CHAPTER XX.
Journey from Thermaduddah to Alee-bakalee, general direction, south by west, time marching, one hour.—May 1st. Journey from Alee-bakalee to Hasanderah, general direction, south-west, time marching, eight hours.—Dankalli naturalists.—Large herd of cattle— Architectural labours.—Mahomedan popular superstitions.—Sale of children.—A Bedouin father.
April 30th.—We left Thermaduddah this morning by sunrise, making a short march to the southward, across a narrow plain covered with grass, and bordered by low banks of a stony character, but, upon which, the myrrh, the mimosa, and aditu trees, grew to a respectable size. The name of our halting-place for the day was Alee-bakalee, which appeared to be the name of a stream that occasionally, at the time of the rains, flows to the northward into the Killaloo Lake; and the representative of which, at this time, was the water I bathed in yesterday, and which, I now recollected, was called by the same name.
For a little paper distributed to those I employed, I soon had a small party of market-gardeners collecting the “Hashish,” the Arab name for the green food of cattle (and which, the Bedouins of the Kafilah had applied to my Indian vegetable Bargee),[[4]] here found in great plenty. Several shields-full were quickly laid in my plaid before me, and taking as much as I required for myself, I bestowed the remainder upon my mule. She seemed as highly pleased with the treat as myself, and eat away, as if her family physician had recommended it as a preventive for the scurvy, which her present idle life seemed to predispose her to.
[4]. A kind of spinage.
The day was rather poor in incident. I lay in my hut reflecting upon the probabilities of my reaching Shoa alive; and projecting, in case I did, very extensive journeys into the interior from that kingdom, as a starting-place. In the evening, I and the two Allees, went after some guinea-fowl, but only shot one, and a hare. The latter, I found, was useless, for a somewhat similar objection is entertained by Mahomedans to this animal, as among the Jews, by whom it is considered to be unclean.
After I had lain down to sleep, a large calahm was held, in which, the escort and the Kafilah men all joined. Two sheep had then to be killed for the escort; so that it was nearly midnight, before their day’s meal was prepared for them. The calahm had some reference to the two Wahamas, who were wounded at Barradudda, and who, after the agreement to accompany us, were found unable to do so, and had been taken back to Herhowlee. The question discussed was, whether we should remain until they were well enough to join us, or go on at once, and take our chance, with respect to the resentment of their tribe. I was not sorry that it was determined to proceed; and from that day I became of considerable consequence, for my presence with firearms had principally induced the chief men of the Kafilah to consent to the impatient onward move of the Hy Soumaulee, who, having no property to lose, had no objection to accelerate the crisis; suspense, to them, being a most intolerable bore. They soon found out that I shared the same feeling with them, for I was getting heartily tired, of my sojourn in the wilderness; and the poetical sentiment,
“Oh! that the desert was my dwelling-place,”
now found no echo in the wishes, or desires, of my heart. Frequently did they solicit Ohmed Medina to start off with me, and accompanied by them, leave the Kafilah to come on afterwards, however it could; and, for fear I might be influenced by such requests, Ohmed Mahomed became as polite as possible; and found (quite by accident, of course, but very much to my delight) a large goat-skin bag full of rice, which he very gravely asserted had not formed any part of my own store, but was some of his friend Himyah’s, who was taking it up as a present to the frontier governor of Efat, the Wallasma Mahomed, but, at his request, Himyah had given it to him, for me. This was brought to me at night, to avoid observation; and, although, I thought it to be in this case, quite unnecessary, the same caution was exhibited, as on all other occasions of sale, or of making presents. So as not to excite the cupidity of the Bedouins, nothing like the delivery of any property occurs during the day. Among these wily and suspicious people, every thing of that kind changes hands, under the convenient cover of the darkness of night.