CHAPTER XXV.
Journey from Hiero Murroo to Mettah.—General direction, W.S.W., time marching four hours and a-half.—Conversation upon different roads through Adal to Shoa.—Commercial jealousy between the Muditu and the Dankalli.—Battle of Hihillo.—Surprise sleeping friend.—Frighten my servant Allee.—Halt near Assa-hemerah kraal.
May 12th.—We were up and away long before sunrise. Ohmed Medina and I were accompanied by a crowd of the escort and Kafilah men, all discoursing upon some great engagement that had taken place some few years before, when Lohitu led the combined Dankalli tribes against the Assa-hemerah Muditu, who occupied the whole country on the east of the Hawash, from Owssa to the ford of Mulkukuyu, where our road crossed the Hawash. The scene of this sanguinary conflict was about two hours’ march to the north-west of where we were, at the base of a high conical mountain which now came into sight, having previously been shut from the view by the small range of Abhidah. Almost all my Hy Soumaulee escort had been present in the battle, and I received long accounts, during the march, through the interpreting medium of OhmedMedina, who himself was not there, but who took as much interest in the relations as I did.
It appears that for some years previous to 1839, the road to Shoa had been closed to the merchants of Tajourah and of Ambabboo, who previously had carried on an extensive trade with that country, taking up salt from Lake Assal, and receiving in return Abyssinian slaves, who were sold to great advantage in the Mahomedan ports on the shores of the Red Sea. The Assa-hemerah live on the north side of the more western portion of the road through Adal, and although speaking the same language, deny their nationality with the Dankalli tribes. This was their plea for extorting exorbitant duties for many years previous to 1839, but having at length fully established an intercourse with Shoa through their own country, by another passage of the river Hawash, north of Mulkukuyu, they endeavoured to monopolize the trade in salt and slaves. To effect this, they seized the whole country to the north of the road to Bahr Assal, and allowed no Tajourah Kafilah either to load with salt at the lake, or to proceed for slaves to Shoa.
For several years the Assa-hemerah had thus excluded all but their own Kafilahs from entering Shoa by the direct road, attacking and plundering all other Kafilahs that attempted it. I make the observation “direct road,” for we learn from the journal of Isenberg and Krapf, published by the Church Missionary Society, that the Tajourahpeople had some communication still with the kingdom of Shoa. They were, however, obliged to move with their camels along the sea-shore to the head of Goobat ul Khhrab, then, during the night, pass rapidly over the five or six miles which intervene between the sea in this situation and the salt lake. Loading their camels with the salt, they then returned to Tajourah. From this town they proceeded to Zeilah in bogalows, or native boats, and by a circuitous route through the country of the Issah Soumaulee, at length reached Shoa.
It was not likely such a palmy state of things, for the Assa-hemerah people, would be allowed to flourish long, without exciting some envy and jealousy, especially among the inhabitants of Tajourah and Owssa, who had not forgotten the great advantages that accrued to them when an uninterrupted road allowed them to carry on a direct trade with the populous countries to the west of the Hawash. Accordingly, through the machinations of some of the wise men of Tajourah, the braves of all the Dankalli tribes in the interior, consented to combine their forces under one leader, and Lohitu, the Debenee chief, was unanimously chosen to fill that post. Owssa is inhabited by a Muditu tribe, but on this occasion they assisted the Tajourah people, because of their dependence upon that port, to enable them to communicate with foreign markets, as the Owssa Muditu carry on a considerable trade with Gondah and CentralAbyssinia. The other leagued tribes were the Issah Soumaulee, the Wahama, the Hy Soumaulee, the Debenee, and a mixed multitude of minor subdivisions that could scarcely be considered separate tribes. Tajourah and Ambabboo also sent their warriors; but Ohmed Medina laughed when he said they only sent ten men between them. Altogether the combined forces amounted to one thousand men, who were gathered together on San-karl to the west of the valley of Gobard, and which I recollected to have been pointed out to me by Lohitu himself as the rendezvous of his tribe on such occasions.
