CHAPTER XIX.
Journey from Barradudda to Thermadullah, general direction south by west, time marching three hours and a-half.—Quarrel with Ras ul Kafilah.—Cooking scene.—Dankalli improvisatore.—April 29th.Staying at Thermadullah.—Camel saddles.—Stung by scorpion.—Cure.—Account of some neighbouring hot springs.
April 28th.—We started from Barradudda by sunrise, travelling nearly due south for the first two hours, and south-west for the remainder of to-day’s journey. The road was all the way excellent, being over a dry hard clay covered with high coarse grass, which was alive with hares, floricans, and guinea-fowl. To the north and east were long continuous lava plateaus, one portion of which formed the western boundary of Lake Abhibhad, and beyond which Owssa was said to be at the distance of twenty miles. In a wide fissure plain of this table-land, about fifteen miles to the westward of Abhibhad, another long and narrow lake, called Killaloo, terminated the river Wahahumbilla coming from the south, part of which, in the direction of the lake, was visible from some situations during our march this morning.
I took the opportunity when I saw Ohmedu and Ohmed Medina together, to ask the latter if he had crossed over any stream when he went to Owssa from Arabderah. As he replied that he had not, I recalled to Ohmedu’s recollection that, when at Gobard, he said the river Wahahumbilla went into the Hawash, just before this latter entered lake Abhibhad, but which could not be the case, for if so, Ohmed Medina must have observed it on the occasion of his late journey to Owssa. Ohmedu readily admitted that he might be wrong, and I have therefore represented in my map the river Wahahumbilla as terminating at Killaloo, although it is probable that during very great floods that lake may overflow, and then communicate with the river Hawash.
After travelling nearly four hours we arrived at a tree-covered valley called Thermadullah, where we halted for the day. On our march I had an opportunity of observing a family of Bedouins moving with all their property, houses included, towards Killaloo in search of water. Seven camels were laden with mats and the bamboo frames of the native wigwams. The roof canes belonging to these rose, on each side of the animals, with a long tapering curve behind, and high above them into the air. The imagination easily furnished these with some light gossamer structure, and in this manner suggested to itself a new poetical flying-machine, vieing with the Pegasus of mythologicalfable. Besides the hut, each camel bore a considerable amount of household furniture. Black earthenware pots, contained in a kind of cage protectors made of some flexible shrub; the family store of palm-leaves for the industrious housewife to weave into mats, or to make the native rope; a few handsome-looking baskets hung round with shells suspended from thongs; and a child or two placed amidst the whole, or perched upon the top; sometimes holding in its arms a noisy bleating kid or lamb that was too young to walk with its dam. Some older children, boys and girls, quite naked, assisted their mothers in driving before them the flocks of sheep and goats. No men accompanied this party, but their absence was accounted for, by their being engaged in tending a herd of some thousands of oxen, whose dusty track I observed like a low red cloud some miles in extent, about a league to the west of us.
We had ourselves three cows and several sheep and goats, the returns of some little trading with the people of Herhowlee, who having bought from different persons in the Kafilah a small quantity of tobacco, and a few cubits of blue sood, had paid in kind for their purchases.
When Ohmed Mahomed engaged the Hy Soumaulee escort, he did not tell me that part of the agreement was that they should have a bullock, or its equivalent in sheep or goats, every second day. This I learnt from the men themselves,who to-day came annoying me a great deal for the performance of this part of the stipulation. On applying to Ohmed Mahomed for an explanation, he said that they were justified in claiming it, not from any promise he had made, but because the men of the additional escort, the British Embassy had been necessitated to engage on the road, always received a bullock to regale themselves with every other day. He was exceedingly impertinent in reply to my observation that I had no authority to incur such an additional expense, and which might probably be considered to have been incurred unnecessarily on our arrival in Shoa. He turned upon his heel, saying, loud enough to be heard by the Hy Soumaulee, that I must pay for the bullocks, and was a fool to raise a question about such a trifle, and that where I spent one dollar the Embassy had expended one hundred; concluding, as he retired beneath his shielding of mats, “Go away, go away, give the dollars, if the English want the road the English must pay for it.” It was no use quarrelling with him, to do which I felt exceedingly inclined, and it would have been some satisfaction, to have discharged the shot of one barrel of my carbine, into the bare posteriors of this black rascal, exposed as he was whilst creeping into his retreat. My situation however did not admit of such a display of feeling, and I retired to my hut to consider upon some plan to prevent the extortion, which,under colour of payment for these cattle, I considered at the time was being levied, to make up for the heavy expenditure incurred, by the consequences of the quarrel of yesterday. I never doubted but that his comparison, between my expenses and those of the Embassy, was like his usual statements, founded upon untruth. I was determined, therefore, not to be imposed upon by Ohmed Mahomed, without letting him know that in the end, he would be a much greater loser by his present system of extorting a few dollars from me, by my withholding all commendation for care and attention upon our arrival in Shoa.
