April 29th.—No start this morning, two camels being very ill, according to Ohmed Mahomed’s account, who asserted, they would not be able to proceed until the next day. Another name for our halting-place was Alee-bakalee. In a retired spot, surrounded by trees, I found a large sheet of water, which, according to all accounts I received, is to be found here during the whole year. Returning after a very refreshing bathe, I gathered a quantity of the Indian vegetable, and as all my rice and biscuit were expended, this addition to my present meat diet was very agreeable. Here I also shot a large adjutant bird, exactly similar to those I have seen in Calcutta. In the afternoon, I employed myself repairing the shattered boxes, which had not proved equal to the continual knocking about they were exposed to, and to which the numerous loadings and unloadings of the camels during the long march, contributed not a little. Small barrels, with shut-up tops, would be best adapted for the packing of stores so conveyed, and would suit much better the ingenious, but simple camel-saddle used by the Dankalli.
This saddle consists of four strong staves, about four feet in length, and as thick as a man’s wrist. Two of these are intended for each side of the camel. At the distance of one-third from the upper end are fixed small round pads of matting, stuffed with strips of the palm leaf. These rest on the sides of the hump, and relieve this rather tender part from the pressure of the load. The lower ends of the two staves on each side, are bound together, but the upper extremities, above the pads, diverge to the distance of a foot or eighteen inches; the staves of either side are connected together by ropes carried over the pads.
A quantity of palm-leaf mats, six feet long, and three feet broad, are first placed upon the back of the camel, and across these is thrown the saddle. The two conjoined ends on either side are now fastened underneath the belly, by a rope passing directly from the one to the other, in a straight line. No girding, similar to the manner in which we saddle horses is resorted to. The saddle being thus fixed, from the projecting extremities of the staves, on one side is suspended the burden that hangs upon the other, and thus, when properly adjusted, the weight of the two burdens tends to tighten the rope beneath the belly of the animal, and prevents the whole from shifting during the journey. Another advantage derived from this kind of saddle is, that when the camel lies down, the whole weight of the burden is lifted up from the back, for the lower extremities of the staves come upon the ground before the belly of the animal, and thus support the loads, whilst it remains in that position. If proper attention be paid to the equal distribution of weight on each side, when first loaded, the camel marches the whole day without any danger of casting its burden, unless the rope should happen to break, which connects the lower ends of the staves of either side. Too frequently, the slaves of the owner neglect this important duty, and I have observed with what difficulty, the narrow body of the camel has been able to contend, against the unequal pressure upon its sides. In such cases, if attention be not paid to its loud moanings, and the restless movements of its head, when vainly endeavouring to lift off the load from its back, the animal soon falls to the ground, unwilling or unable to proceed farther, without a readjustment of the loads.
The numerous ropes required in loading camels with the long narrow salt-bags, are generally made of two plies of the thin portion of the doom palm leaf, twisted in contrary directions with the hands, and then allowed to twine naturally upon each other. Hempen ropes are preferred, when they can be obtained; and several specimens were shown to me; that had been manufactured by some Galla people to the south of the Hawash, in the neighbourhood of Shoa.
I continued nailing the boxes, teaching Zaido the use of a hammer and a nail-passer, when attempting to lift over one of the packages, I placed my hand under its lower edge, and was suddenly made aware, by a severe sting in the ball of my thumb, that some reptile had located itself beneath. In an agony of anxious curiosity, I pushed over the box, and then exposed to view a large scorpion, at least an inch and a-half in diameter. The pain for the moment was intense, shooting rapidly along my arm into the shoulder and neck, and as I had been taught to believe, that the most serious consequences would arise from a wound of such a description, I looked at it very seriously for a few moments, with all the contentment of despair; the loss of all hope had made me more tranquil than in my moral philosophy I had ever conceived would have been the case. The pain, however, like sharp rheumatic touches, soon called me back to reasonable expression, and excessive suffering made me stamp again, causing Zaido and the others to laugh immoderately. They made chase, however, after the reptile, which was hastily running off, with his tail curved high over his back, and sting displayed, in a high state of irritation, no doubt. It was very soon stopped by one of the Allees dropping, after several attempts, the butt-end of his spear upon it, and holding it down till Zaido, with the nail-passer, had amputated the last joint of the tail, which supported the sting. He then took the animal up, tore it ruthlessly into two pieces, and began to rub the wound in my hand, with the ichorous-looking juice which, instead of blood, appears to circulate through the animal. I was also comforted in my mind by assurances that all would be well in an hour, for the knife, as my friends called the sting, was a very small one.
I learnt from this occurrence, that the Dankalli do not consider the sting of the scorpion of their country dangerous, and it is well that it is not so, for they are found in any quantity underneath every large stone. Sometimes on rolling one over, in the shallow depression of the ground, I have noticed the entrance to a nest of these nauseous-looking reptiles; and on removing a little of the soil, perhaps I should unearth an old one as large as a crown-piece, semi-transparent, of a dirty, mottled yellow colour, with about ten or a dozen young ones, like so many huge spiders, running about in all directions, as if fully aware of their situation, and that no endeavours would be spared to destroy the whole family party.
As it is useful to observe coincidental ideas upon subjects somewhat related, which are entertained by very different and distinct nations, I may be allowed to remark the resemblance between the remedy on this occasion, and which was quite sufficient for the cure, and that which is adopted by the lower orders in Scotland at the present time, to counteract the effects of the bite of a viper. It is usual among them to kill and flay the reptile, and the moist inner surface of the skin is then well rubbed over the wound, as were the separated portions of the scorpion in my case by the Dankalli.
The pain in my hand not subsiding immediately, I thought it prudent to retreat into my hut, bidding Zaido to bring my gun, hammer, nails, &c. Ohmed Medina came to amuse me, and told some long tales of the numerous Jinn that haunted the country, which, however, must be understood to mean the volcanic phenomena, which are continually altering the surface level of the country of Adal. A very famous residence of a large community of these Jinn, Ohmed Medina stated to be about two days’ journey towards the north-east, before we came to the river Hawash in that direction. The name of the place was Ta’hou, and the caravan route, from Owssa to Gondah, passed close to the neighbourhood of this evil spot, the principal features of which, I was given to understand, were, several boiling springs, a few yards distance from each other, that threw up columns of hot water and vapour, several feet high. Around the borders of these steam fountains a large quantity of a very white stone is found. From this circumstance, I inferred, that they were of the same character as the geysers of Iceland, depositing, like them, a thick bed of silex around their apertures.
Ohmed Medina left me, to perform the usual vesper adorations before and after sunset. By the time he had finished, and returned to ask how the wound in my hand felt, I had almost forgotten the circumstance, for the pain had subsided, and the sting had left no trace of a wound.
When I retired to rest, the remainder of the bullock left uncooked the evening before, was being prepared by my hungry escort. The Dankalli, as far as I could observe, make but one regular meal a day, and that after sunset. They eat, certainly, at any other time, when anything is put before them, but this is very irregular, and considered only as an extraordinary indulgence.