March 28th.—Up and off two hours before sunrise. I would not wait for my mule, but walked on with Cassim and Ibrahim whilst the camels were being loaded. Our march lay along the sands, where, for a short time, I sat under the shade of some date-palms, whilst my companions bathed and performed their first prayers for the day. I saw an abundance of game, chiefly guinea-fowl, and the small antelope mentioned by Salt, a graceful little thing, scarcely twelve inches high, of a greyish fawn-colour, with beautifully formed head and large prominent black eyes. My double-barrelled carabine being loaded with ball, I would not shoot at them, fearing that I might miss, and I could not well afford to lose my character as a marksman among the people I was now living with, who consider every white man to be naturally a good shot.
Prayers being over, we again started, and soon passed a small native village of about eight houses, called Ambabboo, where we met some Bedouins with two or three camels who had come with the intention of joining our Kafilah. A little girl here brought me some milk in one of their curiously constructed baskets, and her brother, dragging along a young kid, wanted me to accept it. Cassim, who suspected the real meaning of all this generosity, objected to the kid on the plea of inconvenience. I, however, made them both happy by giving them a few beads and a couple of needles.
Leaving the coast, we entered a wood of low mimosa-trees, the thorny boughs of which I was obliged to be continually throwing from before my face. We soon came to a fordable part of a small creek communicating with the sea, and which I then found had caused the detour. The water where we passed was about two feet deep, and after crossing we reached the sea-shore again in a short time, and travelled along the sands until we came to an open bare spot, over which I could see, by the drift wood and large rolled stones, that during the wet season a torrent must rush into the sea. Here we were to halt for the rest of the day. A large Kafilah of natives going to Tajourah had spent the night in the same place, and were just leaving as our small party of pedestrians arrived, the time being the dawn of day, and we having been two hours on the march.
The name of this halting-place was Dulhull. I sat down on a large stone, at a short turn in the otherwise nearly direct line of the sea-shore from east to west, which admitted of a fine view of the Bay of Tajourah and the distant sea. The sun, “from ocean rising,” quickly dissolved the last shades of night, and one of the most lovely scenes my eyes ever beheld extended before me. All the azure and golden tinting of that imaginative painter, Turner, was realized, and I silently acknowledged the injustice of my premature judgment, in considering his pictures very pleasing, but most unnatural. The gorgeous apparel of the cloud-robed sun, the silvery play of the nearly calm reflecting surface of the sea; the blue rocks of the opposite Soumaulee shore; the palm-tree fringe of the waving line of coast, along which I had just been travelling; the distant view of Tajourah, and the quiet of its little merchant fleet, aided in producing an effect of enjoyment in my mind, that perhaps owed some portion of its charm to the feeling of having at last entered upon the long wished-for life of novel and wild adventure which, from a boy, I had so ardently desired. Behind me rose a succession of bare rugged hills, gradually increasing in height till at the peak of Jibel Goodee, about six miles off, they attained an elevation of 6,000 feet, all evidently of volcanic origin, save the little low heaps of recent sandstone close to the shores of the bay which had been upheaved, probably at the same period with the more imposing rocks beyond them.
One of these hills of stratified sandstone had been impregnated with the vapour of a cupras sublimation, until it had assumed a light green colour; and upon the strength of about five per cent. of copper, some travellers had represented that it was a Jibel Narse, or hill of copper. Many of the natives were firmly impressed with an idea that it was for the promise thus held out of an abundant supply of this metal, that had induced the English to attempt the purchase of Tajourah and the neighbouring country from the Sultaun Mahomed. I may here observe, that a purchase had been effected between this chief and the Indian Government of the two islands; one at the entrance of the bay, and another much smaller, lying in the little channel leading into Goobatul Khhrab, and for which, I believe, the Sultan received some five or six thousand dollars.
