CHAPTER X.
Journey from Saggadarah.—Reach Bellad Hy, time marching, four hours, general direction S.S.W.—Halt for the night.—Journey to Ramudalee, time marching, seven hours, general direction S.S.W.—Halt at Ramudalee to receive the visit of Lohitu, chief of the Debenee tribe.
April 13th.—One hour before sunrise, I and Ohmed Medina, attended by the Hy Soumaulee, preceded the Kafilah. Adam Burrah being too ill to accompany us, having, as it was asserted, contracted my illness of the preceding night by his endeavours to relieve me, I left him my mule to ride. We continued our journey between low flat-topped ridges of the same cuprous rock as during yesterday, till we opened upon a little plain, with green sloping banks on all sides, and evidently the head of the small stream which, during the rains, ran along the road we had come, and was called Bahr Saggadarah, or the Saggadarah water. It was overgrown with large and tall mimosa-trees, and a singular rush-like tree, with a thick trunk, the drooping leafless branches of which reminded me very strongly of the emu-tree of New Holland.
From this wooded bottom, or flat, we began toascend a gentle acclivity by a narrow road, which soon altered in character, from that along which we had been travelling for the two hours previously. Numerous stones of very unequal size had to be stumbled over, and when we had gained the summit a dreary prospect lay before us; a widely-extended country, or table-land, covered with large loose blocks, of a black scoreaceous lava. I took a last fond look of the narrow, but beautiful valley we had just emerged from, and which I now found was a little green oasis in the midst of a wilderness of stones. There was no help for it, so with a long hop, as I recovered myself from a severe blow I gave my foot against a large stone, when with averted face I was still looking towards the valley, I commenced following my companions. I soon came up to them, and found our new position was called Bellad Hy, the country of Hy, from whence I imagine the Hy Soumaulee derive their name, although it forms at present no portion of their domains, being part of the country of the Debenee, who claim all the land from Gurguddee to the valley of Gobard, a few days’ journey in advance.
I noticed on the plain of Hy, many tombs of the circular kind, like those I saw of the Soumaulee at Berberah, with the usual entrance to the south, and the line of the grave in the centre, placed exactly due east and west. These tombs were so numerous that for the last few days of our journeying, I had no occasion to refer to my compass totake the bearings of our progress, as I determined it always by the position of the graves, which I could do with much greater deliberation and correctness than by the hasty, stealthy look at a vibrating needle, agitated by my movements as I walked along. These graves the Dankalli refer to a period antecedent to their occupation of the country, when the Kafirs, as they call the previous possessors, had no knowledge of the Koran, and placed the head of the corpse, when they buried it, in the direction of the rising sun, and not towards the Kaaba at Mecca. The fact was, that these graves were those of Sabian Affahs, the common ancestors both of the Soumaulee and the Dankalli, and who, as the Avalites of the ancients, occupied the whole of the eastern horn of Africa. The introduction of the Mahomedan faith has effected the separation of the two people in modern times, and now many of the professors of Islamism are ashamed to own their Pagan ancestors.
In about two hours, we passed the deserted village seen by the very worthy Missionaries, Messieurs Isenberg and Krapf; and I could not resist laughing in my heart, at the idea suggested by a comparison of the ruined stone kraals, so designated, that pointed out an occasional station of the Bedouins, during the rains in this now herbless wilderness, with the idea suggested by the beautifully told tale, bearing the same title, and beginning—
“Sweet Auburn! loveliest village of the plain!”
“Sweet Auburn! loveliest village of the plain!”
“Sweet Auburn! loveliest village of the plain!”
“Sweet Auburn! loveliest village of the plain!”
We proceeded with a skating-like step, very fatiguingto the knees, from stone to stone, for several miles, a few tufts of dry wire-like grass offering but a poor excuse for vegetation. Snakes, however, found here sustenance, and a coarse-looking tuberculated lizard, sunned itself upon the hot black stones, and being nearly of the same colour, its sudden dart to a hole beneath, only made the traveller aware of its presence. Deep fissures, not seen until we were close to them, traversed the plain in directions nearly north-east and south-west, and sometimes long low ridges of erupted rock, appeared just above the otherwise level surface.
