On our arrival, preparations were being hastily made by the Kafilah to proceed on the march to Dinnomalee; all seemed conscious they had stayed in this place a night too long, and anxious to get away before any other mishap should happen. Some busy talkers surrounded Ohmed Mahomed and Ebin Izaak, who had come in a few minutes before us, and were listening to details of the deeds of blood, the evidences of which were five still bleeding bodies, that lay naked in different places upon the little green sloping bank that rose from the stream, and upon which the encampment stood.
Carmel Ibrahim and another of my escort were busy paring the skin of a goat, just killed, into the little twisted “symbil,” or ornaments, with which it is usual to adorn the head, wrists, ankles, and also the weapons of warriors who have slain a foe. Whilst thus employed, they sung in a sharp falsetto voice some song of triumph, their voices being elevated considerably, as every fresh comer from Dinnomalee arrived. Above us, to the left, the inhabitants of the little town were making sad lamentations, and loud sobbing cries over the dead body of one of their people who had been killed in the engagement.
From what we were now told, it appeared that a little before sunrise, several women of the Kafilah had gone down to a place at some distance from the camp, where the little stream spread out into a pool, to fill their affaleetahs and gourd-shells with water for the march. Here they were seized by a large body of Hittoo Gallas, who, during the night, had approached the Kafilah, and were lying concealed in this situation, awaiting for the camels to be loaded, so that after an attack they might drive them with their loads quickly away. On being discovered, the greater part seized the women and carried them away at once, whilst another body rushed over the little stream hoping still to be able to surprise the Kafilah before the men had assembled for its protection. One Dophanter man, who had followed the women, attempted to escape by running towards the camp, but a pursuing Galla launched his spear, and transfixed him through the back, so that a wound was visible under the breast, corresponding to the much larger one in the back. His cries, however, called the Hy Soumaulee to arms, of whom more than four times the number of the Galla collected immediately, and before the latter were aware of the strength of the party they were about to attack, they were too near to escape some retributive punishment. Immediately the Hy Soumaulee saw them commencing to retire, they were on their feet, following them fast down the little slope to the brook, and succeeded in killing five of the daring robbers, before they could ascend the opposite bank. The rest made good their retreat to the main body, who had now got some distance with the women, and together formed a force far too great for the Hy Soumaulee people to hope to attack it with advantage. They were obliged, therefore to halt, form a semicircular squatting line, and be passive spectators of their women, seven of whom belonged to the Kafilah, and three to the town of Dophan, being carried away into captivity.
Three Gallas were killed by spears, the others had been stabbed in the throat and chest, and probably died fighting fairly enough. Carmel Ibrahim was one happy man-slayer, and also the brother of Moosa, and they kept up their song of triumph all the time we stayed here, except when they took me to see the bodies of those they had killed. I observed that the Dankalli do not practise the brutal custom of disfiguring the slain, so common among the Amhara at the present time, and which was also a characteristic of Jewish warfare. The arms and shields, not only of the Gallas who had been killed, but also numerous others that the fugitives had thrown away, fell to the lot of those who picked them up in the latter case, and to the victors in the former. Two of the other successful Hy Soumaulee were so busy fixing in their own belts the newly-obtained knives, which were much better than their own, that they did not attempt to raise the song, like Carmel and his friend, who, perhaps, only did it to attract my attention. Ohmed Medina informed me that I must give them a present, and upon my asking why, he said it was the custom for masters so to reward brave servants. He assured me that the chief of the town of Dophan had already given them a goat, and that the Wallasmah would also do the same. Seeing that it was the general custom, and as they had only been doing their duty, not as aggressors, but as men defending their wives and property, I promised them a bullock. On my doing this they would insist upon decorating my head with a symbil, or wreath of twisted goatskin, like themselves, but I managed to induce them at last to place it on my hat instead. Before we left the ground, I asked Ohmed Medina, if the dead Gallas would be buried. He looked at me, rather astonished at the question, but thinking, I suppose, that I knew no better, he said, very shortly, “Koran yahklur” (the ravens will eat them).
