth, irregularly shaped, and surrounded by low buildings: in the -centre, opposite the outer entrance, was a circle of masonry against which -were propped divers doors. [2] - -Presently the blear-eyed guide with the angry voice returned from within, -released us from the importunities of certain forward and inquisitive -youth, and motioned us to doff our slippers at a stone step, or rather -line, about twelve feet distant from the palace-wall. We grumbled that we -were not entering a mosque, but in vain. Then ensued a long dispute, in -tongues mutually unintelligible, about giving up our weapons: by dint of -obstinacy we retained our daggers and my revolver. The guide raised a door -curtain, suggested a bow, and I stood in the presence of the dreaded -chief. - -The Amir, or, as he styles himself, the Sultan Ahmad bin Sultan Abibakr, -sat in a dark room with whitewashed walls, to which hung--significant -decorations--rusty matchlocks and polished fetters. His appearance was -that of a little Indian Rajah, an etiolated youth twenty-four or twenty- -five years old, plain and thin-bearded, with a yellow complexion, wrinkled -brows and protruding eyes. His dress was a flowing robe of crimson cloth, -edged with snowy fur, and a narrow white turban tightly twisted round a -tall conical cap of red velvet, like the old Turkish headgear of our -painters. His throne was a common Indian Kursi, or raised cot, about five -feet long, with back and sides supported by a dwarf railing: being an -invalid he rested his elbow upon a pillow, under which appeared the hilt -of a Cutch sabre. Ranged in double line, perpendicular to the Amir, stood -the "court," his cousins and nearest relations, with right arms bared -after fashion of Abyssinia. - -I entered the room with a loud "Peace be upon ye!" to which H. H. replying -graciously, and extending a hand, bony and yellow as a kite's claw, -snapped his thumb and middle finger. Two chamberlains stepping forward, -held my forearms, and assisted me to bend low over the fingers, which -however I did not kiss, being naturally averse to performing that -operation upon any but a woman's hand. My two servants then took their -turn: in this case, after the back was saluted, the palm was presented for -a repetition. [3] These preliminaries concluded, we were led to and seated -upon a mat in front of the Amir, who directed towards us a frowning brow -and an inquisitive eye. - -Some inquiries were made about the chief's health: he shook his head -captiously, and inquired our errand. I drew from my pocket my own letter: -it was carried by a chamberlain, with hands veiled in his Tobe, to the -Amir, who after a brief glance laid it upon the couch, and demanded -further explanation. I then represented in Arabic that we had come from -Aden, bearing the compliments of our Daulah or governor, and that we had -entered Harar to see the light of H. H.'s countenance: this information -concluded with a little speech, describing the changes of Political Agents -in Arabia, and alluding to the friendship formerly existing between the -English and the deceased chief Abubakr. - -The Amir smiled graciously. - -This smile I must own, dear L., was a relief. We had been prepared for the -worst, and the aspect of affairs in the palace was by no means reassuring. - -Whispering to his Treasurer, a little ugly man with a badly shaven head, -coarse features, pug nose, angry eyes, and stubby beard, the Amir made a -sign for us to retire. The _baise main_ was repeated, and we backed out of -the audience-shed in high favour. According to grandiloquent Bruce, "the -Court of London and that of Abyssinia are, in their principles, one:" the -loiterers in the Harar palace yard, who had before regarded us with cut- -throat looks, now smiled as though they loved us. Marshalled by the guard, -we issued from the precincts, and after walking a hundred yards entered -the Amir's second palace, which we were told to consider our home. There -we found the Bedouins, who, scarcely believing that we had escaped alive, -grinned in the joy of their hearts, and we were at once provided from the -chief's kitchen with a dish of Shabta, holcus cakes soaked in sour milk, -and thickly powdered with red pepper, the salt of this inland region. - -When we had eaten, the treasurer reappeared, bearing the Amir's command, -that we should call upon his Wazir, the Gerad Mohammed. Resuming our -peregrinations, we entered an abode distinguished by its external streak -of chunam, and in a small room on the ground floor, cleanly white-washed -and adorned, like an old English kitchen, with varnished wooden porringers -of various sizes, we found a venerable old man whose benevolent -countenance belied the reports current about him in Somali-land. [4] Half -rising, although his wrinkled brow showed suffering, he seated me by his -side upon the carpeted masonry-bench, where lay the implements of his -craft, reeds, inkstands and whitewashed boards for paper, politely -welcomed me, and gravely stroking his cotton-coloured beard, desired my -object in good Arabic. - -I replied almost in the words used to the Amir, adding however some -details how in the old day one Madar Farih had been charged by the late -Sultan Abubakr with a present to the governor of Aden, and that it was the -wish of our people to reestablish friendly relations and commercial -intercourse with Harar. - -"Khayr inshallah!--it is well if Allah please!" ejaculated the Gerad: I -then bent over his hand, and took leave. - -Returning we inquired anxiously of the treasurer about my servants' arms -which had not been returned, and were assured that they had been placed in -the safest of store-houses, the palace. I then sent a common six-barrelled -revolver as a present to the Amir, explaining its use to the bearer, and -we prepared to make ourselves as comfortable as possible. The interior of -our new house was a clean room, with plain walls, and a floor of tamped -earth; opposite the entrance were two broad steps of masonry, raised about -two feet, and a yard above the ground, and covered with, hard matting. I -contrived to make upon the higher ledge a bed with the cushions which my -companions used as shabracques, and, after seeing the mules fed and -tethered, lay down to rest worn out by fatigue and profoundly impressed -with the _poesie_ of our position. I was under the roof of a bigoted -prince whose least word was death; amongst a people who detest foreigners; -the only European that had ever passed over their inhospitable threshold, -and the fated instrument of their future downfall. - - * * * * * - -I now proceed to a description of unknown Harar. - -The ancient capital of Hadiyah, called by the citizens "Harar Gay," [5] by -the Somal "Adari," by the Gallas "Adaray" and by the Arabs and ourselves -"Harar," [6] lies, according to my dead reckoning, 220 deg. S.W. of, and 175 -statute miles from, Zayla--257 deg. W. of, and 219 miles distant from, -Berberah. This would place it in 9 deg. 20' N. lat. and 42 deg. 17' E. long. The -thermometer showed an altitude of about 5,500 feet above the level of the -sea. [7] Its site is the slope of an hill which falls gently from west to -east. On the eastern side are cultivated fields; westwards a terraced -ridge is laid out in orchards; northwards is a detached eminence covered -with tombs; and to the south, the city declines into a low valley bisected -by a mountain burn. This irregular position is well sheltered from high -winds, especially on the northern side, by the range of which Kondura is -the lofty apex; hence, as the Persian poet sings of a heaven-favoured -city,-- - - "Its heat is not hot, nor its cold, cold." - -During my short residence the air reminded me of Tuscany. On the afternoon -of the 11th January there was thunder accompanied by rain: frequent -showers fell on the 12th, and the morning of the 13th was clear; but, as -we crossed the mountains, black clouds obscured the heavens. The monsoon -is heavy during one summer month; before it begins the crops are planted, -and they are reaped in December and January. At other seasons the air is -dry, mild, and equable. - -The province of Hadiyah is mentioned by Makrizi as one of the seven -members of the Zayla Empire [8], founded by Arab invaders, who in the 7th -century of our area conquered and colonised the low tract between the Red -Sea and the Highlands. Moslem Harar exercised a pernicious influence upon -the fortunes of Christian Abyssinia. [9] - -The allegiance claimed by the AEthiopian Emperors from the Adel--the -Dankali and ancient Somal--was evaded at a remote period, and the -intractable Moslems were propitiated with rich presents, when they thought -proper to visit the Christian court. The Abyssinians supplied the Adel -with slaves, the latter returned the value in rock-salt, commercial -intercourse united their interests, and from war resulted injury to both -people. Nevertheless the fanatic lowlanders, propense to pillage and -proselytizing, burned the Christian churches, massacred the infidels, and -tortured the priests, until they provoked a blood feud of uncommon -asperity. - -In the 14th century (A.D. 1312-1342) Amda Sion, Emperor of AEthiopia, -taunted by Amano, King of Hadiyah, as a monarch fit only to take care of -women, overran and plundered the Lowlands from Tegulet to the Red Sea. The -Amharas were commanded to spare nothing that drew the breath of life: to -fulfil a prophecy which foretold the fall of El Islam, they perpetrated -every kind of enormity. - -Peace followed the death of Amda Sion. In the reign of Zara Yakub [10] -(A.D. 1434-1468), the flame of war was again fanned in Hadiyah by a Zayla -princess who was slighted by the AEthiopian monarch on account of the -length of her fore-teeth: the hostilities which ensued were not, however, -of an important nature. Boeda Mariana, the next occupant of the throne, -passed his life in a constant struggle for supremacy over the Adel: on his -death-bed he caused himself to be so placed that his face looked towards -those lowlands, upon whose subjugation the energies of ten years had been -vainly expended. - -At the close of the 15th century, Mahfuz, a bigoted Moslem, inflicted a -deadly blow upon Abyssinia. Vowing that he would annually spend the forty -days of Lent amongst his infidel neighbours, when, weakened by rigorous -fasts, they were less capable of bearing arms, for thirty successive years -he burned churches and monasteries, slew without mercy every male that -fell in his way, and driving off the women and children, he sold some to -strange slavers, and presented others to the Sherifs of Mecca. He bought -over Za Salasah, commander in chief of the Emperor's body guard, and -caused the assassination of Alexander (A.D. 1478-1495) at the ancient -capital Tegulet. Naud, the successor, obtained some transient advantages -over the Moslems. During the earlier reign of the next emperor, David III. -son of Naud [11], who being but eleven years old when called to the -throne, was placed under the guardianship of his mother the Iteghe Helena, -new combatants and new instruments of warfare appeared on both sides in -the field. - -After the conquest of Egypt and Arabia by Selim I. (A. D. 1516) [12] the -caravans of Abyssinian pilgrims travelling to Jerusalem were attacked, the -old were butchered and the young were swept into slavery. Many Arabian -merchants fled from Turkish violence and injustice, to the opposite coast -of Africa, whereupon the Ottomans took possession from Aden of Zayla, and -not only laid the Indian trade under heavy contributions by means of their -war-galleys, but threatened the total destruction of Abyssinia. They aided -and encouraged Mahfuz to continue his depredations, whilst the Sherif of -Meccah gave him command of Zayla, the key of the upper country, and -presented him with the green banner of a Crusader. - -On the other hand, the great Albuquerque at the same time (A.D. 1508-1515) -was viceroy of India, and to him the Iteghe Helena applied for aid. Her -ambassador arrived at Goa, "bearing a fragment of wood belonging to the -true cross on which Christ died," which relic had been sent as a token of -friendship to her brother Emanuel by the empress of AEthiopia. The overture -was followed by the arrival at Masawwah of an embassy from the king of -Portugal. Too proud, however, to await foreign aid, David at the age of -sixteen took the field in person against the Moslems. - -During the battle that ensued, Mahfuz, the Goliath of the Unbelievers, was -slain in single combat by Gabriel Andreas, a soldier of tried valour, who -had assumed the monastic life in consequence of having lost the tip of his -tongue for treasonable freedom of speech: the green standard was captured, -and 12,000 Moslems fell. David followed up his success by invading the -lowlands, and, in defiance, struck his spear through the door of the king -of Adel. - -Harar was a mere mass of Bedouin villages during the reign of Mohammed -Gragne, the "left-handed" Attila of Adel. [13] Supplied with Arab -mercenaries from Mocha, and by the Turks of Yemen with a body of -Janissaries and a train of artillery, he burst into Efat and Fatigar. In -A.D. 1528 he took possession of Shoa, overran Amhara, burned the churches -and carried away an immense booty. The next campaign enabled him to winter -at Begmeder: in the following year he hunted the Emperor David through -Tigre to the borders of Senaar, gave battle to the Christians on the banks -of the Nile, and with his own hand killed the monk Gabriel, then an old -man. Reinforced by Gideon and Judith, king and queen of the Samen Jews, -and aided by a violent famine which prostrated what had escaped the spear, -he perpetrated every manner of atrocity, captured and burned Axum, -destroyed the princes of the royal blood on the mountain of Amba Geshe -[14], and slew in A.D. 1540, David, third of his name and last emperor of -AEthiopia who displayed the magnificence of "King of Kings." - -Claudius, the successor to the tottering throne, sent as his ambassador to -Europe, one John Bermudez, a Portuguese, who had been detained in -Abyssinia, and promised, it is said, submission to the Pontiff of Rome, -and the cession of the third of his dominions in return for -reinforcements. By order of John III., Don Stephen and Don Christopher, -sons of Don Vasco de Gama, cruised up the Red Sea with a powerful -flotilla, and the younger brother, landing at Masawwah with 400 -musqueteers, slew Nur the governor and sent his head to Gondar, where the -Iteghe Sabel Wenghel received it as an omen of good fortune. Thence the -Portuguese general imprudently marched in the monsoon season, and was soon -confronted upon the plain of Ballut by Mohammed Gragne at the head of -10,000 spearmen and a host of cavalry. On the other side stood a rabble -rout of Abyssinians, and a little band of 350 Portuguese heroes headed by -the most chivalrous soldier of a chivalrous age. - -According to Father Jerome Lobo [15], who heard the events from an eye- -witness, a conference took place between the two captains. Mohammed, -encamped in a commanding position, sent a message to Don Christopher -informing him that the treacherous Abyssinians had imposed upon the king -of Portugal, and that in compassion of his opponent's youth, he would give -him and his men free passage and supplies to their own country. The -Christian presented the Moslem ambassador with a rich robe, and returned -this gallant answer, that "he and his fellow-soldiers were come with an -intention to drive Mohammed out of these countries which he had wrongfully -usurped; that his present design was, instead of returning back the way he -came, as Mohammed advised, to open himself a passage through the country -of his enemies; that Mohammed should rather think of determining whether -he would fight or yield up his ill-gotten territories than of prescribing -measures to him; that he put his whole confidence in the omnipotence of -God, and the justice of his cause; and that to show how full a sense he -had of Mohammed's kindness, he took the liberty of presenting him with a -looking-glass and a pair of pincers." - -The answer and the present so provoked the Adel Monarch that he arose from -table to attack the little troop of Portuguese, posted upon the declivity -of a hill near a wood. Above them stood the Abyssinians, who resolved to -remain quiet spectators of the battle, and to declare themselves on the -side favoured by victory. - -Mohammed began the assault with only ten horsemen, against whom an equal -number of Portuguese were detached: these fired with so much exactness -that nine of the Moors fell and the king was wounded in the leg by Peter -de Sa. In the melee which ensued, the Moslems, dismayed by their first -failure, were soon broken by the Portuguese muskets and artillery. -Mohammed preserved his life with difficulty, he however rallied his men, -and entrenched himself at a strong place called Membret (Mamrat), -intending to winter there and await succour. - -The Portuguese, more desirous of glory than wealth, pursued their enemies, -hoping to cut them entirely off: finding, however, the camp impregnable, -they entrenched themselves on a hill over against it. Their little host -diminished day by day, their friends at Masawwah could not reinforce them, -they knew not how to procure provisions, and could not depend upon their -Abyssinian allies. Yet memorious of their countrymen's great deeds, and -depending upon divine protection, they made no doubt of surmounting all -difficulties. - -Mohammed on his part was not idle. He solicited the assistance of the -Moslem princes, and by inflaming their religious zeal, obtained a -reinforcement of 2000 musqueteers from the Arabs, and a train of artillery -from the Turks of Yemen. Animated by these succours, he marched out of his -trenches to enter those of the Portuguese, who received him with the -utmost bravery, destroyed many of his men, and made frequent sallies, not, -however, without sustaining considerable losses. - -Don Christopher had already one arm broken and a knee shattered by a -musket shot. Valour was at length oppressed by superiority of numbers: the -enemy entered the camp, and put the Christians to the spear. The -Portuguese general escaped the slaughter with ten men, and retreated to a -wood, where they were discovered by a detachment of the enemy. [16] -Mohammed, overjoyed to see his most formidable enemy in his power, ordered -Don Christopher to take care of a wounded uncle and nephew, telling him -that he should answer for their lives, and upon their death, taxed him -with having hastened it. The Portuguese roundly replied that he was come -to destroy Moslems, not to save them. Enraged at this language, Mohammed -placed a stone upon his captive's head, and exposed him to the insults of -the soldiery, who inflicted upon him various tortures which he bore with -the resolution of a martyr. At length, when offered a return to India as -the price of apostacy, the hero's spirit took fire. He answered with the -highest indignation, that nothing could make him forsake his Heavenly -Master to follow an "imposter," and continued in the severest terms to -vilify the "false Prophet," till Mahommed struck off his head. [17] The -body was divided into quarters and sent to different places [18], but the -Catholics gathered their martyr's remains and interred them. Every Moor -who passed by threw a stone upon the grave, and raised in time such a heap -that Father Lobo found difficulty in removing it to exhume the relics. He -concludes with a pardonable superstition: "There is a tradition in the -country, that in the place where Don Christopher's head fell, a fountain -sprang up of wonderful virtue, which cured many diseases, otherwise past -remedy." - -Mohammed Gragne improved his victory by chasing the young Claudius over -Abyssinia, where nothing opposed the progress of his arms. At last the few -Portuguese survivors repaired to the Christian emperor, who was persuaded -to march an army against the King of Adel. Resolved to revenge their -general, the musqueteers demanded the post opposite Mohammed, and directed -all their efforts against the part where the Moslem Attila stood. His -fellow religionists still relate that when Gragne fell in action, his wife -Talwambara [19], the heroic daughter of Mahfuz, to prevent the destruction -and dispersion of the host of Islam, buried the corpse privately, and -caused a slave to personate the prince until a retreat to safe lands -enabled her to discover the stratagem to the nobles. [20] - -Father Lobo tells a different tale. According to him, Peter Leon, a -marksman of low stature, but passing valiant, who had been servant to Don -Christopher, singled the Adel king out of the crowd, and shot him in the -head as he was encouraging his men. Mohammed was followed by his enemy -till he fell down dead: the Portuguese then alighting from his horse, cut -off one of his ears and rejoined his fellow-countrymen. The Moslems were -defeated with great slaughter, and an Abyssinian chief finding Gragne's -corpse upon the ground, presented the head to the Negush or Emperor, -claiming the honor of having slain his country's deadliest foe. Having -witnessed in silence this impudence, Peter asked whether the king had but -one ear, and produced the other from his pocket to the confusion of the -Abyssinian. - -Thus perished, after fourteen years' uninterrupted fighting, the African -hero, who dashed to pieces the structure of 2500 years. Like the -"Kardillan" of the Holy Land, Mohammed Gragne is still the subject of many -a wild and grisly legend. And to the present day the people of Shoa retain -an inherited dread of the lowland Moslems. - -Mohammed was succeeded on the throne of Adel by the Amir Nur, son of -Majid, and, according to some, brother to the "Left-handed." He proposed -marriage to Talwambara, who accepted him on condition that he should lay -the head of the Emperor Claudius at her feet. In A.D. 1559, he sent a -message of defiance to the Negush, who, having saved Abyssinia almost by a -miracle, was rebuilding on Debra Work, the "Golden Mount," a celebrated -shrine which had been burned by the Moslems. Claudius, despising the -eclipses, evil prophecies, and portents which accompanied his enemy's -progress, accepted the challenge. On the 22nd March 1559, the armies were -upon the point of engaging, when the high priest of Debra Libanos, -hastening into the presence of the Negush, declared that in a vision, -Gabriel had ordered him to dissuade the Emperor of AEthiopia from -needlessly risking life. The superstitious Abyssinians fled, leaving -Claudius supported by a handful of Portuguese, who were soon slain around -him, and he fell covered with wounds. The Amir Nur cut off his head, and -laid it at the feet of Talwambara, who, in observance of her pledge, -became his wife. This Amazon suspended the trophy by its hair to the -branch of a tree opposite her abode, that her eyes might be gladdened by -the sight: after hanging two years, it was purchased by an Armenian -merchant, who interred it in the Sepulchre of St. Claudius at Antioch. The -name of the Christian hero who won every action save that in which he -perished, has been enrolled in the voluminous catalogue of Abyssinian -saints, where it occupies a conspicuous place as the destroyer of Mohammed -the Left-handed. - -The Amir Nur has also been canonized by his countrymen, who have buried -their favourite "Wali" under a little dome near the Jami Mosque at Harar. -Shortly after his decisive victory over the Christians, he surrounded the -city with its present wall,--a circumstance now invested with the garb of -Moslem fable. The warrior used to hold frequent conversations with El -Khizr: on one occasion, when sitting upon a rock, still called Gay -Humburti--Harar's Navel--he begged that some Sherif might be brought from -Meccah, to aid him in building a permanent city. By the use of the "Great -Name" the vagrant prophet instantly summoned from Arabia the Sherif Yunis, -his son Fakr el Din, and a descendant from the Ansar or Auxiliaries of the -Prophet: they settled at Harar, which throve by the blessing of their -presence. From this tradition we may gather that the city was restored, as -it was first founded and colonized, by hungry Arabs. - -The Sherifs continued to rule with some interruptions until but a few -generations ago, when the present family rose to power. According to -Bruce, they are Jabartis, who, having intermarried with Sayyid women, -claim a noble origin. They derive themselves from the Caliph Abubakr, or -from Akil, son of Abu Talib, and brother of Ali. The Ulema, although -lacking boldness to make the assertion, evidently believe them to be of -Galla or pagan extraction. - -The present city of Harar is about one mile long by half that breadth. An -irregular wall, lately repaired [21], but ignorant of cannon, is pierced -with five large gates [22], and supported by oval towers of artless -construction. The material of the houses and defences are rough stones, -the granites and sandstones of the hills, cemented, like the ancient Galla -cities, with clay. The only large building is the Jami or Cathedral, a -long barn of poverty-stricken appearance, with broken-down gates, and two -white-washed minarets of truncated conoid shape. They were built by -Turkish architects from Mocha and Hodaydah: one of them lately fell, and -has been replaced by an inferior effort of Harari art. There are a few -trees in the city, but it contains none of those gardens which give to -Eastern settlements that pleasant view of town and country combined. The -streets are narrow lanes, up hill and down dale, strewed with gigantic -rubbish-heaps, upon which repose packs of mangy or one-eyed dogs, and even -the best are encumbered with rocks and stones. The habitations are mostly -long, flat-roofed sheds, double storied, with doors composed of a single -plank, and holes for windows pierced high above the ground, and decorated -with miserable wood-work: the principal houses have separate apartments -for the women, and stand at the bottom of large court-yards closed by -gates of Holcus stalks. The poorest classes inhabit "Gambisa," the -thatched cottages of the hill-cultivators. The city abounds in mosques, -plain buildings without minarets, and in graveyards stuffed with tombs,-- -oblong troughs formed by long slabs planted edgeways in the ground. I need -scarcely say that Harar is proud of her learning, sanctity, and holy dead. -The principal saint buried in the city is Shaykh Umar Abadir El Bakri, -originally from Jeddah, and now the patron of Harar: he lies under a -little dome in the southern quarter of the city, near the Bisidimo Gate. - -The ancient capital of Hadiyah shares with Zebid in Yemen, the reputation -of being an Alma Mater, and inundates the surrounding districts with poor -scholars and crazy "Widads." Where knowledge leads to nothing, says -philosophic Volney, nothing is done to acquire it, and the mind remains in -a state of barbarism. There are no establishments for learning, no -endowments, as generally in the East, and apparently no encouragement to -students: books also are rare and costly. None but the religious sciences -are cultivated. The chief Ulema are the Kabir [23] Khalil, the Kabir -Yunis, and the Shaykh Jami: the two former scarcely ever quit their -houses, devoting all their time to study and tuition: the latter is a -Somali who takes an active part in politics. - -These professors teach Moslem literature through the medium of Harari, a -peculiar dialect confined within the walls. Like the Somali and other -tongues in this part of Eastern Africa, it appears to be partly Arabic in -etymology and grammar: the Semitic scion being grafted upon an indigenous -root: the frequent recurrence of the guttural _kh_ renders it harsh and -unpleasant, and it contains no literature except songs and tales, which -are written in the modern Naskhi character. I would willingly have studied -it deeply, but circumstances prevented:--the explorer too frequently must -rest satisfied with descrying from his Pisgah the Promised Land of -Knowledge, which another more fortunate is destined to conquer. At Zayla, -the Hajj sent to me an Abyssinian slave who was cunning in languages: but -he, to use the popular phrase, "showed his right ear with his left hand." -Inside Harar, we were so closely watched that it was found impossible to -put pen to paper. Escaped, however, to Wilensi, I hastily collected the -grammatical forms and a vocabulary, which will correct the popular -assertion that "the language is Arabic: it has an affinity with the -Amharic." [24] - -Harar has not only its own tongue, unintelligible to any save the -citizens; even its little population of about 8000 souls is a distinct -race. The Somal say of the city that it is a Paradise inhabited by asses: -certainly the exterior of the people is highly unprepossessing. Amongst -the men, I did not see a handsome face: their features are coarse and -debauched; many of them squint, others have lost an eye by small-pox, and -they are disfigured by scrofula and other diseases: the bad expression of -their countenances justifies the proverb, "Hard as the heart of Harar." -Generally the complexion is a yellowish brown, the beard short, stubby and -untractable as the hair, and the hands and wrists, feet and ankles, are -large and ill-made. The stature is moderate-sized, some of the elders show -the "pudding sides" and the pulpy stomachs of Banyans, whilst others are -lank and bony as Arabs or Jews. Their voices are loud and rude. They dress -is a mixture of Arab and Abyssinian. They shave the head, and clip the -mustachios and imperial close, like the Shafei of Yemen. Many are -bareheaded, some wear a cap, generally the embroidered Indian work, or the -common cotton Takiyah of Egypt: a few affect white turbans of the fine -Harar work, loosely twisted over the ears. The body-garment is the Tobe, -worn flowing as in the Somali country or girt with the dagger-strap round -the waist: the richer classes bind under it a Futah or loin-cloth, and the -dignitaries have wide Arab drawers of white calico. Coarse leathern -sandals, a rosary and a tooth-stick rendered perpetually necessary by the -habit of chewing tobacco, complete the costume: and arms being forbidden -in the streets, the citizens carry wands five or six feet long. - -The women, who, owing probably to the number of female slaves, are much -the more numerous, appear beautiful by contrast with their lords. They -have small heads, regular profiles, straight noses, large eyes, mouths -approaching the Caucasian type, and light yellow complexions. Dress, -however, here is a disguise to charms. A long, wide, cotton shirt, with -short arms as in the Arab's Aba, indigo-dyed or chocolate-coloured, and -ornamented with a triangle of scarlet before and behind--the base on the -shoulder and the apex at the waist--is girt round the middle with a sash -of white cotton crimson-edged. Women of the upper class, when leaving the -house, throw a blue sheet over the head, which, however, is rarely veiled. -The front and back hair parted in the centre is gathered into two large -bunches below the ears, and covered with dark blue muslin or network, -whose ends meet under the chin. This coiffure is bound round the head at -the junction of scalp and skin by a black satin ribbon which varies in -breadth according to the wearer's means: some adorn the gear with large -gilt pins, others twine in it a Taj or thin wreath of sweet-smelling -creeper. The virgins collect their locks, which are generally wavy not -wiry, and grow long as well as thick, into a knot tied _a la Diane_ behind -the head: a curtain of short close plaits escaping from the bunch, falls -upon the shoulders, not ungracefully. Silver ornaments are worn only by -persons of rank. The ear is decorated with Somali rings or red coral -beads, the neck with necklaces of the same material, and the fore-arms -with six or seven of the broad circles of buffalo and other dark horns -prepared in Western India. Finally, stars are tattooed upon the bosom, the -eyebrows are lengthened with dyes, the eyes fringed with Kohl, and the -hands and feet stained with henna. - -The female voice is harsh and screaming, especially when heard after the -delicate organs of the Somal. The fair sex is occupied at home spinning -cotton thread for weaving Tobes, sashes, and turbans; carrying their -progeny perched upon their backs, they bring water from the wells in large -gourds borne on the head; work in the gardens, and--the men considering, -like the Abyssinians, such work a disgrace--sit and sell in the long -street which here represents the Eastern bazar. Chewing tobacco enables -them to pass much of their time, and the rich diligently anoint themselves -with ghee, whilst the poorer classes use remnants of fat from the lamps. -Their freedom of manners renders a public flogging occasionally -indispensable. Before the operation begins, a few gourds full of cold -water are poured over their heads and shoulders, after which a single- -thonged whip is applied with vigour. [25] - -Both sexes are celebrated for laxity of morals. High and low indulge -freely in intoxicating drinks, beer, and mead. The Amir has established -strict patrols, who unmercifully bastinado those caught in the streets -after a certain hour. They are extremely bigoted, especially against -Christians, the effect of their Abyssinian wars, and are fond of -"Jihading" with the Gallas, over whom they boast many a victory. I have -seen a letter addressed by the late Amir to the Hajj Sharmarkay, in which -he boasts of having slain a thousand infidels, and, by way of bathos, begs -for a few pounds of English gunpowder. The Harari hold foreigners in -especial hate and contempt, and divide them into two orders, Arabs and -Somal. [26] The latter, though nearly one third of the population, or 2500 -souls, are, to use their own phrase, cheap as dust: their natural timidity -is increased by the show of pomp and power, whilst the word "prison" gives -them the horrors. - -The other inhabitants are about 3000 Bedouins, who "come and go." Up to -the city gates the country is peopled by the Gallas. This unruly race -requires to be propitiated by presents of cloth; as many as 600 Tobes are -annually distributed amongst them by the Amir. Lately, when the smallpox, -spreading from the city, destroyed many of their number, the relations of -the deceased demanded and received blood-money: they might easily capture -the place, but they preserve it for their own convenience. These Gallas -are tolerably brave, avoid matchlock balls by throwing themselves upon the -ground when they see the flash, ride well, use the spear skilfully, and -although of a proverbially bad breed, are favourably spoken of by the -citizens. The Somal find no difficulty in travelling amongst them. I -repeatedly heard at Zayla and at Harar that traders had visited the far -West, traversing for seven months a country of pagans wearing golden -bracelets [27], till they reached the Salt Sea, upon which Franks sail in -ships. [28] At Wilensi, one Mohammed, a Shaykhash, gave me his itinerary -of fifteen stages to the sources of the Abbay or Blue Nile: he confirmed -the vulgar Somali report that the Hawash and the Webbe Shebayli both take -rise in the same range of well wooded mountains which gives birth to the -river of Egypt. - -The government of Harar is the Amir. These petty princes have a habit of -killing and imprisoning all those who are suspected of aspiring to the -throne. [29] Ahmed's greatgrandfather died in jail, and his father -narrowly escaped the same fate. When the present Amir ascended the throne -he was ordered, it is said, by the Makad or chief of the Nole Gallas, to -release his prisoners, or to mount his horse and leave the city. Three of -his cousins, however, were, when I visited Harar, in confinement: one of -them since that time died, and has been buried in his fetters. The Somal -declare that the state-dungeon of Harar is beneath the palace, and that he -who once enters it, lives with unkempt beard and untrimmed nails until the -day when death sets him free. - -The Amir Ahmed's health is infirm. Some attribute his weakness to a fall -from a horse, others declare him to have been poisoned by one of his -wives. [30] I judged him consumptive. Shortly after my departure he was -upon the point of death, and he afterwards sent for a physician to Aden. -He has four wives. No. 1. is the daughter of the Gerad Hirsi; No. 2. a -Sayyid woman of Harar; No. 3. an emancipated slave girl; and No. 4. a -daughter of Gerad Abd el Majid, one of his nobles. He has two sons, who -will probably never ascend the throne; one is an infant, the other is a -boy now about five years old. - -[Illustration] - -The Amir Ahmed succeeded his father about three years ago. His rule is -severe if not just, and it has all the _prestige_ of secresy. As the -Amharas say, the "belly of the Master is not known:" even the Gerad -Mohammed, though summoned to council at all times, in sickness as in -health, dares not offer uncalled-for advice, and the queen dowager, the -Gisti Fatimah, was threatened with fetters if she persisted in -interference. Ahmed's principal occupations are spying his many stalwart -cousins, indulging in vain fears of the English, the Turks, and the Hajj -Sharmarkay, and amassing treasure by commerce and escheats. He judges -civil and religious causes in person, but he allows them with little -interference to be settled by the Kazi, Abd el Rahman bin Umar el Harari: -the latter, though a highly respectable person, is seldom troubled; rapid -decision being the general predilection. The punishments, when money forms -no part of them, are mostly according to Koranic code. The murderer is -placed in the market street, blindfolded, and bound hand and foot; the -nearest of kin to the deceased then strikes his neck with a sharp and -heavy butcher's knife, and the corpse is given over to the relations for -Moslem burial. If the blow prove ineffectual a pardon is generally -granted. When a citizen draws dagger upon another or commits any petty -offence, he is bastinadoed in a peculiar manner: two men ply their -horsewhips upon his back and breast, and the prince, in whose presence the -punishment is carried out, gives the order to stop. Theft is visited with -amputation of the hand. The prison is the award of state offenders: it is -terrible, because the captive is heavily ironed, lies in a filthy dungeon, -and receives no food but what he can obtain from his own family,--seldom -liberal under such circumstances,--buy or beg from his guards. Fines and -confiscations, as usual in the East, are favourite punishments with the -ruler. I met at Wilensi an old Harari, whose gardens and property had all -been escheated, because his son fled from justice, after slaying a man. -The Amir is said to have large hoards of silver, coffee, and ivory: my -attendant the Hammal was once admitted into the inner palace, where he saw -huge boxes of ancient fashion supposed to contain dollars. The only specie -current in Harar is a diminutive brass piece called Mahallak [31]--hand- -worked and almost as artless a medium as a modern Italian coin. It bears -on one side the words: - - [Arabic] - (Zaribat el Harar, the coinage of Harar.) - -On the reverse is the date, A.H. 1248. The Amir pitilessly punishes all -those who pass in the city any other coin. - -The Amir Ahmed is alive to the fact that some state should hedge in a -prince. Neither weapons nor rosaries are