Accordingly, towards evening, when the men came again demanding the bullock, I accompanied them to the hut of Ohmed Mahomed, and asked him, as if I had consented to their demand, what was the price of the animal. As I expected, he asked a most unreasonable sum, no less than nine dollars, two being the fair market price. I told him in reply, very quietly, that he was no friend to the English, and that I should consider him, therefore, no longer my Ras ul Kafilah, but that for the future Ebin Izaak alone should transact all business with me; I also gave him to understand that I should represent to the proper quarter the treatment I had received, which would occasion a considerable diminution in the amount of boxeish, or present, he would receive in Shoa. On hearing this, he got immediately into a dreadful rage, stormed away, and pushed by me outof the hut, as if bent “on purpose dire;” but hearing, as I also jumped to my feet, the repeated warning click of both locks of my carbine, he replaced his seized spear against the heap of salt-bags, loudly complaining in his own language to Ohmed Medina and a crowd of the Kafilah people, who, hearing words running very high, had come, all armed, to hear what could be the matter. They kept at a very respectful distance from me, some of them calling out they were my friends, for two or three of the boldest had at first threatened me both by shouting and shaking their spears; but, having taken on the first alarm a good position among the camels, I managed to enact a sufficiently bold bearing to deter them from a nearer approach, although my hopes just at that moment were most recreant indeed.
After a little consultation, seeing I would not leave my camel-battery to come to them, Ohmed Medina and Ebin Izaak left the crowd, and walking some distance on one side, squatted down as they do in a calahm, beckoning me to go to them. As these two were men, of whose friendly intentions I could have no doubt, I joined them immediately, and we sat talking and explaining matters for nearly an hour, when it was arranged, that peace between Ohmed Mahomed and myself should be made in the usual manner, and that we must both be good friends. For this purpose Ebin Izaak brought Ohmed Mahomed into the little circle, the Fahtah, or opening chapter of the Koran, was recited, andshaking hands, we each repeated “Y’Allah abbi!” (God bless you!) and thus ended very satisfactorily, an affair, which at one time had rather a serious aspect.
We now entered upon the subject of providing food for the Hy Soumaulee. I complained of the exorbitant price asked for the bullocks, and proposed that I should give three dollars each, for those that would be required. Ohmed Medina said, it was enough; so that business was also settled. A laughing proposal was then made, to tie Ohmed Mahomed, during the night, but I replied, that I had nothing to fear from him after the Fahtah had been read, and with this compliment to the sacred character of their oath, I got up, and retired to my hut.
In a very short time, my escort had slaughtered and flayed the bullock; and, in expectation of a hearty meal, were quite happy. One half of them lay in a line upon the ground, at the back of my hut, whilst the remainder were busily employed, boiling the meat, at numerous little wood fires, which occupied shallow holes, scraped with their fingers, in the soil. Three stones, around each of these, supported large earthenware pots; and the bubbling contents, and the sharp crackling fuel told, that things were going on as satisfactorily as possible. Some of the cooks, sitting on their heels, were amusing themselves, during the process of the boiling, by picking the bones, from which the meat in the pots had been cut. Their longknives, held close on one side the face, as, with both hands, the bone was held most lovingly to the mouth, glistened frequently in the blaze of the fires, when, with sudden snatches, they detached with their teeth, the raw remnants of flesh that still remained.
