Rah Issah is the dry bed of a torrent which only runs along it during the very uncertain season of the rains. It extends in a nearly direct line to Goobat ul Khhrab, where it expands into a broad open space, surrounded, except towards the gulf, by nearly perpendicular precipices of a crumbling greyish porphritic rock. In the Rah Issah, the overhanging cliffs threaten continually to roll down a torrent of loose stones upon the traveller below, and that they are thus constantly slipping, is proved by the immense quantity of loose debris scattered along the road. Our halt took place in the expanded termination of this ravine called Bulhatoo. Although we had been nearly four hours on the march, I do not think we travelled more than six miles. Here my shielding of boxes stood upon some exceedingly fine volcanic sand, so hot from the direct rays of the sun, that I can readily believe that the eggs of many birds which make their nests upon the ground in this country, are aided materially in incubation, if not altogether hatched by the heat of the sand alone, upon which the eggs are laid.
The water we obtained here was exactly similar to the celebrated chalybeate of Harrowgate, being strongly impregnated with sulphurated hydrogen. Ohmed Mahomed took me to a spot, wishing to know if I thought sweet water could be found where a patch of bright red earth broke through the darker covering of the sand. I found it was a beautiful and very tenacious clay, and was convinced if an attempt were made, an excellent spring of water would be met with. The labour, however, not suiting the inclination of my companions, and as I preferred drinking the chalybeate, we left the place undisturbed. Numerous dry thirsty looking senna shrubs dotted the plain; their yellow laburnum-like flowers, mocking by their glittering brightness, the dreary waste of sand and rock around. Grass there certainly was, in large and dispersed tufts of a coarse wire-like hay, rather than of the bright green, yielding blades, we so generally associate with the idea of turf. We remained here only one day and night, and I slept without any disturbance beyond the pealing laughter of the whole Kafilah, from a conversation kept up at the extreme ends of the camp by two of the merriest fellows in it, Adam Burrah and Omer Suis. After every one had retired to rest, each upon his plaited palm-leaf mat, and wrapped up in his body-cloth, these two commenced shouting out their repartees at the top of their voices, each remark being followed by bursts of laughter from the rest. I could hear Ohmed Mahomed, who lay at the entrance of my “bait,” as it was called, whispering suggestions to Adam Burrah, whilst I dare say, some other friend, aided Omer Suis in the same way, or else it is impossible to conceive how such a constant flow of wit could have kept the whole Kafilah, for hours together, awake with the laughter and noise.
April 3.—We were up at sunrise and away, ascending a low but steep eminence, along the ridge of which we travelled till half-past nine. On our road, we had a good view of the Goobat ul Khhrab, “The bad haven,” reposing in a dead calm, among the almost encircling hills of dark coloured volcanic rock which surround it. The road lay upon one long-extended sheet of lava reaching on one side to the gulf, where it suddenly terminated, and on the other, to where a narrow, but deeply water-cut ravine, had occasioned a sudden solution of its continuity in that direction. Here was our halting-place for the day, called Dafarrè, and on our arrival I descended into the ravine, which was in front of our encampment, in company with Garahmee and Moosa. These men, with great apparent attention, were anxious to find for me a cool retreat from the hot burning sun, and in a cave that smelt strongly of wild beasts I soon had my mat spread, my boots taken off, and all things prepared for a sleep, which Garahmee was very anxious I should indulge in after my long walk, for proud in the feeling of strength returned, which enabled me to keep up, untired, with the best walkers of the party, I still looked with contempt upon my mule. The only evil of my retreat I thought was, that it was too convenient, and before Garahmee and Moosa could well choose their positions on each side of me, some half dozen people of the Kafilah also came and took up their quarters in the cave. Garahmee would have had me retire to another and a better place, which he said he knew, and which was but a little beyond a turn in the course of the ravine, but as my boots were off, and I had commenced a conversation with such of the people of the Kafilah, who, like myself, understood a little Arabic, I determined to stay where I was, at which he went away, seemingly much displeased. Like Ibrahim Shaitan, however, under similar circumstances, he returned very soon, and, apparently, we were as good friends as before.