I was now joined by some of our Kafilah, which had in the meantime come up and commenced unlading. Zaido placed two mats under the shade of some closely-growing mimosa-trees, and one or two of the escort, who seemed willing to patronize me for the sake of the few buttons or needles I could bestow upon them, brought their mats and laid them down all around me. A rude sense of politeness seemed to prevent their pressing inconveniently near me; but I suspected that it was merely the hollow affectation of courtesy by the most cold-blooded assassins I ever met or ever read of. By their own showing, not one of them that wore a small tuft of hair upon the boss of his shield but had killed and murdered ten or twelve individuals, which, if only understood as two or three, the men surrounding me must have caused the death of at least a score of their fellow-beings; and the delight and evident zest with which they spoke of or listened to the several struggles in which they had been engaged, told the fierce and cruel character of these demons in human shape. “Neither the hospitality nor the high sense of honour that characterizes the savage of America or of the Oceanic Islands, is to be found among the Dankalli tribes. Murder is equally productive of renown as is the most honourable fight; and the same triumphant badges are worn by the valiant soldier and the cowardly assassin. The companion of the day and the sharer of your food will, under cover of night, strike without remorse his knife into your throat; and of all the savage people that inhabit this benighted land of Africa, the Dankalli are allowed by all to be the most treacherous and cruel.” This was the character I had received of my present companions; and it was necessary therefore that I should be careful to give them no excuse for attempting my life, acting as courteously as possible, distributing needles and bits of paper, loading and firing my pistols repeatedly for their amusement during the day. Having smashed, on one occasion, an earthen coffee-pot that the owner had challenged me to fire at, they were quite satisfied that I could as easily demolish an elephant with one of the little insignificant looking things that they saw I always wore at my waist, and this feeling I did not endeavour to dissipate, as I saw it had a very good effect upon the bearing of these men towards me. An accident that happened also, by which one of them was nearly shot, made them not over anxious to trust themselves too near to me, or my pistols, and turned out to be a fortunate circumstance, by preventing them from closing and crowding around me.
As evening drew on, Zaido, who had prepared me a breakfast in the morning of boiled rice and dates, now cooked me some kid’s flesh, a portion of another present I had received in the course of the day from some Bedouin shepherds who were tending their flocks of sheep and goats in the neighbourhood, and who had sent it in by some of their children. The men did not appear themselves, for among our Kafilah were some individuals of a tribe with whom this Bedouin family had a blood feud. During the whole day I observed several of them assembled on a spur of Jibel Goodee, awaiting the result of our arrival with spear and shield in hand, as if they expected an attack. After supper I directed Allee and Zaido to make a little fort of boxes, as I saw I had nothing to trust to but the greatest precaution on my part. I was only afraid of night attacks, for during the day I felt pretty well assured that I should be quite free from any molestation, but even this partial idea of security led me subsequently into considerable danger; and, as I hope my experience may be of service to future travellers, my errors shall be duly paraded with the same fairness as those incidents I shall no doubt speak of, from which I expect any credit may arise.
The roof of my box-fort or hut was made by placing the long camel saddle-sticks across from side to side, over which I threw my carpet, and on this piled camel saddles, mats, and everything calculated to awaken me by making a noise in case of any one attempting to uncover my retreat. A good palanquin with locks on the doors would not be a bad carriage for such a country as Adal. The dilemma would be to procure bearers, for I do not think the native Dankalli could by any means be induced to the exercise of such a long-continued labour as the patient dauk carriers upon the roads of India.
Neither Ohmed Mahomed nor Ebin Izaak was to be seen to-day, and I found that they had returned during the past night to Tajourah, to spend another last day with their families, leaving Cassim in charge of the Kafilah. He sometimes walked up to the trees under which I lay during the day, to see that everything was right with me. A Bedouin, who had kept close to me the entire day, had placed himself at the entrance of my hut when I retired; and Zaido told me he was one of the escort who had sworn to Izaak not to let me go out of his sight, upon the promise of receiving a cloth from his son in Abasha. As he was a very superior-looking man, at least forty years of age, very quiet, and less importunate for trifles than the rest of his countrymen, I thanked him, as well as I could, for his attention, and gave him a cotton handkerchief.
After looking suspiciously to the right and left, creeping a little way into my hut he secured the gift in a dirty rag to the handle of his shield, which he hung up in my hut to be taken care of, by signs intimating that it would rain, and also that he was my very good friend, insisting at the same time, that I should write his name, Garahmee, down in my note-book. He then turned away to get some boiled rice with Zaido and Allee, whilst I turned in upon my mat, covered myself with my plaid and Arab cloak, and composed myself to sleep.