Our curiosity being satisfied, we now followed the camels, already some distance on their way to Dinnomalee, conversing as we rode along upon the events of the morning. The Hy Soumaulee men were too excited to think of the captive girls taken from amongst them never to return, but several of the women of the Kafilah I noticed with tear-shot eye mourning the loss of some friend or relation. No usual occupation, such as plaiting the palm leaf into a broad ribbon, to be sewed afterwards into mats, filled their hands, no familiar salutations as I passed by enlivened the way with smiles, but each with a long rope fastened around the under jaw of a camel led strings of five or six of these animals, that followed in their peculiarly quiet manner, the path their sorrowing conductress pursued.
Myself and others of the party who were mounted soon went a-head, and had it not been for repeated stoppages on the road to relate to those still coming, all we had learned of the deed of blood, we should have returned to Dinnomalee by ten o’clock; as it was, the sun had passed the meridian when we arrived, and we found there an equally busy scene, but of a very different character, to the one we had been partial witnesses of at Dophan.
During our absence the Wallasmah Mahomed, attended by his brother, two sons, his scribe, and a whole host of armed followers, had come into Farree, and just at the moment we passed the first trees on our side that inclosed the open space where stood the stores, salt, and merchandise of our Kafilah, that officer and his party emerged from the jungly wood opposite; the Wallasmah riding upon a mule, the rest walking, and among these the bearers of the silver mounted shield, and the silver sword of office were most conspicuous.
The Wallasmah Mahomed, the hereditary Prince or Governor of Efat, imbodied my idea of a dull, sensual, yet cunning man. There was nothing in his countenance to recommend him; bloated, with a heavy stupid expression, a little relieved certainly by small restless eyes that glanced at me whenever he thought I was not looking at him. Perhaps his fleshy turned up nose might be termed by some physiognomists an aspiring feature, and his chubby mouth, from having lost all his teeth, or nearly so, was continually mumbling something or other, or else munching a little branch of wormwood. I will not charge him with being actually sober, nor would he, I think, have sworn upon the Koran that he was so himself; but a bad headache was pleaded for the narrow rag of blue cotton that bound a large fresh green leaf upon his forehead. This application, I was told, was to produce a sense of coolness in the part affected, and to aid its effects it was frequently wetted by an attendant with water from a gourd shell, carried for this purpose.
On my going up to speak to the old gentleman, who had already seated himself upon a mat in the round shade of one of the trees, he very politely drew up his legs more under him, and invited me with a wave of his hand to be seated by his side. An inspection of my carabine immediately followed this; putting it up to his shoulder he glanced his eye along the barrels, and then turned round, with a nod and a sly wink, as if he wished me to believe that he knew all about it. He now asked, through Ohmed Medina, if I had any letters, and never supposing that they would be taken from me, I told him there were two packets which I must deliver to the British Embassy at Ankobar that day if possible. Saying this, I got up, and pointing to the sun intimated that it would be too late unless I started; but immediately catching hold of the skirt of my blouse he pulled me down again, saying, “I must stay with him, for the King had ordered that I was to remain at Farree, and not go any farther into the country.” This was fully explained by Ohmed Medina, who also told me that Ebin Izaak had been obliged to give up the letters and despatches whilst I had been talking to the old man.
I had been misled, though most unintentionally on the part of Mr. Cruttenden, by his information of the great honour and reverence with which the King of Shoa, Sahale Selassee, treated the members of our political mission, and I had supposed it was merely necessary for me to be the bearer of despatches from the coast, to be received with all cordiality and freedom from suspicion as to the motives of my visit on my arrival in Shoa. How disappointed I was may be imagined when, instead of being permitted to proceed at once to the residency in Ankobar, I found myself a prisoner; and on my telling the Wallasmah that my queen would be very angry when she came to hear of the letters being taken from me, he very coolly threatened to have me chained, confirming the interpretation of Ohmed Medina, by placing his two wrists together as if bound. As I saw he was in earnest, and that if I said any more it might, perhaps, place our ambassador in a worse position than what he seemed to be in, I restrained my feelings, and retired to think over my situation and what I conceived to be that of the mission in Shoa. Having sent a short note by a messenger the day before to Captain Harris, announcing my arrival, I postponed taking any decided steps until I received his answer, for I now contemplated making my escape back again, to take the news to Aden of the condition of our embassy, the members of which were stated to be prisoners like myself.