Somewhat amused with the scene, I took a stroll among the cooking fires, and the recumbent escort; as I came near one of them, he, without raising his head from the wooden pillow on which it rested, reached his arm out, and rolling a stone nearer to him, patted it with his hand, and calling out, “Ahkeem,” very politely invited me to take a seat by his side. Here our conversation stopt; for, besides “How do you,” I did not understand a word scarcely of their language. However, my presence was the signal for a song; Carmel Ibrahim, my present entertainer, and chief man of the Hy Soumaulee escort, commencing. An improvisatored chant, of which, of course, I was the subject, was sung in alternate stanzas by a noisy chorus, who followed Carmel’s dictation, something like a country congregation, when, from the scarcity of books, the clerk, to accommodate them, gives out two lines of the hymn at a time. I awaited, very patiently, the termination of the song, which only ended when supper was reported ready; music that moment lost its charm, and the savage, good-humoured choristers bounded to their feet, and thronged around therespective fires. The meat was taken out of the seething pots, and placed in the dirty tobe of one of the party upon the ground, and every one then helped himself. The supply of provisions being plentiful, they had no fear that their appetites would not be satisfied, so the best feeling prevailed amongst the party, each taking what he thought sufficient for himself, and the greatest unanimity, as to eating as much as ever they possibly could, characterized the entertainment.
Zaido, in an agony of mind at not finding me in the hut, now came shouting in the dark for me, and on relieving his anxious fears about my safety by reporting myself present, he quickly placed before me a bowl heaped up with pieces of meat, placed upon a quantity of boiled wheat, soaking in ghee. I made haste to do justice to his care; and in a short time afterwards, he and the two Allees were finishing what remained.
Before I close the account of this day, I must observe, that the burn in the palm of my hand troubled me very little indeed; the thick compact skin having only been superficially scorched, and the slight inflammation it excited, having quickly subsided, I felt but little inconvenience from the wound.
April 29th.—No start this morning, two camels being very ill, according to Ohmed Mahomed’s account, who asserted, they would not be able to proceed until the next day. Another name forour halting-place was Alee-bakalee. In a retired spot, surrounded by trees, I found a large sheet of water, which, according to all accounts I received, is to be found here during the whole year. Returning after a very refreshing bathe, I gathered a quantity of the Indian vegetable, and as all my rice and biscuit were expended, this addition to my present meat diet was very agreeable. Here I also shot a large adjutant bird, exactly similar to those I have seen in Calcutta. In the afternoon, I employed myself repairing the shattered boxes, which had not proved equal to the continual knocking about they were exposed to, and to which the numerous loadings and unloadings of the camels during the long march, contributed not a little. Small barrels, with shut-up tops, would be best adapted for the packing of stores so conveyed, and would suit much better the ingenious, but simple camel-saddle used by the Dankalli.
This saddle consists of four strong staves, about four feet in length, and as thick as a man’s wrist. Two of these are intended for each side of the camel. At the distance of one-third from the upper end are fixed small round pads of matting, stuffed with strips of the palm leaf. These rest on the sides of the hump, and relieve this rather tender part from the pressure of the load. The lower ends of the two staves on each side, are bound together, but the upper extremities, above the pads, diverge to the distance of a foot oreighteen inches; the staves of either side are connected together by ropes carried over the pads.
A quantity of palm-leaf mats, six feet long, and three feet broad, are first placed upon the back of the camel, and across these is thrown the saddle. The two conjoined ends on either side are now fastened underneath the belly, by a rope passing directly from the one to the other, in a straight line. No girding, similar to the manner in which we saddle horses is resorted to. The saddle being thus fixed, from the projecting extremities of the staves, on one side is suspended the burden that hangs upon the other, and thus, when properly adjusted, the weight of the two burdens tends to tighten the rope beneath the belly of the animal, and prevents the whole from shifting during the journey. Another advantage derived from this kind of saddle is, that when the camel lies down, the whole weight of the burden is lifted up from the back, for the lower extremities of the staves come upon the ground before the belly of the animal, and thus support the loads, whilst it remains in that position. If proper attention be paid to the equal distribution of weight on each side, when first loaded, the camel marches the whole day without any danger of casting its burden, unless the rope should happen to break, which connects the lower ends of the staves of either side. Too frequently, the slaves of the owner neglect this important duty, and I have observed with what difficulty, the narrow body of the camel has beenable to contend, against the unequal pressure upon its sides. In such cases, if attention be not paid to its loud moanings, and the restless movements of its head, when vainly endeavouring to lift off the load from its back, the animal soon falls to the ground, unwilling or unable to proceed farther, without a readjustment of the loads.