From San-karl they proceeded to Kuditee, and slept there the night preceding the engagement. The next morning they entered the country of the Assa-hemerah, two thousand of whom had collected upon the flank of the mountain Hyhilloo, to give battle to the invaders. Lohitu led his men directly to their front, and after a few personal combats, in which the leader and my little Tajourah acquaintance, Ibrahim Shatan, particularly distinguished themselves, the battle became general, and in less than one hour after they had first seen the Muditu, the latter fled, leaving more than one half their number slain.
Of the allies, I was informed, the Issah Soumaulee lost the greatest number, one hundred of them having been killed. The Debenee lost sixty, the Wahama eighty, the Hy Soumaulee, a very small tribe, thirty, and the Owssa Muditufifty. The Tajourah people lost but one man; whilst of all the others who fought under Lohitu, not as particular tribes, but as amateurs, about twenty were killed, making a total of three hundred and forty-one, and considering the manner in which battles are fought among these people, I can easily conceive how so few, comparatively, of the victorious party were slain.
One interesting ethnological fact may be gleaned from this relation; that is, the presence of the Issah Soumaulee on this occasion, which is another evidence to prove, the intimate relationship of the Dankalli with that people.
Conversing upon the subject of this fight, we kept marching on for nearly five hours, but as we were in the rear of the Kafilah, and obliged to restrict ourselves to the slow pace of the camels, I do not think we accomplished more than ten miles during that time. We halted at a place called Mettah, or Maida, and the appearance of the country suggested, the appropriateness of the name, which I was given to understand, signified the same as the English word meadow.
Our march had been all the morning along a narrow plain, confined by low level ridges of black lava, about a mile distant from each other. Through the centre, but in a very serpentine course, a shallow channel had been cut through the fine alluvial soil, by an occasional stream, which flows towards the north and east. When we passedalong its banks we only found a few shallow stagnant pools in its bed.
On leaving the line of march with Ohmed Medina to examine the stream more closely, we found, in its dry bed, very soundly sleeping, a man wrapt up in his tobe, his shield being secured by it over his stomach and bowels. Instinct, or something like it, had taught me the very same method of partially securing myself from assassination, whenever I expected foul play, or have had reason to suspect those, whom I well knew, would have been glad of an opportunity to take away my life, without danger to themselves from my firearms. Putting my hand to the heavy Adal knife I wore in my girdle, I turned to Ohmed Medina, to ask him if I should bury it in the heart of the unconscious sleeper. He taking my proposal to be serious, instantly interposed with the common Arabic negative, “La! la!” but which, in the usual amusing manner of an Adal interpretation, he prolonged to five or six repetitions. This awoke the man, who certainly looked as if he thought he were about to be put to death, and scowled most desperately, as in a moment he put himself behind his shield, and raised his spear for the attack. Ohmed Medina calmed his apprehensions by a word or two, but he also took care to drop behind his shield, as he spoke from the overhanging bank. The man, however, recovered confidence, let fall his weapon to the ground, and stood upright, and in a very short timewe were all three walking back to the Hy Soumaulee, some of whom came to meet us, to inquire from whence our new friend had sprung. It seemed he belonged to the Wahama tribe, but from some cause or other was obliged to be very select in his lodgings, probably from having had a recent quarrel, which would have insured his death, had he been discovered by his enemy asleep.
At Mettah, the narrow plain we had travelled along spread out into an open level country, which appeared bounded by an extensive sea, so perfectly delusive was the appearance of the distant mirage, in which small eminences, here and there appearing, looked like islets standing amidst the waters. Large sand-pillars, their bases hidden in the mirage, rising like spirits from the vasty deep, until their tall summits were lost in the blue sky, moved steadily across, acted upon by some stronger current of air, and added one more circumstance to strengthen the delusion, by reminding the travelled spectator, of the water-spouts he has witnessed at sea. After all my experience I persisted in believing that there must be water before me, especially as it lay in the situation of a lake, Murroo, I had heard Lieut. Barker speak of, but Ohmed Medina very quietly referred me, to the stream and its course in an opposite direction, to corroborate his statement of its being “a great lie.”
