March 29.—I found we should not leave Dulhull to-day; neither Ohmed Mahomed, nor Ebin Izaak, having yet arrived, Garahmee and a new Bedouin friend, Moosa Gra, proposed to accompany me if I chose to bathe in the sea, but as it was in front of and in sight of the Kafilah, I told them I did not require their attendance. After bathing I took my yesterday morning’s position upon the stone on the sea-shore, and again looked with pleasure upon the lovely picture before me. While still enjoying the scene, a sudden flash from the beach in front of Tajourah followed in a few minutes by a booming report, told the departure of Mr. Cruttenden for Berberah, and scarcely had his little vessel returned the salute of the town, and raised her long lateen sail, than she flew as if impatient from the land, and at our distance seemed not unlike a large white bird scudding over the surface of the sea.
Mr. Cruttenden having left Tajourah, Cassim and Ibrahim, who had been, I could see, anxiously awaiting the report, thought they could go back to their homes without further trouble. Their protestations of anxiety for my safety, and desire to see me well started on my journey, having been sheer humbug, but by which of course they had secured proportionate rewards. I had scarcely recovered from the fit of musing, the circumstance of my having witnessed the departure of Mr. Cruttenden had occasioned, when these worthies came up to announce their own intention of immediately returning to Tajourah. Ibrahim, who had a raw kidney in his hand, offered part of it to me with the most innocent politeness, but which I having with a graceful bow declined, he handed to Cassim, who made but two mouthfuls of it. They amused themselves with my evident surprise at their indulging in such a delicacy as they undoubtedly considered it; and having put me, as they thought, into a good humour with them, proposed their return. I made no observation in reply, for I was only too glad to get Ibrahim away, as he very evidently disliked me, and all that were of my colour. I had nearly quarrelled with him the evening before, through resisting his attempts to cut the leaves out of a copy of Mr. M‘Queen’s survey of Africa, in an Appendix of which was contained an extract of the route through this country, from the journals of Messrs. Isenberg and Krapf, and which I had been comparing with the accounts I was receiving of the road from the natives who surrounded me. Upon learning that the account was that of the missionaries, Ibrahim, for some reason or other, drew his knife, and stated his intention of cutting the book up, but upon my putting it immediately into my saddle-bag, with a very significant expression, the by-standers took Ibrahim away. To all appearance, the circumstance was soon forgotten, for he appeared in a short time afterwards, and asked me to give him some lucifer matches, with which request I immediately complied, and in this manner established peace again between us.
On the present occasion Cassim began the conversation by saying, how anxious he was for the Kafilah to proceed, which was false; as Zaido had told me but a short time before that we were waiting for some friends of Cassim himself, who were going to join our Kafilah with a few camels, which they intended to load with salt for the Shoan market at the Bahr Assal, and that they would not be ready till the next day. Cassim, however, went on to state, that he was exceedingly angry with his brother, Ohmed Mahomed, for detaining us, and that it was his intention to go back to Tajourah to hasten him on to rejoin the Kafilah; and added, that Ibrahim would also accompany him for mutual protection on the road. He concluded, by representing that the smallest offering would be gladly accepted, but hinted his expectation of a considerable boxeish for his attendance so far, and proportionate to the very important position he held among the Tajourah people, which, he said, would be considerably diminished, if what I should give him were not what his admirers might expect. As I was not in a humour to understand all this, my little knowledge of Arabic wonderfully diminished, and it was absurd to see the grave personage Cassim, in consequence, throwing his hands and arms about, strutting and looking pompous, and then most benign, to convey to my obtuse understanding the impression most favourable for his wishes. Ibrahim stood very quietly by, cleaning his extremely white teeth with the ever accompanying stick of a singular kind of tree called Woomen, growing in the neighbourhood of Dulhull. He, however, made no observation until Cassim had finished, and had seen him receive four dollars, then his turn came.