allowed in his presence; a -chamberlain's robe acts as spittoon; whenever anything is given to or -taken from him his hand must be kissed; even on horseback two attendants -fan him with the hems of their garments. Except when engaged on the -Haronic visits which he, like his father [32], pays to the streets and -byways at night, he is always surrounded by a strong body guard. He rides -to mosque escorted by a dozen horsemen, and a score of footmen with guns -and whips precede him: by his side walks an officer shading him with a -huge and heavily fringed red satin umbrella,--from India to Abyssinia the -sign of princely dignity. Even at his prayers two or three chosen -matchlockmen stand over him with lighted fusees. When he rides forth in -public, he is escorted by a party of fifty men: the running footmen crack -their whips and shout "Let! Let!" (Go! Go!) and the citizens avoid stripes -by retreating into the nearest house, or running into another street. - -The army of Harar is not imposing. There are between forty and fifty -matchlockmen of Arab origin, long settled in the place, and commanded by a -veteran Maghrebi. They receive for pay one dollar's worth of holcus per -annum, a quantity sufficient to afford five or six loaves a day: the -luxuries of life must be provided by the exercise of some peaceful craft. -Including slaves, the total of armed men may be two hundred: of these one -carries a Somali or Galla spear, another a dagger, and a third a sword, -which is generally the old German cavalry blade. Cannon of small calibre -is supposed to be concealed in the palace, but none probably knows their -use. The city may contain thirty horses, of which a dozen are royal -property: they are miserable ponies, but well trained to the rocks and -hills. The Galla Bedouins would oppose an invader with a strong force of -spearmen, the approaches to the city are difficult and dangerous, but it -is commanded from the north and west, and the walls would crumble at the -touch of a six-pounder. Three hundred Arabs and two gallopper guns would -take Harar in an hour. - -Harar is essentially a commercial town: its citizens live, like those of -Zayla, by systematically defrauding the Galla Bedouins, and the Amir has -made it a penal offence to buy by weight and scale. He receives, as -octroi, from eight to fifteen cubits of Cutch canvass for every donkey- -load passing the gates, consequently the beast is so burdened that it must -be supported by the drivers. Cultivators are taxed ten per cent., the -general and easy rate of this part of Africa, but they pay in kind, which -considerably increases the Government share. The greatest merchant may -bring to Harar 50_l._ worth of goods, and he who has 20_l._ of capital is -considered a wealthy man. The citizens seem to have a more than Asiatic -apathy, even in pursuit of gain. When we entered, a caravan was to set out -for Zayla on the morrow; after ten days, hardly one half of its number had -mustered. The four marches from the city eastward are rarely made under a -fortnight, and the average rate of their Kafilahs is not so high even as -that of the Somal. - -The principal exports from Harar are slaves, ivory, coffee, tobacco, Wars -(safflower or bastard saffron), Tobes and woven cottons, mules, holcus, -wheat, "Karanji," a kind of bread used by travellers, ghee, honey, gums -(principally mastic and myrrh), and finally sheep's fat and tallows of all -sorts. The imports are American sheeting, and other cottons, white and -dyed, muslins, red shawls, silks, brass, sheet copper, cutlery (generally -the cheap German), Birmingham trinkets, beads and coral, dates, rice, and -loaf sugar, gunpowder, paper, and the various other wants of a city in the -wild. - -Harar is still, as of old [33], the great "half way house" for slaves from -Zangaro, Gurague, and the Galla tribes, Alo and others [34]: Abyssinians -and Amharas, the most valued [35], have become rare since the King of Shoa -prohibited the exportation. Women vary in value from 100 to 400 Ashrafis, -boys from 9 to 150: the worst are kept for domestic purposes, the best are -driven and exported by the Western Arabs [36] or by the subjects of H. H. -the Imam of Muscat, in exchange for rice and dates. I need scarcely say -that commerce would thrive on the decline of slavery: whilst the Felateas -or man-razzias are allowed to continue, it is vain to expect industry in -the land. - -Ivory at Harar amongst the Kafirs is a royal monopoly, and the Amir -carries on the one-sided system of trade, common to African monarchs. -Elephants abound in Jarjar, the Erar forest, and in the Harirah and other -valleys, where they resort during the hot season, in cold descending to -the lower regions. The Gallas hunt the animals and receive for the spoil a -little cloth: the Amir sends his ivory to Berberah, and sells it by means -of a Wakil or agent. The smallest kind is called "Ruba Aj"(Quarter Ivory), -the better description "Nuss Aj"(Half Ivory), whilst" Aj," the best kind, -fetches from thirty-two to forty dollars per Farasilah of 27 Arab pounds. -[36] - -The coffee of Harar is too well known in the markets of Europe to require -description: it grows in the gardens about the town, in greater quantities -amongst the Western Gallas, and in perfection at Jarjar, a district of -about seven days' journey from Harar on the Efat road. It is said that the -Amir withholds this valuable article, fearing to glut the Berberah market: -he has also forbidden the Harash, or coffee cultivators, to travel lest -the art of tending the tree be lost. When I visited Harar, the price per -parcel of twenty-seven pounds was a quarter of a dollar, and the hire of a -camel carrying twelve parcels to Berberah was five dollars: the profit did -not repay labour and risk. - -The tobacco of Harar is of a light yellow color, with good flavour, and -might be advantageously mixed with Syrian and other growths. The Alo, or -Western Gallas, the principal cultivators, plant it with the holcus, and -reap it about five months afterwards. It is cocked for a fortnight, the -woody part is removed, and the leaf is packed in sacks for transportation -to Berberah. At Harar, men prefer it for chewing as well as smoking: women -generally use Surat tobacco. It is bought, like all similar articles, by -the eye, and about seventy pounds are to be had for a dollar. - -The Wars or Safflower is cultivated in considerable quantities around the -city: an abundance is grown in the lands of the Gallas. It is sown when -the heavy rains have ceased, and is gathered about two months afterwards. -This article, together with slaves, forms the staple commerce between -Berberah and Muscat. In Arabia, men dye with it their cotton shirts, women -and children use it to stain the skin a bright yellow; besides the purpose -of a cosmetic, it also serves as a preservative against cold. When Wars is -cheap at Harar, a pound may be bought for a quarter of a dollar. - -The Tobes and sashes of Harar are considered equal to the celebrated -cloths of Shoa: hand-woven, they as far surpass, in beauty and durability, -the vapid produce of European manufactories, as the perfect hand of man -excels the finest machinery. On the windward coast, one of these garments -is considered a handsome present for a chief. The Harari Tobe consists of -a double length of eleven cubits by two in breadth, with a border of -bright scarlet, and the average value of a good article, even in the city, -is eight dollars. They are made of the fine long-stapled cotton, which -grows plentifully upon these hills, and are soft as silk, whilst their -warmth admirably adapts them for winter wear. The thread is spun by women -with two wooden pins: the loom is worked by both sexes. - -Three caravans leave Harar every year for the Berberah market. The first -starts early in January, laden with coffee, Tobes, Wars, ghee, gums, and -other articles to be bartered for cottons, silks, shawls, and Surat -tobacco. The second sets out in February. The principal caravan, conveying -slaves, mules, and other valuable articles, enters Berberah a few days -before the close of the season: it numbers about 3000 souls, and is -commanded by one of the Amir's principal officers, who enjoys the title of -Ebi or leader. Any or all of these kafilahs might be stopped by spending -four or five hundred dollars amongst the Jibril Abokr tribe, or even by a -sloop of war at the emporium. "He who commands at Berberah, holds the -beard of Harar in his hand," is a saying which I heard even within the -city walls. - -The furniture of a house at Harar is simple,--a few skins, and in rare -cases a Persian rug, stools, coarse mats, and Somali pillows, wooden -spoons, and porringers shaped with a hatchet, finished with a knife, -stained red, and brightly polished. The gourd is a conspicuous article; -smoked inside and fitted with a cover of the same material, it serves as -cup, bottle, pipe, and water-skin: a coarse and heavy kind of pottery, of -black or brown clay, is used by some of the citizens. - -The inhabitants of Harar live well. The best meat, as in Abyssinia, is -beef: it rather resembled, however, in the dry season when I ate it, the -lean and stringy sirloins of Old England in Hogarth's days. A hundred and -twenty chickens, or sixty-six full-grown fowls, may be purchased for a -dollar, and the citizens do not, like the Somal, consider them carrion. -Goat's flesh is good, and the black-faced Berberah sheep, after the rains, -is, here as elsewhere, delicious. The staff of life is holcus. Fruit grows -almost wild, but it is not prized as an article of food; the plantains are -coarse and bad, grapes seldom come to maturity; although the brab -flourishes in every ravine, and the palm becomes a lofty tree, it has not -been taught to fructify, and the citizens do not know how to dress, -preserve, or pickle their limes and citrons. No vegetables but gourds are -known. From the cane, which thrives upon these hills, a little sugar is -made: the honey, of which, as the Abyssinians say, "the land stinks," is -the general sweetener. The condiment of East Africa, is red pepper. - - * * * * * - -To resume, dear L., the thread of our adventures at Harar. - -Immediately after arrival, we were called upon by the Arabs, a strange -mixture. One, the Haji Mukhtar, was a Maghrebi from Fez: an expatriation -of forty years had changed his hissing Arabic as little as his "rocky -face." This worthy had a coffee-garden assigned to him, as commander of -the Amir's body-guard: he introduced himself to us, however, as a -merchant, which led us to look upon him as a spy. Another, Haji Hasan, was -a thorough-bred Persian: he seemed to know everybody, and was on terms of -bosom friendship with half the world from Cairo to Calcutta, Moslem, -Christian and Pagan. Amongst the rest was a boy from Meccah, a Muscat man, -a native of Suez, and a citizen of Damascus: the others were Arabs from -Yemen. All were most civil to us at first; but, afterwards, when our -interviews with the Amir ceased, they took alarm, and prudently cut us. - -The Arabs were succeeded by the Somal, amongst whom the Hammal and Long -Guled found relatives, friends, and acquaintances, who readily recognised -them as government servants at Aden. These visitors at first came in fear -and trembling with visions of the Harar jail: they desired my men to -return the visit by night, and made frequent excuses for apparent want of -hospitality. Their apprehensions, however, soon vanished: presently they -began to prepare entertainments, and, as we were without money, they -willingly supplied us with certain comforts of life. Our three Habr Awal -enemies, seeing the tide of fortune settling in our favour, changed their -tactics: they threw the past upon their two Harari companions, and -proposed themselves as Abbans on our return to Berberah. This offer was -politely staved off; in the first place we were already provided with -protectors, and secondly these men belonged to the Ayyal Shirdon, a clan -most hostile to the Habr Gerhajis. They did not fail to do us all the harm -in their power, but again my good star triumphed. - -After a day's repose, we were summoned by the Treasurer, early in the -forenoon, to wait upon the Gerad Mohammed. Sword in hand, and followed by -the Hammal and Long Guled, I walked to the "palace," and entering a little -ground-floor-room on the right of and close to the audience-hall, found -the minister sitting upon a large dais covered with Persian carpets. He -was surrounded by six of his brother Gerads or councillors, two of them in -turbans, the rest with bare and shaven heads: their Tobes, as is customary -on such occasions of ceremony, were allowed to fall beneath the waist. The -lower part of the hovel was covered with dependents, amongst whom my Somal -took their seats: it seemed to be customs' time, for names were being -registered, and money changed hands. The Grandees were eating Kat, or as -it is here called "Jat." [37] One of the party prepared for the Prime -Minister the tenderest twigs of the tree, plucking off the points of even -the softest leaves. Another pounded the plant with a little water in a -wooden mortar: of this paste, called "El Madkuk," a bit was handed to each -person, who, rolling it into a ball, dropped it into his mouth. All at -times, as is the custom, drank cold water from a smoked gourd, and seemed -to dwell upon the sweet and pleasant draught. I could not but remark the -fine flavour of the plant after the coarser quality grown in Yemen. -Europeans perceive but little effect from it--friend S. and I once tried -in vain a strong infusion--the Arabs, however, unaccustomed to stimulants -and narcotics, declare that, like opium eaters, they cannot live without -the excitement. It seems to produce in them a manner of dreamy enjoyment, -which, exaggerated by time and distance, may have given rise to that -splendid myth the Lotos, and the Lotophagi. It is held by the Ulema here -as in Arabia, "Akl el Salikin," or the Food of the Pious, and literati -remark that it has the singular properties of enlivening the imagination, -clearing the ideas, cheering the heart, diminishing sleep, and taking the -place of food. The people of Harar eat it every day from 9 A.M. till near -noon, when they dine and afterwards indulge in something stronger,-- -millet-beer and mead. - -The Gerad, after polite inquiries, seated me by his right hand upon the -Dais, where I ate Kat and fingered my rosary, whilst he transacted the -business of the day. Then one of the elders took from a little recess in -the wall a large book, and uncovering it, began to recite a long Dua or -Blessing upon the Prophet: at the end of each period all present intoned -the response, "Allah bless our Lord Mohammed with his Progeny and his -Companions, one and all!" This exercise lasting half an hour afforded me -the opportunity,--much desired,--of making an impression. The reader, -misled by a marginal reference, happened to say, "angels, Men, and Genii:" -the Gerad took the book and found written, "Men, Angels, and Genii." -Opinions were divided as to the order of beings, when I explained that -human nature, which amongst Moslems is _not_ a little lower than the -angelic, ranked highest, because of it were created prophets, apostles, -and saints, whereas the other is but a "Wasitah" or connection between the -Creator and his creatures. My theology won general approbation and a few -kinder glances from the elders. - -Prayer concluded, a chamberlain whispered the Gerad, who arose, deposited -his black coral rosary, took up an inkstand, donned a white "Badan" or -sleeveless Arab cloak over his cotton shirt, shuffled off the Dais into -his slippers, and disappeared. Presently we were summoned to an interview -with the Amir: this time I was allowed to approach the outer door with -covered feet. Entering ceremoniously as before, I was motioned by the -Prince to sit near the Gerad, who occupied a Persian rug on the ground to -the right of the throne: my two attendants squatted upon the humbler mats -in front and at a greater distance. After sundry inquiries about the -changes that had taken place at Aden, the letter was suddenly produced by -the Amir, who looked upon it suspiciously and bade me explain its -contents. I was then asked by the Gerad whether it was my intention to buy -and sell at Harar: the reply was, "We are no buyers nor sellers [38]; we -have become your guests to pay our respects to the Amir--whom may Allah -preserve!--and that the friendship between the two powers may endure." -This appearing satisfactory, I added, in lively remembrance of the -proverbial delays of Africa, where two or three months may elapse before a -letter is answered or a verbal message delivered, that perhaps the Prince -would be pleased to dismiss us soon, as the air of Harar was too dry for -me, and my attendants were in danger of the small-pox, then raging in the -town. The Amir, who was chary of words, bent towards the Gerad, who -briefly ejaculated, "The reply will be vouchsafed:" with this -unsatisfactory answer the interview ended. - -Shortly after arrival, I sent my Salam to one of the Ulema, Shaykh Jami of -the Berteri Somal: he accepted the excuse of ill health, and at once came -to see me. This personage appeared in the form of a little black man aged -about forty, deeply pitted by small-pox, with a protruding brow, a tufty -beard and rather delicate features: his hands and feet were remarkably -small. Married to a descendant of the Sherif Yunis, he had acquired great -reputation as an Alim or Savan, a peace-policy-man, and an ardent Moslem. -Though an imperfect Arabic scholar, he proved remarkably well read in the -religious sciences, and even the Meccans had, it was said, paid him the -respect of kissing his hand during his pilgrimage. In his second -character, his success was not remarkable, the principal results being a -spear-thrust in the head, and being generally told to read his books and -leave men alone. Yet he is always doing good "lillah," that is to say, -gratis and for Allah's sake: his pugnacity and bluntness--the prerogatives -of the "peaceful"--gave him some authority over the Amir, and he has often -been employed on political missions amongst the different chiefs. Nor has -his ardour for propagandism been thoroughly gratified. He commenced his -travels with an intention of winning the crown of glory without delay, by -murdering the British Resident at Aden [39]: struck, however, with the -order and justice of our rule, he changed his intentions and offered El -Islam to the officer, who received it so urbanely, that the simple Eastern -repenting having intended to cut the Kafir's throat, began to pray -fervently for his conversion. Since that time he has made it a point of -duty to attempt every infidel: I never heard, however, that he succeeded -with a soul. - -The Shaykh's first visit did not end well. He informed me that the old -Usmanlis conquered Stamboul in the days of Umar. I imprudently objected to -the date, and he revenged himself for the injury done to his fame by the -favourite ecclesiastical process of privily damning me for a heretic, and -a worse than heathen. Moreover he had sent me a kind of ritual which I had -perused in an hour and returned to him: this prepossessed the Shaykh -strongly against me, lightly "skimming" books being a form of idleness as -yet unknown to the ponderous East. Our days at Harar were monotonous -enough. In the morning we looked to the mules, drove out the cats--as -great a nuisance here as at Aden--and ate for breakfast lumps of boiled -beef with peppered holcus-scones. We were kindly looked upon by one -Sultan, a sick and decrepid Eunuch, who having served five Amirs, was -allowed to remain in the palace. To appearance he was mad: he wore upon -his poll a motley scratch wig, half white and half black, like Day and -Night in masquerades. But his conduct was sane. At dawn he sent us bad -plantains, wheaten crusts, and cups of unpalatable coffee-tea [40], and, -assisted by a crone more decrepid than himself, prepared for me his water- -pipe, a gourd fitted with two reeds and a tile of baked clay by way of -bowl: now he "knagged" at the slave girls, who were slow to work, then -burst into a fury because some visitor ate Kat without offering it to him, -or crossed the royal threshold in sandal or slipper. The other inmates of -the house were Galla slave-girls, a great nuisance, especially one -Berille, an unlovely maid, whose shrill voice and shameless manners were a -sad scandal to pilgrims and pious Moslems. - -About 8 A.M. the Somal sent us gifts of citrons, plantains, sugar-cane, -limes, wheaten bread, and stewed fowls. At the same time the house became -full of visitors, Harari and others, most of them pretexting inquiries -after old Sultan's health. Noon was generally followed by a little -solitude, the people retiring to dinner and siesta: we were then again -provided with bread and beef from the Amir's kitchen. In the afternoon the -house again filled, and the visitors dispersed only for supper. Before -sunset we were careful to visit the mules tethered in the court-yard; -being half starved they often attempted to desert. [41] - -It was harvest home at Harar, a circumstance which worked us much annoy. -In the mornings the Amir, attended by forty or fifty guards, rode to a -hill north of the city, where he inspected his Galla reapers and -threshers, and these men were feasted every evening at our quarters with -flesh, beer, and mead. [42] The strong drinks caused many a wordy war, and -we made a point of exhorting the pagans, with poor success I own, to purer -lives. - -We spent our _soiree_ alternately bepreaching the Gallas, "chaffing" Mad -Said, who, despite his seventy years, was a hale old Bedouin, with a salt -and sullen repartee, and quarrelling with the slave-girls. Berille the -loud-lunged, or Aminah the pert, would insist upon extinguishing the fat- -fed lamp long ere bed-time, or would enter the room singing, laughing, -dancing, and clapping a measure with their palms, when, stoutly aided by -old Sultan, who shrieked like a hyaena on these occasions, we ejected her -in extreme indignation. All then was silence without: not so--alas!-- -within. Mad Said snored fearfully, and Abtidon chatted half the night with -some Bedouin friend, who had dropped in to supper. On our hard couches we -did not enjoy either the _noctes_ or the _coenoe deorum_. - -The even tenor of such days was varied by a perpetual reference to the -rosary, consulting soothsayers, and listening to reports and rumours -brought to us by the Somal in such profusion that we all sighed for a -discontinuance. The Gerad Mohammed, excited by the Habr Awal, was curious -in his inquiries concerning me: the astute Senior had heard of our leaving -the End of Time with the Gerad Adan, and his mind fell into the fancy that -we were transacting some business for the Hajj Sharmarkay, the popular -bugbear of Harar. Our fate was probably decided by the arrival of a youth -of the Ayyal Gedid clan, who reported that three brothers had landed in -the Somali country, that two of them were anxiously awaiting at Berberah -the return of the third from Harar, and that, though dressed like Moslems, -they were really Englishmen in government employ. Visions of cutting off -caravans began to assume a hard and palpable form: the Habr Awal ceased -intriguing, and the Gerad Mohammed resolved to adopt the _suaviter in -modo_ whilst dealing with his dangerous guest. - -Some days after his first visit, the Shaykh Jami, sending for the Hammal, -informed him of an intended trip from Harar: my follower suggested that we -might well escort him. The good Shaykh at once offered to apply for leave -from the Gerad Mohammed; not, however, finding the minister at home, he -asked us to meet him at the palace on the morrow, about the time of Kat- -eating. - -We had so often been disappointed in our hopes of a final "lay-public," -that on this occasion much was not expected. However, about 6 A.M., we -were all summoned, and entering the Gerad's levee-room were, as usual, -courteously received. I had distinguished his complaint,--chronic -bronchitis,--and resolving to make a final impression, related to him all -its symptoms, and promised, on reaching Aden, to send the different -remedies employed by ourselves. He clung to the hope of escaping his -sufferings, whilst the attendant courtiers looked on approvingly, and -begged me to lose no time. Presently the Gerad was sent for by the Amir, -and after a few minutes I followed him, on this occasion, alone. Ensued a -long conversation about the state of Aden, of Zayla, of Berberah, and of -Stamboul. The chief put a variety of questions about Arabia, and every -object there: the answer was that the necessity of commerce confined us to -the gloomy rock. He used some obliging expressions about desiring our -friendship, and having considerable respect for a people who built, he -understood, large ships. I took the opportunity of praising Harar in -cautious phrase, and especially of regretting that its coffee was not -better known amongst the Franks. The small wizen-faced man smiled, as -Moslems say, the smile of Umar [43]: seeing his brow relax for the first -time, I told him that, being now restored to health, we requested his -commands for Aden. He signified consent with a nod, and the Gerad, with -many compliments, gave me a letter addressed to the Political Resident, -and requested me to take charge of a mule as a present. I then arose, -recited a short prayer, the gist of which was that the Amir's days and -reign might be long in the land, and that the faces of his foes might be -blackened here and hereafter, bent over his hand and retired. Returning to -the Gerad's levee-hut, I saw by the countenances of my two attendants that -they were not a little anxious about the interview, and comforted them -with the whispered word "Achha"--"all right!" - -Presently appeared the Gerad, accompanied by two men, who brought my -servants' arms, and the revolver which I had sent to the prince. This was -a _contretemps_. It was clearly impossible to take back the present, -besides which, I suspected some finesse to discover my feelings towards -him: the other course would ensure delay. I told the Gerad that the weapon -was intended especially to preserve the Amir's life, and for further -effect, snapped caps in rapid succession to the infinite terror of the -august company. The minister returned to his master, and soon brought back -the information that after a day or two another mule should be given to -me. With suitable acknowledgments we arose, blessed the Gerad, bade adieu -to the assembly, and departed joyful, the Hammal in his glee speaking -broken English, even in the Amir's courtyard. - -Returning home, we found the good Shaykh Jami, to whom we communicated the -news with many thanks for his friendly aid. I did my best to smooth his -temper about Turkish history, and succeeded. Becoming communicative, he -informed me that the original object, of his visit was the offer of good -offices, he having been informed that, in the town was a man who brought -down the birds from heaven, and the citizens having been thrown into great -excitement by the probable intentions of such a personage. Whilst he sat -with us, Kabir Khalil, one of the principal Ulema, and one Haji Abdullah, -a Shaykh of distinguished fame who had been dreaming dreams in our favour, -sent their salams. This is one of the many occasions in which, during a -long residence in the East, I have had reason to be grateful to the -learned, whose influence over the people when unbiassed by bigotry is -decidedly for good. That evening there was great joy amongst the Somal, -who had been alarmed for the safety of my companions: they brought them -presents of Harari Tobes, and a feast of fowls, limes, and wheaten bread -for the stranger. - -On the 11th of January I was sent for by the Gerad and received the second -mule. At noon we were visited by the Shaykh Jami, who, after a long -discourse upon the subject of Sufiism [44], invited me to inspect his -books. When midday prayer was concluded we walked to his house, which -occupies the very centre of the city: in its courtyard is "Gay Humburti," -the historic rock upon which Saint Nur held converse with the Prophet -Khizr. The Shaykh, after seating us in a room about ten feet square, and -lined with scholars and dusty tomes, began reading out a treatise upon the -genealogies of the Grand Masters, and showed me in half a dozen tracts the -tenets of the different schools. The only valuable MS. in the place was a -fine old copy of the Koran; the Kamus and the Sihah were there [45], but -by no means remarkable for beauty or correctness. Books at Harar are -mostly antiques, copyists being exceedingly rare, and the square massive -character is more like Cufic with diacritical points, than the graceful -modern Naskhi. I could not, however, but admire the bindings: no Eastern -country save Persia surpasses them in strength and appearance. After some -desultory conversation the Shaykh ushered us into an inner room, or rather -a dark closet partitioned off from the study, and ranged us around the -usual dish of boiled beef, holcus bread, and red pepper. After returning -to the study we sat for a few minutes,--Easterns rarely remain long after -dinner,--and took leave, saying that we must call upon the Gerad Mohammed. - -Nothing worthy of mention occurred during our final visit to the minister. -He begged me not to forget his remedies when we reached Aden: I told him -that without further loss of time we would start on the morrow, Friday, -after prayers, and he simply ejaculated, "It is well, if Allah please!" -Scarcely had we returned home, when the clouds, which had been gathering -since noon, began to discharge heavy showers, and a few loud thunder-claps -to reverberate amongst the hills. We passed that evening surrounded by the -Somal, who charged us with letters and many messages to Berberah. Our -intention was to mount early on Friday morning. When we awoke, however, a -mule had strayed and was not brought back for some hours. Before noon -Shaykh Jami called upon us, informed us that he would travel on the most -auspicious day--Monday--and exhorted us to patience, deprecating departure -upon Friday, the Sabbath. Then he arose to take leave, blessed us at some -length, prayed that we might be borne upon the wings of safety, again -advised Monday, and promised at all events to meet us at Wilensi. - -I fear that the Shaykh's counsel was on this occasion likely to be -disregarded. We had been absent from our goods and chattels a whole -fortnight: the people of Harar are famously fickle; we knew not what the -morrow might bring forth from the Amir's mind--in fact, all these African -cities are prisons on a large scale, into which you enter by your own -will, and, as the significant proverb says, you leave by another's. -However, when the mosque prayers ended, a heavy shower and the stormy -aspect of the sky preached patience more effectually than did the divine: -we carefully tethered our mules, and unwillingly deferred our departure -till next morning. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] The Ashantees at customs' time run across the royal threshold to -escape being seized and sacrificed; possibly the trace of the pagan rite -is still preserved by Moslem Harar, where it is now held a mark of respect -and always exacted from the citizens. - -[2] I afterwards learned that when a man neglects a summons his door is -removed to the royal court-yard on the first day; on the second, it is -confiscated. The door is a valuable and venerable article in this part of -Africa. According to Bruce, Ptolemy Euergetes engraved it upon the Axum -Obelisk for the benefit of his newly conquered AEthiopian subjects, to whom -it had been unknown. - -[3] In Abyssinia, according to the Lord of Geesh, this is a mark of royal -familiarity and confidence. - -[4] About seven years ago the Hajj Sharmarkay of Zayla chose as his agent -at Harar, one of the Amir's officers, a certain Hajj Jamitay. When this -man died Sharmarkay demanded an account from his sons; at Berberah they -promised to give it, but returning to Harar they were persuaded, it is -believed, by the Gerad Mohammed, to forget their word. Upon this -Sharmarkay's friends and relations, incited by one Husayn, a Somali who -had lived many years at Harar in the Amir's favour, wrote an insulting -letter to the Gerad, beginning with, "No peace be upon thee, and no -blessings of Allah, thou butcher! son of a butcher &c. &c.!" and -concluding with a threat to pinion him in the market-place as a warning to -men. Husayn carried the letter, which at first excited general terror; -when, however, the attack did not take place, the Amir Abubakr imprisoned -the imprudent Somali till he died. Sharmarkay by way of reprisals -persuaded Alu, son of Sahlah Salaseh, king of Shoa, to seize about three -hundred Harari citizens living in his dominions and to keep them two years -in durance. - -The Amir Abubakr is said on his deathbed to have warned his son against -the Gerad. When Ahmad reported his father's decease to Zayla, the Hajj -Sharmarkay ordered a grand Maulid or Mass in honour of the departed. Since -that time, however, there has been little intercourse and no cordiality -between them. - -[5] Thus M. Isenberg (Preface to Ambaric Grammar, p. iv.) calls the city -Harrar or Ararge. - -[6] "Harar," is not an uncommon name in this part of Eastern Africa: -according to some, the city is so called from a kind of tree, according to -others, from the valley below it. - -[7] I say _about_: we were compelled to boil our thermometers at Wilensi, -not venturing upon such operation within the city. - -[8] The other six were Efat, Arabini, Duaro, Sharka, Bali and Darah. - -[9] A circumstantial account of the Jihad or Moslem crusades is, I am -told, given in the Fath el Habashah, unfortunately a rare work. The Amir -of Harar had but one volume, and the other is to be found at Mocha or -Hudaydah. - -[10] This prince built "Debra Berhan," the "Hill of glory," a church -dedicated to the Virgin Mary at Gondar. - -[11] A prince of many titles: he is generally called Wanag Suggad, "feared -amongst the lions," because he spent the latter years of his life in the -wild. - -[12] Yemen submitted to Sulayman Pasha in A.D. 1538. - -[13] "Gragne," or in the Somali dialect "Guray," means a left-handed man; -Father Lobo errs in translating it "the Lame." - -[14] This exploit has been erroneously attributed to Nur, the successor of -Mohammed. - -[15] This reverend Jesuit was commissioned in A.D. 1622, by the Count de -Vidigueira, Viceroy of the Indies, to discover where his relative Don -Christopher was buried, and to procure some of the relics. Assisted by the -son in law of the Abyssinian Emperor, Lobo marched with an army through -the Gallas, found the martyr's teeth and lower jaw, his arms and a picture -of the Holy Virgin which he always carried about him. The precious remains -were forwarded to Goa. - -I love the style of this old father, so unjustly depreciated by our -writers, and called ignorant peasant and liar by Bruce, because he claimed -for his fellow countrymen the honor of having discovered the Coy -Fountains. The Nemesis who never sleeps punished Bruce by the justest of -retributions. His pompous and inflated style, his uncommon arrogance, and -over-weening vanity, his affectation of pedantry, his many errors and -misrepresentations, aroused against him a spirit which embittered the last -years of his life. It is now the fashion to laud Bruce, and to pity his -misfortunes. I cannot but think that he deserved them. - -[16] Bruce, followed by most of our modern authors, relates a -circumstantial and romantic story of the betrayal of Don Christopher by -his mistress, a Turkish lady of uncommon beauty, who had been made -prisoner. - -The more truth-like pages of Father Lobo record no such silly scandal -against the memory of the "brave and holy Portuguese." Those who are well -read in the works of the earlier eastern travellers will remember their -horror of "handling heathens after that fashion." And amongst those who -fought for the faith an _affaire de coeur_ with a pretty pagan was held to -be a sin as deadly as heresy or magic. - -[17] Romantic writers relate that Mohammed decapitated the Christian with -his left hand. - -[18] Others assert, in direct contradiction to Father Lobo, that the body -was sent to different parts of Arabia, and the head to Constantinople. - -[19] Bruce, followed by later authorities, writes this name Del Wumbarea. - -[20] Talwambara, according to the Christians, after her husband's death, -and her army's defeat, threw herself into the wilds of Atbara, and -recovered her son Ali Gerad by releasing Prince Menas, the brother of the -Abyssinian emperor, who in David's reign had been carried prisoner to -Adel. - -The historian will admire these two widely different accounts of the left- -handed hero's death. Upon the whole he will prefer the Moslem's tradition -from the air of truth pervading it, and the various improbabilities which -appear in the more detailed story of the Christians. - -[21] Formerly the Waraba, creeping through the holes in the wall, rendered -the streets dangerous at night. They are now destroyed by opening the -gates in the evening, enticing in the animals by slaughtering cattle, and -closing the doors upon them, when they are safely speared. - -[22] The following are the names of the gates in Harari and Somali: - -_Eastward._ Argob Bari (Bar in Amharic is a gate, _e.g._ Ankobar, the gate -of Anko, a Galla Queen, and Argob is the name of a Galla clan living in -this quarter), by the Somal called Erar. - -_North._ Asum Bari (the gate of Axum), in Somali, Faldano or the Zayla -entrance. - -_West._ Asmadim Bari or Hamaraisa. - -_South._ Badro Bari or Bab Bida. - -_South East._ Sukutal Bari or Bisidimo. - -At all times these gates are carefully guarded; in the evening the keys -are taken to the Amir, after which no one can leave the city till dawn. - -[23] Kabir in Arabic means great, and is usually applied to the Almighty; -here it is a title given to the principal professors of religious science. - -[24] This is equivalent to saying that the language of the Basque -provinces is French with an affinity to English. - -[25] When ladies are bastinadoed in more modest Persia, their hands are -passed through a hole in a tent wall, and fastened for the infliction to a -Falakah or pole outside. - -[26] The hate dates from old times. Abd el Karim, uncle to the late Amir -Abubakr, sent for sixty or seventy Arab mercenaries under Haydar Assal the -Auliki, to save him against the Gallas. The matchlockmen failing in -ammunition, lost twenty of their number in battle and retired to the town, -where the Gallas, after capturing Abd el Karim, and his brother Abd el -Rahman, seized the throne, and, aided by the citizens, attempted to -massacre the strangers. These, however, defended themselves gallantly, and -would have crowned the son of Abd el Rahman, had he not in fear declined -the dignity; they then drew their pay, and marched with all the honors of -war to Zayla. - -Shortly before our arrival, the dozen of petty Arab pedlars at Harar, -treacherous intriguers, like all their dangerous race, had been plotting -against the Amir. One morning when they least expected it, their chief was -thrown into a prison which proved his grave, and the rest were informed -that any stranger found in the city should