[10] The sultan has four sons.
[11] This gazelle is slightly different from the Dorcas, and, I believe, has never been obtained before.
[12] In talking of white men or Europeans, the Somali always say English French, those two branches of the European community being all they are acquainted with.
[13] Tobe, properly thobe, the dress used by Somali of both sexes. It consists of a white cloth, eight cubits long, frequently adorned with gaily-coloured edges; by the men it is worn loosely round the body with the end thrown over the shoulder, very much like the Roman toga. The women gather it in folds round the waist, where it is confined by a string, and both ends are fastened in a knot across the breast.
[14] It may appear strange that these men would not accept anything from me in payment except such things as they were accustomed to; and many of the pretty baubles which I brought from Calcutta, and considered would allure them by their beauty, proved of no use here as a medium of exchange.
[15] Tug, in the Somali language, signifies a periodical river, or water-course, the same as Wadi in Arabic, and Nullah in Hindustani.
[16] Durbar—Eastern Court.
[17] Lions, as well as other large animals, are said to come into the Nogal during the rainy season, when water and grass are abundant.
[18] Unfortunately, when sent on this mission, I was not furnished with a chart, and had never seen any works written on the subject.
[19] For the advancement of future investigations, I would here notice the reported existence of a large reptile like the armadillo—probably a Manis—which the Somali think a very remarkable animal. It is said by them to be common in Haud, is very slow in motion, has a hard scaly exterior coating, invulnerable to their spears, and capable of supporting the weight of a man without any apparent inconvenience to the creature who bears it.