Ibrahim was a little spare man, but commenced with saying, that he was quite as good as Cassim, that he was my friend, and, besides, was going to introduce me to another friend of his who would accompany me all the way, and sooner die than see me injured. This friend’s name he made me write down in my book with a particular note, that I should not forget to give him also a boxeish on our arrival in Abasha. As for himself, he added, he was convinced I should do him justice. To my sense of what was due to his numerous excellences, therefore, and to the goodness of Allah, he left all consideration of what bounty I intended to bestow upon him.
I had made up my mind to divide ten dollars between them at Segallo, the halting-place where it was originally intended they should leave me, but as that was at some distance, I thought they should get nothing by the little deceit they had practised in keeping me at Dulhull until Mr. Cruttenden had sailed, and then saving themselves any farther trouble, by returning immediately to Tajourah. As has been observed, I gave Cassim only four, and to Ibrahim I presented three dollars, observing to the latter, that I had given him more than the extra dollar Cassim had received, in beads, needles, buttons, and matches; for of all the natives, Bedouin, or townspeople, Ibrahim was the most bothering, and greedy in begging everything he could set his eyes upon. When he could obtain nothing else, he asked for medicine, and if I had taken him at his word, and done him full justice, I think I could not have done less than have seized this opportunity of poisoning him, and so have sent him to that place from whence he derived his very unamiable “nom de guerre,” among his own countrymen, of “Shaitan.”
Our grief at parting, not being of that excessive kind that would interfere with any opportunities I had of making observations on the people I was amongst, as soon as they were gone I had my mat spread again under the trees, and was soon surrounded by others, who were retreating from the hot sun to the same friendly shelter.
Some women also came down from among the hills with small skins of clotted milk, which they gladly exchanged for needles. The younger ones are very beautiful girls, but of exceedingly slender form, reminding me strongly of the appearance of the Indian girls in Calcutta, and strikingly different in figure from the female slaves brought down from Abyssinia. These latter are particularly plump, with roundly formed and fleshy limbs, and of rather short stature, whilst the Adal women are thin, muscular, and tall. The latter, too, were considerably more vivacious and active, and the characters of their features were as decidedly different as the chief points of their figure. I have before observed, that the genuine Dankalli belongs to the Circassian variety; but I shall not stay here to form farther comparisons with the Abyssinians, but will wait till I arrive in that country, and can bring my subjects properly before the reader.
The older women were repulsive looking witches with dependent breasts, like old black butter skins, lying empty and flat upon the chest. This disgusting appearance is produced by the constant pressure of the band placed over the shoulders, and across the breast, and which secures whatever burden the woman is carrying behind her. They invariably have something stowed away in this manner, either a child, a bundle of split doom leaves for plaiting, an odd bundle of salt, or a large skin full of milk. It is generally suspended from the chest upon the loins, and the constant pressure, in the course of time has the effect of completely obliterating the glandular portion of the breasts, leaving only two long double flaps of black skin, to tell where once the fountains of life had been. They had a constant habit of tapping the mouth with the tips of their fingers to express astonishment, and pressing both hands to the lower part of the face was the very modest manner in which they walked off their nearly naked bodies, when we came suddenly up to a party of them, for it was seldom they volunteered to stay in my neighbourhood unless called upon to do so. A white skin evidently had no charms for them, and I could only smile at their prejudice and bad taste. The same kind of feeling makes many a negro happy in London, who, if the truth were known, looks with an eye of pity or contempt upon the pale faces that turn in disgust from him.
Mothers, towards evening, came bringing their diseased children into camp, and when I could be of service, it was some pleasure to assist them with what little medicine I possessed; but to some who were irrecoverable, I only suggested such dietary treatment I considered might be palliative, for I would not risk the danger of having their death laid to my charge, as it would have been had I administered any drug, or held out any hopes of recovery. One or two blind people went away very much disappointed at my not being able to restore them their sight.
My usual evening meal of rice and kid-flesh being duly prepared, I returned into my hut, drew out in secret my pewter spoon, the only remaining one of three, and made a hearty supper. All illness having apparently left me, appetite and a buoyancy of spirit I had long been a stranger to, had returned, enabling me fully to enjoy all the pleasures, if there can be any imagined, of the life I was now leading.