lose his head. After wandering -some months among the neighbouring villages, they were allowed to return -and live under surveillance. No one at Harar dared to speak of this event, -and we were cautioned not to indulge our curiosity. - -[27] This agrees with the Hon. R. Curzon's belief in Central African -"diggings." The traveller once saw an individual descending the Nile with -a store of nuggets, bracelets, and gold rings similar to those used as -money by the ancient Egyptians. - -[28] M. Krapf relates a tale current in Abyssinia; namely, that there is a -remnant of the slave trade between Guineh (the Guinea coast) and Shoa. -Connexion between the east and west formerly existed: in the time of John -the Second, the Portuguese on the river Zaire in Congo learned the -existence of the Abyssinian church. Travellers in Western Africa assert -that Fakihs or priests, when performing the pilgrimage pass from the -Fellatah country through Abyssinia to the coast of the Red Sea. And it has -lately been proved that a caravan line is open from the Zanzibar coast to -Benguela. - -[29] All male collaterals of the royal family, however, are not imprisoned -by law, as was formerly the case at Shoa. - -[30] This is a mere superstition; none but the most credulous can believe -that a man ever lives after an Eastern dose. - -[31] The name and coin are Abyssinian. According to Bruce, - - 20 Mahallaks are worth 1 Grush. - 12 Grush " " 1 Miskal. - 4 Miskal " " 1 Wakiyah (ounce). - -At Harar twenty-two plantains (the only small change) = one Mahallak, -twenty-two Mahallaks = one Ashrafi (now a nominal coin,) and three Ashrafi -= one dollar. - -Lieut. Cruttenden remarks, "The Ashrafi stamped at the Harar mint is a -coin peculiar to the place. It is of silver and the twenty-second part of -a dollar. The only specimen I have been able to procure bore the date of -910 of the Hagira, with the name of the Amir on one side, and, on its -reverse, 'La Ilaha ill 'Allah.'" This traveller adds in a note, "the value -of the Ashrafi changes with each successive ruler. In the reign of Emir -Abd el Shukoor, some 200 years ago, it was of gold." At present the -Ashrafi, as I have said above, is a fictitious medium used in accounts. - -[32] An old story is told of the Amir Abubakr, that during one of his -nocturnal excursions, he heard three of his subjects talking treason, and -coveting his food, his wife, and his throne. He sent for them next -morning, filled the first with good things, and bastinadoed him for not -eating more, flogged the second severely for being unable to describe the -difference between his own wife and the princess, and put the third to -death. - -[33] El Makrizi informs us that in his day Hadiyah supplied the East with -black Eunuchs, although the infamous trade was expressly forbidden by the -Emperor of Abyssinia. - -[33] The Arusi Gallas are generally driven direct from Ugadayn to -Berberah. - -[34] "If you want a brother (in arms)," says the Eastern proverb, "buy a -Nubian, if you would be rich, an Abyssinian, and if you require an ass, a -Sawahili (negro)." Formerly a small load of salt bought a boy in Southern -Abyssinia, many of them, however, died on their way to the coast. - -[35] The Firman lately issued by the Sultan and forwarded to the Pasha of -Jeddah for the Kaimakan and the Kazi of Mecca, has lately caused a kind of -revolution in Western Arabia. The Ulema and the inhabitants denounced the -rescript as opposed to the Koran, and forced the magistrate to take -sanctuary. The Kaimakan came to his assistance with Turkish troops, the -latter, however, were soon pressed back into their fort. At this time, the -Sherif Abd el Muttalib arrived at Meccah, from Taif, and almost -simultaneously Reshid Pasha came from Constantinople with orders to seize -him, send him to the capital, and appoint the Sherif Nazir to act until -the nomination of a successor, the state prisoner Mohammed bin Aun. - -The tumult redoubled. The people attributing the rescript to the English -and French Consuls of Jeddah, insisted upon pulling down their flags. The -Pasha took them under his protection, and on the 14th January, 1856, the -"Queen" steamer was despatched from Bombay, with orders to assist the -government and to suppress the contest. - -[36] This weight, as usual in the East, varies at every port. At Aden the -Farasilah is 27 lbs., at Zayla 20 lbs., and at Berberah 35 lbs. - -[37] See Chap. iii. El Makrizi, describing the kingdom of Zayla, uses the -Harari not the Arabic term; he remarks that it is unknown to Egypt and -Syria, and compares its leaf to that of the orange. - -[38] In conversational Arabic "we" is used without affectation for "I." - -[39] The Shaykh himself gave me this information. As a rule it is most -imprudent for Europeans holding high official positions in these barbarous -regions, to live as they do, unarmed and unattended. The appearance of -utter security may impose, where strong motives for assassination are -wanting. At the same time the practice has occasioned many losses which -singly, to use an Indian statesman's phrase, would have "dimmed a -victory." - -[40] In the best coffee countries, Harar and Yemen, the berry is reserved -for exportation. The Southern Arabs use for economy and health--the bean -being considered heating--the Kishr or follicle. This in Harar is a -woman's drink. The men considering the berry too dry and heating for their -arid atmosphere, toast the leaf on a girdle, pound it and prepare an -infusion which they declare to be most wholesome, but which certainly -suggests weak senna. The boiled coffee-leaf has been tried and approved of -in England; we omit, however, to toast it. - -[41] In Harar a horse or a mule is never lost, whereas an ass straying -from home is rarely seen again. - -[42] This is the Abyssinian "Tej," a word so strange to European organs, -that some authors write it "Zatsh." At Harar it is made of honey dissolved -in about fifteen parts of hot water, strained and fermented for seven days -with the bark of a tree called Kudidah; when the operation is to be -hurried, the vessel is placed near the fire. Ignorant Africa can ferment, -not distil, yet it must be owned she is skilful in her rude art. Every -traveller has praised the honey-wine of the Highlands, and some have not -scrupled to prefer it to champagne. It exhilarates, excites and acts as an -aphrodisiac; the consequence is, that at Harar all men, pagans and sages, -priests and rulers, drink it. - -[43] The Caliph Umar is said to have smiled once and wept once. The smile -was caused by the recollection of his having eaten his paste-gods in the -days of ignorance. The tear was shed in remembrance of having buried -alive, as was customary amongst the Pagan Arabs, his infant daughter, who, -whilst he placed her in the grave, with her little hands beat the dust off -his beard and garment. - -[44] The Eastern parent of Free-Masonry. - -[45] Two celebrated Arabic dictionaries. - - - - -CHAP. IX. - -A RIDE TO BERBERAH. - - -Long before dawn on Saturday, the 13th January, the mules were saddled, -bridled, and charged with our scanty luggage. After a hasty breakfast we -shook hands with old Sultan the Eunuch, mounted and pricked through the -desert streets. Suddenly my weakness and sickness left me--so potent a -drug is joy!--and, as we passed the gates loudly salaming to the warders, -who were crouching over the fire inside, a weight of care and anxiety fell -from me like a cloak of lead. - -Yet, dear L., I had time, on the top of my mule for musing upon how -melancholy a thing is success. Whilst failure inspirits a man, attainment -reads the sad prosy lesson that all our glories - - "Are shadows, not substantial things." - -Truly said the sayer, "disappointment is the salt of life"--a salutary -bitter which strengthens the mind for fresh exertion, and gives a double -value to the prize. - -This shade of melancholy soon passed away. The morning was beautiful. A -cloudless sky, then untarnished by sun, tinged with reflected blue the -mist-crowns of the distant peaks and the smoke wreaths hanging round the -sleeping villages, and the air was a cordial after the rank atmosphere of -the town. The dew hung in large diamonds from the coffee trees, the spur- -fowl crew blithely in the bushes by the way-side:--briefly, never did the -face of Nature appear to me so truly lovely. - -We hurried forwards, unwilling to lose time and fearing the sun of the -Erar valley. With arms cocked, a precaution against the possibility of -Galla spears in ambuscade, we crossed the river, entered the yawning chasm -and ascended the steep path. My companions were in the highest spirits, -nothing interfered with the general joy, but the villain Abtidon, who -loudly boasted in a road crowded with market people, that the mule which -he was riding had been given to us by the Amir as a Jizyah or tribute. The -Hammal, direfully wrath, threatened to shoot him upon the spot, and it was -not without difficulty that I calmed the storm. - -Passing Gafra we ascertained from the Midgans that the Gerad Adan had sent -for my books and stored them in his own cottage. We made in a direct line -for Kondura. At one P.M. we safely threaded the Galla's pass, and about an -hour afterwards we exclaimed "Alhamdulillah" at the sight of Sagharrah and -the distant Marar Prairie. Entering the village we discharged our fire- -arms: the women received us with the Masharrad or joy-cry, and as I passed -the enclosure the Geradah Khayrah performed the "Fola" by throwing over me -some handfuls of toasted grain. [1] The men gave cordial _poignees de -mains_, some danced with joy to see us return alive; they had heard of our -being imprisoned, bastinadoed, slaughtered; they swore that the Gerad was -raising an army to rescue or revenge us--in fact, had we been their -kinsmen more excitement could not have been displayed. Lastly, in true -humility, crept forward the End of Time, who, as he kissed my hand, was -upon the point of tears: he had been half-starved, despite his dignity as -Sharmarkay's Mercury, and had spent his weary nights and days reciting the -chapter Y.S. and fumbling the rosary for omens. The Gerad, he declared, -would have given him a sheep and one of his daughters to wife, -temporarily, but Sherwa had interfered, he had hindered the course of his -sire's generosity: "Cursed be he," exclaimed the End of Time, "who with -dirty feet defiles the pure water of the stream!" - -We entered the smoky cottage. The Gerad and his sons were at Wilensi -settling the weighty matter of a caravan which had been plundered by the -Usbayhan tribe--in their absence the good Khayrah and her daughters did -the duties of hospitality by cooking rice and a couple of fowls. A -pleasant evening was spent in recounting our perils as travellers will do, -and complimenting one another upon the power of our star. - -At eight the next morning we rode to Wilensi. As we approached it all the -wayfarers and villagers inquired Hibernically if we were the party that -had been put to death by the Amir of Harar. Loud congratulations and -shouts of joy awaited our arrival. The Kalendar was in a paroxysm of -delight: both Shehrazade and Deenarzade were affected with giggling and -what might be blushing. We reviewed our property and found that the One- -eyed had been a faithful steward, so faithful indeed, that he had well -nigh starved the two women. Presently appeared the Gerad and his sons -bringing with them my books; the former was at once invested with a gaudy -Abyssinian Tobe of many colours, in which he sallied forth from the -cottage the admired of all admirers. The pretty wife Sudiyah and the good -Khayrah were made happy by sundry gifts of huge Birmingham ear-rings, -brooches and bracelets, scissors, needles, and thread. The evening as -usual ended in a feast. - -"We halted a week at Wilensi to feed,--in truth my companions had been -faring lentenly at Harar,--and to lay in stock and strength for the long -desert march before us. A Somali was despatched to the city under orders -to load an ass with onions, tobacco, spices, wooden platters, and Karanji -[2], which our penniless condition had prevented our purchasing. I spent -the time collecting a vocabulary of the Harari tongue under the auspices -of Mad Said and All the poet, a Somali educated at the Alma Mater. He was -a small black man, long-headed and long-backed, with remarkably prominent -eyes, a bulging brow, nose pertly turned up, and lean jaws almost -unconscious of beard. He knew the Arabic, Somali, Galla, and Harari -languages, and his acuteness was such, that I found no difficulty in what -usually proves the hardest task,--extracting the grammatical forms. "A -poet, the son of a Poet," to use his own phrase, he evinced a Horatian -respect for the beverage which bards love, and his discourse, whenever it -strayed from the line of grammar, savoured of over reverence for the -goddess whom Pagans associated with Bacchus and Ceres. He was also a -patriot and a Tyrtaeus. No clan ever attacked his Girhis without smarting -under terrible sarcasms, and his sneers at the young warriors for want of -ardour in resisting Gudabirsi encroachments, were quoted as models of the -"withering." Stimulated by the present of a Tobe, he composed a song in -honor of the pilgrim: I will offer a literal translation of the exordium, -though sentient of the fact that modesty shrinks from such quotations. - - "Formerly, my sire and self held ourselves songsters: - Only to day, however, I really begin to sing. - At the order of Abdullah, Allah sent, my tongue is loosed, - The son of the Kuraysh by a thousand generations, - He hath visited Audal, and Sahil and Adari [3]; - A hundred of his ships float on the sea; - His intellect," &c. &c. &c. - -When not engaged with Ali the Poet I amused myself by consoling Mad Said, -who was deeply afflicted, his son having received an ugly stab in the -shoulder. Thinking, perhaps, that the Senior anticipated some evil results -from the wound, I attempted to remove the impression. "Alas, 0 Hajj!" -groaned the old man, "it is not that!--how can the boy be _my boy_, I who -have ever given instead of receiving stabs?" nor would he be comforted, on -account of the youth's progeniture. At other times we summoned the heads -of the clans and proceeded to write down their genealogies. This always -led to a scene beginning with piano, but rapidly rising to the strepitoso. -Each tribe and clan wished to rank first, none would be even second,--what -was to be done? When excitement was at its height, the paper and pencil -were torn out of my hand, stubby beards were pitilessly pulled, and -daggers half started from their sheaths. These quarrels were, however, -easily composed, and always passed off in storms of abuse, laughter, and -derision. - -With the end of the week's repose came Shaykh Jami, the Berteri, equipped -as a traveller with sword, praying-skin, and water-bottle. This bustling -little divine, whose hobby it was to make every man's business his own, -was accompanied by his brother, in nowise so prayerful a person, and by -four burly, black-looking Widads, of whose birth, learning, piety, and -virtues he spoke in terms eloquent. I gave them a supper of rice, ghee, -and dates in my hut, and with much difficulty excused myself on plea of -ill health from a Samrah or night's entertainment--the chaunting some -serious book from evening even to the small hours. The Shaykh informed me -that his peaceful errand on that occasion was to determine a claim of -blood-money amongst the neighbouring Bedouins. The case was rich in Somali -manners. One man gave medicine to another who happened to die about a -month afterwards: the father of the deceased at once charged the mediciner -with poisoning, and demanded the customary fine. Mad Said grumbled certain -disrespectful expressions about the propriety of divines confining -themselves to prayers and the Koran, whilst the Gerad Adan, after -listening to the Shaykh's violent denunciation of the Somali doctrine, -"Fire, but not shame!" [4] conducted his head-scratcher, and with sly -sarcasm declared that he had been Islamized afresh that day. - -On Sunday, the 21st of January, our messenger returned from Harar, -bringing with him supplies for the road: my vocabulary was finished, and -as nothing delayed us at Wilensi, I determined to set out the next day. -When the rumour went abroad every inhabitant of the village flocked to our -hut, with the view of seeing what he could beg or borrow: we were soon -obliged to close it, with peremptory orders that none be admitted but the -Shaykh Jami. The divine appeared in the afternoon accompanied by all the -incurables of the country side: after hearing the tale of the blood-money, -I determined that talismans were the best and safest of medicines in those -mountains. The Shaykh at first doubted their efficacy. But when my diploma -as a master Sufi was exhibited, a new light broke upon him and his -attendant Widads. "Verily he hath declared himself this day!" whispered -each to his neighbour, still sorely mystified. Shaykh Jami carefully -inspected the document, raised it reverently to his forehead, and muttered -some prayers: he then in humble phrase begged a copy, and required from me -"Ijazah" or permission to act as master. The former request was granted -without hesitation, about the latter I preferred to temporize: he then -owned himself my pupil, and received, as a well-merited acknowledgment of -his services, a pencil and a silk turban. - -The morning fixed for our departure came; no one, however, seemed ready to -move. The Hammal, who but the night before had been full of ardour and -activity, now hung back; we had no coffee, no water-bags, and Deenarzade -had gone to buy gourds in some distant village. This was truly African: -twenty-six days had not sufficed to do the work of a single watch! No -servants had been procured for us by the Gerad, although he had promised a -hundred whenever required. Long Guled had imprudently lent his dagger to -the smooth-tongued Yusuf Dera, who hearing of the departure, naturally -absconded. And, at the last moment, one Abdy Aman, who had engaged himself -at Harar as guide to Berberah for the sum of ten dollars, asked a score. - -A display of energy was clearly necessary. I sent the Gerad with -directions to bring the camels at once, and ordered the Hammal to pull -down the huts. Abdy Aman was told to go to Harar--or the other place--Long -Guled was promised another dagger at Berberah; a message was left -directing Deenarzade to follow, and the word was given to load. - -By dint of shouting and rough language, the caravan was ready at 9 A.M. -The Gerad Adan and his ragged tail leading, we skirted the eastern side of -Wilensi, and our heavily laden camels descended with pain the rough and -stony slope of the wide Kloof dividing it from the Marar Prairie. At 1 -P.M. the chief summoned us to halt: we pushed on, however, without -regarding him. Presently, Long Guled and the End of Time were missing; -contrary to express orders they had returned to seek the dagger. To ensure -discipline, on this occasion I must have blown out the long youth's -brains, which were, he declared, addled by the loss of his weapon: the -remedy appeared worse than the disease. - -Attended only by the Hammal, I entered with pleasure the Marar Prairie. In -vain the Gerad entreated us not to venture upon a place swarming with -lions; vainly he promised to kill sheep and oxen for a feast;--we took -abrupt leave of him, and drove away the camels. - -Journeying slowly over the skirt of the plain, when rejoined by the -truants, we met a party of travellers, who, as usual, stopped to inquire -the news. Their chief, mounted upon an old mule, proved to be Madar Farih, -a Somali well known at Aden. He consented to accompany us as far as the -halting place, expressed astonishment at our escaping Harar, and gave us -intelligence which my companions judged grave. The Gerad Hirsi of the -Berteri, amongst whom Madar had been living, was incensed with us for -leaving the direct road. Report informed him, moreover, that we had given -600 dollars and various valuables to the Gerad Adan,--Why then had he been -neglected? Madar sensibly advised us to push forward that night, and to -'ware the bush, whence Midgans might use their poisoned arrows. - -We alighted at the village formerly beneath Gurays, now shifted to a short -distance from those hills. Presently appeared Deenarzade, hung round with -gourds and swelling with hurt feelings: she was accompanied by Dahabo, -sister of the valiant Beuh, who, having for ever parted from her graceless -husband, the Gerad, was returning under our escort to the Gurgi of her -family. Then came Yusuf Dera with a smiling countenance and smooth -manners, bringing the stolen dagger and many excuses for the mistake; he -was accompanied by a knot of kinsmen deputed by the Gerad as usual for no -good purpose. That worthy had been informed that his Berteri rival offered -a hundred cows for our persons, dead or alive: he pathetically asked my -attendants "Do you love your pilgrim?" and suggested that if they did so, -they might as well send him a little more cloth, upon the receipt of which -he would escort us with fifty horsemen. - -My Somal lent a willing ear to a speech which smelt of falsehood a mile -off: they sat down to debate; the subject was important, and for three -mortal hours did that palaver endure. I proposed proceeding at once. They -declared that the camels could not walk, and that the cold of the prairie -was death to man. Pointing to a caravan of grain-carriers that awaited our -escort, I then spoke of starting next morning. Still they hesitated. At -length darkness came on, and knowing it to be a mere waste of time to -debate over night about dangers to be faced next day, I ate my dates and -drank my milk, and lay down to enjoy tranquil sleep in the deep silence of -the desert. - -The morning of the 23rd of January found my companions as usual in a state -of faint-heartedness. The Hammal was deputed to obtain permission for -fetching the Gerad and all the Gerad's men. This was positively refused. I -could not, however, object to sending sundry Tobes to the cunning idiot, -in order to back up a verbal request for the escort. Thereupon Yusuf Dera, -Madar Farih, and the other worthies took leave, promising to despatch the -troop before noon: I saw them depart with pleasure, feeling that we had -bade adieu to the Girhis. The greatest danger we had run was from the -Gerad Adan, a fact of which I was not aware till some time after my return -to Berberah: he had always been plotting an _avanie_ which, if attempted, -would have cost him dear, but at the same time would certainly have proved -fatal to us. - -Noon arrived, but no cavalry. My companions had promised that if -disappointed they would start before nightfall and march till morning. But -when the camels were sent for, one, as usual if delay was judged -advisable, had strayed: they went in search of him, so as to give time for -preparation to the caravan. I then had a sharp explanation with my men, -and told them in conclusion that it was my determination to cross the -Prairie alone, if necessary, on the morrow. - -That night heavy clouds rolled down from the Gurays Hills, and veiled the -sky with a deeper gloom. Presently came a thin streak of blue lightning -and a roar of thunder, which dispersed like flies the mob of gazers from -around my Gurgi; then rain streamed through our hut as though we had been -dwelling under a system of cullenders. Deenarzade declared herself too ill -to move; Shehrazade swore that she would not work: briefly, that night was -by no means pleasantly spent. - -At dawn, on the 24th, we started across the Marar Prairie with a caravan -of about twenty men and thirty women, driving camels, carrying grain, -asses, and a few sheep. The long straggling line gave a "wide berth" to -the doughty Hirsi and his Berteris, whose camp-fires were clearly visible -in the morning grey. The air was raw; piles of purple cloud settled upon -the hills, whence cold and damp gusts swept the plain; sometimes we had a -shower, at others a Scotch mist, which did not fail to penetrate our thin -raiment. My people trembled, and their teeth chattered as though they were -walking upon ice. In our slow course we passed herds of quagga and -gazelles, but the animals were wild, and both men and mules were unequal -to the task of stalking them. About midday we closed up, for our path -wound through the valley wooded with Acacia,--fittest place for an -ambuscade of archers. We dined in the saddle on huge lumps of sun-dried -beef, and bits of gum gathered from the trees. - -Having at length crossed the prairie without accident, the caravan people -shook our hands, congratulated one another, and declared that they owed -their lives to us. About an hour after sunset we arrived at Abtidon's -home, a large kraal at the foot of the Konti cone: fear of lions drove my -people into the enclosure, where we passed a night of scratching. I was -now haunted by the dread of a certain complaint for which sulphur is said -to be a specific. This is the pest of the inner parts of Somali-land; the -people declare it to arise from flies and fleas: the European would derive -it from the deficiency, or rather the impossibility, of ablutions. - -"Allah help the Goer, but the Return is Rolling:" this adage was ever upon -the End of Time's tongue, yet my fate was apparently an exception to the -general rule. On the 25th January, we were delayed by the weakness of the -camels, which had been half starved in the Girhi mountains. And as we were -about to enter the lands of the Habr Awal [5], then at blood feud with my -men, all Habr Gerhajis, probably a week would elapse before we could -provide ourselves with a fit and proper protector. Already I had been -delayed ten days after the appointed time, my comrades at Berberah would -be apprehensive of accidents, and although starting from Wilensi we had -resolved to reach the coast within the fortnight, a month's march was in -clear prospect. - -Whilst thus chewing the cud of bitter thought where thought was of scant -avail, suddenly appeared the valiant Beuh, sent to visit us by Dahabo his -gay sister. He informed us that a guide was in the neighbourhood, and the -news gave me an idea. I proposed that he should escort the women, camels, -and baggage under command of the Kalendar to Zayla, whilst we, mounting -our mules and carrying only our arms and provisions for four days, might -push through the lands of the Habr Awal. After some demur all consented. - -It was not without apprehension that I pocketed all my remaining -provisions, five biscuits, a few limes, and sundry lumps of sugar. Any -delay or accident to our mules would starve us; in the first place, we -were about to traverse a desert, and secondly where Habr Awal were, they -would not sell meat or milk to Habr Gerhajis. My attendants provided -themselves with a small provision of sun-dried beef, grain, and -sweetmeats: only one water-bottle, however, was found amongst the whole -party. We arose at dawn after a wet night on the 26th January, but we did -not start till 7 A.M., the reason being that all the party, the Kalendar, -Shehrazade and Deenarzade, claimed and would have his and her several and -distinct palaver. - -Having taken leave of our friends and property [6], we spurred our mules, -and guided by Beuh, rode through cloud and mist towards Koralay the -Saddle-back hill. After an hour's trot over rugged ground falling into the -Harawwah valley, we came to a Gudabirsi village, where my companions -halted to inquire the news, also to distend their stomachs with milk. -Thence we advanced slowly, as the broken path required, through thickets -of wild henna to the kraal occupied by Beuh's family. At a distance we -were descried by an old acquaintance, Fahi, who straightways began to -dance like a little Polyphemus, his shock-wig waving in the air: plentiful -potations of milk again delayed my companions, who were now laying in a -four days' stock. - -Remounting, we resumed our journey over a mass of rock and thicket, -watered our mules at holes in a Fiumara, and made our way to a village -belonging to the Ugaz or chief of the Gudabirsi tribe. He was a middle- -aged man of ordinary presence, and he did not neglect to hold out his hand -for a gift which we could not but refuse. Halting for about an hour, we -persuaded a guide, by the offer of five dollars and a pair of cloths, to -accompany us. "Dubayr"--the Donkey--who belonged to the Bahgobo clan of -the Habr Awal, was a "long Lankin," unable, like all these Bedouins, to -endure fatigue. He could not ride, the saddle cut him, and he found his -mule restive; lately married, he was incapacitated for walking, and he -suffered sadly from thirst. The Donkey little knew, when he promised to -show Berberah on the third day, what he had bound himself to perform: -after the second march he was induced, only by the promise of a large -present, and one continual talk of food, to proceed, and often he threw -his lengthy form upon the ground, groaning that his supreme hour was at -hand. In the land which we were to traverse every man's spear would be -against us. By way of precaution, we ordered our protector to choose -desert roads and carefully to avoid all kraals. At first, not -understanding our reasons, and ever hankering after milk, he could not -pass a thorn fence without eyeing it wistfully. On the next day, however, -he became more tractable, and before reaching Berberah he showed himself, -in consequence of some old blood feud, more anxious even than ourselves to -avoid villages. - -Remounting, under the guidance of the Donkey, we resumed our east-ward -course. He was communicative even for a Somali, and began by pointing out, -on the right of the road, the ruins of a stone-building, called, as -customary in these countries, a fort. Beyond it we came to a kraal, whence -all the inhabitants issued with shouts and cries for tobacco. Three -o'clock P.M. brought us to a broad Fiumara choked with the thickest and -most tangled vegetation: we were shown some curious old Galla wells, deep -holes about twenty feet in diameter, excavated in the rock; some were dry, -others overgrown with huge creepers, and one only supplied us with -tolerable water. The Gudabirsi tribe received them from the Girhi in lieu -of blood-money: beyond this watercourse, the ground belongs to the Rer -Yunis Jibril, a powerful clan of the Habr Awal, and the hills are thickly -studded with thorn-fence and kraal. - -Without returning the salutations of the Bedouins, who loudly summoned us -to stop and give them the news, we trotted forwards in search of a -deserted sheep-fold. At sunset we passed, upon an eminence on our left, -the ruins of an ancient settlement, called after its patron Saint, Ao -Barhe: and both sides of the mountain road were flanked by tracts of -prairie-land, beautifully purpling in the evening air. After a ride of -thirty-five miles, we arrived at a large fold, where, by removing the -inner thorn-fences, we found fresh grass for our starving beasts. The -night was raw and windy, and thick mists deepened into a drizzle, which -did not quench our thirst, but easily drenched the saddle cloths, our only -bedding. In one sense, however, the foul weather was propitious to us. Our -track might easily have been followed by some enterprising son of Yunis -Jibril; these tracts of thorny bush are favourite places for cattle -lifting; moreover the fire was kept blazing all night, yet our mules were -not stolen. - -We shook off our slumbers before dawn on the 27th. I remarked near our -resting-place, one of those detached heaps of rock, common enough in the -Somali country: at one extremity a huge block projects upwards, and -suggests the idea of a gigantic canine tooth. The Donkey declared that the -summit still bears traces of building, and related the legend connected -with Moga Medir. [7] There, in times of old, dwelt a Galla maiden whose -eye could distinguish a plundering party at the distance of five days' -march. The enemies of her tribe, after sustaining heavy losses, hit upon -the expedient of an attack, not _en chemise_, but with their heads muffled -in bundles of hay. When Moga, the maiden, informed her sire and clan that -a prairie was on its way towards the hill, they deemed her mad; the -manoeuvre succeeded, and the unhappy seer lost her life. The legend -interested me by its wide diffusion. The history of Zarka, the blue-eyed -witch of the Jadis tribe, who seized Yemamah by her gramarye, and our -Scotch tale of Birnam wood's march, are Asiatic and European facsimiles of -African "Moga's Tooth." - -At 7 A.M. we started through the mist, and trotted eastwards in search of -a well. The guide had deceived us: the day before he had promised water at -every half mile; he afterwards owned with groans that we should not drink -before nightfall. These people seem to lie involuntarily: the habit of -untruth with them becomes a second nature. They deceive without object for -deceit, and the only way of obtaining from them correct information is to -inquire, receive the answer, and determine it to be diametrically opposed -to fact. - -I will not trouble you, dear L., with descriptions of the uniform and -uninteresting scenery through which we rode,--horrid hills upon which -withered aloes brandished their spears, plains apparently rained upon by a -shower of stones, and rolling ground abounding only with thorns like the -"wait-a-bits" of Kafir land, created to tear man's skin or clothes. Our -toil was rendered doubly toilsome by the Eastern travellers' dread--the -demon of Thirst rode like Care behind us. For twenty-four hours we did not -taste water, the sun parched our brains, the mirage mocked us at every -turn, and the effect was a species of monomania. As I jogged along with -eyes closed against the fiery air, no image unconnected with the want -suggested itself. Water ever lay before me--water lying deep in the shady -well--water in streams bubbling icy from the rock--water in pellucid lakes -inviting me to plunge and revel in their treasures. Now an Indian cloud -was showering upon me fluid more precious than molten pearl, then an -invisible hand offered a bowl for which the mortal part would gladly have -bartered years of life. Then--drear contrast!