The numerous ropes required in loading camels with the long narrow salt-bags, are generally made of two plies of the thin portion of the doom palm leaf, twisted in contrary directions with the hands, and then allowed to twine naturally upon each other. Hempen ropes are preferred, when they can be obtained; and several specimens were shown to me; that had been manufactured by some Galla people to the south of the Hawash, in the neighbourhood of Shoa.
I continued nailing the boxes, teaching Zaido the use of a hammer and a nail-passer, when attempting to lift over one of the packages, I placed my hand under its lower edge, and was suddenly made aware, by a severe sting in the ball of my thumb, that some reptile had located itself beneath. In an agony of anxious curiosity, I pushed over the box, and then exposed to view a large scorpion, at least an inch and a-half in diameter. The pain for the moment was intense, shooting rapidly along my arm into the shoulder and neck, and as I had been taught to believe, that the most serious consequences would arise from a wound of such a description,I looked at it very seriously for a few moments, with all the contentment of despair; the loss of all hope had made me more tranquil than in my moral philosophy I had ever conceived would have been the case. The pain, however, like sharp rheumatic touches, soon called me back to reasonable expression, and excessive suffering made me stamp again, causing Zaido and the others to laugh immoderately. They made chase, however, after the reptile, which was hastily running off, with his tail curved high over his back, and sting displayed, in a high state of irritation, no doubt. It was very soon stopped by one of the Allees dropping, after several attempts, the butt-end of his spear upon it, and holding it down till Zaido, with the nail-passer, had amputated the last joint of the tail, which supported the sting. He then took the animal up, tore it ruthlessly into two pieces, and began to rub the wound in my hand, with the ichorous-looking juice which, instead of blood, appears to circulate through the animal. I was also comforted in my mind by assurances that all would be well in an hour, for the knife, as my friends called the sting, was a very small one.
I learnt from this occurrence, that the Dankalli do not consider the sting of the scorpion of their country dangerous, and it is well that it is not so, for they are found in any quantity underneath every large stone. Sometimes on rolling one over, in the shallow depression of the ground, I have noticed the entrance to a nest of these nauseous-lookingreptiles; and on removing a little of the soil, perhaps I should unearth an old one as large as a crown-piece, semi-transparent, of a dirty, mottled yellow colour, with about ten or a dozen young ones, like so many huge spiders, running about in all directions, as if fully aware of their situation, and that no endeavours would be spared to destroy the whole family party.
As it is useful to observe coincidental ideas upon subjects somewhat related, which are entertained by very different and distinct nations, I may be allowed to remark the resemblance between the remedy on this occasion, and which was quite sufficient for the cure, and that which is adopted by the lower orders in Scotland at the present time, to counteract the effects of the bite of a viper. It is usual among them to kill and flay the reptile, and the moist inner surface of the skin is then well rubbed over the wound, as were the separated portions of the scorpion in my case by the Dankalli.
The pain in my hand not subsiding immediately, I thought it prudent to retreat into my hut, bidding Zaido to bring my gun, hammer, nails, &c. Ohmed Medina came to amuse me, and told some long tales of the numerous Jinn that haunted the country, which, however, must be understood to mean the volcanic phenomena, which are continually altering the surface level of the country of Adal. A very famous residence of a large community of these Jinn, Ohmed Medina stated to beabout two days’ journey towards the north-east, before we came to the river Hawash in that direction. The name of the place was Ta’hou, and the caravan route, from Owssa to Gondah, passed close to the neighbourhood of this evil spot, the principal features of which, I was given to understand, were, several boiling springs, a few yards distance from each other, that threw up columns of hot water and vapour, several feet high. Around the borders of these steam fountains a large quantity of a very white stone is found. From this circumstance, I inferred, that they were of the same character as the geysers of Iceland, depositing, like them, a thick bed of silex around their apertures.
Ohmed Medina left me, to perform the usual vesper adorations before and after sunset. By the time he had finished, and returned to ask how the wound in my hand felt, I had almost forgotten the circumstance, for the pain had subsided, and the sting had left no trace of a wound.
When I retired to rest, the remainder of the bullock left uncooked the evening before, was being prepared by my hungry escort. The Dankalli, as far as I could observe, make but one regular meal a day, and that after sunset. They eat, certainly, at any other time, when anything is put before them, but this is very irregular, and considered only as an extraordinary indulgence.