The road lay along the base of the bounding ridge to the south of the plain. As during the morning’s march we took care to choose our path outside of the fallen fragments of rock, and upon ground where scarcely a stone the size of a bean could be found, except such as had been thrown by the hand of some idler passing by. It seemed, indeed, to be the dried bottom of a muddy lake, the waters of which had been recently evaporated, for not a green leaf could I see upon it during the two hours we marched across the parched surface, until we arrived at our halting-ground, where there certainly were a few patches of coarse grass; and the sloping sides of the ridge on our left, were more overgrown with myrrh and other bushes, the small twigs and young foliage of which, the camels are very fond of. The name of Ahmahguloff was still retained, and I was given to understand, that all the country until we turned out of the plain was now so called. The hill of Obinoe was in our front, not more than five or six miles distant, and I could now plainly perceive the extremities of several other plains terminating at that height, as at a centre.
CHAPTER XVI.
Journey from Ahmahguloff to Koranhedudah, general direction S.W., time occupied three hours.—Pass Jibel Obinoe.—Plain of Amardu.—Account of myrrh-tree.—Description of halting-place.—Singular solar phenomenon.—April 23d. Journey from Koranhedudah to Herhowlee, general direction W.N.W., time two hours and a-half.—Bedouin village.—Bedouin ladies.
April 22d.—Ebin Izaak, Ohmed Mahomed, Ohmed Medina, and myself, all rode our mules during this morning’s march so that we outstript the pedestrians very soon. Passing out of the plain we ascended a steep acclivity of loose stones, which led us over one extremity of the ridge of Mahree, covered with large blocks of lava. After half an hour’s ride along this, we descended the opposite side, the road being down the tortuous and often precipitous bed of an occasional torrent. My mule having placed her feet upon an easily detached stone, came down upon her side with great violence. I threw myself off, falling in an opposite direction, and escaped with a few bruises. Remounting again very speedily, for all had come to my assistance, we entered a narrow valley plain called Amardu, similar in character to the one we had been marching along for the last three days, and like it terminating at Jibel Obinoe, now about four miles distant.
The singularly cleft summit of the low peak of Obinoe, and its apparent relative position with respect to the various fissured plains that appear to terminate there as at a centre, induced me to sketch its outline, as I would a head-land at sea, placing also sundry small arrows to indicate the directions of the several valleys. Its appearance was, as if at this point, the previously level plateau had been upraised from beneath, with a force but just sufficient to lift the then fractured portions into opposite inclined planes, and the severed summit distinctly marked, the separated edges of the original table-land. The greatest height that has been attained by the upraised portion, is not 700 feet above the level of the valley plains, and not 400 above the level of the flat-topt heights of Dulhull and Mahree.
The plain of Amardu was intersected with deep narrow gullies, or dry watercourses, four or five feet deep, and as many wide. Plenty of coarse grass seemed to promise excellent forage for the camels, and I expected, when we dismounted again under a large tree, that we were going to halt for the day; however, I was told that this was a favourite rendezvous for deer and wild asses, and I soon saw several herds of these animals, besides great numbers of guinea-fowl on every side of us. My companions had evidently preceded the Kafilah with me, on purpose to obtain, if possible, one of the larger antelopes, and Ohmed Mahomed now asked me to go and endeavour to shoot one. I accordingly started, and taking advantage of one of the water channels, I soon found myself abreast four very fine ones, as large as roebucks, and not more than eighty yards distant. I fired at once, but being in a hurry, and my short carbine not carrying point-blank more than sixty yards, the ball struck the one I aimed at low on the hind leg, breaking it below the hough. It staggered on to its hind quarters, but recovering itself immediately, tried on three legs to follow its affrighted companions. Ebin Izaak seeing this, jumped upon his mule, and throwing his shield from the bow of his saddle, and his tobe from his shoulders, galloped in a direction that would either cut off its retreat, and prevent it joining the others, or else force it up the steep face of the cliff, down which we had just come. After a chase of about half an hour, in sight the whole time, we saw our eager huntsman come alongside the antelope and at full speed launch his spear into its side. As the animal fell tumbling on its face, Izaak leaped from his mule, and soon put an end to its vain effort to rise and to resist, by cutting its throat with his dagger.
The Hy Soumaulee and some of the Kafilah men having followed us over the ridge of Mahree, now came bounding down the bed of the stream, one after the other, gathered around the dead antelope, and lashing its feet together, they brought it to the tree under which we at first halted. We here waited for the approach of the camels, which were at length seen rounding the extremity of the ridge, and entering the plain of Amardu, without going over the ridge as we had done. Before they came to us I shot three fine guinea-fowl at one discharge, so that the object of our preceding the Kafilah had not been disappointed. In addition to the feast thus promised, Ohmed Medina directed one of the Hy Soumaulee to gather a large quantity of a very delicate vegetable that abounded here, which he assured me the Banyans at Bombay were very fond of, and that he knew I should like it too, appearing at the same time rather surprised, at my ignorance of the plant, which at first I refused to have anything to do with.
The camels coming up, I was glad to find we were not to stop here for the day, as I began to feel impatient at the length of the journey to Shoa, and anxious that it should be concluded as soon as possible, having been now nearly four weeks almost daily marching, and still I was informed we had not reached half way.
The game was placed upon the camels, and the vegetable, crammed into one of Zaido’s skin bags, was thrown between the saddle-staves, where their extremities cross each other over the back of the camel, and we again started for a halting-place called Koranhedudah, about three hours’ march in a direction, south-west. We ascended a long, but gentle acclivity, for at least two hours of this time, along a road strewn with the everlasting lava cinders, and at length reached a small circular spot about a mile in diameter, surrounded with low black ridges of the usual character, and at the foot of which were several pools of clear water, where an abundance of frogs kept up a continual croaking. Myrrh and mimosa-trees abounded in this place; among the latter I noticed the variety producing gum arabic, and also another which yielded a strong astringent gum, that resembled very much the gum kino.