It is rather difficult to find a comfortable position when reposing upon loose uneven rock, but on reading over my notes under the date of to-day, I find that to save time and to secure comfort under similar circumstances again, I had noted down how to arrange things so as to obtain a tolerably easy bed. I remark, sagely enough, that I must not expect the pleasures of easy repose upon a couch which had the hard rock for a cushion, and only large stones for pillows, but that to make my resting-place as comfortable as it could be, I had placed my head resting between two large stones, employing another as a pillow, which I put under the arm of the side I lay upon, and one also behind the bend of my knees, whilst a heavy one for my feet to press against without fear of removing it, sustained me on the gentle slope of the floor of the cave. Thus I arranged myself for sleep, and slept well; and after some hours’ indulging in a confidence not often extended to the companions of my march who lay around, Zaido appeared to summon me to my hut for the night. Giving him my boots to carry, I collected my pistols, and followed him barefooted up the long unequal steps of huge stones that led from the cave to the summit of the steep precipitous side of the ravine. Having reached my “bait,” a large bowl of boiled rice, quite enough for the supper of a camel, was served up, mixed with nearly half-a-pint of ghee, or the liquid butter of the country.
March 4th.—We again started at the usual hour, sunrise, and marched five hours and a-half across the most tremendously rough country that can possibly be conceived, to be at all passable. Immediately after starting, we descended a narrow road, more like a steep staircase than anything else. It was not quite so convenient, but reminded me of the one by which we ascend the Monument, which is about as high as was this precipice. One by one, the camels slowly descended into a wide fissure-like valley, that extended to a similar wall of rock on the opposite side, and up which we had to ascend again. This fissured plain opened upon the crystalline shores of the Bahr Assal, or Salt Lake, of which we obtained a good view from the top of Muyah, the name of the precipice we had just descended. We were nearly an hour crossing the next plain of blown sand, which from its appearance I thought had probably been conveyed by the wind from the shores of the Bahr Assal; it was covered with the dry wiry grass before mentioned, and numerous plants of a species of colycinth. Before we reached the only passable place in the next ridge, we had to ascend a road which was so serpentine that frequently we had to turn, and proceed some distance with our faces looking in a direction towards Tajourah. In my notes I have remarked that this plain must have been the bottom of the old portion of the sea, which once connected the Bahr Assal with Goobat ul Khhrab, for I found in some places a sandstone, very light-coloured, and a cretaceous rock, in which I found traces of a spiral univalve and other shells.
After a long dreary march, during which we passed between and among certain broad and square chimney-like vents of volcanic vapours, (for I could account for their existence in no other way,) situated in the midst of an extensive field of black scoreaceous lava, at the eastern extremity of which, near Goobat ul Khhrab, was a small, but perfect and well-formed crater. We at length reached a small winding wada, or valley, in which were a few stunted doom palm-trees. Round the lower part of their trunks had collected the decaying remains of their own fan-like foliage, and the withered branches of some mimosa-trees, torn up by a temporary torrent, and thus arrested in their progress towards the Bahr Assal. Our road in this situation was along its dry bed, over coarse black volcanic sand, which seemed to be produced by the crumbling action of atmospherical causes upon the surrounding lava rocks. After following the direction of the watercourse for nearly an hour, we arrived at “Aleex’ Shaitan” (The Devil’s Water), where, to my great satisfaction, we halted for the day.
I was too fatigued to take a survey of the country, and sat down under a stunted mimosa-tree, over which I cast my black Arab cloak, to increase the shade. Garahmee and Moosa, whom I had noticed walking all the day together in earnest conversation, now came up, and desired me with apparent kindness to accompany them to a cave, situated about a quarter of a mile from the camp, and upon my not immediately complying Garahmee, affecting to suppose I did not understand him, went and brought Ohmed Mahomed, who, coming up, repeated the invitation to go to a “tihebe bait” (a good house), with him. I had no objection to proceed, so gathering myself up with no little difficulty, for I was very tired, we all went to another den of some wild beast, where scattered bones and other traces indicated its recent occupation. Ohmed Mahomed creeping in, for it was much less than the one at Dafarrè, remarked that there was but just room for me. As I expected he was going to remain, I pulled off my boots and belt, and laid them with my pistols down at some little distance from me, and should have gone immediately to sleep, had not Ohmed Mahomed, made preparations to depart, and told me, as he got out, that I must not sleep till Zaido came with my rice. This was quite an accidental observation, and so natural, that I only asked him to send Zaido quickly, and took up a position by placing myself at full length across the entrance of the cave, which was not above eight feet wide, so that Moosa and Garahmee, who had been squatting in their usual manner in front, could not conveniently come in.