--I opened my eyes to a heat- -reeking plain, and a sky of that eternal metallic blue so lovely to -painter and poet, so blank and deathlike to us, whose [Greek _kalon_] was -tempest, rain-storm, and the huge purple nimbus. I tried to talk--it was -in vain, to sing in vain, vainly to think; every idea was bound up in one -subject, water. [8] - -As the sun sank into the East we descended the wide Gogaysa valley. With -unspeakable delight we saw in the distance a patch of lively green: our -animals scented the blessing from afar, they raised their drooping ears, -and started with us at a canter, till, turning a corner, we suddenly -sighted sundry little wells. To spring from the saddle, to race with our -mules, who now feared not the crumbling sides of the pits, to throw -ourselves into the muddy pools, to drink a long slow draught, and to dash -the water over our burning faces, took less time to do than to recount. A -calmer inspection showed a necessity for caution;--the surface was alive -with tadpoles and insects: prudence, however, had little power at that -time, we drank, and drank, and then drank again. As our mules had fallen -with avidity upon the grass, I proposed to pass a few hours near the well. -My companions, however, pleading the old fear of lions, led the way to a -deserted kraal upon a neighbouring hill. We had marched about thirty miles -eastward, and had entered a safe country belonging to the Bahgoba, our -guide's clan. - -At sunrise on the 28th of January, the Donkey, whose limbs refused to -work, was lifted into the saddle, declaring that the white man must have -been sent from heaven, as a special curse upon the children of Ishak. We -started, after filling the water-bottle, down the Gogaysa valley. Our -mules were becoming foot-sore, and the saddles had already galled their -backs; we were therefore compelled to the additional mortification of -travelling at snail's pace over the dreary hills, and through the -uninteresting bush. - -About noon we entered Wady Danan, or "The Sour," a deep chasm in the -rocks; the centre is a winding sandy watercourse, here and there grassy -with tall rushes, and affording at every half mile a plentiful supply of -sweet water. The walls of the ravine are steep and rugged, and the thorny -jungle clustering at the sides gives a wild appearance to the scene. -Traces of animals, quagga and gazelle, every where abounded: not being -however, in "Dianic humour," and unwilling to apprise Bedouins of our -vicinity, I did not fire a shot. As we advanced large trees freshly barked -and more tender plants torn up by the roots, showed the late passage of a -herd of elephants: my mule, though the bravest of our beasts, was in a -state of terror all the way. The little grey honey-bird [9] tempted us to -wander with all his art: now he sat upon the nearest tree chirping his -invitation to a feast, then he preceded us with short jerking flights to -point out the path. My people, however, despite the fondness for honey -inherent in the Somali palate [10], would not follow him, deciding that -on, this occasion his motives for inviting us were not of the purest. - -Emerging from the valley, we urged on our animals over comparatively level -ground, in the fallacious hope of seeing the sea that night. The trees -became rarer as we advanced and the surface metallic. In spots the path -led over ironstone that resembled slag. In other places the soil was -ochre-coloured [11]: the cattle lick it, probably on account of the -aluminous matter with which it is mixed. Everywhere the surface was burnt -up by the sun, and withered from want of rain. Towards evening we entered -a broad slope called by the Somal Dihh Murodi, or Murodilay, the -Elephants' Valley. Crossing its breadth from west to east, we traversed -two Fiumaras, the nearer "Hamar," the further "Las Dorhhay," or the -Tamarisk waterholes. They were similar in appearance, the usual Wady about -100 yards wide, pearly sand lined with borders of leek green, pitted with -dry wells around which lay heaps of withered thorns and a herd of gazelles -tripping gracefully over the quartz carpet. - -After spanning the valley we began to ascend the lower slopes of a high -range, whose folds formed like a curtain the bold background of the view. -This is the landward face of the Ghauts, over which we were to pass before -sighting the sea. Masses of cold grey cloud rolled from the table-formed -summit, we were presently shrouded in mist, and as we advanced, rain began -to fall. The light of day vanishing, we again descended into a Fiumara -with a tortuous and rocky bed, the main drain of the landward mountain -side. My companions, now half-starved,--they had lived through three days -on a handful of dates and sweetmeats,--devoured with avidity the wild -Jujube berries that strewed the stones. The guide had preceded us: when we -came up with him, he was found seated upon a grassy bank on the edge of -the rugged torrent bed. We sprang in pleased astonishment from the saddle, -dire had been the anticipations that our mules,--one of them already -required driving with the spear,--would, after another night of -starvation, leave us to carry their loads upon our own hacks. The cause of -the phenomenon soon revealed itself. In the rock was a hole about two feet -wide, whence a crystal sheet welled over the Fiumara bank, forming a -paradise for frog and tadpole. This "Ga'angal" is considered by the Somal -a "fairies' well:" all, however, that the Donkey could inform me was, that -when the Nomads settle in the valley, the water sinks deep below the -earth--a knot which methinks might be unravelled without the interposition -of a god. The same authority declared it to be the work of the "old -ancient" Arabs. - -The mules fell hungrily upon the succulent grass, and we, with the most -frugal of suppers, prepared to pass the rainy night. Presently, however, -the doves and Katas [12], the only birds here requiring water, approached -in flights, and fearing to drink, fluttered around us with shrill cries. -They suggested to my companions the possibility of being visited in sleep -by more formidable beasts, and even man: after a short halt, an advance -was proposed; and this was an offer which, on principle, I never refused. -We remounted our mules, now refreshed and in good spirits, and began to -ascend the stony face of the Eastern hill through a thick mist, deepening -the darkness. As we reached the bleak summit, a heavy shower gave my -companions a pretext to stop: they readily found a deserted thorn fence, -in which we passed a wet night. That day we had travelled at least thirty- -five miles without seeing the face of man: the country was parched to a -cinder for want of water, and all the Nomads had migrated to the plains. - -The morning of the 29th January was unusually fine: the last night's rain -hung in masses of mist about the hill-sides, and the rapid evaporation -clothed the clear background with deep blue. We began the day by ascending -a steep goat-track: it led to a sandy Fiumara, overgrown with Jujubes and -other thorns, abounding in water, and showing in the rocky sides, caverns -fit for a race of Troglodytes. Pursuing the path over a stony valley lying -between parallel ranges of hill, we halted at about 10 A.M. in a large -patch of grass-land, the produce of the rain, which for some days past had -been fertilising the hill-tops. Whilst our beasts grazed greedily, we sat -under a bush, and saw far beneath us the low country which separates the -Ghauts from the sea. Through an avenue in the rolling nimbus, we could -trace the long courses of Fiumaras, and below, where mist did not obstruct -the sight, the tawny plains, cut with watercourses glistening white, shone -in their eternal summer. - -Shortly after 10 A.M., we resumed our march, and began the descent of the -Ghauts by a ravine to which the guide gave the name of 'Kadar.' No sandy -watercourse, the 'Pass' of this barbarous land, here facilitates the -travellers' advance: the rapid slope of the hill presents a succession of -blocks and boulders piled one upon the other in rugged steps, apparently -impossible to a laden camel. This ravine, the Splugen of Somaliland, led -us, after an hour's ride, to the Wady Duntu, a gigantic mountain-cleft -formed by the violent action of torrents. The chasm winds abruptly between -lofty walls of syenite and pink granite, glittering with flaky mica, and -streaked with dykes and veins of snowy quartz: the strata of the -sandstones that here and there projected into the bed were wonderfully -twisted around a central nucleus, as green boughs might be bent about a -tree. Above, the hill-tops towered in the air, here denuded of vegetable -soil by the heavy monsoon, there clothed from base to brow with gum trees, -whose verdure was delicious to behold. The channel was now sandy, then -flagged with limestone in slippery sheets, or horrid with rough boulders: -at times the path was clear and easy; at others, a precipice of twenty or -thirty feet, which must be a little cataract after rain, forced us to -fight our way through the obstinate thorns that defended some spur of -ragged hill. As the noontide heat, concentrated in this funnel, began to -affect man and beast, we found a granite block, under whose shady brow -clear water, oozing from the sand, formed a natural bath, and sat there -for a while to enjoy the spectacle and the atmosphere, perfumed, as in -part of Persia and Northern Arabia, by the aromatic shrubs of the desert. - -After a short half-hour, we remounted and pursued our way down the Duntu -chasm. As we advanced, the hills shrank in size, the bed became more -level, and the walls of rock, gradually widening out, sank into the plain. -Brisk and elastic above, the air, here soft, damp, and tepid, and the sun -burning with a more malignant heat, convinced us that we stood once more -below the Ghauts. For two hours we urged our mules in a south-east -direction down the broad and winding Fiumara, taking care to inspect every -well, but finding them all full of dry sand. Then turning eastwards, we -crossed a plain called by the Donkey "Battaladayti Taranay"--the Flats of -Taranay--an exact representation of the maritime regions about Zayla. -Herds of camels and flocks of milky sheep browsing amongst thorny Acacia -and the tufted Kulan, suggested pleasing visions to starving travellers, -and for the first time after three days of hard riding, we saw the face of -man. The shepherds, Mikahil of the Habr Awal tribe, all fled as we -approached: at last one was bold enough to stand and deliver the news. My -companions were refreshed by good reports: there had been few murders, and -the sea-board was tolerably clear of our doughty enemies, the Ayyal Ahmed. -We pricked over the undulating growth of parched grass, shaping our -course for Jebel Almis, to sailors the chief landmark of this coast, and -for a certain thin blue stripe on the far horizon, upon which we gazed -with gladdened eyes. - -Our road lay between low brown hills of lime and sandstone, the Sub-Ghauts -forming a scattered line between the maritime mountains and the sea. -Presently the path was choked by dense scrub of the Arman Acacia: its -yellow blossoms scented the air, but hardly made amends for the injuries -of a thorn nearly two inches long, and tipped with a wooden point sharp as -a needle. Emerging, towards evening, from this bush, we saw large herds of -camels, and called their guardians to come and meet us. For all reply they -ran like ostriches to the nearest rocks, tittering the cry of alarm, and -when we drew near each man implored us to harry his neighbour's cattle. -Throughout our wanderings in Somaliland this had never occurred: it -impressed me strongly with the disturbed state of the regions inhabited by -the Habr Awal. After some time we persuaded a Bedouin who, with frantic -gestures, was screaming and flogging his camels, to listen: reassured by -our oaths, he declared himself to be a Bahgoba, and promised to show us a -village of the Ayyal Gedid. The Hammal, who had married a daughter of this -clan, and had constituted his father-in-law my protector at Berberah, made -sure of a hospitable reception: "To-night we shall sleep under cover and -drink milk," quoth one hungry man to another, who straightways rejoined, -"And we shall eat mutton!" - -After dark we arrived at a kraal, we unsaddled our mules and sat down near -it, indulging in Epicurean anticipations. Opposite us, by the door of a -hut, was a group of men who observed our arrival, but did not advance or -salute us. Impatient, I fired a pistol, when a gruff voice asked why we -disturbed the camels that were being milked. "We have fallen upon the -Ayyal Shirdon"--our bitterest enemies--whispered the End of Time. The same -voice then demanded in angrier accents, "Of what tribe be ye?" We boldly -answered, "Of the Habr Gerhajis." Thereupon ensued a war of words. The -Ayyal Shirdon inquired what we wanted, where we had been, and how we -dared, seeing that peace had not been concluded between the tribes, to -enter their lands. We replied civilly as our disappointment would permit, -but apparently gained little by soft words. The inhospitable Bedouins -declared our arrival to be in the seventeenth house of Geomancy--an advent -probable as the Greek Kalends--and rudely insisted upon knowing what had -taken us to Harar. At last, a warrior, armed with two spears, came to meet -us, and bending down recognized the End of Time: after a few short -sentences he turned on his heel and retired. I then directed Long Guled to -approach the group, and say that a traveller was at their doors ready and -willing to give tobacco in exchange for a draught of milk. They refused -point-blank, and spoke of fighting: we at once made ready with our -weapons, and showing the plain, bade them come on and receive a "belly -full." During the lull which followed this obliging proposal we saddled -our mules and rode off, in the grimmest of humours, loudly cursing the -craven churls who knew not the value of a guest. - -We visited successively three villages of the Ayyal Gedid: the Hammal -failed to obtain even a drop of water from his connexions, and was taunted -accordingly. He explained their inhospitality by the fact that all the -warriors being at Berberah, the villages contained nothing but women, -children, servants, and flocks. The Donkey when strictly questioned -declared that no well nearer than Bulhar was to be found: as men and mules -were faint with thirst, I determined to push forward to water that night. -Many times the animals were stopped, a mute hint that they could go no -further: I spurred onwards, and the rest, as on such occasions they had -now learned to do, followed without a word. Our path lay across a plain -called Banka Hadla, intersected in many places by deep watercourses, and -thinly strewed with Kulan clumps. The moon arose, but cast a cloud-veiled -and uncertain light: our path, moreover, was not clear, as the guide, worn -out by fatigue, tottered on far in the rear. - -About midnight we heard--delightful sound!--the murmur of the distant sea. -Revived by the music, we pushed on more cheerily. At last the Donkey -preceded us, and about 3 A.M. we found, in a Fiumara, some holes which -supplied us with bitter water, truly delicious after fifteen hours of -thirst. Repeated draughts of the element, which the late rains had -rendered potable, relieved our pain, and hard by we found a place where -coarse stubbly grass saved our mules from starvation. Then rain coming on, -we coiled ourselves under the saddle cloths, and, reckless alike of Ayyal -Ahmed and Ayyal Shirdon, slept like the dead. - -At dawn on the 30th January, I arose and inspected the site of Bulhar. It -was then deserted, a huge heap of bleached bones being the only object -suggestive of a settlement. This, at different times, has been a thriving -place, owing to its roadstead, and the feuds of Berberah: it was generally -a village of Gurgis, with some stone-houses built by Arabs. The coast, -however, is open and havenless, and the Shimal wind, feared even at the -Great Port, here rages with resistless violence. Yet the place revives -when plundering parties render the plain unsafe: the timid merchants here -embark their goods and persons, whilst their camels are marched round the -bay. - -Mounting at 6 A.M. we started slowly along the sea coast, and frequently -halted on the bushy Fiumara-cut plain. About noon we bathed in the sea, -and sat on the sands for a while, my people praying for permission to pass -the kraals of their enemies, the Ayyal Ahmed, by night. This, their last -request, was graciously granted: to say sooth, rapid travelling was now -impossible; the spear failed to urge on one mule, and the Hammal was -obliged to flog before him another wretched animal. We then traversed an -alluvial plain, lately flooded, where slippery mud doubled the fatigue of -our cattle; and, at 3 P.M., again halted on a patch of grass below the -rocky spur of Dabasenis, a hill half way between Bulhar and Berberah. On -the summit I was shown an object that makes travellers shudder, a thorn- -tree, under which the Habr Gerhajis [13] and their friends of the Eesa -Musa sit, vulture-like, on the look-out for plunder and murder. Advancing -another mile, we came to some wells, where we were obliged to rest our -animals. Having there finished our last mouthful of food, we remounted, -and following the plain eastward, prepared for a long night-march. - -As the light of day waned we passed on the right hand a table-formed hill, -apparently a detached fragment of the sub-Ghauts or coast range. This spot -is celebrated in local legends as "Auliya Kumbo," the Mount of Saints, -where the forty-four Arab Santons sat in solemn conclave before dispersing -over the Somali country to preach El Islam. It lies about six hours of -hard walking from Berberah. - -At midnight we skirted Bulho Faranji, the Franks' Watering-place [14], a -strip of ground thickly covered with trees. Abounding in grass and water, -it has been the site of a village: when we passed it, however, all was -desert. By the moon's light we descried, as we silently skirted the sea, -the kraals and folds of our foe the Ayyal Ahmed, and at times we could -distinguish the lowing of their cattle: my companions chuckled hugely at -the success of their manoeuvre, and perhaps not without reason. At -Berberah we were afterwards informed that a shepherd in the bush had -witnessed and reported our having passed, when the Ayyal Ahmed cursed the -star that had enabled us to slip unhurt through their hands. - -Our mules could scarcely walk: after every bow-shot they rolled upon the -ground and were raised only by the whip. A last halt was called when -arrived within four miles of Berberah: the End of Time and Long Guled, -completely worn out, fell fast asleep upon the stones. Of all the party -the Hammal alone retained strength and spirits: the sturdy fellow talked, -sang, and shouted, and, whilst the others could scarcely sit their mules, -he danced his war-dance and brandished his spear. I was delighted with his -"pluck." - -Now a long dark line appears upon the sandy horizon--it grows more -distinct in the shades of night--the silhouettes of shipping appear -against sea and sky. A cry of joy bursts from every mouth: cheer, boys, -cheer, our toils here touch their end! - -The End of Time first listened to the small still voice of Caution. He -whispered anxiously to make no noise lest enemies might arise, that my -other attendants had protectors at Berberah, but that he, the hated and -feared, as the _locum tenens_ of Sharmarkay,--the great _bete noire_,-- -depended wholly upon my defence. The Donkey led us slowly and cautiously -round the southern quarter of the sleeping town, through bone heaps and -jackals tearing their unsavoury prey: at last he marched straight into the -quarter appropriated to the Ayyal Gedid our protectors. Anxiously I -inquired if my comrades had left Berberah, and heard with delight that -they awaited me there. It was then 2 A.M. and we had marched at least -forty miles. The Somal, when in fear of forays, drive laden camels over -this distance in about ten hours. - -I dismounted at the huts where my comrades were living. A glad welcome, a -dish of rice, and a glass of strong waters--pardon dear L., these details ---made amends for past privations and fatigue. The servants and the -wretched mules were duly provided for, and I fell asleep, conscious of -having performed a feat which, like a certain ride to York, will live in -local annals for many and many a year. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] It is an Arab as well as a Somali ceremony to throw a little Kaliyah -or Salul (toasted grain) over the honored traveller when he enters hut or -tent. - -[2] Bread made of holcus grain dried and broken into bits; it is thrown -into broth or hot water, and thus readily supplies the traveller with a -wholesome _panade_. - -[3] The Somal invariably call Berberah the "Sahil," (meaning in Arabic the -sea-shore,) as Zayla with them is "Audal," and Harar "Adari." - -[4] "Al Nar wa la al Ar," an Arabic maxim, somewhat more forcible than our -"death rather than dishonor." - -[5] This is the second great division of the Somal people, the father of -the tribe being Awal, the cadet of Ishak el Hazrami. - -The Habr Awal occupy the coast from Zayla and Siyaro to the lands -bordering upon the Berteri tribe. They own the rule of a Gerad, who -exercises merely a nominal authority. The late chief's name was "Bon," he -died about four years ago, but his children have not yet received the -turban. The royal race is the Ayyal Abdillah, a powerful clan extending -from the Dabasanis Hills to near Jigjiga, skirting the Marar Prairie. - -The Habr Awal are divided into a multitude of clans: of these I shall -specify only the principal, the subject of the maritime Somal being -already familiar to our countrymen. The Esa Musa inhabit part of the -mountains south of Berberah. The Mikahil tenant the lowlands on the coast -from Berberah to Siyaro. Two large clans, the Ayyal Yunis and the Ayyal -Ahmed, have established themselves in Berberah and at Bulhar. Besides -these are the Ayyal Abdillah Saad, the Ayyal Geraato, who live amongst the -Ayyal Yunis,--the Bahgobo and the Ayyal Hamed. - -[6] My property arrived safe at Aden after about two months. The mule left -under the Kalendar's charge never appeared, and the camels are, I believe, -still grazing among the Eesa. The fair Shehrazade, having amassed a little -fortune, lost no time in changing her condition, an example followed in -due time by Deenarzade. And the Kalendar, after a visit to Aden, returned -to electrify his Zayla friends with long and terrible tales of travel. - -[7] "Moga's eye-tooth." - -[8] As a rule, twelve hours without water in the desert during hot -weather, kill a man. I never suffered severely from thirst but on this -occasion; probably it was in consequence of being at the time but in weak -health. - -[9] I have never shot this feathered friend of man, although frequent -opportunities presented themselves. He appears to be the Cuculus Indicator -(le Coucou Indicateur) and the Om-Shlanvo of the Kafirs; the Somal call -him Maris. Described by Father Lobo and Bruce, he is treated as a myth by -Le Vaillant; M. Wiedman makes him cry "Shirt! Shirt! Shirt!" Dr. Sparrman -"Tcherr! Tcherr!" Mr. Delegorgue "Chir! Chir! Chir!" His note suggested to -me the shrill chirrup of a sparrow, and his appearance that of a -greenfinch. - -Buffon has repeated what a traveller had related, namely, that the honey- -bird is a little traitor who conducts men into ambuscades prepared by wild -beasts. The Lion-Slayer in S. Africa asserts it to be the belief of -Hottentots and the interior tribes, that the bird often lures the unwary -pursuer to danger, sometimes guiding him to the midday retreat of a -grizzly lion, or bringing him suddenly upon the den of the crouching -panther. M. Delegorgue observes that the feeble bird probably seeks aid in -removing carrion for the purpose of picking up flies and worms; he acquits -him of malice prepense, believing that where the prey is, there -carnivorous beasts may be met. - -The Somal, however, carry their superstition still farther. The honey-bird -is never trusted by them; he leads, they say, either to the lions' den or -the snakes' hiding-place, and often guides his victim into the jaws of the -Kaum or plundering party. - -[10] The Somal have several kinds of honey. The Donyale or wasp-honey, is -scanty and bad; it is found in trees and obtained by smoking and cutting -the branch. The Malab Shinni or bee-honey, is either white, red or brown; -the first is considered the most delicate in flavour. - -[11] The Somal call it Arrah As. - -[12] The sand-grouse of Egypt and Arabia, the rock-pigeon of Sindh and the -surrounding countries. - -[13] The Habr Gerhajis, or eldest branch of the sons of Ishak (generally -including the children of "Arab"), inhabit the Ghauts behind Berberah, -whence they extend for several days' march towards Ogadayn, the southern -region. This tribe is divided into a multitude of clans. The Ismail Arrah -supply the Sultan, a nominal chief like the Eesa Ugaz; they extend from -Makhar to the south of Gulays, number about 15,000 shields and are -subdivided into three septs. The Musa Arrah hold the land between Gulays -and the seats of the Mijjarthayn and Warsangeli tribes on the windward -coast. The Ishak Arrah count 5000 or 6000 shields, and inhabit the Gulays -Range. The other sons of Arrah (the fourth in descent from Ishak), namely, -Mikahil, Gambah, Daudan, and others, also became founders of small clans. -The Ayyal Daud, facetiously called "Idagallah" or earth-burrowers, and -sprung from the second son of Gerhajis, claim the country south of the -Habr Awal, reckon about 4000 shields, and are divided into 11 or 12 septs. - -As has been noticed, the Habr Gerhajis have a perpetual blood feud with -the Habr Awal, and, even at Aden, they have fought out their quarrels with -clubs and stones. Yet as cousins they willingly unite against a common -enemy, the Eesa for instance, and become the best of friends. - -[14] So called from the Mary Anne brig, here plundered in 1825. - - - - -CHAP. X. - -BERBERAH AND ITS ENVIRONS. - - -It is interesting to compare the earliest with the latest account of the -great emporium of Eastern Africa. - -Bartema, writing in the sixteenth century "of Barbara and the Island of -Ethiope," offers the following brief description:--"After that the -tempests were appeased, we gave wind to our sails, and in short time -arrived at an island named Barbara, the prince whereof is a Mahometan. [1] -The island is not great but fruitful and well peopled: it hath abundance -of flesh. The inhabitants are of colour inclining to black. All their -riches is in herds of cattle." - -Lieut. Cruttenden of the I. N., writing in 1848, thus describes the -place:--"The annual fair is one of the most interesting sights on the -coast, if only from the fact of many different and distant tribes being -drawn together for a short time, to be again scattered in all directions. -Before the towers of Berbera were built [2], the place from April to the -early part of October was utterly deserted, not even a fisherman being -found there; but no sooner did the season change, than the inland tribes -commenced moving down towards the coast, and preparing their huts for -their expected visitors. Small craft from the ports of Yemen, anxious to -have an opportunity of purchasing before vessels from the gulf could -arrive, hastened across, followed about a fortnight to three weeks later -by their larger brethren from Muscat, Soor, and Ras el Khyma, and the -valuably freighted Bagalas [3] from Bahrein, Bussorah, and Graen. Lastly, -the fat and wealthy Banian traders from Porebunder, Mandavie, and Bombay, -rolled across in their clumsy Kotias [3], and with a formidable row of -empty ghee jars slung over the quarters of their vessels, elbowed -themselves into a permanent position in the front tier of craft in the -harbour, and by their superior capital, cunning, and influence soon -distanced all competitors." - -"During the height of the fair, Berbera is a perfect Babel, in confusion -as in languages: no chief is acknowledged, and the customs of bygone days -are the laws of the place. Disputes between the inland tribes daily arise, -and are settled by the spear and dagger, the combatants retiring to the -beach at a short distance from the town, in order that they may not -disturb the trade. Long strings of camels are arriving and departing day -and night, escorted generally by women alone, until at a distance from the -town; and an occasional group of dusky and travel-worn children marks the -arrival of the slave Cafila from Hurrur and Efat." - -"At Berbera, the Gurague and Hurrur slave merchant meets his correspondent -from Bussorah, Bagdad, or Bunder Abbas; and the savage Gidrbeersi -(Gudabirsi), with his head tastefully ornamented with a scarlet sheepskin -in lieu of a wig, is seen peacefully bartering his ostrich feathers and -gums with the smooth-spoken Banian from Porebunder, who prudently living -on board his ark, and locking up his puggree [4], which would infallibly -be knocked off the instant he was seen wearing it, exhibits but a small -portion of his wares at a time, under a miserable mat spread on the -beach." - -"By the end of March the fair is nearly at a close, and craft of all -kinds, deeply laden, and sailing generally in parties of three and four, -commence their homeward journey. The Soori boats are generally the last to -leave, and by the first week in April, Berbera is again deserted, nothing -being left to mark the site of a town lately containing 20,000 -inhabitants, beyond bones of slaughtered camels and sheep, and the -framework of a few huts, which is carefully piled on the beach in -readiness for the ensuing year. Beasts of prey now take the opportunity to -approach the sea: lions are commonly seen at the town well during the hot -weather; and in April last year, but a week after the fair had ended, I -observed three ostriches quietly walking on the beach." [5] - -Of the origin of Berberah little is known. El Firuzabadi derives it, with -great probability, from two Himyar chiefs of Southern Arabia. [6] About -A.D. 522 the troops of Anushirwan expelled the Abyssinians from Yemen, and -re-established there a Himyari prince under vassalage of the Persian -Monarch. Tradition asserts the port to have been occupied in turns by the -Furs [7], the Arabs, the Turks, the Gallas, and the Somal. And its future -fortunes are likely to be as varied as the past. - -The present decadence of Berberah is caused by petty internal feuds. -Gerhajis the eldest son of Ishak el Hazrami, seized the mountain ranges of -Gulays and Wagar lying about forty miles behind the coast, whilst Awal, -the cadet, established himself and his descendants upon the lowlands from -Berberah to Zayla. Both these powerful tribes assert a claim to the -customs and profits of the port on the grounds that they jointly conquered -it from the Gallas. [8] The Habr Awal, however, being in possession, would -monopolize the right: a blood feud rages, and the commerce of the place -suffers from the dissensions of the owners. - -Moreover the Habr Awal tribe is not without internal feuds. Two kindred -septs, the Ayyal Yunis Nuh and the Ayyal Ahmed Nuh [9], established -themselves originally at Berberah. The former, though the more numerous, -admitted the latter for some years to a participation of profits, but when -Aden, occupied by the British, rendered the trade valuable, they drove out -the weaker sept, and declared themselves sole "Abbans" to strangers during -the fair. A war ensued. The sons of Yunis obtained aid of the Mijjarthayn -tribe. The sons of Ahmed called in the Habr Gerhajis, especially the Musa -Arrah clan, to which the Hajj Sharmarkay belongs, and, with his -assistance, defeated and drove out the Ayyal Yunis. These, flying from -Berberah, settled at the haven of Bulhar, and by their old connection with -the Indian and other foreign traders, succeeded in drawing off a -considerable amount of traffic. But the roadstead was insecure: many -vessels were lost, and in 1847 the Eesa Somal slaughtered the women and -children of the new-comers, compelling them to sue the Ayyal Ahmed for -peace. Though the feud thus ended, the fact of its having had existence -ensures bad blood: amongst these savages treaties are of no avail, and the -slightest provocation on either side becomes a signal for renewed -hostilities. - - * * * * * - -After this dry disquisition we will return, dear L., to my doings at -Berberah. - -Great fatigue is seldom followed by long sleep. Soon after sunrise I -awoke, hearing loud voices proceeding from a mass of black face and tawny -wig, that blocked up the doorway, pressing forward to see their new -stranger. The Berberah people had been informed by the Donkey of our -having ridden from the Girhi hills in five days: they swore that not only -the thing was impossible, but moreover that we had never sighted Harar. -Having undergone the usual catechising with credit, I left the thatched -hat in which my comrades were living, and proceeded to inspect my -attendants and cattle. The former smiled blandly: they had acquitted -themselves of their trust, they had outwitted the Ayyal Ahmed, who would -be furious thereat, they had filled themselves with dates, rice, and -sugared tea--another potent element of moral satisfaction--and they -trusted that a few days would show them their wives and families. The End -of Time's brow, however, betrayed an _arriere pensee_; once more his -cowardice crept forth, and he anxiously whispered that his existence -depended upon my protection. The poor mules were by no means so easily -restored. Their backs, cut to the bone by the saddles, stood up like those -of angry cats, their heads drooped sadly, and their hams showed red marks -of the spear-point. Directing them to be washed in the sea, dressed with -cold-water bandages, and copiously fed, I proceeded to inspect the -Berberah Plain. - -The "Mother of the Poor," as the Arabs call the place, in position -resembles Zayla. The town,--if such name can be given to what is now a -wretched clump of dirty mat-huts,--is situated on the northern edge of -alluvial ground, sloping almost imperceptibly from the base of the -Southern hills. The rapacity of these short-sighted savages has contracted -its dimensions to about one sixth of its former extent: for nearly a mile -around, the now desert land is strewed with bits of glass and broken -pottery. Their ignorance has chosen the worst position: _Mos Majorum_ is -the Somali code, where father built there son builds, and there shall -grandson build. To the S. and E. lies a saline sand-flat, partially -overflowed by high tides: here are the wells of bitter water, and the -filth and garbage make the spot truly offensive. Northwards the sea-strand -has become a huge cemetery, crowded with graves whose dimensions explain -the Somali legend that once there were giants in the land: tradition -assigns to it the name of Bunder Abbas. Westward, close up to the town, -runs the creek which forms the wealth of Berberah. A long strip of sand -and limestone--the general formation of the coast--defends its length from -the northern gales, the breadth is about three quarters of a mile, and the -depth varies from six to fifteen fathoms near the Ras or Spit at which -ships anchor before putting out to sea. - -Behind the town, and distant about seven miles, lie the Sub-Ghauts, a bold -background of lime and sandstone. Through a broad gap called Duss Malablay -[10] appear in fine weather the granite walls of Wagar and Gulays, whose -altitude by aneroid was found to be 5700 feet above the level of the sea. -[11] On the eastward the Berberah plain is bounded by the hills of Siyaro, -and westwards the heights of Dabasenis limit the prospect. [12] - -It was with astonishment that I reflected upon the impolicy of having -preferred Aden to this place. - -The Emporium of Eastern Africa has a salubrious climate [13], abundance of -sweet water--a luxury to be "fully appreciated only after a residence at -Aden" [14]--a mild monsoon, a fine open country, an excellent harbour, and -a soil highly productive. It is the meeting-place of commerce, has few -rivals, and with half the sums lavished in Arabia upon engineer follies of -stone and lime, the environs might at this time have been covered with -houses, gardens, and trees. - -The Eye of Yemen, to quote Carlyle, is a "mountain of misery towering -sheer up like a bleak Pisgah, with outlooks only into desolation, sand, -salt water, and despair." The camp is in a "Devil's Punchbowl," stiflingly -hot during nine months of the year, and subject to alternations of -sandstorm and Simum, "without either seed, water, or trees," as Ibn -Batutah described it 500 years ago, unproductive for want of rain,--not a -sparrow can exist there, nor will a crow thrive, [15]--and essentially -unhealthy. [16] Our loss in operatives is only equalled by our waste of -rupees; and the general wish of Western India is, that the extinct sea of -fire would, Vesuvius-like, once more convert this dismal cape into a -living crater. - -After a day's rest--physical not spiritual, for the Somal were as usual -disputing violently about the Abbanship [17]--I went with my comrades to -visit an interesting ruin near the town. On the way we were shown pits of -coarse sulphur and alum mixed with sand; in the low lands senna and -colocynth were growing wild. After walking a mile south-south-east, from -present Berberah to a rise in the plain, we found the remains of a small -building about eight yards square divided into two compartments. It is -apparently a Mosque: one portion, the sole of which is raised, shows -traces of the prayer niche; the other might have contained the tomb of -some saint now obsolete, or might have been a fort to protect a -neighbouring tank. The walls are of rubble masonry and mud, revetted with -a coating of cement hard as stone, and mixed with small round pebbles. -[18] Near it is a shallow reservoir of stone and lime, about five yards by -ten, proved by the aqueduct, part of which still remains, to be a tank of -supply. Removing the upper slabs, we found the interior lined with a -deposit of sulphate of lime and choked with fine drift sand; the breadth -is about fifteen inches and the depth nine. After following it fifty yards -toward the hills, we lost the trace; the loose stones had probably been -removed for graves, and the soil may have buried the firmer portion. - -Mounting our mules we then rode in a south-south-east direction towards -the Dubar Hills, The surface of the ground, apparently level, rises about -100 feet per mile. In most parts a soft sand overlying hard loam, like -work _en pise_, limestone and coralline; it shows evidences of inundation: -water-worn stones of a lime almost as compact as marble, pieces of quartz, -selenite, basalt, granite, and syenite in nodules are everywhere sprinkled -over the surface. [19] Here and there torrents from the hills had cut -channels five or six feet below the level, and a thicker vegetation -denoted the lines of bed. The growth of wild plants, scanty near the -coast, became more luxuriant as we approached the hills; the Arman Acacia -flourished, the Kulan tree grew in clumps, and the Tamarisk formed here -and there a dense thicket. Except a few shy antelope, [20] we saw no game. - -A ride of seven or eight miles led us to the dry bed of a watercourse -overgrown with bright green rushes, and known to the people as Dubar Wena, -or Great Dubar. This strip of ground, about half a mile long, collects the -drainage of the hills above it: numerous Las or Pits, in the centre of the -bed, four or five feet deep, abundantly supply the flocks and herds. -Although the surface of the ground, where dry, was white with impure -nitre, the water tasted tolerably sweet. Advancing half a mile over the -southern shoulder of a coarse and shelly mass of limestone, we found the -other rushy swamp, called Dubar Yirr or Little Dubar. A spring of warm and -bitter water flowed from the hill over the surface to a distance of 400 or -500 yards, where it was absorbed by the soil. The temperature of the -sources immediately under the hill was 106 deg. Fahr., the thermometer -standing at 80 deg. in the air, and the aneroid gave an altitude of 728 feet -above the sea. - -The rocks behind these springs were covered with ruins of mosques and -houses. We visited a little tower commanding the source; it was built in -steps, the hill being cut away to form the two lower rooms, and the second -story showed three compartments. The material was rubble and the form -resembled Galla buildings; we found, however, fine mortar mixed with -coarse gravel, bits of glass bottles and blue glazed pottery, articles now -unknown to this part of Africa. On the summit of the highest peak our -guides pointed out remains of another fort similar to the old Turkish -watchtowers at Aden. - -About three quarters of a mile from the Little Dubar, we found the head of -the Berberah Aqueduct. Thrown across a watercourse apparently of low -level, it is here more substantially built than near the beach, and -probably served as a force pipe until the water found a fall. We traced -the line to a distance of ten yards, where it disappeared beneath the -soil, and saw nothing resembling a supply-tank except an irregularly -shaped natural pool. [21] - -A few days afterwards, accompanied by Lieut. Herne, I rode out to inspect -the Biyu Gora or Night-running Water. After advancing about ten miles in a -south-east direction from Berberah, we entered rough and broken ground, -and suddenly came upon a Fiumara about 250 yards broad. The banks were -fringed with Brab and Tamarisk, the Daum palm and green rushes: a clear -sparkling and shallow stream bisected the sandy bed, and smaller branches -wandered over the surface. This river, the main drain of the Ghauts and -Sub-Ghauts, derives its name from the increased volume of the waters -during night: evaporation by day causes the absorption of about a hundred -yards. We found its temperature 73 deg. Fahr. (in the air 78 deg.), and our people -dug holes in the sand instead of drinking from the stream, a proof that -they feared leeches. [22] The taste of the water was bitter and nauseous. -[23] - -Following the course of the Biyu Gora through two low parallel ranges of -conglomerate, we entered a narrow gorge, in which lime and sandstone -abound. The dip of the strata is about 45 deg. west, the strike north and -south. Water springs from under every stone, drops copiously from the -shelves of rock, oozes out of the sand, and bubbles up from the mould. The -temperature is exceedingly variable: in some places the water is icy cold, -in others, the thermometer shows 68 deg. Fahr., in others, 101 deg.