On our return to the camp, I thought it necessary to make such change in my garments as should add a little more of a civilized character to my own appearance, to harmonize somewhat with the state of society, for which I was going to exchange my present gipsey life. I accordingly got out, during the night, the only shirt I had left of the number I had reserved for the journey whilst in Tajourah; all of which, with this exception, in the course of two or three weeks, had been worn, taken off, and given to Zaido, in the vain hope of getting them washed; but which, in every case, were obliged to be divided amongst the importunate beggars who happened to be near at the moment. One would want one of the skirts for his child, a second would want the other for his wife, then the sleeves were found to be excellent dusters, with which the Dankalli are perpetually cleaning and brightening up their shields, so that among them all, every succeeding shirt was soon made old rags of, until I found it equally convenient to go without as with one, and for the last month of my journey my clothing was almost as scanty as my companions, and had I parted with anything more, I should certainly have required some of their clothes in return.
I now also exchanged my old Arab frock for a French blouse, donned a clean pair of white trowsers, and the black silk handkerchief I had previously worn round my waist was transferred to my neck. Having finished my toilette, I again visited the rent mimosa-tree, taking with me a small telescope, to assist me in examining places the names of which were familiar, from having with me a part of the journal of the Rev. Messrs. Isenberg and Krapf, on the occasion of their first visit to Shoa by the Adal road.
I was now surrounded by crowds of the Kafilah people, several of whom seizing the glass, as they could get it, took a moment’s peep, not unfrequently with the closed eye, at the country before them; but all vociferated “Whallah,” that what they had seen was most extraordinary.
A short interval of darkness before the moon rose occasioned us to retire to the camp, but not long after her yellow light shed a rich softness upon everything that could be seen, I found myself sitting against the boxes that formed my hut, with my face turned towards the promised land, which I anticipated was so fraught with opportunities of enterprise, and of every circumstance favourable for exploring the unknown countries of intra-tropical Africa.
CHAPTER XXXII.
Journey from Azbotee to Dinnomalee, general direction, W.N.W., time marching, seven hours.—Start with escort in the night.—Pass Sheik’s tomb.—Reach Kokki.—Short halt.—Wahama town.—Proceed to Dinnomalee.—Arrive.—Detained by Custom-house officers.—Get to Farree, W.N.W., two miles from Dinnomalee.—Accommodations.—Hospitable receptions.
May 22d.—Famous in my history for being the last day’s journey before reaching the first frontier station of the kingdom of Shoa. In a calahm the evening before it had been arranged that Ohmed Medina, Ohmed Mahomed, Ebin Izaak, and all the Hy Soumaulee, except their Chief, Carmel Ibrahim, and two others who had stayed with their countrymen at Mulkukuyu, should accompany me during the night, leaving the Kafilah to come on by sunrise. The object to be gained by this was to enable us to reach Dinnomalee, where Kafilahs are received and duties paid to the Governor of Efat, so early that there might be time to send a messenger to Guancho, where that functionary resided, informing him of our arrival, and that he might come down the same day, without obliging us to remain unnecessarily another night at Dinnomalee. Himyah and a Tajourah merchant were put in charge of the Kafilah, the latter, who had a mule, lending it to Ohmed Medina, so that four of us were mounted. We all looked very gay in our new or clean clothing, and the mules pranced along, shaking their heads like a band of animal performers delighting in sweet sounds, for, fastened around their necks were some pounds of music in the shape of large iron bells, suspended from tinkling brass chains, which occasioned together a very harmonious jingle, not so soft, perhaps, as an Æolian harp, but which, considering our situation, was quite as striking in effect.
We proceeded at a quick rate, for the escort, with some followers from the Kafilahs, like a lot of boys just broke loose from school, were racing and shouting nearly the whole way, tearing through the low bushes and shrubs like water rushing over a noisy fall. In this manner we travelled along for some distance, by sunrise reaching the gently sloping banks of the small stream running along the bottom of the valley of Kokki, its channel cut through a stratum of very coarse pebbly gravel, and strewn with large rolled stones.
About half way between Azbotee and Kokki we passed a small kairn of stones, nearly five feet high, covered with decayed branches of several kinds of trees. This was the grave of a greatly revered sheik, and all of my companions supplied themselves with a little of the foliage of any tree that was near to them. I and the others who were mounted had each a small branch given to us, which, like those of the others, we threw upon the kairn as we passed. Some few of the “mollums,” or best learned of the party, recited a short prayer from the Koran, whilst I and the shamefully ignorant satisfied ourselves by calling out two or three times, “Myhisee tymbeeda!” (“Good morning, I hope you sleep well!”) The successive repetitions of this expression, as each careless Bedouin deposited his natural wreath and then ran on, was most amusing, and I thought of a lot of children performing some ceremony they had been taught was right, but cared very little how or why it was done.