CHAPTERXIV.
Division of time.—My new servant, Goodaloo.—Thatching house.—Islam assistants.—Kindness of Tinta.—Finish roof.—Feast upon the occasion.—Remarks upon practice of eating raw meat.
Division of time.—My new servant, Goodaloo.—Thatching house.—Islam assistants.—Kindness of Tinta.—Finish roof.—Feast upon the occasion.—Remarks upon practice of eating raw meat.
TheAbyssinians divide the day and night into eight portions of three hours each, and as they commence their fasts the evening preceding, it is to be presumed that they begin a new day at sunset, like the Jews and Arabs. Three hours after sunset isleilet, “evening,” all the time intervening between nine o’clock and twelve being so called. From “night’s noon,” oraculilielet, untilduro-oitshiart, “cockcrow,” is another term of three hours, and from cockcrow totwart, “sunrise,” is three more; after twart isarrafat, or “nine o’clock;” thenaculican, “mid-day,” between which and sunset istuzziart, or “afternoon.”
During the first night after taking possession of my new house, about the hour of “duro-oitshiart,” (here let the reader learn a little Amharic), I was awakened, by a loud thunder-storm, to the disagreeable discovery that my new residence was not water-proof, for the roof admitted a great deal more rain than it threwoff, and had not Walderheros constructed a kind of pent-house over my bed with a stiffly-dried ox-hide, I should have been very soon wet through. The necessity, too, of having some kind of candle or other on emergencies, was forcibly suggested to us, by the difficulty we experienced in getting the damp fire-wood lighted, by the blaze of which alone we could see to arrange our substitutes for umbrellas. Walderheros, however, soon overcame all difficulties, and after extending his bed, the aforesaid skin, over me for my protection, he coiled himself up under a huge Amharic shield, tilted upon its edge, and supported by a stick in that position.
It is unnecessary to say we did not go to sleep again, but kept talking away about what we would do to the roof, as soon as the sun had risen, and we could only get out. Accordingly by twart (sunrise), Walderheros had started on a long walk nearly to Ankobar to get some straw, and also to engage a “wandum,” that is, a near relation of his whom I had determined, at his request, to receive as an additional servant. His wages were to be only five ahmulahs a-month, about one shilling and a half-penny, and as he was stated to be the very first of all modern thatchers, I did not consider this an extravagant demand, particularly as I required his services so much at this time.
“Wandum” is, strictly speaking, brother, but with the Shoans it is used as a general term for all male relatives. An uncle is the “wandum,” of themother or father, as the case may be, whilst cousins, especially between opposite sexes, appear to be more affectionately related than our brothers or sisters. A friend is called “wordage,” a name derived from some relation between them and one’s own bowels, “word,” signifying that viscera, which reminded me of a scriptural passage, where, describing the affection of some one for another, it is said that “his bowels yearned towards him.” “Bal-ingero,” is another expressive term for a companion, signifying “the possessor or sharer of bread.” And as I am on the subject, I may mention, that an additional term of friendly relationship among this very social people, is derived from the circumstance of the marriage tie in this country, being but very loosely observed. “Leech enart,” mother’s child, is sometimes bestowed upon a very dear friend, as being expressive of a great deal more affection than “Leech abat,” father’s child.
By “arrafat,” nine o’clock,A.M., Walderheros, and his wandum, Goodaloo, appeared at the rude misshapen wicket in the small ring fence of jowarree stalks, that enclosed my garden. Both were bending beneath huge bundles of the straw-like cimbyllal grass, but being too large to admit of passing through the narrow entrance, they were thrown down in the little lane that led from my house, and from a few other neighbouring ones,into the principal street on our side of the town, to the market-place.
Goodaloo, was spare, short, and active, seemingly designed by nature for the ticklish occupation he professed; for the frail stick skeleton roof, when divested of the old straw, looked as if it would have given way beneath the foot of a cat. After a professional survey, and a most important consultation with Tinta, his deputy, a Christian like himself, and half-a-dozen rich Islam inhabitants, it was determined to be most advisable, that only a portion of the roof should be renewed at once, so that I might have the shelter, either of the old or of the newly finished roof, to sleep under, during the three days required to put all to rights. The Governor and his Deputy, however, were the only useful members of this Council, for the former directed his servants to supply me with the necessary grass, whilst the latter assisted Goodaloo in thatching. The Islam gentlemen, with the cool dignity which, somehow or other, they do assume most naturally, sat down upon the skins brought for that purpose, and proceeded to call for coffee, and to give directions to their Christian superiors, in a manner that would have delighted Satan himself, to have observed, if he takes any pleasure at all, in seeing honest, simple humility, treated with the most evident contempt.