--the maximum, -when we visited it, being 126 deg. The colours are equally diverse. Here, the -polished surface of the sandstone is covered with a hoar of salt and -nitre. [24] There, where the stream does not flow, are pools dyed -greenish-black or rust-red by iron sediment. The gorge's sides are a vivid -red: a peculiar creeper hangs from the rocks, and water trickles down its -metallic leaves. The upper cliffs are crowned with tufts of the -dragon's-blood tree. - -Leaving our mules with an attendant, we began to climb the rough and rocky -gorge which, as the breadth diminishes, becomes exceedingly picturesque. -In one part, the side of a limestone hill hundreds of feet in height, has -slipped into the chasm, half filling it with gigantic boulders: through -these the noisy stream whirls, now falling in small cascades, then gliding -over slabs of sheet rock: here it cuts grooved channels and deep basins -clean and sharp as artificial baths in the sandstone, there it flows -quietly down a bed of pure sparkling sand. The high hills above are of a -tawny yellow: the huge boulders, grisly white, bear upon their summits the -drift wood of the last year's inundation. During the monsoon, when a -furious torrent sweeps down from the Wagar Hills, this chasm must afford a -curiously wild spectacle. - -Returning from a toilsome climb, we found some of the Ayyal Ahmed building -near the spot where Biyu Gora is absorbed, the usual small stone tower. -The fact had excited attention at Berberah; the erection was intended to -store grain, but the suspicious savages, the Eesa Musa, and Mikahil, who -hold the land, saw in it an attempt to threaten their liberties. On our -way home we passed through some extensive cemeteries: the tombs were in -good preservation; there was nothing peculiar in their construction, yet -the Somal were positive that they belonged to a race preceding their own. -Near them were some ruins of kilns,--comparatively modern, for bits of -charcoal were mixed with broken pieces of pottery,--and the oblong tracery -of a dwelling-house divided into several compartments: its material was -the sun-dried brick of Central Asia, here a rarity. - -After visiting these ruins there was little to detain me at Berberah. The -town had become intolerable, the heat under a mat hut was extreme, the -wind and dust were almost as bad as Aden, and the dirt perhaps even worse. -As usual we had not a moment's privacy, Arabs as well as the Somal -assuming the right of walking in, sitting down, looking hard, chatting -with one another, and departing. Before the voyage, however, I was called -upon to compose a difficulty upon the subject of Abbanship. The Hammal had -naturally constituted his father-in-law, one Burhale Nuh, of the Ayyal -Gedid, protector to Lieut. Herne and myself. Burhale had proved himself a -rascal: he had been insolent as well as dishonest, and had thrown frequent -obstacles in his employer's way; yet custom does not permit the Abban to -be put away like a wife, and the Hammal's services entitled him to the -fullest consideration. On the other hand Jami Hasan, a chief and a doughty -man of the Ayyal Ahmed, had met me at Aden early in 1854, and had received -from me a ring in token of Abbanship. During my absence at Harar, he had -taken charge of Lieut. Stroyan. On the very morning of my arrival he came -to the hut, sat down spear in hand, produced the ring and claimed my -promise. In vain I objected that the token had been given when a previous -trip was intended, and that the Hammal must not be disappointed: Jami -replied that once an Abban always an Abban, that he hated the Hammal and -all his tribe, and that he would enter into no partnership with Burhale -Nuh:--to complicate matters, Lieut. Stroyan spoke highly of his courage -and conduct. Presently he insisted rudely upon removing his _protege_ to -another part of the town: this passed the limits of our patience, and -decided the case against him. - -For some days discord raged between the rivals. At last it was settled -that I should choose my own Abban in presence of a general council of the -Elders. The chiefs took their places upon the shore, each with his -followers forming a distinct semicircle, and all squatting with shield and -spear planted upright in the ground. When sent for, I entered the circle -sword in hand, and sat down awaiting their pleasure. After much murmuring -had subsided, Jami asked in a loud voice, "Who is thy protector?" The -reply was, "Burhale Nuh!" Knowing, however, how little laconism is prized -by an East-African audience, I did not fail to follow up this answer with -an Arabic speech of the dimensions of an average sermon, and then -shouldering my blade left the circle abruptly. The effect was success. Our -wild friends sat from afternoon till sunset: as we finished supper one of -them came in with the glad tidings of a "peace conference." Jami had asked -Burhale to swear that he intended no personal offence in taking away a -_protege_ pledged to himself: Burhale had sworn, and once more the olive -waved over the braves of Berberah. - -On the 5th February 1855, taking leave of my comrades, I went on board El -Kasab or the Reed--such was the ill-omened name of our cranky craft--to -the undisguised satisfaction of the Hammal, Long Guled, and the End of -Time, who could scarcely believe in their departure from Berberah with -sound skins. [25] Coasting with a light breeze, early after noon on the -next day we arrived at Siyaro, a noted watering-place for shipping, about -nineteen miles east of the emporium. The roadstead is open to the north, -but a bluff buttress of limestone rock defends it from the north-east -gales. Upon a barren strip of sand lies the material of the town; two -houses of stone and mud, one yet unfinished, the other completed about -thirty years ago by Farih Binni, a Mikahil chief. - -Some dozen Bedouin spearmen, Mikahil of a neighbouring kraal, squatted -like a line of crows upon the shore to receive us as we waded from the -vessel. They demanded money in too authoritative a tone before allowing us -to visit the wells, which form their principal wealth. Resolved not to -risk a quarrel so near Berberah, I was returning to moralise upon the fate -of Burckhardt--after a successful pilgrimage refused admittance to Aaron's -tomb at Sinai--when a Bedouin ran to tell us that we might wander where we -pleased. He excused himself and his companions by pleading necessity, and -his leanness lent conviction to the plea. - -The larger well lies close to the eastern wall of the dwelling-house: it -is about eighteen feet deep, one third sunk through ground, the other two -thirds through limestone, and at the bottom is a small supply of sweet -clear water, Near it I observed some ruined tanks, built with fine mortar -like that of the Berberah ruins. The other well lies about half a mile to -the westward of the former: it is also dug in the limestone rock. A few -yards to the north-east of the building is the Furzeh or custom-house, -whose pristine simplicity tempts me to describe it:--a square of ground -surrounded by a dwarf rubble enclosure, and provided with a proportional -mosque, a tabular block of coralline niched in the direction of Meccah. On -a little eminence of rock to the westward, rise ruined walls, said by my -companions to have been built by a Frank, who bought land from the Mikahil -and settled on this dismal strand. - -Taking leave of the Bedouins; whose hearts were gladdened by a few small -presents, we resumed our voyage eastwards along the coast. Next morning, -we passed two broken pyramids of dark rock called Dubada Gumbar Madu--the -Two Black Hills. After a tedious day's sail, twenty miles in twenty-four -hours, the Captain of El Kasab landed us in a creek west of Aynterad. A -few sheep-boats lay at anchor in this "back-bay," as usual when the sea is -heavy at the roadstead; and the crews informed us that a body of Bedouins -was marching to attack the village. Abdy Mohammed Diban, proprietor of the -Aynterad Fort, having constituted me his protector, and remained at -Berberah, I armed my men, and ordering the Captain of the "Reed" to bring -his vessel round at early dawn, walked hurriedly over the three miles that -separated us from the place. Arrived at the fort, we found that Abdy's -slaves knew nothing of the reported attack. They received me, however, -hospitably, and brought a supper of their only provision, vile dates and -dried meat. Unwilling to diminish the scanty store, the Hammal and I but -dipped our hands in the dish: Long Guled and the End of Time, however, -soon cleared the platters, while abusing roundly the unpalatable food. -After supper, a dispute arose between the Hammal and one of the Habr Tul -Jailah, the tribe to whom the land belongs. The Bedouin, not liking my -looks, proposed to put his spear into me. The Hammal objected that if the -measure were carried out, he would return the compliment in kind. Ensued a -long dispute, and the listeners laughed heartily at the utter indifference -with which I gave ear. When it concluded, amicably as may be expected, the -slaves spread a carpet upon a coarse Berberah couch, and having again -vented their hilarity in a roar of laughter, left me to sleep. - -We had eaten at least one sheep per diem, and mutton baked in the ship's -oven is delicious to the Somali mouth. Remained on board another dinner, a -circumstance which possibly influenced the weak mind of the Captain of the -"Reed." Awaking at dawn, I went out, expecting to find the vessel within -stone's throw: it was nowhere visible. About 8 A.M., it appeared in sight, -a mere speck upon the sea-horizon, and whilst it approached, I inspected -the settlement. - -Aynterad, an inconsiderable place lying east-north-east of, and about -forty miles from, Berberah, is a favourite roadstead principally on -account of its water, which rivals that of Siyaro. The anchorage is bad: -the Shimal or north wind sweeps long lines of heavy wave into the open -bay, and the bottom is a mass of rock and sand-reef. The fifty sunburnt -and windsoiled huts which compose the settlement, are built upon a bank of -sand overlying the normal limestone: at the time when I visited it, the -male population had emigrated _en masse_ to Berberah. It is principally -supported by the slave trade, the Arabs preferring to ship their purchases -at some distance from the chief emporium. [26] Lieut. Herne, when he -visited it, found a considerable amount of "black bullion" in the market. - -The fort of Aynterad, erected thirty years ago by Mohammed Diban, is a -stone and mud house square and flat-roofed, with high windows, an attempt -at crenelles, and, for some reason intelligible only to its own Vitruvius, -but a single bastion at the northern angle. There is no well, and the mass -of huts cluster close to the walls. The five guns here deposited by -Sharmarkay when expelled from Berberah, stand on the ground outside the -fort, which is scarcely calculated to bear heavy carronades: they are -unprovided with balls, but that is a trifle where pebbles abound. -Moreover, Abdy's slaves are well armed with matchlock and pistol, and the -Bedouin Tul Jailah [27] find the spear ineffectual against stone walls. -The garrison has frequently been blockaded by its troublesome neighbours, -whose prowess, however, never extended beyond preliminaries. - -To allay my impatience, that morning I was invited into several huts for -the purpose of drinking sour milk. A malicious joy filled my soul, as -about noon, the Machiavellian Captain of the "Reed" managed to cast -anchor, after driving his crazy craft through a sea which the violent -Shimal was flinging in hollow curves foam-fringed upon the strand. I stood -on the shore making signs for a canoe. My desires were disregarded, as -long as decency admitted. At last, about 1 P.M., I found myself upon the -quarter-deck. - -"Dawwir el farman,"--shift the yard!--I shouted with a voice of thunder. - -The answer was a general hubbub. "He surely will not sail in a sea like -this?" asked the trembling Captain of my companions. - -"He will!" sententiously quoth the Hammal, with a Burleigh nod. - -"It blows wind--" remonstrated the Rais. - -"And if it blew fire?" asked the Hammal with the air _goguenard_, meaning -that from the calamity of Frankish obstinacy there was no refuge. - -A kind of death-wail arose, during which, to hide untimely laughter, I -retreated to a large drawer, in the stern of the vessel, called a cabin. -There my ears could distinguish the loud entreaties of the crew vainly -urging my attendants to propose a day's delay. Then one of the garrison, -accompanied by the Captain who shook as with fever, resolved to act -forlorn hope, and bring a _feu d'enfer_ of phrases to bear upon the -Frank's hard brain. Scarcely, however, had the head of the sentence been -delivered, before he was playfully upraised by his bushy hair and a handle -somewhat more substantial, carried out of the cabin, and thrown, like a -bag of biscuit, on the deck. - -The case was hopeless. All strangers plunged into the sea,--the popular -way of landing in East Africa,--the anchor was weighed, the ton of sail -shaken out, and the "Reed" began to dip and rise in the yeasty sea -laboriously as an alderman dancing a polka. - -For the first time in my life I had the satisfaction of seeing the Somal -unable to eat--unable to eat mutton. In sea-sickness and needless terror, -the captain, crew, and passengers abandoned to us all the baked sheep, -which we three, not being believers in the Evil Eye, ate from head to -trotters with especial pleasure. That night the waves broke over us. The -End of Time occupied himself in roaring certain orisons, which are reputed -to calm stormy seas: he desisted only when Long Guled pointed out that a -wilder gust seemed to follow as in derision each more emphatic period. The -Captain, a noted reprobate, renowned on shore for his knowledge of erotic -verse and admiration of the fair sex, prayed with fervour: he was joined -by several of the crew, who apparently found the charm of novelty in the -edifying exercise. About midnight a Sultan el Bahr or Sea-king--a species -of whale--appeared close to our counter; and as these animals are infamous -for upsetting vessels in waggishness, the sight elicited a yell of terror -and a chorus of religious exclamations. - -On the morning of Friday, the 9th February 1855, we hove in sight of Jebel -Shamsan, the loftiest peak of the Aden Crater. And ere evening fell, I had -the pleasure of seeing the faces of friends and comrades once more. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] I cannot guess why Bartema decided "Barbara" to be an island, except -that he used "insula" in the sense of "peninsula." The town is at very -high tides flooded round, but the old traveller manifestly speaks of the -country. - -[2] These are the four martello towers erected, upon the spot where the -town of huts generally stands, by the Hajj Sharmarkay, who garrisoned them -with thirty Arab and Negro matchlockmen. They are now in ruins, having -been dismantled by orders from Aden. - -[3] The former is an Arab craft, the latter belongs to the Northern Coasts -of Western India. - -[4] A turban. - -[5] The wild animals have now almost entirely disappeared. As will -afterwards be shown, the fair since 1848 has diminished to one third its -former dimensions. - -[6] This subject has been fully discussed in Chap. IV. - -[7] The old Persians. - -[8] Especially the sea-board Habr Gerbajis clans,--the Musa Arrah, the Ali -Said, and the Saad Yunis--are interested in asserting their claims. - -[9] Yunis and Ahmed were brothers, children of Nuh, the ninth in descent -from Ishak el Hazrami. The former had four sons, Hosh Yunis, Gedid Yunis, -Mahmud Yunis, and Shirdon Yunis; their descendants are all known as the -Ayyal or progeny of Yunis. The Ayyal Ahmed Nuh hold the land immediately -behind the town, and towards the Ghauts, blend with the Eesa Musa. The -Mikahil claim the Eastern country from Siyaro to Illanti, a wooded valley -affording good water and bad anchorage to wind-bound vessels. - -[10] In the centre of the gap is a detached rock called Daga Malablay. - -[11] It was measured by Lt. Herne, who remarks of this range that "cold in -winter, as the presence of the pine-tree proves, and cooled in summer by -the Monsoon, abounding in game from a spur fowl to an elephant; this hill -would make an admirable Sanitarium." Unfortunately Gulays is tenanted by -the Habr Gerhajis, and Wagar by the Eesa Musa, treacherous races. - -[12] This part of Somali land is a sandy plain, thinly covered with thorns -and bounded by two ranges, the Ghauts and Sub-Ghauts. The latter or -maritime mountains begin at Tajurrah, and extend to Karam (long. 46 deg. E.), -where they break into detached groups; the distance from the coast varies -from 6 to 15 miles, the height from 2000 to 3000 feet, and the surface is -barren, the rock being denuded of soil by rain. The Ghauts lie from 8 to -40 miles from the sea, they average from 4000 to 6000 feet, are thickly -covered with gum-arabic and frankincense trees, the wild fig and the -Somali pine, and form the seaward wall of the great table-land of the -interior. The Northern or maritime face is precipitous, the summit is -tabular and slopes gently southwards. The general direction is E. by N. -and W. by S., there are, however, some spurs at the three hills termed -"Ourat," which project towards the north. Each portion of the plain -between these ranges has some local name, such as the "Shimberali Valley" -extending westwards from the detached hill Dimoli, to Gauli, Dinanjir and -Gularkar. Intersected with Fiumaras which roll torrents during the -monsoon, they are covered with a scrub of thorns, wild fig, aloe, and -different kinds of Cactus. - -[13] The climate of Berberah is cool during the winter, and though the sun -is at all times burning, the atmosphere, as in Somali land generally, is -healthy. In the dry season the plain is subject to great heats, but lying -open to the north, the sea-breeze is strong and regular. In the monsoon -the air is cloudy, light showers frequently fall, and occasionally heavy -storms come up from the southern hills. - -[14] I quote Lieut. Cruttenden. The Berberah water has acquired a bad name -because the people confine themselves to digging holes three or four feet -deep in the sand, about half-a-mile from high-water mark. They are -reconciled to it by its beneficial effects, especially after and before a -journey. Good water, however, can be procured in any of the Fiumaras -intersecting the plain; when the Hajj Sharmarkay's towers commanded the -town wells, the people sank pits in low ground a few hundred yards -distant, and procured a purer beverage. The Banyans, who are particular -about their potations, drink the sweet produce of Siyaro, a roadstead -about nineteen miles eastward of Berberah. - -[15] The experiment was tried by an officer who brought from Bombay a -batch of sparrows and crows. The former died, scorbutic I presume; the -latter lingered through an unhappy life, and to judge from the absence of -young, refused to entail their miseries upon posterity. - -[16] The climate of Aden, it may be observed, has a reputation for -salubrity which it does not deserve. The returns of deaths prove it to be -healthy for the European soldier as London, and there are many who have -built their belief upon the sandy soil of statistics. But it is the -practice of every sensible medical man to hurry his patients out of Aden; -they die elsewhere,--some I believe recover,--and thus the deaths caused -by the crater are attributed statistically to Bombay or the Red Sea. - -Aden is for Asiatics a hot-bed of scurry and ulcer. Of the former disease -my own corps, I am informed, had in hospital at one time 200 cases above -the usual amount of sickness; this arises from the brackish water, the -want of vegetables, and lastly the cachexy induced by an utter absence of -change, diversion, and excitement. The ulcer is a disease endemic in -Southern Arabia; it is frequently fatal, especially to the poorer classes -of operatives, when worn out by privation, hardship, and fatigue. - -[17] The Abban is now the pest of Berberah. Before vessels have cast -anchor, or indeed have rounded the Spit, a crowd of Somal, eager as hotel- -touters, may be seen running along the strand. They swim off, and the -first who arrives on board inquires the name of the Abban; if there be -none he touches the captain or one of the crew and constitutes himself -protector. For merchandise sent forward, the man who conveys it becomes -answerable. - -The system of dues has become complicated. Formerly, the standard of value -at Berberah was two cubits of the blue cotton-stuff called Sauda; this is -now converted into four pice of specie. Dollars form the principal -currency; rupees are taken at a discount. Traders pay according to degree, -the lowest being one per cent., taken from Muscat and Suri merchants. The -shopkeeper provides food for his Abban, and presents him at the close of -the season with a Tobe, a pair of sandals, and half-a-dozen dollars. -Wealthy Banyans and Mehmans give food and raiment, and before departure -from 50 to 200 dollars. This class, however, derives large profits; they -will lend a few dollars to the Bedouin at the end of the Fair, on -condition of receiving cent. per cent., at the opening of the next season. -Travellers not transacting business must feed the protector, but cannot -properly be forced to pay him. Of course the Somal take every advantage of -Europeans. Mr. Angelo, a merchant from Zanzibar, resided two months at -Bulhar; his broker of the Ayyal Gedid tribe, and an Arab who accompanied -him, extracted, it is said, 3000 dollars. As a rule the Abban claims one -per cent. on sales and purchases, and two dollars per head of slaves. For -each bale of cloth, half-a-dollar in coin is taken; on gums and coffee the -duty is one pound in twenty-seven. Cowhides pay half-a-dollar each, sheep -and goat's skins four pice, and ghee about one per cent. - -Lieut. Herne calculates that the total money dues during the Fair-season -amount to 2000 dollars, and that, in the present reduced state of -Berberah, not more than 10,000_l._ worth of merchandize is sold. This -estimate the natives of the place declare to be considerably under the -mark. - -[18] The similarity between the Persian "Gach" and this cement, which is -found in many ruins about Berberah, has been remarked by other travellers. - -[19] The following note by Dr. Carter of Bombay will be interesting to -Indian geologists. - -"Of the collection of geological specimens and fossils from Berberah above -mentioned, Lieut. Burton states that the latter are found on the plain of -Berberah, and the former in the following order between the sea and the -summits of mountains (600 feet high), above it--that is, the ridge -immediate behind Berberah. - -"1. Country along the coast consists of a coralline limestone, (tertiary -formation,) with drifts of sand, &c. 2. Sub-Ghauts and lower ranges (say -2000 feet high), of sandstone capped with limestone, the former -preponderating. 3. Above the Ghauts a plateau of primitive rocks mixed -with sandstone, granite, syenite, mica schiste, quartz rock, micaceous -grit, &c. - -"The fawn-coloured fossils from his coralline limestone are evidently the -same as those of the tertiary formation along the south-east coast of -Arabia, and therefore the same as those of Cutch; and it is exceedingly -interesting to find that among the blue-coloured fossils which are -accompanied by specimens of the blue shale, composing the beds from which -they have been weathered out, are species of Terebratula Belemnites, -identical with those figured in Grant's Geology of Cutch; thus enabling us -to extend those beds of the Jurassic formation which exist in Cutch, and -along the south-eastern coast of Arabia, across to Africa." - -[20] These animals are tolerably tame in the morning, as day advances -their apprehension of man increases. - -[21] Lieut. Cruttenden in considering what nation could have constructed, -and at what period the commerce of Berberah warranted, so costly an -undertaking, is disposed to attribute it to the Persian conquerors of Aden -in the days of Anushirwan. He remarks that the trade carried on in the Red -Sea was then great, the ancient emporia of Hisn Ghorab and Aden prosperous -and wealthy, and Berberah doubtless exported, as it does now, ivory, gums, -and ostrich feathers. But though all the maritime Somali country abounds -in traditions of the Furs or ancient Persians, none of the buildings near -Berberah justify our assigning to them, in a country of monsoon rain and -high winds, an antiquity of 1300 years. - -The Somal assert that ten generations ago their ancestors drove out the -Gallas from Berberah, and attribute these works to the ancient Pagans. -That nation of savages, however, was never capable of constructing a -scientific aqueduct. I therefore prefer attributing these remains at -Berberah to the Ottomans, who, after the conquest of Aden by Sulayman -Pacha in A.D. 1538, held Yemen for about 100 years, and as auxiliaries of -the King of Adel, penetrated as far as Abyssinia. Traces of their -architecture are found at Zayla and Harar, and according to tradition, -they possessed at Berberah a settlement called, after its founder, Bunder -Abbas. - -[22] Here, as elsewhere in Somali land, the leech is of the horse-variety. -It might be worth while to attempt breeding a more useful species after -the manner recommended by Capt. R. Johnston, the Sub-Assistant Commissary -General in Sindh (10th April, 1845). In these streams leeches must always -be suspected; inadvertently swallowed, they fix upon the inner coat of the -stomach, and in Northern Africa have caused, it is said, some deaths among -the French soldiers. - -[23] Yet we observed frogs and a small species of fish. - -[24] Either this or the sulphate of magnesia, formed by the decomposition -of limestone, may account for the bitterness of the water. - -[25] They had been in some danger: a treacherous murder perpetrated a few -days before our arrival had caused all the Habr Gerbajis to fly from the -town and assemble 5000 men at Bulhar for battle and murder. This -proceeding irritated the Habr Awal, and certainly, but for our presence, -the strangers would have been scurvily treated by their "cousins." - -[26] Of all the slave-dealers on this coast, the Arabs are the most -unscrupulous. In 1855, one Mohammed of Muscat, a shipowner, who, moreover, -constantly visits Aden, bought within sight of our flag a free-born Arab -girl of the Yafai tribe, from the Akarib of Bir Hamid, and sold her at -Berberah to a compatriot. Such a crime merits severe punishment; even the -Abyssinians visit with hanging the Christian convicted of selling a fellow -religionist. The Arab slaver generally marries his properly as a ruse, and -arrived at Muscat or Bushire, divorces and sells them. Free Somali women -have not unfrequently met with this fate. - -[27] The Habr Tul Jailah (mother of the tribe of Jailah) descendants of -Ishak el Hazrami by a slave girl, inhabit the land eastward of Berberah. -Their principal settlements after Aynterad are the three small ports of -Karam, Unkor, and Hays. The former, according to Lieut. Cruttenden, is -"the most important from its possessing a tolerable harbour, and from its -being the nearest point from Aden, the course to which place is N. N. W., ---consequently the wind is fair, and the boats laden with sheep for the -Aden market pass but one night at sea, whilst those from Berberah are -generally three. What greatly enhances the value of Kurrum (Karam), -however, is its proximity to the country of the Dulbahanteh, who approach -within four days of Kurrum, and who therefore naturally have their chief -trade through that port. The Ahl Tusuf, a branch of the Habertel Jahleh, -at present hold possession of Kurrum, and between them and the tribes to -windward there exists a most bitter and irreconcileable feud, the -consequence of sundry murders perpetrated about five years since at -Kurrum, and which hitherto have not been avenged. The small ports of -Enterad, Unkor, Heis, and Rukudah are not worthy of mention, with the -exception of the first-named place, which has a trade with Aden in sheep." - - - - -POSTSCRIPT. - - -On Saturday, the 7th April 1855, the H. E. I. Company's Schooner "Mahi," -Lieut. King, I. N., commanding, entered the harbour of Berberah, where her -guns roared forth a parting salute to the "Somali Expedition." - -The Emporium of East Africa was at the time of my landing, in a state of -confusion. But a day before, the great Harar caravan, numbering 3000 -souls, and as many cattle, had entered for the purpose of laying in the -usual eight months' supplies, and purchase, barter, and exchange were -transacted in most hurried and unbusiness-like manner. All day, and during -the greater part of night, the town rang with the voices of buyer and -seller: to specify no other articles of traffic, 500 slaves of both sexes -were in the market. [1] Long lines of laden and unladen camels were to be -seen pacing the glaring yellow shore; rumours of plundering parties at -times brought swarms of spear-men, bounding and yelling like wild beasts, -from the town; already small parties of travellers had broken ground for -their return journey; and the foul heap of mat hovels, to which this -celebrated mart had been reduced, was steadily shrinking in dimensions. - -Our little party consisted of forty-two souls. At Aden I had applied -officially for some well-trained Somali policemen, but as an increase of -that establishment had been urged upon the home authorities, my request -was refused. We were fain to content ourselves with a dozen recruits of -various races, Egyptian, Nubian, Arab and Negro, whom we armed with sabres -and flint muskets. The other members of the expedition were our private -servants, and about a score of Somal under our rival protectors Jami Hasan -and Burhale Nuh. The Ras or Captain of the Kafilah was one Mahmud of the -Mijjarthayn, better known at Aden as El Balyuz or the Envoy: he had the -reputation of being a shrewd manager, thoroughly acquainted with the -habits and customs, as well as the geography, of Somaliland. - -Our camp was pitched near the site of the proposed Agency, upon a rocky -ridge within musket-shot of the southern extremity of the creek, and about -three quarters of a mile distant from the town. This position had been -selected for the benefit of the "Mahi's" guns. Political exigencies -required the "Mahi" to relieve the "Elphinstone," then blockading the -seaboard of our old Arab foe, the Fazli chief; she was unable to remain -upon the coast, and superintend our departure, a measure which I had -strongly urged. Our tents were pitched in one line: Lieut. Stroyan's was -on the extreme right, about a dozen paces distant was the "Rowtie" [2] -occupied by Lieut. Herne and myself, and at a similar distance on the left -of the camp was that in which Lieut. Speke slept. The baggage was placed -between the two latter, the camels were tethered in front upon a sandy bed -beneath the ridge our camping-ground, and in rear stood the horses and -mules. During day-time all were on the alert: at night two sentries were -posted, regularly relieved, and visited at times by the Ras and ourselves. - -I had little reason to complain of my reception at Berberah. The chiefs -appeared dissatisfied with the confinement of one Mohammed Sammattar, the -Abban who accompanied Lieut. Speke to the Eastern country: they listened, -however, with respectful attention to a letter in which the Political -Resident at Aden enjoined them to treat us with consideration and -hospitality. - -There had been petty disputes with Burhale Nuh, and the elders of the Eesa -Musa tribe, touching the hire of horse-keepers and camel-drivers: such -events, however, are not worthy to excite attention in Africa. My friend -at Harar, the Shaykh Jami, had repeatedly called upon us, ate bread and -salt, recommended us to his fellow countrymen, and used my intervention in -persuading avaricious ship-owners to transport, gratis, pauper pilgrims to -Arabia. The people, after seeing the deaths of a few elephants, gradually -lowered their loud boasts and brawling claims: they assisted us in digging -a well, offered their services as guides and camel-drivers, and in some -cases insisted upon encamping near us for protection. Briefly, we saw no -grounds of apprehension. During thirty years, not an Englishman of the -many that had visited it had been molested at Berberah, and apparently -there was as little to fear in it as within the fortifications of Aden. -[3] - -Under these favourable circumstances we might have set out at once towards -the interior. Our camels, fifty-six in number, had been purchased [4], and -the Ogadayn Caravan was desirous of our escort. But we wished to witness -the close of the Berberah fair, and we expected instruments and other -necessaries by the mid-April mail from Europe. [5] - -About 8 P.M., on the 9th April, a shower, accompanied by thunder and -lightning, came up from the southern hills, where rain had been falling -for some days, and gave notice that the Gugi or Somali monsoon had begun. -This was the signal for the Bedouins to migrate to the Plateau above the -hills. [6] Throughout the town the mats were stripped from their -frameworks of stick and pole [7], the camels were laden, and thousands of -travellers lined the roads. The next day Berberah was almost deserted -except by the pilgrims who intended to take ship, and by merchants, who, -fearful of plundering parties, awaited the first favourable hour for -setting sail. Our protectors, Jami and Burhale, receiving permission to -accompany their families and flocks, left us in charge of their sons and -relations. On the 15th April the last vessel sailed out of the creek, and -our little party remained in undisputed possession of the place. - -Three days afterwards, about noon, an Aynterad craft _en route_ from Aden -entered the solitary harbour freighted with about a dozen Somal desirous -of accompanying us towards Ogadayn, the southern region. She would have -sailed that evening; fortunately, however, I had ordered our people to -feast her commander and crew with rice and the irresistible dates. - -At sunset on the same day we were startled by a discharge of musketry -behind the tents: the cause proved to be three horsemen, over whose heads -our guard had fired in case they might be a foraging party. I reprimanded -our people sharply for this act of folly, ordering them in future to -reserve their fire, and when necessary to shoot into, not above, a crowd. -After this we proceeded to catechise the strangers, suspecting them to be -scouts, the usual forerunners of a Somali raid: the reply was so plausible -that even the Balyuz, with all his acuteness, was deceived. The Bedouins -had forged a report that their ancient enemy the Hajj Sharmarkay was -awaiting with four ships at the neighbouring port, Siyaro, the opportunity -of seizing Berberah whilst deserted, and of re-erecting his forts there -for the third time. Our visitors swore by the divorce-oath,--the most -solemn which the religious know,--that a vessel entering the creek at such -unusual season, they had been sent to ascertain whether it had been -freighted with materials for building, and concluded by laughingly asking -if we feared danger from the tribe of our own protectors. Believing them, -we posted as usual two sentries for the night, and retired to rest in our -wonted security. - -Between 2 and 3 A.M. of the 19th April I was suddenly aroused by the -Balyuz, who cried aloud that the enemy was upon us. [8] Hearing a rush of -men like a stormy wind, I sprang up, called for my sabre, and sent Lieut. -Herne to ascertain the force of the foray. Armed with a "Colt," he went to -the rear and left of the camp, the direction of danger, collected some of -the guard,--others having already disappeared,--and fired two shots into -the assailants. Then finding himself alone, he turned hastily towards the -tent; in so doing he was tripped up by the ropes, and as he arose, a -Somali appeared in the act of striking at him with a club. Lieut. Herne -fired, floored the man, and rejoining me, declared that the enemy was in -great force and the guard nowhere. Meanwhile, I had aroused Lieuts. -Stroyan and Speke, who were sleeping in the extreme right and left tents. -The former, it is presumed, arose to defend himself, but, as the sequel -shows, we never saw him alive. [9] Lieut. Speke, awakened by the report of -firearms, but supposing it the normal false alarm,--a warning to -plunderers,--he remained where he was: presently hearing clubs rattling -upon his tent, and feet shuffling around, he ran to my Rowtie, which we -prepared to defend as long as possible. - -The enemy swarmed like hornets with shouts and screams intending to -terrify, and proving that overwhelming odds were against us: it was by no -means easy to avoid in the shades of night the jobbing of javelins, and -the long heavy daggers thrown at our legs from under and through the -opening of the tent. We three remained together: Lieut. Herne knelt by my -right, on my left was Lieut. Speke guarding the entrance, I stood in the -centre, having nothing but a sabre. The revolvers were used by my -companions with deadly effect: unfortunately there was but one pair. When -the fire was exhausted, Lieut. Herne went to search for his powder-horn, -and that failing, to find some spears usually tied to the tent-pole. -Whilst thus engaged, he saw a man breaking into the rear of our Rowtie, -and came back to inform me of the circumstance. - -At this time, about five minutes after the beginning of the affray, the -tent had been almost beaten down, an Arab custom with which we were all -familiar, and had we been entangled in its folds, we should have been -speared with unpleasant facility. I gave the word for escape, and sallied -out, closely followed by Lieut. Herne, with Lieut. Speke in the rear. The -prospect was not agreeable. About twenty men were kneeling and crouching -at the tent entrance, whilst many dusk figures stood further off, or ran -about shouting the war-cry, or with shouts and blows drove away our -camels. Among the enemy were many of our friends and attendants: the coast -being open to them, they naturally ran away, firing a few useless shots -and receiving a modicum of flesh wounds. - -After breaking through the mob at the tent entrance, imagining that I saw -the form of Lieut. Stroyan lying upon the sand, I cut my way towards it -amongst a dozen Somal, whose war-clubs worked without mercy, whilst the -Balyuz, who was violently pushing me out of the fray, rendered the strokes -of my sabre uncertain. This individual was cool and collected: though -incapacitated by a sore right-thumb from using the spear, he did not shun -danger, and passed unhurt through the midst of the enemy: his efforts, -however, only illustrated the venerable adage, "defend me from my -friends." I turned to cut him down: he cried out in alarm; the well-known -voice caused an instant's hesitation: at that moment a spearman stepped -forward, left his javelin in my mouth, and retired before he could be -punished. Escaping as by a miracle, I sought some support: many of our -Somal and servants lurking in the darkness offered to advance, but "tailed -off" to a man as we approached the foe. Presently the Balyuz reappeared, -and led me towards the place where he believed my three comrades had taken -refuge. I followed him, sending the only man that showed presence of mind, -one Golab of the Yusuf tribe, to bring back the Aynterad craft from the -Spit into the centre of the harbour [10]. Again losing the Balyuz in the -darkness, I spent the interval before dawn wandering in search of my -comrades, and lying down when overpowered with faintness and pain: as the -day broke, with my remaining strength I reached the head of the creek, was -carried into the vessel, and persuaded the crew to arm themselves and -visit the scene of our disasters. - -Meanwhile, Lieut. Herne, who had closely followed me, fell back, using the -butt-end of his discharged sixshooter upon the hard heads around him: in -so doing he came upon a dozen men, who though they loudly vociferated, -"Kill the Franks who are killing the Somal!" allowed him to pass -uninjured. - -He then sought his comrades in the empty huts of the town, and at early -dawn was joined by the Balyuz, who was similarly employed. When day broke -he sent a Negro to stop the native craft, which was apparently sailing out -of the harbour, and in due time came on board. With the exception of -sundry stiff blows with the war-club, Lieut. Herne had the fortune to -escape unhurt. - -On the other hand, Lieut. Speke's escape was in every way wonderful. -Sallying from the tent he levelled his "Dean and Adams" close to an -assailant's breast. The pistol refused to revolve. A sharp blow of a war- -club upon the chest felled our comrade, who was in the rear and unseen. -When he fell, two or three men sprang upon him, pinioned his hands behind, -felt him for concealed weapons,--an operation to which he submitted in -some alarm,--and led him towards the rear, as he supposed to be -slaughtered. There, Lieut. Speke, who could scarcely breathe from the pain -of the blow, asked a captor to tie his hands before, instead of behind, -and begged a drop of water to relieve his excruciating thirst. The savage -defended him against a number of the Somal who came up threatening and -brandishing their spears, he brought a cloth for the wounded man to lie -upon, and lost no time in procuring a draught of water. - -Lieut. Speke remained upon the ground till dawn. During the interval he -witnessed the war-dance of the savages--a scene striking in the extreme. -The tallest and largest warriors marched in a ring round the tents and -booty, singing, with the deepest and most solemn tones, the song of -thanksgiving. At a little distance the grey uncertain light disclosed four -or five men, lying desperately hurt, whilst their kinsmen kneaded their -limbs, poured water upon their wounds, and placed lumps of dates in their -stiffening hands. [11] As day broke, the division of plunder caused angry -passions to rise. The dead and dying were abandoned. One party made a rush -upon the cattle, and with shouts and yells drove them off towards the -wild, some loaded themselves with goods, others fought over pieces of -cloth, which they tore with hand and dagger, whilst the disappointed, -vociferating with rage, struck at one another and brandished their spears. -More than once during these scenes, a panic seized them; they moved off in -a body to some distance; and there is little doubt that had our guard -struck one blow, we might still have won the day. - -Lieut. Speke's captor went to seek his own portion of the spoil, when a -Somal came up and asked in Hindostani, what business the Frank had in -their country, and added that he would kill him if a Christian, but spare -the life of a brother Moslem. The wounded man replied that he was going to -Zanzibar, that he was still a Nazarene, and therefore that the work had -better be done at once:--the savage laughed and passed on. He was -succeeded by a second, who, equally compassionate, whirled a sword round -his head, twice pretended to strike, but returned to the plunder without -doing damage. Presently came another manner of assailant. Lieut. Speke, -who had extricated his hands, caught the spear levelled at his breast, but -received at the same moment a blow from a club which, paralyzing his arm, -caused him to lose his hold. In defending his heart from a succession of -thrusts, he received severe wounds on the back of his hand, his right -shoulder, and his left thigh. Pausing a little, the wretch crossed to the -other side, and suddenly passed his spear clean through the right leg of -the wounded man: the latter "smelling death," then leapt up, and taking -advantage of his assailant's terror, rushed headlong towards the sea. -Looking behind, he avoided the javelin hurled at his back, and had the -good fortune to run, without further accident, the gauntlet of a score of -missiles. When pursuit was discontinued, he sat down faint from loss of -blood upon a sandhill. Recovering strength by a few minutes' rest, he -staggered on to the town, where some old women directed him to us. Then, -pursuing his way, he fell in with the party sent to seek him, and by their -aid reached the craft, having walked and run at least three miles, after -receiving eleven wounds, two of which had pierced his thighs. A touching -lesson how difficult it is to kill a man in sound health! [12] - -When the three survivors had reached the craft, Yusuf, the captain, armed -his men with muskets and spears, landed them near the camp, and -ascertained that the enemy, expecting a fresh attack, had fled, carrying -away our cloth, tobacco, swords, and other weapons. [13] The corpse of -Lieut. Stroyan was then brought on board. Our lamented comrade was already -stark and cold. A spear had traversed his heart, another had pierced his -abdomen, and a frightful gash, apparently of a sword, had opened the upper -part of his forehead: the body had been bruised with war-clubs, and the -thighs showed marks of violence after death. This was the severest -affliction that befell us. We had lived together like brothers: Lieut. -Stroyan was a universal favourite, and his sterling qualities of manly -courage, physical endurance, and steady perseverance had augured for him a -bright career, thus prematurely cut off. Truly melancholy to us was the -contrast between the evening when he sat with us full of life and spirits, -and the morning when we saw amongst us a livid corpse. - -We had hoped to preserve the remains of our friend for interment at Aden. -But so rapid were the effects of exposure, that we were compelled most -reluctantly, on the morning of the 20th April, to commit them to the deep, -Lieut. Herne reading the funeral service. - -Then with heavy hearts we set sail for the near Arabian shore, and, after -a tedious two days, carried to our friends the news of unexpected -disaster. - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] The Fair-season of 1864-56 began on the 16th November, and may be said -to have broken up on the 15th April. - -The principal caravans which visit Berberah are from Harar the Western, -and Ogadayn, the Southern region: they collect the produce of the numerous -intermediate tribes of the Somal. The former has been described in the -preceding pages. The following remarks upon the subject of the Ogadayn -caravan are the result of Lieuts. Stroyan and Herne's observations at -Berberah. - -"Large caravans from Ogadayn descend to the coast at the beginning and the -end of the Fair-season. They bring slaves from the Arusa country, cattle -in great quantities, gums of sorts, clarified butter, ivory, ostrich -feathers, and rhinoceros horns to be made into handles for weapons. These -are bartered for coarse cotton cloth of three kinds, for English and -American sheeting in pieces of seventy-five, sixty-six, sixty-two, and -forty-eight yards, black and indigo-dyed calicos in lengths of sixteen -yards, nets or fillets worn by the married women, iron and steel in small -bars, lead and zinc, beads of various kinds, especially white porcelain -and speckled glass, dates and rice." - -The Ayyal Ahmed and Ayyal Yunis classes of the Habr Awal Somal have -constituted themselves Abbans or brokers to the Ogadayn Caravans, and the -rapacity of the patron has produced a due development of roguery in the -client. The principal trader of this coast is the Banyan from Aden find -Cutch, facetiously termed by the Somal their "Milch-cows." The African -cheats by mismeasuring the bad cotton cloth, and the Indian by falsely -weighing the coffee, ivory, ostrich feathers and other valuable articles -which he receives in return. Dollars and even rupees are now preferred to -the double breadth of eight cubits which constitutes the well known -"Tobe." - -[2] A Sepoy's tent, pent-house shaped, supported by a single transverse -and two upright poles and open at one of the long ends. - -[3] Since returning I have been informed, however, by the celebrated -Abyssinian traveller M. Antoine d'Abbadie, that in no part of the wild -countries which he visited was his life so much perilled as at Berberah. - -[4] Lieut. Speke had landed at Karam harbour on the 24th of March, in -company with the Ras, in order to purchase camels. For the Ayyun or best -description he paid seven dollars and a half; the Gel Ad (white camels) -cost on an average four. In five days he had collected twenty-six, the -number required, and he then marched overland from Karam to Berberah. - -I had taken the precaution of detaching Lieut. Speke to Karam in lively -remembrance of my detention for want of carriage at Zayla, and in -consequence of a report raised by the Somal of Aden that a sufficient -number of camels was not procurable at Berberah. This proved false. -Lieuts. Stroyan and Herne found no difficulty whatever in purchasing -animals at the moderate price of five dollars and three quarters a head: -for the same sum they could have bought any reasonable number. Future -travellers, however, would do well not to rely solely upon Berberah for a -supply of this necessary, especially at seasons when the place is not -crowded with caravans. - -[5] The Elders of the Habr Awal, I have since been informed, falsely -asserted that they repeatedly urged us, with warnings of danger, to leave -Berberah at the end of the fair, but that we positively refused -compliance, for other reasons. The facts of the case are those stated in -the text. - -[6] They prefer travelling during the monsoon, on account of the abundance -of water. - -[7] The framework is allowed to remain for use next Fair-season. - -[8] The attacking party, it appears, was 350 strong; 12 of the Mikahil, 15 -of the Habr Gerhajis, and the rest Eesa Musa. One Ao Ali wore, it is said, -the ostrich feather for the murder of Lieut. Stroyan. - -[9] Mohammed, his Indian servant, stated that rising at my summons he had -rushed to his tent, armed himself with a revolver, and fired six times -upon his assassins. Unhappily, however, Mohammed did not see his master -fall, and as he was foremost amongst the fugitives, scant importance -attaches to his evidence. - -[10] At this season native craft quitting Berberah make for the Spit late -in the evening, cast anchor there, and set sail with the land breeze -before dawn. Our lives hung upon a thread. Had the vessel departed, as she -intended, the night before the attack, nothing could have saved us from -destruction. - -[11] The Somal place dates in the hands of the fallen to ascertain the -extent of injury: he who cannot eat that delicacy is justly decided to be -_in articulo_. - -[12] In less than a month after receiving such injuries, Lieut. Speke was -on his way to England: he has never felt the least inconvenience from the -wounds, which closed up like cuts in Indian-rubber. - -[13] They had despised the heavy sacks of grain, the books, broken boxes, -injured instruments, and a variety of articles which they did not -understand. We spent that day at Berberah, bringing off our property, and -firing guns to recall six servants who were missing. They did not appear, -having lost no time in starting for Karam and Aynterad, whence they made -their way in safety to Aden. On the evening of the 19th of April, unable -to remove the heavier effects, and anxious to return with the least -possible delay, I ordered them to be set on fire. - - - - -APPENDIX I. - - -DIARY AND OBSERVATIONS -MADE BY LIEUTENANT SPEKE, WHEN ATTEMPTING TO REACH THE WADY NOGAL. - - -DIARY. - - -On the 28th October, 1854, Lieutenant Speke arrived at Kurayat, a small -village near Las Kuray (Goree Bunder), in the country called by the Somal -"Makhar," or the eastern maritime region. During the period of three -months and a half he was enabled to make a short excursion above the -coast-mountains, visiting the Warsingali, the Dulbahanta, and the Habr -Gerhajis tribes, and penetrating into a region unknown to Europeans. The -bad conduct of his Abban, and the warlike state of the country, prevented -his reaching the "Wady Nogal," which, under more favourable circumstances -and with more ample leisure than our plans allowed him, he conceives to be -a work of little difficulty and no danger. He has brought back with him -ample notices of the region visited, and has been enabled to make a -valuable collection of the Fauna, which have been forwarded to the Curator -of the Royal As. Society's Museum, Calcutta. On the 15th February, 1855, -Lieutenant Speke revisited Kurayat, and there embarked for Aden. - -Before proceeding to Lieutenant Speke's Journal, it may be useful to give -a brief and general account of the region explored. - -The portion of the Somali country visited by Lieutenant Speke may be -divided into a Maritime Plain, a Range of Mountains, and an elevated -Plateau. - -The Maritime Plain, at the points visited by Lieutenant Speke, is a sandy -tract overlying limestone, level to the foot of the hills, and varying -from half a mile to two miles in breadth. Water is not everywhere -procurable. At the village of Las Kuray, there is an old and well built -well, about twelve feet deep, producing an abundant and excellent supply. -It appears that the people have no implements, and are too barbarous to be -capable of so simple an engineering operation as digging. The vegetation -presents the usual appearance of salsolaceous plants thinly scattered over -the surface, with here and there a stunted growth of Arman or Acacia. The -watershed is of course from south to north, and the rain from the hills is -carried off by a number of Fiumaras or freshets, with broad shallow beds, -denoting that much of the monsoon rain falling in the mountains is there -absorbed, and that little finds its way to the sea. At this season (the -dry weather) the plain is thinly inhabited; there are no villages except -on the sea-shore, and even these were found by the traveller almost -entirely deserted, mostly women occupying the houses, whilst the men were -absent, trading and tending cattle in the hills. The harbours are, -generally speaking, open and shallow road-steads, where ships find no -protection; there is, however, one place (Las Galwayta), where, it is -said, deep water extends to the shore. - -Meteorological observations show a moderate temperature, clear air, and a -regular north-easterly wind. It is probable that, unlike the Berberah -Plain, the monsoon rain here falls in considerable quantities. This land -belongs in part to the Warsingali. Westwards of Las Galwayta, which is the -frontier, the Habr Gerhajis lay claim to the coast. The two tribes, as -usual in that unhappy land, are on terms of "Dam" or blood-feud; yet they -intermarry. - -The animals observed were, the Waraba, a dark-coloured cynhyena, with a -tail partly white, a grey jackal, and three different kinds of antelopes. -Besides gulls, butcher birds, and a description of sparrow, no birds were -found on the Maritime Plain. - -The Range of Mountains is that long line which fringes the Somali coast -from Tajurrah to Ras Jerd Hafun (Cape Guardafui). In the portion visited -by Lieutenant Speke it is composed principally of limestones, some white, -others brownish, and full of fossil shells. The seaward face is a gradual -slope, yet as usual more abrupt than the landward side, especially in the -upper regions. Steep irregular ravines divide the several masses of hill. -The range was thinly covered with Acacia scrub in the lower folds. The -upper portion was thickly clad with acacia and other thorns, and upon the -summit, the Somali pine tree observed by me near Harar, and by Lieutenant -Herne at Gulays, first appeared. Rain had freshly fallen. - -The animal creation was represented by the leopard, hyena, rhinoceros, -Waraba, four kinds of antelopes, hares and rats, tailless and long-tailed. -It is poor in sea birds (specimens of those collected have been forwarded -to the As. Society's Museum), and but one description of snake was -observed. These hills belong partly to the Warsingali, and partly to the -Habr Gerhajis. The frontier is in some places denoted by piles of rough -stones. As usual, violations of territorial right form the rule, not the -exception, and trespass is sure to be followed by a "war." The meteorology -of these hills is peculiar. The temperature appears to be but little lower -than the plain: the wind was north-easterly; and both monsoons bring heavy -rains. - -At Yafir, on the summit of the hill, Lieutenant Speke's thermometer showed -an altitude of about 7500 feet. The people of the country do not know what -ice means. Water is very scarce in these hills, except during the monsoon: -it is found in springs which are far apart; and in the lower slopes -collected rain water is the sole resource. This scarcity renders the -habits of the people peculiarly filthy. - -After descending about 2000 feet from the crest of the mountains to the -southern fall, Lieutenant Speke entered upon the platform which forms the -country of the Eastern Somal. He is persuaded that the watershed of this -extensive tract is from N.W. to S.E., contrary to the opinion of -Lieutenant Cruttenden, who, from information derived from the Somal, -determined the slope to be due south. "Nogal" appears, according to -Lieutenant Speke, to be the name of a tract of land occupied by the -Warsingali, the Mijjarthayn, and the northern clan of the Dulbahantas, as -Bohodlay in Haud is inhabited by the southern. Nogal is a sterile table- -land, here and there thinly grown with thorns, perfectly useless for -agriculture, and, unless it possess some mineral wealth, valueless. The -soil is white and stony, whereas Haud or Ogadayn is a deep red, and is -described as having some extensive jungles. Between the two lies a large -watercourse, called "Tuk Der," or the Long River. It is dry during the -cold season, but during the rains forms a flood, tending towards the -Eastern Ocean. This probably is the line which in our maps is put down as -"Wady Nogal, a very fertile and beautiful valley." - -The surface of the plateau is about 4100 feet above the level of the sea: -it is a space of rolling ground, stony and white with broken limestone. -Water is found in pools, and in widely scattered springs: it is very -scarce, and in a district near and south of the hills Lieutenant Speke was -stopped by want of this necessary. The climate appeared to our traveller -delightful In some places the glass fell at 6 A.M. to 25 deg., yet at noon on -the same day the mercury rose to 76 deg. The wind was always N. E., sometimes -gentle, and occasionally blowing strongly but without dust. The rainy -monsoon must break here with violence, and the heat be fearful in the hot -season. The principal vegetation of this plateau was Acacia, scarce and -stunted; in some places under the hills and in the watercourses these -trees are numerous and well grown. On the other hand, extensive tracts -towards the south are almost barren. The natives speak of Malmal (myrrh) -and the Luban (incense) trees. The wild animals are principally antelopes; -there are also ostriches, onagers, Waraba, lions (reported to exist), -jackals, and vermin. The bustard and florikan appear here. The Nomads -possess large flocks of sheep, the camels, cows, and goats being chiefly -found at this season on the seaward side of the hills, where forage is -procurable. The horses were stunted tattoos, tolerably well-bred, but soft -for want of proper food. It is said that the country abounds in horses, -but Lieutenant Speke "doubts the fact." The eastern portion of the plateau -visited by our traveller belongs to the Warsingali, the western to the -Dulbahantas: the former tribe extends to the S. E., whilst the latter -possess the lands lying about the Tuk Der, the Nogal, and Haud. These two -tribes are at present on bad terms, owing to a murder which led to a -battle: the quarrel has been allowed to rest till lately, when it was -revived at a fitting opportunity. But there is no hostility between the -Southern Dulbahantas and the Warsingali, on the old principle that "an -enemy's enemy is a friend." - -On the 21st October, 1854, Lieutenant Speke, from the effects of a stiff -easterly wind and a heavy sea, made by mistake the harbour of Rakudah. -This place has been occupied by the Rer Dud, descendants of Sambur, son of -Ishak. It is said to consist of an small fort, and two or three huts of -matting, lately re-erected. About two years ago the settlement was laid -waste by the rightful owners of the soil, the Musa Abokr, a sub-family of -the Habr Tal Jailah. - -_22nd October_.--Without landing, Lieutenant Speke coasted along to Bunder -Hais, where he went on shore. Hais is a harbour belonging to the Musa -Abokr. It contains a "fort," a single-storied, flat-roofed, stone and mud -house, about 20 feet square, one of those artless constructions to which -only Somal could attach importance. There are neither muskets nor cannon -among the braves of Hais. The "town" consists of half a dozen mud huts, -mostly skeletons. The anchoring ground is shallow, but partly protected by -a spur of hill, and the sea abounds in fish. Four Buggaloes (native craft) -were anchored here, waiting for a cargo of Dumbah sheep and clarified -butter, the staple produce of the place. Hais exports to Aden, Mocha, and -other parts of Arabia; it also manufactures mats, with the leaves of the -Daum palm and other trees. Lieutenant Speke was well received by one Ali, -the Agil, or petty chief of the place: he presented two sheep to the -traveller. On the way from Bunder Jedid to Las Kuray, Lieutenant Speke -remarks that Las Galwayta would be a favourable site for a Somali -settlement. The water is deep even close to the shore, and there is an -easy ascent from it to the summit of the mountains. The consequence is -that it is coveted by the Warsingali, who are opposed by the present -proprietors, the Habr Gerhajis. The Sultan of the former family resists -any settlement for fear of dividing and weakening their force; it is too -far from their pastures, and they have not men enough for both purposes. - -_28th October_.--Lieutenant Speke landed at Kurayat, near Las Kuray, and -sent a messenger to summon the chief, Mohammed Ali, Gerad or Prince of the -Warsingali tribe. - -During a halt of twenty-one days, the traveller had an opportunity of -being initiated into the mysteries of Somali medicine and money hiding. -The people have but two cures for disease, one the actual cautery, the -other a purgative, by means of melted sheep's-tail, followed by such a -draught of camel's milk that the stomach, having escaped the danger of -bursting, is suddenly and completely relieved. It is here the custom of -the wealthy to bury their hoards, and to reveal the secret only when at -the point of death. Lieutenant Speke went to a place where it is said a -rich man had deposited a considerable sum, and described his "cache" as -being "on a path in a direct line between two trees as far as the arms can -reach with a stick." The hoarder died between forty and fifty years ago, -and his children have been prevented by the rocky nature of the ground, -and their forgetting to ask which was the right side of the tree, from -succeeding in anything beyond turning up the stones. - -Las Kuray is an open roadstead for native craft. The town is considered -one of the principal strongholds of the coast. There are three large and -six small "forts," similar in construction to those of Hais; all are -occupied by merchants, and are said to belong to the Sultan. The mass of -huts may be between twenty and thirty in number. They are matted -buildings, long and flat-roofed; half a dozen families inhabit the same -house, which is portioned off for such accommodation. Public buildings -there are none, and no wall protects the place. It is in the territory of -the Warsingali, and owns the rule of the Gerad or Prince, who sometimes -lives here, and at other times inhabits the Jungle. Las Kuray exports -gums, Dumbah sheep, and guano, the latter considered valuable, and sent to -Makalla in Arabia, to manure the date plantations. - -Four miles westward of Las Kuray is Kurayat, also called Little Kuray. It -resembles the other settlement, and is not worth description. Lieutenant -Speke here occupied a fort or stone house belong to his Abban; finding the -people very suspicious, he did not enter Las Kuray for prudential motives. -There the Sultan has no habitation; when he visited the place he lodged in -the house of a Nacoda or ship-captain. - -Lieutenant Speke was delayed at Kurayat by the pretext of want of cattle; -in reality to be plundered. The Sultan, who inhabits the Jungle, did not -make his appearance till repeatedly summoned. About the tenth day the old -man arrived on foot, attended by a dozen followers; he was carefully -placed in the centre of a double line bristling with spears, and marched -past to his own fort. Lieutenant Speke posted his servants with orders to -fire a salute of small firearms. The consequence was that the evening was -spent in prayers. - -During Lieutenant Speke's first visit to the Sultan, who received him -squatting on the ground outside the house in which he lodged, with his -guards about him, the dignitary showed great trepidation, but returned -salams with politeness. He is described as a fine-looking man, between -forty-eight and fifty years of age; he was dressed in an old and dirty -Tobe, had no turban, and appeared unarmed. He had consulted the claims of -"dignity" by keeping the traveller waiting ten days whilst he journeyed -twenty miles. Before showing himself he had privily held a Durbar at Las -Kuray; it was attended by the Agils of the tribe, by Mohammed Samattar -(Lieutenant Speke's Abban), and the people generally. Here the question -was debated whether the traveller was to be permitted to see the country. -The voice of the multitude was as usual _contra_, fearing to admit a wolf -into the fold. It was silenced however by the Sultan, who thought fit to -favour the English, and by the Abban, who settled the question, saying -that he, as the Sultan's subject, was answerable for all that might -happen, and that the chief might believe him or not;--"how could such -Jungle-folk know anything?" - -On the morning of the 8th November the Sultan returned Lieutenant Speke's -visit. The traveller took the occasion of "opening his desire to visit the -Warsingali country and the lands on the road to Berberah, keeping inland -about 200 miles, more or less according to circumstances, and passing -through the Dulbahantas." To this the Sultan replied, that "as far as his -dominions extended the traveller was perfectly at liberty to go where he -liked; but as for visiting the Dulbahantas, he could not hear of or -countenance it." Mahmud Ali, Gerad or Prince of the southern Dulbahantas, -was too far away for communication, and Mohammed Ali Gerad, the nearest -chief, had only ruled seven or eight years; his power therefore was not -great. Moreover, these two were at war; the former having captured, it is -said, 2000 horses, 400 camels, and a great number of goats and sheep, -besides wounding a man. During the visit, which lasted from 8 A.M. to 2 -P.M., the Sultan refused nothing but permission to cross the frontier, -fearing, he said, lest an accident should embroil him with our Government. -Lieutenant Speke gave them to understand that he visited their country, -not as a servant of the Company, but merely as a traveller wishing to see -sport. This of course raised a laugh; it was completely beyond their -comprehension. They assured him, however, that he had nothing to apprehend -in the Warsingali country, where the Sultan's order was like that of the -English. The Abban then dismissed the Sultan to Las Kuray, fearing the -appetites of his followers; and the guard, on departure, demanded a cloth -each by way of honorarium. This was duly refused, and they departed in -discontent. The people frequently alluded to two grand grievances. In the -first place they complained of an interference on the part of our -Government, in consequence of a quarrel which took place seven years ago -at Aden, between them and the Habr Tal Jailah tribe of Karam. The -Political Resident, it is said, seized three vessels belonging to the -Warsingali, who had captured one of the ships belonging to their enemies; -the former had command of the sea, but since that event they have been -reduced to a secondary rank. This grievance appears to be based on solid -grounds. Secondly, they complained of the corruption of their brethren by -intercourse with a civilised people, especially by visiting Aden: the -remedy for this evil lies in their own hands, but desire of gain would -doubtless defeat any moral sanitary measure which their Elders could -devise. They instanced the state of depravity into which the Somal about -Berberah had fallen, and prided themselves highly upon their respect for -the rights of _meum_ and _tuum_, so completely disregarded by the Western -States. But this virtue may arise from the severity of their -chastisements; mutilation of the hand being the usual award to theft. -Moreover Lieutenant Speke's Journal does not impress the reader highly -with their honesty. And lastly, I have found the Habr Awal at Berberah, on -the whole, a more respectable race than the Warsingali. - -Lieutenant Speke's delay at Kurayat was caused by want of carriage. He -justly remarks that "every one in this country appeals to precedent"; the -traveller, therefore, should carefully ascertain the price of everything, -and adhere to it, as those who follow him twenty years afterwards will be -charged the same. One of the principal obstacles to Lieutenant Speke's -progress was the large sum given to the natives by an officer who visited -this coast some years ago. Future travellers should send before them a -trusty Warsingali to the Sultan, with a letter specifying the necessary -arrangements, a measure which would save trouble and annoyance to both -parties. - -On the 10th of November the Sultan came early to Lieutenant Speke's house. -He received a present of cloth worth about forty rupees. After comparing -his forearm with every other man's and ascertaining the mean, he measured -and re-measured each piece, an operation which lasted several hours. A -flint gun was presented to him, evidently the first he had ever handled; -he could scarcely bring it up to his shoulder, and persisted in shutting -the wrong eye. Then he began as usual to beg for more cloth, powder, and -lead. By his assistance Lieutenant Speke bought eight camels, inferior -animals, at rather a high price, from 10 to 16-1/2 cloths (equivalent to -dollars) per head. It is the custom for the Sultan, or in his absence, for -an Agil to receive a tithe of the price; and it is his part to see that -the traveller is not overcharged. He appears to have discharged his duty -very inefficiently, a dollar a day being charged for the hire of a single -donkey. Lieutenant Speke regrets that he did not bring dollars or rupees, -cloth on the coast being now at a discount. - -After the usual troubles and vexations of a first move in Africa, on the -16th of November, 1854, Lieutenant Speke marched about three miles along -the coast, and pitched at a well close to Las Kuray. He was obliged to -leave about a quarter of his baggage behind, finding it impossible with -his means to hire donkeys, the best conveyance across the mountains, where -camels must be very lightly laden. The Sultan could not change, he said, -the route settled by a former Sahib. He appears, though famed for honesty -and justice, to have taken a partial view of Lieutenant Speke's property. -When the traveller complained of his Abban, the reply was, "This is the -custom of the country, I can see no fault; all you bring is the Abban's, -and he can do what he likes with it." - -The next day was passed unpleasantly enough in the open air, to force a -march, and the Sultan and his party stuck to the date-bag, demanding to be -fed as servants till rations were served out to them. - -_18th November_.--About 2 A.M. the camels (eleven in number) were lightly -loaded, portions of the luggage being sent back to Kurayat till more -carriage could be procured. The caravan crossed the plain southwards, and -after about two miles' march entered a deep stony watercourse winding -through the barren hills. After five miles' progress over rough ground, -Lieutenant Speke unloaded under a tree early in the afternoon near some -pools of sweet rain water collected in natural basins of limestone dotting -the watercourse. The place is called Iskodubuk; the name of the -watercourse is Duktura. The Sultan and the Abban were both left behind to -escort the baggage from Las Kuray to Kurayat. They promised to rejoin -Lieutenant Speke before nightfall; the former appeared after five, the -latter after ten, days. The Sultan sent his son Abdallah, a youth of about -fifteen years old, who proved so troublesome that Lieutenant Speke was -forced repeatedly to dismiss him: still the lad would not leave the -caravan till it reached the Dulbahanta frontier. And the Abban delayed a -Negro servant, Lieutenant Speke's gun-bearer, trying by many offers and -promises to seduce him from service. - -_19th November_.--At dawn the camels were brought in; they had been -feeding at large all night, which proves the safety of the country. After -three hours' work at loading, the caravan started up the watercourse. The -road was rugged; at times the watercourse was blocked up with boulders, -which compelled the travellers temporarily to leave it. With a little -cutting away of projecting rocks, which are of soft stone, the road might -be made tolerably easy. Scattered and stunted Acacias, fringed with fresh -green foliage, relieved the eye; all else was barren rock. After marching -about two miles the traveller was obliged to halt by the Sultan; a -messenger arrived with the order. The halting-place is called Damalay. It -is in the bed of the watercourse, stagnating rain, foul-looking but sweet, -lying close by. As in all other parts of this Fiumara, the bed was dotted -with a bright green tree, sometimes four feet high, resembling a willow. -Lieutenant Speke spread his mat in the shade, and spent the rest of the -day at his diary and in conversation with the natives. - -The next day was also spent at Damalay. The interpreter, Mohammed Ahmed, a -Somali of the Warsingali tribe, and all the people, refused positively to -advance. Lieutenant Speke started on foot to Las Kuray in search of the -Abban: he was followed at some distance by the Somal, and the whole party -returned on hearing a report that the chief and the Abban were on the way. -The traveller seems on this occasion to have formed a very low estimate of -the people. He stopped their food until they promised to start the next -day. - -_21st November_.--The caravan marched at gun-fire, and, after a mile, left -the watercourse, and ascended by a rough camel-path a buttress of hill -leading to the ridge of the mountains. The ascent was not steep, but the -camels were so bad that they could scarcely be induced to advance. The -country was of a more pleasant aspect, a shower of rain having lately -fallen. At this height the trees grow thicker and finer, the stones are -hidden by grass and heather, and the air becomes somewhat cooler. After a -six miles' march Lieutenant Speke encamped at a place called Adhai. Sweet -water was found within a mile's walk;--the first spring from which our -traveller drank. Here he pitched a tent. - -At Adhai Lieutenant Speke was detained nine days by the non-appearance of -his "Protector" and the refusal of his followers to march without him. The -camels were sent back with the greatest difficulty to fetch the portion of -the baggage left behind. On the 24th Lieutenant Speke sent his Hindostani -servant to Las Kuray, with orders to bring up the baggage. "Imam" started -alone and on foot, not being permitted to ride a pony hired by the -traveller: he reported that there is a much better road for laden camels -from the coast to the crest of the hills. Though unprotected, he met with -no difficulty, and returned two days afterwards, having seen the baggage -_en route_. During Lieutenant Speke's detention, the Somal battened on his -provisions, seeing that his two servants were absent, and that no one -guarded the bags. Half the rice had been changed at Las Kuray for an -inferior description. The camel drivers refused their rations because all -their friends (thirty in number) were not fed. The Sultan's son taught -them to win the day by emptying and hiding the water-skins, by threatening -to kill the servants if they fetched water, and by refusing to do work. -During the discussion, which appears to have been lively, the eldest of -the Sultan's four sons, Mohammed Aul, appeared from Las Kuray. He seems to -have taken a friendly part, stopped the discussion, and sent away the -young prince as a nuisance. Unfortunately, however, the latter reappeared -immediately that the date bags were opened, and Mohammed Aul stayed only -two days in Lieutenant Speke's neighbourhood. On the 28th November the -Abban appeared. The Sultan then forced upon Lieutenant Speke his brother -Hasan as a second Abban, although this proceeding is contrary to the -custom of the country. The new burden, however, after vain attempts at -extortion, soon disappeared, carrying away with him a gun. - -For tanning water-skins the Somal here always use, when they can procure -it, a rugged bark with a smooth epidermis of a reddish tinge, a pleasant -aromatic odour, and a strong astringent flavour. They call it Mohur: -powdered and sprinkled dry on a wound, it acts as a styptic. Here was -observed an aloe-formed plant, with a strong and woody thorn on the top. -It is called Haskul or Hig; the fibres are beaten out with sticks or -stones, rotted in water, and then made into cord. In other parts the young -bark of the acacia is used; it is first charred on one side, then reduced -to fibre by mastication, and lastly twisted into the semblance of a rope. - -From a little manuscript belonging to the Abban, Lieutenant Speke learned -that about 440 years ago (A.D. 1413), one Darud bin Ismail, unable to live -with his elder brother at Mecca, fled with a few followers to these -shores. In those days the land was ruled, they say, by a Christian chief -called Kin, whose Wazir, Wharrah, was the terror of all men. Darud -collected around him, probably by proselytising, a strong party: he -gradually increased his power, and ended by expelling the owners of the -country, who fled to the N.W. as far as Abyssinia. Darud, by an Asyri -damsel, had a son called Kabl Ullah, whose son Harti had, as progeny, -Warsingali, Dulbahanta, and Mijjarthayn. These three divided the country -into as many portions, which, though great territorial changes have taken -place, to this day bear their respective owners' names. - -Of this I have to observe, that universal tradition represents the Somal -to be a people of half-caste origin, African and Arabian; moreover, that -they expelled the Gallas from the coast, until the latter took refuge in -the hills of Harar. The Gallas are a people partly Moslem, partly -Christian, and partly Pagan; this may account for the tradition above -recorded. Most Somal, however, declare "Darud" to be a man of ignoble -origin, and do not derive him from the Holy City. Some declare he was -driven from Arabia for theft. Of course each tribe exaggerates its own -nobility with as reckless a defiance of truth as their neighbours -depreciate it. But I have made a rule always to doubt what semi-barbarians -write. Writing is the great source of historical confusion, because -falsehoods accumulate in books, persons are confounded, and fictions -assume, as in the mythologic genealogies of India, Persia, Greece, and -Rome, a regular and systematic form. On the other hand, oral tradition is -more trustworthy; witness the annals and genealogies preserved in verse by -the Bhats of Cutch, the Arab Nassab, and the Bards of Belochistan. - -_30th November_.