In my notes upon this conversation, I have remarked that it is my firm conviction that the believers in one God, who live according to the moral precepts of the religion of Jesus, is the sect to whom is reserved, the glory of reuniting in one faith, the present divided family of man. Unitarianism, is the fore-coming shadow of this to be universally acknowledged belief, and all who profess its tenets should reflect, upon the important object committed to their agency, and encouraged by the high hope, that must result from their thoughts upon the subject, they will perhaps increase their endeavours to spread more widely, the principles of faith which they profess.
This observation is inserted solely as a matter of what I conceive to be duty; I hope, therefore, that thus recording my conviction, a bearing testimony to what the natural education of circumstances has taught me to believe to be the truth, will not be charged as presumption; especially when I feel assured that my omitting it, would be an act of the grossest ingratitude to my constant Guide and Guard, who has led and preserved me, through no ordinary difficulties and dangers.
CHAPTER XVIII.
Staying at Barradudda.—Milk diet.—Wound myself by accidental discharge of gun.—Bedouin skirmish.—Mode of warfare among Dankalli.—Compensation for wounds and injured property.—Peace re-established.
During the evening of our first day’s halt at Barradudda, a party of the women of Herhowlee came into camp, bearing upon their loins, in the usual fashion, large skins of milk. They had followed the Kafilah, upon hearing that we had halted at so short a distance. I came in for a share of their delicious burden, and certainly among the many discomforts of a wandering desert life, the constant supply of rich sweet curdled milk, which forms the principal food of the natives, compensates somewhat for the compulsatory abstinence of an educated stomach, from the cooked viands, and other creature comforts attendant upon civilization. One woman, for a handful of tobacco, brought me a kid-skin, containing about a quart of camel’s milk. This is of a very different character, to that of cattle, sheep, or goats, and as it never affords any cream, is never mixed with the produce of these for the purpose of making butter. It is a favourite drink of the Dankalli, from its medicinal virtues, being a gentle aperient. It is a light and agreeable beverage, having very little body, as connoisseurs are accustomed to say when speaking of their wines. Camels yield milk at all hours, and not merely at the stated morning and evening’s milkings of the flocks, which is a great recommendation of these animals to a Dankalli family.
On turning in for the night, Allee the Second sat at the entrance of my hut, telling me a long tale of the luxuries of Owssa, dates, milk, and wheaten bread, and nothing to do but sleep and eat, and eat and sleep. He seemed to think that if there were Paradise upon earth, it was situated in this particular part of Africa; but I expect, that the poets of Greece and Rome, held a more correct opinion, when they made it the kingdom of hell, for I am convinced myself, that when they send their heroes to the infernal regions, they are only describing some journey, made into this dangerous and desert-spread continent. The punishments of Tantalus, or the mirage; of Sisyphus, or the whirlwind of sand; and of Ixion for his amour with a cloud, or the necessity of continually revolving water-wheels, to irrigate even the most favoured spots; all tend to connect Africa, in my opinion with the hell of mythological history; and the natural phenomena there witnessed are the foundations, of the highly-coloured figurative punishments awarded to the guilty, who were supposed to be banished to these dreary and unhappy deserts, in contradistinction to the abode of the blest in the beautiful and luxuriant garden of the Hesperides, the elysium of the West.
April 27th.—Barradudda was too abundant of forage and water to admit of our leaving to-day, so we remained, much to my discomfort, for I found the little bug-like tics, as great admirers of beautiful scenery as ourselves, and seemed on this spot to be collected in myriads. They constitute, I should think, a very efficient remedy for the bad effects of too much blood being made by animals, who otherwise might suffer from the unlimited indulgence in good food, this place admits of.
After writing out a few notes on the conversation of yesterday with Ohmed Medina, I set about cleaning my carbine. Having drawn the charge of both barrels, as I supposed, I put caps upon the nipple, and to show how little was to be feared from the detonation of these alone, which the surrounding Bedouins thought quite as dangerous as ball and powder, I put my hand very bravely to the muzzle of the gun. On pulling the trigger, however, much to my surprise, I blew my hand into the mouth of a gaping Bedouin, who, with some others, sat upon their heels watching all my movements, until it came to the explosion, with very evident interest. Fortunately, the only injury I received was a severely contused burn of the whole of the palm of my hand, but the Bedouins thinking I must be killed outright rushed from the hut in a great hurry; Moosa dropped the bullet he held in his hand, another, the powder of the only barrel it appeared, that I had drawn the complete charge of, whilst each of the others seemed anxious to get as far away as he possibly could. The fellow whom I had upset, rolled over and over in an agony of mind, in too great a hurry, to get on his legs and run.
Ohmed Mahomed, and Ohmed Medina, expecting the worst from the stir that was so suddenly occasioned, came with two or three of the Tajourah people to my aid, as soon as they could snatch up their spears and shields, for the commotion and rush to arms had now become general. Quiet, however, was soon restored upon my endeavouring to laugh at the accident, as my friends came up, and who certainly were very sorry to see the state of my hand, the extent of injury to which I could not ascertain, so contracted were my fingers over the palm. Himyah, the matchlock man, was the only one who enjoyed the accident, and he laughed with most unrestrained mirth, as he pointed to the cut on his cheek, not yet cured, and called my attention to the fact, of my having laughed as immoderately, on the occasion of his accident, as he did now, at mine. Having washed the wound with the hot water Zaido had prepared for the purpose of cleaning my gun, a poultice was made with some biscuits that remained, and binding it on the injured part I retired with gloomy anticipations of the morrow’s examination, expecting to find a most extensive injury done to the tendons of my hand. I could not help though being much amused, with the very-varying accounts of this accident, related by the Bedouins to their women, or strangers, who visited the camp.