Where we halted were a few stunted mimosa trees, low and dry, scarcely to be distinguished from the characteristic grass of this district, and promising but a very scanty repast, to the one hundred and thirty or one hundred and forty camels belonging to our Kafilah; and worse than this, not a drop of water was to be found in the neighbourhood. It was, in fact, another “deserted village,” consisting only of the remains of little stone enclosures, about three feet in diameter, covered on the top with bushes, where it is usual, for the Bedouin shepherds, to secure for the night, the young of their flocks from the depredations of wild beasts. Here was also a large circular wall, of loose stones, about four feet high, in which the older herds were kept.
One of these enclosures, we found large enough to form my house for the day, and my carpet was laid over the open top as a roof, whilst mats werespread upon the ground. The stores of the Kafilah were piled around; and at a little distance, in long pyramidal ridges, raised upon a broad row of stones, the bags of salt were heaped up, something in the same way that cannon-balls are built into heaps in a battery.
April 14th.—We left the halting-ground of Hy one hour before sunrise, and, much to my gratification, suddenly exchanged the rough stony plain for the dry sandy bed of an occasional wide stream. Here, again, were abundance of the rush willow as I termed it, though not belonging at all to the genus salix, and also some mimosa-trees; but I did not observe, that the doom palm was present, nor did I see this tree again during my journey. We did not long continue on this level and agreeable road, but ascended a low acclivity covered with large round volcanic stones, apparently detached from the heights above. After a short walk of about half an hour over this jutting headland, as it proved to be, we again descended into the bed of the same stream, for by having taken this direction, we had cut off an extensive curve in its course. The dry channel of the stream now widened considerably, in some places extending in a long avenue, between two banks fringed with the rush willow and mimosa-trees; whilst in others it would suddenly contract, encroached upon by the huge masses of detached rocks, which seemed continually to be falling from the edge of the lava-plainof Hy; it would then, when the soft and yielding alluvial soil of the plain of Ramudalee on the other side admitted, again expand into wide reaches of a fine white sand. Where its straight course was most apparent, I took care to illustrate to Ohmed Medina the condition of our roads in England, to which, in some places it bore an exact resemblance; and growing out of this conversation, a long discussion took place between us upon wheel carriages. The description of the Queen’s state coach was a dream of gold to him, and upon this, and its probable worth in dollars, he employed himself thinking for the rest of the day.
Our pedestrian party preceded the camels a long distance, generally consisting of Ohmed Medina, Garahmee, and the other Hy Soumaulee, myself, and a variable lot of the camel owners, who would now sit down and stay, or at other times run forward to join us, as the rugged or level character of the road decided the necessity of more or less attention to their camels, and to the security of their loads. The march was a long one in a south-west direction, and it was very evident that the plain of Hy was the separation between the waters flowing to the east into the muddy lake of Gurguddee, and those which directed their course, through the valley of Gobard, to the large terminal lake of the Hawash, called Abhibhad. We halted several times, to rest ourselves, under the shade ofsome convenient trees, and at one place we sat until the camels came up. Here we found a welcome spring of pure water, that was absorbed again by the sand, almost immediately after its escape from the little circles of stones, through which it bubbled. It was embosomed in a grove of sweetly-smelling mimosa-trees, that grew very luxuriantly, favoured by the constant moisture of the soil. We all drank heartily of the clear sweet water, and reclined upon patches of a fine velvet-like grass, that beneath the tallest and more solitary trees spread a beautiful green carpet for our repose.