--The Sultan took leave of Lieutenant Speke, and the -latter prepared to march in company with the Abban, the interpreter, the -Sultan's two sons, and a large party. By throwing the tent down and -sitting in the sun he managed to effect a move. In the evening the camels -started from Adhai up a gradual ascent along a strong path. The way was -covered with bush, jungle, and trees. The frankincense, it is said, -abounded; gum trees of various kinds were found; and the traveller -remarked a single stunted sycamore growing out of a rock. I found the tree -in all the upper regions of the Somali country, and abundant in the Harar -Hills. After two miles' march the caravan halted at Habal Ishawalay, on -the northern side of the mountains, within three miles of the crest. The -halting-ground was tolerably level, and not distant from the waters of -Adhai, the only spring in the vicinity. The travellers slept in a deserted -Kraal, surrounded by a stout fence of Acacia thorns heaped up to keep out -the leopards and hyenas. During the heat Lieutenant Speke sat under a -tree. Here he remained three days; the first in order to bring up part of -his baggage which had been left behind; the second to send on a portion to -the next halting-place; and the third in consequence of the Abban's -resolution to procure Ghee or clarified butter. The Sultan could not -resist the opportunity of extorting something by a final visit--for a -goat, killed and eaten by the camel-drivers contrary to Lieutenant Speke's -orders, a dollar was demanded. - -_4th December_, 1854.--About dawn the caravan was loaded, and then -proceeded along a tolerably level pathway through a thick growth of thorn -trees towards a bluff hill. The steep was reached about 9 A.M., and the -camels toiled up the ascent by a stony way, dropping their loads for want -of ropes, and stumbling on their road. The summit, about 500 yards -distant, was reached in an hour. At Yafir, on the crest of the mountains, -the caravan halted two hours for refreshment. Lieutenant Speke describes -the spot in the enthusiastic language of all travellers who have visited -the Seaward Range of the Somali Hills. It appears, however, that it is -destitute of water. About noon the camels were again loaded, and the -caravan proceeded across the mountains by a winding road over level ground -for four miles. This point commanded an extensive view of the Southern -Plateau. In that direction the mountains drop in steps or terraces, and -are almost bare; as in other parts rough and flat topped piles of stones, -reminding the traveller of the Tartar Cairns, were observed. I remarked -the same in the Northern Somali country; and in both places the people -gave a similar account of them, namely, that they are the work of an -earlier race, probably the Gallas. Some of them are certainly tombs, for -human bones are turned up; in others empty chambers are discovered; and in -a few are found earthern and large copper pots. Lieutenant Speke on one -occasion saw an excavated mound propped up inside by pieces of timber, and -apparently built without inlet. It was opened about six years ago by a -Warsingali, in order to bury his wife, when a bar of metal (afterwards -proved by an Arab to be gold) and a gold ring, similar to what is worn by -women in the nose, were discovered. In other places the natives find, it -is said, women's bracelets, beads, and similar articles still used by the -Gallas. - -After nightfall the caravan arrived at Mukur, a halting-place in the -southern declivity of the hills. Here Lieutenant Speke remarked that the -large watercourse in which he halted becomes a torrent during the rains, -carrying off the drainage towards the eastern coast. He had marched that -day seventeen miles, when the party made a Kraal with a few bushes. Water -was found within a mile in a rocky basin; it was fetid and full of -animalculae. Here appeared an old woman driving sheep and goats into Las -Kuray, a circumstance which shows that the country is by no means -dangerous. - -After one day's halt at Mukur to refresh the camels, on the 6th December -Lieutenant Speke started at about 10 A.M. across the last spur of the -hills, and presently entered a depression dividing the hills from the -Plateau. Here the country was stony and white-coloured, with watercourses -full of rounded stones. The Jujube and Acacias were here observed to be on -a large scale, especially in the lowest ground. After five miles the -traveller halted at a shallow watercourse, and at about half a mile -distant found sweet but dirty water in a deep hole in the rock. The name -of this station was Karrah. - -_8th December_.--Early in the morning the caravan moved on to Rhat, a -distance of eight miles: it arrived at about noon. The road lay through -the depression at the foot of the hills. In the patches of heather -Florikan was found. The Jujube-tree was very large. In the rains this -country is a grassy belt, running from west to east, along a deep and -narrow watercourse, called Rhat Tug, or the Fiumara of Rhat, which flows -eastward towards the ocean. At this season, having been "eaten up," the -land was almost entirely deserted; the Kraals lay desolate, the herdsmen -had driven off their cows to the hills, and the horses had been sent -towards the Mijjarthayn country. A few camels and donkeys were seen: -considering that their breeding is left to chance, the blood is not -contemptible. The sheep and goats are small, and their coats, as usual in -these hot countries, remain short. Lieutenant Speke was informed that, -owing to want of rain, and it being the breeding season, the inland and -Nomad Warsingali live entirely on flesh, one meal serving for three days. -This was a sad change of affairs from what took place six weeks before the -traveller's arrival, when there had been a fall of rain, and the people -spent their time revelling on milk, and sleeping all day under the shade -of the trees--the Somali idea of perfect happiness. - -On the 9th December Lieutenant Speke, halting at Rhat, visited one of -"Kin's" cities, now ruined by time, and changed by the Somal having -converted it into a cemetery. The remains were of stone and mud, as usual -in this part of the world. The houses are built in an economical manner; -one straight wall, nearly 30 feet long, runs down the centre, and is -supported by a number of lateral chambers facing opposite ways, _e. g._ - -[2 Illustrations] - -This appears to compose the village, and suggests a convent or a -monastery. To the west, and about fifty yards distant, are ruins of stone -and good white mortar, probably procured by burning the limestone rock. -The annexed ground plan will give an idea of these interesting remains, -which are said to be those of a Christian house of worship. In some parts -the walls are still 10 feet high, and they show an extent of civilisation -now completely beyond the Warsingali. It may be remarked of them that the -direction of the niche, as well as the disposition of the building, would -denote a Moslem mosque. At the same time it must be remembered that the -churches of the Eastern Christians are almost always made to front -Jerusalem, and the Gallas being a Moslem and Christian race, the sects -would borrow their architecture from each other. The people assert these -ruins to be those of Nazarenes. Yet in the Jid Ali valley of the -Dulbahantas Lieutenant Speke found similar remains, which the natives -declared to be one of their forefathers' mosques; the plan and the -direction were the same as those now described. Nothing, however, is -easier than to convert St. Sophia into the Aya Sufiyyah mosque. Moreover, -at Jid Ali, the traveller found it still the custom of the people to erect -a Mala, or cross of stone or wood covered with plaster, at the head and -foot of every tomb. - -[Illustration] - -The Dulbahantas, when asked about these crosses, said it was their custom, -derived from sire and grandsire. This again would argue that a Christian -people once inhabited these now benighted lands. - -North of the building now described is a cemetery, in which the Somal -still bury their dead. Here Lieutenant Speke also observed crosses, but he -was prevented by the superstition of the people from examining them. - -On an eminence S.W. of, and about seventy yards from the main building, -are the isolated remains of another erection, said by the people to be a -fort. The foundation is level with the ground, and shows two compartments -opening into each other. - -[Illustration] - -Rhat was the most southerly point reached by Lieutenant Speke. He places -it about thirty miles distant from the coast, and at the entrance of the -Great Plateau. Here he was obliged to turn westward, because at that -season of the year the country to the southward is desolate for want of -rain--a warning to future visitors. During the monsoon this part of the -land is preferred by the people: grass grows, and there would be no -obstacle to travellers. - -Before quitting Rhat, the Abban and the interpreter went to the length of -ordering Lieutenant Speke not to fire a gun. This detained him a whole -day. - -_11th December_.--Early in the morning, Lieutenant Speke started in a -westerly direction, still within sight of the mountains, where not -obstructed by the inequalities of the ground. The line taken was over an -elevated flat, in places covered with the roots of parched up grass; here -it was barren, and there appeared a few Acacias. The view to the south was -shortened by rolling ground: hollow basins, sometimes fifteen miles broad, -succeed each other; each sends forth from its centre a watercourse to -drain off the water eastward. The face of the country, however, is very -irregular, and consequently description is imperfect. This day ostriches -and antelopes were observed in considerable numbers. After marching ten -miles the caravan halted at Barham, where they found a spring of clear and -brackish water from the limestone rock, and flowing about 600 yards down a -deep rocky channel, in parts lined with fine Acacias. A Kraal was found -here, and the traveller passed a comfortable night. - -_12th December_.--About 9 A.M. the caravan started, and threaded a valley, -which, if blessed with a fair supply of water, would be very fertile. -Whilst everything else is burned up by the sun on the high ground, a -nutritious weed, called Buskallay, fattens the sheep and goats. Wherever, -therefore, a spring is found, men flock to the place and fence themselves -in a Kraal. About half-way the travellers reached Darud bin Ismail's tomb, -a parallelogram of loose stones about one foot high, of a battered and -ignoble appearance; at one extremity stood a large sloping stone, with a -little mortar still clinging to it. No outer fence surrounded the tomb, -which might easily be passed by unnoticed: no honors were paid to the -memory of the first founder of the tribe, and the Somal did not even -recite a Fatihah over his dust. After marching about twelve miles, the -caravan encamped at Labbahdilay, in the bed of a little watercourse which -runs into the Yubbay Tug. Here they found a small pool of bad rain water. -They made a rude fence to keep out the wild beasts, and in it passed the -night. - -_13th December_.--The Somal showed superior activity in marching three -successive days; the reason appears to be that the Abban was progressing -towards his home. At sunrise the camels were loaded, and at 8 A.M. the -caravan started up a valley along the left bank of a watercourse called -the Yubbay Tug. This was out of the line, but the depth of the -perpendicular sides prevented any attempt at crossing it. The people of -the country have made a peculiar use of this feature of ground. During the -last war, ten or eleven years ago, between the Warsingali and the -Dulbahantas, the latter sent a large foraging party over the frontier. The -Warsingali stationed a strong force at the head of the watercourse to -prevent its being turned, and exposed their flocks and herds on the -eastern bank to tantalise the hungry enemy. The Dulbahantas, unable to -cross the chasm, and unwilling, like all Somali heroes even in their -wrath, to come to blows with the foe, retired in huge disgust. After -marching five miles, the caravan halted, the Abban declaring that he and -the Sultan's younger son must go forward to feel the way; in other words, -to visit his home. His pretext was a good one. In countries where postal -arrangements do not exist, intelligence flies quicker than on the wings of -paper. Many evil rumours had preceded Lieutenant Speke, and the inland -tribe professed, it was reported, to despise a people who can only -threaten the coast. The Dulbahantas had been quarrelling amongst -themselves for the last thirteen years, and were now determined to settle -the dispute by a battle. Formerly they were all under one head; but one -Ali Harram, an Akil or minor chief, determined to make his son, Mohammed -Ali, Gerad or Prince of the clans inhabiting the northern provinces. After -five years' intrigue the son was proclaimed, and carried on the wars -caused by his father, declaring an intention to fight to the last. He has, -however, been successfully opposed by Mahmud Ali, the rightful chief of -the Dulbahanta family; the southern clans of Haud and beyond the Nogal -being more numerous and more powerful than the northern divisions. No -merchant, Arab or other, thinks of penetrating into this country, -principally on account of the expense. Lieutenant Speke is of opinion that -his cloth and rice would easily have stopped the war for a time: the -Dulbahantas threatened and blustered, but allowed themselves easily to be -pacified. - -It is illustrative of the customs of this people that, when the -Dulbahantas had their hands engaged, and left their rear unprotected, -under the impression that no enemies were behind, the Warsingali instantly -remembered that one of their number had been murdered by the other race -many years ago. The blood-money had been paid, and peace had been -concluded, but the opportunity was too tempting to be resisted. - -The Yubbay Tug watercourse begins abruptly, being as broad and deep at the -head as it is in the trunk. When Lieutenant Speke visited it, it was dry; -there was but a thin growth of trees in it, showing that water does not -long remain there. Immediately north of it lies a woody belt, running up -to the foot of the mountains, and there bifurcating along the base. -Southwards, the Yubbay is said to extend to a considerable distance, but -Somali ideas of distance are peculiar, and absorption is a powerful agent -in these latitudes. - -Till the 21st December Lieutenant Speke was delayed at the Yubbay Tug. His -ropes had been stolen by discharged camel-men, and he was unable to -replace them. - -On the 15th December one of the Midgan or Serviles was tried for stealing -venison from one of his fellows. The Sultan, before his departure, had -commissioned three of Lieutenant Speke's attendants to act as judges in -case of such emergency: on this occasion the interpreter was on the -Woolsack, and he sensibly fined the criminal two sheep to be eaten on the -road. From inquiries, I have no doubt that these Midgan are actually -reduced by famine at times to live on a food which human nature abhors. In -the northern part of the Somali country I never heard of cannibalism, -although the Servile tribes will eat birds and other articles of food -disdained by Somal of gentle blood. Lieutenant Speke complains of the -scarcity and the quality of the water, "which resembles the mixture -commonly known as black draught." Yet it appears not to injure health; and -the only disease found endemic is an ophthalmia, said to return -periodically every three years. The animals have learned to use sparingly -what elsewhere is a daily necessary; camels are watered twice a month, -sheep thrice, and horses every two or three days. No wild beasts or birds, -except the rock pigeon and duck, ever drink except when rain falls. - -The pickaxe and spade belonging to the traveller were greatly desired; in -one place water was found, but more generally the people preferred digging -for honey in the rocks. Of the inhabitants we find it recorded that, like -all Nomads, they are idle to the last degree, contenting themselves with -tanned skins for dress and miserable huts for lodging. Changing ground for -the flocks and herds is a work of little trouble; one camel and a donkey -carry all the goods and chattels, including water, wife, and baby. Milk in -all stages (but never polluted by fire), wild honey, and flesh, are their -only diet; some old men have never tasted grain. Armed with spear and -shield, they are in perpetual dread of an attack. It is not strange that -under such circumstances the population should be thin and scattered; they -talk of thousands going to war, but the wary traveller suspects gross -exaggeration. They preserve the abominable Galla practice of murdering -pregnant women in hopes of mutilating a male foetus. - -On the 20th December Lieutenant Speke was informed by the Sultan's son -that the Dulbahantas would not permit him to enter their country. As a -favour, however, they would allow him to pass towards the home of the -Abban, who, having married a Dulbahanta girl was naturalised amongst them. - -_21st December_.--Early in the morning Lieutenant Speke, accompanied by -the interpreter, the Sultan's son, one servant, and two or three men to -lead a pair of camels, started eastward. The rest of the animals (nine in -number) were left behind in charge of Imam, a Hindostani boy, and six or -seven men under him, The reason for this step was that Husayn Haji, an -Agil of the Dulbahantas and a connection of the Abban, demanded, as sole -condition for permitting Lieutenant Speke to visit "Jid Ali," that the -traveller should give up all his property. Before leaving the valley, he -observed a hillock glistening white: it appears from its salt, bitter -taste, to have been some kind of nitrate efflorescing from the ground. The -caravan marched about a mile across the deep valley of Yubbay Tug, and -ascended its right side by a beaten track: they then emerged from a thin -jungle in the lower grounds to the stony hills which compose the country. -Here the line pursued was apparently parallel to the mountains bordering -upon the sea: between the two ridges was a depression, in which lay a -small watercourse. The road ran along bleak undulating ground, with belts -of Acacia in the hollows: here and there appeared a sycamore tree. On the -road two springs were observed, both of bitter water, one deep below the -surface, the other close to the ground; patches of green grass grew around -them. Having entered the Dulbahanta frontier, the caravan unloaded in the -evening, after a march of thirteen miles, at a depression called Ali. No -water was found there. - -_22nd December_.--Early in the morning the traveller started westward, -from Ali, wishing that night to make Jid Ali, about eighteen miles -distant. After marching thirteen miles over the same monotonous country as -before, Lieutenant Speke was stopped by Husayn Haji, the Agil, who -declared that Guled Ali, another Agil, was opposed to his progress. After -a long conversation, Lieutenant Speke reasoned him into compliance; but -that night they were obliged to halt at Birhamir, within five miles of Jid -Ali. The traveller was offered as many horses as he wanted, and a free -passage to Berberah, if he would take part in the battle preparing between -the two rival clans of Dulbahantas: he refused, on plea of having other -engagements. But whenever the question of penetrating the country was -started, there came the same dry answer: "No beggar had even attempted to -visit them--what, then, did the Englishman want?" The Abban's mother came -out from her hut, which was by the wayside, and with many terrors -endeavoured to stop the traveller. - -_23rd December_.--Next morning the Abban appeared, and, by his sorrowful -surprise at seeing Lieutenant Speke across the frontier, showed that he -only had made the difficulty. The caravan started early, and, travelling -five miles over stony ground, reached the Jid Ali valley. This is a long -belt of fertile soil, running perpendicular to the seaward range; it -begins opposite Bunder Jedid, at a gap in the mountains through which the -sea is, they say, visible. In breadth, at the part first visited by -Lieutenant Speke, it is about two miles: it runs southward, and during -rain probably extends to about twenty miles inland. Near the head of the -valley is a spring of bitter water, absorbed by the soil after a quarter -of a mile's course: in the monsoon, however, a considerable torrent must -flow down this depression. Ducks and snipe are found here. The valley -shows, even at this season, extensive patches of grass, large acacia -trees, bushes, and many different kinds of thorns: it is the most wooded -lowland seen by Lieutenant Speke. Already the Nomads are here changing -their habits; two small enclosures have been cultivated by an old -Dulbahanta, who had studied agriculture during a pilgrimage to Meccah. The -Jowari grows luxuriantly, with stalks 8 and 9 feet high, and this first -effort had well rewarded the enterpriser. Lieutenant Speke lent the slave -Farhan, to show the art of digging; for this he received the present of a -goat. I may here remark that everywhere in the Somali country the people -are prepared to cultivate grain, and only want some one to take the -initiative. As yet they have nothing but their hands to dig with. A few -scattered huts were observed near Jid Ali, the grass not being yet -sufficiently abundant to support collected herds. - -Lieutenant Speke was delayed nineteen days at Jid Ali by various pretexts. -The roads were reported closed. The cloth and provisions were exhausted. -Five horses must be bought from the Abban for thirty dollars a head (they -were worth one fourth that sum), as presents. The first European that -visited the Western Country had stopped rain for six months, and the Somal -feared for the next monsoon. All the people would flock in, demanding at -least what the Warsingali had received; otherwise they threatened the -traveller's life. On the 26th of December Lieutenant Speke moved three -miles up the valley to some distance from water, the crowd being -troublesome, and preventing his servants eating. On the 31st of December -all the baggage was brought up from near Abi: one of the camels, being -upon the point of death, was killed and devoured. It was impossible to -keep the Abban from his home, which was distant about four miles: numerous -messages were sent in vain, but Lieutenant Speke drew him from his hut by -"sitting in Dhurna," or dunning him into compliance. At last arose a -violent altercation. All the Warsingali and Dulbahanta servants were taken -away, water was stopped, the cattle were cast loose, and the traveller was -told to arm and defend himself and his two men:--they would all be slain -that night and the Abban would abandon them to the consequences of their -obstinacy. They were not killed, however, and about an hour afterwards the -Somal reappeared, declaring that they had no intention of deserting. - -_11th January_, 1855.--About 10 A.M. the caravan started without the Abban -across the head of the Jid Ali valley. The land was flat, abounding in -Acacia, and showing signs of sun parched grass cropped close by the -cattle. After a five miles' march the travellers came to a place called -Biyu Hablay; they unloaded under a tree and made a Kraal. Water was -distant. Around were some courses, ending abruptly in the soft absorbing -ground. Here the traveller was met by two Dulbahantas, who demanded his -right to enter their lands, and insinuated that a force was gathering to -oppose him. They went away, however, after a short time, threatening with -smiles to come again. Lieutenant Speke was also informed that the Southern -Dulbahanta tribes had been defeated with loss by the northern clans, and -that his journey would be interrupted by them. Here the traveller remarked -how willing are the Somal to study: as usual in this country, any man who -reads the Koran and can write out a verset upon a board is an object of -envy. The people are fanatic. They rebuked the interpreter for not praying -regularly, for eating from a Christian's cooking pot, and for cutting -deer's throats low down (to serve as specimens); they also did not approve -of the traveller's throwing date stones into the fire. As usual, they are -fearful boasters. Their ancestors turned Christians out of the country. -They despise guns. They consider the Frank formidable only behind walls: -they are ready to fight it out in the plain, and they would gallop around -cannon so that not a shot would tell. Vain words to conceal the hearts of -hares! Lieutenant Speke justly remarks that, on account of the rough way -in which they are brought up, the Somal would become excellent policemen; -they should, however, be separated from their own people, and doubtless -the second generation might be trained into courage. - -At Biyu Hablay Lieutenant Speke, finding time as well as means deficient, -dropped all idea of marching to Berberah. He wished to attempt a north- -western route to Hais, but the Rer Hamaturwa (a clan of the Habr Gerhajis -who occupy the mountain) positively refused passage. Permission was -accorded by that clan to march due north upon Bunder Jedid, where, -however, the traveller feared that no vessel might be found. As a last -resource he determined to turn to the north-east, and, by a new road -through the Habr Gerhajis, to make Las Kuray. - -_18th January_.--The Abban again returned from his home, and accompanied -Lieutenant Speke on his first march to the north-east. Early in the -morning the caravan started over the ground before described: on this -occasion, however, it traversed the belt of jungle at the foot of the -mountains. After a march of six miles they halted at "Mirhiddo," under a -tree on elevated ground, in a mere desert, no water being nearer than the -spring of Jid Ali. The Abban took the opportunity of Lieutenant Speke -going out specimen-hunting to return home, contrary to orders, and he did -not reappear till the traveller walked back and induced him to march. Here -a second camel, being "in articulo," was cut up and greedily devoured. - -_21st January_.--The Abban appeared in the morning, and the caravan -started about noon, over the stony ground at the foot of the hills. After -a mile's march, the "Protector" again disappeared, in open defiance of -orders. That day's work was about ten miles. The caravan halted, late at -night, in the bed of a watercourse, called Hanfallal. Lieutenant Speke -visited the spring, which is of extraordinary sweetness for the Warsingali -country: it flows from a cleft in the rock broad enough to admit a man's -body, and about 60 feet deep. - -_23rd January_.--Lieutenant Speke was about to set out under the guidance -of Awado, the Abban's mother, when her graceless son reappeared. At noon -the caravan travelled along a rough road, over the lower spurs of the -mountains: they went five miles, and it was evening when they unloaded in -a watercourse a little distance up the hills, at a place called Dallmalay. -The bed was about 150 yards broad, full of jungle, and showed signs of a -strong deep stream during the monsoon. The travellers made up a Kraal, but -found no water there. - -_24th January_.--Early in the morning the caravan started, and ascended by -a path over the hills. The way was bare of verdure, but easy: here a camel -unable to walk, though unloaded, was left behind. One of Lieutenant -Speke's discharged camel-men, a Warsingali, being refused passage by the -Habr Gerhajis, on account of some previous quarrel, found a stray camel, -and carried it off to his home amongst the Dulbahantas. He afterwards -appeared at Las Kuray, having taken the road by which the travellers -entered the country. Having marched eleven miles, the caravan arrived in -the evening at Gobamiray, a flat on the crest of the mountains. Here again -thick jungle appeared, and the traveller stood over more on the seaward -side. Water was distant. - -On arriving, the camels were seized by the Urus Sugay, a clan of the Habr -Gerhajis. The poor wretches pretended to show fight, and asked if they -were considered a nation of women, that their country was to be entered -without permission. Next morning they volunteered to act as escort. - -_25th January_.--Loading was forbidden by the valiant sons of Habr -Gerhajis; but as they were few in number, and the Warsingali clan was -near, it went on without interruption. This day, like the latter, was -cloudy; heavy showers fell for some hours, and the grass was springing up. -Rain had lasted for some time, and had not improved the road. This fall is -called by the people "Dairti:" it is confined to the hills, whereas the -Gugi or monsoon is general over the plateau. - -About noon the caravan marched, late, because the Abban's two horses had -strayed. These animals belonged to a relation of the "Protector," who -called them his own, and wished as a civility to sell the garrons at the -highest possible price to his client. The caravan marched down a tortuous -and difficult road, descending about four miles. It unloaded as evening -drew near, and the travellers found at Gambagahh a good dormitory, a cave -which kept out the rain. Water was standing close by in a pool. The whole -way was a thick jungle of bush and thorn. - -_26th January_.--The Somal insisted upon halting to eat, and the caravan -did not start before noon. The road was tolerable and the descent oblique. -The jungle was thick and the clouds thicker; rain fell heavily as usual in -the afternoon. Five cloths were given to the Habr Gerhajis as a bribe for -passage. After a march of six miles the caravan halted at a place called -Minan. Here they again found a cave which protected them from the rain. -Water was abundant in the hollows of the rock. - -_27th January_.--Early in the morning the caravan set out, and descended -the hill obliquely by a tolerable road. They passed a number of thorn -trees, bearing a gum called Falafala or Luban Meyti, a kind of -frankincense: it is thrown upon the fire, and the women are in the habit -of standing over it. After travelling six miles the travellers unloaded at -Hundurgal, on the bank of a watercourse leading to Las Galwayta: some -pools of rain-water were observed in the rocky hollows of the bed. - -_28th January_.--At about 9 A.M. the caravan crossed one of the lower -ridges of the mountains by a tolerable road. Lieutenant Speke had preceded -his camels, and was sitting down to rest, when he was startled by hearing -the rapid discharge of a revolver. His valiant Abban, either in real or in -pretended terror of the Habr Gerhajis had fired the pistol as a warning. -It had the effect of collecting a number of Bedouins to stare at the -travellers, and cogitate on what they could obtain: they offered, however, -no opposition. - -At midday the caravan reached a broad and deep Fiumara, which contained a -spring of good sweet water flowing towards the sea. Here they halted for -refreshment. Again advancing, they traversed another ridge, and, after a -march of twelve miles, arrived in the evening at another little -watercourse on the Maritime Plain. That day was clear and warm, the rain -being confined to the upper ranges. The name of the halting-place was -Farjeh. - -_29th January_.--The caravan marched over the plain into Kurayat, or -Little Las Kuray, where Lieutenant Speke, after a detention of upwards of -a fortnight, took boat, and after five days' sail arrived at Aden, where I -was expecting him. He was charged forty dollars--five times the proper -sum--for a place in a loaded Buggalow: from Aden to Bombay thirty-five -dollars is the hire of the whole cabin. This was the last act of the -Abban, who is now by the just orders of the acting Political Resident, -Aden, expiating his divers offences in the Station Jail. - - -CONCLUSION. - -Lieutenant Speke has passed through three large tribes, the Warsingali, -the Dulbahanta, and the Habr Gerhajis. - -The Warsingali have a Sultan or Chief, whose orders are obeyed after a -fashion by all the clans save one, the Bihidur. He cannot demand the -attendance of a subject even to protect the country, and has no power to -raise recruits; consequently increase of territory is never contemplated -in this part of the Somali country. In case of murder, theft, or dispute -between different tribes, the aggrieved consult the Sultan, who, -assembling the elders, deputes them to feel the inclinations of the -"public." The people prefer revenging themselves by violence, as every man -thereby hopes to gain something. The war ends when the enemy has more -spears than cattle left--most frequently, however, by mutual consent, when -both are tired of riding the country. Expeditions seldom meet one another, -this retiring as that advances, and he is deemed a brave who can lift a -few head of cattle and return home in safety. The commissariat department -is rudely organised: at the trysting-place, generally some water, the -people assemble on a day fixed by the Sultan, and slaughter sheep: each -person provides himself by hanging some dried meat upon his pony. It is -said that on many occasions men have passed upwards of a week with no -other sustenance than water. This extensive branch of the Somal is divided -into eighteen principal clans, viz.: - -1. Rer Gerad (the royal family). -2. Rer Fatih. -3. Rer Abdullah. -4. Rer Bihidur. -5. Bohogay Salabay. -6. Adan Yakub. -7. Gerad Umar. -8. Gerad Yusuf. -9. Gerad Liban. -10. Nuh Umar. -11. Adan Said. -12. Rer Haji. -13. Dubbays. -14. Warlabah. -15. Bayabarhay. -16. Rer Yasif. -17. Hindudub. -18. Rer Garwayna. - -The Northern Dulbahantas are suffering greatly from intestine war. They -are even less tractable than the Warsingali. Their Sultan is a ruler only -in name; no one respects his person or consults him in matters of -importance: their Gerad was in the vicinity of the traveller; but evasive -answers were returned (probably in consequence of the Abban's -machinations) to every inquiry. The elders and men of substance settle -local matters, and all have a voice in everything that concerns the -general weal: such for instance as the transit of a traveller. Lieutenant -Speke saw two tribes, the Mahmud Gerad and Rer Ali Nalay. The latter is -subdivided into six septs. - -The Habr Gerhajis, here scattered and cut up, have little power. Their -royal family resides near Berberah, but no one as yet wears the turban; -and even when investiture takes place, a ruler's authority will not extend -to Makhar. Three clans of this tribe inhabit this part of the Somali -country, viz., Bah Gummaron, Rer Hamturwa, and Urus Sugay. - -I venture to submit a few remarks upon the subject of the preceding diary. - -It is evident from the perusal of these pages that though the traveller -suffered from the system of black-mail to which the inhospitable Somal of -Makhar subject all strangers, though he was delayed, persecuted by his -"protector," and threatened with war, danger, and destruction, his life -was never in real peril. Some allowance must also be made for the people -of the country. Lieutenant Speke was of course recognised as a servant of -Government; and savages cannot believe that a man wastes his rice and -cloth to collect dead beasts and to ascertain the direction of streams. He -was known to be a Christian; he is ignorant of the Moslem faith; and, most -fatal to his enterprise, he was limited in time. Not knowing either the -Arabic or the Somali tongue, he was forced to communicate with the people -through the medium of his dishonest interpreter and Abban. - -I have permitted myself to comment upon the system of interference pursued -by the former authorities of Aden towards the inhabitants of the Somali -coast. A partial intermeddling with the quarrels of these people is -unwise. We have the whole line completely in our power. An armed cruiser, -by a complete blockade, would compel the inhabitants to comply with any -requisitions. But either our intervention should be complete,--either we -should constitute ourselves sole judges of all disputes, or we should -sedulously turn a deaf ear to their complaints. The former I not only -understand to be deprecated by our rulers, but I also hold it to be -imprudent. Nothing is more dangerous than to influence in any way the -savage balance of power between these tribes: by throwing our weight on -one side we may do them incalculable mischief. The Somal, like the Arab -Bedouins, live in a highly artificial though an apparently artless state -of political relations; and the imperfect attempt of strangers to -interfere would be turned to the worst account by the designing adventurer -and the turbulent spirit who expects to rise by means of anarchy and -confusion. Hitherto our partial intervention between the Habr Awal of -Berberah and the Habr Gerhajis of Zayla has been fraught with evils to -them, and consequently to us. - -But it is a rapidly prevailing custom for merchants and travellers to -engage an Abban or Protector, not on the African coast, as was formerly -case, but at Aden. It is clearly advantageous to encourage this practice, -since it gives us a right in case of fraud or violence to punish the Abban -as he deserves. - -Lastly, we cannot expect great things without some establishment at -Berberah. Were a British agent settled there, he could easily select the -most influential and respectable men, to be provided with a certificate -entitling them to the honor and emolument of protecting strangers. Nothing -would tend more surely than this measure to open up the new country to -commerce and civilisation. And it must not be inferred, from a perusal of -the foregoing pages, that the land is valueless. Lieutenant Speke saw but -a small portion of it, and that, too, during the dead season. Its exports -speak for themselves: guano, valuable gums, hides, peltries, mats, -clarified butter, honey, and Dumbah sheep. From the ruins and the -traditions of the country, it is clear that a more civilised race once -held these now savage shores, and the disposition of the people does not -discourage the hope entertained by every Englishman--that of raising his -fellow man in the scale of civilisation. - -Camp, Aden, March, 1855. - - - - -METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS - -_Made by Lieutenant Speke, during his Experimental Tour in Eastern Africa, -portions of Warsingali, Dulbahanta, &c._ - - - Date. | 6 A.M. | Noon. | 3 P.M. | Meteorological Notices. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 1854. -Oct. 29. 70 deg. 87 deg. *112 deg. Wind from the N. E. strong. (*Exposed - " 30. 70 87 85 Ditto. to sun.) - " 31. 68 88 85 Ditto. -Nov. 1. 67 88 82 Ditto. (These observations from - " 2. 62 86 85 Ditto. the 29th Oct. to the 7th - " 3. 59 86 " Nov., were taken in the - " 4. 65 86 84 Ditto. tent.) - " 5. 65 88 -- Ditto. - " 6. 63 88 86 Ditto. - " 7. 74 90 88 Cloudy in the morning. - " 8. 66 83 88 Wind strong from the N. E. (In open - " 9. 64 84 82 Ditto. air, but not exposed - " 10. 69 84 82 Ditto. to the sun.) - " 11. 70 84 82 Ditto. - " 12. 68 83 82 - " 13. 64 85 82 - " 14. 77 82 82 - " 15. 70 83 83 - " 16. 72 83 82 - " 17. 62 110 104 In open air exposed to sun. - " 18. 62 95 96 - " 19. 62 102 95 All these observations were taken - " 20. -- 98 103 during the N. E. monsoon, when the - " 21. " " " wind comes from that quarter. It - " 22. 59 74 77 generally makes its appearance - " 23. 56 81 75 about half-past 9 A.M. - " 24. 59 78 82 - " 25. 58 78 79 - " 26. 60 74 75 - " 27. 59 82 77 - " 28. 59 82 72 - " 29. 59 -- 80 - " 30. 61 82 80 - Dec. 1. 52 78 86 - " 2. 50 86 89 - " 3. " " " - " 4. -- 69 " - " 5. 54 84 84 - " 6. -- 97 98 - " 7. 52 -- 89 - " 8. 52 95 100 - " 9. 38 90 94 - " 10. 42 92 91 - " 11. 42 " " - " 12. 45 73 " - " 13. 40 81 82 - " 14. 25 76 82 - " 15. 33 80 82 - " 16. 47 91 89 - " 17. 36 84 90 - " 18. 34 82 84 - " 19. 54 78 84 - " 20. 