After remaining about an hour with us the women turned back in the direction towards their own homes, which I did not at the time notice, except that I thought they missed a good market by not visiting the Kafilahs which were in our rear.
That which astonished me as much as anything during my journey, and which I have omitted to mention before, was the great numbers of Bedouins who had never, resided in towns, and who yet were able to read and write Arabic. Several have inscribed their names in my note books. This I considered a curious fact in mankind lore, to find savages so situated as the Dankalli, such adepts in an art so foreign to their pursuits or wants.
Connected with this knowledge of writing, I observed a circumstance that may afford some solution of the cause, for the different directions in which various nations are accustomed to write. The Dankalli, for instance, inscribe the letters from above downwards, which I attribute, in a great measure, to their resorting generally for practice to the skin of the left fore arm, which, projecting before them, the elbow resting upon the stomach, serves as a tablet, upon which a stunted mimosa thorn acts as a style. The letters are rendered visible by the pale coloured scarf, the erased transparent epidermis, which marks the course of the thorn upon the black skin. When the hand and arm are brought down in a direction across the chest, for the purpose of examining the writing, it is evident that, to commence with the first letter, the inscription must be read from the right side, and in this manner, or some analogous one, making use of, for example, a long narrow leaf, I endeavour to account for the different directions of writing, either from the right hand to the left, or vice versa, which is customary among various nations.
Whilst sitting under a tree to-day, a caterpillar fell upon my bare neck, and feeling a disagreeable kind of tickling, I put my hand upon it and threw it away. It was a common enough looking butterfly caterpillar, but it had most annoyingly disagreeable effects, which lasted for an hour afterwards, being exactly like the irritation that would be produced by a little of the fine hair of the pods of the Dolichos pruriens being rubbed over the part. I could not conceive it possible to be the result of an insect simply crawling upon my neck, so I looked about to see if there were not some vegetable production in my neighbourhood that would account for it. Seeing my attentive examination of the spot, and suspecting the object of my search, by the restless movements of my neck in the loose collar of my frock, Ohmed Medina, laughing, pointed out to me several other little animals suspended at the extremities of long silken filaments from the extreme branches over my head, and I then recollected the circumstance of having previously removed one of these caterpillars from my neck.
We were not troubled much by visits from the neighbouring Assa-hemerah, who seemed to think that the less intercourse they had with us the better. Three or four women brought their children to me for medicine, which I gave them, and some old people, blind with age, kneeling, shewed their sightless orbs, and went away disappointed at my inability to restore to them the light of day.
A little after sunset, at the request of the Ras ul Kafilah, Ohmed Mahomed, I fired my guns, as a warning voice for the especial instruction of any foes to Kafilahs that might be lurking around us.
Immediately to the south of our encamping ground, was a broad shallow valley, covered with low trees, and called Aleekduggee Kabeer, and which turned to the east and north in a direction towards Hiero Murroo. The stream that sometimes runs along it, flows into the temporary lake of Iruloff, which itself, on occasions of great rains, communicates with the river of Killaloo. In front of us, to the west, was a slightly elevated crest, over which was the valley of Aleekduggee Sageer, flowing towards the north into the Hawash.
CHAPTER XXX.
Journey from Annee to How, general direction W.S.W., time marching six hours.—Aleekduggee Sageer.—Immense Kafilah.—Water-cure for determination of blood to the head.—Attack of the Galla.—Display of forces.—Ras ul Kafilah balances profit and loss so far.