Some moments after Ohmed Mahomed left, Garahmee, under pretence of stretching himself, laid down his spear, and turning round walked some little way until he could get a good view of the camp, towards which he looked with an inquisitive gaze, that told me at once I had been betrayed into this place for the purpose of assassination, and felt assured that a struggle for my life was now at hand. My heart beat thick, but I determined not to show the least feeling of mistrust until their game had begun; and placing myself a little more under cover of the roof of the cave, awaited the first signal of attack to seize my pistols, and defend myself as I best might. It may be astonishing to suppose how two men could so far overcome the fear of being instantly killed by my firearms; but Garahmee, who was a most cunning man, never dreamt that his son, as he used to call me, suspected in the least his design, so carelessly had I been accustomed to trust myself with him, and had been so deceived by his particularly mild and quiet deportment. His first step, after watching the occupation of the camp, was to endeavour to take Ohmed Mahomed’s place in the cave, but this I instantly objected to in a tone so suddenly harsh that he involuntarily started, and sat down again just at my feet, but outside the entrance. All this time Moosa had been sitting about five paces in front. His shield, held before him, concealed his whole body, a black face and bushy head of hair alone appearing above its upper edge; his spear was held perpendicularly, with its butt-end placed upon the earth, in the usual manner, when an attack is meditated.
Garahmee was evidently disconcerted by my refusal to admit him into the cave, and perhaps if I had assumed a greater apparent suspicion, he would have deferred his attempt until a more favourable opportunity; but seeing me seemingly undisturbed, he took his seat at my head, and asked peremptorily for some dollars; “and Moosa wants some too,” added he, turning and looking with an expression readily understood by the latter worthy, who instantly rose and taking the place just vacated by Garahmee, seconded the motion by holding out his hand for “nummo” (dollars). In my belt was the pouch made by Cruttenden for my watch, which I had carried in the vain expectation of making it serviceable in deciding the longitude of my halting-places, but perceiving the character of the people, had never brought it out for fear of exciting the cupidity of those around me. Its round form, however, as it lay in the pouch attached to my waist-belt, made an impression as if dollars were there concealed, as I afterwards learnt from Ohmed Mahomed, who assigned this as one reason for the attempt which had been made. Drawing the belt and pouch towards me, in the loops of which were still my pistols, I took one of them into my hand, and throwing myself as far back into the cave as I could, told them I had no dollars for them till I got to Abasha (Abyssinia), at the same time telling Moosa to go for Ohmed Mahomed and Ebin Izaak, as I could not talk to them in their language. They were taken rather aback at the strong position I had assumed, and the decided manner in which I had met the first step to an outrage; for amongst these people a demand for something always precedes the attack, to enable them to throw their victim, even if he suspect their object, off his guard, in the vain hope that he might be able to purchase peace by giving them what they ask for. Neither party, under present circumstances, now knew what farther to do. I, of course, had done sufficient for defence, and they found that they had too suddenly, for their purpose, laid themselves open to my suspicion; but Garahmee, with ready thought, on my telling Moosa a second time to go, volunteered to be the bearer of the message himself, and retiring, relieved me of his presence, and himself of the unpleasant feeling which must have arisen in his mind on having been so completely foiled, and seeing, besides, that I was perfectly aware of his intentions.
Aleex’ Shaitan was certainly the most unpleasant halting-place I staid at during my whole march, for the natural suspicion excited of plots being regularly formed for my assassination, made me not feel very comfortable, especially when, on retiring for the night, I found that Ohmed Mahomed, Zaido, and Allee, who generally slept around me, had left the camp to return to the precipice of Muyah, to bring up some camels that had been left there during the morning’s march, unable to come on with the rest of the Kafilah. The larger boxes with which these camels were loaded had been obliged to be taken off and carried, with a great deal of labour, by men down the narrow and winding descents which occurred on the road. I determined not to sleep until their return, and sat in my hut eating some very hard sea-biscuit, indulging occasionally in long pulls at my water-skin, the contents of which reminded me exactly of the muddy streams that in very rainy weather flows through the gutters of our streets at home. Having finished my light supper, I sat at the upper end of my box fortalice, resolutely resisting for some time the approach of sleep, until at length I found it impossible to keep my eyes open any longer, so without knowing exactly the time of my departure to the realms of Morpheus, I only awakened at the rude shake which Zaido gave my leg, when he called me up for the next day’s march.