All this time, I was glad to keep out of the way,lying upon the alga inside; but when actual business commenced, I began to think I must retreat into the open air. Black, sooty flakes, now began to fall thickly from the glistening well-smoked roof frame, which consisted of long bamboo canes, that diverging from an elevated centre spread around in a wide circumference, to rest upon a round wattled wall of sticks and mud. To this annoyance, was soon added falling bits of rotten thatch, that descended upon my bare head and shoulders, until I could stand it no longer, but rushed out of the dirty mess and seated myself upon a quantity of clean straw near to my Mahomedan visitors, who appeared to have made my garden a public café, for they kept coming and going all day, staying a little to watch if the proceedings were going on to their satisfaction, and aiding, to the extent of an “Inshallah” (please God), “it would be finished by to-morrow.”
Before evening, one-third of the roof was well covered in, for as I had promised to give a couple of sheep at the conclusion of the business, to the servants of Tinta, they worked away at his cimbyllal grass, as if it had been all my own; and had I not inwardly resolved to return his kindness in some way or other, my conscience would have often induced me to call out, “Hold! enough!”
July 30th.—By cock-crow again Tinta’s servants were at my gate with straw, and Walderheros and Goodaloo went out to recommence upon the roof.We continued to be highly favoured by the weather, only a slight shower or two interrupting the otherwise bright sunshine in which I lay basking on my straw couch all day. A thick mist enveloped the whole length of the Ankobar range in front, which seemed to attract all the clouds, or at least condensed the moisture in the atmosphere to the west of Aliu Amba, leaving the more favoured country to the east beneath a clear and beautiful sky. The heavy bank of fog, however, prognosticated rain to us, and every time it caught the eye of Walderheros, he seemed to move as quickly again, as he supplied with fast filled arms the bundles of cimbyllal to the two workmen upon the roof. So expeditiously, indeed, did all proceed, that before sunset the whole was finished, although, for farther security and ornament, another day’s labour was required, which was promised with much self-gratulation by Goodaloo, who confidently asserted that had the house been thatched for the Negoos himself, it could not have been done more quickly or more scientifically.
It being too late, and the men too tired to kill and dress sheep, Tinta’s servants partook, as last evening, of a plain repast with Goodaloo and Walderheros, consisting only of dry teff pancakes, and a sop or two in a shallow earthenware vessel of the cayenne soup. To improve this very poor dinner, I gave Walderheros an ahmulah to get some “tallah,” and he bought for that sum about fifteen gallons of excellent ale. This he and twoof his companions brought into the house in three large jars, a girl following with the ahmulah, which, I expect, she had changed for one of her mother’s smallest, and after spanning the salt-piece before my face, with a very lackadaisical look, intimated that it was a very thin one, and she hoped I would give her a larger one instead. Walderheros, who was just as cunning as any of his countrymen or women either, always kept the ahmulahs he received in exchange for dollars in two bags, one containing the larger, the other the smaller ones. With the former, sheep and tobacco were purchased, as for these commodities none but the best ahmulahs are taken, whilst the latter were generally given in return for services performed by any of the neighbours, and which I paid for, according to Walderheros’s idea, far too liberally. In the present case, on my telling the girl she should choose for herself, down came the bag containing the little ones, the trick of which I was not then aware, and after a long search, none pleasing the lady, she withdrew, keeping the one which had been originally given to her.
One of the jars being now placed upon a low chair that had come to me as a memolagee for some medicine, a long mekanet, or girdle, from the loins of one of the party was carefully wrapped around the wide circular mouth of the jar, after the dirty dry seal of cow-dung and clay had been removed. Over the lip of the vessel, slowly strainedthrough the cloth, flowed the now released liquor, which was received into well-shaped drinking-horns of a conical form, and about nine inches deep. One, full of the sparkling beverage, was handed to me, Walderheros, in the first place, pouring a little into the hollow of his hand and drinking it, as the tasters of food and of drink of old are represented to have done previous to serving their superiors. This little ceremonial, though its origin is entirely forgotten by the Shoans, is never omitted by them, and we here find a custom, first established by a fearful policy, still retained as a matter of form, and as a dutiful obeisance of inferiors to their masters. The drinking party sat together in the dark talking for some hours, industriously replenishing the horns until two of the jars were emptied of their contents, when, pretty comfortable, no doubt, Walderheros and his friends quietly subsided upon the ground, where they had been sitting so long; their busy talk was stayed at once, and all was soon as still as the night should be.