52 77 83 - " 31. -- 89 88 - - 1855. -Jan. 1. 40 98 98 In open air exposed to the sun. - " 2. 43 84 88 All these observations were taken - " 3. 34 84 86 during the N. E. monsoon, when - " 4. 32 86 84 the wind comes from that quarter; - " 5. 28 96 87 generally making its appearance at - " 6. 34 92 94 about half-past 9 A.M. - " 7. 39 91 80 - " 8. 39 95 " - " 9. 40 81 " - " 10. 55 -- 72 - " 11. 50 91 90 - " 12. 53 87 90 - " 13. 51 94 94 - " 14. 39 84 95 - " 16. 40 81 87 - " 17. 46 78 81 - " 18. 42 86 88 - " 19. 44 82 83 - " 20. 40 " " - " 21. 38 87 93 - " 22. 50 91 84 - " 23. 52 86 98 - " 24. 52 -- 62 On the north or sea face of the - " 25. 51 79 66 Warsangali Hills, during 24th, - " 26. 58 65 63 25th, and 26th, had rain and heavy - " 27. 58 " " clouds daring the day: blowing - " 30. 72 82 82 off towards the evening. - " 31. 71 88 93 From the 27th to the 7th the -Feb. 1. 67 96 80 observations were taken at the sea. - " 2. 74 89 80 - " 3. 68 87 88 - " 4. 68 89 " - " 5. 68 84 83 - " 6. 72 88 " On the 7th observations were taken - " 7. 68 83 " in tent. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - | Govern. | | - | Therm. ! Therm. | Feet. - | boiled. | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 1854 -Nov. 1st. At Las Guray 212 deg. 88 deg. 0000 - 22nd. At Adhai 204.25 81 4577 - 30th. At Habal Ishawalay 203 58 5052 -Dec. 4th. At Yafir, top of range 200.25 69 6704 - 5th. At Mukur, on plateau 205.5 67 3660 - 7th. At Rhat Tug, on plateau 206.5 62 3077 - 15th. At Yubbay Tug, on plateau 204 62 4498 - Government boiling therm. broke - here. - Common therm. out of bazar boiled - at sea level 209 deg. - Thermometer 76 - 1855 Com. ther. -Jan. 1st. At Jid Alli, on plateau 202 deg. 62 3884 - 12th. At Biyu Hablay 201. 62 4 449 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - -APPENDIX II. - -GRAMMATICAL OUTLINE AND VOCABULARY - -HARARI LANGUAGE. - - -[Editor's note: This appendix was omitted because of the large number of -Arabic characters it contains, which makes it impossible to reproduce -accurately following PG standards.] - - - - -APPENDIX III - -METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS IN THE COLD SEASON OF 1854-5, - -BY -LIEUTENANTS HERNE, STROYAN, AND BURTON. - - -[Editor's note: This appendix contains tables of numbers that are too wide -to be reproduced accurately following PG standards.] - - - - -APPENDIX IV. - -It has been found necessary to omit this Appendix. - - -[Editor's note: This appendix, written in Latin by Burton, contained -descriptions of sexual customs among certain tribes. It was removed by the -publisher of the book, who apparently considered it to be too _risque_ for -the Victorian public.] - - - - -APPENDIX V. - -A CONDENSED ACCOUNT OF AN ATTEMPT TO REACH HARAR FROM ANKOBAR. - - -The author is Lieutenant, now Commander, WILLIAM BARKER of the Indian -Navy, one of the travellers who accompanied Sir William Cornwallis, then -Captain, Harris on his mission to the court of Shoa. His services being -required by the Bombay Government, he was directed by Captain Harris, on -October 14th, 1841, to repair to the coast via Harar, by a road "hitherto -untrodden by Europeans." These pages will reward perusal as a narrative of -adventure, especially as they admirably show what obstacles the suspicious -characters and the vain terrors of the Bedouins have thrown in the way of -energy and enterprise. - - -"Aden, February 28, 1842. - -"Shortly after I had closed my last communication to Captain Harris of the -Bombay Engineers on special duty at the Court of Shoa (14. Jan. 1842), a -report arrived at Allio Amba that Demetrius, an Albanian who had been for -ten years resident in the Kingdom of Shoa, and who had left it for -Tajoorah, accompanied by "Johannes," another Albanian, by three Arabs, -formerly servants of the Embassy, and by several slaves, had been murdered -by the Bedoos (Bedouins) near Murroo. This caused a panic among my -servants. I allayed it with difficulty, but my interpreter declared his -final intention of deserting me, as the Hurruri caravan had threatened to -kill him if he persisted in accompanying me. Before proceeding farther it -may be as well to mention that I had with me four servants, one a mere -lad, six mules and nine asses to carry my luggage and provisions. - -"I had now made every arrangement, having, as the Wallasena Mahomed Abugas -suggested, purchased a fine horse and a Tobe for my protector and guide, -Datah Mahomed of the clan Seedy Habroo, a subtribe of the Debeneh. It was -too late to recede: accordingly at an early hour on Saturday, the 15th -January, 1842, I commenced packing, and about 8 A.M. took my departure -from the village of Allio Amba. I had spent there a weary three months, -and left it with that mixture of pleasure and regret felt only by those -who traverse unknown and inhospitable regions. I had made many friends, -who accompanied me for some distance on the road, and took leave of me -with a deep feeling which assured me of their sympathy. Many endeavoured -to dissuade me from the journey, but my lot was cast. - -"About five miles from Allio, I met the nephew of the Wallasena, who -accompanied me to Farri, furnished me with a house there, and ordered my -mules and asses to be taken care of. Shortly after my arrival the guide, -an old man, made his appearance and seemed much pleased by my punctuality. - -"At noon, on Sunday the 16th, the Wallasena arrived, and sent over his -compliments, with a present of five loaves of bread. I called upon him in -the evening, and reminded him of the letter he had promised me; he ordered -it to be prepared, taking for copy the letter which the king (Sahala -Salassah of Shoa) had given to me. - -"My guide having again promised to forward me in safety, the Wallasena -presented him with a spear, a shield, and a Tobe, together with the horse -and the cloth which I had purchased for him. About noon on Monday the -17th, we quitted Farri with a slave-caravan bound for Tajoorah. I was -acquainted with many of these people, the Wallasena also recommended me -strongly to the care of Mahomed ibn Buraitoo and Dorranu ibn Kamil. We -proceeded to Datharal, the Wallasena and his nephew having escorted me as -far as Denehmelli, where they took leave. I found the Caffilah to consist -of fifteen Tajoorians, and about fifty camels laden with provisions for -the road, fifty male and about twenty female slaves, mostly children from -eight to ten years of age. My guide had with him five camels laden with -grain, two men and two women. - -"The Ras el Caffilah (chief of the caravan) was one Ibrahim ibn Boorantoo, -who it appears had been chief of the embassy caravan, although Essakh -(Ishak) gave out that he was. It is certain that this man always gave -orders for pitching the camp and for loading; but we being unaware of the -fact that he was Ras el Caffilah, he had not received presents on the -arrival of the Embassy at Shoa. Whilst unloading the camels, the following -conversation took place. 'Ya Kabtan!' (0 Captain) said he addressing me -with a sneer, 'where are you going to?--do you think the Bedoos will let -you pass through their country? We shall see! Now I will tell you!--you -Feringis have treated me very ill!--you loaded Essakh and others with -presents, but never gave me anything. I have, as it were, a knife in my -stomach which is continually cutting me--this knife you have placed there! -But, inshallah! it is now my turn! I will be equal with you!--you think of -going to Hurrur--we shall see!' I replied, 'You know me not! It is true I -was ignorant that you were Ras el Caffilah on our way to Shoa. You say you -have a knife cutting your inside--I can remove that knife! Those who treat -me well, now that I am returning to my country, shall be rewarded; for, -the Lord be praised! there I have the means of repaying my friends, but in -Shoa I am a beggar. Those that treat me ill shall also receive their -reward.' - -"My mules, being frightened at the sight of the camels, were exceedingly -restive; one of them strayed and was brought back by Deeni ibn Hamed, a -young man who was indebted to me for some medicines and a trifling present -which he had received from the embassy. Ibrahim, the Ras el Caffilah, -seeing him lead it back, called out, 'So you also have become servant to -the Kafir (infidel)!' At the same time Datah Mahomed, the guide, addressed -to me some remark which he asked Ibrahim to explain; the latter replied in -a sarcastic manner in Arabic, a language with which I am unacquainted. [1] -This determined hostility on the part of the Ras el Caffilah was -particularly distressing to me, as I feared he would do me much mischief. -I therefore determined to gain him over to my interests, and accordingly, -taking Deeni on one side, I promised him a handsome present if he would -take an opportunity of explaining to Ibrahim that he should be well -rewarded if he behaved properly, and at the same time that if he acted -badly, that a line or two sent to Aden would do him harm. I also begged -him to act as my interpreter as long as we were together, and he -cheerfully agreed to do so. - -"We were on the point of resuming our journey on Tuesday the 18th, when it -was found that the mule of the el Caffilah had strayed. After his conduct -on the preceding evening, he was ashamed to come to me, but he deputed one -of the caravan people to request the loan of one of my mules to go in -quest of his. I gave him one readily. We were detained that day as the -missing animal was not brought back till late. Notwithstanding my -civility, I observed him in close conversation with Datah Mahomed, about -the rich presents which the Feringis had given to Essakh and others, and I -frequently observed him pointing to my luggage in an expressive manner. -Towards evening the guide came to me and said, 'My son! I am an old man, -my teeth are bad, I cannot eat this parched grain--I see you eat bread. -Now we are friends, you must give me some of it!' I replied that several -times after preparing for the journey, I had been disappointed and at last -started on a short notice--that I was but scantily supplied with -provisions, and had a long journey before me: notwithstanding which I was -perfectly willing that he should share with me what I had as long as it -lasted, and that as he was a great chief, I expected that he would furnish -me with a fresh supply on arriving at his country. He then said, 'it is -well! but why did you not buy me a mule instead of a horse?' My reply was -that I had supposed that the latter would be more acceptable to him. I -divided the night into three watches: my servants kept the first and -middle, and I myself the morning. - -"We quitted Dattenab, the frontier station, at about 7 o'clock A.M., on -Wednesday the 19th. The country at this season presented a more lively -appearance than when we travelled over it before, grass being abundant: on -the trees by the roadside was much gum Acacia, which the Caffilah people -collected as they passed. I was pleased to remark that Ibrahim was the -only person ill-disposed towards me, the rest of the travellers were civil -and respectful. At noon we halted under some trees by the wayside. -Presently we were accosted by six Bedoos of the Woemah tribe who were -travelling from Keelulho to Shoa: they informed us that Demetrius had been -plundered and stripped by the Takyle tribe, that one Arab and three male -slaves had been slain, and that another Arab had fled on horseback to the -Etoh (Ittu) Gallas, whence nothing more had been heard of him: the rest of -the party were living under the protection of Shaykh Omar Buttoo of the -Takyle. The Bedoos added that plunderers were lying in wait on the banks -of the river Howash for the white people that were about to leave Shoa. -The Ras el Caffilah communicated to me this intelligence, and concluded by -saying: 'Now, if you wish to return, I will take you back, but if you say -forward, let us proceed!' I answered, 'Let us proceed!' I must own that -the intelligence pleased me not; two of my servants were for returning, -but they were persuaded to go on to the next station, where we would be -guided by circumstances. About 2 o'clock P.M. we again proceeded, after a -long "Cullam" or talk, which ended in Datah Mahomed sending for assistance -to a neighbouring tribe. During a conversation with the Ras el Caffilah, I -found out that the Bedoos were lying in wait, not for the white people, -but for our caravan. It came out that these Bedouins had had the worst of -a quarrel with the last Caffilah from Tajoorah: they then threatened to -attack it in force on its return. The Ras el Caffilah was assured that as -long as we journeyed together, I should consider his enemies my enemies, -and that being well supplied with firearms, I would assist him on all -occasions. This offer pleased him, and we became more friendly. We passed -several deserted villages of the Bedoos, who had retired for want of water -towards the Wadys, and about 7 o'clock P.M. halted at the lake Leadoo. - -"On the morning of Thursday the 20th, Datah Mahomed came to me and -delivered himself though Deeni as follows: 'My son! our father the -Wallasena entrusted you to my care, we feasted together in Gouchoo--you -are to me as the son of my house! Yesterday I heard that the Bedoos were -waiting to kill, but fear not, for I have sent to the Seedy Habroo for -some soldiers, who will be here soon. Now these soldiers are sent for on -your account; they will want much cloth, but you are a sensible person, -and will of course pay them well. They will accompany us beyond the -Howash!' I replied,' It is true, the Wallasena entrusted me to your care. -He also told me that you were a great chief, and could forward me on my -journey. I therefore did not prepare a large supply of cloth--a long -journey is before me--what can be spared shall be freely given, but you -must tell the soldiers that I have but little. You are now my father!' - -"Scarcely had I ceased when the soldiers, fine stout-looking savages, -armed with spear, shield, and crease, mustering about twenty-five, made -their appearance. It was then 10 A.M. The word was given to load the -camels, and we soon moved forward. I found my worthy protector exceedingly -good-natured and civil, dragging on my asses and leading my mules. Near -the Howash we passed several villages, in which I could not but remark the -great proportion of children. At about 3 P.M. we forded the river, which -was waist-deep, and on the banks of which were at least 3000 head of -horned cattle. Seeing no signs of the expected enemy, we journeyed on till -5 P.M., when we halted at the south-eastern extremity of the Howash Plain, -about one mile to the eastward of a small pool of water. - -"At daylight on Friday the 21st it was discovered that Datah Mahomed's -horse had disappeared. This was entirely his fault; my servants had -brought it back when it strayed during the night, but he said, 'Let it -feed, it will not run away!' When I condoled with him on the loss of so -noble an animal, he replied, 'I know very well who has taken it: one of my -cousins asked me for it yesterday, and because I refused to give it he has -stolen it; never mind, Inshallah! I will steal some of his camels.' After -a 'Cullam' about what was to be given to our worthy protectors, it was -settled that I should contribute three cloths and the Caffilah ten; -receiving these, they departed much satisfied. Having filled our water- -skins, we resumed our march a little before noon. Several herds of -antelope and wild asses appeared on the way. At 7 P.M. we halted near -Hano. Prevented from lighting a fire for fear of the Galla, I was obliged -to content myself with some parched grain, of which I had prepared a large -supply. - -"At sunrise on the 22nd we resumed our journey, the weather becoming warm -and the grass scanty. At noon we halted near Shaykh Othman. I was glad to -find that Deeni had succeeded in converting the Ras el Caffilah from an -avowed enemy to a staunch friend, at least outwardly so; he has now become -as civil and obliging as he was before the contrary. There being no water -at this station, I desired my servant Adam not to make any bread, -contenting myself with the same fare as that of the preceding evening. -This displeasing Datah Mahomed, some misunderstanding arose, which, from -their ignorance of each other's language, might, but for the interference -of the Ras el Caffilah and Deeni, have led to serious results. An -explanation ensued, which ended in Datah Mahomed seizing me by the beard, -hugging and embracing me in a manner truly unpleasant. I then desired Adam -to make him some bread and coffee, and harmony was once more restored. -This little disturbance convinced me that if once left among these savages -without any interpreter, that I should be placed in a very dangerous -situation. The Ras el Caffilah also told me that unless he saw that the -road was clear for me to Hurrur, and that there was no danger to be -apprehended, that he could not think of leaving me, but should take me -with him to Tajoorah. He continued, 'You know not the Emir of Hurrur: when -he hears of your approach he will cause you to be waylaid by the Galla. -Why not come with me to Tajoorah? If you fear being in want of provisions -we have plenty, and you shall share all we have!' I was much surprised at -this change of conduct on the part of the Ras el Caffilah, and by way of -encouraging him to continue friendly, spared not to flatter him, saying it -was true I did not know him before, but now I saw he was a man of -excellent disposition. At three P.M. we again moved forward. Grass became -more abundant; in some places it was luxuriant and yet green. We halted at -eight P.M. The night was cold with a heavy dew, and there being no fuel, I -again contented myself with parched grain. - -"At daylight on the 23rd we resumed our march. Datah Mahomed asked for two -mules, that he and his friend might ride forward to prepare for my -reception at his village. I lent him the animals, but after a few minutes -he returned to say that I had given him the two worst, and he would not go -till I dismounted and gave him the mule which I was riding. About noon we -arrived at the lake Toor Erain Murroo, where the Bedouins were in great -numbers watering their flocks and herds, at least 3000 head of horned -cattle and sheep innumerable. Datah Mahomed, on my arrival, invited me to -be seated under the shade of a spreading tree, and having introduced me to -his people as his guest and the friend of the Wallasena, immediately -ordered some milk, which was brought in a huge bowl fresh and warm from -the cow; my servants were similarly provided. During the night Adam shot a -fox, which greatly astonished the Bedouins, and gave them even more dread -of our fire-arms. Hearing that Demetrius and his party, who had been -plundered of everything, were living at a village not far distant, I -offered to pay the Ras el Caffilah any expense he might be put to if he -would permit them to accompany our caravan to Tajoorah. He said that he -had no objection to their joining the Caffilah, but that he had been -informed their wish was to return to Shoa. I had a long conversation with -the Ras, who begged of me not to go to Hurrur; 'for,' he said, 'it is well -known that the Hurruri caravan remained behind solely on your account. You -will therefore enter the town, should you by good fortune arrive there at -all, under unfavourable circumstances. I am sure that the Emir [2], who -may receive you kindly, will eventually do you much mischief, besides -which these Bedouins will plunder you of all your property.' The other -people of the caravan, who are all my friends, also spoke in the same -strain. This being noted as a bad halting place, all kept watch with us -during the night. - -"The mules and camels having had their morning feed, we set out at about -10 A.M. on Monday the 24th for the village of Datah Mahomed, he having -invited the Caffilah's people and ourselves to partake of his hospitality -and be present at his marriage festivities. The place is situated about -half a mile to the E. N. E. of the lake; it consists of about sixty huts, -surrounded by a thorn fence with separate enclosures for the cattle. The -huts are formed of curved sticks, with their ends fastened in the ground, -covered with mats, in shape approaching to oval, about five feet high, -fifteen feet long, and eight broad. Arrived at the village, we found the -elders seated under the shade of a venerable Acacia feasting; six bullocks -were immediately slaughtered for the Caffilah and ourselves. At sunset a -camel was brought out in front of the building and killed--the Bedoos are -extremely fond of this meat. In the evening I had a long conversation with -Datah Mahomed, who said, 'My son! you have as yet given me nothing. The -Wallasena gave me everything. My horse has been stolen--I want a mule and -much cloth.' Deeni replied for me that the mules were presents from the -king (Sahala Salassah) to the Governor of Aden: this the old man would not -believe. I told him that I had given him the horse and Tobe, but he -exclaimed, 'No, no! my son; the Wallasena is our father; he told me that -he had given them to me, and also that you would give me great things when -you arrived at my village. My son! the Wallasena would not lie.' Datah was -then called away. - -"Early on the morning of Tuesday the 25th, Datah Mahomed invited me and -the elders of the Caffilah to his hut, where he supplied us liberally with -milk; clarified butter was then handed round, and the Tajoorians anointed -their bodies. After we had left his hut, he came to me, and in presence of -the Ras el Caffilah and Deeni said, 'You see I have treated you with great -honour, you must give me a mule and plenty of cloth, as all my people want -cloth. You have given me nothing as yet!' Seeing that I became rather -angry, and declared solemnly that I had given him the horse and Tobe, he -smiled and said, 'I know that, but I want a mule, my horse has been -stolen.'--I replied that I would see about it. He then asked for all my -blue cloth and my Arab 'Camblee' (blanket). My portmanteau being rather -the worse for wear--its upper leather was torn--he thrust in his fingers, -and said, with a most avaricious grin, 'What have you here?' I immediately -arose and exclaimed, 'You are not my father; the Wallasena told me you -would treat me kindly; this is not doing so.' He begged pardon and said, -'Do not be frightened, my son; I will take nothing from you but what you -give me freely. You think I am a bad man; people have been telling you ill -things about me. I am now an old man, and have given up such child's work -as plundering people.' It became, however, necessary to inquire of Datah -Mahomed what were his intentions with regard to myself. I found that I had -been deceived at Shoa; there it was asserted that he lived at Errur and -was brother to Bedar, one of the most powerful chiefs of the Adel, instead -of which it proved that he was not so highly connected, and that he -visited Errur only occasionally. Datah told me that his marriage feast -would last seven days, after which he would forward me to Doomi, where we -should find Bedar, who would send me either to Tajoorah or to Hurrur, as -he saw fit. - -"I now perceived that all hope of reaching Hurrur was at an end. Vexed and -disappointed at having suffered so much in vain, I was obliged to resign -the idea of going there for the following reasons: The Mission treasury -was at so low an ebb that I had left Shoa with only three German crowns, -and the prospect of meeting on the road Mahomed Ali in charge of the -second division of the Embassy and the presents, who could have supplied -me with money. The constant demands of Datah Mahomed for tobacco, for -cloth, in fact for everything he saw, would become ten times more annoying -were I left with him without an interpreter. The Tajoorians, also, one -all, begged me not to remain, saying, 'Think not of your property, but -only of your and your servants' lives. Come with us to Tajoorah; we will -travel quick, and you shall share our provisions.' At last I consented to -this new arrangement, and Datah Mahomed made no objection. This -individual, however, did not leave me till he had extorted from me my best -mule, all my Tobes (eight in number), and three others, which I borrowed -from the caravan people. He departed about midnight, saying that he would -take away his mule in the morning. - -"At 4 A.M. on the 26th I was disturbed by Datah Mahomed, who took away his -mule, and then asked for more cloth, which was resolutely refused. He then -begged for my 'Camblee,' which, as it was my only covering, I would not -part with, and checked him by desiring him to strip me if he wished it. He -then left me and returned in about an hour, with a particular friend who -had come a long way expressly to see me. I acknowledged the honour, and -deeply regretted that I had only words to pay for it, he himself having -received my last Tobe. 'However,' I continued, seeing the old man's brow -darken, 'I will endeavour to borrow one from the Caffilah people.' Deeni -brought me one, which was rejected as inferior. I then said, 'You see my -dress--that cloth is better than what I wear--but here; take my turban.' -This had the desired effect; the cloth was accepted. At length Datah -Mahomed delivered me over to the charge of the Ras el Caffilah in a very -impressive manner, and gave me his blessing. We resumed our journey at 2 -P.M., when I joined heartily with the caravan people in their 'Praise be -to God! we are at length clear of the Bedoos!' About 8 P.M. we halted at -Metta. - -"At half-past 4 A.M. on the 27th we started; all the people of the -Caffilah were warm in their congratulations that I had given up the Hurrur -route. At 9 A.M. we halted at Codaitoo: the country bears marks of having -been thickly inhabited during the rains, but at present, owing to the want -of water, not an individual was to be met with. At Murroo we filled our -water-skins, there being no water between that place and Doomi, distant -two days' journey. As the Ras el Caffilah had heard that the Bedoos were -as numerous as the hairs of his head at Doomi and Keelulhoo, he determined -to avoid both and proceed direct to Warrahambili, where water was -plentiful and Bedoos were few, owing to the scarcity of grass. This, he -said, was partly on my account and partly on his own, as he would be much -troubled by the Bedouins of Doomi, many of them being his kinsmen. We -continued our march from 3 P.M. till 9 P.M., when we halted at Boonderrah. - -"At 4 P.M., on January 28th, we moved forward through the Waddy -Boonderrah, which was dry at that season; grass, however, was still -abundant. From 11 A.M. till 4 P.M., we halted at Geera Dohiba. Then again -advancing we traversed, by a very rough road, a deep ravine, called the -"Place of Lions." The slaves are now beginning to be much knocked up, many -of them during the last march were obliged to be put upon camels. I forgot -to mention that one died the day we left Murroo. At 10 P.M. we halted at -Hagaioo Geera Dohiba: this was formerly the dwelling-place of Hagaioo, -chief of the Woemah (Dankali), but the Eesa Somali having made a -successful attack upon him, and swept off all his cattle, he deserted it. -During the night the barking of dogs betrayed the vicinity of a Bedoo -encampment, and caused us to keep a good look-out. Water being too scarce -to make bread, I contented myself with coffee and parched grain. - -"At daylight on the 29th we resumed our journey, and passed by an -encampment of the Eesa, About noon we reached Warrahambili. Thus far we -have done well, but the slaves are now so exhausted that a halt of two -days will be necessary to recruit their strength. In this Wady we found an -abundance of slightly brackish water, and a hot spring. - -"_Sunday, 30th January._--A Caffilah, travelling from Tajoorah to Shoa, -passed by. The people kindly offered to take my letters. Mahomed ibn -Boraitoo, one of the principal people in the Caffilah, presented me with a -fine sheep and a quantity of milk, which I was glad to accept. There had -been a long-standing quarrel between him and our Ras el Caffilah. When the -latter heard that I accepted the present he became very angry, and said to -my servant, Adam, 'Very well, your master chooses to take things from -other people; why did he not ask me if he wanted sheep? We shall see!' -Adam interrupted him by saying, 'Be not angry; my master did not ask for -the sheep, it was brought to him as a present; it has been slaughtered, -and I was just looking for you to distribute it among the people of the -Caffilah.' This appeased him; and Adam added, 'If my master hears your -words he will be angry, for he wishes to be friends with all people.' I -mention the above merely to show how very little excites these savages to -anger. The man who gave me the sheep, hearing that I wished to go to -Tajoorah, offered to take me there in four days. I told him I would first -consult the Ras el Caffilah, who declared it would not be safe for me to -proceed from this alone, but that from Dakwaylaka (three marches in -advance) he himself would accompany me in. The Ras then presented me with -a sheep. - -"We resumed our journey at 1 P.M., January 31st, passed several parties of -Eesa, and at 8 P.M. halted at Burroo Ruddah. - -"On February 1st we marched from 4 A.M. to 11 A.M., when we halted in the -Wady Fiahloo, dry at this season. Grass was abundant. At 3 P.M. we resumed -our journey. Crossing the plain of Amahdoo some men were observed to the -southward, marching towards the Caffilah; the alarm and the order to close -up were instantly given; our men threw aside their upper garments and -prepared for action, being fully persuaded that it was a party of Eesa -coming to attack them. However, on nearer approach we observed several -camels with them; two men were sent on to inquire who they were; they -proved to be a party of Somalis going to Ousak for grain. At 8 P.M. we -halted on the plain of Dakwaylaka. - -"At daylight on February the 2nd, the Ras el Caffilah, Deeni, and Mahomed -accompanied me in advance of the caravan to water our mules at Dakwaylaka. -Arriving there about 11 A.M. we found the Bedoos watering their cattle. -Mahomed unbridled his animal, which rushed towards the trough from which -the cattle were drinking; the fair maid who was at the well baling out the -water into the trough immediately set up the shrill cry of alarm, and we -were compelled to move about a mile up the Wady, when we came to a pool of -water black as ink. Thirsty as I was I could not touch the stuff. The -Caffilah arrived about half-past 1 P.M., by which time the cattle of the -Bedoos had all been driven off to grass, so that the well was at our -service. We encamped close to it. Ibrahim recommended that Adam Burroo of -the Assoubal tribe, a young Bedoo, and a relation of his should accompany -our party. I promised him ten dollars at Tajoorah. [3] At 3 P.M., having -completed my arrangements, and leaving one servant behind to bring up the -luggage, I quitted the Caffilah amidst the universal blessings of the -people. I was accompanied by Ibrahim, the Ras el Caffilah, Deeni ibn -Hamid, my interpreter, three of my servants, and the young Bedoo, all -mounted on mules. One baggage mule, fastened behind one of my servants' -animals, carried a little flour, parched grain, and coffee, coffee-pot, -frying-pan, and one suit of clothes for each. Advancing at a rapid pace, -about 5 P.M. we came up with a party consisting of Eesa, with their -camels. One of them instantly collected the camels, whilst the others -hurried towards us in a suspicious way. The Bedoo hastened to meet them, -and we were permitted, owing, I was told, to my firearms, the appearance -of which pleased them not, to proceed quietly. At 7 P.M., having arrived -at a place where grass was abundant, we turned off the road and halted. - -"At 1:30 A.M., on Thursday, 3rd February, as the moon rose we saddled our -mules and pushed forward at a rapid pace. At 4 A.M. we halted and had a -cup of coffee each, when we again mounted. As the day broke we came upon -an encampment of the Debeneh, who hearing the clatter of our mules' hoofs, -set up the cry of alarm. The Bedoo pacified them: they had supposed us to -be a party of Eesa. We continued our journey, and about 10 A.M. we halted -for breakfast, which consisted of coffee and parched grain. At noon we -again moved forward, and at 3 P.M., having arrived at a pool of water -called Murhabr in the Wady Dalabayah, we halted for about an hour to make -some bread. We then continued through the Wady, passed several Bedoo -encampments till a little after dark, when we descended into the plain of -Gurgudeli. Here observing several fires, the Bedoo crawled along to -reconnoitre, and returned to say they were Debeneh. We gave them a wide -berth, and about 8:30 P.M. halted. We were cautioned not to make a fire, -but I had a great desire for a cup of coffee after the fatigue of this -long march. Accordingly we made a small fire, concealing it with shields. - -"At 3 A.M. on Friday, the 4th February, we resumed our journey. After -about an hour and a half arriving at a good grazing ground, we halted to -feed the mules, and then watered them at Alooli. At 1 P.M. I found the sun -so oppressive that I was obliged to halt for two hours. We had struck off -to the right of the route pursued by the Embassy, and crossed, not the -Salt Lake, but the hills to the southward. The wind blowing very strong -considerably retarded our progress, so that we did not arrive at Dahfurri, -our halting-place, till sunset. Dahfurri is situated about four miles to -the southward of Mhow, the encampment of the Embassy near the Lake, and -about 300 yards to the eastward of the road. Here we found a large basin -of excellent water, which the Tajoorians informed me was a mere mass of -mud when we passed by to Shoa, but that the late rains had cleared away -all the impurities. After sunset a gale of wind blew. - -"At 1 A.M. on the 5th February, the wind having decreased we started. -Passing through the pass of the Rer Essa, the barking of dogs caused us -some little uneasiness, as it betrayed the vicinity of the Bedoo, whether -friend or foe we knew not. Ibrahim requested us to keep close order, and -to be silent. As day broke we descended into the plain of Warrah Lissun, -where we halted and ate the last of the grain. After half an hour's halt -we continued our journey. Ibrahim soon declared his inability to keep up -with us, so he recommended me to the care of the Bedoo and Deeni, saying -he would follow slowly. We arrived at Sagulloo about 11 A.M., and Ibrahim -about two hours afterwards. At 3 P.M. we resumed our march, and a little -before sunset arrived at Ambaboo. - -"The elders had a conference which lasted about a quarter of an hour, when -they came forward and welcomed me, directing men to look after my mules. I -was led to a house which had been cleaned for my reception. Ibrahim then -brought water and a bag of dates, and shortly afterwards some rice and -milk. Many villagers called to pay their respects, and remained but a -short time as I wanted repose: they would scarcely believe that I had -travelled in eighteen days from Shoa, including four day's halt. - -"Early on the morning of the 6th February I set out for Tajoorah, where I -was received with every demonstration of welcome by both rich and poor. -The Sultan gave me his house, and after I had drunk a cup of coffee with -him, considerately ordered away all the people who had flocked to see me, -as, he remarked, I must be tired after so rapid a journey. - -"It may not be amiss to mention here that the British character stands -very high at Tajoorah. The people assured me that since the British had -taken Aden they had enjoyed peace and security, and that from being -beggars they had become princes. As a proof of their sincerity they said -with pride, 'Look at our village, you saw it a year and a half ago, you -know what it was then, behold what is now!' I confessed that it had been -much improved." - -(From Tajoorah the traveller, after awarding his attendants, took boat for -Zayla, where he was hospitably received by the Hajj Sharmarkay's agent. -Suffering severely from fever, on Monday the 14th February he put to sea -again and visited Berberah, where he lived in Sharmarkay's house, and -finally he arrived at Aden on Friday the 25th February, 1842. He concludes -the narrative of his adventure as follows.) - -"It is due to myself that I should offer some explanation for the rough -manner in which this report is drawn up. On leaving Shoa the Caffilah -people marked with a jealous eye that I seemed to number the slaves and -camels, and Deeni reported to me that they had observed my making entries -in my note-book. Whenever the Bedoos on the road caught sight of a piece -of paper, they were loud in their demands for it. [4] Our marches were so -rapid that I was scarcely allowed time sufficient to prepare for the -fatigues of the ensuing day, and experience had taught me the necessity of -keeping a vigilant watch. [5] Aware that Government must be anxious for -information from the 'Mission,' I performed the journey in a shorter space -of time than any messenger, however highly paid, has yet done it, and for -several days lived on coffee and parched grain. Moreover, on arrival at -Aden, I was so weak from severe illness that I could write but at short -intervals. - -"It will not, I trust, be considered that the alteration in my route was -caused by trivial circumstances. It would have been absurd to have -remained with the Bedoos without an interpreter: there would have been -daily disputes and misunderstandings, and I had already sufficient insight -into the character of Datah Mahomed to perceive that his avarice was -insatiable. Supposing I had passed through his hands, there was the chief -of Bedar, who, besides expecting much more than I had given to Datah -Mahomed, would, it is almost certain, eventually have forwarded me to -Tajoorah. Finally, if I can believe the innumerable reports of the people, -both at Tajoorah and Zalaya, neither I myself nor my servants would ever -have passed through the kingdom of Hurrur. The jealousy of the prince -against foreigners is so great that, although he would not injure them -within the limits of his own dominions, he would cause them to waylaid and -murdered on the road." - - -FOOTNOTES - -[1] Thus in the original. It may be a mistake, for Captain Barker is, I am -informed, a proficient in conversational Arabic. - -[2] This chief was the Emir Abubakr, father of Ahmed: the latter was -ruling when I entered Harar in 1855. - -[3] As the youth gave perfect satisfaction, he received, besides the ten -dollars, a Tobe and a European saddle, "to which he had taken a great -fancy." - -[4] In these wild countries every bit of paper written over is considered -to be a talisman or charm. - -[5] A sergeant, a corporal, and a Portuguese cook belonging to Captain -Harris's mission were treacherously slain near Tajoorah at night. The -murderers were Hamid Saborayto, and Mohammed Saborayto, two Dankalis of -the Ad All clan. In 1842 they seem to have tried a _ruse de guerre_ upon -M. Rochet, and received from him only too mild a chastisement. The -ruffians still live at Juddah (Jubbah ?) near Ambabo. - - - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of First Footsteps in East Africa, by -Richard F. 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