[4] Most Somális who pray a great deal do it, I am convinced, for their reputation’s sake; and most of the religious observances are to “show off,”—a thing the Somáli loves to do.
An instance of this is the horror of dogs. I have seen a Somáli, when thinking himself unobserved, playing with a pariah dog; but if a Somáli servant, in a house at Aden, when waiting at table, should be brushed against by a perfectly clean English fox-terrier, he will as likely as not drop the dish which he is carrying, and say that he has been bitten. All this horror is acted for the benefit of the other servants.
[5] My usual plan on losing a camel is to offer a reward to the finder, deducting the amount from the pay of the loser.
[6] When a Somáli is speaking to a foreigner, he generally uses instead of rer, the Arabic karia (village) to designate his kraal. He also uses the Arabic ayyal instead of the tribal prefix rer. Thus he calls the Rer Yunis, who live at Bulhár, the Ayyal Yunis.
[7] I have merely guessed at this origin for the Somális. The traditions of the Gállas themselves should, if obtainable, throw light on this subject. Captain Abud says, “The aboriginal inhabitants of Somáliland cannot be clearly traced. The Somális say they were Gállas, but in the Somáli language every one not a Mussulman is called Gál, or infidel.”
[8] Quite recently (Christmas, 1894) another Somáli raid against the Gállas of the Tana has resulted in the total defeat of the Somális at Kulessa by a handful of white men and natives.
[9] I noticed that though the Gállas at Karanleh and on the Tana were a tolerably thin-featured race, those at Harar were quite different, being very much more coarse-featured than the Somáli type. Mr. W. B. Harris, in a very interesting account in Blackwood’s Magazine (Sept. 1894) of his visit to Harar, has noticed this.
[10] The rhinoceros bird, called Shimbir Loh, or the “cow bird,” by Somális.
[11] If camels have to make a start before dawn, it is a great mistake to arrive at the evening camp after dark, and to throw off the loads and let the camels rest at night on an empty stomach. A continued course of such treatment will kill the best camels. When camels “flop” down on arriving in camp, or “swear” very much on being loaded, it is a sure sign they are being overworked. With good pasturage and proper working hours, I have often seen fifty camels loaded up almost in silence.
[12] Biladiers, i.e. country police (derived from the Arabic).