My mule breaking loose, in consequence ofnot having been properly secured by Allee, strayed to a considerable distance towards the opposite side of the plain, and a large party went out to protect Zaido, and both Allees, who were sent to bring her in, for it appeared our movements were being watched by a party of men, squatting on the extremity of the ridge where it projected into the plain. So nearly approaching to the colour of these rocks, were the dark skins of the natives, that it was sometime before I could make them out, or the cause of all the bustle that seemed to have taken possession of the previously quiet camp. I thought at first it was some leopard or hyena, preparations were being made to hunt, that had occasioned the stir, and came out of my hut to see the anticipated sport. When I did discover the men I was surprised that such a number could have approached so close, and not have been discovered before. They must have marched parallel to us, covered by the ridge on our left, and the circumstance of its terminating opposite to where we had halted, prevented them continuing their ambush for any purposes of surprise, and our increased numbers made an open attack by them, out of the question. After the mule was driven in, they retired, but upon a report spreading that a large kraal of the Assa-hemerah lay over the other side of the ridge, my Hy Soumaulee friends, and most of the young men of the Kafilah, determined to proceed thither for the purpose, as they said onmy protesting against it, to purchase milk. As, however, I knew that robbery was intended, and that murder would probably ensue, I offered them a bullock to remain, which they very reluctantly accepted. On my expostulating with Ohmed Medina, he admitted it was not right, and said very candidly, “What are my countrymen but wild beasts?”
Allee the First, now came into my hut to claim damages, showing a bruise upon his face, which he asserted had been inflicted by the mule, whilst catching her to bring her back to the camp. I said it was no such thing; for ever since her back had been almost broken by the butt-end of the spear of a fat Dankalli, whom she kicked in the belly, I observed she had improved very much in her disposition, and was very cautious how she attempted anything of the sort. However, I told him I would look in my book and see if his tale were correct. Opening, with a very grave countenance, Mr. M‘Queen’s Survey of Africa, which I had just been consulting, I looked up, after having examined it, and said, “Allee, Allee, you are a story-teller, for Ohmed Mahomed hit you that blow in your face.” I never shall forget the consternation that appeared in his face, as ejaculating “Whallah!” (By God), he backed out of my hut, thinking, I really believe, that I should metamorphose him into something or other before he could get away, for his attempted imposition. Havinggot safe out of my hut, however, he recovered from his fright, and, as if recollecting himself, said, “Ahkeem, will you tell me who stole my fedeenah?” alluding to the wooden prop or pillow for the head, I have before observed, as being so generally used by these people. By a singular accident this very fedeenah had been placed under my head by one of the Hy Soumaulee, as I slept out upon the hillside amongst them at Kuditee, whilst expecting the Wahama would attack us. When I was awakened by Ohmed Mahomed in the middle of the night, and told to return to my hut, the man who carried my mat for me brought away the pillow; whose it was I did not know, but as no inquiries were made about it, I always afterwards rolled it up in my Arab cloak for myself, as I found it very comfortable after a little use. I instantly suspected that this was the one respecting which Allee wanted information, and so, affecting to know all about it, I told him I would not tell him who the thief was, for the sake of peace, but that if he came in the evening I would return it myself to him. This, of course, I did, and quite convinced Allee of my immense power over the Jinn. The evil that resulted from this was, that a rumour was spread among the Kafilah that I had dealings with these spirits of fire, Allee swearing positively I carried one with me confined in a bottle, and that he had frequently seen me consulting it. The simple fellow meant my thermometer.
After sunset a large drove of camels, sheep, and goats, were seen moving towards the Assa-hemerah village behind the ridge, but we saw nothing more of the inhabitants. They were evidently influenced by some hostile feeling towards us, for on every other occasion of being in an inhabited neighbourhood, the women, or at least the children, would bring in milk or young kids as presents, or for sale.