Whilst thus enjoying our rest, two women and a girl appeared at the opposite extremity of the valley, driving a few goats before them; their empty water-skins were fixed upon the loins, and each carried a small cup, made of a dried gourd-shell, with which they lift the water from the spring into the skins. Their dog was with them, a kind of long-legged harrier of a red and white colour, which saluted us after the usual canine fashion, and received a shower of stones in return. The women did not seem to be disturbed by our appearance, but came and saluted all present (myself excepted) in their peculiar manner. I now learnt, much to my surprise, that one of them was the mother of Omah Suis, who instead of being one of the Hy Soumaulee tribe, with whom I had previously classed him, was a Debenee, and son of Abucarl, the last chief of that tribe, and would, should heoutlive Lohitu, the present possessor of the honours, succeed to the dignity, as the same rule of descent was observed among them as at Tajourah, the title of Sheik, or superior, being alternately possessed by the heads of two subdivisions of the tribe.
This dowager lady of Abucarl, was a fat and rather handsomely made woman, about forty years of age, at which period the Dankalli women generally look very haggard. She wore the usual dress, a skin petticoat, with a short fringe made of thongs attached to the lower edge, and fastened round her waist by a piece of common palm-leaf rope. Upon her neck she bore a very large necklace of small spiral shells, of a dark blue colour, with a continuous white line winding around, and interspersed with these, were large red beads of some coloured resinous composition, manufactured on the shores of the Red Sea, and brought from thence by merchants travelling into the interior. Hanging before her ears, were large triangularly formed appendages four or five inches long, the base depending below being, at least, three inches. These were made of thick brass wire, and from them were suspended, several large pieces of pewter. At first, I considered them to be the very extreme of barbarous ear-rings, but on looking more closely, I found they were not attached to the ear at all, but suspended from the top of the head, and secured from falling forwards, by narrow fillets of greasy rag tied behind. A square piece of bluecotton cloth folded into a triangular shape, and soaking with ghee (the liquid butter of the country) was worn as a head dress, and protection from the sun. I should observe, that her hair was plaited into innumerable small strings, similar to the style of hair-dressing adopted by the women of Gurahgee, and the slave-girls at Tajourah. I am not quite sure, but I think the hair is also dressed in this manner by the Soumaulee and Galla females.
Her older friend wore a corresponding dress and ornaments, but the girl had only the skin petticoat, and held in her hand a pair of old sandles, made very simply of a single strip of ox-skin fitted to the shape of the sole of the foot with lappels on each side, to which were attached the thongs which fastened them upon her feet.
During our conversation with the new comers, the camels, with Omah Suis, came up; and his mother without any difference of manner, as I could perceive, performed the usual salutation, by pressing the separate fingers of his hand successively, as she had done to the least known individual of the group, and he seemed to be no more affected by her presence, than if she had been a stranger.
In, about an hour afterwards, we came to our halting-place upon the gravelly plain of Ramudalee, two or three miles beyond the bed of the stream, and where it was determined that weshould stay some few days to await the arrival of Lohitu, in whose territories and near whose kraal we then were. The chief was absent endeavouring to assemble the braves of the several Dankalli tribes, against the Issah Soumaulee, who had been making some inroads into the country; and besides stealing some of his own camels had murdered one of his relations.
When I had taken possession of my hut, Omah Suis brought up his mother, and told me who she was; and with more affection than I had given him credit for, remarked that if I thought he was my friend, I was to make my acknowledgments to her. Now Omah Suis was a very great favourite of mine, for his willingness to assist, on all occasions, Zaido and Allee in looking after my mule and building my hut; besides which, as he scarcely ever begged for anything, but bore himself right royally, I suppose by virtue of his birth, I had determined in my own mind, to give him a good present at parting. Having in one of my boxes a much handsomer necklace than that which his mother had on, I instructed Allee, who was our interpreter, to tell her to come for it, when, under cover of night, I could take it unseen by the other natives from the box. In the mean time, I gave her a fresh cover of blue cotton cloth for her head, and a few needles, with which she departed very well pleased.
Towards evening she came again for the promisednecklace, bringing with her a large skin full of delicious clotted cream, which she intimated by significant signs, I must put out of sight, or some one would be sure to come and steal it; and also, that in the morning, when the sun rose, she would come again for the bag. I took her advice about hiding it, and what I did not put out of sight, in the readiest manner, by drinking there and then, was laid under the head of the mat behind me; and, during the night, I managed to finish it entirely.