July 31st.—Long before sunrise I was again disturbed by Tinta’s servants, who were up and leaving my house to return home, so as not to be absent at the first call of their master. This day was to be devoted to the beautifying and adorning the new roof after the most approved design. The broken neck of an old jar was soon found, which served as a kind of coronet to gather theloose ends of the thatch at the apex. Immediately below this were thrust two sticks across each other, their projecting extremities preventing a tight band of very pliant twigs from starting, and which beneath it had been twisted several times around the loose ends, still farther to secure this part of the roof, that, as the centre of the whole, was something analogous to the key stone of an arch.
This being finished, the flat hands of Walderheros and Goodaloo were applied to the irregular projecting straw ends of the lower edge or circumference of the roof, which were patted gently back into one even line, with something like the attention to detail of a careful barber arranging the straggling hairs of a full-bottomed wig. The circuit of the whole having been made, I was duly called upon to inspect their work; but as I supposed that it was not so much to give an opinion as it was to express my approbation, I took care sufficiently to gratify them, by stating it to be my firm belief that no “Gypt” could have done it half so well. To subdue unqualified approbation, and that my praise should have the more importance, as coming from a man of decidedly good taste, I suggested that a brightly painted red earthenware crown piece to the whole, like those used to beautify their churches, would have looked more religious, and better than the ragged rusty looking neck of the broken jar, which, not having been put on exactly square, but cocked a little onone side, gave a rather saucy slovenly finish to my cottage ornée.
My indefatigable Islam friends now came to congratulate me upon my roof being finished, and began asking about the cow, with the blood of which I was to sanctify the door-posts, as they said, to keep “Shaitan” from disturbing me. They contended that, to render the charm efficacious, the animal must be killed by a Mahomedan. I shook my head, and denied the necessity of this, or indeed of the sacrifice at all; but I told them, as they had helped me so much, they were very welcome to partake of the two sheep Walderheros had already gone to purchase. They said not a word in reply, and many of them considered my offer to be a gross insult, and stayed away several days in consequence. However, as I had now begun to speak a little Amharic, and did not require their assistance so much as formerly to interpret for me, I was ungrateful enough to allow them to come round again in their own good time.
The evening was spent by Walderheros and his friends killing the sheep; and having boiled the meat in several earthenware vessels, demonstrated, by a very hearty meal, that on ordinary occasions the Shoans are as fond of cooked meat as the rest of mankind.
The customary practice of eating it raw, so singular, and apparently so characteristic of a barbarous and savage disposition, has, in Abyssinia,a natural inducement for its indulgence, which, I think, is an apt illustration of the manner, in which man is led instinctively, to the employment of such means within his reach, to enable him fully to enjoy life, under whatever circumstances of situation he may be placed.
The difference of food between the inhabitants of the Arctic region and those of low intertropical countries is so great, that it has not failed to strike physiologists, who have, from the comparison, been led to the knowledge of an important truth in the natural economy of man. It has been observed that human life is supported in these opposite extremes of situation by different kinds of food, and that whilst in the north, blubber and enormous quantities of raw meat are devoured by the natives, that in the torrid zone, vegetables constitute the principal diet. The reason is, that during the process of digestion a considerable amount of natural heat is engendered in the system, and this is found to be determined in quantity by the nature of the food. An entirely fleshy diet occasions the development of its maximum, and contributes materially to the comfort of man in cold situations, whilst, on the contrary, vegetables are scarcely able to excite sufficient heat necessary to convert them into nutriment; and, in fact, beneficent nature has provided for such a want, by supplying in hot climates a sort of artificial warmth, in the stimulating aromatics which are the characteristic productions of the torrid zone.
The high table land of Abyssinia, although situated between the tropic of Cancer and the equator, from its great elevation of ten thousand feet or more above the level of the sea, possesses a climate which is not less cold than that of the northern parts of Scotland. Being a country but poorly wooded, the chief supply of fuel being the dung of cattle, an instinctive feeling dependent upon the pleasures of a state of warmth, has taught the Abyssinians that the flesh of animals eaten raw is a source of great physical enjoyment, by the cordial and warming effects upon the system produced by its digestion, and to which I am convincedbon vivantsmore civilized than the Abyssinians would resort if placed in their situation. Travellers who have witnessed their “brunde” feasts can attest the intoxicating effects of this kind of food, and they must have been astonished at the immense quantities that can be eaten in the raw state, compared to that when the meat is cooked, and at the insensibility which it sometimes produces. Eating raw meat, therefore, a usual practice with the Esquimaux, and which among them is an absolute necessity, by the Abyssinians is considered a luxury, or in fact as a kind of dissipation, for eating it in that state is only indulged in by them at festivals, and it is then taken as a means of enjoyment, and is not more barbarous or disgusting than getting tipsy upon strong drinks.