Division of time.—My new servant, Goodaloo.—Thatching house.—Islam assistants.—Kindness of Tinta.—Finish roof.—Feast upon the occasion.—Remarks upon practice of eating raw meat.
The Abyssinians divide the day and night into eight portions of three hours each, and as they commence their fasts the evening preceding, it is to be presumed that they begin a new day at sunset, like the Jews and Arabs. Three hours after sunset is leilet, “evening,” all the time intervening between nine o’clock and twelve being so called. From “night’s noon,” or aculilielet, until duro-oitshiart, “cockcrow,” is another term of three hours, and from cockcrow to twart, “sunrise,” is three more; after twart is arrafat, or “nine o’clock;” then aculican, “mid-day,” between which and sunset is tuzziart, or “afternoon.”
During the first night after taking possession of my new house, about the hour of “duro-oitshiart,” (here let the reader learn a little Amharic), I was awakened, by a loud thunder-storm, to the disagreeable discovery that my new residence was not water-proof, for the roof admitted a great deal more rain than it threw off, and had not Walderheros constructed a kind of pent-house over my bed with a stiffly-dried ox-hide, I should have been very soon wet through. The necessity, too, of having some kind of candle or other on emergencies, was forcibly suggested to us, by the difficulty we experienced in getting the damp fire-wood lighted, by the blaze of which alone we could see to arrange our substitutes for umbrellas. Walderheros, however, soon overcame all difficulties, and after extending his bed, the aforesaid skin, over me for my protection, he coiled himself up under a huge Amharic shield, tilted upon its edge, and supported by a stick in that position.
It is unnecessary to say we did not go to sleep again, but kept talking away about what we would do to the roof, as soon as the sun had risen, and we could only get out. Accordingly by twart (sunrise), Walderheros had started on a long walk nearly to Ankobar to get some straw, and also to engage a “wandum,” that is, a near relation of his whom I had determined, at his request, to receive as an additional servant. His wages were to be only five ahmulahs a-month, about one shilling and a half-penny, and as he was stated to be the very first of all modern thatchers, I did not consider this an extravagant demand, particularly as I required his services so much at this time.
“Wandum” is, strictly speaking, brother, but with the Shoans it is used as a general term for all male relatives. An uncle is the “wandum,” of the mother or father, as the case may be, whilst cousins, especially between opposite sexes, appear to be more affectionately related than our brothers or sisters. A friend is called “wordage,” a name derived from some relation between them and one’s own bowels, “word,” signifying that viscera, which reminded me of a scriptural passage, where, describing the affection of some one for another, it is said that “his bowels yearned towards him.” “Bal-ingero,” is another expressive term for a companion, signifying “the possessor or sharer of bread.” And as I am on the subject, I may mention, that an additional term of friendly relationship among this very social people, is derived from the circumstance of the marriage tie in this country, being but very loosely observed. “Leech enart,” mother’s child, is sometimes bestowed upon a very dear friend, as being expressive of a great deal more affection than “Leech abat,” father’s child.
By “arrafat,” nine o’clock, A.M., Walderheros, and his wandum, Goodaloo, appeared at the rude misshapen wicket in the small ring fence of jowarree stalks, that enclosed my garden. Both were bending beneath huge bundles of the straw-like cimbyllal grass, but being too large to admit of passing through the narrow entrance, they were thrown down in the little lane that led from my house, and from a few other neighbouring ones, into the principal street on our side of the town, to the market-place.
Goodaloo, was spare, short, and active, seemingly designed by nature for the ticklish occupation he professed; for the frail stick skeleton roof, when divested of the old straw, looked as if it would have given way beneath the foot of a cat. After a professional survey, and a most important consultation with Tinta, his deputy, a Christian like himself, and half-a-dozen rich Islam inhabitants, it was determined to be most advisable, that only a portion of the roof should be renewed at once, so that I might have the shelter, either of the old or of the newly finished roof, to sleep under, during the three days required to put all to rights. The Governor and his Deputy, however, were the only useful members of this Council, for the former directed his servants to supply me with the necessary grass, whilst the latter assisted Goodaloo in thatching. The Islam gentlemen, with the cool dignity which, somehow or other, they do assume most naturally, sat down upon the skins brought for that purpose, and proceeded to call for coffee, and to give directions to their Christian superiors, in a manner that would have delighted Satan himself, to have observed, if he takes any pleasure at all, in seeing honest, simple humility, treated with the most evident contempt.
All this time, I was glad to keep out of the way, lying upon the alga inside; but when actual business commenced, I began to think I must retreat into the open air. Black, sooty flakes, now began to fall thickly from the glistening well-smoked roof frame, which consisted of long bamboo canes, that diverging from an elevated centre spread around in a wide circumference, to rest upon a round wattled wall of sticks and mud. To this annoyance, was soon added falling bits of rotten thatch, that descended upon my bare head and shoulders, until I could stand it no longer, but rushed out of the dirty mess and seated myself upon a quantity of clean straw near to my Mahomedan visitors, who appeared to have made my garden a public café, for they kept coming and going all day, staying a little to watch if the proceedings were going on to their satisfaction, and aiding, to the extent of an “Inshallah” (please God), “it would be finished by to-morrow.”
Before evening, one-third of the roof was well covered in, for as I had promised to give a couple of sheep at the conclusion of the business, to the servants of Tinta, they worked away at his cimbyllal grass, as if it had been all my own; and had I not inwardly resolved to return his kindness in some way or other, my conscience would have often induced me to call out, “Hold! enough!”
July 30th.—By cock-crow again Tinta’s servants were at my gate with straw, and Walderheros and Goodaloo went out to recommence upon the roof. We continued to be highly favoured by the weather, only a slight shower or two interrupting the otherwise bright sunshine in which I lay basking on my straw couch all day. A thick mist enveloped the whole length of the Ankobar range in front, which seemed to attract all the clouds, or at least condensed the moisture in the atmosphere to the west of Aliu Amba, leaving the more favoured country to the east beneath a clear and beautiful sky. The heavy bank of fog, however, prognosticated rain to us, and every time it caught the eye of Walderheros, he seemed to move as quickly again, as he supplied with fast filled arms the bundles of cimbyllal to the two workmen upon the roof. So expeditiously, indeed, did all proceed, that before sunset the whole was finished, although, for farther security and ornament, another day’s labour was required, which was promised with much self-gratulation by Goodaloo, who confidently asserted that had the house been thatched for the Negoos himself, it could not have been done more quickly or more scientifically.